What happens before a prospect calls

Whether a prospect found you online or was referred to you, they rarely call you right away. First, they Google you, review your website, scan your LinkedIn profile and read your content to decide whether you are a good fit. By the time they reach out, their decision is more than halfway made. Your content validated the referral, confirmed your credibility and shaped their expectations. Or it didn’t, and you lost the prospect before they called.

Strong content is no longer optional reinforcement. It is part of the referral process itself.

If you want prospects to feel like they already know, like and trust you before the first conversation, here’s what to do:

1. Answer the questions clients actually ask

The most effective content addresses the frequently asked questions you get in client conversations. When someone finds a clear answer to the issue they’re worrying about, you shift from being a firm with good credentials to someone who understands their situation. That provides reassurance that you can help them, and reassurance builds trust.

2. Show how you think, not just what you do

Most websites describe services instead of demonstrating judgment. Clients want to know how you approach problems, what you prioritize and how you weigh benefits and risks. Use your content to make your thinking visible. Explain how you assess and handle situations. When prospects can see your reasoning, they feel like they are getting to know you and gain confidence in your ability to guide them.

3. Let your voice reflect who you are

“Know, like, and trust” develops through tone as much as substance. If your writing sounds like every other firm in your field, it reveals nothing about you. Prospects are looking for cues about what it would feel like to work with you and speak to you. Your content should sound like you. Are you direct or diplomatic? Warm or no-nonsense? When someone reads your article and thinks, “I like how they explain this,” they begin to feel comfortable, and comfort builds likability and trust.

4. Be consistent

Trust rarely develops from a single article. It grows through repeated exposure. When prospects see that you publish regularly, you come across as more credible and reliable. Consistency doesn’t require constant output. It requires commitment. A steady cadence signals confidence, stability and staying power.

5. Share perspective, not just information

If you’re explaining the same regulation or strategy as another firm, you need to set yourself apart in how you interpret it, what you emphasize and what advice you give. When you share your viewpoint and insights, prospects begin to understand your values and priorities. That, in turn, helps them determine whether you are the right fit for them.

The role of content

For professional service firms, content is less about attracting strangers and more about reinforcing referrals. The referral introduces you. Your content confirms your credibility, demonstrates your thinking and reduces uncertainty before the first conversation ever happens. That makes it much more likely that you will be hired.

Great content may not guarantee you get the business, but neglecting your content and online persona can easily lose you that referral.

If you want to improve your content and convert more prospects to new clients, contact us for a consultation.

Here are a few dos and don’ts when using AI:

1. DO use it to assist with market research. Get help with researching, analyzing and summarizing information about clients, competitors and trends in order to create more relevant content.
2. DON’T rely on it for factual research without verifying accuracy. AI tools can “hallucinate” and provide incorrect information that sounds real, including citing nonexistent source material. Information may also be out-of-date.
3. DO brainstorm with it. Ask your AI tool for feedback on your ideas and to make suggestions for improvement. Use it to come up with topics, titles, headings, email subject lines and the like.
4. DON’T limit it to text-based content. Some AI tools can help develop and/or edit video, images, graphics and charts to stand alone or complement and give more impact to text.
5. DO use it to edit/refine content. You can get a second opinion on the content you wrote by asking your AI tool to recommend changes to the substance, structure, tone or style of a piece, proofread and check grammar and otherwise help polish the material.
6. DON’T let AI speak for you. It’s fine to get suggestions from AI tools but your content should always be in your voice. People who know you and have seen AI-generated text before will realize the content isn’t from you and it will reflect badly on you. Plus, AI text tends to sound formulaic so it won’t help you engage with readers.
7. DO use it to repurpose content. Existing content can be repurposed for different audiences, marketing platforms (ex. social media, email, website) and formats (ex. text, video, graphics) using AI tools.
8. DON’T forget to provide context. When asking your AI tool for help, share relevant background information about yourself and your audience, needs and goals. The more context you provide, the better content you will get.
9. DO check all results. AI-generated text and images must be carefully reviewed and vetted, not just for accuracy but also for bias, intellectual property concerns and other issues.
10. DON’T hide the use of AI. Internal policies should be adopted to ensure that any employees using AI in their work disclose it to the appropriate manager. It may also need to be disclosed to clients and other parties.
11. DO be concerned about privacy, confidentiality and ethical issues. AI tools learn from your queries and the data you provide, so you must take care what you reveal. There are some solutions which may help but they should be carefully vetted.
12. DON’T use AI results ‘as is.’ An AI-prepared draft can provide a starting point but should not be used as a finished product because of the problems with AI discussed here.

