For many realtors, marketing is a nuisance. Reaching potential homebuyers is both expensive and vague; in fact, it's almost impossible to find a traditional marketing tactic that reaches only the audience you want to communicate with.

Billboards, TV ads, and other traditional marketing options can get your face known in the local community. But above all, they take significant budgets to run, only to interrupt the lives of their viewers, 95% of whom probably don't want to buy or sell their home anytime soon.

If you're new to the concept of inbound and lead-based marketing, it's tempting to consider lead generation as the central goal of your efforts. But what happens once those leads enter your database?

Ignoring existing leads can be devastating. Only a fraction of the contacts in your database are actually ready to become your clients, while the majority probably signed up for some interesting content.

Let's be honest: advertising your legal practice can be difficult to afford. Law-related keywords consistently rank among the most expensive to bid on. Placing a Google ad for the word “attorney,” for example, will set you back almost $50 for every single click to your website.

Fortunately, a number of opportunities exist that allow you to spread the word and increase your credibility without blowing through your budget. Among them, content marketing may be the most effective in helping you gain new clients.

Content is king. There's no way around it. The sooner businesses accept this and adjust to it, the more successful they will be.

Professional services firms, whether they specialize in accounting, law, or medicine, are beginning to feel the pain of competition. Due to the rise of the internet, consumers no longer have to visit brick and mortar locations to consult with a doctor, architect or consultant. Everything can be done online.

This means no firm has control over a geographic location or a particular demographic.