Architecture Firm Finds 90% of Leads Online

By Sean McVey

My recent conversation with Derek Leavitt, founder of Modative Architects, yielded some interesting stats on the firm’s lead generation:

• Approximately 90% of the firm’s leads come through its website
• They receive around 4 warm leads per week online
• The firm’s web traffic increased from 10 visits a week to 400 per day in a short period of time

 
My two reactions to these shocking numbers were:

1. Wow!
2. How?

 
Find the Right Keyword Opportunity

Derek and his team were able to use search engine data to find some great keyword opportunities. They were careful to select terms that receive heavy search traffic but which don’t appear on many websites. Often these are highly specific keyword phrases, such as:

“small lot subdivisions”

This is a niche keyword that they felt they could own.  It accurately describes one of their core services so it was ripe for the taking. Ok, now what?

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Hinge’s Fab Five: January 2012

Top Professional Services Marketing Content from January 2012

Each month, an enormous amount of content is published on marketing. This monthly column will help you keep up with the best marketing articles on the web. Enjoy!

 How Google’s Social Search Shift Will Impact Your Brand’s SEO
By: Erin Everhart, Mashable Business

 How changes in Google’s search will affect your SEO strategy.

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Website Planning Guide Part 7: Develop Messaging and Content

By Sean McVey

Your firm’s messaging and content will make or break your website.

An obvious point? Perhaps to some.  But when I look around the web it amazes me how many sites present messages that are:

• Generic
• Stale
• Wordy
• Unclear

 
And content that is:

• Way too long
• Filled with jargon
• Formatted as thick, un-skimmable paragraphs

 
Before you sit down and write a novel of fluffy jibber-jabber for your new site, take these three tips into consideration.

1. Find a Unique Position that You Can Support

Often your first and only chance to connect with web visitors will be through the main message on your homepage.  Your goal should be to quickly communicate your unique value as a brand.  What is your brand’s position in the market?

Stay away from generic descriptors like “high quality,” “the best people,” or “unmatched value.”  Instead, find what truly sets your firm apart from competitors and let visitors know right away.

Not sure what differentiates your firm? Successful professional services companies conduct brand research to identify how they are perceived in the marketplace.  Uncovering differentiators in this way will allow you to communicate unique value with confidence.

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Local SEO Optimization and Why it is Important

By Christopher Surovick, Guest Author

Local SEO is the new “black.” At least that is what I am hearing around the blogosphere. With that said, Vision Course wants to make sure you understand why local SEO optimization is so powerful and is different than general SEO. Here are a couple of tips that will help you grow your local online business.

1. Be Active in Your Community

One of my favorite ways to get involved in your local community is to join niche groups in your area. There are many groups that are available to you, some paid, some free. But all will require some time and effort to be an active member. But, what you get out of it is a new expansion on your inner network. Plus, lead generation is a priority of most of these groups with all parties trying to help one another. Here are two great examples which will both have a local chapter, as well as encourage your participation to get involved:

a) BNI

b) Chambers of Commerce

2. Build your Own Local Network

The first step is to join the above mentioned business niche groups in your area. Once you are active, this will help you build your own local network.  Each and every member will be an active participant in the local business arena. If you provide goods or services that their network can benefit from, it will begin the inner circle of product offering and sharing. These like-minded people will actively support your cause, as long as you do the same in return. It works very well if all parties are active participants.

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Infographic: How Online Marketing Techniques Grow Your Firm

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.; Infographic by Brian Lemen

(Click image to see full-size infographic)

Just when you thought it was safe to get back on the golf course, you hear the news. A new study shows that professional services firms that use online marketing techniques to generate 40% or more of their leads grow 4X faster and are 2X more profitable. Well, now I’m listening.

This infographic tells a dramatic story — how firms are using online marketing techniques to change the professional services marketplace. Increasingly, how you use online marketing will affect how successful your firm can be. While face-to-face networking is still important, it is no longer the only — or even the best — path to new business success.

Learn which online marketing techniques are most effective and how multiple tools work together to deliver the strongest results. And find out where online marketing budgets are headed (UP!) and why your firm may want to move in that direction…  faster.

The world of professional services marketing is changing quickly. So stop driving golf balls and start driving new leads online.

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In-house vs. Outsourced Online Marketing

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

There are a lot of very good reasons for a professional services firm to consider an online marketing program. As our recently published online marketing study shows, firms that have robust lead generation programs

• grow up to 4X faster;
• are 2X more profitable; and
• are able to effectively recruit new employees.

 
These benefits apply across all professional service industries, from accountants to management consultants to technology firms and government contractors. It simply makes good business sense to go online. The only question is how best to do it?

Outsource online marketing or stay in-house?

It’s an important business question that your firm must answer. In a previous post in this series we made the case for outsourcing your online marketing.

We also explored the typical costs to outsource online marketing. Now it’s time to pull those strands together and determine the right strategy for your firm.

Let’s walk through the decision making process step by step.

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