A Simple Marketing Plan for Consultants: One Page, Six Steps

Lots of consultants steer clear of marketing plans because they picture a thick document written for a big company. You don’t need that. What you need is one page you’ll actually read, telling you what to do this week and how you’ll know it’s working.

The sections below build that page in order. Get through them in one sitting, then pin the result up somewhere you’ll see it every day.

What should a one-page marketing plan for consultants include?

Six short sections will do it:

1. Positioning: what you do, who it’s for and why they should pick you.
2. Target clients, meaning the type of organisation and the person who buys.
3. Channels, the two or three places you’ll concentrate on.
4. Content rhythm: what you’ll publish and how often.
5. Budget and time, so the hours and money you can commit.
6. Pipeline measures, the numbers you’ll check every month.

If your marketing only happens when work goes quiet, this structure gives it a fixed slot in the week. Our marketing for consultants page shows the kinds of support on offer once the plan is written.

How do you write a positioning statement?

Write one sentence with four parts. It should say who you help and the problem you solve, how you solve it, and what makes your approach different. For example: “I help owner-managed engineering firms improve cash flow through a fixed-scope finance review, drawing on 15 years as a finance director.”

Don’t skip that last clause. It’s your reason to be believed, and it’s usually your experience or a method, or a specialism. Try the statement out on a former client, and if they can’t repeat it back to you, simplify it. Your choice of trading name needs to fit the positioning too, so settle that early.

Who are your target clients?

Describe them in down-to-earth terms, so you can spot them and get in front of them.

Start with the organisation. How big is it, and what sector is it in? Where is it based, and what stage of growth has it reached? Then the buyer: their job title, what they’re measured on and what keeps them up at night.

Next comes the trigger, the event that sends them looking for help. That might be a new regulation or a merger, someone leaving, or a missed target. Finally, note where they spend their time, whether that’s trade bodies and events or publications and online communities.

Write down ten real organisations that fit. Once you have a list of named targets, every later decision gets easier, from what to post to who to ask for an introduction.

Which channels should a consultant choose?

Go for the channels where your buyers already look for advisers, and where you can turn up consistently. Most independents do best with a small mix:

Pick two or three. Doing LinkedIn and referrals well will get you further than having a go at six channels and doing them all badly. If search is on your list, bear in mind that Google’s guidance says changes to a site can take from a few hours to several months to show results, so think of it as a slow build.

What content rhythm is realistic?

Set a rhythm you can keep up in your busiest month. Your quietest month is the wrong yardstick. Here’s one that works:

• One substantial piece a month, such as an article or a short guide, published on your website.
• Two or three short LinkedIn posts a week, drawn from that piece and from questions clients ask.
• One email a month to your list, with one useful idea and one clear next step.

Batch the work. Block out a morning each month to write, then schedule everything else. If you plan topics around the questions clients really ask, your content stays relevant and you never have to dream up ideas in a panic. Good professional photography gives the whole lot a consistent, credible look.

How much time and money should you budget?

Be honest about both. A common starting point is to ring-fence a fixed block of time every week for marketing, treating it exactly like a client appointment, and to decide in advance how much of your income you’ll put back in. There’s no right percentage, so choose a figure you could still manage in a lean quarter.

Spend first on the things everything else depends on. That means a clear website and a professional profile, plus proof of past work. Only put money into tools and advertising once those are sorted. Wherever you can, ask whether a job would be better handed to someone else, because an hour of your billable time usually costs more than an hour of help.

How do you measure your pipeline?

Track stages, not vanity numbers. Every month, write down how many people:

1. Got in touch or were introduced to you.
2. Had a first conversation with you.
3. Received a proposal.
4. Became clients, and what the work was worth.

Add a note on where each lead came from. After a quarter, you’ll see which channels produce meetings as opposed to mere attention. A spreadsheet is fine for this. Be suspicious of anything that doesn’t lead to conversations. Handle any contact details you collect lawfully. The ICO sets out when you can send business-to-business marketing emails.

How often should you review the plan?

Check the numbers every month and go over the whole page every quarter. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what made the difference, and give anything new a few weeks before you judge it. Drop whatever has eaten up effort without producing conversations.

How we can help

Once your plan is written, we can help you put it into action. We can do your headshots and build a clear website. We also produce LinkedIn and social content, along with advertising and video, all built around how consultants win work. Find out more about marketing for consultants and advisers. We agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any work begins.

Sources

• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• ICO: Business-to-business marketing