17 Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Consultants: Find Out!

How to Get Clients for a Consulting Business

The internet has been a game changer for nearly every industry. It has enabled doctors to prescribe remotely, teachers to teach virtually, entrepreneurs to grow their businesses even with a tight budget.

If you can take the time to understand the intricacies of digital marketing, you’ll also be able to grow your consulting business online.

Before diving in, first take some time to create a detailed buyer persona (if you haven’t already done so). A buyer persona is simply an accurate description of your potential clients, the people who would benefit most from your services.

Ask yourself who they are, where they live, what industries they work in, how much they earn. Note down every characteristic they have which are likely to influence their decisions.

When you have such a clear understanding of your potential clients, then you can create a digital marketing plan that is designed to appeal to them. You’ll also know where and how to target them online.

The internet is extremely broad, and without the direction of a buyer persona, you can easily get lost in the abyss. This article will go over 17 effective digital marketing strategies for consultants and consulting firms to grow their businesses and find clients online.

Interesting Stats: Most In-Demand Consulting Jobs

Strategy Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $92,713 (Source)
Systems Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $93,956 (Source)
Marketing Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $56,068 (Source)
Financial consultants – Avg. annual salary: $88,497 (Source)
Management Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $84,642 (Source)
Tax Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $61,459 (Source)
Social Media Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $54,246 (Source)
Education Consultants – Avg. annual salary:$63,495 (Source)
Small Business Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $71,853 (Source)
Security Consultants – Avg. annual salary: $80,652 (Source)

How to find Consulting Clients: 17 Digital Marketing Strategies for Consultants

1. Get a website

Did you know that 85% of people check the internet whenever they need to find products or services? A website is the foundation of your online presence. It is where your potential clients can learn all about your consulting services and even book appointments with you. In short, it is your office on the internet.

Search engines like Google and Bing work by aggregating content from different sites across the web, and then showing the most relevant results based on what a user is searching. If you have a website, then it could also get shown to people searching for consultants.

Your site should contain every bit of information about your services and accomplishments. It should have an embedded map with directions to your office, a contact form to help people easily contact you. It should be designed with user experience in mind, above everything else.

User experience, or UX, is one of the most important factors that Google uses when ranking websites. The better your UX, the higher the ranking you’re likely to get. With a high ranking comes more traffic from relevant searches.

User experience is simply how well designed and organized a website is, how fast its pages load, how easy it is to navigate. Essentially, it should take people just a few seconds upon landing on the site to find any information they need.

Modern website builders such as Wix allow you to build professional websites that automatically have a positive UX. You can also use FreeWebDesign to get developers to build your entire site for free. Having a website is essential for the success of your digital marketing strategy.

2. PPC ads

Pay per click, or PPC, is an online advertising model where ads get served to people as they browse the internet, however advertisers only pay for the clicks. It’s one of the best marketing tactics for generating leads almost instantly.

For example, if your Facebook ads get shown to 1,000 people, but only 50 click them, then you’ll only pay for the 50 clicks, despite getting your message across to 1,000 people.

There are various types of PPC ad formats on platforms such as Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads. You can run an image banner or video campaign, which is ideal for creating awareness and generating interest.

On the other hand, you can run a search engine campaign, which is ideal for targeting people who already know what they want and are searching for it. Search engine ads are more effective at generating qualified leads. For instance, you can create a Google Ads campaign targeting people who search for phrases such as:

“Consultants near me”
“Best consultation services”
“Where can I find consultants in xxxx [enter your city]”
“Consulting firm in xxxx [enter your city]”

Most PPC platforms allow you to target people based on numerous factors, including their location, age, income class, interests, etc. Such advanced targeting options can help you pinpoint your buyer persona, and only show ads to them.

Read on to learn how you can get over $1,000 in free advertising credit to run PPC campaigns for your consulting firm on Facebook, LinkedIn and several other platforms.

3. Retargeting ads

Retargeting is an advertising model where ads get shown to people who previously visited a website. Website visitors are in most cases business leads who are interested in something you have to offer. They are your potential clients.

Retargeting helps you isolate them, and show ads that are designed to drive action. For example, you can offer a free 30 minute online consultation to get them to book an appointment.

Studies show that people who have been retargeted have a 70% higher conversion rate than people seeing ads for the first time. It’s a great digital marketing strategy to implement together with your other PPC campaigns. The most popular retargeting platforms are Google ads and Facebook ads.

4. Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of increasing a website’s ranking on search engines like Google and Bing. A high ranking means that the site will appear among the top results for relevant search queries, and therefore be visible to more people. It’s one of the most effective ways to find new clients for your consultancy.

Some queries you can aim to rank for include:

“Consultants in xxxx [insert your city]”
“Consulting company in xxxx [insert your city]”
“Where to find consultants in xxxx [insert your city”
“Best consultants in xxxx [insert your city]”

With a good ranking, you can expect to get traffic from people looking for your looking for consultants or consulting firms in your location. Although SEO can be a very long process, investing in it can eventually eliminate the need to spend money PPC ads. It will play a massive role in the success of your marketing plan.