As AI evolves, the opportunities and risks will only increase. Don’t be afraid of AI but use it thoughtfully to save you time and effort while enhancing content for your marketing.

If you need help with your marketing, contact us.

Evergreen content is content that doesn’t go out of date. It stays fresh – interesting and relevant – long after it was created. Trending or time-sensitive content is the opposite. It attracts attention when it is first shared, but loses relevance quickly. Both are useful in building a reputation as an expert, but evergreen content often has a greater return on investment because you can keep using it in your marketing. As long as it is still accurate, you can continue to share it in emails, social media posts, presentations and articles months or even years later. It also remains on your website to boost your credibility and drive search engine traffic to your website.

The most effective evergreen content should:

• Focus on a niche area. It’s better to be an expert in a niche area because you have fewer competitors and it is easier to stand out and be memorable. It also tends to result in better quality leads because you are attracting exactly the people that are likely to need your services. Your evergreen content should drill down into your niche and cover the range of issues that may come up. It should also highlight any unique expertise that you have but others may not have (ex. industry knowledge, a multi-disciplinary approach, etc.).
• Target a specific audience and the problems they need to solve. Who is your ideal client? Now write for them. Know what keeps them up at night and give them helpful information to prove you understand them and they can rely on you for assistance. An added benefit of this approach is that writing/speaking about specific problems is likely to draw high-quality leads to your site because your target audience will be looking online for the information you are providing.
• Be based on research. Don’t just guess at what might make good evergreen content; do your homework. In choosing topics, look at what content has been most successful for you in the past. Review your website, email and social media metrics to identify popular subjects. Also, what topics have others (e.g., clients, prospects, organizations, media, etc.) asked you about. It’s also helpful to look at your competitors to see what they are doing. Finally, research long-tail keywords. These are search terms that people use online that are at least a few words long. Typically, they are questions or phrases on a specific topic or problem. Understanding what people are searching for can help you frame your content so it is more likely to be of interest to your audience and be found online.

While you should invest in creating a library of evergreen content, remember that you will need to cover topical issues periodically to boost your visibility and show that you stay current in your field. In addition, evergreen content does not last relevant forever. It is a good practice to periodically review and update it. That can be as simple as adding/changing examples or statistics, reorganizing the content or creating new versions (ex. long/short; expert/novice) or different formats (ex. video, written, live presentation).

So, how can you come up with evergreen content? Drill down into the Frequently Asked Questions you get from clients, offer ‘How-tos’ on a series of topics, provide Checklists that help your audience understand what issues they may be forgetting about, and offer Case Studies that demonstrate a successful outcome. These are just a few ideas, but there are plenty of others.

If you need assistance creating or promoting evergreen content that will help build your credibility as an expert, contact me for a consultation.

The key to effective marketing for any type of professional is to establish and maintain strong relationships. As an introvert, it can be more difficult to get to know new people. Once you do, you need to nurture the relationship to build trust and credibility and stay top of mind, which can also present challenges. How do you do that as an introvert? Here are a few tips that can help:

Networking:

1. Focus on small groups. Introverts often prefer smaller groups of people, so join a professional association or charitable organization and volunteer on a committee. Or get involved in a business referral networking group.
2. Take a breather at large events. If you go to a big event, try to talk to a few people, then if needed, take a break from the crowd by walking outside or sitting in a lounge area. Cellphones make it easy to look busy when you really just need to get away.
3. Follow up for one-on-ones. Reach out to schedule a call or one-on-one meeting. This should be your focus whether you are an introvert or extrovert.
4. Be helpful. It’s better to give than receive in any relationship. Make introductions and referrals and ask contacts about other ways you can help them.

Social media:

5. Connect to contacts. Once you’ve met someone, connect on social media. It is an easy stress-free way to stay in touch and learn more about the person.
6. Share your thoughts. On social media, you can plan what you want to say, write it down, and think about it before anyone sees it. This is an ideal situation for many introverts. Take advantage of social media to post thoughtful content and comment on other people’s posts.

