In years past, consulting firms have relied solely on word of mouth and print advertisements. Nowadays, there is access to new means and technology, which has had a major impact on the most effective practices for lead generation. Luckily, we’ve come up with a list of our best lead generation tactics for consulting firms to help you reach your marketing goals.

Focus on Consultants

Consulting firms require a different marketing approach than other industries because consumers often won’t become a lead unless you’ve built some level of trust. Therefore, no consulting firm strategy is complete without addressing each consultant’s bio page on your website. Humanizing your consultants is paramount to increasing your firm’s appeal. By adding photos beside a consultant’s bio, consumers are able to put a face to a name. This provides your consumer with a sense of familiarity which allows the consumer to make an instant connection with your brand.

Once you’ve added engaging images of your consultants, it’s time to link their social profiles to their bios. LinkedIn and Twitter would likely be the most beneficial, as LinkedIn allows the consumer to further see the professional background of the consultant through any industry related thoughts they post or share. Twitter, on the other hand, offers a more non-professional outlet where your consultants can discuss their more fun or exciting moments and experiences.  Both platforms give potential leads a way to connect instantly and in a less formal setting, putting them at greater ease.

Promote Your Expertise

Validating the experience of your individual consultants and the firm as a whole is just as important as personalizing them. Providing reviews, case studies, and testimonials from previous clients are great ways to showcase your wins while giving consumers a chance to relate.

A Forbes survey found that the number of consumers who read and trust online reviews is increasing tremendously. 88% of consumers trust online reviews from total strangers as much as they trust personal recommendations. The survey also found that only 12% of the population did not regularly read reviews for consumer products. With numbers like these, it is imperative to include reviews or risk alienating this large portion of the prospective population that relies on the opinions of others. Additional credibility can be provided to consumers by displaying any honors or awards, the consultant’s education, or works they have authored.

Engage Visitors with Content

According to the 2016 Demand Gen Report, 51% of B2B buyers now rely on content as their main form of research before purchasing a product or service. Buyers are also viewing multiple pieces of content, with 47% of buyers reporting they view three to five pieces before engaging with a company’s representative. Due, to today’s fast-paced mentality, consumers are showing a desire for shorter, interactive pieces that aim to educate rather than just sell. Delivering videos, blogs, and white papers not only offers a great opportunity to establish yourselves as thought leaders, it’s also an opportunity to capture a new lead by having consumer’s fill in their information in exchange for accessing your content.

Effective Calls to Action

Offering impactful content is only going to be effective at generating leads if consumers can find it. The Nielsen Group found that consumers spent more than 80% of their time viewing a page above the fold. The number of people who stick around on your site dramatically decreases the further down the page they get, which is why your important information and calls to action (CTA) should be above the fold. This ensures an increase in the number of people who see it and, in turn, increase those who click to take action.

Once a call to action is seen it is often the wording itself that has the power to convert a website visitor into a lead. Effective CTA wording states exactly what the visitor will get when they click. This means you should avoid ambiguity with general  phrases such as “Click here” and “Learn more.” Beginning each CTA with persuasive, action-oriented verbs has been proven to compel more users to click.

Old School Methods

Attending conferences and industry events is a tried and true method that’s sure to grow your network. Establishing strong connections while working with clients and staying in touch after the fact will help generate one of the most coveted type of leads in the industry—referrals.

Joe Girard is known as the world’s greatest salesman by the Guinness Book of World Records. One of his secrets is his self-titled Law of 250, which states that everyone has 250 people that they can have influence on to some extent. Therefore, if you did business with one customer, you have the potential of reaching another 250 potential customers through their network and so on. This creates an endless pool of potential leads. In order to capitalize on this idea of 250 your firm must maintain top-of-mind awareness with previous clients. Sending them useful content regularly is a great way to stay relevant to them and keep you in a position to refer someone they come across who could utilize your services.

Conclusion

The consulting industry includes a broad range of organizations and within this competitive environment it’s important to gain advantages by working smarter and differentiating your business. Creating a successful lead generation strategy that shows the firm’s integrity and expertise, delivers thoughtful content, utilizes eye-catching calls to action, and leverages word of mouth referrals will give you the competitive edge you need.
 

Have any additional best practices for generating leads? Let us know on Twitter or LinkedIn.