M.J. Plebon, Online marketing specialist and strategist of New Horizons Consulting has developed several new online marketing strategies for professionals looking to grow their business because of a fundamental shift in consumer habits.
Consumers will now automatically research professionals online before making a buying decision therefore professionals now need to go above and beyond the traditional SEO and Social Media marketing tactics and begin to market their reputation online so they are viewed as the expert in their area.
“Many professionals who are looking to expand their practice are investing in common online marketing tactics such as SEO, Pay-per-Click advertising, banner ads while not seeing any real return on their investment,” says M.J. Plebon of New Horizons Consulting.
“There is a shift in power and today’s consumers are experts at filtering out the advertising noise on any medium be it radio, TV, newspaper or online and now use the internet to conduct their due diligence on any professional by checking out their online profiles and reputations. Many consumers are making their buying decisions based on the online results and impressions they receive when they search a professional’s name or the name of their practice. Professionals need to differentiate themselves online with unique online marketing strategies. The online marketing strategies we have developed for professionals elevates their online profile so consumers view them as experts in their field and will increase the chances of being selected over their competition.”
Seth Godin, author of 17 books on marketing and founder of Squidoo.com echoes Plebon’s statement on the importance of information, your reputation and the shift in marketing power to the consumer. Seth Godin said, “If we live in a world where information drives what we do, the information we get becomes the most important thing. The person who chooses that information has power.”
The strategy developed by M.J. Plebon at New Horizons Consulting is part of the Communication-IMPACT brand. It is much more than developing content that proclaims a professional as an expert. The strategy involves positioning the professional and their business in the best way possible. Content is developed and optimized online so that when this information is consumed by potential clients, they develop a perception of the professional as one who is an expert in their specific field of interest.
Consumers are eager to be educated by industry experts and when given a choice between hiring an expert or just another professional, the choice is an easy and very clear choice. The Communication-IMPACT strategy goes beyond the creation of new content and also inventories existing content, online properties and social media sites. The existing information is properly constructed, optimized and often re-purposed into other online mediums so the consumer has a choice in how they want to consume the information.
Existing online properties are updated and efforts are exhausted to ensure the information is fresh and complete. In addition, client testimonials and reviews are made easily available online so potential clients can formulate an opinion based on the experiences of other current and past clients. This “social proof” is important in the due diligence and research that many consumers conduct and will play an influencing role when it comes time to make that short list or final purchasing decision.
The Communication-IMPACT marketing strategy is not theory since many professionals have benefited from this type of program and have now positioned themselves and leaders in their field.
Caroline Samne, principal at The Pillars, a Montreal Organizational Development Management Consulting firm comments, “The principles of the Communication-IMPACT strategy are straight forward to implement and the results last for years. We have definitely benefited by landing new clients as a result of the strategy.”
This strategy is not only ideal for medical professionals, accountants and lawyers, it works for business owners and service providers as well.
Fort more information on the Communication-IMPACT strategy, visit http://Communication-IMPACT.ca