Even if you don't incorporate and are uncomfortable presenting yourself as a brand, never call yourself a "freelancer".
Call yourself a "consultant". I've seen that people take you far more seriously when you call yourself that as opposed to a "freelancer".
So it really depends on what business and the market that the business is going for if the "consultant" label is any better than the sub-optimal "freelancer" label.
There are some very huge consulting companies in the Atlanta area for sure. That is a different scale altogether.
I think the point is to have a consulting company even if you're a solo consultant there.
In the rest of the business world, consultant means "freelancer, but professional".
If you choose to let the local stereotypes hold you back in life, then you won't succeed. End of.
Consulting: $150/hr Contracting: $200/hr Freelancing: $250/hr
It'd be interesting to see if people would start referring to you as a consultant instead of a freelancer. After all, if they refer to you as a freelancer then you might charge them a higher rate!