How to Find Marketing Advisors That Enjoy Helping Startups Grow
In this article we’ll outline the benefits of working with a marketing advisor and tell you how you can find a great one (that genuinely enjoys helping).
Running a startup involves lots of moving pieces. You’re responsible for research and development, marketing, sales, customer service, and more. Trying to do everything yourself is a recipe for burnout.
That’s where a marketing advisor comes in. A marketing advisor is a consultant who helps businesses with their marketing strategy and execution. In this article, GrowthMentor will outline the benefits of working with a marketing advisor and tell you how you can find a great one.
Let’s get started!
What is a marketing advisor?
A marketing advisor (aka., a marketing consultant) is a professional who helps businesses with their marketing strategy and execution.
Marketing advisors are often marketing experts with years of experience in the field. They use their knowledge and expertise to help businesses reach marketing goals, such as:
- Conducting Market Research
- Developing Marketing Plans
- Creating Marketing Materials
- Executing Marketing Campaigns
- Analyzing Marketing Data
- Training Marketing Teams
So, to summarize, marketing advisors help businesses with any marketing-related goals and challenges they may be facing.
Marketing advisors vs. marketing coaches
Unlike a marketing coach, marketing advisors don’t usually focus on the client’s personal development. Instead, they focus on the business itself and how to market it effectively.
Businesses typically take on a marketing advisor when they run into a challenge that they can’t solve on their own. The marketing advisor then helps the business overcome that challenge, without necessarily explaining every aspect of their process.
As a result, marketing coaching is better for businesses that are just starting out or marketing teams that need help with execution. On the other hand, marketing advising is better suited for businesses that are already established but need help with specific marketing challenges.
Tip: To learn more about marketing coaches, check out this guide.
What are the benefits of working with a marketing advisor?
There are many benefits of working with a marketing advisor.
Here are some of the most important ones:
| Benefits | Why it matters |
| Get an outsider’s perspective | A marketing advisor can provide an outsider’s perspective on your business. This is especially helpful if you’ve been working in your business for a long time. It’s easy to get too close to your business and lose sight of the big picture. A marketing advisor can help you see your business in a new light and come up with innovative marketing ideas. |
| Save time and money | Working with a marketing advisor can save you time and money. They can help you avoid costly marketing and startup mistakes and create an effective marketing strategy that gets results. |
| Achieve your specific marketing goals | If you have a basic understanding of marketing in your industry, you’re probably aware of a million different things you should be doing, but lack the skills, experience, or time to execute. A marketing advisor will work with you to develop a marketing plan that meets your specific goals. They’ll help you execute the plan and track your progress along the way. |
| Stay up-to-date on latest marketing trends | Marketing is a field that evolves incredibly quickly on the back of factors like current events, technology, and trends. It can be hard to stay up to date with the latest marketing trends on your own—especially if you have a business to run! |
| Get access to a network of marketing experts | When you work with a marketing advisor, you gain access to their network of marketing experts. This can be extremely helpful if you need help with a specific marketing challenge or want to learn more about a certain marketing topic. |
| Focus on your core business | Working with a marketing advisor frees up your time so that you can focus on your core business. You don’t have to worry about marketing your business—that’s what the marketing advisor is for! |
What should you look for in a marketing advisor?
Not all marketing advisors are created equal. When looking for a marketing advisor, keep the following criteria in mind:
Experience
Experience is an absolute must when it comes to advisory roles. A marketing advisor’s purpose is to help businesses overcome the obstacles that are standing in the way of their growth. And it’s easier to do that when you’ve overcome the same obstacles yourself!
Bahram Ehsas the VP of Growth at Homerun giving marketing advice at a cafe’ in Barcelona.
Growth Mentor takes experience seriously when screening mentor candidates. All of our marketing mentors have years of experience in marketing with a track record of success at companies like:
- Piktochart
- Typeform
- Baremetrics
- and more!
You should be able to rely on your marketing advisor for sound marketing advice and direction—not just a pep talk.
Industry expertise
While experience is important, it’s also important that your marketing advisor has industry expertise. They should understand the specific challenges that businesses in your industry face and be familiar with the marketing landscape.
This is especially important if you’re in a niche industry with specific marketing needs.
At Growth Mentor, we have marketing mentors who are experts in industries like SaaS, eCommerce, fintech—even cannabis! You’re sure to find an advisor who understands where you’re coming from and where you need to go.
Communication skills
A marketing advisor’s job is to provide marketing guidance and advice. But they can only do that if they’re able to communicate effectively.
