Write for Results

By Michael W. McLaughlin

It’s no secret that writing for publication, both online and offline, can be a potent and cost-effective marketing tool for consultants. After all, it only takes one good idea—seen at the right time—to motivate a potential client to call and ask for your help.

For many consultants, though, the promise of publishing never materializes. That’s too bad, because it doesn’t have to be that way. After more than seven years of publishing consulting newsletters and reading thousands of articles submitted by consultants, here are some of my thoughts on how you can get marketing mileage from a publishing strategy.

Once (or Twice) Is Not Enough

Open any book on services marketing (including mine), and you’re likely to find at least one chapter on the value of publishing articles, reports, and newsletters. For decades, most consulting firms have aimed to position themselves as ‘thought leaders’ as a central part of their marketing strategies. In a business of ideas, that emphasis is no surprise and is not likely to change any time soon.

So many consultants feel compelled to jump in and start writing. Sadly, they often report that their articles produce some industry visibility, but no solid leads to create new relationships with prospective clients.

To reap benefits for your practice from writing, you must make a commitment to publishing. Assuming that what you write is good, a couple of published articles may generate some buzz for you—and who doesn’t like those shiny reprints? But that’s not going to make you a thought leader and grab the attention of the clients you want.

If you plan to publish as a marketing tactic, dedicate 20 to 30 percent of your marketing efforts to publishing your ideas on a continuous basis.

Sometimes it might feel like you are sending your ideas into a void, but it takes effort and repeated exposure to realize results from publishing. A client may see your work many times before making contact with you, so you have to keep at it and be patient.

What Do Clients Want to Read?

With so many consultants writing articles, white papers, and special reports, it can be a challenge to zero in on a topic that will engage prospective clients and that hasn’t been written about a gazillion times before. Many articles on subjects like sales, leadership, teamwork, and managing change, for example, often offer little more than warmed-over advice.

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