Oct 9, 2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
What is marketing consulting? Gökhan Akdağ explains marketing strategy, the marketing plan, budget, brand, CRM, retail and e-commerce management.
Marketing
Marketing
Consulting
Strategy
Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.®
Marketing comes before advertising
A company placing more ads, posting more often or increasing its marketing budget does not mean it has a strong marketing strategy. Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.
Reducing marketing to communication alone overlooks why a product is not chosen, how its price is perceived, why a store fails to convert or why a customer does not buy again. That is why the core question of marketing should not only be “How many people did we reach?” but “What value do we offer to which customer, and how do we turn that value into a sustainable commercial result?”
What is marketing consulting?
Marketing consulting is a service that analyses a business’s market, customer segments, competitors, brand positioning, product and price architecture, communication channels, marketing investments and performance in order to develop a strategy and operating model that supports commercial goals.
A marketing consultant does not only propose campaigns; they explain for which customer and why the company will be chosen, in which channels it will grow, how much it will spend and how success will be measured. Strategic marketing consulting looks at the business as a whole; performance marketing, advertising and social media management are only a few of its execution components.
What does a marketing consultant do?
Analyses current commercial performance, customer behaviour and competitors.
Clarifies the target market, customer segments and value proposition.
Designs brand strategy, product-category management, pricing and channel choices.
Builds the annual marketing plan, campaign calendar and budget model.
Improves how sales, e-commerce, retail, CRM and marketing teams work together.
Measures advertising, customer acquisition, repeat sales and profitability indicators.
Creates the responsibility and decision mechanism that makes the team, agency and executives work together.
Diagnosis
Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.®
How do you build a marketing strategy? Eight stages
1. Commercial diagnosis: seeing where the company really stands
The first step is not designing an ad campaign but reading the real commercial picture: net sales, unit volume, category performance, gross profit, contribution margin, customer acquisition, retention, price-mix effect, advertising cost, store productivity, inventory and channel results.
If revenue grows while units fall, the price effect must be separated. If ad clicks rise while conversion falls, the problem may not be traffic but the web experience or the offer. If a store has traffic but weak sales, the sales team, product availability or value perception should be examined. Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.
2. Market and competitor analysis
Market research is not just comparing competitors’ prices. Consumption trends, category growth, sales channels, distribution architecture, brand perception and changing customer needs are examined. SWOT, PESTEL, competitor positioning maps and market segmentation should be used to make decisions, not just to produce an impressive presentation.
The company should answer these questions: Which segment is growing? Where are competitors strong? Which customer need is going unmet? How big is the market we can reach? Will we compete on price, product or experience?
3. Customer segmentation and insight
Demographics alone are not enough. Purchase motivation, intended use, willingness to pay, shopping frequency, channel preference and the customer’s relationship with the brand should be measured. In CRM data, RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) segmentation can be a starting point. New, repeat, at-risk and high-value customers should not receive the same communication.
In perfume retail, for example, the reason to buy may differ between a consumer buying a gift and one buying for daily use. In B2B manufacturing, customer analysis should be based on purchase volume, minimum order, technical requirements, order cycle, payment terms and customer profitability.
4. Brand positioning and value proposition
A brand is not just a logo or an ad line. It is the sum of product quality, price, packaging, communication, store atmosphere, employee behaviour and after-sales experience. A company that claims premium positioning must have product, store and service standards that support the same promise.
The premium fashion and international brand work at Zeki Triko is a strong managerial example of why brand image and store experience must be handled at the same time. Global press visibility, the right creative collaborations and point-of-sale presentation must all serve the same brand identity.
5. Product, category and pricing strategy
Managing the product portfolio by total unit sales alone is incomplete. Each product’s effect on customer acquisition, repeat sales, brand perception, contribution margin and other products should be examined. A low-volume product can create commercial value when repositioned. So before deciding to delist a product, customer fit, price perception, packaging, usage need and distribution should be analysed.
Pricing considers cost, competitor prices, perceived value, channel commission, promotion cost and margin together. Not every discount that lifts sales lifts profit. When the net price falls, the additional volume needed to produce the same contribution should be calculated explicitly.
6. Sales and distribution channel strategy
Stores, franchise, an e-commerce site, marketplaces, B2B, distributors, export, private label, contract manufacturing and HoReCa are not the same business model. Each channel has a different customer profile, price structure, cost to serve and growth dynamic. The marketing plan should account for these differences and share targets with the sales organisation.
7. Campaign, content and communication architecture
Brand awareness, performance advertising, content production, search ads, SEO, influencer partnerships, PR, in-store communication, CRM emails and SMS are separate tactics. The purpose of each must be defined. An activity run only for reach should not be judged by the same KPI as one expected to drive direct sales.
8. Organisation, KPIs and revision
A strategy can only be executed if it has an owner, a budget, a timeline and a performance system. A common reporting language should be built across marketing, sales, retail, e-commerce, product and finance teams. Decision mechanisms should be set for weekly optimisation, monthly performance and quarterly strategy reviews.
