Business owners increasingly automate repetitive tasks and use data-driven systems to achieve more from their marketing efforts.
But with the complexity of modern marketing tools and AI software, many people still need the expert guidance of a marketing automation consultant.
In this guide, here’s what you’ll learn:
- What is a marketing automation consultant?
- Marketing automation consultant tasks
- How much do marketing automation consultants charge?
- Top marketing automation consultants to follow
What is a Marketing Automation Consultant?
A marketing automation consultant helps businesses create more effective and scalable marketing processes using automation tools and technologies.
Unlike traditional marketing consultants who focus solely on strategy or technical specialists who only handle software implementation, marketing automation consultants combine behavioral psychology, data analytics, and digital marketing technology.
Marketing Automation Consultant Tasks
The role of a marketing automation consultant doesn’t stop at setting up automation. Here’s what they do:
Strategy Development
Marketing Automation Consultants start by taking a good look at how a company currently handles its marketing.
Based on a company’s marketing goals, they create a clear plan that maps out how automation can make things better.
Essentially, they do the following:
- Analyze current marketing processes
- Create automation framework
- Develop customer journey maps
- Generate AI prompts and scale automated marketing campaigns
- Set up lead-scoring systems
Systems Architecture
Depending on a business’s strategy, they choose and set up the right tools and systems that will support their marketing efforts.
- Is the tool the right fit for the business’s unique needs?
- Does it play nice with existing tools like the company’s CRM system and website?
Here are some of the steps they take to ensure sustainable system architecture:
- Automate marketing tasks
- Conduct technical stack audits
- Integrate and manage marketing automation tools
- Map out data flows between systems
- Create contingency protocols for system failures
Behavioral Framework Development
They create frameworks to help business owners understand and respond to their customers’ behaviors.
These systems can distinguish what stage a person is—whether they are ready to buy, looking for more information, or losing interest—based on how they behave.
This allows companies to send the right message (even though they are automated) at the right time, making each customer feel understood and valued.
Here are some of the ways they do this:
- Audience segmentation models
- Intent-based automation triggers
- Profiling systems
- Adaptive content frameworks
Performance Optimization
These professionals understand that automation isn’t about replacing human interaction but rather about removing friction points in the customer journey and delivering smooth, personalized experiences.
So, they keep an eye on important metrics to make smart improvements such as adjusting email send times, tweaking sales page content, or adjusting email sequences to better match customer preferences.
They do this through the following:
- Regular automation flow audits
- A/B testing frameworks
- Automation ROI models
- Custom attributions
Revenue Operations Integration
Marketing automation consultants turn fragmented processes into cohesive, data-driven systems that increase sales and revenue.
The automated systems ensure that the sales and marketing teams are in sync and every lead that crosses over from the marketing stage to the sales stage is well-nurtured and sales-ready.
They integrate revenue and boost sales by doing the following:
- Aligning sales, marketing, and customer success automation
- Building omnichannel reporting systems
- Designing customer lifetime value tracking systems
How Much Do Marketing Automation Consultants Make Per Hour?
The earning potential for marketing automation consultants varies based on their experiences, location, specialization, and expertise level.
But here’s a general breakdown of what they charge:
- Entry-level: $75-125 per hour
- Mid-level: $150-275 per hour
- Senior-level: $300-475+ per hour
- Enterprise consultants: $500-1000+ per hour
However, many consultants focus more on package-based pricing, retainers, and value-based pricing (where the pay is tied to specific business outcomes).
Here are some examples of these pricing models:
- Retainer package: $5,000 per month
- Revenue Increase Packages: 10-15% of incremental revenue
- Efficiency Optimization: Fixed fee + performance bonuses
How to Become a Marketing Automation Consultant
Looking to start your own marketing automation consultancy? Here’s how:
1. Build Your Foundation
Firstly, you need a deeper understanding of digital marketing principles. Consider these free relevant marketing certification courses:
- Google’s Digital Marketing Course
- HubSpot’s Digital Marketing Course
- HubSpot’s Marketing Automation Course
- Semrush’s Digital Marketing Library
The next thing is to gain practical experience with major automation platforms. Start by choosing ONE marketing automation platform first. This can be an email marketing software or a CRM software tool.
Then, spend time practicing how to build automation workflows—even if it’s just for your own business.
2. Choose Your Specialization
Choose your focus area. There are several processes and tasks in digital marketing—and if you’re just getting started, it can be complex.
So, decide what area of marketing you want to automate.
- Is it sales funnels and customer journeys?
- Do you want to focus on revenue operations?
- Does technical integration sound like the best fit?
- Or would you rather focus on email automation?
After growing your expertise, you can expand to other areas.
Once you’ve chosen your automation, build your marketing automation strategy. This will make it easy to sell your expertise.
3. Create Your Consulting Package
Now that you know exactly what automation needs you want to solve, it’s time to create your package. You can make this a coaching-type offer or be hands-on as a freelance automation expert.
To create your package, here’s the step to take:
- Sign up for a FREE Paperbell account.
- Click packages from your navigation menu and create your offers. They can be one-off offers, subscriptions, tiered packages, and payment plan options.
- Then, set up your availability calendar. You can link your Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Calendar.
- You can configure payment settings to get paid through Stripe or PayPal. You can also create client intake forms, automate the onboarding workflow, and set up email reminders.
- After you set up your package, share your booking page. Here’s what it’ll look like:
Top Marketing Automation Consultants to Follow
Looking to get started with marketing automation? Here are top consultants to inspire you.
Thalita Milan
Thalita Milan is a marketing automation specialist and HubSpot consultant who focuses on helping businesses simplify their marketing operations. She’s helped over 50 businesses worldwide scale their operations with technology.
Oscar Di Pasquale
Oscar Di Pasquale is a marketing technology consultant who specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses automate their processes and increase customer engagement. He’s worked with established music schools, SaaS brands, and international consulting firms.
Marketing Automation Corp. (Consultant Agency)
As a full-service marketing automation agency, Marketing Automation Corp. specializes in enterprise-level business solutions. They have experts who are available on an hourly basis to help with marketing automation. Within the space of 15 years, they’ve served more than 1250 clients.
Launch Your Marketing Automation Consulting
Ready to launch your automation consulting services? Paperbell makes it easy to create your website and offers in a matter of minutes. It also handles all the administrative tasks like payments, reminders, and finance reports so you can focus on nurturing your clients. Try Paperbell for free.