What you might not be an expert in, however, is getting yourself leads.<\/span><\/p>\n Many people who sell SEO services make the same mistake\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n They spend too much time working inside of their business \u2014 when they should be working on the outside to get more clients.<\/span><\/p>\n As an SEO, you\u2019re probably already aware of the benefits of having a flow of leads.<\/span><\/p>\n So why not bring in leads to convert into clients for your SEO business?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The SEO sales process requires the ability to articulate the exact value you can offer a client \u2014 which can be difficult if you haven\u2019t put in the time talking to leads and prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n Before you even think of generating leads for your SEO business, you need to think:<\/span><\/p>\n Who is my ideal client, and who do I want to help?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n You need to figure out what type of businesses you want to do SEO for.<\/span><\/p>\n Niching down and helping a specific type of business might seem like limiting your options, but it\u2019s actually creating abundance by you dominating a specific space.<\/span><\/p>\n Think:<\/span><\/p>\n Would a dentist rather work with an agency that works with anyone under the sun \u2014 or an agency that specifically works with dentists?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n What a qualified lead means will be different for everyone, so make sure to spend time thinking about the industries you want to help and the size of the clients you want.<\/span><\/p>\n A qualified lead is likely to spend more money on your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Why?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Because they fit square with who you help, and they probably already have desire for SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to leads for your SEO business, <\/span>how can you tell if someone is a qualified lead that\u2019s likely to engage with you long-term?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Start with the fundamentals:<\/span><\/p>\n What does the lead\u2019s digital footprint look like?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Do they have an existing website, and does that site have any current SEO in place?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Do they have a social media presence or any digital ads running?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n If they\u2019ve put any effort into their digital footprint thus far, it demonstrates that they\u2019re aware of how important it is that their business appears well online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you engage the lead in a conversation, be sure to ask them questions and give them ample opportunity to interview you, as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are two basic strategies for any business to gain new leads:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n and…<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n But here\u2019s how each strategy works specifically for SEO businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll begin with inbound.<\/span><\/p>\n Inbound lead generation should be the bread and butter of the SEO world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After all, SEO is a critical part of any inbound digital marketing strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As SEO professionals, inbound is what we sell to our clients, and we should always practice what we preach!<\/span><\/p>\n Content marketing is one of the best ways to generate qualified SEO leads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And content marketing can be done on a variety of platforms \u2014 from your business\u2019s website to your social media pages.<\/span><\/p>\n By creating high-value content that educates prospects, answers questions, and provides value, you\u2019ll be able to improve your search engine rankings and leverage that content in email marketing, social media, and PPC campaigns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The main issue with inbound for SEO lead generation is that it takes time to start getting results, and it\u2019s quite competitive.<\/span><\/p>\n But that\u2019s not to discourage you \u2014 you need to be doing inbound for a long-term marketing strategy!<\/span><\/p>\n Inbound marketing is excellent for bringing in a natural, ever-flowing list of leads that already want to work with you.<\/span><\/p>\n Even with the best inbound strategy out there, you might be ignoring qualified leads who simply don\u2019t know where to turn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s where outbound lead generation tactics come in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Outbound tactics are still extremely beneficial for SEO businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are so many small to medium businesses out there who are trying their hands at digital marketing. They might just not know the benefits SEO can bring them \u2014 or they haven\u2019t found the right fit for a partnership.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Traditional outbound tactics like cold-calling still work today <\/span>(as long as you do it properly, that is\u2026).\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n In today\u2019s world, people are wary of sales calls, and unsolicited email blasts often go directly to spam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential that even when you\u2019re working outbound leads, you do some homework to pre-qualify potential leads and identify an individual who might be willing to engage with you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Research before reaching out will also help you avoid being spammy.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n To find companies that might be a good fit, doing a little research beforehand is crucial. Google some keywords that fit the type of business you\u2019d like to work with and click over to the second or third page of search results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Companies landing on these pages are probably already aware that SEO is important \u2014 they just need a little push to get to that first page <\/span>(this is where you come in)<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When you do reach out, do so as personally as possible, in a way that demonstrates you\u2019ve done some homework and you\u2019re familiar with the company and what they do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If possible, try to reach a decision-maker and address them by name. Sending a form letter to an \u201cinfo@\u201d email address is about as useful as throwing a paper airplane in the general direction of their office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Leverage tools like LinkedIn and other social media platforms to find the person at the company who is most likely to make decisions about marketing strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And since you\u2019re selling SEO, you should <\/span>most likely<\/span><\/i> be reaching out to CEOs and marketing directors \u2014 depending on the size of the companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of how robust your strategy may be, relying solely on outbound tactics for a digitally-focused business will only bring in so many leads.<\/span><\/p>\n So let\u2019s dig in to learn how you can start making more leads come to you.<\/span><\/p>\n Picture this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You walk into a neighborhood mom-and-pop coffee shop looking for a decent latte.<\/span><\/i> There are no other patrons, and the barista is standing behind the counter drinking from a Starbucks cup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do you feel confident about the cup of coffee this place offers?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Probably not.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The same principle applies to SEO businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As an SEO professional, you have an opportunity to be your own best case study.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If your business\u2019s website\u2019s SEO is terrible, <\/span>how likely is it that a customer will trust you with theirs?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n So turn your strategic eye on your own business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you were your own client, what advice would you give yourself?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Your website needs to offer a genuinely superior user experience and function seamlessly. Regularly audit your website, conduct on-page optimization, and publish relevant content that helps boost your own rankings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As you know, any brand\u2019s digital footprint doesn\u2019t end on a website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Customers will find you on multiple platforms and channels \u2014 including social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s essential to have a solid presence on these channels so that when your audience finds you, they can get a sense of who you are and what you offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not always enough to just publish content from your brand\u2019s profiles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You need to demonstrate that you\u2019re a thought leader on social media.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a couple of ways to do just that:<\/span><\/p>\n LinkedIn and Twitter, especially, are hubs for ongoing discussion about SEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Try to engage both your brand and your personal profile on social media to build up your personal reputation and your company\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n Gone are the days where SEO and content marketing specifically apply to the written word.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Video has steadily worked its way up from a niche reserved for entertainment and random tutorials to become an essential content marketing and SEO platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Youtube is the second-largest search engine in the world \u2014 right after Google \u2014 which makes it a gold mine for opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n As professionals look to try out new tactics to market their business, they\u2019re just as likely to turn to a video tutorial on the topic as they are to turn to a blog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, some people prefer to watch videos because of their learning style or the fact that they can have a video running side-by-side while multitasking.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re making authoritative video content that ranks well and answers users\u2019 questions about SEO, you\u2019re going to find yourself with an effective inbound marketing channel.<\/span><\/p>\n Having well-made content doesn\u2019t just help you rank on YouTube, either. Videos appear in about <\/span>62% of Google SERPs<\/span><\/a>. Of those videos, 80% are hosted on YouTube.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
What is a Qualified Lead for SEO?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Why Pre-Qualifying Leads is Crucial & How to Pre-Find Desire for SEO<\/b><\/h3>\n
Inbound vs. Outbound SEO Lead Generation Strategies<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Inbound SEO Lead Generation<\/b><\/h3>\n
Outbound SEO Lead Generation<\/b><\/h3>\n
SEO Inbound Lead Generation Tactics to Get the Clients to Come to You<\/b><\/h2>\n
Doing SEO for Yourself \u2014 Practice What You Preach<\/b><\/h3>\n
Social Media Brand Building (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook)<\/b><\/h3>\n
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YouTube SEO & Content Marketing\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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