How to find a marketing consultant
- HK Recruitment
- Aug 6
- 3 min read
Whether you're looking to hire a marketing consultant or are brave enough to invest in a marketing person as a member of key staff, HK Recruitment can help you.
As we enthusiastically push through the second half of 2025, what is the marketing industry doing currently? From both a hiring perspective and what marketers are prioritising to champion business objectives.
Well, according to a 2025 survey by Marketing Week, it seems almost 90% of marketers today hold some form of marketing qualification/degree, and 50% of the people interviewed felt this helped them progress with interviews and employment opportunities.
A Digital Advertising Trends Report in 2025 proved the marketing industry to be on an upswing, with two-thirds of marketers agreeing that their company is performing better than the previous year.
A popular funnel for marketers still seems to be:
Awareness (social media channels)
Consideration (influencers / appropriate touchpoints)
Paid search / Email / Affiliate / Partnerships
>>>Purchase<<<
Marketers have spoken that 'holistic strategies' are the way their strategies are evolving - this is the blend of brand & performance! Creating seamless collaboration across teams & channels.
Meta, Paid Search & YouTube seemed to be the most popular advertising channels in 2024. In contrast, in 2025, there appears to be a shift towards audio (podcasts / Spotify, etc) & out of home advertising, TikTok, Snapchat, retail networks (shopping centres, ie, Selfridges / Debenhams), and affiliate marketing. This specific method of marketing is predicted to see the most significant increase in budget allocation moving into 2026.
Pinterest and CTV (Smart TV streaming) are still performing well, but are not as high a priority.
Conversational ads - 74% of marketers are planning to use chat-based ads in 2026. These seem to be an innovation to engage with audiences to push them faster through the marketing funnel to purchase.
84% of marketers feel that search needs to have high-quality visual content. 90% of marketers are using automation. 80% think that AI is a positive tool for creating and tracking marketing campaigns and understanding customer behavior. Customer experience was also a key priority for marketers in 2025.
Airbnb released a report in 2025 that stated the consumer experience was a massive trend in marketing, creating unique and memorable experiences.
There is an overwhelming number of marketing channels in today's age. You, as a brand, must first understand your audience and demographic, and then position yourself where they already are.
So, what does HK Recruitment predict is in store for marketing trends in 2026?
Personalisation - this has been a common trend year on year in creating highly engaged audiences
Capitalising on fast-growing technology platforms such as Meta, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn (with specific choices relevant to the brand's audience), searching out new tech innovations!
Community - with a competitive market, creating loyal customers, retargeting, customer experiences, incentives
Affiliations/partnerships/collaborations
FAST - websites, apps, processes, satisfying the consumer demands
Product - USPS / innovation/brand trust
Data - understanding consumer behaviour & purchasing habits
Customer service - ensuring a top-quality service
Social media & SEO collaboration
What do HK Recruitment predict are the key skills that employers should be looking for when hiring a marketing person in 2025/2026?
Holistic marketers for management, who can strategically understand the whole marketing spectrum & lead a team
Niching on roles/job functions, ie, SEO & PPC & data as one job
Adaptability - with the market ever changing, opportunists & optimists who can make critical business decisions
Customer service skills - Staff who uphold brand values
Creativity - innovation
Problem solving skills
Tracking success to ensure marketing performance
Ensure they have good values aligned with the company culture, as everything can be taught.
If you need help how to find a marketing consultant / hiring a fantastic marketing person, get in touch with our team. Lauren or Kim would love to listen to your needs and help you!
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