In today’s world, having a strong social presence is a must for every business that wants to maximize its potential and reach in the digital realm. Social channels have developed into complex platforms where you’re not limited to raising awareness. You can also build communities, run an eCommerce store, and even use your social media page as a website alternative.
With such complexity, it’s no wonder that entrepreneurs are turning to external help for effective social management. So, what is a social media consultant and how can they help with this task? Find out all about it from our trusted partners below.
Table of Contents
What Is a Social Media Consultant?
Social media consultants provide entrepreneurs and businesses with social media expertise. They provide recommendations and advice to help their clients set up and execute comprehensive social media strategies that align with their business goals.

Consultants may opt to work with a client full-time on a single project or serve several partners at once. Typically, their responsibilities include:
- Creating and executing social media strategies
- Setting up the scene for launching new social channels for clients
- Recommendations and tips for optimizing ongoing social media management
- Helping clients better understand their own clients by conducting social research
- Performing social media audits
- Setting up social listening dashboards
- Planning and setting up social media campaigns
- Helping clients perform comprehensive analysis to drive more growth
- Helping clients evolve their social media skills by creating social training sessions and workshops
What Are the Benefits of Working With a Social Media Consultant?
For brands that are in the starting stages, a social media consultant can be of immense value, as they can bring a plethora of skills to the table to jumpstart the expansion of their social presence. These include the following:
Experience
When it comes to social media marketing, having an expert's perspective can uncover opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Maciej Fita, Owner of Brandignity, emphasizes that consultants bring fresh, qualified eyes to identify gaps, particularly in targeting demographics—a key factor in effective social media campaigns.
He also points out that subtle elements, such as the use of buzzwords or even color choices, can significantly influence how messages resonate with audiences.
The fast-paced nature of social media platforms further underscores the value of hiring a consultant. Jan Boersma, Owner of Super SEO Marketing, explains that staying on top of shifting algorithms and evolving trends is no small feat. As he puts it, “With all the changes, algorithms, and trends on social media platforms, you really need a consultant that keeps up with the space.”
Beyond expertise, consultants also bring consistency — something internal teams often struggle with. Thomas Rojas, Owner of The Rojas Group, has observed this firsthand. Many companies rely on employees to manage social media alongside their primary responsibilities, but this approach typically leads to declining quality over time.
Rojas notes, “What our agency has found over the years is that this part of their role usually falls short after a few weeks, as their other job responsibilities take priority.” By contrast, third-party social marketing teams focus exclusively on developing, scheduling, and sharing content, while ensuring engagement with the audience remains a priority.
Content Creation
Content is king in digital marketing and social is no exception. While consultants may not create your content directly, they will have the necessary design and copywriting skills to help your team provide valuable insights into different content types, trends, and user preferences.
As Manahil Akram, Social Media Specialist at Munzai Solutions, explained that she customizes content by aligning it with both the business’s goals and user preferences. She shared that her process involves identifying the target audience, selecting the appropriate platforms, and tailoring content accordingly. Akram also highlighted the importance of regularly analyzing performance data and refining strategies based on the insights gained to ensure optimal results.
Project Management
Often, social consultants will fully oversee a project until execution. Based on your agreement, they may temporarily take over your social channels and delegate different tasks to your in-house team or their own specialists.
This enables you to closely observe how they approach your brand and its social channels, but also allows you to gain a new, fresh perspective on your project, thanks to the new management and external specialists who prepare the deliverables.
Puneet Sakhuja, Creative Director at Tequila, supports this view, noting that engaging a third-party consultancy brings a valuable external perspective. “An expert consultancy can uncover new opportunities and strategies that drive more effective project execution,” he explains.
Improved Research
Social media consultants bring a wealth of expertise in understanding user behavior and industry-specific trends—knowledge that brands often overlook. Their experience and specialized tools enable businesses to better understand their market position, gain deeper insights into their target demographics, and craft more tailored strategies as a result.
Kristin Marquet, Founder of Marquet Media, emphasizes the critical role of understanding both the industry and the audience when creating social media strategies. She explains that tailoring strategies requires identifying the unique characteristics and preferences of each target group.
“For instance, what works for a beauty influencer most likely won’t work for a tech company,” she notes, adding that crafting effective messages means aligning key demographics, interests, and behaviors with the brand’s voice. Marquet also highlights the need to adapt content formats, tones, and channels to suit different industries while ensuring flexibility to accommodate their nuances.
Similarly, Steve Driz, Founder of Reputation Mart, underscores the importance of research in every aspect of social media marketing. At Reputation Mart, his team delves into client and audience data to develop strategies that align with the industry’s tone and style. Driz explains that this research extends to platform selection, ensuring that each channel is used effectively.
Better Analytics
Social media analytics are the bread and butter of maintainable and cost-effective growth on social channels. We’re not saying that brands can’t handle reporting themselves, but consultants may help better interpret the results and recommend enhanced actionable strategies that can quickly improve both paid and organic efforts.

