The 10 questions everyone asks a marketing consultant

Manually, not with ads: direct outreach to people with the exact problem, your own network, and communities where they already gather. Do things that don't scale, then systematize what worked.

Price the outcome, not your hours. Anchor to the value created, check what alternatives cost, and raise until ~20% of prospects push back. Underpricing hurts positioning too.

Organic proves the message cheaply; paid scales a message already proven. If you don't know what converts yet, ads mostly buy expensive lessons.

Sell before you build: a landing page with a concrete promise, 20 problem interviews, and pre-orders or waitlist signups. Payment intent is the only honest signal.

One channel done excellently beats five done poorly. Pick where your buyers already are, go deep for 90 days, measure, then add the second.

Usually the message, not the design: unclear promise, no proof, weak call-to-action. One page, one audience, one action — and real testimonials above the fold.

Post problems-and-answers your buyer searches, not company news. Consistent format, 3–5x weekly, native to each platform, and a CTA to something you own (email list).

Both, sequenced: leads pay this month, brand lowers acquisition cost every month after. Spend 80/20 early, shift toward brand as revenue stabilizes.

One north star (revenue or qualified signups), plus CAC, conversion rate and retention. Vanity metrics (followers, impressions) only matter if they move those.

When you're past guessing: a good consultant compresses years of trial-and-error into a plan you execute. Buy diagnosis and priorities, not vague "strategy".