Research:

7. Read, listen and learn. Introverts like to be prepared. Use Google and social media to research your contacts and prospects before a phone call or meeting. The more you know about their interests and activities, the easier it is to interact in a meaningful way.

Writing:

8. Start a blog. If you like to write, blogging is a flexible platform that you control, so you can write what you want, when you want. Make the information helpful and share it with your contacts to keep you in their minds.
9. Write for other publications. Have a staff member or hire someone to look for writing opportunities. This is great to help you demonstrate your expertise and build credibility.

Video/Public speaking:

10. Consider video vs live presentations. An introvert may not feel comfortable presenting live, but be okay with video because you can keep re-recording yourself or have someone edit the video so you look and sound professional. I personally don’t enjoy either one, but I realize the tremendous value of verbal communication, so I tend to do live presentations over video. (At least I don’t have to watch myself if it’s live.)

Email:

11. Maximize email marketing. Emails are a great supplement to networking. One-on-one emails help you stay in touch and have the benefit of allowing you to respond on your schedule as with social media. Email newsletters to all your contacts serve as a tool to highlight your expertise and stay top of mind with your network.

If you are an introvert, you can be an effective marketer and you may even end up a better marketer than many extroverts. While you may have to stray outside your comfort zone at times, there is still room to adapt tactics to best suit your personality.

For help with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

1. Who is the desired audience for your content? This is the most important question of all. Identify who you want to read your content. Is it existing or past clients, prospects, referral sources or others? Then break it down further. What are their key demographics and behaviors? This can include:

• Age, gender, profession
• Job title and responsibilities
• Company size and revenue (or personal income and wealth)
• Industry
• Location
• Role in deciding to hire you
• Budget and priorities
• Interests, concerns and pain points
• Information sources
• Level of knowledge about your services.

Essentially, you are creating a buyer persona, which is a detailed profile of the person you want to attract. You can gather this information by analyzing and talking with your client base and referral sources as well as through internet research.

The reason you are doing this is that the better you define your audience, the more effective your writing will be at reaching them and appealing to their interests.

2. What does your audience want to know about? Your content has to focus on what your audience is interested in, not what you want to talk about. Ask contacts what is important to them. Write about the frequently asked questions you receive. Also, do research. For example, identify and subscribe to publications your target audience reads, set up Google alerts to monitor areas of interest to them, and use social media to “listen” to what topics they care about. You can do this yourself or use paid media monitoring and business intelligence tools to gather information.

3. In what way can you offer something unique? Your goal is always to stand out from the competition. If you are talking about your business, you should focus on your differentiators – your unique selling proposition and unique value proposition. Similarly, if you are creating substantive content, such as a blog post, presentation or article, you want to offer your unique insights and analysis on that subject. This is a big problem when professionals write or speak on a topic. Dry factual recitations are not particularly interesting and are available from multiple sources. Clients and prospects want to understand how something affects them and what they need to do to solve or minimize their problems. This is an opportunity for you to shine by providing your audience with genuinely helpful information that highlights your knowledge and expertise. Yes, this requires more work, but your audience wants to see that you understand their concerns, have the know-how to handle them and want to educate them as opposed to give them a sales pitch.

4. What do you want to accomplish with your content? There are many reasons you may be sharing a particular piece of content including to increase visibility, drive web traffic, build credibility, establish expertise, stay top of mind with existing contacts, generate leads, etc. Your content won’t be successful if it doesn’t take into account your goals. Having concrete objectives enables you to establish metrics and measure the effectiveness of your content, including looking at which types of content are best suited for your purpose. In addition, when there is a clear reason for producing content and measurable results, it’s easier to stay motivated to continue to produce similar content.

5. How will you promote the content? Just because you created the content doesn’t mean it will be seen. You need a plan and appropriate resources to make sure you are taking full advantage of all available marketing channels to reach your target audience, including owned, earned and paid media outlets. Use social media and email marketing extensively. Encourage everyone within the firm to share your content with their personal networks. Incorporate strategic SEO tactics to increase the probability that your content will be found by search engines. In addition, don’t forget to test different marketing tactics and revise as needed to improve results.

