Consultancy Industry Hub UK
Marketing for consultancies & professional services
For people who run a consultancy business. Who sets the rules, what Whito research found, and what it takes to be found and trusted by customers.
The biggest opportunity
Win public sector work under the new procurement rules
Why this matters
The Procurement Act 2023 changed how public bodies buy services, with an aim of opening contracts to smaller firms. Consultancies that learn the new process can bid with confidence.
What to focus on
- Register on the government's Central Digital Platform
- Pick one type of public buyer to focus on
- Publish short case studies with clear results
Who’s winning in your industry
Whito scores ten UK brands per industry on seven marketing channels, then shows what you can copy. Nobody pays to appear.
SME Business Consultancies leaderboard
Top brand: Entrepreneurs Circle, 6.6 out of 10
Latest from Whito on consultancy
What changed in consultancy
Rule and regulator changes, newest first. Each one read on the official source page.
- 18 Nov 2025Companies House identity verification became mandatory; new directors must verify before appointment and existing directors at their next confirmation statement. Source: GOV.UK (Companies House)
- 24 Feb 2025The Procurement Act 2023 came into force, changing how consultancies bid for and win public sector contracts in the UK. Source: TechMarketView
Checked by Whito on 3 November 2026. A summary, not legal advice. Read the source before acting.
Who sets the rules in consultancy
The regulators, registers and bodies a consultancy business deals with. Each link goes to the official site.
- Companies HouseIncorporates and dissolves limited companies, registers company information and makes it available to the public.
- GOV.UK: Off-payroll working (IR35)Explains the IR35 rules for clients, workers and intermediaries on paying broadly the same tax as employees.
- Management Consultancies Association (MCA)Representative body for UK management consulting firms.
Links and descriptions checked by Whito on 3 November 2026. This is a starting list, not legal advice. If something here is out of date, tell us through the contact page.
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47 of 50
UK marketing agencies publish no price anywhere (Whito, July 2026)
£1,250 to £3,500
a month for a single-channel agency retainer (Whito, May 2026)
6 to 10
real working hours a £2,000 a month retainer often buys (Whito Research, July 2026)
104 to 1
AI citations to clicks on whito.co.uk over three months, so citations are not traffic (Whito, August 2026)
47 of 50 UK marketing agencies publish no price anywhere, 94%, and only two publish a complete price list, according to Whito’s July 2026 check of the top five agencies in ten UK cities. Published SME retainers run from £999 to £2,500 a month.
Source: Whito, whito.co.uk/research/uk-agency-pricing-transparency, July 2026. Free to quote with a link to that page.
The right order for consultancies
Do the stages in order. Nothing in Build works while Start is missing.
Start, Build, Scale for consultancies: the free foundations first, then systems and proof, then measurement. The three stages are listed in full in this figure.
Start
- Niche stated plainly
- Named people with credentials
- A price-from or engagement model published
Build
- One page per problem you solve
- Case studies a buyer can check
- Publish what you know, consistently
Scale
- Track cost per client won by source
- Productise the repeatable work
- Referrals asked for deliberately
Why most UK consultancies struggle to grow
The referral ceiling
Competing on price
Invisible expertise
Whito need-to-know
- The UK professional services market is worth over £200 billion annually. Standing out requires demonstrating expertise, not just listing services.
- 73% of B2B buyers say thought leadership content directly influences their purchasing decisions. Your expertise is your most powerful marketing tool.
- LinkedIn is the most effective channel for professional services. 80% of B2B leads from social media come through LinkedIn.
- Referrals still drive most new business, but firms with structured marketing grow 2-3x faster than those relying on referrals alone.
Every guide for consultancies
3 guides. All specific to consultancies, every figure dated.
GuideHow UK consultants get clients without cold outreach
GuideMarketing for UK Professional Services in Numbers: 2026 Data Report
Browse as pages: Guides
Companies House
For most consultancies there is no register beyond it. Publish a price. 47 of 50 competitors will not.
Ready to win higher-value clients?
Start with the free visibility check: Seventeen checks, about twenty seconds, no email, no sales call. It tells you what AI search and Google can actually read about your consultancy, and what to fix first.