How do you build a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is the business plan that shows through which activities, by whom, when and with what resources the chosen strategy will be executed, and how it will be measured. Strategy answers “Where and how will we compete?”; the plan answers “How will we put this decision into practice?”
A good annual marketing plan should include these sections:
Executive summary and the business’s commercial goals.
Market, competitor and current situation analysis.
Target customer segments and value proposition.
Brand positioning and product-category priorities.
Pricing, channel and distribution strategy.
Launches, seasons, campaigns and content calendar.
Online/offline media and performance marketing plan.
CRM, customer loyalty and win-back plan.
Marketing budget, team and agency responsibilities.
KPIs, meeting rhythm, risks and alternative scenarios.
The annual plan sets the strategic direction; the quarterly plan organises category and resource priorities; the monthly/weekly plan manages owners and deadlines. Reducing planning to special-day campaigns is a mistake. Store openings, production capacity, inventory, export fairs, customer behaviour and product launches must be tied to the same calendar.
Plan & Budget
The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.®
How do you prepare a marketing budget?
A marketing budget is the plan for the financial resources a company allocates to brand development, customer acquisition, loyalty, demand creation and commercial growth goals. It is not just advertising spend. Media, creative production, CRM, research, software, PR, events, influencers and in-store activations can also be tracked under the relevant accounting definitions.
Three budgeting methods
Percentage of revenue: A share of annual or target revenue is allocated to marketing. For example, a hypothetical 8% of a 120 million TL sales target gives a 9.6 million TL budget. This is only an arithmetic example; it is not a standard ratio for every industry.
Objective and task based: First the new customer, channel, category or country goal is defined; then the cost of the activities needed for the result is calculated. This can be stronger for linking strategy and budget.
Zero based: Last year’s budget is not carried over automatically; every expense must be justified. Resources can be moved from inefficient items to priority areas.
Sample budget allocation (scenario only)
Spending group | Sample share |
|---|---|
Performance and new customer acquisition | 35% |
Brand communication and reach | 20% |
CRM and loyalty | 15% |
Creative, content, production | 10% |
Research and customer insight | 10% |
Testing and optimisation reserve | 10% |
This table is not a universal target. The commercial economics of premium fashion, perfume retail, B2B industry or a HoReCa supplier require different budget allocations.
Budget efficiency and core formulas
ROAS = Revenue attributed to advertising / Advertising spend. It shows advertising revenue, not profit on its own.
CAC = Costs defined for acquiring new customers / Number of new customers acquired. Which costs are included must be consistent.
Contribution margin = Net sales - Variable costs. Product cost, commission, shipping, payment fees and other variable costs are counted without double counting.
LTV/CLV helps understand the economic value a customer will create over the relationship; it should not be confused with first-purchase revenue alone.
For example, a campaign may have generated 1 million TL in net sales and 200 thousand TL in media cost. But without knowing returns, product cost, commission, logistics and discounts, the campaign cannot be called “profitable”. The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
How do you set up a marketing department?
Department structure depends on the company’s size, sales model and goals. Functions such as brand/strategy, product-category marketing, digital performance, content/creative, CRM, customer analytics, PR and trade marketing should be defined. In small companies several functions can sit in the same team; what matters is clear decision authority and accountability for results.
The CMO/marketing director carries strategy and budget responsibility inside the company. A marketing consultant provides outside expertise and execution support. A fractional CMO is a working model that offers senior marketing leadership for a defined period. Sales and marketing teams should use a common data language for customer acquisition, conversion and profitability.
Retail marketing, store management and brand experience
Advertising can bring the customer to the store; the sale comes from the store experience. Location, window, visual merchandising, stock availability, product presentation, employee behaviour, price and customer service are all marketing touchpoints. My management experience at Loris Parfüm and Zeki Triko showed that when the customer promise is not made tangible in the store, the impact of advertising investment can be limited. That is why a retail marketing plan should include sales training, store segmentation, category priorities, tester/sampling standards and retail KPIs.
E-commerce marketing and digital growth
In e-commerce, Google Ads, Meta ads, SEO, marketplaces, influencer strategy, content, mobile experience, customer service, checkout steps and CRM are interconnected. Traffic growth alone is not success. If the needs of a customer landing on a product page are not met, or there is friction in checkout, advertising costs can grow while revenue is squeezed.
One of the reported results of my management period at Loris Parfüm was 500% growth in e-commerce revenue. This result relates not to a single campaign but to a period of transformation in which channel management, digital commerce, user experience and marketing were handled together. The focus of continuous optimisation: qualified traffic, conversion, average order value, repeat purchase, contribution margin and customer satisfaction.
Channels
Growth is not a department; it is a system.®
B2B, private label and HoReCa marketing strategy
Marketing is not just consumer advertising. In private label and contract manufacturing, production capability, quality, product development, minimum order, delivery reliability and pricing come to the fore; in HoReCa, product continuity, usage economics and service standards. Technical content, a corporate website, trade fairs, industry publications, search visibility, quotation and sampling processes are parts of the same B2B customer acquisition system. The sales cycle, customer profitability and recurring orders should be tracked.
