Private Investigation Business

"I see your posts about websites and small business methods show up on a private investigators listserv. Why is that?" 

Well, some of our clients are private investigators. For private investigation companies, having a website is a must, just like other companies. Second, private investigative firms are primarily small businesses. Let's consider: 

Websites

• Most of your client's will look up your business using a smartphone. They are looking for your phone number, useful information, and wanting to learn if you can help them. So having a website that looks great on a smartphone is critical. 
• Remember phone books? Chances are several of your younger clients will not have seen a phone book. They use the Internet or word of mouth. Guess what? When using word of mouth they'll generally ask for the company name and then, you know....Google You!
• Private investigators that are working on company contracts know that one day those contracts may end. Keeping their company name in the public view, looking to add new revenue streams is a must. Again, remember the phone book? 
• Tentative clients often start their contact with a private investigative firm through an online form. They ask simple questions, maybe share a little about their investigative needs. Shrewd business people follow-up on those inquiries. 

Small Business Aspects

• Operating a private investigative firm is a business. Let's repeat that! It's a business. Marketing, advertising, and efficiently maintaining the 'back office' functions are a must for success. 
  
• Same rules for managing employees apply to managing private investigators. 
  
• Our private investigative clients are great at investigating! For the business aspects, not always the best so they hire us. 
  
• Private investigations takes a lot of time. We've observed there are no normal business or work hours for a private investigator. Managing the business aspects requires the ability to access business information from anywhere, at anytime. Having the right technology in place helps our clients do just that!
  

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Some of the factors that are critical to the success of our private investigative clients is that their web pages are maintained regularly - a simple diet of updates, minor changes that let people know they are alive and well. Most importantly, our private investigative clients are small business owners. They have to consider the business aspects of their firms, as much as they work their investigations.