If you’ve managed to resist the demands of the internet or are skirting by with the bare minimum brochure website, you are being surpassed and drowned out by those who have mastered digital marketing and are investing in all of the essential pieces of a sound SEO strategy. It is near impossible to get found these days without some sort of digital marketing initiative, and even harder still to be heard above the din of competitors entering the market at breakneck speed.

Now more than ever, customers want to be educated. They want resources to make their lives better. They crave content and will flock in numbers to the sources providing the most valuable (and mostly free) resources. Blogs, white papers, webinars, workshops, seminars, and articles all help demonstrate the thought leadership and value of your firm while giving prospects the information they desire.

Another byproduct of the digital age is that consumers have become savvier and more conscientious buyers. As a result, they spend more time doing research, weighing options, and making purchasing decisions. As the sales cycle has increased, companies have gotten bogged down with managing leads, often at the expense of visibility raising efforts such as networking, speaking, blogging, and other “one-to-many” activities. This is compounded by reasons number one and two, as a digital footprint that highlights your knowledge and expertise is paramount to moving the buyer through the sales process.

It’s easy and common to slip into the habit of viewing the world only through the lens of the company’s needs and the services it provides. In the process, you overlook the customer’s experience and the full scope of their journey, which often begins long before they even need you and extends to long after they’ve made their initial purchase. The companies who win at attracting and retaining loyal customers are the ones who truly empathize with the customer and seek to be of service at every possible step in the journey.