Like most landscape architects, you know that RFPs are out there.
And, you probably know which one of your competitors is getting the most business. So how do we fill that void and bring in more requests?
The changes that you need to make to get more business are changes in your online marketing approach that drives more inbound traffic to your website.
When you put the effort into building a dynamic and productive marketing presentation online, the landscape architecture RFPs will come to you.
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| Image by Flickr user Karen Roe |
Target Your Audience
Like with all projects, you need to start with a list. Target each of the following tasks and set a due date for them.
Identify the audience that you want to see come through your door. Determine the three traits that best identify the persona of your niche market. Do not try to sell to the whole world.
Set goals like new customer rates, return customers, and what limits you want to spend on your marketing efforts. Make the goals definitive numbers that you can track from your own data, or data generated by search engines.
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| Image by Flickr user Highways Agency |
Do Your Website Right.
The rules have changed for getting to the top of search engine results, as well as how to use social media.
So it's time to adapt your website to match those changes.
Utilize landing pages that present something of clear value to your prospective clients, like an eBook or a guide.
Emhasize the authority your firm has with your target audience by sharing your wealth of knowledge. The days of being completely proprietary are long gone.
Look at the Green Alley Handbook by Hitchcock for the City of Chicago. This document was shared with the general public. For quite some time, and still today, this document is shared and talked about by potential clients around the country.
Imagine if you had a great document like this you were sharing with your prospective clients? And what do you ask in return? A name, email address, and phone number. And, the more niche specific this is, the more qualified your leads will be. You just generated a series of new leads to come through your door. Small at first, I know. But now you can nurture them over time. Kudos to you :)
But what about other firms seeing your awesome content?
Do you really care if your competitors see you becoming a leading expert in the field with how you are sharing information to your clients? Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. So, to you Mr. Leader, I say let them follow.
You need to have a landing page that is search engine optimized and that presents a clear presentation of the added value your firm presents. Promote this landing page via blog posts and a call for responsive action on the part of your clients like a request for quote form.
Long-tailed keywords are your best method of enticing new clients to see your work and keeping the search engine masters happy.
Nurture Your Leads
When you get new leads, you need to treat them with tender loving care. New leads create more new leads, which in turn create more new leads. A client’s great experience with your firm is a free salesperson, so let's emphasize that relationship.
Expand your presentation and company to the vast array of opportunities that the web offers. Find local blogs that fit with landscape architecture and offer comments that steer readers to your webpage. Find the social media sites in your area that are the most in tune with your niche in landscape architecture and make useful comments that drive new customers to your website.
Explore paid networking. You can pay to reach the top of search engine results. If the number of new clients you get is five or more times the cost of paid search help then you are golden.
Track, Track, Track
Track everything you do in your marketing campaign. Most of the data can be collected from Google or social media. Once you get the numbers you can see what works and what does not.
Make changes that drive more inbound traffic to your business. Track all of your campaigns in terms of dollars spent and dollars returned.
Do not forget to self-promote. That means brag. When you meet or exceed a sales growth target that you planned for then, share that news on your web page, in social media, and on blogs. Confidence is great but proof brings in the bucks.
If you want more RFPs for your landscape architectural business, then beat your competition with an inbound marketing campaign that tells your target market just how superior you are.