Marketing KPIs and management rhythm
Measure | Management question |
|---|---|
Net sales and unit volume | Where is growth coming from? |
Conversion rate | Is traffic turning into demand and sales? |
CAC and ROAS | How are customer acquisition and media impact? |
ATV/AOV, UPT | How are basket and product performing? |
Retention, repeat purchase, CLV | Is the customer relationship deepening? |
Gross profit and contribution margin | Are sales creating economic value? |
Brand searches and awareness | Is brand preference improving? |
Anomalies and operations should be reviewed daily, campaign and sales actions weekly, budget and profitability monthly, and strategic priorities quarterly. Every report should end by answering: “What will change, who will do it, and when will we measure it?”
Marketing vision and the first 90 days
Vision is the set of deliberate choices that shows what customer experience and commercial performance a company wants to create in the future. In month one the commercial diagnosis is made; in month two strategy, organisation and budget are designed; in month three priority campaigns and CRM processes are executed and measured. The timeline is a framework; it is not a firm growth commitment.
In my approach, growth is not a department; it is a system. When marketing, sales, finance, e-commerce, retail and operations see the same economic reality, the quality of commercial decisions rises.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a marketing consultancy and an advertising agency?
The consultant looks at the strategy, organization, customer, and investment model; the agency mostly executes media and creative implementation. They can work together.
What percentage of turnover should the marketing budget be?
There is no single rate independent of the industry; the goal, margin, competition, customer economics, and growth stage are evaluated together.
Is a digital marketing strategy the same as an overall marketing strategy?
No. The digital plan is the digital implementation part of the product, price, customer, brand, and channel strategy.
What should setting up a marketing department start with?
With the definition of commercial goals, functions, duties, decision-making authorities, and measurement infrastructure.
Does marketing consultancy guarantee sales?
No. Implementation quality, product, market, team, and competitive conditions affect the results.
Who can receive marketing consultancy?
Retail, e-commerce, perfume/cosmetics, fashion, B2B, production, export, private label, contract manufacturing, HoReCa, and service businesses can benefit from it within the scope appropriate to their needs.
Final word
Before increasing the marketing budget, it is necessary to know what problem marketing is solving. When the right customer, value proposition, product, price, channel, employee, and performance discipline are not established, more advertising can only create more costs. Successful marketing is the system that transforms the value a company offers to the customer into sustainable commercial growth.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ; commercial growth consultant with experience in sales, marketing, retail, e-commerce, and international growth management in brands such as Loris Perfume, Zeki Triko, and Lelas. His career includes an operational scale spanning over 700 stores and 103 countries. The corporate results provided reflect the performance of the relevant period; they are not a guarantee for future consulting results.
Related links: Consulting · Services · E-commerce case study · Contact
New articles on this topic
My Recent Posts
(Gökhan Akdağ)
©2026
What Is Retail Consulting? Store Management, Sales Growth, KPIs, Profitability and Retail Math
Oct 9, 2026
Retail
What Is Commercial Growth Consulting? How to Manage Sales, Marketing, B2B, Export, Organisation and Profitable Growth
Oct 9, 2026
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Growing E-commerce Revenue by 500%
Oct 7, 2026
E-commerce
FAQ
01
What does GA Consulting do?
02
What is your approach?
03
How do projects progress?
04
What is your focus?
05
Which areas do you work in?
06
What value does it create for companies?
07
Which companies is it right for?
08
How long until a project delivers results?
Oct 9, 2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
What is marketing consulting? Gökhan Akdağ explains marketing strategy, the marketing plan, budget, brand, CRM, retail and e-commerce management.
Marketing
Marketing
Consulting
Strategy
Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.®
Marketing comes before advertising
A company placing more ads, posting more often or increasing its marketing budget does not mean it has a strong marketing strategy. Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.
Reducing marketing to communication alone overlooks why a product is not chosen, how its price is perceived, why a store fails to convert or why a customer does not buy again. That is why the core question of marketing should not only be “How many people did we reach?” but “What value do we offer to which customer, and how do we turn that value into a sustainable commercial result?”
What is marketing consulting?
Marketing consulting is a service that analyses a business’s market, customer segments, competitors, brand positioning, product and price architecture, communication channels, marketing investments and performance in order to develop a strategy and operating model that supports commercial goals.
A marketing consultant does not only propose campaigns; they explain for which customer and why the company will be chosen, in which channels it will grow, how much it will spend and how success will be measured. Strategic marketing consulting looks at the business as a whole; performance marketing, advertising and social media management are only a few of its execution components.
What does a marketing consultant do?
Analyses current commercial performance, customer behaviour and competitors.
Clarifies the target market, customer segments and value proposition.
Designs brand strategy, product-category management, pricing and channel choices.
Builds the annual marketing plan, campaign calendar and budget model.
Improves how sales, e-commerce, retail, CRM and marketing teams work together.
Measures advertising, customer acquisition, repeat sales and profitability indicators.
