A Consultant could be an expert about absolutely anything.
Calling yourself a "consultant" demands further clarification. A consultant who? What specific problems do you handle? And who needs what you know? Everyone? (Never true) Businesses selling to seniors? (A precisely defined niche) Success depends on how clearly you can define yourself and what you offer. How easily can potential clients understand it?
You provide clients more than your expert knowledge and problem-solving skills. Your delivery style (tricks) are every bit as valuable as your knowledge base. We all relate to some businesses (personally and professionally) more effectively than to others. Great match-ups require something akin to a mating call to help a consultant find and connect with ideal clients.
Every consultant is unique in important ways. Your challenge is to express those significant intangibles - so they set you apart from others using the same job title. Do clients understand what you can do for them? How you're different from the competition? Why they'd prefer you?
Article Marketing is Your Ideal Stage
Whether you're selling a service, speaking or training, nothing persuades like offering a sample. Writing articles that highlight your style and expertise does that for you. A meaty, 600 to 800 word article is long enough to deliver a tangible taste.
Once it's widely posted, the message can be read by thousands. Some readers will search for what else you've said, or click over to your website. Writing repeated in-depth articles further establishes your niche, point of view, and expertise. They're building your name recognition and readership in short order.
Your stock-in-trade is information, so packaging it into articles makes you a content creator. The Internet voraciously demands a steady diet of new material. Websites, ezines (and now blogs) efficiently deliver ideas to targeted readers. But sad to say, too many articles consist of rehashed, low-grade material. Stand out with fresh, professional-quality information. Being a cut above builds respect and trust - a must for doing business down the road.
Local Search can Further Define Your Market
Unlike a plumber or day care center, most consultants needn't be confined to the local arena. Your Internet exposure connects you to a national or global audience, if that's your goal. But if your target market is closer to home, articles still help to position you.
Recent research by The Kelsey Group show that 70% use the Internet to make local buying decisions. And nowadays, 36% of search engine queries request local search results. That means the person includes a geographic term in their search engine query. For example, a query with: "employee benefit consultant" + Denver only lists the small pool of appropriate Denver providers.
Every consultant needs to make sure their information appears in local search queries, http://www.yellowpagesage.com/localsearch.html. The trend toward local search is growing quickly. Businesses can easily be left out-which makes them unfindable by online searchers. Who can afford to miss 70% of their client base? Having your own website isn't necessary - but still helpful for a variety of reasons.
Potential Clients will Check You Out Online
Surveys reveal that over half of respondents consider search engines a better source of buying information than Yellow Pages, newspapers or magazines. When someone enters your name or company into Google (in quotes), what comes up?
It helps if your name is unusual. If not, follow up with "search within results" for a qualifier term (like your specialty, "employee benefits") to find your cites.
In just a few moments, searchers get a picture of your professional standing and scope of recognition. They're likely to be swayed by what they see. Who mentions you, and what are they saying? What kinds of links come to your website? If you've been publishing articles, they'll also show up - enhancing your credibility and incoming links.
In my own case, a Google search for my name showed about 100 cites before I started article promotions. Now that's well over 3,000. So many cites boosted my website traffic and Page Rank as well.
If you haven't gone "ego surfing" on Google for mentions of your name, you should. Because the public will. Make sure there's plenty of stuff for them to find that does you proud.
Copyright 2005 Off the Page
Dr. Lynella Grant Consultant and Author - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with online articles http://www.promotewitharticles.com Free how-to. Or let me write and submit your articles online for you. No learning curves (719) 395-9450
scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ..Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for... Read More
Would it be worth it to master a technique that... Read More
Sometimes when I am communicating with other webmasters and I... Read More
This has to be the number one thing that most... Read More
Being an Internet Article Author is far and away the... Read More
You may be wondering what persuasive writing has to do... Read More
You pick a pen, grab a piece of paper and... Read More
Article marketing has become very popular of late, especially with... Read More
This is Part 2 of a 2 part article -... Read More
MS: John, you must be one of the most prolific... Read More
1. Choose A Topic.You need to choose either a hot... Read More
Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More
Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice... Read More
A large portion of your business relies on your ability... Read More
Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional traffic... Read More
Still following along on the Copywriter's Crash Course in article... Read More
There is probably no easier way of earning extra money... Read More
It's no secret-link exchanges are dying a painful death. And... Read More
1. Participate in chat rooms related to your targeted audience.... Read More
Most writers I talk with who experience "writer's block" do... Read More
Not writing articles yet? You really should try it, if... Read More
For me, to decide to start a home business was... Read More
By avoiding these common mistakes, you will greatly improve your... Read More
Evaluation of a Home-Run ArticleI've been writing articles and posting... Read More
Have ever wished that there were a formula for crafting... Read More
reliable maid service Lincolnshire ..Writing and distributing articles on the internet is one of... Read More
1. Participate in chat rooms related to your targeted audience.... Read More
The key to selling reprints to parenting publications is the... Read More
The traditional print media newsletter is still useful even in... Read More
I get asked all the time, "Lorrie, how can I... Read More
By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More
Feeling uninspired? Like you're stuck in a rut with your... Read More
Having an article published is one of the fastest and... Read More
Are you short of ideas? There are times when we... Read More
If you have an entertainment website then you're always looking... Read More
The Whole reason you write those articles is so you... Read More
You've got to start somewhere, but once you've created your... Read More
Writing can be fraught at the best of times but... Read More
MS: Shelley, you're an excellent person to talk to about... Read More
Hey! Who's that I see, typing feverishly as brilliant ideas... Read More
You are running out of ideas, you sit down in... Read More
Ease of Submission With so many article distribution sites out... Read More
When writing articles for publication, it is important that you... Read More
Start by Being QuotableIt's tough to stand out online. With... Read More
Getting people to join your company can be hard work.... Read More
How does a writing agency market itself effectively in a... Read More
Writing articles related to your business is a great way... Read More
It is important for all webmasters to realize that if... Read More
If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More
A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More
Article Writing |