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luni, 19 noiembrie 2012
Three people you should listen to
Setting Up Your SEO Project / Agency for Success
Setting Up Your SEO Project / Agency for Success |
| Setting Up Your SEO Project / Agency for Success Posted: 18 Nov 2012 06:56 PM PST Posted by RonGarrett For the past 1.5 years, I have been the Client Development Executive for Distilled's NYC office. I helped open this office in June 2011, and at the time we were struggling as an office because we had few leads, minimal recognition in NYC, and massive competition from both local bespoke agencies and larger full-service agencies. Within 6 months, I was able to ensure the SEO consultants were at full capacity. Currently, my role entails working with both amazing big brands and innovative startups to help Distilled consultants solve pain points and define scalable solutions (usually not pertinent to SEO). Over the past year, I've come to find that most of the problems within companies have little to do with SEO. Instead, most of them involve dealing with people and problem solving in order to get things done. This realization has made a positive impact both on Distilled and on our clients. I've found that often times speaking the language of the clients and addressing their specific needs is the driving key to success for any SEO project. This post was written for SEOs who are client-facing and those who manage their own agencies. Below are some of the common themes I've encountered and how I would manage each situation and set it up for success. For SEOs: how to set up your project for successWhy the cycle of sadness is so importantI'm going to start off with something to wake everyone up. The first touch point for any new prospect is generally sales. I can't stress this enough. Although every organization has its own inefficiencies, the first step in the process is often times the most important. Think back to a time when you took on the wrong client, the wrong project, undersold the scope of work yet still had to deliver on it, or didn't set up a proper handover. You have a brief window of time to qualify, mine information, set the client's expectations, and hand over the project to the SEO. It's even tougher if you are the one selling and delivering the project. It's a never ending cycle of sadness, so it's imperative to try and get it right the first time around. A few ways to mitigate the cycle of sadness are as follows, and more detailed information about all these points are broken down throughout the rest of the post:
How to build relationships with clients (the right way)
Helping to define the KPIs and ROI of a project Work with the client to define the primary business objectives (the life blood of the organization) and the terminology they use to describe them. Ask them what marketing metrics they are currently tracking and how closely those metrics are being associated back to the primary business objectives. Understand the different types of conversions they care about, and how they are currently tracking and monitoring those. I will then ask how they have tracked ROI in the past, and if tracking ROI for this project will function any differently now. Then, I offer up common measurements of ROI I have used with previous clients if they do not have a well developed model for ROI for their business yet. I also educate them on the benefits softer metrics can have on a business's success. Examples of soft ROI metrics include:
This can all be seen as ROI, but is much more difficult to measure the impact of. Ensuring an SEO project is set up for success internally and externally How SEOs should kick off a project
Because you only get so much time with the client on the kickoff call, I would suggest spending most of your time listening, asking great questions, and taking in as much information as you can. The more time you talk about yourself, the less information you will get. Let the client know at the beginning of the call that should they have any questions about how something will work, they should feel free to stop and ask throughout the meeting. Make sure that before you leave the kickoff call, you do a quick recap so their expectations are set on what happens next. Make sure if there are any dependencies on them, that you are explicit about them during the call, and that you will send over a quick email after the call outlining them. How to retain clients Client retention is one of the most important metrics we look at in our agency. I have put together a few things that I have noticed increases the client retention across the board.