SEO has two main phases. The first is called on-site SEO, which mainly entails optimizing individual pages on the website to make them user friendly and search engine friendly. Some ways to do that include increasing the loading speed and making it mobile responsive. You can use Surfer SEO to analyze and optimize your on page SEO.

Responsive sites load seamlessly across all devices, from smartphones to tablets and computers. If you built your site using a Wix template then you won’t have to worry about on-site SEO. All the pages will be optimized by default.

The second phase is called off-site SEO, which mainly entails the process of link building. Every time another site adds a link pointing to your website, Google considers it a referral, which is a sign of authority. The more authoritative your site is, the higher the ranking it’s likely to get.

Since link building can be very time consuming, you can outsource it to an SEO freelancer or agency. If you would like to do it yourself, then some ways to get links include writing guest posts on other blogs and creating directory listings.

5. Start a blog

A blog is one of the best marketing strategies for dominating the internet with content originating from your site, and in the process establishing yourself an authority.

Hubspot are very good at this approach. Although the company deals with marketing automation software for businesses, most of their site traffic is generated from their blog. If you search Google for anything marketing-related, you’re likely to come across a blog post they’ve done on the topic.

Most people do some online research whenever they need answers to their questions. If they keep coming across your posts addressing the things they’re researching, then they naturally develop some familiarity with your name. You’re value rises in their eyes.

You can publish posts covering a wide range of topics related to your field. For example, if you discover that the phrase “how to start a small business” gets lots of Google searches from your target audience, then you can write a post covering it.

SEMrush is a popular keyword research tool used by bloggers to find high-traffic keywords to write about. You can use it to find relevant topics based on your consultation field.

If you don’t have the time to write your own posts, you can always outsource to freelance writers, and act as the chief editor.

6. Become a contributor on other publications

This is a great way to grow your influence and market yourself to a new audience. The more times people encounter your name online, whether on your own blog or on other sites, the more credible and authoritative you become to them.

Many publications including magazines, news platforms and even other blogs would jump at the opportunity to have an experienced consultant as one of their contributors. Although it’s usually not a paid position, what you’ll get is the opportunity to market yourself and build back links to your site.

Back links are one of the most important SEO factors that can determine a website’s ranking. Your columns can focus on any topics in your niche which are likely to generate public interest.

7. Get active on social media

Social media is one area that’s often neglected because of how time consuming it can be. But once again, if you don’t have the time to manage your accounts, you can always outsource the work to a freelancer or a virtual assistant.

Some of their tasks will include publishing fresh content daily, engaging with other users, growing the page following, finding new clients, etc.

Social media is home to more than half of the world’s population. Many people make decisions based on recommendations they see on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It’s too important to be neglected in your digital marketing strategy.

Another advantage of having social accounts is that they often get a priority ranking on the search engines. That means when people search for consultation services in your location, they can also come across your social pages on Google, in addition to your website. Make sure to use the same name and branding across all your pages.

8. Get reviews from previous clients

This is a fantastic marketing strategy for building credibility and social proof for your consulting service. 67% of internet users are influenced by reviews. They would first like to see other people testifying that something works before they can be sold.

Reviews are the lifeline of businesses that depend on traffic from the internet. The more of them you have, the more people will trust your competence, even if they’ve never worked with you before.

You can easily collect reviews by asking for them from previous clients. Make sure to create a section on your website where you can proudly display them.

If you want to take things a step further, you can also collect video reviews and testimonials. All you would need to do is send a few written questions to your previous clients and ask them to record themselves answering.

9. Get a GMB page

Google My Business, or GMB, is a platform that enables businesses create and manage their online profiles. GMB pages often get the highest ranking on Google search as well as a placement on Google Maps.

Such pages can go a long way in helping increase your online presence and visibility. Whenever people search for consultation services in your city, ideally they should either see results from your website, social media pages, or GMB. That’s how you win the internet by having an omnipresence.

GMB pages are like mini versions of a website. They give a quick summary of your business and give directions to your physical location.

They can also help collect reviews effortlessly. Every time somebody visits your office, Google automatically sends a request to submit a rating and review.

10. Create directory listings

Directory sites like Yellow Pages have not gone out of fashion. A lot of people still use them to find contacts of local businesses and professional services. You can create listings on all the major directories, just to cater to the people using them.

It’s a one-time effort that can go a long way. Once your listing is live, you won’t ever need to actively manage it.

Publishing directory listings is also a commonly used marketing strategy for getting backlinks and increasing a website’s SEO score. Most platforms will give you the option to add your URL.

11. Target leads on LinkedIn

This is one of the best marketing strategies (particularly for B2B businesses). LinkedIn is is the perfect tool for finding leads for your consultation services. Majority of its users are working class professionals, which gives it an edge over other social platforms.

You can search for people based on attributes such as their job title, location, and organizations they work for. With just these 3 advanced search features, you can easily identify leads who match your buyer persona.

For example, if you’re are targeting business owners based in New York, then you can search for “CEO” or “founder” under job titles. You’ll probably end up with a long list of people who match that description. Select the option to filter results by location, and then add “New York” to get a final list of targets.

