Back to School: Your Potential Clients are Doing Their Homework

Pictures with back to school signs are forever popping up on my newsfeed. It’s that time of year when the scholastic aged ones return to their institutions of learning and parents do what they can to make the moment Pinterestably perfect and make sure to Facebook share the magic for all to see. As the kiddos get into the school routine, the picture perfect first day will fade away and the daily battles to have them do their homework will begin. While it may be a struggle to get some people to do their homework, it’s something your potential clients eagerly do before you even know they exist.

If you’re spending money on Google Adwords and Facebook or Instagram ads, have a killer website, and have exceptional SEO, you’ll be findable and improve your chances of converting potential clients to leads. If your brand and messaging are clear and speak to your target audience, you get an A+.

If you haven’t updated your SEO or website in the last 5 years or more, don’t think spending on marketing is a wise use of the budget, have a vague, generic, or forgettable look and message, and are not active on social media…you’re not receiving credit for your hard work.

Savvy shoppers will look you up before you can even sense they’re in the market for your product or services. To make sure you don’t lose the clients you didn’t know you could have had, provide consistent, authentic, and relevant content and branding across the right platforms. If it sounds easy, it’s not. After they look you up to see who you are, they’re going to start digging to find out if you are who you say you are. They’ll check out reviews, Google names or companies that have provided testimonials, and see what you post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other place they can find you.

What does all of this mean for you? It means that marketing is not where you get miserly about time and money spending. If you wouldn’t go to a client meeting unshowered and in your bathrobe, don’t do it online either. Good marketing will keep your digital presence as picture perfect as that first day of school photo.