If you’re looking to expand your client roster, you should make it easy for prospective clients to find you and learn more about your business by building a strong online presence.
Prospective clients will want to research you on their own time and they will turn to search engines such as Google to see what comes up, says Marie Swift, president and CEO of Impact Communications Inc., in Leawood, Kan. Thus, it’s important you are active online through social media and websites so that your business is easy to find.
Follow these tips to build your online presence:
> Create a base
Make sure you have an updated and useful website that prospective clients can visit.
“A website serves as your virtual lobby,” says Swift. “Sometimes it’s the first thing that people see.”
After a prospective client hears about you or is introduced to you, she says, there’s a good chance that the first thing he or she will do is look for your website through Google.
Make sure the website has a client-centred message on the home page and photos of your ideal client, she says. That way, potential clients will know immediately that they’ve come to the right place.
> Use key words
Get noticed in search engine results by using key words for your website.
You need to work with a search engine specialist to optimize key words for your website, says Swift. Most providers will either incorporate this into the price of building your website or will offer it as an “à la carte” option.
Key words are words or phrases — such as “financial planning,” your name and your business — that describe the contents of your webpage. When people enter those phrases into a search engine, it will help to bring your website higher up the rankings of a search result.
> Publish articles
Get your name out there by positioning yourself as an expert in the media.
In addition to writing a blog, you should approach your local newspapers or an online publication to see if you can write articles for them, says Swift. Doing so will position you as a thought leader and expert.
Linking to those articles and promoting them through your website or social media, she says, makes it easier for the “search engine spiders” to find your name and your business.
> Create profiles
Build your presence online by creating different profiles on social media websites.
That’s because social media profiles, such as those on LinkedIn or Twitter, will all rank highly in a search engine result, says Swift.
Make sure that you have the time to participate on these websites, she says. It’s not enough to simply open an account on either LinkedIn or Twitter and then never use it. You need to actively be reaching out to other people on those sites by participating in group discussions, linking articles and providing regular status updates.
> Use multimedia
Give your profile a boost by incorporating multimedia into your online strategy.
For example, you can post slideshows to www.slideshare.com or videos to YouTube and podcasts to iTunes, says Swift. Or, you could even include a virtual tour of your office on your website, either as a video or as a moving slideshow, to give prospects a sense of what it will be like when they visit for a meeting.