I have had quite a few meetings the last couple of weeks. In nearly all of them I have spoke with CEOs, Presidents or those making the decisions about how their Internet marketing dollars will be spent. Many have paid SEO companies for work and many have paid consultants. The question is always, why I am different? Why should they trust me after getting burned?
An Ethical, Educated and Focused Vision- My Vision
Anyone that reads anything I write understands ethics are important to me. I think without them you have nothing. However, my ethics and yours can differ significantly. So, how do I keep myself in check? Well, when money becomes more important to me than the client’s welfare I will know then that my morals and ethics are dropping off. Hey, I want a pay check just like the next guy/gal, but what I have found is that by being honest, even if it means I am getting nothing more than a one hour consulting fee, I create trust and that trust brings me more and more business. I don’t have to lie, cheat or manipulate. Honesty works and I only found this out by being honest in the first place and just seeing how things went. I didn’t start out being honest hoping for some kind of good karma…
Education
I look at marketing strategies a bit different than some. I have a B.A. in Psych and a Masters specializing in mental health. By studying how people learn, what influences people to buy/invest in a thought or product and learning about consumer buying I have an advantage. Industrial and consumer psychology are very interesting subjects and beneficial to those in our industry. I guarantee every consultant can benefit from taking these courses. I have 89 hours of education from just psychology-based classes and I could learn so much more.
You may be thinking, “Well SEO isn’t about Psychology”. It depends on how you look at things. Copywriting is a sales technique; Psychology is a part of it. I feel, and have said several times, you have to please the consumer and the search engines. I can optimize and get the search engines to index pages, but who says people are going to invest in a product or service when they find that page? They won’t unless they trust the site…something has to sell them on the service/product. This brings us back to what how consultants are different. I don’t just focus on SEO, but also on what is going to influence the consumer.
- The 3 Trust Factors of Web Sites and Their Design
- You Now HAVE to Sell Through a Computer Screen to Be Successful
Daily Education
My SEO consulting includes marketing advice based on Psychology and Sociology, but it also includes the knowledge I have from studying and researching everyday. What are the changes in SEO, SEM, SMM and Internet marketing? How are industries changing? What has changed on the web in these industries? You only know by reading daily. I never assume I know all. I know barely anything in the grand scheme of things…I need to continually educate myself. Part of my ethics is that this is my responsibility to my clients. Daily education is part of my vision.
A Focused Vision- Not Better Than Anyone Else’s, Just Mine
I want to help my clients create a solid foundation and I want to help them meet their goals. If their goals are to make money than we determine how that needs to be done. If it is to educate the public we find the most effective ways to do that. If their goal is to appear to be the most trustworthy company I will help with that. Many companies have several goals; some I don’t agree with and a business relationship is not possible, but most of them have pretty solid ideas that can enhance their company’s future. I help my clients meet their goals and I will work with their offline marketing teams fully; offline supports the online marketing. It really is a must.
Is it part of my ethics or is it from years of Psych and counseling education that I want to do what is best for the client? I tend to think it is more ethics, but I do believe my devotion to clients has been enhanced by my education. I feel very responsible and this drives me to do a better job.
I want to use every resource possible to help my clients achieve whatever it is they want to achieve. So, I constantly work hard to learn all I can. I also surround myself with trusted vendors that can provide the things I cannot. I have no problem handing work off if I feel someone can provide much better results than I can. So, this is my vision and your vision may be different.
So, What is SEO Consulting?
It really depends. Consultants are not created equally. We all have individual personalities and different things to offer our clients. Sometimes we are a match and sometimes we are not, but if you are planning on hiring an SEO Consultant maybe think about asking them about their vision for your company, their vision about their position and their ethics. There are plenty of articles out there about what to ask an SEO company or consultant. I would say use those articles and ask questions, but it is just important to get a feeling that the company or consultant you are working with is focused on working hard, being fair and being honest.
