And it happened again. Another week has come and gone, but still, you haven’t seized upon the many opportunities that persist to effectively market your business despite ongoing uncertainty related to the Corona Virus Health Emergency. The pandemic has been affecting businesses around the world.Truthfully, many have shut their doors and will never reopen. Sad, yes. But that doesn’t have to be you.
A Professional Services Business can leverage "now normal marketing strategies" to not only survive, but thrive as we continue through the most bizarre year in modern times. Learn from our marketing tips and apply them to your professional services business so that you'll better engage with your audience, convert more of them into interested prospects, and achieve ROI growth in the weeks and months ahead.
WHAT'S TRENDING?
Online Engagement
As we pivot to the "now normal," people are turning to digital channels more than ever to learn about products and services, engage with businesses, and even purchase just about anything. With that, a Professional Service Business needs to transform the way it engages with its target audience. Ignoring online engagement opportunities can be dangerous.
But don’t drop the ball after you start running with it. Remember, how consistently a business engages with its target audience can be just as important as, if not more important than, how it engages with them. If you have an efficient engagement strategy that has been well thought out and expertly implemented, not only do you have the opportunity to cultivate your audience and convert them into interested prospects, you also have the opportunity of nurturing them into raving fans, which could lead to even more business opportunities serving their friends and family as well.
SERIOUS GAME-CHANGER FOR PROFESSIONALS
Marketing Tips For Dentists
We've discussed the essence of online engagement and how it helps you attract your target audience. But how exactly do you engage online to generate more customers and establish long-term relationships with them? Here are some practical tips on how to engage with your audience online.
1. Increase Visibility On Social Media
Your clients and prospective clients are already on social media. They have been for quite some time now. However, given the fact so many have been stuck at home for so long, the average amount of screen time most engage in on a weekly basis has definitely gone through the roof. If you do not yet have a Facebook Business Page for your company, please create one. But even though Facebook is a powerhouse, there are many platforms out there that have won the attention of members of your audience. Don’t forget LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, or even TikTok.
Social media in general is one of the most efficient marketing channels that you can employ to reach your target audience and nurture business growth. It's cost-effective and is designed to drive engagement. Whether you're posting about your dental products or services, or your upcoming offers, using social media will be a good idea. You can even leverage the fact that so many are still a bit unsure regarding heading out and about and conduct “Live” sessions on your audience’s favorite social media platform to educate them about what steps you’ve taken at your location to help mitigate Corona Virus transmission risks.
Tip: Pick one day a week and consistently post anew message on those days to build brand awareness for your target audience and remind them that your business is still operating.
2. Leverage Your Website To Keep Your Audience Informed
One of the most common reasons that customers have stopped business transactions is due to lingering concerns about getting sick. While the world is definitely on pace to opening back up, many people are still quite concerned about going out to dental offices. Your website provides you with an excellent forum to thoroughly dispel any misunderstandings regarding how the virus is believed to be spread and to share with your audience the systems and procedures that you’ve implemented to keep your clients safe. Be specific. Tell them exactly what you're doing. Talk about how your team disinfects each station and treatment room. Describe your strict hygiene protocols. Use video and pictures on your site to drive home the message that not only are you open, but you are likely the best prepared dentist in the region.
Tip: 72% of consumers prefer to receive promotional messages through email. With that, sending an email is the best way to inform your customers because, aside from giving updates, you can also pitch your product or service. You can also include relevant links to your site to bring traffic to your own bit of virtual real estate.
3. Build An Online Community
There’s a lot of noise out there. One of the best things you can do to help your audience cut through the noise and learn about what it is that you do is by nurturing an online community of satisfied clients. Engaging with clients through Facebook Groups and LinkedIn Groups is one option. Regardless, if you build that online community and give them a forum in which to share what they like about your services, that online community become powerful social proof. After all, prospective clients would much rather hear about the experiences of your satisfied client rather than hearing you talk about yourself. Another benefit is that you stay top of mind with your clients and other audience members. Often, it’s not about “what you do” but rather “when the client needs what you do” that matters.
Tip: In a community, a brand ambassador is vital to let them feel they're really doing business with a person and not just an entity. Pick someone charismatic that can put a great attitude out into the digital universe and represent your brand well.
4. Create Valuable and Relevant Content
Remember that you're now communicating with an audience who has a short attention span. If what you have to share doesn’t resonate with them quickly, they will be likely to bounce off of your website or social media page to venture somewhere else to be entertained and/or informed. Keep in mind the times that we are living through and sprinkle in pandemic related content if you are not sure what to produce. But be sure to make it relevant. You can create a video tutorial on how to set an appointment with you through your online portal or write a blog on how your service adds value and you can do so in a way that is safe when it comes to COVID-19. Even posting COVID-19 updates on social media is an excellent way to attract the attention of your target market because that topic is still top of mind with many people.
Tip: Research and learn what goes into your target market's buying decisions before you draft your marketing content.
5. Implement An Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy With The Help Of An Expert
How will you continue to grow in the weeks and months ahead, despite the ongoing uncertainty? The answer … by implementing an integrated digital marketing strategy with the help of an expert.
Leveraging social media is smart. Sprucing up your website should be common practice every couple of months. Connecting with your audience via e-mail outreaches can be efficient. However, the best course of action to work toward exponential growth, even as the pandemic continues, will be to coordinate all of your digital efforts so that they are having a cumulative impact. Doing this with a professional can be a lifesaver. Even if you choose not to use Vimagery, a professional can save you time and wasted resources because they know what works and what doesn’t. A professional also knows how the different digital marketing strategies can be integrated so as to save you time and effort with each of your outreaches.
Tip: When interviewing a digital marketing professional, ask them “How can I best evaluate the value of your services?” They should be able to articulate exactly what you are getting for the investment you make.
SHIFTING GEARS
This pandemic has impacted businesses big and small. It has upended everyone’s normal way of life. We look around now and see that we’re standing in the Now Normal and it’s time we work smarter when it comes to business growth in the weeks and months ahead. And while any content is often better than no content … you would be best served by investing some time to think, plan, and publish content that is engaging and incorporates compelling calls to action from the consumer of the content you share.
PROS: brand awareness, more traffic, gain and retain clients, increase ROI
Online engagement could make or break your business brand. Focus on designing your content to provide real value so that you earn more positive feedback and ongoing engagement. Be relevant, approachable, and active to respond to all queries and any questions that your target audience may have.
CONS: hard to measure, ineffective, negative feedback
While it's easy to use and easy to estimate sales generated by paid campaigns, some things are difficult to measure, such as the social media impacts of your content and posts. It is hard to measure because it does not always result in an immediate sale. Moreover, social media is public. On it, you are potentially exposed to the universe of members and you cannot please everyone. Therefore, you will be susceptible to negative feedback, and a poorly worded response or even responding late could damage your business' reputation.
-------
Professional services businesses are uniquely challenged by what the pandemic has done over the past few months. If you are overwhelmed by how to build an online presence and drive online engagement for your business, click here to see if you qualify for a Vimagery Strategy Session. Together, we can help you to gain an unfair advantage regarding your efforts to cultivate, convert, and close new clients in the weeks and months ahead.
