Business Consultant vs Digital Consultant

Wondering whether a digital consultant or business consultant is best for your business? In this article, we'll take a look at these roles to ensure that you work with the consultant that suit's your business's needs.

Business Consultant

A business consultant is an expert in advising businesses by providing analysis and guidance to improve and reach their overall goals and objectives. They will give knowledgable solutions that can affect a company both internally and externally.

Businesses hire consultants a resource that they can learn from and enhance your overall operations' value, both internally and externally. Their solutions will be based on cost-efficacy, proven techniques, best practice and strategy. It is for these reasons that they are the second most popular kind of consultant to work with.

When this consultant begins working with your business, they will need to gain first-hand insights into how you operate before making recommendations. They collect and sift through a lot of data to determine the best possible strategy that is unique to your business. They are thus able to provide a company with several benefits overall, including:

Accountability: Each business function is evaluated and held responsible according to measures that are put in place.
Expertise: Perfectives and knowledge from an outsider can help identify patterns and improve your business operations.
Objectivity: An industry expert can assess and implement unbiased strategies.
Training: Learning new techniques and information from the consultant to help your workforce improve.
Insight: Help in identifying new opportunities, as well as ways to combat any looming threats.

Business consultants are often licenced, with both academic qualifications and business experience. They usually have a network that can be beneficial for their clients and expertise within a particular industry.

Digital Consultant

These consultants are experts in digital technologies and often have experience with large digital transformation projects, usually operating as freelancers or as part of a larger consultancy group or agency. Digital Consultants should have a more holistic view of the commercial aspects of your business and will determine and introduce the best sales or marketing products and services for your business. Their role is to develop and improve your digital marketing strategies and identify effective ways to increase your customer engagement, lead generation processes, general marketing and of course, sales.

In today's complex digital-first world, there is a clear need for digital marketing and consultants in since society is moving online faster than predicted. Many businesses have to play catch up, or simply improve and grow digitally to withhold and expand their place in the market. For many companies, the function that needs improving is marketing. A consultant can map this out for you using solutions proven to work, giving your digital output a boost.

When hiring such a consultant, you can work with them contractually for the period that their services are needed, or continually. The best consultants have partnerships and affiliations with the companies that can help your business grow. Unlike business consultants, they specialise in all things digital and have extensive experience within this niche. They will also have to understand a great deal more about your customers and the market you're in specifically.

Revamping your digital marketing is no easy feat - not only is analysis and strategy needed, but content production and community management are vital too. When working with a consultant on this, you can develop a blueprint for your business to follow. The online presence of your business and the relationships with your customers online are of the utmost importance in today's world, which is why working with digital specialists is highly recommended.

All in All...

Consultants can be a valuable aid to all sorts of businesses, whether they're emerging and want to get off to the right start, or whether they're established and need some redirection and guidance. They are there to provide you with assessments, recommendations and assistance with implementing the suggested strategies.

When it comes to finding a consultant to work with, one thing is critical for both business and digital specialists: experience is key. Look beyond name dropping - the portfolio's that detail the results achieved for others should be a key indicator for your business when evaluating your business's right one.

The consultants' rates are often market-related and influenced by factors such as expenses, time, project scope, and level of experience. These costs are typically calculated and charged according to an hourly, project-based or retainer fee.

That wraps up the similarities and differences between business and digital consultants. Both have a vital role to play in helping a business to grow, albeit in different ways. Here's a recap:

Business consultants foster growth by providing a holistic strategy to help a business reach its goals.
Digital consultants use technology to devise and implement strategies that improve the sales, marketing and advertising of a business.

Would you like to begin your journey with a business or digital consultant? Book a meeting with us at Nexa to learn more.