How to start strong when you hire a digital marketing consultant

I have the privilege of meeting brilliant business owners at networking events. The best groups put you at ease and, over time, become a community. You grab a brew, swap a few updates, and before you know it you’re talking about the thing that’s been niggling away at you. A new competitor has launched. The budget feels tighter than last quarter. A potential client you’re unsure about. Everyone keeps mentioning a trend you’re not convinced by.

Making decisions about your small business is hard enough. Then all those outside influences add to the noise.

If you’re bringing in a digital marketing consultant to improve your online presence, honesty is essential. Lay everything out so we know where you want to be, what you’ve already tried, and what you’re aiming for. That is exactly what my onboarding process is for — and why it is so important.

Step one is simple: get to know you

When you get in touch, we start with a friendly chat to check we’re the right fit and to explore how I can help. If we agree a way forward, I’ll send my onboarding questionnaire. I want to understand your objectives, ambitions and audience, who else your customers consider, and what “good” looks like for you. It covers tone of voice, your values and what makes you different. Together, we create a baseline for where you are now and where you want to be.

From there, everything flows more easily. Website copy sounds like you. Social posts stop feeling vague. Video ideas feel natural because they come from your story, not a template. We share a clear picture of what you want to achieve and how your customers decide. That clarity saves time, money and second-guessing.

Work with the influences, not against them

Change is a given. Budgets move. A new product lands in your market. A trend takes off and your customers start searching in new places — Google, social, and tools like ChatGPT. Sometimes your own capacity shifts because life happens. Instead of throwing the plan out, we use your baseline to decide what to keep, what to pause, and what to try next. You move with purpose, not panic.

Conversations shape decisions

Back to networking. It can feel a bit like therapy. You say the tricky thing out loud, get a question you needed to hear, and suddenly the next step is clearer. Those chats create space to think — and that is the spirit I bring into the work.

Using your baseline and a few simple tools, we check in and notice what changed. If a competitor is pushing hard on price, we lean into proof and process to show your value. If the same search questions keep popping up, we turn them into a straightforward blog or a short video. If people find you on Instagram but don’t take the next step, we tidy the path from bio to booking so it feels obvious.

None of this is about chasing every shiny thing. It is about using outside influences — and the data you already have — to make calm adjustments. Onboarding keeps us honest about the goal. Ongoing conversations help us pick the next best move.

What I’m looking for in your answers

Your onboarding answers tell me what success should look like for you, where your customers already spend time, and what sets you apart. It is the starting point. Our baseline. From there we build in light evaluation and regular reviews of your digital marketing presence to see what has changed, what is working and what needs to shift. The baseline lets you measure progress clearly so you know how far you have come and what to do next.

Next steps

Book a short discovery call on my contact page and we will see if we are a good fit. Do not underestimate the power of a good start.