Creates the responsibility and decision mechanism that makes the team, agency and executives work together.
Diagnosis
Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.®
How do you build a marketing strategy? Eight stages
1. Commercial diagnosis: seeing where the company really stands
The first step is not designing an ad campaign but reading the real commercial picture: net sales, unit volume, category performance, gross profit, contribution margin, customer acquisition, retention, price-mix effect, advertising cost, store productivity, inventory and channel results.
If revenue grows while units fall, the price effect must be separated. If ad clicks rise while conversion falls, the problem may not be traffic but the web experience or the offer. If a store has traffic but weak sales, the sales team, product availability or value perception should be examined. Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.
2. Market and competitor analysis
Market research is not just comparing competitors’ prices. Consumption trends, category growth, sales channels, distribution architecture, brand perception and changing customer needs are examined. SWOT, PESTEL, competitor positioning maps and market segmentation should be used to make decisions, not just to produce an impressive presentation.
The company should answer these questions: Which segment is growing? Where are competitors strong? Which customer need is going unmet? How big is the market we can reach? Will we compete on price, product or experience?
3. Customer segmentation and insight
Demographics alone are not enough. Purchase motivation, intended use, willingness to pay, shopping frequency, channel preference and the customer’s relationship with the brand should be measured. In CRM data, RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) segmentation can be a starting point. New, repeat, at-risk and high-value customers should not receive the same communication.
In perfume retail, for example, the reason to buy may differ between a consumer buying a gift and one buying for daily use. In B2B manufacturing, customer analysis should be based on purchase volume, minimum order, technical requirements, order cycle, payment terms and customer profitability.
4. Brand positioning and value proposition
A brand is not just a logo or an ad line. It is the sum of product quality, price, packaging, communication, store atmosphere, employee behaviour and after-sales experience. A company that claims premium positioning must have product, store and service standards that support the same promise.
The premium fashion and international brand work at Zeki Triko is a strong managerial example of why brand image and store experience must be handled at the same time. Global press visibility, the right creative collaborations and point-of-sale presentation must all serve the same brand identity.
5. Product, category and pricing strategy
Managing the product portfolio by total unit sales alone is incomplete. Each product’s effect on customer acquisition, repeat sales, brand perception, contribution margin and other products should be examined. A low-volume product can create commercial value when repositioned. So before deciding to delist a product, customer fit, price perception, packaging, usage need and distribution should be analysed.
Pricing considers cost, competitor prices, perceived value, channel commission, promotion cost and margin together. Not every discount that lifts sales lifts profit. When the net price falls, the additional volume needed to produce the same contribution should be calculated explicitly.
6. Sales and distribution channel strategy
Stores, franchise, an e-commerce site, marketplaces, B2B, distributors, export, private label, contract manufacturing and HoReCa are not the same business model. Each channel has a different customer profile, price structure, cost to serve and growth dynamic. The marketing plan should account for these differences and share targets with the sales organisation.
7. Campaign, content and communication architecture
Brand awareness, performance advertising, content production, search ads, SEO, influencer partnerships, PR, in-store communication, CRM emails and SMS are separate tactics. The purpose of each must be defined. An activity run only for reach should not be judged by the same KPI as one expected to drive direct sales.
8. Organisation, KPIs and revision
A strategy can only be executed if it has an owner, a budget, a timeline and a performance system. A common reporting language should be built across marketing, sales, retail, e-commerce, product and finance teams. Decision mechanisms should be set for weekly optimisation, monthly performance and quarterly strategy reviews.
How do you build a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is the business plan that shows through which activities, by whom, when and with what resources the chosen strategy will be executed, and how it will be measured. Strategy answers “Where and how will we compete?”; the plan answers “How will we put this decision into practice?”
A good annual marketing plan should include these sections:
Executive summary and the business’s commercial goals.
Market, competitor and current situation analysis.
Target customer segments and value proposition.
Brand positioning and product-category priorities.
Pricing, channel and distribution strategy.
Launches, seasons, campaigns and content calendar.
Online/offline media and performance marketing plan.
CRM, customer loyalty and win-back plan.
Marketing budget, team and agency responsibilities.
KPIs, meeting rhythm, risks and alternative scenarios.
The annual plan sets the strategic direction; the quarterly plan organises category and resource priorities; the monthly/weekly plan manages owners and deadlines. Reducing planning to special-day campaigns is a mistake. Store openings, production capacity, inventory, export fairs, customer behaviour and product launches must be tied to the same calendar.
Plan & Budget
The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.®
How do you prepare a marketing budget?
A marketing budget is the plan for the financial resources a company allocates to brand development, customer acquisition, loyalty, demand creation and commercial growth goals. It is not just advertising spend. Media, creative production, CRM, research, software, PR, events, influencers and in-store activations can also be tracked under the relevant accounting definitions.
Three budgeting methods
Percentage of revenue: A share of annual or target revenue is allocated to marketing. For example, a hypothetical 8% of a 120 million TL sales target gives a 9.6 million TL budget. This is only an arithmetic example; it is not a standard ratio for every industry.