6. Do you have a call to action? This goes along with # 4, but it is about accomplishing your goals at a micro-level. What do you want readers to do immediately after seeing your content? Contact you? Sign up for your email newsletter or event? Make sure to have a clear next step for your audience. You want to encourage people to continue to engage with you in some way. Ideally, your content should be leading people through your sales funnel. For example, you may have content that is intended to attract a large number of potential leads to your website. Once on your site, the next call to action may be an offer to receive related information in an eBook. This allows you to continue to nurture those leads who are not yet ready to make a decision.

CONCLUSION

Content is a valuable marketing tool when used strategically. If you take the time to understand what specific content will appeal to your audience and focus on your objectives, you’ll write content that will drive the success of your business.

1. Develop a plan. Who is your audience for the blog? What topics will you write about? Who will write the posts? How often will you publish? What are your goals for the blog? What resources do you need to keep it going? How will you market the blog? Before you start, you must answer these questions. Put it in writing to keep you accountable and help ensure your blog will help your business.

2. Decide where to host your blog. Most people have it on their business website, which has many advantages. However, there are also services that can host and help promote your blog. A good example is LexBlog for legal blogs.

3. Create an editorial calendar. One of the toughest aspects of blogging is figuring out what to write. Ideally, try to brainstorm at least 3 months’ worth of topics at a time. For advice on developing blog topics, read 5 Tips To Help You Develop Great Blog Post Topics. Once you decide on topics, put them on a calendar. That means set a due date and assign responsibility to the appropriate author/editor. Build in time for reviewing and editing the material and add reminders to your calendar before the due date.

4. Include a mix of timely and evergreen posts. Evergreen content is information that doesn’t go out of date. It is always of value to people reading your blog and it can continue to drive traffic to your website for years to come. In contrast, timely posts are on a current development or trend. While they may give you a big boost in the short-term because people want that information, there is less long-term value.

5. Don’t be self-promotional. People don’t want to hear about how great you are. They want helpful and practical information that answers their questions and assists them in avoiding or minimizing problems. By giving free advice, you will be demonstrating that you are knowledgeable, so you don’t have to “sell your services” overtly.

6. Focus on quality over quantity. Yes, it would be great if you could publish a post at least once a week or even more often. However, every post must be good. It’s better to publish high quality content less often than low quality more often.

7. Improve your communication skills. Maybe you’re not a great writer. If you have good ideas, you can work with a writer to develop well-written content. Alternatively, if you are comfortable speaking, you can create videos, which can also be transcribed and edited so you have both oral and written formats. If you want to try to improve your skills on your own, here are several posts on how to make your writing more effective.

7 Tips For More Effective Blog Writing For Your Business

5 Do’s To Help You Create Content That Your Audience Wants To Read

5 Things Not To Do If You Want People To Read Your Content

8. Leverage all marketing channels. On your website, your blog will help with your search engine optimization. When people are searching for information online, Google looks to deliver high-quality relevant content. The more effort you put into your blog posts, the more likely your content will appear in search results. However, your social media and email marketing are also important ways to promote your posts. In addition, you may also want to consider some form of paid advertising.

9. Include a call to action. What do you want readers to do after reading your blog? Contact you? Sign up for something (newsletter, webinar, eBook)? Make sure to have a clear next step for the reader. You’re using the blog to help your marketing, so you want to encourage people to continue to engage with you in some way.

A blog can be an effective marketing tool for your business, but you must make a commitment. If you need assistance, a professional writer can help you develop compelling content as well as promote it to the right audiences, so you get results.

If you need help with blog writing or marketing your existing blog, contact us for a consultation.

1. Assess your Google results. What shows up on the first page? Presumably, your website and social media profiles will appear at the top, but what else? Are the other results on the page little more than directory listings? Is there anything that demonstrates expertise or credibility, such as articles, presentations, professional memberships, awards, media mentions and the like? Do you have any reviews or recommendations? It is not enough to ensure that bad things don’t appear in your search results, you want to make sure a lot of good things show up as well. A minimal presence can hurt you because people want to know you are active in your profession, in your community and so on.

2. Google your competitors. How are they marketing themselves? How does their online presence compare to yours? Review their Google results, website, and social media profiles. It is important to know what you are up against. However, if your competitors aren’t doing much online, don’t take that as an excuse to continue to ignore your online presence. You have an opportunity to lead the field and make everyone else catch up to you.

