Like it or not, there are some would-be clients who see digital marketing agencies as dubious — and they are not all without justification. It has become common practice for some agencies to pitch themselves as SEO magicians who can pull high rankings out of thin air. The problem with this approach is that real, sustainable organic growth requires time and expertise. But time and expertise independent of tricks and gimmicks are not in and of themselves problems at all — rather, they are strengths to both build solid relationships and provide measurable results for clients.
As CEO of a marketing firm myself, I have seen what works and what doesn’t. In my previous article, I explored some tips that will help you improve your relationships with clients. Here are four more agency-side hacks to buck the trend of mistrust and failure that some agencies seem to be following.
1. No Gimmicks
Search engine optimization has cultivated a “black hat” reputation over the years, and deservedly so. For a long time, SEO was all about gaming the system, and it worked. Until it didn’t.
Now, SEO and digital marketing as a whole have come full circle to the point where shortcuts and gimmicks do more harm than good. Instead, what works is consistent, proven tactics that drive actual results over time without the promise of a silver bullet.
Still, many digital marketing agencies market themselves as the rockstar whiz kids who can work some SEO magic and get you to instantly rank on the front page of the Google search results. Be honest and transparent — there aren’t any more gimmicks.
There are, however, tried-and-true tactics, and there is expertise that can be gained from years of experience in the digital marketing world. If you resort to gimmicks, you’re only proving your inexperience and lack of knowledge of how digital marketing actually drives success.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
Effective SEO takes time — that’s the naked truth. And that’s what you need to be communicating to clients if you work at a digital marketing agency. You put yourself in a bad spot if you overpromise and underdeliver, and you lose any trust you might have built with your client.
Setting realistic expectations is about setting objectives, identifying the best success metrics, outlining realistic timelines and allowing for some flexibility. To make this all work, you must build a relationship with the client based on transparency and mutual trust. You must work to align your values with those of the client, check your ego at the door, and let your unique personality show.
3. Be Amazing At Communication
Hand in hand with setting expectations is being a brilliant communicator. While knowing your stuff is important, client communication is a skill in its own right that shouldn’t be neglected.
Great communication begins with listening. It’s absolutely the most important part of building rapport with your client. Listening is also important during the feedback stage, after you’ve already shared your road map and recommendations with the client.
Restating is also necessary, whether it’s restating what your client has said so you can be sure you’ve understood it clearly, or sending an email recapping the information from a pivotal meeting.
Finally, digging deeper with follow-up questions (asking “why” a lot) is the only way to collaborate and find creative solutions to complex problems.
4. Create Beautiful, Transparent Reporting
Regular reporting is your opportunity to show the work your team has done and, hopefully, all the great results you’re getting. A good report should be visually appealing, focus on what matters and be understandable and easily digestible at a glance. And it should be honest.
Your mindset from the get-go should be to be unflinchingly honest in your reporting. Transparency in reporting means shining light on negative results. It means highlighting what matters, not what is most flattering.
As an agency, you get to choose the data points that you pull together for your report. But if you’re hiding something negative, it will come out one way or another and it’s always better to own it from the start. If you’re using a tactic that isn’t working for your client — or is hurting them — it’s your ethical responsibility to address it and work to find a solution.
In 2018, there are more tools than ever before to track, analyze and present data. You can communicate and collaborate with multiple teams from across the world in real time. But to hack the client-agency relationship, you need to focus on the fundamental traits that make us human: trust and transparency.