Send connection requests to the profiles that most resemble your buyer persona. Make sure to accompany your request with a short message introducing yourself.

Once the connection request has been accepted, don’t start selling yourself right away. Instead, look to first build rapport by asking questions to get them to open up about themselves. For instance, you can ask about the accomplishments on their profile.

Only after developing some level of comfort is when you can pitch your services and explain how you can help them. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals in case they’re not interested.

12. Freelancing sites

Many people turn to freelancing platforms like Upwork, Freelancer and Guru whenever they need to find professionals services online.

You can create a profile for your consultancy services and apply for relevant jobs posted. There are likely to be dozens of new posts every day from people looking for consultants just like you.

Freelancing platforms make it possible to get clients from all over the world and work remotely. You can also collect ratings and reviews on your profile, which can help convert more clients. There are several tried and tested ways of finding freelancing clients online.

13. Email marketing

Email marketing has one of the highest conversion rates in digital marketing. The average open rate for emails is 21.3%, which is significantly higher than the average click through rate for PPC ads. It’s a very effective marketing strategy for consultants.

You can start building up an email list by integrating an opt-in form on your website asking users to sign up for your monthly newsletters. The newsletters in this case will be your lead magnate, a free item which is offered in exchange for contact information.

Publishing monthly newsletters is a great way to keep your subscribers on the loop with the latest news and developments, provide tips on how to run their business more effectively, etc. You can also feature some of your previous clients’ stories on how they grew their businesses.

14. Write an e-book

Writing an e-book is one of the best ways to firmly establish yourself as an authority figure in your field. The title of “author” is a great honor that’s respected by many people.

Your e-book can be on any topic of your choosing, as long as it’s related to your consulting service. If you don’t feel confident writing it yourself, you could always use the services of a ghostwriter, and simply provide guidance on what to write about. Many professional writers do that.

Besides helping boost your credibility, an e-book can also be a great source of additional income for your business. If you publish it on platforms like the Amazon Kindle Store, you can earn money through its sales perpetually. It would be a completely passive income source.

You can also sell it on your own website or use it as a lead magnet for collecting emails. E-books have so many benefits. It’s definitely worth taking the time to write one, or paying somebody else to do it for you.

15. Join social media groups

This can be bundled up with your social media marketing strategy. Groups are great places to find people who have an interest in certain fields or industries. You can search for groups on Facebook or LinkedIn where your buyer persona is likely to be found.

For example, if your buyer persona is a HR manager, then you can simply search for “human resources”, and then filter the results by “groups”.

Once you join a relevant group, make sure to be an active member by frequently contributing to the discussions and answering questions. That helps get people acquainted with your name. Answering questions is like giving free samples of your knowledge and expertise.

Once you develop a level of comfort with the group members, then they will not mind approaching you directly for follow up. You can also take the initiative and follow up with people you’ve interacted with by sending private messages.

16. Answer Quora questions

Quora is a popular Q&A platform where people can ask questions and get answers from other internet users. It can be a very effective lead generating tool for finding people who are in need of your services.

You can search for questions that are in line with your expertise, and simply provide elaborate answers. In many cases, a person who takes the time to ask a professional question is in need of professional assistance.

Every time you answer a question, you can leave a link to your website or a blog post you wrote covering the topic in greater detail. It’s a fantastic digital marketing strategy for driving referral traffic.

Quora questions often get thousands of views from people facing similar issues. That means your answers are very likely to get seen by people who are in need of your consultation services.

17. Host free webinars

Hosting webinars is a fantastic way to gather groups of people who have an interest in the areas you specialize in, and then market yourself directly to them.

For example, if you are a business consultant targeting entrepreneurs, you can host a webinar on “10 ways to automate your business and reduce costs by 50%”. Such a topic is likely to generate interest from business owners.

Make sure to start promoting the event weeks in advance to give people enough time to plan to attend it. You can promote it on your social pages and email newsletters. The goal is to get as many attendants as possible.

Once the webinar is done, you can break down the video and use it as content for your social pages. You can even create a YouTube page just to publish it.

Whenever people come across videos of you in such a commanding position hosting a webinar, then they naturally see you as a more credible expert. In addition to helping you reach your target audience, it’s also a great marketing strategy for building credibility and social proof.

Resources

Use the links below to get free advertising credit to run your online marketing campaigns:

$100 on LinkedIn – https://bit.ly/linkedinadscredit
$375 on Snapchat Ads – https://bit.ly/snapchatadscredit
$100 for YouTube Ads – https://bit.ly/youtubeadscredit
$100 for Facebook Remarketing – https://bit.ly/perfectaudiencecredit
$150 for Google Ads (US) – https://bit.ly/creditgoogleads
$300 for Yelp Ads – https://bit.ly/yelpadscredit

Some useful tools:

Build a professional website using Wix – http://bit.ly/2vA9doX
Perform keyword research for your blog and PPC campaigns using SEMrush – https://bit.ly/2OtnIYg
Automate your sales and marketing using Hubspot – http://hubs.to/BPDZT