How to get the most from your web presence is a struggle for many small businesses. No matter what the size of your business, it's important to have a relevant message, delivered through an effective, optimized website. Small companies often comment that they get much of their new business from referrals, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't invest some of your time, talent, and treasure in your online presence. Sure, you may be able to maintain your business with a good referral process, but a web presence will ensure that you are able to grow it over time.
One of the most important digital marketing tenets is to ensure that your website is getting found! A simple tactic we suggest ...
How to explain inbound marketing to professional services firms is a question we get from colleagues often. Not every marketing agency uses or understands a growth process centered around inbound marketing so we have come to expect this question. If you were to have the ability to deliver your very best, top ranked Keynote Presentation to each of your investors, strategic partners, your favorite customers and every competitor’s customer base, would you like to? What if you offered your best marketing information to grow your top and bottom line revenue targets, would you be willing to make the effort? Of course you would. That is exactly what an inbound marketing (content marketing) program allows you to do twenty-four hours ...
Why Professional Services Firms Need Inbound Marketing is easy to explain. CPAs, Architects, Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, and Financial Services firms all use some form of marketing to gain new business. Some use informative dinner invitations to persuade unknown potentials to listen to their pitch, while others use display advertising, couponing, radio, television and a host of other traditional methods to generate leads. While no one disputes customer referrals as being the greatest way to generate leads, it may be difficult to develop a formalized referral program.
We all know that the Internet is still in its infancy, despite it being available to the public for nearly twenty years. No, Al Gore did not invent the Internet; he just used the term ...
There are many integration efficiencies with the right inbound marketing platform. The entire business world is undertaking extensive efforts to market in these uncertain times. Typically, business goes about the routine, but the economic storm, which we are experiencing, has made each step a cautious one.
Combine the fact that budgets are tight, the future uncertain, and those traditional marketing methods are slowly becoming more and more ineffective, and it’s a marketer’s nightmare. Inbound marketing, sometimes referred to content marketing, internet marketing, social marketing and online marketing (confused yet?)... there is a lot to think about, let alone act on.
There is no getting around it, trying to keep up with the demands of digital marketing is a time consuming and often ...
Inbound Marketing Levels the Playing Field for businesses in almost all industries, scales, and annual revenues. Large or small, multi-national or local, family-owned, companies today have as much of a chance at winning business for one very big reason; the internet. Yes, it’s true, the internet greatly impacts how business is won today, compared to just a few short years ago. The onset of inbound marketing is just now taking firm hold, as the traditional methods of marketing are slowly heading for the dugout.
Inbound marketing levels the playing field, so that everyone can compete with the same set of tools.
Web Site with Analytics
Blogging, Webinars, Audio Playback
Content Creation and Curation
Public Relations
Social Media Sharing
Event Marketing
Mobile Marketing
Video Marketing
Email Marketing
Yes, there can be a ...
There is an unfortunate by-product of effective inbound marketing. According to a recent report from Symantec®, web-based attacks increased last year by 36%, with over 4,500 new attacks each day. What's more, mobile vulnerabilities continue to rise.
Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 17, can be found here.
One of the unfortunate by-products of an effective inbound marketing campaign is with it's intended outcome- to be found on the web. As your company or brand builds credibility and exposure you will likely gain the attention of, shall we say, nefarious individuals with malicious intentions. It is it uncommon to see an increase in soliciting cold-call activity, SPAM, and even denial-of-service attacks because your company looks credible and important.
The threat of data and identity ...
Cold calling does not work for a number of reasons, primarily because consumers and decision-makers hate telemarketers as much as they hate disruption. There is enough to do all day at work (and at home for that matter) without having to answer an annoying phone call from someone interested in “saving you time or money.”
There are 5 things Accountants don’t understand about social media. There are many things social media is and is not. Although the popular belief among professional businesses is that social media may be a complete waste of time, or only for the young and restless, it can be a valuable tool for all financial services firms.
Here are five things to consider:
Social media is the vehicle that takes your potential consumers to your blog or web site.
Social media is not for selling, only for telling.
Social media enhances brands more so than any other technology medium or channel.
Lead generation and social media go hand in hand.
Social media is about two-way communication.
- Social media is the vehicle that takes your potential consumers to ...
What do we mean by... Leadership for Consultants – the Client Expects to be Lead?
Simply, it is the most important concern affecting consultants – the client expects to be lead. Let me repeat myself; your client or customer expects to be lead.
She/he is receiving so many market signals that it is difficult to make sense of all the traffic and noise. Questions like:
Where should I be investing my marketing and advertising dollars for the best return?
How can I cut costs and still maintain my market share and sustainability?
How can I improve the quality of the leads on which my sales people need to focus?
What are we doing that works, and what needs to be added or adjusted?
Your clients look to ...
Do you know how to bring more value to your clients? Clients and/or customers make purchasing decisions based on numerous factors, but particularly through identifying value in their selection of products or services. Therefore, bringing value to your clients should be paramount in your thinking.
How does one do that, you may be asking. Let’s take a look at a simplified example.
Pretend you have your favorite bakery in mind. This bakery is no different than the three other bakeries nearby. It offers almost exact products but you are loyal to them regardless of the fact that they are the furthest away, charge more, and you tell everyone you know how special they are to you. Why? You are loyal to them ...
