Is there a secret to building an Internet following or to having your marketing efforts pay off in money and clients beyond your wildest imaginings? Yes… and no. If there was a secret handbook someone would have found a way to make a fortune off of it and chances are you would have it in your hand so you wouldn’t need to be reading a blog post about it, right?
Here are the “secrets” that we think are behind building success into any kind of marketing plan – whether online or off:
- Build your relationships first. Consumers today want to do business with someone they “know, like and trust.” Gone are the days when we blithely made purchases just based on the corporate name. Consumers are more likely to buy something from “Jane Doe” than they are from “Company X.” Why? They feel that Jane has their best interests at heart and they feel that Jane understands her trials and tribulations while Company X is just in it for the money. This maybe a broad generalization, but wouldn’t you rather do business with a company where you feel you “know” the owner? We sure would.
- Make sure the content you produce is read-worthy. Your clients and prospects are busy people – you understand that because you are, too – so you need to provide them content that they simply cannot live without. How do you do that? By keeping up on trends in your industry. By sharing information that is relevant to your clients. By offering information that addresses a pain point your client base is experiencing. By sharing your knowledge and expertise on a regular basis. Don’t forget, you can also offer a call to action or make a sales pitch – just make sure you have an 80/20 mix; 80 percent great content/20 percent sales copy.
- What you’re selling has to have value to your clients and prospects. If you’re selling the same widget that every other service provider is, why will your clients stay with you and why will prospects come to you? You don’t want to sell on the “lowest price” option because your bottom line will definitely suffer. You need to find a way to set yourself apart, to make your offer more compelling than the competitor and find ways to keep in front of your clients so when they have a need in the future, you are the first name that comes to mind.
Work on tying all of these elements together and you’re on your way toward a long and fruitful relationship with current clients and will become the go-to expert when prospects are ready to buy. Looking for ways to integrate your offline and your online marketing? We can help!