In this day and age, all businesses need SEO and an online presence. Not only does it put your business in the direction of at least 83 percent of shoppers doing online research before visiting a store, it also prevents your competition from getting a leg up and reaching out to potential customers better than your business does.
You, as an SEO business, understand how this works. But small business owners, most of whom are more focused on sales than marketing strategies, probably do not. Instead of looking small business owners as a bad lead, consider their market an opportunity to expand your business. All you need to do is convince small businesses why they need SEO services.
Developing a Good Pitch
Before any successful client is a good pitch that convinced them to use your services. We don’t have to tell you how to sell SEO services, but if you find that you’re losing small business owners’ interest, there may be something wrong with the way you’re pitching your services.
If there’s one thing we can teach you, it’s that while there are some questions that apply to all businesses (the basic questions such as the business name, the location, what they provide, etc.), taking on small businesses means researching into their industry.
Remember, these are small business owners who most likely put their own money into starting their business. Chances are, they’re more focused on earning back on that money, so mentioning jargon such as “high conversion” and “greater traffic” means nothing unless you can explain how it helps them earn money.
Cite How They Can Compete Against Large Competitors
There’s a huge difference between the team of experts of a multi-national corporation and a husband-and-wife-owned shop. In terms of resources, McDonald’s will always trump the small hole in the wall serving burgers and fries. However, with digital marketing, small businesses stand a chance to earn some potential customers and get them to their business instead of with the major businesses.
With local SEO, a small business can earn enough online visibility to compete on the same playing field with corporations. Sure, small business owners don’t have branches all over the country, but it could get the people around the area to know about their business and be piqued to visit.
Talk ROI, but in Layman’s Terms
Most small business owners are trying to spend less and earn more, so a digital marketing strategy may less likely be a part of their budget. Many people think that it’s just a huge expense that won’t have an ROI and assume they can think about getting SEO services only once their business takes off.
This is where you have to explain the financial side of SEO. Talk about ROI, but remember that these are small business owners, not the marketing department of a large business. Don’t be afraid to switch common terms used in the SEO industry for words or phrases that they would better understand. Using layman’s terms, tell them that the average ROI for SEO is $22 for every dollar spent.
Convincing small businesses to seek out SEO services means showing them they need it for their business. Yes, they will be spending more, but the money they spend will return to them in larger amounts once they reach out to potential customers online and turn them into paying customers.