3. Do the easy stuff first. Your website and social media profiles are typically the first results that show in Google. Fortunately, you have complete control over what appears there and should be taking advantage of them to demonstrate the value you offer clients. Highlight your strengths, but don’t make it a marketing brochure. Instead, provide information that your prospects would find useful and interesting. It might be insights about their problem, what they can do to help themselves, and when they may need extra assistance. Blogs, articles, eBooks, newsletters, videos, podcasts, presentations, FAQs, and case studies can be added to your website and highlighted on social media to build credibility.

Also give prospects a reason to like and trust you. Tell them a little about your background, your motivation for doing the work you do, and your other interests (charitable activities, hobbies, etc.). Social media is great for this because you can be a bit more informal than on your website, just don’t go too far into the personal.

4. Develop content for third-party sites. Appearing on reputable third-party sites is invaluable because you can’t control it. The more authoritative the other website, the more it affects your credibility and search engine ranking. Start identifying a list of sites where you could provide content, such as articles and presentations. Likely sources include associations relevant to your profession (e.g., bar associations) and to your client base (industry and business groups). Consumer-oriented, community, and charitable websites may also be possibilities. In addition, reach out to contacts in complementary businesses and offer to guest blog on each other’s websites or otherwise partner on creating content to cross-promote.

5. Ask for recommendations/reviews. Contact people you know well – referral sources, colleagues, vendors, and happy clients – to ask them if they would be willing to give you a recommendation or review on your firm Google listing, on social media pages, and other relevant websites. Remember to give them one as well if you can. Depending on the nature of your relationship, encourage them to be detailed in the review and suggest things they could share in the review. When dealing with clients, it is best to ask for a review at the conclusion of a successful engagement.

6. Downplay the negatives. If you have negative reviews, you should respond online carefully. Do not engage in a debate online, but do tell the person you want to discuss the problem and follow up offline to try to resolve the situation. If you are successful, try to get the person to retract the review or add a comment that the matter was resolved. If you have negative press, there may be little you can do but if there is a possibility of responding to limit the damage try to do so. It may be worthwhile speaking to a public relations agency if it is a serious matter. Again, take care in your response that you are not making matters worse or drawing more attention to the situation. Assuming you cannot eliminate the damage, you can counteract it by getting more positive reviews and publicity and taking the other steps mentioned above. Most businesses end up with some negative feedback so it is not as bad as it may feel. Over time, the impact will lessen.

7. Have a marketing plan. It takes time to implement these steps and we all have limits on the resources we can put towards this. A written plan can help you think through your options and prioritize, set goals, and determine what time and money you will need to achieve your objectives.

Following these suggestions has additional benefits. First, it will improve your search engine ranking when people search for a professional with your expertise or want more information on a specific issue that you have written or spoken about. It also makes you more visible with existing contacts. Assuming you are actively promoting your activities through your website, email, social media, and other means, they help you stay top of mind with your referral sources.

Finally, it makes you more aware of what your competitors are doing so you can be more effective in your own efforts. Studies show that prospects research and talk to multiple firms before making a decision. If you want to compete, a strong online brand is essential. It may not guarantee you get the business, but the lack of one may lose you the business.

If you are concerned about what Google says about you, contact us for a consultation.

1. Update your LinkedIn profile. Do you have a strong headline (at the top under your name)? The default is your current position, but you can and should change it to reflect the type of work you do and who you help. Also draft a compelling summary section. The first few lines are the key because that’s all that shows when someone first sees your profile. Make them want to click on the link to read more. Finally, remember to fill in every section or most of them. Add in your writing, volunteerism, awards, association memberships, etc. This is essentially free advertising to highlight your skills and activities.

2. Be more active on social media. Regular posting is essential. You can share your own content or other people’s content so long as it is helpful and interesting to your audience. Remember every time you post something it is an opportunity for your contacts to be reminded of what you do as well as reach new people. For social media posting tips, read Do’s and Don’ts of Using Social Media to Grow Your Business.

3. Ask for recommendations/reviews. Email people you know well – referral sources, colleagues, vendors, and happy clients – to ask them if they would be willing to give you a recommendation or review on social media, Google and other relevant websites. Remember to give them one as well if you can.

