Choosing a marketing consultant is a big call for founders ready to grow. Melbourne is full of agencies, freelancers, and consultants promising results. But finding someone who understands your business, industry and goals can be harder than it looks.

This guide will help you cut through the noise and choose a consultant who adds value.

Why founders turn to marketing consultants

As a founder, your time and focus are split across product, people and cash flow. Marketing often becomes reactive with an urgent campaign here, a website update there. That’s where a consultant steps in.

A good marketing consultant brings perspective, structure and focus. They can help you:

• Make sense of your data and turn it into a clear plan.
• Identify the right channels and messages to reach your audience.
• Create accountability and rhythm across your marketing efforts.

The right consultant becomes a thought partner. They help you make decisions faster, avoid wasted spend, and connect your marketing activity back to business outcomes.

→ Explore Fractional CMO Services

What to look for when hiring a marketing consultant

1. Relevant experience
Experience matters, but relevance matters more. Look for a consultant who has worked with businesses of a similar stage and complexity. A big-brand marketer may struggle with the scrappy pace of a scale-up, while a generalist might not suit a business preparing for expansion.

Ask for case studies or examples of how their work drove growth, improved conversions, or reshaped a brand story.

2. Strategic thinking, not just tactics
Many consultants can run ads or write content. Fewer can connect those activities to your bigger business goals. The right consultant should ask the kind of questions that make you pause and think about your audience, your priorities and what success looks like.

They should help you get clear on where marketing fits into your growth plan before talking about execution.

→ Go-to-market and International Expansion Strategy

3. Chemistry and communication
You’ll be working closely together, so fit matters. The best consultant relationships are collaborative. Look for someone who listens as much as they talk, explains things simply, and challenges you when needed.

A good test is the first meeting. Do they ask thoughtful questions? Do they seem genuinely curious about your business?

→ Meet Vanessa Sammut

4. Clear process and reporting
A professional consultant will outline how they work, from discovery and strategy through to delivery and reporting. They should provide visibility into timelines, deliverables and what success will be measured against.

If you’re left with more questions than answers, keep looking.

Common services offered by marketing consultants

Every consultant has their strengths, but most offer a mix of strategy and delivery support, such as:

• Marketing strategy and planning – defining your priorities, budgets, and metrics.
• Value proposition and messaging – refining how you present your business to stand out in market.
• Campaign and content support – planning and managing your communications across key channels.
• SEO and digital performance – reviewing how your site performs and how to attract the right visitors.
• LinkedIn and thought leadership – helping founders and leaders build credibility online.

Before you engage someone, be clear about what you need most right now. Is it strategic direction, consistency, or execution, and choose accordingly.

Questions to ask before signing on

To make sure you’re picking the right partner prepare some questions to ask when you book your discovery call:

• What types of clients do you typically work with?
• Can you share a recent example of a project and the results achieved?
• How do you measure success?
• How do you structure your fees and engagement terms?
• What will working together look like week to week?

The right consultant will welcome these questions and have clear, confident answers.

Setting expectations and goals

Once you’ve chosen your consultant, agree on how you’ll measure success. Avoid vague outcomes like “increase awareness.” Define tangible goals such as:

• Grow qualified inbound leads by 30% in six months.
• Improve website conversion from 1% to 2%.
• Build consistent monthly content output across owned channels.

Schedule regular check-ins to review what’s working and where to adjust. The best relationships are built on transparency and accountability.

Understanding costs

Consultants can charge by:

• Hourly rate – useful for specific tasks or mentoring.
• Project fee – ideal for a defined scope like a strategy or audit.
• Monthly retainer – best for ongoing guidance or support.

Look for an affordable marketing consultant who will deliver clarity. Senior consultants will naturally cost more and help you avoid costly missteps. Cheap rarely means better, and will usually create more work later. 

Final thought

A marketing consultant should bring clarity, challenge your thinking and care about your results as much as you do.

If you’re a founder ready to make marketing work harder for your business, start by finding someone who asks good questions, speaks your language and can bridge strategy with execution.

When you’re ready, get in touch or learn more about my marketing work.