For the areas where the client says below a 10 (which will happen more times than not), I ask them what we can do differently to go from our current score to a 10. This will give more granularity as to how they think we can make improvements. It's important to always have your hand on the pulse of the client's organization. If and when things change, it is in the account manager's best interest to have a deep understanding of what things changed, what drove the change, why it's important, and who it's going to impact. This gives you the opportunity to act / react to the situation accordingly. Make it very simple for your client to track and measure results by configuring dashboards in Analytics. From here, you can also help them set up GeckoBoard inside their organization so you can share all of the major KPIs you are working to influence easy to read and see. This gamifies the stats you and your client care about and creates additional awareness. There are different forms of reporting that can be effective too. I am a big fan of using really nicely designed letterhead from a word document to create and send Executive Summaries. This is the information the Executive Team could want to know. Build meaningful relationships with multiple stake holders within the organization. It's important to build relationships to increase surface area within the organization (eliminates you having one point of failure should something change). It's also important to continue building relationships with your clients executive team and up. Never forget about your internal champions, the people that just want to be the samurai and get things done. A great way to get additional buy in is to invite people out from your client's office (if they are nearby) for drinks and dinner. There is no better way to get the inside scoop and build a stronger relationship then hanging out outside the office. Also look for ways to make the in-house individuals of your client look good. Helping those who hired you look good and get raises is a great way to build loyal clients and develop a partnership between the two companies. Last but not least, never stop advocating for things that will improve the relationship, the value of the work done together, or building a better project. A lot of clients are fearful that their SEO/Agency will get lazy and start coasting 6 - 8 months, which is why so many companies switch agencies from year to year. Always look for opportunities to improve the existing roadmap of work together. Be sure to create awareness around the things you've done to pro-actively set the client up for success. This builds trust. Work on pre-delivering a roadmap and ideas on where they can allocate their budget for next year to help alleviate some of the work your point of contact may have to do (they will appreciate this). Actively communicate the steps you are taking in order to retain their business. Consistently talk about how important and meaningful this client relationship is to you and the organization, and how much you appreciate the chance to work with them.  How to speak to a CEO or a high level marketing director, specifically if you need a bigger budget Send him or her an email to pre-deliver what you need from them, give them a clear why to get buy-in for the meeting, get dates / times lined up, and always use a slide presentation to express new ideas at the executive level. Usually, I work closely with an SEO to put together this pitch deck, but Ian Lurie of Portent shared one of the proposals that I wrote in "build a compelling case and start with the why." As long as there is a clear value proposition, getting additional budget should be pretty straightforward assuming they have budget left to invest in these channels. Email pre-delivering the opportunity. See below for an example: Dear Mr. or Mrs. "NAME", I had an opportunity to review our current project with my colleagues, and we have identified an opportunity (opportunities) I would like to share with you that could create a lot of value for your organization. I understand you are very busy, so to make best use of your time, I will put together a PowerPoint presentation which we can present to you during our meeting sometime this week or next. This expansion of the project is likely to result in an increased budget, which is why we wanted to get your feedback and ideas on the matter. Do you have a few days and times that work nicely? For those who manage their own agency or are head of sales of an SEO agencyHow to determine whether a client is right for you Before I can determine whether a client is a good fit for our company, I request setting up a first call that lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour so that I can better understand their business. Below are the questions that I make sure are answered during the call.
Here are a few common themes that have popped up during the first initial sales conversation and how I would respond to their inquiry: Scenario 1: "We were searching for SEO companies through Google and we wanted to find out more information about your services and company." My response: You show them your appreciation for the individual selecting and calling your company, and that you are willing to dedicate as much time as they need to make the best decision possible for their organization. This puts them at ease and reassures them that you are willing to help them for the right reasons, and not sell to them. Be a friendly expert, not a used car salesmen. Scenario 2: "We have done some minor title tag changes and meta descriptions, and we would like to use your company for link building." (This generally means that they may have read a few articles on SEOmoz and/or other SEO blogs, but when it comes to doing information architecture changes for the purposes of SEO, removal of duplicate content, 301 redirects, URL restructuring and setting up tracking and segments in Analytics probably hasn't been tackled.) My response: With the technical SEO implementation you have done to date, is this something you would be open to our team reviewing? Most often times they say yes. You can also go back over the site at a later date to spot technical, on page, IA opportunities. I will then discuss our methodology and guidelines for linkbuilding. Because of the updates that have impacted some websites link profile, I think it's important to paint a picture