How many of your website visitors turn into inquiries? The difference between generating website traffic and turning website traffic into inquiries is not fancy graphics or animation. The difference is strategy. You can turn a higher percent of website visitors into prospective clients if you know: What your prospects want to read […]
The Risky Business of Marketing Your Point of Difference
Why do you think marketers talk about point of difference until they are blue in the face? Let’s face it, marketing your point of difference feels risky. It is associated with giving up income. If you claim expertise in one specific area of your profession then you must be walking away from business in another […]
Small Business Loans – Made Easy for the Canadian Small Business
The Canada Small Business Financing Program is the easiest way to get a small business loan in Canada. The program makes it easier for a small business to get a loan by minimizing the lender’s risk. If a borrower defaults on a loan, Industry Canada assumes responsibility for up to 85% of the loss on […]
Planning a Website – Key Considerations
For better or for worse, a website will influence prospective clients, referral networks and job candidates. How can you leverage this ability for the betterment of your practice? To begin with, you will need to define success. Does success mean heavy traffic and if so by whom? Does success mean more inquiries? If so, how […]
Social Media – Effective Marketing for the Mainstream
The jury has spoken. Social media has proven to be a worthy marketing tool for the bluest of blue chip businesses. Why? It engages people. Once engaged, people tell their friends, thus initiating a conversation that tends to spiral. Marketing 2.0: Using Social Media to Talk to and Energize the Groundswell is […]
Why Do Professional Service Firms Need a Strategic Plan?
According to Law.com: “Of those that plan, nearly 90 percent can attribute enhanced profits to their planning process,” said John Remsen Jr., a consultant… who… has surveyed firms with between 75 and 100 lawyers on the topic. Increased profit. Is that reason enough for accountants, lawyers, engineers, architects, interior designers, consultants and alternative healthcare providers […]
Don’t Dilute Your Brand For a Few Hits
In an overzealous effort to score higher with Google and other search engines some websites and blogs have forgone appropriate placement of their brand identity for generic keywords. This move has left visitors to wonder ‘what is the name of this business’! As you can see, the value of this resulting website traffic was compromised. […]
Start-Ups Can Maximize Opportunity – Cost Effectively
I receive lots of inquiries from start-up practices interested in assistance with everything from human resources to marketing. Understandably, although their list of requirements seems to be just about endless, they are just as concerned about budget. As a result, at my Toronto marketing firm, business coaching has become a best selling service among […]
Are You Still a Generalist?
Discovering a specialty or niche in the market, is a critical planning stage to all marketing services offered by my Toronto marketing firm. Why? Marketing for engineers, architects, accountants, alternative health care providers and all other professional service firms, benefits from having a niche market. As Seth Godin so eloquently and humorously put it: When […]
The One Skill All Great Sales People Share
Professionals are not trained to be sales people. Nonetheless architects, engineers, lawyers, financial advisors and accountants find themselves assuming this role. There are many ways to deal with this challenge. You could establish a sales process, read sales books, undergo sales training, hire a business consultant and more. However, the one thing you […]