FOR CONSULTANTS & ADVISERS
How does video marketing for consultants build trust?
Why video helps advisers win trust, which types of film work, where to use them and how to feel comfortable on camera.
Realistic routes for independent consultants: network, offer clarity, LinkedIn, speaking, partnerships, follow-up and proposals.
To get consulting clients, start with people who already know your work, like past clients and former colleagues. Be specific about one problem you solve and who for. Add a focused LinkedIn profile and partner or speaking introductions, backed by useful content and quick follow-up. Most independent consultants win work through trust and referral, so stay visible to those people.
Most independent consultants aren’t short of skill. Their problem is a pipeline that depends on whoever happens to remember them this month. If you want to know how to get consulting clients reliably, the answer is a handful of routes you work at every single week, instead of one big push every time the diary looks thin.
Below, those routes are laid out in a sensible order for UK consultants and advisers, and for small consultancies selling to businesses. You don’t need all of them. Pick two or three and do them properly.
For most independents, it’s warm contacts. These are people who’ve seen you work, or who trust someone who has. Cold outreach and advertising can add to that. They rarely replace it. So your first job isn’t finding a new channel. It’s making sure the people who already know you think of you at the right moment.
Try this. List your last five clients and write down how each one found you. If most came through referral or repeat work, strengthen those routes before you spend a penny on new ones. For a wider look at how your reputation feeds into this, read our guide to personal branding for consultants.
People can’t recommend you if they can’t explain what you do. “I help businesses with strategy” gives a contact nothing to pass on. “I help owner-managed manufacturers get their finance function ready for a sale” does.
Start by naming the client. That might be a sector or a size of business, or a situation like a first-time managing director or a firm growing past 50 staff. Then name the problem, meaning the specific trigger that sends someone looking for help. The final piece is the outcome and the offer: a defined piece of work with a clear scope, such as a diagnostic, a project or a retainer.
Narrowing your offer feels risky. Usually, though, it makes you easier to find and easier to trust, because people can see at a glance if you’re the right person for their particular problem. You can still take on other work when it comes in. You’re just choosing what to lead with.
Your network is the quickest route, and the one most consultants neglect. Work it on purpose. Don’t sit waiting for the phone to ring. If you’d like help putting the supporting pieces in place, our marketing for consultants and advisers service covers them.
Get in touch with people you’ve worked with and ask how things have gone since the project ended and what’s on their plate at the moment. Often that turns into new work or an introduction without you asking for either. If a project went well, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask who else they know who’s facing the same issue.
Note who you spoke to and when, plus what they said they were working on. A basic spreadsheet will do. Then get back in touch with each person a few times a year with something that’s relevant to them. Generic updates don’t count.
Few things make people remember you like connecting two people who ought to know each other. It costs you one short email.
It can. Mostly, though, it’s where people check you out. Strangers rarely hire you on sight. A prospect who hears about you from a friend will almost always look you up, and your profile has to make the right impression at that moment. That means a clear headline saying who you help and how, a current professional photo, and a summary written for clients instead of recruiters.
Beyond the profile, post about the problems your clients face and leave thoughtful comments on their posts. Send personal connection requests that mention something you have in common. LinkedIn also lets members publish newsletters. The LinkedIn Help page on newsletters says subscribers get push, in-app and email notifications whenever you publish an edition, which can suit a consultant with a regular point of view. A professional headshot for your profile is a small change that supports every other step.
Often, yes. They put you in front of a room full of the right people, with the host’s endorsement built in.
For speaking, offer a short, useful talk to trade bodies and local business groups, or to chambers of commerce and industry events. Teach something worthwhile. Don’t pitch. And stay for the conversations afterwards, because that’s where the work starts.
Partnerships work because accountants, solicitors, bankers, IT firms and other advisers all meet your ideal clients without competing with you. Agree with each of them what a good introduction looks like, and make a point of sending work their way in return when your clients need what they do. Collaborations are a lighter version. Run a joint webinar or co-write a guide with an adviser whose work complements yours, and each of you reaches the other’s audience.
Plenty of consulting work is lost to silence. Nobody said no. After a first conversation, send a short note within a day that sums up what you heard and agrees the next step. If a lead goes quiet, a polite message every couple of weeks with something helpful in it, like a relevant article or a good question, beats a hard chase every time.
If you email business contacts, know the rules. The ICO explains that the electronic mail rules do not apply to corporate subscribers. Sole traders and some partnerships are treated like individuals, though, so for them you need consent or a valid soft opt-in. Whoever you write to, give them a clear way to opt out and respect it.
A good proposal is short. It should read like the next part of the conversation you’ve already had. Include:
On that last point, the ASA says advertisers need documentary evidence that a testimonial is genuine and permission to use it. Keep the original email.
Winning clients gets easier when your website and profile tell the same story as your photography and content. We help independent consultants build exactly that. Our marketing for consultants service covers everything from headshots and websites to advertising and video. We agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any work begins.
It depends on your experience and your network. A consultant with existing contacts can land a first project within weeks. Someone starting out in a new niche may need several months of conversations. Build routes that keep working over time, like referrals or partnerships, instead of betting on one campaign.
It can work if it’s personal and relevant, and within the law. It does tend to convert more slowly than warm introductions. Target a narrow group, say why you’re writing to them in particular, and offer something useful. Check the ICO’s guidance first if you’re emailing sole traders or partnerships.
Yes, in practice. Referred prospects check you out before they get in touch. A clear site that says who you help and shows proof, with an easy way to make contact, removes their doubts. It doesn’t need many pages. It does need to look credible and be up to date.
There’s no fixed number, but depending on one or two is risky. Aim for a mix of bigger projects and smaller ongoing work. Keep marketing even when you’re busy, so you aren’t starting from scratch when a contract ends.
Why video helps advisers win trust, which types of film work, where to use them and how to feel comfortable on camera.
What thought leadership is for consultants, how to find a point of view, which formats suit you and how to prove your expertise.
How independent consultants can rank for the services and problems they solve, using topic pages, genuine expertise signals and earned links.
Four quick questions, and we’ll show you where we’d start. Your answers come straight to us with your message, so you won’t have to explain it twice.
A 30-minute introduction call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Your answers come with the booking, so we’ll be ready for you.
Prefer to talk it through? Make an appointment for a 30-minute call on Microsoft Teams, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
A closer look at the work behind each part of your plan.
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