Attract More Clients with a Core Issue Article3 min read
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Ross Blake, a client of mine in New York State, is having pretty amazing results every time he gives a talk.
At the end, he asks the participants if they’d like a copy of his article as he holds it up. Hands shoot into the air and then he collects business cards on average, from 92% of the HR professionals in attendance.
He leaves every event with a pocket full of cards, sends them his article and then follows up the next week to explore working with them. He’s now starting to build a roster of happy clients.
I’ve pointed out endless times that simply having a good article or report to give prospects is the number one way to generate leads for your business.
Why does it work so well?
Once you have a prospective client’s attention – on your website, after a talk, or even when meeting someone in person – if they show some interest in your services, the very next thing they want is more information.
And if you don’t have that information available, you immediately handicap yourself. For instance…
– If a prospect goes to your website and you don’t have an article to download, the chances are high they’ll go away and never visit your website again.
– If you don’t offer an article at the end of a talk, you’ll get very few cards to follow up with.
– And if you don’t have an article to offer to someone you meet in person, then you make it harder to re-connect later.
If you have an article and are using it like this, great!
But if not, let me ask, “Why you don’t have one?”
I’ve talked to a whole lot of people about their articles and here are some of the most common reasons I hear:
1. I don’t know what to write.
2. I’m just not a good writer.
3. If I write the wrong article then it will backfire on me.
4. I’ll write it, but I have to get it perfect.
5. Nobody will read it anyway, so why bother?
Ultimately, these reasons (and many others) are just expressions of fear. We are afraid of doing something wrong or failing at it, so we avoid it.
And the costs of this avoidance are high. Ultimately, if you don’t have an article, you’ll generate fewer prospects and less new business.
There is nothing else that can magically change that fact.
You MUST have an article! (in my humble opinion)
So how do you get this article written? Here are a few ways to help you and to eliminate your excuses:
1. Make it a “Core Issue Article,” that is, an article that gives an overview of the primary things your clients are struggling and need help with. This is quite different than a “Single Issue Article” on a narrower topic.
2. A good format for this is a “7 Mistakes Article” that shows you understand the issues your clients are experiencing and proves you can help them with those issues. Include some actual client stories or examples.
3. Search on Google for articles like this that you can emulate. Find a few that cover similar issues as you do. Use them to inspire you to put your own spin on the issue.
4. Hire an editor. Once you have the basic idea for an article and a first rough draft, get an editor to tune it up for you. This way, you’ll ensure a professional product.
Ultimately we get unstuck and into action when we realize the cost of delay is so much higher than the possibility of failure if we do take action.
I’ve never met anyone who regretted getting that article written (and learning how to write other articles). I invite you to take action now to move your business and marketing forward.
Cheers, Robert
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