Professional Services Marketing Tips & Strategies

Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (The New Rules of Social Media)

The internet and other technology has made a profound change in the way that companies market their businesses.

The world is moving away from interruption based marketing towards a model of "getting found" by customers when they need our products and services.

Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah call this new model "Inbound Marketing". In their book by the same title, they give a thorough overview of how you can move from the world of expensive and increasingly ineffective interruption based marketing, to one where your ideal customers find you.

If you are new to inbound marketing, or if you have been wondering what all the hubbub about social media marketing is about, you definitely need to take a look at this book. Even if you have experience with inbound marketing, I think you will find some nice nuggets and reminders in this book.

Here is a quick list of the what you will learn in this book:

1. How to turn your website into a marketing hub
2. How to create remarkable content that people want to read and share
3. How to get found on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, etc.
4. How to track your progress
5. How to convert visitors into leads and leads into customers
6. How to use the data you collect to make better marketing decisions

By now, you've probably figured out why I like this book - this is the same stuff we help business owners with in Duct Tape Marketing.

And when you are ready to dig deeper into inbound marketing, make sure you visit the web site of the co-authors company, Hubspot. It is chock-full of great information and a great example of inbound marketing in action.

Most tax professionals rely on word-of-mouth, or referrals to grow their business. A good network of referral partners is like having a volunteer sales force.

People love to give referrals, but it is important to make it easy for them to do so. You wouldn't send your paid sales force out into the world without the knowledge and tools to do their job, so why would you do that to your volunteer sales force?

Since most of the people you know are probably too busy to attend your 1/2 day seminar on "how to work as a salesperson for no pay", you need an easier way to give them the information that they need to help you out.

Create a one page sheet that gives them all of the information they need to refer you properly. Having a written description of who makes an ideal prospect and how your referral system works is a powerful way to get more qualified leads. Your description should include the following:

1. How to spot your ideal customer - this will help cut down on the time you spend chasing referrals who end up not being the type of people you want to work with.
2. How to explain what you do - make sure your referral sources are communicating your core difference rather than just your title.
3. How your referral process works - what happens once your receive a referral.

Having this information in writing accomplishes several things. It is a more effective way to ask for referrals than the typical "do you know anyone that needs what I do?". Your services will be described in a more consistent manner by your referrers. It shows you are organized and professional.

Explaining how your referral process works will also help alleviate any hidden fears people may have about referring you. No one wants to be the person who referred Uncle Joe to the "salesperson from hell" who calls every evening at supper time.

Bottom line - give your volunteer sales force the information they need and start receiving more qualified leads.

Do you remember Tom Hanks Mr. Short-Term Memory? This was a great skit (written by Conan O’Brien) in which Mr. Short-Term Memory can’t remember the last thing that just happened or was said.

If you use an auto reply on your Twitter account, there is a good chance your first impressions with new connections sound a lot like a conversation with Mr. Short-Term Memory.

I think this is a prime example of confusing the need to be efficient vs. being effective. Tools like auto reply can make us feel like they are improving our efficiency, but are really hurting our effectiveness.

Here is how this plays on Twitter:

You follow me and I receive a notification. I check out your profile, decide you like to talk about what I like to talk about, so I follow you back. Next thing I know, I receive a direct message from you asking me why I followed you, what would I like you to tweet about.

Now let’s suppose we meet at the chamber:

Bill: Hi, my name is Bill. What’s your name?

Jane: Hi Bill, I’m Jane. I’ve heard a lot about you and I’m happy to finally meet you.

Bill: Thanks, nice to meet you to. Blah, blah, blah (I’m a brilliant conversationalist <g>)

We go on to meet other people. 10 minutes later, we bump into each other at the coffee table.

Bill: Hi, my name is Bill. What’s your name?

Jane: Er, Hi Bill, I’m Jane.

Bill: Great to meet you Jane. What brings you here today? Was there anyone special you came here to meet?

How much are you looking forward to our next conversation? Can’t wait to recommend me to your friends? Of course not. You’d think I was an idiot, right?

So before you pick a tool to help you “make great time”, make sure you are also headed in the right direction.

Download our free eBook – Saying The Wrong Thing Louder Doesn’t Make It Right

Here are the slides from my recent webinar where we talked about social media marketing for accountants, attorneys, architects, and other professional service firms. Some of the graphics are a little fuzzy in preview mode, but they should be ok if you download the file.

Looking for a marketing speaker for your company, group, or event?