High School

Enroll in marketing, advertising, business, and computer science (especially digital design) courses. You should also take courses that will help develop your analytical and problem-solving skills, such as mathematics, sociology, psychology, and sciences (including chemistry and physics). Take English and speech courses to hone your research and communication skills. Learning a foreign language is a good idea because many marketing campaigns target specific ethnic groups or individuals who do not speak English as their first language.

Postsecondary Education

You will need at least a bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or a related field to become a consultant. Some employers—especially large consulting firms—prefer to hire consultants with a master’s degree in marketing, business, advertising, or a related field, or at least a bachelor’s degree plus several years of appropriate work experience in marketing and consulting. Many management consultants have a master’s degree, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Most colleges will require you to complete an internship. Participating in an internship is a great way to get hands-on experience and to make industry contacts. 

Degrees and concentrations in consulting are offered at a few colleges, including the University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Notre Dame, and the College of William & Mary.

Certification

Georgia State University, Willamette University, and the University of Colorado have partnered with the Institute of Management Consultants USA (IMC USA) to offer a certificate in management consulting. The certificate aims to provide consultants with the basic professional framework to be successful in management consulting. Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Dallas also offer consulting certificate programs, but they are not affiliated with IMC USA. Contact these schools to learn more.

Other Education or Training

Professional associations such as the Internet Marketing Association, Insights Association, Institute of Management Consultants USA, and the American Management Association, to name just a few, provide continuing-education (CE) opportunities to marketing consultants to help them develop their professional skills. These continuing education opportunities are available in face-to-face seminars, online webinars, and at conferences. Contact these organizations for more information. 

Certification or Licensing

Studies have shown that those who are certified earn higher salaries and land jobs faster than those who are not certified. Marketing consultants can pursue voluntary certification from a variety of professional associations, such as the American Marketing Association, Internet Marketing Association, and the Insights Association. Additionally, the Institute of Management Consultants USA offers the certified management consultant designation to those who meet minimum educational and experience criteria in addition to passing a rigorous examination.

Any experience working with marketing campaigns, as well as the completion of at least one internship while in college, will be useful for aspiring consultants. It will take several years of on-the-job experience to move from entry-level associate to full consultant. 

To be a successful marketing consultant, you must have strong communication skills, including good listening skills. Creativity and an eye for digital design are also important. You should be self-motivated and have the ability to work alone in addition to as a member of a team. Because marketing consultants work with many different types of people, you must be flexible and have good interpersonal skills. Other important traits include perseverance, strong analytical and research skills, the ability to solve problems, a high level of confidence, and curiosity. Consultants must stay current with social and digital media, computer software and hardware, and new marketing and advertising techniques.