Objective and task based: First the new customer, channel, category or country goal is defined; then the cost of the activities needed for the result is calculated. This can be stronger for linking strategy and budget.
Zero based: Last year’s budget is not carried over automatically; every expense must be justified. Resources can be moved from inefficient items to priority areas.
Sample budget allocation (scenario only)
Spending group | Sample share |
|---|---|
Performance and new customer acquisition | 35% |
Brand communication and reach | 20% |
CRM and loyalty | 15% |
Creative, content, production | 10% |
Research and customer insight | 10% |
Testing and optimisation reserve | 10% |
This table is not a universal target. The commercial economics of premium fashion, perfume retail, B2B industry or a HoReCa supplier require different budget allocations.
Budget efficiency and core formulas
ROAS = Revenue attributed to advertising / Advertising spend. It shows advertising revenue, not profit on its own.
CAC = Costs defined for acquiring new customers / Number of new customers acquired. Which costs are included must be consistent.
Contribution margin = Net sales - Variable costs. Product cost, commission, shipping, payment fees and other variable costs are counted without double counting.
LTV/CLV helps understand the economic value a customer will create over the relationship; it should not be confused with first-purchase revenue alone.
For example, a campaign may have generated 1 million TL in net sales and 200 thousand TL in media cost. But without knowing returns, product cost, commission, logistics and discounts, the campaign cannot be called “profitable”. The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
How do you set up a marketing department?
Department structure depends on the company’s size, sales model and goals. Functions such as brand/strategy, product-category marketing, digital performance, content/creative, CRM, customer analytics, PR and trade marketing should be defined. In small companies several functions can sit in the same team; what matters is clear decision authority and accountability for results.
The CMO/marketing director carries strategy and budget responsibility inside the company. A marketing consultant provides outside expertise and execution support. A fractional CMO is a working model that offers senior marketing leadership for a defined period. Sales and marketing teams should use a common data language for customer acquisition, conversion and profitability.
Retail marketing, store management and brand experience
Advertising can bring the customer to the store; the sale comes from the store experience. Location, window, visual merchandising, stock availability, product presentation, employee behaviour, price and customer service are all marketing touchpoints. My management experience at Loris Parfüm and Zeki Triko showed that when the customer promise is not made tangible in the store, the impact of advertising investment can be limited. That is why a retail marketing plan should include sales training, store segmentation, category priorities, tester/sampling standards and retail KPIs.
E-commerce marketing and digital growth
In e-commerce, Google Ads, Meta ads, SEO, marketplaces, influencer strategy, content, mobile experience, customer service, checkout steps and CRM are interconnected. Traffic growth alone is not success. If the needs of a customer landing on a product page are not met, or there is friction in checkout, advertising costs can grow while revenue is squeezed.
One of the reported results of my management period at Loris Parfüm was 500% growth in e-commerce revenue. This result relates not to a single campaign but to a period of transformation in which channel management, digital commerce, user experience and marketing were handled together. The focus of continuous optimisation: qualified traffic, conversion, average order value, repeat purchase, contribution margin and customer satisfaction.
Channels
Growth is not a department; it is a system.®
B2B, private label and HoReCa marketing strategy
Marketing is not just consumer advertising. In private label and contract manufacturing, production capability, quality, product development, minimum order, delivery reliability and pricing come to the fore; in HoReCa, product continuity, usage economics and service standards. Technical content, a corporate website, trade fairs, industry publications, search visibility, quotation and sampling processes are parts of the same B2B customer acquisition system. The sales cycle, customer profitability and recurring orders should be tracked.
Marketing KPIs and management rhythm
Measure | Management question |
|---|---|
Net sales and unit volume | Where is growth coming from? |
Conversion rate | Is traffic turning into demand and sales? |
CAC and ROAS | How are customer acquisition and media impact? |
ATV/AOV, UPT | How are basket and product performing? |
Retention, repeat purchase, CLV | Is the customer relationship deepening? |
Gross profit and contribution margin | Are sales creating economic value? |
Brand searches and awareness | Is brand preference improving? |
Anomalies and operations should be reviewed daily, campaign and sales actions weekly, budget and profitability monthly, and strategic priorities quarterly. Every report should end by answering: “What will change, who will do it, and when will we measure it?”
Marketing vision and the first 90 days
Vision is the set of deliberate choices that shows what customer experience and commercial performance a company wants to create in the future. In month one the commercial diagnosis is made; in month two strategy, organisation and budget are designed; in month three priority campaigns and CRM processes are executed and measured. The timeline is a framework; it is not a firm growth commitment.
In my approach, growth is not a department; it is a system. When marketing, sales, finance, e-commerce, retail and operations see the same economic reality, the quality of commercial decisions rises.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a marketing consultancy and an advertising agency?
The consultant looks at the strategy, organization, customer, and investment model; the agency mostly executes media and creative implementation. They can work together.
What percentage of turnover should the marketing budget be?