for why our method of linkbuilding meets Google guidelines and talk about the subtle nuances of how we accomplish this. Scenario 3: "We have built our business off of paid search, and we want to expand our visibility into organic search. Can you help us?" (This generally means I will start by educating them about SEO, and how we can learn the current keywords that are converting in AdWords, do some additional keyword search, and define a strategy for growing their organic traffic) My response: I will request access to their AdWords account or get an export of their converting keywords, and save it for the SEO/Paid Search consultant to have a look and go into discussing our services and how we can apply the existing keyword knowledge to supporting their SEO efforts. Scenario 4: "We have worked or working with another SEO /Agency currently and we are looking to switch partners/vendors. What does your company offer, what does a standard engagement look like, and what are your costs?" My Response: I need to fully understand the situation in order to set up it up for success. Some of the questions I'd ask include:
Turning away a project that is not right for the agency / freelancer Accepting a project that is not a good fit for your company can lead to an unhappy client, wasted money and resources, disgruntled employees, and massive pain points for all involved, which ultimately can damage the company's culture. However, every lead is an opportunity, and sometimes they are few and far between. Bottom line is you can't make this type of decision until you have a full understanding of the entire situation.  Image courtesy of SmallBizTrends In this instance, it is important to have done your best to understand the potential client's requests, needs, and considerations before turning them away. I also spend time trying to educate the potential client to make sure value is created one way or another. If they do not have the budget necessary or they continue asking for the wrong things or unethical tactics, or you feel like the culture of the two companies would be a bad match, the best thing you can do is be gracious and honest. Pro tip: unless the client is an absolute nightmare and you have no intention of working with them again (even in the future), always be sure to leave an open door in your communication to come back in case they reconcile the reason you turned them away to begin with. This will give them a second chance. Scenario 1: The client doesn't have the budget to work with you given your standard rates and is unable to get more at this time. My sample response: Dear "Insert Client Name", We really appreciate the time you have spent with us discuss your interest in working together. Unfortunately at this time we do not feel like our organization would be a good fit at the budget we discussed given the scope of work. I would be happy to make a personal introduction to a colleague of mine who might be able to help you. They have communicated to me that they do take on clients in your budget range. His / Her name is "Insert Name" and he / she is the "Insert Title" of "Insert Company Name". Please feel free to use me as a resource should you have any questions or would like to re-open the conversation of working together in the future. Scenario 2: The client is not a good cultural fit, and you think it would put too much strain on the success of the project. My sample response: Dear Client, Thank you again for making time to speak with me this past week. I had an opportunity to speak to my colleagues and after much discussion, we have decided that we would like to respectfully decline bidding on this project / campaign at this time. Although the project campaign would have been great to work on, we feel like there is just too big of a discrepancy between team dynamics/company culture, and because we work very hands on, we see this as creating challenges. {Discuss the areas where the team dynamics / company culture broke down so the client has a path for correction}. We are still open to the idea of working together in the future, but in order for it to work, these are the things we would need to work through in order to discuss next steps. Please let us know if you have any questions. I'm happy to discuss it in more detail on a call if you like. Thanks in advance for your understanding, and we wish you much luck on this project! Scenario 3: The client continuously pushes their agenda to work on things that will either have little to no impact on their success or asks for things that your company doesn't feel comfortable delivering. In this instance, I would make sure I work to educate the client and try to get them on track with asking for more of the right things. My sample response: Hop on the phone with the potential client, give them one final opportunity to explain their position. Be explicit about what will and will not work with their proposed project plan. Then, try and educate them on why it will or will not work out for the purposes of the engagement. If you still feel like the project or relationship is not in a good place by the end of the conversation, be very candid with them. Let them know you appreciate all of their time, but you don't think working together based on the real reasons is the best fit for your organization at this time. I know it can be tough to say this, but just remember people will respect you in the long run for being honest with them and not sugar coating things. It also gives them a clear path the correction should they change their mind. After the call, it's always important to send a quick recap email to have a transcript of the call to refer back to. Dear Client, Thank you again for making time for the call. Even though we were unable to come to an agreement on this project at this time due to "insert reason," please let me know if you have any further questions about it down the line. Final thoughts Ultimately, when you sign on a new client, you are creating an agreement between two parties. The better picture you can create for what the client expects, keep a pulse on if expectations change, and make sure you are proactively working to deliver value and communicate in a transparent way, the greater the chance of retaining and upselling your clients. You will notice there were common threads throughout my post that are good things to keep in mind when working with a client.
