When you are in a service business and you are selling your knowledge, talent and creativity a big hurdle you have to overcome is skepticism. How does the prospect know that what you have to offer is really relevant to them and their situation? We’ve all heard it, “My business is different…” (but we know it’s not, right?) How do they know that you can help them. Unfortunately, you aren’t the most credible source of reassurance for them – since you stand to gain financially, they assume you will tell them all about how credible and reliable you are. It’s much more powerful to demonstrate your expertise than it is to talk about your expertise. This is why case studies, testimonials and articles are such powerful tools for service firms. These are situations where you aren’t directly selling, but you can help people to understand who you are, and what you are all about. They are opportunities for your prospect to get to know you before you even meet them. If they find you relevant to the challenges that they are facing; if you are credible in the advice and solutions you offer, they will believe that you can help them.

Seven years ago I started writing an email newsletter about leading and growing your business. When I first started out I had a backlog of ideas I wanted to write about, but as time went on I had to work harder to find material. Until I realized, any time I’m having conversation I’m having with a client or prospect for the second or third time, is a topic that I could write about. These are the things that my clients are dealing with now, so other business owners who are in the same situation might like to hear those things too! You can’t get more topical or relevant than that!

Since then my newsletter has been one of my best sources of leads. Nearly every lead or referral that comes from the newsletter says the same thing, “I swear you are writing about my business.” I don’t have to listen to all the reasons that their business is different, they know I can help them and we can just get started.

If you are doing a good job of writing material that is relevant to your audience it should also attract a search audience. When you solve one person’s problem there are likely thousands of others out there with that same problem. Writing a case study or and article describing your advice or solution should attract many more who are searching for that same solution. These are leads that are coming to you that you haven’t done much to attract, and they are coming knowing what you do and how you do it; they are pre-qualified to be looking for what you do! The only thing that’s left to decide is price. That’s a pretty good lead.

Once you’ve been writing articles or blog posts for a while, you can start to reuse that same content. Take 4-5 popular blog posts and turn them into a speech or presentation. Create a short video with some of the highlights from a popular post and upload it to YouTube. Or gather a larger number of articles together to form the basis of a book. This kind of content, that’s relevant to your target audience, reveals that you know their challenges and opportunities and presents your opinion, your angle on the potential solution has got to be the most powerful form of marketing for any service business.

If you want to hear more about this topic, I’m part of a panel discussion on June 10th where Andy Crestodina and Kevin Masi and I are going to each talk about our takes on how this kind of content strategy can build your business. To find out more, or to register visit: contentstrategy.eventbrite.com I look forward to seeing you there.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes. Brad is also the author of The Business Owner’s Champion: 6 Practices to Build your Nerve and your Business.