4. Start an email newsletter (or consider publishing it more often if you already have one). Email is a great way to stay top of mind with your contacts and it is a very inexpensive way to market. A newsletter can contain a range of information from snippets of content you have created, links to third-party resources, upcoming events, and other material that would be of interest to your contacts. Check out How to Maximize Your Email Newsletter for more information.

5. Follow up with key contacts, referral sources. Everyone is worrying about their families and business. Reach out to contacts to find out how they are doing. Consider ways you can help each other now and in the future.

6. Check in with existing and past clients. Don’t pitch your services. Just let them know you hope they are doing well, and you are happy to help in any way you can. If you know of any third-party resources that may help them, point them to that assistance.

7. Create and/or update your contact database. People change jobs and email addresses. You are missing a great opportunity to market and stay in touch if you don’t have an up-to-date contact database. Leverage staff working from home to help create or clean up your data. And while you are at it, segment your contacts so you can tailor emails to particular groups of contacts (ex. past and current clients, referral sources, prospects, industry, job title, etc.). Consider which segments make sense for your business.

8. Create content. Writing and speaking are great ways to highlight your expertise, build credibility and be more visible. Consider blog posts, articles, tips, charts, graphics, podcasts, presentations, webinars, and PowerPoints. Experiment with video because it has been shown to get more views and interaction than written content. Video on your website should always be produced by a professional, but amateur efforts are forgiven on social media.

9. Participate in virtual networking. Many groups have now turned to Zoom. Face time with contacts is still important so join these meetings to stay in touch. You can also easily create your own groups and facilitate introductions among your contacts.

10. Refresh your website. When was the last time you updated your website? The content and/or the design could be stale so do it now.

While you may be worried about loss of business because of COVID-19, if you don’t market during this period, your recovery will be that much harder. Don’t get left behind.

If you need assistance with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

1. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes. A good blog post discusses what your reader cares about, not what you want to talk about. So first identify who you want to read your blog post (your ideal client or referral source), then start making a list of the following:

What are their top 10 questions? What do they ask you when you have a conversation? Each question could be its own blog post or group them as appropriate.

What are the significant challenges in their personal or business lives or in their industry? If you don’t know the answer, ask them or do research. Even if you cannot help them with all their issues, writing about their concerns shows you understand their needs.

When and why do they call you? You want to write about those trigger points. For example, let’s say the trigger is that they are being sued or threatened with suit. You can write about how to avoid liability, common liability traps, mitigating and aggravating factors in liability, when they need to seek outside help and how to handle issues that may come up in litigation.

You want to go through this exercise with each audience you want to attract. The answers to these questions will vary depending on whether you are targeting existing clients, different categories of prospects or referral sources. For each audience, you have a whole new set of potential blog topics. Even if some of the information is repetitive across groups, you can still write individual posts for each group.

2. Consider multiple ways to present the information. The same basic information can be delivered many ways by changing the angle, style or format of the piece. For example, you can provide advice on how to handle an issue, but one time write it as “Essential Tips to Help …,” and another time focus on “How to Avoid These Top Traps” or “What Not to Do.”

When it comes to the format, there are many options. Lists, how-tos, case studies, charts/infographics, audio and video all represent different ways you can cover your topic and they can all qualify as “blog posts.” One of the benefits of blogging is that it is in your control and you can discuss any topic you want in any way you want.

3. Repurpose other content. Maybe you did a presentation for a client or an organization. Your notes, outlines, handouts and slides can be fodder for blog posts. The same is true of articles, client memos/letters, recordings and other content created for a different purpose. Out-of-date content can be brought up-to-date. Material written for one audience, can be rewritten for new audiences.

In addition, you can repurpose other people’s content. For example, write a post analyzing or commenting on an article you read or a presentation you attended. You can also curate content – that is, compile a list of useful articles, books, and other resources on a topic and share it with others in the form of a blog post. For example, write a post on the top 5 articles on the new tax law. You want to add your own commentary and explain why you think these resources are useful. Don’t copy the articles; just provide the pertinent information (title, author, publication) and links to the pieces you mentioned along with your analysis.

