Selling SEO services is a matter of practice. SEO is not the toughest thing in the world but there are too many organizations that are either too busy or too naive to get involved. You want to cash in on that? Here’s how you go about it.
Here are 10 ways to sell SEO services
#1 Value Proposition
When you are making a sale, you must make sure that your communication reflects your unique value proposition. That means you need to explain why your proposal is useful to the client and how it will benefit their customers.
For that, you need to be able to look at the customer’s requirement or problem and formulate a solution that directly benefits your client. That’s basically how you add value to your pitch. And in the process, you need to be able to demonstrate to your client how you are different from the competition.
#2 The 3 Ps of Marketing
Your pitch needs a headline that can summarize the advantage to the customer. You need a short paragraph that explains what you are offering. There needs to be a bulleted list of your service’s features that explain your worth to your client. You can add visual elements to enhance the pitch itself.
At the end of the day, you are making a marketing proposition. So, you must remember four out of seven classic marketing Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. The other three being: People, Physical Evidence, and Process.
#3 Transparency
SEO is all about getting the client visibility and better rankings. So, you will start by looking at their organic numbers and the strategy they are using to get there. If they are not doing the right thing or going in the right direction, you must be able to tell them. Transparency is very important in this relationship.
Now, a lot of clients don’t want to know the technicality of ranking. Some want to know absolutely everything. Some look at it after you submit a report and never bother to learn or understand what’s in it.
Whichever type of client you have, you must be able to be completely honest with them. If they ignore your advice, that is their unfortunate loss, but the conversation is still important.
#4 Prepare Beforehand
The time to assess whether you and your client can be a good fit is to try and figure out before you make a pitch. As is the case with everything else, you have to prepare. That means finding out your client’s business in terms of figuring out leads. In the business, that’s called customer relationship management or CRM.
This includes figuring out every lead at your disposal. This means dissecting your scalability, your ability to take stock of your resources so that you can efficiently follow through with the requirements of your client.
#5 Discovery
If you are doing this for an existing client, you might not have to do too much work in terms of discovery. You are likely to know where they are at in terms of organic services and if it is time to take it up a notch. Based on that information, you can figure out how to structure your SEO campaign for the client.
For instance, if your client is still a beginner and does not have much content to promote, it is time to get cracking on increasing content before making a pitch for SEO promotion.
To be able to identify that, you need to discover as much information as possible. This keeps the budget of the campaign at bay and its allocation will have productive end results.
#6 Resource Allocation
Every client has specific needs. Once you understand that, you will know where to place your time and money. Apart from that, you need to figure out your authority and needs.
Between time and budget, you almost always need to prioritize budget. Whether you send documentation to work or personal emails is a matter of authority. Assessing the client’s digital readiness is a matter of need. And how much time you have to reach a particular goal is a matter of time.
These questions will take your SEO campaign in the right direction because your resources are allocated well.
#7 Oppo Research
Your time and energy are both limited. You can’t do it all over one call or meeting. So, put up your value proposition on your website where everyone can see it. Find out as much as you can about your client’s industry and how they get customers beforehand. Know about their products and services so that your SEO services are better equipped to raise their profile.
Take a look at their competition and see what they are doing to gain leverage. This places you in a better position to understand your client’s business and helps you beat the competition.
Do a little research on your client’s online presence and whether they have ventured into adapting SEO techniques in the past. That gives you a sense of their understanding and experience. It also tells you what they have done and whether or not it has worked for them and why. It will also help you set goals for them once you shake on the deal.
#8 Do a Free SEO Audit
One of the most efficient ways of demonstrating your worth is to show an organization the gaps in their current system. It’s like hacking a system to show security weaknesses. We’ve all seen tons of movies with plot, right?
So, you can do the same with an SEO audit of your prospective client’s website. This will tell them where they can improve and how to get there. Show them what their competition is up to and tell them how you can bridge that gap and maybe even help them takeover.
An SEO audit is also a great way to showcase your expertise and the audit tools at your disposal.
#9 Case Study
When you deliver on your promises, you not only keep your existing clients but also make room for new ones. You can use these case studies to present your next pitches to a different client.
This works whether you are sticking to the same industry or trying to diversify. Because sometimes, it is not about the industry but about your approach to understanding each industry and building on that information. It also works whether you are an individual freelancer or an agency.
Plus, numbers are tangible and look good on your website as credentials.
#10 Get Client Testimonials
If stats on the website sounds tacky because it looks like you’re tooting your own horn, get a testimonial from a client. Let them tell the world how your services took their digital game to the next level.
There’s nothing more effective than a good recommendation. This is also something everyone relates to. And everyone likes a positive story on the internet. So, cash in on that.
Wrapping Up
From making a pitch to making the client your loyal partner can be a long-drawn-out process. But if you have the right cards up your sleeve, you might just be okay. Good luck.
