Content marketing has been “a thing” for quite some time now. But why is it so powerful for professional services companies?
Engaging a professional services provider (a CPA, Attorney, or Financial Advisor) requires trust.
For example, if you were going through a divorce and needed to hire a family law attorney, it is a decision you would not take lightly.
Going through a divorce would be one of the most challenging things you would go through in your life, and you want to make sure you hire the right person for the job to ensure that the custody of your children and your financial situation has the best possible outcome.
Hiring the wrong person could negatively impact the quality of life for your family forever.
If you were to go online to find a family law attorney, here are the steps you might take:
Step 1: Google “family law attorney.”
I did this to test it and clicked through to the first family law attorney on the Google results.
When I scrolled around this family law attorney’s website, it was no surprise that they had an active blog with lots of new and relevant content.
Blog topics on their website were “How is child custody determined” and “What are the most common financial mistakes divorcing couples make?” (It is important to note these blog topics are two questions people may search on Google for, too, in which the family law firm’s website may appear.)
If I were getting divorced with children, both topics would be highly relevant to me.
From reading the information provided on this firm’s blog, I would have just received value and seen a window into the family law firm’s knowledge and how they could help me. Trust would begin to build through their expertise in this area, which, as mentioned above, is essential when engaging a professional.
Step 2: Most people would want to compare three options so that they would click on the following two family law firms that appeared in the Google search.
They would then Google each law firm to see what came up about them online. If there were reviews about them, they would look at what other people said about their experience with the firm and whether those experiences were positive.
Step 3: In the search results of the law firm, they would find the firm’s LinkedIn profile, as LinkedIn pages rank highly in the search engines. Again, they would look at reviews of the firm and interactions with colleagues and professionals to learn more about them.
If they liked what they saw with steps 1, 2 & 3 above, they would call to schedule an in-person meeting to build more trust and decide if that family law firm was the best one for the job.
The above example shows why content marketing is powerful for professional services companies. It is powerful because illustrating your knowledge online begins to build the process of trust and helps to direct qualified potential clients to you.
A generic website provides no real value to the prospective client, and the website will not appear in a Google search result for “family law attorney” either because it will not rank well.
So, what action will you take? You do not have to do it all at once, but I recommend carving out an hour a week to start building quality content for your website.
Small steps, such as an hour spent on this a week, add up over time, and before you know it, you will have a wealth of information on your website and resources for your potential clients.
Doing this will provide value and help direct the right potential clients to your website. You know better than anyone what your clients need and how you can help them, so highlight it.
