In the 24/7 information age, it's more important than ever to maximize your firm's presence online and develop digital relationships with the executive buyers of professional services.
Burkey Belser, President and Creative Director of Greenfield/Belser Ltd., kicked off LMA Midwest's 2012 program series in Chicago on January 23 with a presentation titled, "Digital Outlook: Finding and Selecting Professionals Online." Belser presented findings from Greenfield/Belser’s recent study, which surveyed 200 executive buyers of accounting, consulting, and legal services across the United States.
The survey revealed that 94 percent of executive buyers are online daily for purposes other than checking email, and three-fourths of these respondents search online for outside professionals to provide legal, accounting, or consulting work for their companies.
Driving Decision Makers
The factors that help decision makers sift through the Internet abyss and drive them to the website of a professional services provider include these:
- Thought leadership
- Third-party endorsements
- Search engine optimization
Thought leadership is a powerful marketing tool. The majority of respondents (70 percent), agreed that seeing a firm's name in a news article piqued their interest. Additionally, Belser noted that decision makers at large companies ($500M+) value third-party endorsements and are much more likely to visit a firm's website after seeing the firm's name in a news article.
Quality Content
However, no matter how an executive buyer comes upon a professional services firm’s website, 76 percent of respondents said that they are likely to be influenced by website quality when deciding to put a new professional services firm on their short list.
Quality of a website goes beyond design. More than half of the survey respondents have put a professional services provider on their short list based on the information found on the firm's site. This information may include
- Firm-sponsored research
- Articles
- White papers
- Industry-specific experience
- Office descriptions
Part of designing a content-rich website is the inclusion of original thought leadership pieces written by professionals. Two-thirds of executive buyers visit professional services firms’ online libraries or resource centers to search for information. Delivering original thoughts, commentary, and ideas to potential buyers demonstrates a firm is not just trying to sell hours, but that they are engaging in a dialogue with prospective clients.
Social Media and Web 2.0
Consider capturing this dialogue on video. Of executive buyers surveyed, 25 percent have watched a video on a professional services provider’s website. While they are only willing to devote one to three minutes watching, video is rapidly increasing in value.
Belser points out that the key is to create video that is responsive. Video should illustrate what the potential clients thought two minutes after leaving the sales pitch meeting. Be innovative with video. Instead of talking heads with b-roll stills, get creative with documentary-style videos that tell a story.
While it's not likely a firm video will go viral on YouTube, it is the era of social networking sites and two-thirds of executive buyers do use them. Blogs are also increasing in value, with three-fourths of executive buyers reading blogs.
One-third of executive buyers said that their decision to try out a new firm would be influenced by how effectively that firm uses all aspects of the Internet, including Wikipedia, Facebook, blogs, etc. Professional services firms should strategically engage these channels to reach decision makers.
Still a Place for Print
Although executive buyers are clamoring for firms to engage via social media channels, they still want to receive information from them that they can share with others. Original research on a topic that’s important to them as well as industry updates are the types of information most desired by decision makers. While 94 percent receive this information electronically, there is still a place for print.
Printed materials are almost always read, while electronic materials can be hit or miss. If a professional services provider cares about a piece of research or an article, Belser advises printing hard copies to share with the most-valued clients and prospective clients.
Key Takeaways
Belser identified four key takeaways that should be used to guide professional services providers and marketing departments as they work toward expanding their client base:
- Your clients and prospects are online, and they are looking for you online.
- Your website is likely the first tangible impression a prospect has of the firm.
- A website is not the same as a web presence.
- Print is not dead and is unlikely to die.
For more information about the Greenfield/Belser survey and website design, contact Burkey Belser at 202-775-0333 or burkeyb@gbltd.com.
Kristen Bugaris is an Account Supervisor at Greentarget, a strategic communications firm focused exclusively in the business-to-business arena, and Chair of the LMA Midwest Communications Committee. She can be reached at kbugaris@greentarget.net.