This begins a series of posts designed to help independent human resource consultants (IHRC) market their human resource (HR) consultancies online.
Marketing has changed from the days when all you needed to do was advertise in print media and do some cold calling. Now it’s all about online, and though some would have you believe that all you need to market your consultancy is Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, the truth is that marketing your HR consultancy online involves so much more.
Where to start? You start with laying your marketing foundation, and that is a website. You must have a website, if you plan to do business online. Not having a website is like having a brick and mortar office without a sign. A website is your office on the web, your base of operations and the foundation for all your online marketing activities. Social networking accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) are no substitute for a website. A recent study indicates that social networking links (tweets, posts, etc.) last only three hours, whereas a website is permanent. Search engines can always find a website, but they can’t always find a tweet.
Getting a website is relatively easy and needn’t cost hundreds of dollars. Most web hosting companies offer template-based software for creating a website yourself, as part of their annual hosting fee. This saves you the hundreds of dollars web designers will charge you to create a website. For an extra $12 – $15, you can get a domain name, although, most hosting companies will give you a domain name for free for the first year.
What’s a domain name? A domain is your url (address) on the world wide web. For example, my domain is www.extra-assist.com, which is an abbreviation of my company name, ExtraOrdinary Assistance. I highly recommend that you get a domain name that is the name of your consultancy. If the name of your consultancy is PeopleHR, then try and get the domain name www.peoplehr.com. If your consultancy name is a combination of your first and last name, then try and get the domain name www.firstnamelastname.com. As I said previously, you can get a domain name from the same company that you choose to host your website. They’ll walk you through the process of getting a domain name.
Now for that website. At a bare minimum, it should contain four pages, titled home or index, about (a mini bio of you), services and contact. If the template or software you’re using allows you to set up a blog page, do it; you can worry about actually blogging later. If the software also allows you to add widgets (the sidebars you see on most websites), add one for an opt-in form, as this will allow you to collect email addresses for future contact by email. Again, don’t worry about what you’re going to contact people about in the future; we’ll get to that in a later posting.
Resources: I recommend the following web hosting companies for creating and hosting your website (they also give you a free domain):
- SiteGround: http://www.siteground.com/index.htm?referrerid=6504600 (I use this company myself, and I have an affiliate relationship with them.)
- BlueHost: http://www.bluehost.com (Highly recommended by other virtual assistants and online marketers.)
Action Steps: Between now and next Tuesday, you need to do the following:
- Sign up for a web hosting account.
- Get a domain name.
- Create a basic website using the templated software offered by your web host, using other web design software offered by your web host or pay a web designer or virtual assistant to create a website for you.
Next Tuesday, we’ll explore ways to reach out to people as another technique in your online marketing arsenal. In the meantime, what do you think of this first step? Does it sound doable for you? Do you think a week is enough time for establishing the foundation for your online marketing activities?
