Sell the Sizzle, Not The Search Tactics for Appeasing Marketing Directors

Chelsea BlackerSearch Manager, SEOptimise

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@chelseablacker

Whether you’re in-house or agency side, SEO isn’t going to have the glamour of TV commercials, the cuteness of social media, or the accountability of PPC. How can we make SEO attractive?

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The secretary or receptionist needs to be your best friend. Ask them what they do on the weekend, how their kids are, because they can provide you with invaluable insights into what your Marketing Director is up to.

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Say My Name. The sweetest word to anyone, in any language, is their own name. Use it frequently to keep their attention and make them feel involved.

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Give something away. Receive a report with insight on a competitor or have some extra tickets to a conference? Offer them up, it’s a great opportunity to increase your face time with your targeted Director.

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SMILE People can hear you smile down the phone, smiles make you seem more trustworthy and authoritative, plus – no one likes a sour puss. So smile!

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Investigate! Sure, we know the answer is SEO – but it’s key to listen to what your target Marketing Director genuinely wants. Discover what keeps them awake at night, their stresses and pressures.

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Open Questions: A question which cannot be answered with a simple YES or NO. “How did you last year’s media budget performed?” will provide more insight than “Were you happy with the 5 links Bob bought with £10,000?”

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Break it down! Do not use fancy terms only SEOs understand, it’s easy to forget your Marketing Director doesn’t know everything.

“Have I explained that clearly?” puts the

blame on you, instead of “Do you get it?” which means your

Marketing Director will have to admit she/he doesn’t comprehend.

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Stay positive. Don’t rain on your own parade by bringing down the conversation, speaking negatively of others, and saying negative words like “no” and “can’t”.

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Shush! Zip it. This is 90% listening exercise and 10% asking open questions. So keep your trap shut.

EVALUATE ORGANIC TRAFFIC VALUE SLIDE

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What alternative avenues are available to pull in resources and budget from? Is their a social media intern you can delegate link building to? Is there extra PPC budget lost in a corner?

EVALUATE ORGANIC TRAFFIC VALUE SLIDE

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So, what’s the impact of SEO? There are 4 simple ways to measure the impact of SEO which I like to use.

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Projected Revenue.

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PPC SEO

Compare the exposure you project for organic listings, with the media budget costs that will take in PPC. For example, if ranking #1 for “dog insurance” will cost £20K a month, and your SEO plan to get there requires only a £10K budget – whose ears wouldn’t prick up?

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Rankings. Appeal to their vanity! How many times have you been asked “we sell dog insurance, so why aren’t we #1 for dog insurance?” (or something to that effect) – encourage their excitement regarding organic exposure.

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Organic Traffic.

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You’ve listened to your target Marketing Director and moved from annoying-employee-hustling-for-budget to trusted-advisor-who-cares-about-wider-business. You know which metrics to use and what other business resources to pull in, so raise your paw and present the answer!

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Make your Marketing Director look good. Your SEO plan must continually arrive back at the fact that whatever is invested in SEO will achieve wider business goals that will make him or her look like a genius to the board.

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Take a risk. Guarantee your performance by asking for an overdraft of Q3 budget in Q2, and if certain conditions aren’t met, you’ll forfeit that budget lost. If you’re an agency, guarantee a discount/refund if targets aren’t met.

@chelseablacker

@chelseablacker

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