Summary: Marketing your own professional
services is simply not the same as marketing a retail product or an anonymous business
service. You can't sell corporate consulting like you do web hosting...
There's more marketing hype published on the Internet in
one day than P.T. Barnum generated in his lifetime. Like a worm swallowing its tail, the
Internet marketing beast feeds mostly on itself. The vast majority of what appears on the
Internet about marketing is designed to help you market products and services sold and
delivered exclusively on the Internet.
So what does that mean for the independent professional
whose web presence is primarily aimed at selling his or her own personal services? You
know, services delivered the old-fashioned way, by humans interacting face-to-face or at
least voice-to-voice. At best, the average professional is likely to be overwhelmed by the
sheer volume of Internet marketing advice available. At worst, he or she is being
seriously misled by it.
The problem is that marketing your own professional
services is simply not the same as marketing a retail product or an anonymous business
service. You can't sell corporate consulting like you do web hosting; nor can you sell
life coaching the same way you do an e-book. If you try to market yourself by following
advice designed for marketing Internet products and services, you're likely to make some
serious mistakes.
Here are five Internet marketing myths that may be
hazardous to the health of your business.
Myth #1 – It all starts with a great web site.
Actually, the place where it starts is with a well-defined
service. If you don't have a crystal clear picture of who you are marketing to and exactly
what you're selling them, the best web site in the world won't get you clients. Before you
even think about building a web site, you should know who your target market is, how to
describe your professional specialty, and what specific benefits your work provides for
your clients.
The content of your site is much more important than the
design. Yes, you should have a professional-looking site, but a brilliant design and
dazzling graphics won't pay off anywhere near as well as a clear explanation of why a
client should work with you. Useful material such as articles, assessments, and other
samples of your expertise will go much further to persuade prospective clients than flash
intros and interactive menus.
Myth #2 – More traffic translates to increased
profits.
The only result that more traffic to your web site
guarantees you is increased bandwidth use by your web host. Before spending money on
banner ads, web directories, or pay-per-click listings to drive more visitors to your
site, you need to be sure that they'll want to do business with you once they get there.
Ask your colleagues and current clients to critique your
site. Do they understand what you are offering? Can they see concrete benefits to your
target audience? Revise your site based on their feedback. Then personally invite some
prospective clients to visit and touch base afterward. Do your prospects seem more
inclined to do business with you after seeing your site? If so, you're on the right track.
If not, you still have more work to do.
Myth #3 – Do whatever it takes to build your list.
There's no question that a substantial opt-in mailing list
is a valuable marketing asset, but the quality of names on your list is much more
important than the quantity. Acquiring names through giveaways of other people's material,
trading lists with joint venture partners, or purchasing them from a vendor rarely
provides qualified buyers truly interested in your services.
Absolutely, ask your site visitors and people you meet to
join your mailing list and offer them something of value in return. A well-written ezine,
helpful report, or informative audio are all effective premiums. But, your premium should
be directly related to the services you provide and also serve to increase your
professional credibility. Names acquired from promotional gimmicks or unknown sources
seldom turn into paying clients.
Myth #4 – Killer copy is the secret to sales.
Hype-laden web copy may be effective in selling certain
info-products or courses, but it hardly inspires trust. You're not going to convince
anyone to hire you individually as a consultant, coach, trainer, designer, or financial
advisor by offering "not one, not two, but three valuable bonuses" as if you
were selling steak knives on late-night TV.
Your Internet marketing persona should reflect the same
professionalism as the work you do with your clients. If writing marketing materials isn't
your forte, by all means hire a professional copywriter. But be sure you hire one with
experience writing for professionals like yourself. The copy on your web site should
inspire feelings of confidence about your abilities, and communicate your reliability and
solid qualifications.
Myth #5 – Just follow the winning formula and you
will get rich.
There's only one surefire recipe for Internet wealth I know
of, and that's the business of selling surefire recipes. There seems to be an infinite
number of buyers for every new get-rich-on-the-net scheme that is invented, but
paradoxically, a precious few people actually making money on the web.
The Internet may be a different medium for marketing
professional services than making calls, writing letters, or speaking to people in person,
but the same time-honored principles still apply. There is no new winning formula. The
secret to landing clients is what it always has been -- build relationships and get people
to know, like, and trust you.
If your web site, ezine, and other Internet-based
activities contribute to building long-term, trusting relationships with prospective
clients and referral sources, you'll get business on the web. But if you blast your
message out to anyone who will listen, aiming for a quick profit, the Internet won't bring
you any more business than standing on a street corner with a megaphone. |
