Your prospects are getting younger. We don’t mean to scare you, but they are doing 75% of their research online before ever contacting you. They will get a referral, or they will delegate service provider research to someone in the company. Your website, social channels and other online visibility such as PR can draw them in.
Digital Communications Consultant Shannon Bohnen mines a wealth of data from website analytics and social media. She can tell you how leads are searching for you. In this video, she shares some hacks for using keywords and search data to rise above the competition.
Watch the full video for more details.
Build your virtual business development strategy to enjoy lead generation 24/7. Avoid the wrong leads by optimizing who can find your professional services firm…and how.
Full Video Script
It is no secret that business development is happening online. For professionals, though, it’s a little different than online shopping.
Professional service providers need the right keywords to attract web visitors. But why is it important for prospects to find you online? Because your prospects are getting younger. They are going to look at things like reviews, ratings, project examples, and results before adding your firm to their buying process. It’s all about credibility and referrals and preferred status.
Do you look like a credible, sophisticated firm or not? Are your leaders well regarded in the industry? If so, do you promote your firm in the right channels?
Here are some website optimization hacks that I recommend for virtual business development:
Look at your keywords. How are your web visitors searching for your services? Make sure they’re the right keywords. If you don’t want to be known for work outside the Midwest, for example, check your organic traffic regularly. And if you’re popping up for this type of firm in LA, look at the page that’s ranking and take out any mention of LA. Replace it with a more local term or state.
If your analytics show website traffic for a certain service, that could be an untapped business opportunity. Start talking to your clients about popular search phrases that align with your goals. They may have that need too.
And finally, be visible on social media. As a business developer, you are representing your firm online as well as in person. Plus, your LinkedIn profile is a great backlink to the firm’s website. By posting weekly and making new connections, you’re promoting your firm to hundreds, maybe even thousands of connections who are your next referral source or client.
Need help with any of these business development ideas? We can do it for you at Ingenuity. Send me an email. That’s Shannon with two N’s.