There is no single rate independent of the industry; the goal, margin, competition, customer economics, and growth stage are evaluated together.
Is a digital marketing strategy the same as an overall marketing strategy?
No. The digital plan is the digital implementation part of the product, price, customer, brand, and channel strategy.
What should setting up a marketing department start with?
With the definition of commercial goals, functions, duties, decision-making authorities, and measurement infrastructure.
Does marketing consultancy guarantee sales?
No. Implementation quality, product, market, team, and competitive conditions affect the results.
Who can receive marketing consultancy?
Retail, e-commerce, perfume/cosmetics, fashion, B2B, production, export, private label, contract manufacturing, HoReCa, and service businesses can benefit from it within the scope appropriate to their needs.
Final word
Before increasing the marketing budget, it is necessary to know what problem marketing is solving. When the right customer, value proposition, product, price, channel, employee, and performance discipline are not established, more advertising can only create more costs. Successful marketing is the system that transforms the value a company offers to the customer into sustainable commercial growth.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ; commercial growth consultant with experience in sales, marketing, retail, e-commerce, and international growth management in brands such as Loris Perfume, Zeki Triko, and Lelas. His career includes an operational scale spanning over 700 stores and 103 countries. The corporate results provided reflect the performance of the relevant period; they are not a guarantee for future consulting results.
Related links: Consulting · Services · E-commerce case study · Contact
New articles on this topic
My Recent Posts
(Gökhan Akdağ)
©2026
What Is Retail Consulting? Store Management, Sales Growth, KPIs, Profitability and Retail Math
Oct 9, 2026
Retail
What Is Commercial Growth Consulting? How to Manage Sales, Marketing, B2B, Export, Organisation and Profitable Growth
Oct 9, 2026
Strategy
Growing E-commerce Revenue by 500%
Oct 7, 2026
E-commerce
FAQ
01
What does GA Consulting do?
02
What is your approach?
03
How do projects progress?
04
What is your focus?
05
Which areas do you work in?
06
What value does it create for companies?
07
Which companies is it right for?
08
How long until a project delivers results?
Oct 9, 2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
What is marketing consulting? Gökhan Akdağ explains marketing strategy, the marketing plan, budget, brand, CRM, retail and e-commerce management.
Marketing
Marketing
Consulting
Strategy
Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.®
Marketing comes before advertising
A company placing more ads, posting more often or increasing its marketing budget does not mean it has a strong marketing strategy. Advertising is a tool; marketing is the management discipline that connects the customer, product, price, brand, channel, organisation and economic result.
Reducing marketing to communication alone overlooks why a product is not chosen, how its price is perceived, why a store fails to convert or why a customer does not buy again. That is why the core question of marketing should not only be “How many people did we reach?” but “What value do we offer to which customer, and how do we turn that value into a sustainable commercial result?”
What is marketing consulting?
Marketing consulting is a service that analyses a business’s market, customer segments, competitors, brand positioning, product and price architecture, communication channels, marketing investments and performance in order to develop a strategy and operating model that supports commercial goals.
A marketing consultant does not only propose campaigns; they explain for which customer and why the company will be chosen, in which channels it will grow, how much it will spend and how success will be measured. Strategic marketing consulting looks at the business as a whole; performance marketing, advertising and social media management are only a few of its execution components.
What does a marketing consultant do?
Analyses current commercial performance, customer behaviour and competitors.
Clarifies the target market, customer segments and value proposition.
Designs brand strategy, product-category management, pricing and channel choices.
Builds the annual marketing plan, campaign calendar and budget model.
Improves how sales, e-commerce, retail, CRM and marketing teams work together.
Measures advertising, customer acquisition, repeat sales and profitability indicators.
Creates the responsibility and decision mechanism that makes the team, agency and executives work together.
Diagnosis
Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.®
How do you build a marketing strategy? Eight stages
1. Commercial diagnosis: seeing where the company really stands
The first step is not designing an ad campaign but reading the real commercial picture: net sales, unit volume, category performance, gross profit, contribution margin, customer acquisition, retention, price-mix effect, advertising cost, store productivity, inventory and channel results.
If revenue grows while units fall, the price effect must be separated. If ad clicks rise while conversion falls, the problem may not be traffic but the web experience or the offer. If a store has traffic but weak sales, the sales team, product availability or value perception should be examined. Raising the budget without a diagnosis is an expensive habit.
2. Market and competitor analysis
Market research is not just comparing competitors’ prices. Consumption trends, category growth, sales channels, distribution architecture, brand perception and changing customer needs are examined. SWOT, PESTEL, competitor positioning maps and market segmentation should be used to make decisions, not just to produce an impressive presentation.
The company should answer these questions: Which segment is growing? Where are competitors strong? Which customer need is going unmet? How big is the market we can reach? Will we compete on price, product or experience?
3. Customer segmentation and insight
Demographics alone are not enough. Purchase motivation, intended use, willingness to pay, shopping frequency, channel preference and the customer’s relationship with the brand should be measured. In CRM data, RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) segmentation can be a starting point. New, repeat, at-risk and high-value customers should not receive the same communication.