David McCullough, COO at Xsell, highlights that social media experts will look at every relevant metric to see the overall health of your social media presence and help you get the most out of your efforts.
He explains that reach and impressions, follower growth, clickthrough rates, engagement metrics, mentions, brand sentiment, video views and watch time, referral traffic, conversion rates, and ROI are all key indicators these experts track to bring the best out of any brand or project.
Constant Improvement
For any brand owner, refining strategies and growing a social media presence is an ongoing priority. Social media consultants play a crucial role in turning these goals into reality by continuously updating their knowledge and enhancing their skills.
Francesca Broggi, CEO and Owner of Ayana, highlights that a good consultant is committed to staying ahead in an ever-evolving field. She explains that consultants keep up with changing algorithms and platform features by following updates on official blogs, subscribing to industry newsletters, and engaging with trusted sources like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Social Media Examiner.
Additionally, they invest in professional growth by attending webinars, workshops, and conferences, while networking with other experts on forums and LinkedIn. Broggi also notes the importance of online courses and certifications to remain proficient in the latest tools and best practices.
Social Media Consultancy Types
There are several different areas where social media consultants can help businesses better utilize their social channels. You may choose to work with a platform-specific expert (let’s say, to help you with TikTok eCommerce), or you may opt for someone who can help you increase your presence on all channels.
Platform-Specific Consultants
As the name implies, these experts have a thorough understanding of the works of a specific social channel. They might excel in creating flourishing social media communities on Facebook, do wonders for your Instagram following, or help position yourself or your brand on LinkedIn.

Or they might be experts on visual storytelling, helping you create content that will do justice to your brand.
Influencer Consultants
Influencer marketing can be a beneficial social endeavor for businesses, and consultants may also help you look for the right type of influencer to create social media strategies that feature the right type of collaborative content.
Finding the right influencer for your business can be an overwhelming and confusing, timely process. In some cases, business owners aren’t even sure what kind of influencer they should partner with. Consultants can help them answer these questions and connect them with the right people to ensure blossoming partnerships.
Crisis Management Consultants
Some experts solely focus on crisis management, which involves helping brands adequately respond to crises as quickly as possible to protect their reputation.
Social Media Consultancy Examples
As highlighted earlier, SMM experts can help brands with their social endeavors in countless ways. Let’s take a look at a few examples where social media consultants have proven to be invaluable for brands.
Tony Paris, Owner of AppWT, points to several high-profile campaigns as evidence of the power of outsourcing social media strategy.
He cites the Share a Coke and Dove Real Beauty campaigns by Ogilvy & Mather Sydney, as well as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, as examples of how expert consultancy can elevate a brand's online presence and deepen customer connections. “These campaigns demonstrate the value of creating authentic, shareable content that resonates with audiences and aligns with brand values,” Paris explains, recommending this approach for brands seeking similar success.
Imogen Wallis, Head of Digital at Milk & Honey, shares an example from her company’s collaboration with Whiskey & Wealth Club in 2020.
Under Milk & Honey’s guidance, the brand saw a 17.8% increase in LinkedIn page followers, with a notable spike after a Bloomberg TV interview. Paid lead-generation campaigns also showed a 10.9% increase in leads with consistent conversion rates. Wallis adds that the success extended beyond social media:
“Whiskey & Wealth Club achieved 100% positive content on the first page of Google, ensuring discoverability for top cask whiskey investment search terms. Nearly 13,000 leads were generated — about 100 per day — resulting in over 400 new clients. In one month alone, they sold 60 pallets of whiskey, ten times the previous year’s volume, generating £10 million in revenue.”
Krystal Dispo, Social Media Manager at Crunchy Lemons, highlights Wendy’s collaboration with digital marketing agency VMLY&R as another stellar example.
By focusing on witty, humorous, and often snarky interactions with customers and competitors, Wendy’s transformed its social media presence on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Dispo explains that this bold and engaging strategy significantly boosted Wendy’s brand visibility and audience engagement, proving that a unique voice and authentic engagement can drive exceptional results.
Wrapping Up Social Media Consultancy
Partnering up with a social media consultant can help you better understand your own social media needs, the preferences of your audience, and how they see your brand when they scroll through their feed.
Consultants can help you either by giving recommendations to boost your social presence or by taking over your strategies. Either way, they will oversee crucial aspects of your social presence while you can focus on other tasks that will only complement your social growth.
Social Media Consultant FAQs
1. What do social media consultants do?
Social media consultants provide businesses and entrepreneurs with guidance and advice to help them create and execute effective social media strategies.
2. How much do consultants charge?
Usually, these experts will charge a price based on several factors, such as the scope of work, their own experience, the client’s business size, project length, strategy, and so on. Often, they will charge by the hour or have a monthly retainer. They may also ask for a fixed fee for the entire project.
3. Do social media consultants differ from freelance social media managers?
Yes. The biggest difference is the seniority. Typically, consultants will be more specialized, and experienced, and thus, charge more than freelance managers. Apart from that, both provide similar services, i.e., help businesses bring out their maximum social potential.