The internet has transformed the buying process.
I was on a call this week with an SEO guy and we were having a conversation about online marketing strategy. We both said, almost at the same time, how we at times just hate to look at what others post on their social and blogs. We both saw the same problem: Most, if not all, of their content is all about THEM!
Your prospective customers are actively looking online for a solution to their problems. 85% of consumers are looking for businesses online. There are over 100 billion searches on Google per month. They are looking for someone who can take away their pain. 91% of the people say they find what they are looking for, and 3 out of 5 are doing the research from mobile devices or tablets.
So, what that means to you is that consumers are more educated about your services than ever before. If you look at this the right way, the meaning is clear: More marketing opportunities exist for you and your firm if you play your cards right!
What do I mean by playing your cards right? Well, give them what they want! Give them what they need from you – THE expert in the area. Make yourself the “Go-To Guy/Gal.” The way to do that is CONTENT. Content is King!
So, you have to look at your marketing content as if you were a publisher or author. That means you need to start writing about what you know, and how it is important to them. Ask yourself “What questions do my prospects always ask me time and time again,” and start writing about it. Give them the answer on your website, on your firm flyers and anything you hand out as promotional material. You need to give them valuable content, when they need it and where they need it.
What you can't do is make your marketing about YOU. Don't give them fact after fact about you. And don't give them fact after fact about the services you provide. Think of it in terms of a dinner party – Don’t be that guy going on and on about how wonderful he is.
If, instead, you can deliver your content by speaking to them and, more importantly, socializing with them through blogs and social media, people will look to you as the authority in your industry. And that is golden. If you want your marketing results to do something different, you have to do something different in your marketing. The web is dramatically influencing customer behavior and changing how your business connects with perspective clients and advisors online. The information available online today gives prospects the power they haven't had in the past. And it's predicted that this power will continue to grow. Because of this your web presence has to allow people to get to know you, connect with you and offer support and value. Making this difference is the new way of online marketing.
Roslyn Drotar, Implementation Coach at Lawyers With Purpose
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