If you have recently gotten your mediation credential, rented an office and launched your own mediation or arbitration practice, you are ready to roll up your sleeves and start working on disputes. Oops. First you need some clients!
One of the most effective ways to begin marketing your nascent mediation practice is by posting a website. But before you hire a web designer and lay out thousands of dollars, take stock of the situation.
When you take on new clients, you probably ask them to begin with the end in mind. Where do you want to go, what is the goal? I suggest taking the same approach with your web marketing. What can you accomplish?
First, acknowledge that it is unlikely anyone is going to hire you simply because of your website. Some one may have given them a referral or you met them at a networking event. Prospective clients can find you online and check out your credentials–but they will want to talk to you before they decide. You are not going to “close the deal” over the Internet.
It is also unlikely you will sell anything directly over the Internet. The web gurus who promise instant millions from your website are blowing smoke. You are going to make an income by bringing on paying clients.
Your pragmatic goal for your marketing website must be to motivate people to pick the phone up and call you and ultimately to hire you. All of your web decisions should focus on achieving that goal.
With that realistic goal in mind, you can right-size your website. You need a good enough website and it does not have to cost thousands. Consider using a straightforward content management system that lets you do it yourself. Using a professional template will let you have a polished-looking site with all the appropriate elements: a home page, services, biography, FAQs and contact information. You can collect email addresses of visitors, watch the traffic, optimize your site for search. And you can get a website up this week. Yes, this week.
Since your business is new, one of the most empowering things about having a content-management system you can control yourself is that as your business evolves (and it will!) your website can keep up. Your website will not get out of date because you will be able to change it with a few Internet clicks.
Internet marketing should be part of your new client acquisition program, just keep in mind what it can achieve.
Deborah Gallant is the Business Coach who Gets the Internet. She works with service professinals on pragmatic and affordable web marketing.
Her company provides affordable website design & development tools for service professionals. Visit their website (WebPowerTools.com) for a free 30-day trial and a free copy of “Five Steps to Finally Getting Started with Internet Marketing”.