Why Hiring a Marketing Consultant is Cheaper (and Smarter) Than Building a Team You Can’t Manage
Let’s be blunt: most small businesses don’t need a full marketing team. What they actually need is someone who knows what they’re doing.
Too often, business owners panic-hire a junior marketing assistant, promote [insert generic young person] from admin or pay for a VA with "social media experience" and expect leads, engagement, and growth. What they get is a confused brand voice, inconsistent posts, and a sense of frustration that "marketing doesn't work."
Spoiler: it does. You just need someone at the wheel who understands the road.
The Real Cost of a Marketing Team
Hiring in-house might seem like the logical next step when you’re trying to grow. But let’s break that down:
Marketing Manager: £45k–£60k+ salary (not including NI, pension, training, holidays)
Marketing Executive: £30k–£40k+
Content Creator or Copywriter: £30k–£50k
Software: CRM tools, scheduling platforms, design tools
Time: Recruitment, onboarding, managing performance
If you’re trying to build a functioning marketing team, it’s not just one hire — it’s several. And you’ll still need someone to lead them, guide the strategy, and make sure their output actually supports business goals.
Even with all that spend, if the team doesn’t have direction, it’s money down the drain. A team without a strategy is just noise.
Consultants Bring Strategy First
A good marketing consultant doesn't start with "Let's get you on TikTok." They start with: What are your business goals? Who are you trying to reach? What's working now? What’s not?
They audit, plan, and align. They look at the big picture, not just the next Instagram post. More importantly, they bring experience from working across industries, platforms, and client types. You're not paying for someone to guess their way through it.
And you're not stuck with long-term overheads. Consultants give you flexibility, clarity, and results without the commitment of hiring full-time staff.
When Training is the Smarter Option
Got a team already? Great. But if they’re not delivering, it might not be their fault. They could be under-skilled, under-directed, or just unsure what “good” looks like.
This is where consultancy meets training. A strong consultant can upskill your people, sharpen their focus, and give them systems that actually work. No fluff. Just real-world insight they can apply straight away.
Sometimes, you don’t need a new team. You need to get the best out of the one you’ve got.
What Businesses Really Need
Not every business needs a marketing department. Most need:
A clear strategy
Strong messaging
Consistent activity
Someone who can drive it
That doesn’t mean more people. It means smarter support.
If your marketing is feeling messy, noisy, or expensive, it might be time to step back and look at the structure. Hiring a consultant isn’t a cost – it’s a decision to stop wasting money.
And if you're ready for marketing that actually works? Let's have a chat.