Agencies: explain the web using real-world comparisons (part 3 of 3).
Why does Google hate me?
Most prospects are looking for an agency that can provide a full range of services. Some agencies have responded to this demand by claiming that they provide a full range of services, even though they don't. Claiming to do things you can't won't win you work - it more likely will lose the project and the opportunity to develop the project into an account.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a hot buzzword these days. Every prospect wants it. It's also the topic of the some of the most egregious exaggeration of agency capabilities. What those few bad apples haven't thought through (perhaps because they don't understand SEO) is that this false claim is easily outed. Ask Google to find them. If Google can't even find their name, they are lying about their SEO capabilities.
A better strategy is to learn about SEO and to partner with a knowledgeable SEO expert. Having real SEO answers will help you land interactive work.
Some prospects know the whys and hows of SEO. They want to learn what you can do to make their job easier. If you find yourself in this conversation, you are open to have a detailed and technical conversation. However, other prospects want SEO, but have no idea what it means. If you get asked a generic SEO question, try this explanation.
- Imagine that you want to advertise your business by buying a sign. You could pay a farmer $100 to paint your name in the side of his barn (this was done, not so long ago). Every driver that passes down the desolate road past that barn will see your name. You could choose to spend thousands of dollars for a billboard on a busy urban freeway where hundreds of thousands of people will see your name every day. More money gets you more exposure. What if your business is an authentic Mexican food restaurant and you choose to place your sign near a travel agency that specializes in cruises to Mexico? Fewer people see your sign than if you put in on the freeway, but the sign brings more people into your restaurant.
SEO is about relevancy, not just massive exposure. It's easy for an ad on the internet to be seen by a million people. The trick is: get seen by people who are likely to buy something from you.
An important part of the Dialogs Professional Services we provide to creative agencies is sales assistance. We help our agency partners explain the importance and the possibilities of today's internet to their customers and prospects.
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