It seems like many companies have heard about SEO and social media becoming part of our everyday life. However, companies think that if they are not utilizing the tools then they might be missing out on something. What are they missing out on or is it just a fad? From our experiences we have seen how clients can under-value SEO and Social Media services. How can you educate your client to believe these services are a vital part of their campaign? We want to share with you how we show our clients that they need to be using these tools to their advantage.
1. The Competition
When we work with companies we want to first analyze what their competition is doing. When you meet with a client, show them the Google results for their competition. Then take their competitor’s website over to Quantcast.com and put their URL into the bar and it will show you how much traffic they are getting on a monthly basis. If no data comes up, it is either because they are hiding their data or they don’t have any data. I look at the brand to see how well known it is. Then I make a judgment of whether it is simply hiding its data or has none. Next, I would show it to the client and explain to them that if Company A is getting five thousand visitors to their site on a monthly basis and only 1 percent are converting how much revenue is that? Enough for them to use SEO!
Social media on the other hand works a little differently. When you are comparing social media with different companies and creating an audit, I want you to think about their engagement levels. How many people are actually saying GOOD things about their products or services? Also look at how big their community is. We don’t want to be talking up fake fans, but a community of two people doesn’t really work well either. Then you want to look at how well they are responding back? What is their design strategy on all the networks? What kind of promotions are they setting? All of these factors will determine the word-of-mouth marketing for that client. The end result of social media should talk about how satisfied clients are which will eventually lead to more sales.
2. The Traffic and What It Means
People always talk about the value of driving traffic to a website. But what does it really mean? If it is not quality traffic, then why does it matter? We tell our clients to look at the website like a house. If no one knows where the house is, then they will not come to it. We want to make sure everyone is able to find out where our house is so they can come visit us often. When it comes to SEO: localization, personalization and relevance dominate the search. For example, if I were looking for a chiropractor in my hometown, I would go to Google and type in San Diego Chiropractor. The problem is that I have really bad back pain so I am looking for a specific doctor. This would mean that I would want to rank for the “Back Pain Chiropractor” keyword. This is personalized and relevant to my needs. How much easier is it to connect with people online than it is to go knocking on doors? The best thing about online marketing is that if you can make your company stand out in the Internet space then you will do well. The sales will come to you and you can close them.
When it comes to social media and traffic you have to really focus on building a community of influencers. Think of influencers like people who are not directly going to buy your products from you, but they are going to promote your products and services for you. They have the large audiences to do so. Social media gives you all the tools to connect with these large audiences so that they will promote your products, which ultimately means more traffic to your site. The more people that come to your site, the better chances you will have of converting those prospects into clients. You can build up influencers by giving them more of what they like and what they want. For example, if you are a restaurant then you will want to connect with foodies who love to eat. Give them a reason to dine at your place and watch them come by and share their experience with their audience.
3. Customer Satisfaction and What It Means
What is more important: customer loyalty or new customers walking through your doors all the time? We prefer customer loyalty because that is the secret to having your customers do the marketing for you. If you take the risk of wanting new customers all the time, then you will be stuck with the grunt work of having to get them. Instead, why not build up a loyal following and have them share your products and services with the people they already know? On that note, how do you turn regular customers into loyal customers? The answer is amazing service. For example, I had a technical client who was only opening his shop from 9 to 5 everyday. I suggested he use Twitter so he can provide support to his customers in the convenience of his own home. He did just that and found out his list was growing right before his eyes. People were referring his services left and right.
When it comes to SEO, think of customer satisfaction as something easy to find. We want to share the experience with the customer online before they walk through our doors. When your company optimizes in the search engines and prospects see multiple listings for you, then they will be able to determine their decision more easily than they would have if they never saw a listing for you.
The social media and SEO myth of being undervalued has been debunked! Have we missed anything? Please comment with your thoughts below!
