How Not To Cyber-Market Your Career Service

By Mark Swartz

Can We Do It Better?

There must be a more efficient way for our industry to connect with the public. After all, why should our clients have so much trouble finding us, especially when they need us most?

One of the keys, I believe, lies in a concept known as “co-opetition”. This notion, popularized by Brandenburger and Nalebuff (professors at the Harvard Business School and the Yale School of Management, respectively), suggests that business strategy in today’s unpredictable environment must combine cooperation and competition.

I’m not in the habit of eavesdropping (so please don’t break into a sweat if I stand next to you at a cocktail party). But at a gathering of career consultants last year, I happened to overhear a portion of a very telling conversation. One career professional remarked to the other “You know, I was hoping to get new clients, so I spent a bunch of money on a Website. Now hardly anybody visits it.” To which the listener responded, “I know what you mean. Maybe the Net is just an over-hyped technical wasteland after all.”

“Technical Wasteland” Indeed

Several things struck me about this snippet of shop talk. First, it once again affirmed that career professionals are looking for new ways to generate business. Secondly, I’m sensing a growing chorus of disappointment about the results the Internet is providing. This started me thinking about how career advisors are marketing their services online, and if there are ways to be more effective.

I’ve had a chance to research the issue extensively in the intervening months. What I’ve concluded, and it should hardly be a surprise, is the following: while an increasing number of career practices are marketing themselves on the Net, very few are actually doing it well.

I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m being presumptuous or overly-critical here. All I can tell you is what I’ve seen. Here are four observations regarding Canadian career advisors online:

• They’re hard to find. The average potential client would have to go to numerous sources before they could locate you, even if they knew you existed.
• Most Web sites don’t meet the needs of intended users. They tend to be brochures—static rather than interactive. And regularly updated information is very hard to come by.
• There is little differentiation among practitioners. It’s as if they’re all trying to be everything to everybody, instead of focusing on their uniqueness.
• The Net is being used mostly as a stand alone marketing tool, rather than as a critical component in a strategically coordinated marketing campaign.

Can We Do It Better?

There must be a more efficient way for our industry to connect with the public. After all, why should our clients have so much trouble finding us, especially when they need us most?

One of the keys, I believe, lies in a concept known as “co-opetition”. This notion, popularized by Brandenburger and Nalebuff (professors at the Harvard Business School and the Yale School of Management, respectively), suggests that business strategy in today’s unpredictable environment must combine cooperation and competition.

The result? More business for more players, instead of just carving up the pie in the traditional sense. This same principle can be applied to providers of career-related services. What better way to promote our industry than to tap directly into the pent-up demand for our services?

Let’s Hear From You

Now I’ve put forth my premise, it would be great to hear from you directly. In what ways can we maximize our exposure to clients by working together? How could we best match up the varied needs of our clients with the range of services we provide? Where should we advertise and promote ourselves to become front and centre with our target audience?

Please note that together with a group of my peers, I am embarking to make this proposition a reality. Your thoughts and suggestions would be most welcomed at this time. Together we can make it easier for clients to reach us and—in doing so—build the very volume of our business.

Mark Swartz, MBA, M.Ed. (In Process) is a Toronto-based career consultant, speaker and author of the best seller “Get Wired, You’re Hired”. He can be reached via e-mail at mark@careeractivist.com, or by calling (905) 886 8585, or by fax at (905) 886 8151. Mark’s Web site can be found at www.careeractivist.com.