The print ads, cold calls and air time you buy to build your brand is called external marketing. This marketing strategy can become costly and time-consuming, as you have to not only pay designers, publications and broadcast outlets, but also spend time pounding the pavement and making calls in search of prospects.

When you spend this much time on marketing activities, the rest of your business – service, sales, administrative duties – suffers. Recently, more businesses are starting to look within when it comes to marketing, and are developing content online and in print that can reach a wider audience and attract prospects more efficiently.

Use of the internet and search engines has rapidly increased in the past few years, a trend that spans generations and demographics. Regardless of who your ideal clients are, it is likely that they are going online to search for products and services, so that is where you must meet them. You can engage these groups by writing informational content that is relevant to their personal and/or financial needs.

I often discuss the value of social media on this blog, but that is just one component of a marketing strategy. Consider penning a weekly business column in a local publication that builds off current issues facing your community. Do you live in a region with an older audience? Providing advice on retirement planning can establish your reputation as an expert and may prompt people to reach out to you for more information.

Research some of the tactics that your competitors are deploying online. Websites and company blogs are becoming the norm, so read through some of the content that they are producing from a target audience perspective. Are they failing to answer some important questions? Is there a gap in the information available that you could fill with your own knowledge through content marketing? Use these points as a foundation on which to build your own content in the form of blog posts, podcasts, videos and other mediums to show prospects that your business can serve as a reliable resource.

Do you have a strategy for reducing some of your marketing workload by not only pursuing, but attracting clients? Do you leverage technology to optimize your website for increased traffic or to rank higher on search engine results? Strike a balance between outbound and inbound marketing to build your brand and spread awareness while also proving your value and moving prospects through the marketing and sales process to ultimately secure and retain new clients.

Did you read our blog on boosting leads through content marketing? If the above information intrigued you check it out HERE.