ethical implications of performing free work<\/a>, and because there’s no guarantee that the initial investment on your end will yield returns.<\/p>\nDespite the potential downside, Youngblood offers a free SEO review for potential clients. “[It’s] sort of a quick spot check,” he said, noting that his free reviews seek to find at least one thing the requester can work on to improve their visibility. Highlighting an issue can present you with an opportunity to further solicit a potential client, since you’ll presumably know how to approach the issue.<\/p>\n
“I learned that free workshops won’t usually get you the clients you think would appreciate you giving away your time to convince them they should work with you,” Jessier said of her own experiences, “Don’t be bitter about that, it’s a waste of time and emotions.”<\/p>\n
Strategies to avoid<\/h2>\n
Answering a request for proposal (RFP) may seem like an easy way to get your services in front of a high-intent client, but the search marketers that spoke to Search Engine Land for this article do not advocate doing so. “Without the ability to have a full conversation, RFPs can really put a damper on fruitful conversations, especially when they are open to public bidding,” Finn said.<\/p>\n
“When companies evaluate RFP responses, in my opinion, they many times have the wrong folks making the decision on vendors,” he added, “The ultimate decision often comes down to the lowest cost or someone with a flashy-looking pitch deck (but may not be the most capable).”<\/p>\n
Cold calls are a longshot because the businesses you’re approaching are not expecting it (which means they may not even be aware of their need for search marketing services) or are not in a position to take on a partner agency or freelance search marketer. “This tactic is nascent but we’re about 350 calls in and it has been a dud so far,” Youngblood said of his foray into cold calls.<\/p>\n
“When the pandemic hit, we looked for SMBs ranking low on major keywords in Google Maps and Google Search, then we called and asked if we could offer them any free SEO advice to ensure their business survives until the pandemic ends,” he said. “The calls themselves have been met warmly with most receptionists\/owners\/managers\/marketing directors thanking us for calling and even being willing to talk to me or one of the team members, but most aren’t interested in SEO help even if it is free, which is probably why they rank so low in the first place.”<\/p>\n
The two strategies mentioned above have one thing in common — they both limit your ability to screen potential clients. This means that, even if you sign the client, there might be incompatibilities that prevent you from doing your best work or make the client more trouble than they’re worth.<\/p>\n
“All agencies have those moments when a prospective client comes along that isn’t the right fit, and you spend time and resources going after it anyway,” Finn said, noting that this may be because it’s a high-profile brand or because the client contact is someone you already know, among other reasons. “You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole and knowing when to turn an opportunity down is just as important as knowing when to chase it,” he said, adding, “We created an opportunity scoring system this year to stop us from spending resources going after deals that don’t make sense.”<\/p>\n
Signing a client is just the first step<\/h2>\n
Once the client is onboarded, the real work begins. The quality of your work can greatly influence client renewals as well as new client opportunities.<\/p>\n
“One of our biggest sources of new business isn’t with an unknown contact, but is from people that switch jobs!” Finn said, adding, “When you do good work and find success for a client, that contact will want to bring you along on their next journey . . . Building these lasting relationships makes new business easy because they already know they can trust you and they understand your process. Our contacts often do a lot of the selling for us to their new organization.”<\/p>\n
\nContributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff<\/a> and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.<\/em><\/p>\n
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