4. Look at current events and trends. It’s great to discuss new developments and how those events or trends may impact your target audience. Sometimes there is an added bonus because you can take advantage of media and public interest in a news story to get extra exposure for your business (aka “newsjacking”). However, that may only give you a short-term boost in visibility. When possible, provide deeper and ongoing analysis of events so you can really showcase your expertise and have a longer shelf-life for your content.

You can set up automatic Google alerts, monitor hashtags and trends on social media, or sign up for a news aggregator service to stay on top of what people are writing and talking about. Remember you should pay attention to the events and trends that your audience cares about, which may be very niche content.

5. Keep a running list or folder for ideas. When an idea for a blog post comes to me, I will add it to a list that I keep for that purpose. If the inspiration was an article I read, I will add the link to my list as well, so I can go back to the piece when it’s time for me to start writing.

The key to successful blogging is planning. Don’t add stress to your life by struggling to come up with a topic on the fly. Regularly brainstorm topics and consider these tips to help you develop ideas for months at a time.

For more tips to improve your blogging, read Is Anyone Reading Your Content? How to Make Sure They Do.

If you need help with your blogging, contact us for a consultation.

1. Regularly reach out to your best contacts. Every month pick a few of your good contacts (referral sources, clients, etc.) and set up a phone call or meeting. Many businesses deal with an 80-20 rule – that is, 80% of their revenue comes from 20% of their clients. Often that’s true with referral sources as well so that a small number of referral sources refer a disproportionate amount of business. It makes sense then to make sure you keep in close touch with those people. Before your phone call or meeting, make sure you prepare. Do some homework about what is going on with their business. Look at their contacts on LinkedIn and identify people you could ask to be introduced to. Also know what you want to get out of the meeting. Pick one or two goals for the meeting and the rest can be left more open-ended. You also must think about how you can help them. Most people feel uncomfortable asking others outright to refer them business or make an introduction, but if you are prepared with ideas on how you can help them, it becomes much easier. Plus, the other person will tend to feel obligated to help you if you first offer to help them.

2. Become more active in an organization or charity. Networking is most successful when you see people often and get to know them. Going to occasional events is fine, but it’s better to pick a group or two and get involved. Join a committee, volunteer to help with an event, take on a leadership role, and attend every event. You will get to know more people and develop a closer relationship with them which will help your marketing efforts. In addition, it’s important to pick a group that is meaningful to you whether it’s a professional organization or a personal cause. You’ll feel good about the time spent with the group and your natural commitment will shine through to others.

3. Set aside a block of time to write something each week for your target audience. Writing is a wonderful way to demonstrate your expertise and build your credibility. Best of all, writing can be anything – a blog post, article, checklist, eBook, chart, practical tip or anything else that your audience would find interesting or informative. Blogging and article writing are particularly effective, but even if you just regularly comment on other people’s posts on social media or share a helpful tip in an email blast, it’s still useful for your marketing. Writing can be time-consuming, so you must allocate specific time and resources to getting it done. Schedule it on your calendar. Otherwise it’s easy to put it off.

4. Use social media. At a minimum, you should be visible on LinkedIn. That means having a strong LinkedIn profile, building a solid network and regularly posting content. LinkedIn is for professionals and business people. Even if your direct clients are consumers, your referral base is likely to be on LinkedIn, so it is a must. You should also have a Facebook presence. This is particularly important if your client base is consumers, but even for those providing services to businesses it has value. Posting to social media helps you stay top of mind with your network and reach new people. Anytime you write or speak, post it to social media. In addition, share interesting articles written by others or like and comment on the posts of your contacts. Just as with writing content, set aside time each week to focus on social media. Start with a small block of time and expand from there as you get more comfortable.

5. Send a monthly email newsletter to contacts. If you aren’t already doing this, start now. If you are sending one out, then make sure you are making the most of it with these tips from one of our prior blog posts. When done the right way, email newsletters provide an inexpensive way to keep in touch with your contacts, highlight your expertise, build credibility and drive traffic to your website.

6. Set goals for the year. It’s not just about big goals like how much money you want to make. Break it down. Do you want to increase new leads by a certain amount? Expand your network of referral sources? Upsell existing clients? Develop a new practice or specialty? Without goals, it is hard to allocate your marketing time effectively. You want to spend time on the things that are most likely to move you closer to your end goals.

What are your marketing resolutions? Start the year off right and commit to improving your marketing.

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