| Blog
& Buzz
About.com's
review of Guerrilla Marketing
for Consultants, 11/05
Microsoft
Work Essentials, 12/05:
» Writing
a winning proposal
» Selling
while serving
» Build
a compelling Web presence
"No
potential for career growth."
That's why nearly 50% of these survey
respondants are heading for the door.
(It's no wonder that HR execs' agendas
include these
issues)
Guerrilla Consulting Blog,
11/29/05
What
consultants need to know about Naked
Conversations.
Guerrilla Consulting Blog, 11/22/05
Would
you say
this
to a client?
Guerrilla Consulting Blog, 11/21/05
How
important are ethics? Not as much
as we would hope.
Guerrilla Consulting Blog,
11/03/05
High
Rankings, Eleven
Principles of Great Web Sites for
Consultants, November 2005
RainToday,
What
Consultants Can Learn from the Airlines,
November 2005
SearchCIO,
Getting the Most Out of Your IT
Consultants, 10/05
The
CEO Refresher, When to Walk
Away from a Sale, 10/05
Building
High Performance Teams
Recent
posts from guest blogger, Marty Rosenthal,
Director of Organization and Process
Excellence at Intuit:
» Chartering
the Team 11/15/05
» Launching
the Team 11/17/05
» Engaging
Key Stakeholders 11/18/05
Suggest
a guest blogger
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The
Guerrilla Consultant –
a newsletter dedicated to applying the principles
of Guerrilla Marketing to the work and lives of
consultants.
What Do 400 Consultants Know about Web Marketing?
Given that so many consultants use Web sites to
woo clients and market their services, it’s
fair to ask how effective their Web sites are
as marketing tools. And what factors make the
difference between a successful Web site and a
bomb?
This
month we’ve got answers to those questions.
So far, more than 400 consultants have taken our
confidential Guerrilla
Consulting Web Site Self-Assessment. The results
can teach us how to make the best use of Web marketing.
Enjoy
the article, and let
me know what you think.
Mike
McLaughlin
Co-Author, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants
Six Steps to Make Web Marketing Work
When
400 consultants talk, I listen—even if the
news isn’t good.
After
more than a decade of practice, you’d think
consultants would have mastered the intricacies
of using the Web to attract new clients and retain
existing ones. Apparently, that’s not the
case for many consultants.
In
our unscientific survey on their Web sites, 57%
of consultants said either that their Web sites
have not been effective in generating leads and
helping build relationships with existing clients,
or that they are not sure.
Less than half of respondents (43%) reported that
their Web sites have been successful in generating
business and building client relationships.
A
successful Web site delivers results for your
business. To help you use the Web more effectively,
we pored through the survey data and offer six
simple steps that can improve the marketing ROI
of any consultant’s Web site.
1.
Make the Web a High Priority
There’s
truth to the saying that the results you achieve—in
most any activity—are directly proportional
to your level of effort and attention. So it’s
no surprise that the consultants who value their
Web sites the most as marketing tools are the
ones whose sites are most productive.
Of
the consultants who reported that their Web sites
have been successful in improving their businesses,
65% said their sites are a “very important”
part of their marketing strategy. In contrast,
of the consultants whose Web sites are off target,
only 36% rated their sites as “very important.”
This
message is clear: If your Web site is low on your
marketing priority list, expect lackluster results.
Focus attention on making your Web site work for
your practice, and you’ll take great strides
toward achieving your marketing goals.
|
“70% of the consultants with successful
Web sites had updated their sites’ content
within the last thirty days.” |
2.
Keep Your Stuff Fresh
The
term “benign neglect” comes to mind
when looking at many consultants’ Web sites.
Consultants put up their sites, but let the content
languish. Vincent
Flanders, author and Web guru, tells us that
on the Internet “content is king.”
And keeping content fresh and engaging is at the
heart of a great Web site.