In perfume retail, for example, the reason to buy may differ between a consumer buying a gift and one buying for daily use. In B2B manufacturing, customer analysis should be based on purchase volume, minimum order, technical requirements, order cycle, payment terms and customer profitability.
4. Brand positioning and value proposition
A brand is not just a logo or an ad line. It is the sum of product quality, price, packaging, communication, store atmosphere, employee behaviour and after-sales experience. A company that claims premium positioning must have product, store and service standards that support the same promise.
The premium fashion and international brand work at Zeki Triko is a strong managerial example of why brand image and store experience must be handled at the same time. Global press visibility, the right creative collaborations and point-of-sale presentation must all serve the same brand identity.
5. Product, category and pricing strategy
Managing the product portfolio by total unit sales alone is incomplete. Each product’s effect on customer acquisition, repeat sales, brand perception, contribution margin and other products should be examined. A low-volume product can create commercial value when repositioned. So before deciding to delist a product, customer fit, price perception, packaging, usage need and distribution should be analysed.
Pricing considers cost, competitor prices, perceived value, channel commission, promotion cost and margin together. Not every discount that lifts sales lifts profit. When the net price falls, the additional volume needed to produce the same contribution should be calculated explicitly.
6. Sales and distribution channel strategy
Stores, franchise, an e-commerce site, marketplaces, B2B, distributors, export, private label, contract manufacturing and HoReCa are not the same business model. Each channel has a different customer profile, price structure, cost to serve and growth dynamic. The marketing plan should account for these differences and share targets with the sales organisation.
7. Campaign, content and communication architecture
Brand awareness, performance advertising, content production, search ads, SEO, influencer partnerships, PR, in-store communication, CRM emails and SMS are separate tactics. The purpose of each must be defined. An activity run only for reach should not be judged by the same KPI as one expected to drive direct sales.
8. Organisation, KPIs and revision
A strategy can only be executed if it has an owner, a budget, a timeline and a performance system. A common reporting language should be built across marketing, sales, retail, e-commerce, product and finance teams. Decision mechanisms should be set for weekly optimisation, monthly performance and quarterly strategy reviews.
How do you build a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is the business plan that shows through which activities, by whom, when and with what resources the chosen strategy will be executed, and how it will be measured. Strategy answers “Where and how will we compete?”; the plan answers “How will we put this decision into practice?”
A good annual marketing plan should include these sections:
Executive summary and the business’s commercial goals.
Market, competitor and current situation analysis.
Target customer segments and value proposition.
Brand positioning and product-category priorities.
Pricing, channel and distribution strategy.
Launches, seasons, campaigns and content calendar.
Online/offline media and performance marketing plan.
CRM, customer loyalty and win-back plan.
Marketing budget, team and agency responsibilities.
KPIs, meeting rhythm, risks and alternative scenarios.
The annual plan sets the strategic direction; the quarterly plan organises category and resource priorities; the monthly/weekly plan manages owners and deadlines. Reducing planning to special-day campaigns is a mistake. Store openings, production capacity, inventory, export fairs, customer behaviour and product launches must be tied to the same calendar.
Plan & Budget
The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.®
How do you prepare a marketing budget?
A marketing budget is the plan for the financial resources a company allocates to brand development, customer acquisition, loyalty, demand creation and commercial growth goals. It is not just advertising spend. Media, creative production, CRM, research, software, PR, events, influencers and in-store activations can also be tracked under the relevant accounting definitions.
Three budgeting methods
Percentage of revenue: A share of annual or target revenue is allocated to marketing. For example, a hypothetical 8% of a 120 million TL sales target gives a 9.6 million TL budget. This is only an arithmetic example; it is not a standard ratio for every industry.
Objective and task based: First the new customer, channel, category or country goal is defined; then the cost of the activities needed for the result is calculated. This can be stronger for linking strategy and budget.
Zero based: Last year’s budget is not carried over automatically; every expense must be justified. Resources can be moved from inefficient items to priority areas.
Sample budget allocation (scenario only)
Spending group | Sample share |
|---|---|
Performance and new customer acquisition | 35% |
Brand communication and reach | 20% |
CRM and loyalty | 15% |
Creative, content, production | 10% |
Research and customer insight | 10% |
Testing and optimisation reserve | 10% |
This table is not a universal target. The commercial economics of premium fashion, perfume retail, B2B industry or a HoReCa supplier require different budget allocations.
Budget efficiency and core formulas
ROAS = Revenue attributed to advertising / Advertising spend. It shows advertising revenue, not profit on its own.
CAC = Costs defined for acquiring new customers / Number of new customers acquired. Which costs are included must be consistent.
Contribution margin = Net sales - Variable costs. Product cost, commission, shipping, payment fees and other variable costs are counted without double counting.
LTV/CLV helps understand the economic value a customer will create over the relationship; it should not be confused with first-purchase revenue alone.