Dani Hart advising a startup founder at a speed mentoring event in Amsterdam.
The best marketing advisors are clear, concise, and easy to understand. They’re also great listeners! This allows them to really understand your marketing challenges and provide tailored solutions.
Empathy
A marketing advisor should be able to put themselves in you and your customers’ shoes and understand your business from your perspective. This is important because it allows them to see things from your point of view and come up with marketing solutions that are tailored to your specific needs.
Results-oriented
A marketing advisor’s ultimate goal is to help you achieve your marketing goals. This means that they should be results-oriented in their approach to marketing.
They should be able to track, measure, and analyze marketing data so that they can see what’s working and what’s not. This allows them to make necessary adjustments to your marketing strategy and ensure that you’re on track to reach your goals.
At Growth Mentor, we try to make it as easy as possible for clients to leave feedback for mentors because we know just how important it is to see results. If you’re curious about a potential mentor’s track-record, let the reviews speak for themselves!
How to find a great marketing advisor
Now that you know the benefits of working with a marketing advisor, you’re probably wondering how to find one. Here are a few easy ways to find yourself a marketing advisor who can fast-track your growth:
1) Growth mentorship platforms
Growth mentorship platforms are a great way to find a marketing advisor. They’re like online dating websites for business professionals—connecting founders, CEOs, CMOs, and employees with marketing experts who can help them achieve their business goals.
GrowthMentor is home to hundreds of talented mentors and advisors with a wide range of backgrounds. You can search for marketing mentors by industry, marketing goals, skills, location, and even knowledge of specific tools!
Check out the interactive demo of GrowthMentor below
If you want to learn more about candidates before booking a session, you can read up on their experience or browse ratings and reviews left by past and current clients. Plus, members can book unlimited sessions at no extra cost—that means you’re free to try a mentor before going all in!
2) Google
A simple Google search can also help you find a marketing advisor. Just type in “[your industry] marketing advisor” (e.g., retail marketing advisor) and start browsing the results. At face value, this is an incredibly easy way to connect with a marketing advisor. But in reality, there are a few issues.
The first is that anyone can call themselves a marketing advisor. There’s no real regulation around the title, so anyone can claim to be an expert—even if they’re not. This makes it hard to know who you can trust.
The second issue is that Google search results are largely determined by SEO (search engine optimization). That means, the marketing advisors who show up first in your search results may not be the best ones—they just happen to be the ones who are better at marketing themselves!
3) LinkedIn
LinkedIn can also be a helpful tool for finding a marketing advisor. Start by searching for marketing experts in your industry or marketing goals. You can also try searching for marketing consultants or marketing agencies.
Once you’ve found a few potential marketing advisors, take a look at their profiles to learn more about their experience and skills. You can also reach out to them directly through LinkedIn to start a conversation.
Robert Lai showing some love on LinkedIn about his marketing advisory on GrowthMentor.
4) Ask for referrals
One of the best ways to find a marketing advisor is to ask your network for referrals. Talk to other business owners, CEOs, and marketing professionals—see if they know anyone who they would recommend.
This is a great option because you can get first-hand information about the marketing advisor from someone you trust. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with experts who may not be easy to find through online searches.
5) Attend marketing events
Another way to find a marketing advisor is to attend marketing events. These events are often full of marketing professionals who would be happy to chat with you about your marketing goals.
In addition to networking, attending marketing events is a great way to learn about the latest marketing trends and strategies. You can also get insights into the challenges other marketing professionals are facing—which can help you avoid making the same mistakes!
6) Social media
Social media is another great way to find a marketing advisor. Start by following marketing experts, consultants, and agencies on Twitter. You can also join marketing-related LinkedIn groups or search for marketing hashtags on Instagram.
By following marketing professionals on social media, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at their work—which can help you decide if they’re a good fit for your needs. Plus, you can reach out to them directly through social media to start a conversation.
7) Marketing job boards
There are also job boards specifically for marketing positions—which can be a great place to find a marketing advisor. These job boards are full of marketing professionals who are looking for new opportunities.
To find a marketing advisor through a job board, start by searching for a marketing consultant or marketing agency. You can also try searching for marketing jobs in your industry or marketing goals.
Fast track your growth with sound marketing advice
Now that you know how to find a marketing advisor, it’s time to start looking for one! Use the tips above to find an experienced marketing consultant who can help you achieve your marketing goals.
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, consider working with a marketing advisor. Growth Mentor can help match you with an experienced professional who fits your specific needs.
