I am looking to prospect new customers for Search Engine Optimization services and I am looking for some good resources on how to approach companies. My main approach is email marketing, with phone when necessary. Any and all ideas is greatly appreciated!
Sending e-mails is your best option. In fact, it is appropriate. Show them how sites like theirs have ranked high. Look at their code and point out how it can be better. Copy and past parts of it in the e-mail for them to look at. Give a couple of free tips. Then direct them to your site for more. Can it get any easier? You can't do that over the phone, and regular mail costs too much, plus it isn't as quick as e-mail. You should also consider contacting web programmers and web designers as they have a list of clients who may hire you. Start by looking in the Yellow Pages. Offer a finders fee for each paying customer they bring to you. See why e-mail is the best option?
problem with that, Perry, is there are so many companies trying to offer these services, he'll have a hard time getting thru the 'noise'. We get about 15 - 20 'we can get you on page 1 blah blah' mails every day, and nowadays they go straight in the 'round' cabinet. It's a bit hard to know what to suggest to him, because, as you rightly say, cold calling is even tougher...
I have been getting so many of those emails the past few months, everyday I have them in my Spam box and a few scattered around in my regular mail. "Hi, I noticed your site blablabla Increase traffic, SEO, Google Rankings, blablaba" I have never read one of them I just see the first sentence in the inbox. I have also been getting a lot of cold calls, annoying.. Most have blocked or withheld numbers so i just push silence. Many people are doing it, made me wonder if it is just a new advertising fad or more people are struggling and looking for ways to scrounge business or a little of both.?
If you were my client, I would start off saying that you need a website. Period, end of story. Then, you need to get that site ranking where people who are searching for services like you provide will find you. Having a website that ranks well makes it easy to say, "Sure, I can help your site rank well, my industry is one of the most competitive on the net and you found me didn't you?" Join forums and build a reputation as someone who really knows their stuff. Answer other people's questions but don't always announce, "I could do that for you!" Often just answer the question and let your signature do the talking. Use a signature with not much more than a link like "Professional SEO Services" - don't use much more than your keyword or business name. Of course, I realize that doesn't pay the bills while you are building your business. But, unfortunately, the people who have come before you have turned most webmasters off of cold calls for SEO services. If you have to make money and can't wait while building your reputation, perhaps change the emails up. Instead of the traditional approach, perhaps really target a business...Gee, did you know Mr/Ms. Webmaster (their real name goes here) that with a little bit of effort we could have you ranking for <this great keyword here> that has xxx,xxx searches each month and only a marginal amount of competition? Yes, you are giving a bit of free advice that way but you're also proving that you know your stuff. Good luck.
Yeah, tell me about it! Sometimes I cringe a little deep inside whenever I send off query e-mails. ... And I send off a lot! But, hell, it's gotta be done. There's no way in hell I'd use the phone. I'd rather coat my hand in bacon grease and try to pet a rottweiler. I think not putting in the same ol' line in the e-mail header, giving free tips and samples, and showing them their code from the get go while at the same time talking to them like a friend and not a salesman stands more of a chance of getting through that noise. The way I look at it, if the e-mail is done properly, and the recipients are looking or have been thinking about looking for such and such service, they won't mind reading it, especially if they see samples and free tips. If they are NOT looking (they don't need it), it doesn't matter if they think it is spam anyway and they cuss your name 'til their nose bleeds. It's a bitch at times. Might be some useful info here: http://www.copyblogger.com/email-subject-lines/ If not, the comments from the readers may be (Over 100 comments!). That's the main reason why I read his blog at times. There's also problogger.net, another well-populated blog. Nearly all of their content isn't that good, but every now and then you can get good ideas from their readers. Further reading on Aweber and how they do it: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&&sa=X&...ead+subject+lines&spell=1&fp=c9f200e8d6433b2a Perry Marshall is pretty much full of it, but he has been around for awhile that he may have picked up on some good ideas that he passes along to his readers: http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&...cX8DwAAAKoEBU_QKPNt&psj=1&fp=c9f200e8d6433b2a Plus, there are links to other sites on that page that may have some good ideas.
I would look at a companies website and simply say what you see... what could be better about 'their' site. It might take a while but if one of those specifically tailored emails gets a response it is better than sending 20 generic ones that just get trashed and you marked as a spammer