For example, a campaign may have generated 1 million TL in net sales and 200 thousand TL in media cost. But without knowing returns, product cost, commission, logistics and discounts, the campaign cannot be called “profitable”. The final place to judge the marketing budget is not the ad dashboard but the company’s economics.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
How do you set up a marketing department?
Department structure depends on the company’s size, sales model and goals. Functions such as brand/strategy, product-category marketing, digital performance, content/creative, CRM, customer analytics, PR and trade marketing should be defined. In small companies several functions can sit in the same team; what matters is clear decision authority and accountability for results.
The CMO/marketing director carries strategy and budget responsibility inside the company. A marketing consultant provides outside expertise and execution support. A fractional CMO is a working model that offers senior marketing leadership for a defined period. Sales and marketing teams should use a common data language for customer acquisition, conversion and profitability.
Retail marketing, store management and brand experience
Advertising can bring the customer to the store; the sale comes from the store experience. Location, window, visual merchandising, stock availability, product presentation, employee behaviour, price and customer service are all marketing touchpoints. My management experience at Loris Parfüm and Zeki Triko showed that when the customer promise is not made tangible in the store, the impact of advertising investment can be limited. That is why a retail marketing plan should include sales training, store segmentation, category priorities, tester/sampling standards and retail KPIs.
E-commerce marketing and digital growth
In e-commerce, Google Ads, Meta ads, SEO, marketplaces, influencer strategy, content, mobile experience, customer service, checkout steps and CRM are interconnected. Traffic growth alone is not success. If the needs of a customer landing on a product page are not met, or there is friction in checkout, advertising costs can grow while revenue is squeezed.
One of the reported results of my management period at Loris Parfüm was 500% growth in e-commerce revenue. This result relates not to a single campaign but to a period of transformation in which channel management, digital commerce, user experience and marketing were handled together. The focus of continuous optimisation: qualified traffic, conversion, average order value, repeat purchase, contribution margin and customer satisfaction.
Channels
Growth is not a department; it is a system.®
B2B, private label and HoReCa marketing strategy
Marketing is not just consumer advertising. In private label and contract manufacturing, production capability, quality, product development, minimum order, delivery reliability and pricing come to the fore; in HoReCa, product continuity, usage economics and service standards. Technical content, a corporate website, trade fairs, industry publications, search visibility, quotation and sampling processes are parts of the same B2B customer acquisition system. The sales cycle, customer profitability and recurring orders should be tracked.
Marketing KPIs and management rhythm
Measure | Management question |
|---|---|
Net sales and unit volume | Where is growth coming from? |
Conversion rate | Is traffic turning into demand and sales? |
CAC and ROAS | How are customer acquisition and media impact? |
ATV/AOV, UPT | How are basket and product performing? |
Retention, repeat purchase, CLV | Is the customer relationship deepening? |
Gross profit and contribution margin | Are sales creating economic value? |
Brand searches and awareness | Is brand preference improving? |
Anomalies and operations should be reviewed daily, campaign and sales actions weekly, budget and profitability monthly, and strategic priorities quarterly. Every report should end by answering: “What will change, who will do it, and when will we measure it?”
Marketing vision and the first 90 days
Vision is the set of deliberate choices that shows what customer experience and commercial performance a company wants to create in the future. In month one the commercial diagnosis is made; in month two strategy, organisation and budget are designed; in month three priority campaigns and CRM processes are executed and measured. The timeline is a framework; it is not a firm growth commitment.
In my approach, growth is not a department; it is a system. When marketing, sales, finance, e-commerce, retail and operations see the same economic reality, the quality of commercial decisions rises.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a marketing consultancy and an advertising agency?
The consultant looks at the strategy, organization, customer, and investment model; the agency mostly executes media and creative implementation. They can work together.
What percentage of turnover should the marketing budget be?
There is no single rate independent of the industry; the goal, margin, competition, customer economics, and growth stage are evaluated together.
Is a digital marketing strategy the same as an overall marketing strategy?
No. The digital plan is the digital implementation part of the product, price, customer, brand, and channel strategy.
What should setting up a marketing department start with?
With the definition of commercial goals, functions, duties, decision-making authorities, and measurement infrastructure.
Does marketing consultancy guarantee sales?
No. Implementation quality, product, market, team, and competitive conditions affect the results.
Who can receive marketing consultancy?
Retail, e-commerce, perfume/cosmetics, fashion, B2B, production, export, private label, contract manufacturing, HoReCa, and service businesses can benefit from it within the scope appropriate to their needs.
Final word
Before increasing the marketing budget, it is necessary to know what problem marketing is solving. When the right customer, value proposition, product, price, channel, employee, and performance discipline are not established, more advertising can only create more costs. Successful marketing is the system that transforms the value a company offers to the customer into sustainable commercial growth.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ; commercial growth consultant with experience in sales, marketing, retail, e-commerce, and international growth management in brands such as Loris Perfume, Zeki Triko, and Lelas. His career includes an operational scale spanning over 700 stores and 103 countries. The corporate results provided reflect the performance of the relevant period; they are not a guarantee for future consulting results.
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