In
our survey, 70% of the consultants with successful
Web sites had updated their sites’ content
within the last thirty days. Less than 25% of
consultants with unproductive sites can make the
same claim. In fact, the content on more than
half of those sites (54%) had not been updated
for more than two months.
Successful
consultants know that their Web sites must be
dynamic, not static. Save your static advertising
for the yellow pages and professional directories.
Stay on top of your Web site content so it remains
relevant and valuable to clients. It won’t
improve with age.
Once
you’ve made the investment in a Web site,
you’ll do more harm to your marketing program
by neglecting it than if you proactively update
it with the latest information your clients need.
3. Give up the Goods
|
“80% of consultants with successful
Web sites offer proprietary information for
clients to read or download—at no cost.” |
When
prospective clients search for a consultant, it’s
because they need to solve a problem. Even with
a referral in hand, they will look at a consultant’s
Web site before calling. What makes them pick
up the phone? Compelling and specific evidence
that the consultant can help them is the key.
To
demonstrate their capabilities, 80% of consultants
with successful Web sites offer proprietary information
for clients to read or download—at no cost.
That isn’t the case for consultants with
less successful Web sites, as almost 50% fail
to offer any proprietary content to site visitors.
With
minimal effort, any consultant can make case studies,
research findings, whitepapers, and articles available
to prospective clients. And when clients print
out your material and pass it on to others, they
are helping to market your services. Don’t
miss this easy opportunity for low-cost exposure.
4.
Look at Who’s Looking at You
|
“Almost 90% of consultants with successful
sites monitor visitor traffic patterns, and
59% monitor that visitor activity very carefully.” |
Do
you know who visits your Web site and how they
use it? You should if you want your site to realize
its potential.
Almost
90% of consultants with successful sites monitor
visitor traffic patterns, and 59% monitor that
visitor activity very carefully. Those consultants
know who is visiting and what they’re doing
on their sites. Compare that to consultants with
sites that are missing the mark: Only 43% of those
consultants monitor traffic, and less than 20%
watch Web traffic carefully.
Keeping
an eye on your Web site traffic will help you
understand what clients are looking for as they
navigate your site. Your site visitors can be
a great source of new marketing insights and service
ideas, so pay attention to visitor stats and behavior.
5.
Don’t Create in a Vacuum
Visitors
to your site expect a fast, easy, and valuable
experience. Too many sites paint a fuzzy picture
of what consultants can do to improve clients’
businesses. Instead, their sites are full of vague,
generalized claims that lead the prospective client
to the next consultant on the list.
A
great Web site is built around the needs of your
existing and prospective clients. How do you find
out what clients need? You have to ask them.
Consultants
with successful Web sites are nine times more
likely to have asked five clients to look at their
sites and provide input before the sites went
live. This simple step—the five client test—will
help you adjust the site’s content, design,
and navigation so site visitors will find exactly
what they’re looking for.
6.
Balance Promotion with Value
Jay
Conrad Levinson, my coauthor for Guerrilla
Marketing for Consultants, reminds
us that clients don’t care about our businesses.
They only care about their own—and our marketing
must reflect this reality.
Your
Web site should promote your practice, but remember
your most powerful promotional tool is demonstrating
that you understand your clients’ issues.
Of
the consultants with successful Web sites, 67%
balance site content equally between education
and promotion. Clients quickly realize the value
of a site with a balanced approach to content
and tone, and they often stay to read more about
what the consultant can do. If they like what
they see, a phone call or an e-mail will follow.
Consultants
with off-target Web sites take almost the opposite
approach. Instead of balancing content between
education and promotion, almost 60% reported that
their content is purely promotional.
By
including educational material, you demonstrate
your grasp of the issues and build credibility.
If there’s enough valuable information on
your site, prospective clients will be more receptive
to your marketing message.
Just
a Few Simple Steps
Steve
Krug, author and Web site usability expert,
says that making a Web site effective isn’t
“rocket surgery,” but common sense.
These six steps are also common sense—supported
by data. If your Web site needs fuel for a lift-off,
think about these six ideas and find one or more
you can apply now.
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