There is
one thing that has changed over the past few years when it comes to word of
mouth referrals.
The change is a shift in the power of the
consumer. In the past, when a friend recommended a business or
professional to me, I trusted his word but I had no way of conveniently
conducting my own research as a consumer. While my friend is happy with the
company he referred, it does not guarantee I will be as happy. I may be looking for something special or
unique. How could I ensure that the referral given to me would
be one that would satisfy my specific needs? The internet now allows me to further investigate.
As a consumer, I now can conduct my own research whenever and wherever I want by simply adding the professional's name or business name into Google on my computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. From my search results, I can usually find the website, blog posts, other directory listings, reviews, testimonials and volumes of other information on that individual or business. In reality, I have all the information at my finger tips to make an informed decision.
Now many professionals are investing in their websites, SEO, Pay-per-Click advertising (PPC), banner ads, pop-up ads, re-targeted ads and other forms of online promotion. Here lies the challenge. As consumers, we have become experts at filtering out the advertising noise on radio, newspapers, TV and now the internet.When ads appear on our screens, we delete it as soon as possible .
For Pay-per-Click ads, consumers automatically discount the top and right side of the Google search results knowing that this is advertising. Pop-up ads can annoy and most often irritate the consumer to a point that they will avoid that brand. What we want as consumers is information to make a wise decision. Some professionals are leading the way and providing good content that will help me make a good decision. There are some professionals that are still stuck in the mindset of a decade ago.
For those professionals, it is no longer enough to invest in advertising and a nice flashy website. Professionals need to elevate their professional stature as an expert in their field or at least more of an expert than their competition. To accomplish this, then need to educate their potential clients. In this age of information, a professional's expertise can be easily published online and also re-purposed into different formats so the potential clients can consume this information in the format they find most appropriate.
To accomplish this, it requires careful thought on an effective online marketing strategy and then execution of that strategy. A properly thought out campaign will create new content and information, optimize the content to be easily found online and link or mesh this new content with the online properties such as the professional's website, social media and Web 2.0 properties. The strategy a professional adopts will depend on their client's needs and habits, the types of services and products provided and what their competition is doing.
If you are a professional and want to see how you look to your potential clients, search for your name or for the name of your practice in Google. Look at the results that show on the first page. Is the information accurate, informative and current? Is there regular activity on your social media properties? Are there positive reviews and testimonials about you and your products and services?
Next conduct the same exercise with your competitor. What shows up for them? If you were to compare your results with theirs, who would you select to do business with? Your potential clients may or may not be searching online for products or services you provide. At least not yet. I guarantee they will use the internet to research you and your company when you have been referred and they are thinking about doing business with you.
As a professional, how do you come across online? Are you an expert in your field or just another professional?
