How to (Effectively) Market for Consulting Services on Digital Products and Cutting-Edge Technology

When it comes to consulting services and/or gigs for Web 3.0 or NFTs, demonstrating knowledge is everything.

Aldric Chen
Better Marketing
Published in
5 min readDec 20, 2021

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Marketing for technology-oriented consulting work is tricky. Many folks believe (rightly or wrongly) that their life can go on without it. Sometimes, people just have a natural repulsion towards technology because it changes their behavior.

Therefore, filling our pipeline for technology-related consulting work requires a practical blueprint of provoking curiosity and nurturing customer demand. Telling the world what-this-is rarely works.

“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

To get consulting projects and to have consulting projects lead to ongoing subscription-based retainers for technology deployment projects, we must paint a picture of the future. Specifically, painting a picture of possibility in the minds of our ideal customer profiles.

In this article, I will focus on how we can get consulting projects on the following:

  • Web 3.0.
  • Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
Author’s Note: This article is not about understanding the nature of Web 3.0 and NFTs. There are many articles on what they are and how they work. This article is about getting consulting work on these 2 items.

Before We Begin — What (Exactly) is Consulting Work?

This is the best definition of consulting work I came across online.

“Consultants can perform a range of duties that may vary considerably depending on the industry. In a nutshell, consultants provide expert opinions, analysis, and recommendations to organizations or individuals, based on their own expertise. They’re essentially fixers, serving as objective troubleshooters, and providing strategies to prevent problems and improve performance.”

- What Is a Consultant?

The job description of a professional consultant is long and can be mystical at times. As a technology consulting professional, I do many things for my clients to get a deal.

To synthesize what we do, pay careful attention to the keywords that really matter. They are:

  • Expert opinions.
  • Analysis.
  • Recommendations.
  • Strategies.
  • Solve problems.
  • Improve performance.

These 6 words comprehensively describe how consultants (in any domain) add value to their prospects and clients, therefore filling their pipeline with work.

From here, I will describe how we use the above keywords to market for consulting gigs, workshops, projects for cutting-edge technology items such as Web 3.0 and NFTs.

Marketing with Credentials (Expert Opinions + Solving Problems)

This is not just about telling people what things are. The Internet, social media platforms, and YouTube have rapidly eroded the commercial value of information.

You must ditch that idea of selling information.

Instead, focus on knowledge. Consulting knowledge comes from applying what we know and getting results that are unique to us.

This is what I mean:

  • Pure information play — This is Ethereum. Ethereum is a blockchain. It does this and that.
  • Knowledge display — I have been working on ad-hoc projects using the Ethereum blockchain. This platform is better used for building e-commerce platforms because of mature smart contract features and with principal token steadily accumulating value (Ether). This is what you can do if you are currently struggling to build a website on the Ethereum blockchain. (Proceed to show-and-tell).

Marketing with Business Environment Savviness (Analysis + Strategies)

This technique requires commercial acumen. It answers the following questions.

  • How do I make money here?
  • How different is it making money here than the conventional methods?

In the world of venture projects, the path to profitability is everything. You may not like it, but unfortunately, that is how the game is played.

When it comes to consulting work, helping our clients create and realize value is our professional anchor. Our clients must benefit (commercially) by working with us.

The best way to demonstrate market savviness is to showcase the intrinsic business model of Web 3.0 and NFTs. Presenting what we know about the business model seals our position as THE consultant to work within the minds of our prospects.

This is what I mean, using NFTs as an example:

  • Resale commission — You can earn from resale commission each time your NFTs change hands. Rarible and Mintable, 2 websites on Ethereum blockchain, allow you to set your resale commission from the get-go.
  • Digital Asset Conveyancing — You own the NFT asset. Every creation within the Ethereum blockchain is indexed with a Unique ID known as a hash. That means everyone knows that NFT is created by you, allowed (by you) for circulation and that resale commission comes to you each time it is traded.

From here, you compare how tough it is to claim ownership of digital assets created in Web 2.0. Elaborate on online plagiarism and no viable indication of source creation and ownership. Showcasing contrast in-depth further solidify our expert positioning.

Author’s Note: Want to market yourself as the Go-To expert consultant? First, have a wide range of experimental exposure. Exposure builds our ability to contrast. Next, roll up your sleeves and get dirty. Insights come from direct work engagement.

Marketing with the Future of the Industry (Recommendations + Strategies)

All industries evolve. Technology changes the face of our business environment. Some businesses adapt, others phase out.

When it comes to getting consulting work for Web 3.0 and NFTs, the better approach is to paint a picture of the future incrementally.

This is what I mean, using Web 3.0 as an example:

  • Explain the difference between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.
  • Go through their differences from a natural evolutionary perspective, and that means articulating clearly why Web 3.0 is the natural next stage.
  • And that means explaining the drivers of Web 3.0.
  • And that also means explaining the rise of the creator economy claiming ownership of their work, challenging the paradigm of the gig economy where content creation work is primarily driven by business needs and demands.
  • And most importantly, why tapping into the creator economy (also consulting with you on Web 3.0) is the logical step today to grow your prospects’ digital footprint as the internet evolves.
Author’s Note: Many folks and businesses want to stay ahead of technology trends to be relevant. Articulate with clarity what THAT future looks like for them to win the consulting project.

Summary

There are many ways to market ourselves for consulting services.

Ultimately, the business you are in and the work that you do matter. Focusing on what we know is the better bet for technology consulting.

Consultants exist to create and realize value for our clients. Therefore, we have to tie what we know to how it helps our clients achieve their goals.

From there, we thrive. Professionally. As a consultant.

This article is written in response to Shreya Badonia’s comment on How I Made $4,300 from Creating and Marketing (My) YouTube Videos published with Better Marketing publication.

About the Author:

As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.

Do reach out and say hi on Linkedin and Twitter!

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Better Marketing
Better Marketing

Published in Better Marketing

A publication by and for marketers. We publish marketing inspiration, case studies, career advice, tutorials, industry news, and more.

Aldric Chen
Aldric Chen

Written by Aldric Chen

Singaporean. 24x Top Writer (as of June 2023). Eavesdropper. I capture interesting & uncomfortable real-life retirement / work-life stories the way they are.

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