This is easier said than done, but hopefully the examples of emails and types of responses I give in particular situations will help you through these times. I really appreciate you all taking the time to read this post, and please feel free to ask any questions below in the comments! Happy Mozzing :) Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read! |
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Seth's Blog : Wasted kindling
Wasted kindling
The most valuable wood at the campsite is the dry twigs and branches used to start a fire.
It's hard to imagine a bigger waste than cooking an entire meal using nothing but kindling. It burns fast and bright, but it doesn't last. You might be able to cook something, but then there's be nothing left for the next guy. No, the useful technique is to have some bigger logs standing by, and to use as little kindling as possible.
This, of course, is my analogy for marketing and promotion. That juicy link from a design blogger or your appearance on TV—that's kindling. If that's what you're depending on, you're in trouble. One manufacturer I know explained that he got about thirty orders from a post on a well-known blog, and so he needed a post like that every week to stay in business. Good luck with that.
PR and promo addiction starts this way. It's the easy and lazy way to keep your product selling. Spray and pray. Work the kindling system, get the quick bits of attention and then move on.
It might work now and then, but it's not a dependable and scalable way to grow your business. You need significant logs, things that keep the system working without a constant stream of promotion. A few:
- a remarkable product that users enjoy talking about
- a product with virality built in--something that works better when my friends use it too
- a community orientation, so that each new user enhances the value of the community, creating a virtuous cycle
- economies of scale in both production and marketing. As you grow, things get both cheaper and easier to talk about
All four are intentional (and not easy) acts of a marketer and designer who realize that they have a choice about what to build and how to build it. [Here's a post from three years ago with more on this.]
Using up all the kindling is selfish and ultimately pointless.
More Recent Articles
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- Freedom in a digital world
- "This is the best I can do"
- Accepting small promises
- Free coffee, next exit
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duminică, 18 noiembrie 2012
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
| Chris Christie Provides Perfect Setup for Saturday Night Live Posted: 18 Nov 2012 05:38 PM PST Those looking for late Sunday evening humor can certainly find it in this short YouTube clip of New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Link if video does not play: Chris Christie on Twinkies At a recent news conference, Christie was asked a question about Twinkies. He responded ... "Really, seriously, you're not asking me about Hostess Twinkies are ya? What's the next question? I'm on Saturday Night Live enough. You think you're getting me behind this microphone having me talk about Twinkies? This is a setup man, I know it. You people are the worst. This is a setup. I am not answering questions on Twinkies. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's bad that I even said the work Twinkie from behind this microphone. You are not getting me to do that, no way." That is so obvious, it almost appears as if Christie was trying to make the opening skit of Saturday Night Live. In case you are not familiar with the Twinkies story, please consider Hostess to Liquidate if Bakers' Strike Continues Through Thursday; End of Twinkies Hours Away? The bottom line is the union would not give into demands and the company filed a motion last Friday to liquidate. Shutting down the company will mean the loss of 18,500 jobs (less any jobs picked up by buyers of brands Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, Wonder Bread, Ho-Ho's etc.) There is plenty of blame to go around, including untenable wages and benefits, leveraged debt, untenable management salaries etc. However, the enabling factor behind the debt is loose monetary policy by the Fed coupled with fractional reserve lending. Factor in unions and corrupt management and there is no way the company could make it without huge concessions from the union. Still, it is difficult to have much sympathy for those who vote to have no job in these trying times. The union will likely see pension benefits slashed by 50% or more when handed over to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC). The PBGC is of course US taxpayers who should not have to pick up any of this tab at all (but they will). Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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| Nightmare Scenarios for Obama's 2nd Term Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:07 AM PST Last week I was interviewed by Constantine von Hoffman for a CBS news article regarding economic nightmares for Obama's 2nd term. Calculated Risk was interviewed as well. His nightmare scenario is war, specifically noting the rise of Golden Dawn. Eight people were interviewed for the CBS article but the organization was maddening. Specifically, there is no way to see all 8 viewpoints of people interviewed at once. You have to click through pages one at a time. I was curious enough to do it, Calculated Risk gave up after the second click. In a clear effort to generate clicks, articles like this are an extreme turn-off and actually counterproductive. That no readers emailed me with a link to this article says no one bothered clicking through all the pages. I talked to von Hoffman about numerous things, only one was mentioned in the article. Many of my points were of the nature of things I think should happen (and would benefit the global economy over the long run if they did), but most economists would disagree. Mish Nightmare Scenario
I mentioned all of those things and more. The first four are things that I actually believe need to happen (and the sooner the better) to prevent a global nightmare! Unfortunately, most economists want to kick the can down the road still more. For a discussion of the fiscal cliff, please see Misdiagnosing the Fiscal Cliff; Shrill Voices and Economic Nonsense; Tyranny of Balanced Budgets A breakup of the eurozone is inevitable in my opinion. For a detailed explanation why, please see Spain's Unpleasant Choice: Accept Lower Wages and Still Higher Unemployment, Leave the Euro and Default.The sooner a breakup happens the better. Delays end up like Greece. In regards to China, please consider "China Rebalancing Has Begun"; What are the Global Implications? Michael Pettis on China Rebalancing, Chinese Price Deflation, and Spain Exit from Euro; Target 2 Revisited. Note that can-kicking in Greece has led to the rise of the Golden Dawn party. Expect the same to happen in Spain if the agony lasts long enough. Essentially, my nightmare scenario is more can-kicking exercises until the entire global economy blows up in a currency crisis and radical parties like Golden Dawn gain prominence everywhere, fueling political as well as economic violence. Addendum I had war in the Mideast with spiking oil prices as part of my nightmare scenario that I mentioned to von Hoffman. I simply forgot to mention it when I typed this post up earlier today. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. 
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Seth's Blog : What are professional reviews for?
What are professional reviews for?
I know what they used to be for. A decade ago, there really was no way to tell if a movie, a book or a play was worth your time before you paid up. A professional review could be a valuable signal, a way to save people time and money.
Along the way, professional reviewers also decided that they could alter the culture by speaking up. Since creators of culture are often sensitive to what the critics have to say, establishing critical baselines (particularly when you are a powerful arbiter of what sells and what doesn't) became a real function of the critic.
Today, of course, there's no shortage of cultural feedback. If I want to know what people thought of a bit of culture, it's only a click away. In fact, for the consumer who doesn't want to know (spoiler alert) it's almost impossible to avoid.
With that much feedback to choose from, what purpose do the anonymous book reviews in Publishers Weekly or Kirkus Review serve? Or the long movie reviews in the Times or the short ones in Variety? Or the restaurant reviews in the local paper?
They might be saying, "I have a track record, and if you agree with my past picks, you'll agree with this," which works fine if it's always the same reviewer and we know them by name.
They might be saying, "our publication has a good track record in picking what's going to be popular, so if you're a theater owner or a bookstore, pay heed," except they don't have a good track record, they have a terrible one.
Or they might be saying, "attention actors and directors and writers--we don't like it when you make books and movies that we don't like, and we're going to pillory your work until you stop." Assigning someone who doesn't like an author's work to review the author's next book seems cruel to all involved.
[And sometimes, they're just fun.]
All a long way of saying that if you make something that people are likely to criticize, pay careful attention to which critics you listen to. They probably don't view the world the way you do, and worse, the way your fans do.
Reading criticism just to ruin your day is a waste of your talent.
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- "This is the best I can do"
- Accepting small promises
- Free coffee, next exit
- Effortless
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