Years ago, I was a paralegal at a criminal defense law firm when my boss assigned me a new task: learning seo.
I asked him what he meant by SEO and he replied, “Search engine optimization. I don’t trust the people I work with anymore and I need you to learn that.”
When I started learning and discussing my findings with him, he explained that his website had completely disappeared from the Google SERPs.
The company he had been paying to handle SEO for nearly a decade couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him why it happened.
The biggest take away from this other company’s negligence was not their disappointing work, but how poorly they responded to my boss and their poor communication skills.
If they had been transparent and honest, my then boss would have allowed them to fix it, and I would never have had the opportunity to learn SEO.
However, they didn’t, and the course of my career changed when I dove into SEO, quickly becoming a passion that fueled my competitive instincts.
A few years later, I started my own SEO company, focusing on doing things right and emphasizing transparency and communication.
My first goal was to never hear the question, “Where does my money go?”
Transparency sets you apart
I quickly realized that the biggest complaints from companies hiring SEO agencies centered around poor communication.
Some common customer complaints about digital marketing agencies include:
“Every time I call, I never get to talk to anyone.” “They take a long, long time to respond to my messages/emails.” “Every time I meet with my project manager, it’s a different person.” “They don’t tell me what they’re doing.” “The agency asks for more money when the results are not where they are expected.” “Most of the solutions proposed by the agency require an additional expense, regularly exceeding the monthly fee.” “No exclusivity. ! The company I’m paying is also helping a competitor.”
Miscommunication plagues many digital marketing agencies today. And it helps reinforce the idea that many digital marketers are snake oil salesmen selling an intangible service that doesn’t guarantee any results.
This issue offers us all the opportunity to differentiate ourselves excellent communication.
Keep in mind that if a client has fired their previous provider and is hiring you, chances are they were burned out or unhappy with their previous services and are already somewhat skeptical of their relationship with you.
Often, doing a great job in the world of digital marketing is not enough, as some clients do not understand the value of your services.
Communicate what, when and why of your strategy and keep customers informed of the results. This helps engage your customers and helps them understand the value you provide.
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A healthy relationship with customers it is a beneficial result of communication, transparency and customer service. In addition to helping convey the value you bring, frequent communication and honesty build trust.
When I first started in this industry, I knew I didn’t want to be part of the rat race, constantly chasing new clients.
Instead, I wanted to build strong relationships with a few customers and give them the best possible service in terms of deliveries and customer service.
To promote absolute transparency with my clients and avoid that dreaded question about where their money is going, I create a Google Doc that is openly shared with each one.
In these documents, I create a bulleted list each day of tasks completed on your project/website. At any time, the client can check it for real-time updates about the work on their website.
This practice has helped me maintain long and healthy relationships with almost all of my clients.
I am fortunate to have recognized this gap in most digital marketing services. It has been rewarding to build on long-standing relationships with clients and make them feel comfortable with our work.
With excellent customer service, you can enjoy the following benefits:
Acquire and maintain long-term customers by building trust. Digital marketing, especially SEO, takes time. But you can make an instant good impression with strong communication and customer service. Communication at this level is rare, but it’s comforting to customers and often sets you apart, resulting in high-quality referrals from your existing customers. Long-term relationships are more profitable for your business. Good communication skills allow for faster connection with potential clients. If talking to a potential client, poor customer service can eliminate the possibility of working together very quickly. Customers are willing to pay more when they see conversions and understand the strategy and results. Being able to communicate this succinctly increases your value. It gives your company a competitive advantage over those who are poor communicators. Strategies tend to be much more successful when the customer is involved, engaged and provides feedback/input.
The fruits of my labor
Just putting our heads down and working on our tasks/deliverables is what most SEOs and digital marketers like to spend our time on.
Sending frequent emails to customers and updating Google Doc trackers can take a lot of extra time and certainly not factor into the odds of success of your chosen marketing strategy.
The level of transparency and customer service that my company provides has allowed us to build long-term relationships with our clients, many of whom have been with us since our first year as a company.
We currently have 25 SEO clients, of which 10 have been clients since our first year in business.
I have built an exceptional relationship with these clients, which allows me to openly communicate any concerns as easily as any successes. Having good communication gives you a longer leash.
If the agency had communicated their shortcomings and mistakes with my previous employer, they would probably still be doing their SEO today.
Let’s say you’ve been working with someone for years and you’ve built a relationship. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, they get hit with a core algorithm update and traffic drops. In this case, your customer is much more likely to understand and offer you the opportunity to right the ship instead of looking for a new supplier.
Make customer communications a priority
In digital marketing, there are countless stories of miscommunication and customer frustration.
Complaints abound that the money paid to digital marketers is not delivering the expected results and has been a waste of investment.
Using transparency and open communication leads to happier customers and longer-lasting relationships, setting you apart from the competition.
Still not on your way to connecting with your customers? If not, now is the time to do it.
Improving customer service increases your overall business, reputation and customer experience (and bottom line).
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Taylor Kurtz was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. Taylor moved to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management and his MBA. Taylor focuses exclusively on SEO and is owner/operated Crush the rankings, an award-winning digital marketing agency that focuses on high-quality search engine optimization and website development. Taylor is also a business professor at the local community college in Fort Collins, CO and speaks across the country, speaking about SEO at various digital marketing summits.
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