The responsibility of business development… how would you go about it?
Although “professionals” have been part of our society since the days of old, the marketing of professional services (a necessity for generating new business) has not been seen as a necessity until recent. Traditionally, firms have never been aggressive in marketing strategies and campaigns. However, in today’s economy where there is a surplus of professionals coming out of colleges and universities every year, the competition is becoming stiffer than ever and marketing has now become a necessity.
Accountants, attorneys, consultants, financial planners, investment advisors, public relations, recruiters, researchers, real estate brokers, translators… [wikipedia]
Most firms (whether independents or partnerships) have awoken to the fact that a successful business must have a distinctive, informative and impressive Web presence. With so much saturation in the field, acquiring a strong online presence for your business is essential for beating out other competitors. So if you were assigned the responsibility of business development, how would you go about it?
In today’s competitive marketplace, professional services must harness several advantages of the digital platform. Online marketing requires very minimal expenditure as compared to traditional marketing strategies (print advertisements, yellow pages, direct mail). It requires minimal manpower unlike traditional means where a lot more manpower is needed to carry out their marketing strategies.
When marketing professional services online, you can response in “real time” to requests from a client or potential client. When marketing online, you can reach a wider audience… no geographic limitations, unlike advertising on local press. And your Web site can give new meaning to “the check is in the mail.”
Forget the yellow pages and their squeezed ads. These methods are the past. Society today is tied to the Internet… businesses must adapt.
Marketing your professional services business online has the potential of generating clients from anywhere… everywhere. Since you are no longer limited geographically, it is the most effective means of reaching as many prospects as possible.