When your name is given or dropped, the party or person receiving the referral is going to look you up online. What are they going to find when they do?
How findable are you?
Are you Googlable?
And while they are searching for you, they will also find your competitors. So how can you ensure you are the one that they will select?
When people have problems and are looking for solutions, they frequently turn to the Internet. When your name is mentioned or is specifically referred, they are more than likely to check you out on the Internet. When they do look you up, they are more likely to do so by your name, profession and location rather than by your website address via one of the major search engines such as:
Google
Yahoo
Bing
- And/or Social Platforms like LinkedIn or FaceBook
In most cases, and we see this directly in monitoring our client’s website traffic, the keyword phrases used most often are names and professions, like Jane Doe, Mediator.
What needs to happen, when someone is searching the internet for their solution, (and/or you specifically) is that your name and profession appear on the first page of Google, or whatever search engine they are using.
How do you do that?
Whether you believe being on the first page of Google is easy or difficult, the following will vastly increase your chances of being there. The more you are engaged in social media, the stronger the likelihood that your name and profession will appear more often. When you are connecting, when you are endorsing and when you are commenting on social media sites such as LinkedIn or blog sites or discussion groups, you are going to get Social SEO or Social Search Engine Optimization.
When somebody types in your name and profession, an example might be “Bob Jones, Attorney”, your LinkedIn profile is just as likely to show up as your website, or your blog posts, or a discussion group in which you participated. The more often you post, the greater the likelihood the search engines will pick up your name and profession.
Additionally, by regularly blogging (creating valuable content) you are raising your online presence, awareness, and therefore SEO – just make sure that you include your name and profession as a “signature” at the bottom of each of your blog posts.
An important final point is that, of all the social media profiles you may participate in, make sure that you have a googlePlus local profile filled out and verified. This profile is tied to the Google maps search engine, so that a search for a particular address will also include your name and profession – by your location, when searchers are using location in their search phrases (which they often do)..
All of these things combined give you multiple results and hopefully first page Google results. So if you want to be referable, start socializing and participating so that you can be found.
 | Mark Bullock Telephone: (631) 754-0800 Email: Mark@phoneBlogger.net Website:phoneBlogger.net |
Comments & Replies from Social Media
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Have a name that no-one else in the world appears to have!….
Daphne Wassermann (Via LinkedIn)
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A unique name certainly helps Daphne, thanks for the comment – Mark
Mark Bullock
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Once your blog is set up, use blogger.com as you can make your blog your website and it is connected to google plus….then set up professional Facebook acct, Twitter, Linkedin.. Keep in mind I presently have two blogs to do this with. I am working on a third one…one blog/website is for my private practice, aimed at hypnotherapy, the other is for my children’s books and a third one I am building now is to sell my audio CD’s. Books are hard as I don’t know anyone who has not written or is writing a book. Nasty business…my practice is easier because it is local and so I am on the second page of Google and aiming for first page…my CD’s will be easier than the books. Lordy!
I blog every morning, hit the Google plus share, then at the end of the blog, hit the twitter share and facebook share. I tweet to someone who is compatible with me who has high followings…so two more tweets making it at least three per day. I quote others in the area of my interest and add something to it in my blogs. I actually have them pre-pasted in my Microsoft word and ready to go. I have meetings with my SEO person to learn new things and try to read Search Engine articles to learn more. Hells…bells….
Mary Prinz, LCSW, LISW, Hypnotherapist (Via LinkedIn)
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Wow Mary, blogging every day, that’s quite a feat. I see you’ve also figured out to tie your blog into other social media platforms – good for you – thanks for the comments. With our clients through phoneBlogger.net, we don’t specifically do all
of the above & more for SEO, we do it for helping our clients find,
build, and maintain relationships with others that may refer them (word
of mouth marketing). And at the end of the day, all of it does help SEO
as well – sometimes very significantly. Thanks again – Mark
Mark Bullock
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I have good intentions but get distracted my other things I prefer to do. I’ll get around to it eventually…. have the Website done (but want to make sign changes), FB page set up, a blog but not using blogger.com (I don’t think) but have yet to sit down and get this altogether. Appreciate your input. Thanks.
Texas Tele-Therapy (Via LinkedIn)
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Hey Texas, I hear you about trouble getting the ball rolling with blogging and social media. We found the same across almost all of our clients we recommended this path to. You might find an article I wrote about the experience interesting, it’s here: https://phoneblogger.net/the-phoneblogger-creation-story – Thanks for the comment – Mark
Mark Bullock
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It just doesn’t work that way ( or hasn’t) for a sex therapist. I either get people from my class or personal meetings.
Dr. Judie J. Manulkin (Via LinkedIn)
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I suspect Dr. Judie, that given your specialty, it may be more challenging due to what I would presume would be a reluctance for those that need your services, to seek out referrals.
Since the subject matter is so very personal, I can’t imagine many would ask their attorney or accountant if they knew any good sex therapists as an example.
At the same time, we know that getting out there consistently (online publishing, social media, findability through the search engines), and in the process always focusing on producing valuable, educational / informational content (vs self promotional), will grow your reach, your personal brand, and help establish you as an expert in the field.
And that’s what most who need you are looking for when they do seek help – it will be from whom they perceive and they can confirm, is an established expert. – Thanks for the comment.
Mark Bullock
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Good post, Mark. I’ve been doing a number of the things you mentioned but you’ve given me some new ideas as well! Thanks for sharing your insight and expertise!
Rob Keiter (Via LinkedIn)
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You’re welcome Rob, glad you found it valuable, it all combines and adds up. – Thanks for the comment – Mark
Mark Bullock
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How important are the following factors in growing a successfully practice:
1) Results (ie. settlement);
2) Results plus creativity that increases expected value?
3) Follow up when case does not settle at mediation;
4) Pre mediation conferencing;
5) Mediation space and physical environment;
6) pre- mediation customer service (promptly replying to scheduling requests, easy and efficient scheduling process, fair cancellation policy, efficient billing processes)
Rodney Romano (Via LinkedIn)
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Hmm Rodney, that’s a very intricate set of questions you ask, and although I can certainly see they are related to “being referable”, but perhaps not so related to my post, which was more about the online component of the bridge that exists between the time we are referred, and the first contact from the prospective client.
On the “being referable” front, all of the factors you mention come into play, some more so for spawning referrals from past clients as opposed to Centers of Influence or referral partners.
I’ve always considered customer service to be one of our greatest marketing tools, especially in professional services where we are so very dependant on referrals generating new business.
I’d say all of the factors you mention are important in gaining the potential of referrals, but #6 and #4 are both part of the bridge between someone being referred to you, and them choosing to become your client. Thanks for the comment – Mark
Mark Bullock
Good post, Mark. I’ve been doing a lot of things you mentioned but you’ve given me some new ideas. Thanks for sharing your insight and expertise!
You’re welcome Rob, glad you found it valuable, it all combines and adds up. – Thanks for the comment – Mark