Content Marketing for Consultants: How Michael got more business than he can handle
Many of the professionals I work with providing newsletter services (www.CustomizedNewsletters.com) are highly educated consultants and executive coaches who make their living by delivering information, coaching and training services to others in organizations.
In other words, they're independent service professionals who are hired by businesses to create great results: like my friend Michael who markets his business writing services to corporations. In 2003, Mike had a problem because of the economy at that time. Businesses were pulling in the reins on hiring outside consultants. Remind you of anything?
If this kind of story sounds familiar to you, read on. I want you to go look at a video where Mike tells his story of how he turned an economic downturn into more business than he could handle.
http://www.theblogsquad.net/wpvideo
I often ask consultants, "Besides your newsletter, what other ways do you market yourself and get clients?" Nine out of ten rely on word of mouth referrals from past clients and colleagues. Only a few are regularly using email, blogs or social networking methods for getting known and getting leads.
My suggestion?
If you're not comfortable using the Internet for marketing b-to-b, why not use content marketing? You can't argue with the Law of Reciprocity. When you give valuable, relevant free information and education to people they are grateful and remember your name. When it comes time to hire, they are more likely to reach out to someone who has been generous with them.
It doesn't matter really what form the educational material takes: blog, newsletter, or white paper, but it must reach the desired recipient in a form they are accustomed to. As it turns out, white papers are readily percieved as having high value, thus they get read by the people in organizations that do the hiring.
Please take a few minutes to look at this amazing video that tells the story of a respected colleague, Michael Stelzner, and what happened when he released his landmark white paper a few years ago on the Internet...
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