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Several years ago I designed a website for this client of mine. This year they asked me to optimize it. Having no idea how to proceed, I lurked around and learned from all of you. Four months later, their puny 16 page website is ranked in the top 15 on Yahoo!, MSN, Google, and AOL and it's basically stayed there ever since. I concentrated on keyword research, effective, keyword rich copywriting, alt tags, robot text, clean uncluttered code, W3C validation, heading tags, directory submissions, a few but very relevant links to reputable sites... all the things I've learned from, well, from here! (So, the KUDOS really goes to the moderators and participants of these threads.)
But I Want MORE! I love this kind of work. I know I'm not yet worth $13K per website (what my client was quoted from another SEO firm in the area before I started the work), but I think I can really enjoy helping others get ranked better on SE's.
My Question? Bet you thought I'd never get to it!
WHAT EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES ARE THERE FOR MARKETING A NEW SEO CONSULTANT? How did you guys get started? I'm sure my own consulting webpage has to rank well (STEEP competition!), needs to be well designed, and informative but do I supplement a web presence with mailings? Follow up with phone calls? I plan to write an article on the subject for several local newspapers to get positioned as a local "authority" on the subject. I can find plenty of leads, but how do I get in front of the client in order to get them all jazzed up about optimizing their site? What's worked for you and, conversely, what's flopped?
I'm sure my own consulting webpage has to rank well (STEEP competition!)
I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. Forget about targeting search engine optimization, that dataset is fixed. You'd be better off targeting locally and then let "word of mouth" do it's thing. If you're good at what you do, the referrals will start coming.
Emailing? Nah, stay away from it. The consumer has become oblivious to the "get your site ranked" emails and it's probably not the type of business you want to chase anyway.
Focus on the local market, that's what I did. There's so much business at the local level that you'll be able to set up a nice little nest egg within a few years. It takes a lot of work and devotion, but it can be done.
Get involved in the community. Start participating at fora, popular blogs, etc. Consumers do read here and there. They also will contact you if they like what they are reading, believe me, they will!
Actually, the mailing to which I was referring was good ol' snail mail. Ever had any luck with that?
Heard another source tell me she had no luck with local markets - all her clients were from out of state. I'm relieved that might not always be the case.
But how did you broach your local market? Specifically, how did you get your foot in the door of your first few clients?
But how did you broach your local market? Specifically, how did you get your foot in the door of your first few clients?
I kind of had a head start. Since my main career "used" to be traditional marketing and advertising, many of my clients made the transition to the web through me. So, I kind of had a head start.
But, that really doesn't mean that the local market is not ripe for the picking, it is. If you are good at what you do, and you can sell a little bit, all it takes is a bit of hard work, some due diligence and a little bit of budget.
Yes, traditional snail mail can be effective if you target the right demographics for your product and/or service. I see lots of opportunity for the right person to get in at the ground level of many industries that are still stuck in the 90s.
Let's say you have knowledge of a particular industry and/or subject. That's where I would probably start. Go after something you are familiar with. Something that you are passionate about. I just see a plethora of golden opportunities awaiting the right person to come along and snatch them up.
You may need to pound the pavement a little bit to get noticed but hey, it still works. Print up a nice letter size brochure about your company and services, print matching business cards and stationery, and start handing them out. Do some highly targeted mailings, even if it just a hundred or so. Just be persistent with the mailings as it will take time for a response.
The other thing you can do is start thinking about doing your own thing. Got a specialty? Is there something you are really passionate about and can build upon that? I think that's where many of us start. We have a passion about something and then it just spirals out of control from there. ;)
Heard another source tell me she had no luck with local markets - all her clients were from out of state.
All of my long term clients are local (within California). I do consulting on the side and those clients are usually out of state or country. You'd be surprised at the number of local clients who are looking for local talent. They want someone they can meet with, have lunch with every now and then. They want face to face. There's a whole generation out there that prefers this type of business relationship, go after it. Many of them are Presidents and business owners. :)
1. A local Italian restaurant who offers delivery within a certain radius. I've been dining there for quite some time and finally asked the owner why he didn't have an online menu and ordering interface. I'm now building that. :)
2. My local drycleaners. Ended up speaking with the owner's wife one day. Asked her why they didn't have a website. They now have one. :)
3. Sitting out at the pool one day. Ended up talking with another resident. They had a business idea and needed to get online. That idea has come to fruition and currently in progress.
The business is there. You just need to see the opportunity and/or "make" the opportunity.
