"Social media consultant" is one of those titles that means almost nothing until you ask what the person actually does all day. Some consultants write posts for you. Some build strategies. Some just talk about strategies.

The range of what gets sold under this title is wide enough that a lot of business owners hire one without knowing what they're buying.

Here's what the work actually looks like when it's done right.

You know you need help with social media. You've been googling. Now you're stuck between hiring a consultant and hiring an agency, and every website you land on tells you they're the right answer.

The honest answer: it depends on what's actually broken.