A communications consultant assists a company’s communications department internally or externally. In some cases, a company will hire a consultant to handle its day-to-day communications needs rather than hiring permanent employees. Occasionally, a company will hire an outside communications firm to handle specific tasks or projects. In either case, a communications consultant can be hired to handle any task that falls under the department’s normal remit.
Employees in charge of communications manage a company’s public relations and the tone of internal messaging to employees, board members, and other stakeholders. Public and media relations, publicity, and customer service are some of the topics covered under communications. Communications assistants are primarily responsible for lower-level tasks such as writing narrative for marketing materials, correspondence, and a company’s website. In collaboration with the marketing and advertising departments, more experienced employees develop communication strategies, interact with the media, serve as company spokespersons, and manage event messaging. Any of these tasks can be completed by hiring a communications consultant from outside or within the company.
Consultants for larger companies usually provide extra assistance to running departments. They work under the supervision of staff members who are in charge of that department. In these circumstances, a communications consultant could be hired as an independent contractor to work alongside lower-level employees to boost the company’s capacity. A business might hire a communications consultant to manage its online customer support forums or to publish its monthly newsletter, for example. Although this internal consultant would work out of the company’s offices, he or she would not be considered an employee and would not be eligible for benefits.
A large corporation could also hire a communications firm as a consultant for a specific area of operations, such as hiring a media relations firm for a special event. For a specific project or period of time, this type of communications consultant would collaborate with the company’s internal staff and be overseen by a director of communications or chief communications officer. In some cases, a company may hire an outside firm to handle an entire function of communications, such as hiring a social media firm to manage a company’s online networking presence.
Smaller businesses can hire a communications consultant for the same functional purposes as larger businesses, but many lack the financial resources to maintain communications staff while also hiring outside help. Small and mid-sized businesses frequently hire one consultant to act as a communications generalist. Even though he is technically not an employee, this person is usually the company’s director of communications. In this case, the consultant will assist with any tasks that would normally be performed in a communications department.