Professional Services Marketing: How the Best Firms Build Premier Brands, Thriving Lead Generation Engines, and Cultures of Business Development Success, 2nd Edition

Introduction

A great deal has changed in the professional services marketplace since the first edition of this book. Firms are discovering that marketing techniques that worked so dependably in the past are no longer sufficient by themselves to sustain growth into the future. And many local markets are attracting more regional, national, and even international competitors. Firms today are finding themselves competing for local clients with companies they've never heard of in distant states. And more than a few are struggling to adapt.

The Rise of Online Marketing

If one common theme underlies these changes, it is the increasing influence of the Internet on professional services marketing. The relentless rise of online services and tools in people's personal and professional lives is changing the way people both buy and market professional services. You see, the more we embrace online technologies in our private lives, the more natural they feel in our businesses. As a result, more and more people are finding, vetting, and communicating with professional services firms online. Technologies such as online search, mobile devices, and social media are creating unprecedented opportunities for reaching new audiences.

All of this change is nothing short of revolutionary, and it is turning the professional services marketplace on its head. To adjust to these new realities, firms must embrace online marketing tools—or risk becoming irrelevant.

The hub of any online marketing program is ...