Here's some advice about web marketing from a seasoned entrepreneur and one of my favorite authors, C.J. Hayden.
C.J. Hayden, MCC, is a business coach who teaches people to make a better living doing what they love. Her company, Wings Business Coaching, specializes in working with business owners, self-employed professionals, and people in marketing and sales. C.J. is a former corporate productivity consultant with over 25 years experience in business management. She has been a professional trainer since 1978, and a coach since 1992.
Take it away, C.J.!
Beth asks: How important is web marketing as a tool to get new clients?
C.J.'s response: The importance of web marketing to your business really depends on what sort of business you are in and who your clients are. If your business is primarily local and you don't need a high volume of clients to be successful, Internet marketing isn't essential. For example, I know many management consultants, corporate trainers, life coaches, and psychotherapists who maintain a thriving business without even having a website.
But if you want to do business outside your local area or you need a high volume of clients, having a strong web presence becomes much more important. If your business involves filling regular workshops or selling info-products, web marketing is a must.
For any type of business, though, even if web marketing isn't essential for you, I think it makes many aspects of getting clients easier. Having a strong web presence adds substantially to your professional credibility, which can result in more prospects easily converting to clients, higher rates, and more invitations to speak and write. Marketing can become automatic and effortless.
Beth asks: How has web marketing helped you expand your reach as a professional?
C.J.'s response: I rely on web marketing extensively to attract new clients. I publish an ezine and maintain a large mailing list, I write articles for web publication, and I make a lot of valuable resources available online at no charge.
Marketing on the web has allowed me to work with clients from all over the world, offer teleclasses and webinars instead of being limited to live programs, and generate passive income by selling info-products, licenses, and memberships in addition to working with clients one-on-one. My whole business model is based on attracting clients on the web now.
Beth asks: What advice about web marketing would you have for a new service professional?
C.J.'s response: Don't be intimidated by the level of web presence that others have been able to achieve, or by the learning curve to understand new technology. Be willing to start small and learn as you go. My flagship site has well over 100 pages now, and I have six different sites for my different lines of business. But I started out with just one site that had only one page.
Also, don't allow anyone to convince you to start paying for ads or search engine placement right away. Focus first on building a valuable website and publishing an ezine or blog to stay in touch with prospects and let them get to know you. Then branch out to publishing articles online -- they can be the same items you write for your ezine or blog.
Only when you have a site that does a good job at converting prospects to clients AND provides a way to stay in touch with new visitors does it make sense to start paying to attract more traffic. And you may find that if you create a site with valuable content, publish articles online, and do some web-based networking and speaking, you may never need to pay for ads. That's the formula that's worked for me.
Close: Great advice, C.J. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.
For more about C.J. Hayden, please visit her website at www.getclientsnow.com.
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