Wednesday, February 13, 2019

This Metric Is More Important Than Reach or Clicks

How do you measure success? This is not meant to be some sort of existential inquiry into the deeper meaning and significance of happiness. I already do a lot of that on my own blog, as well as in this space from time to time. In this case, I’m talking from a purely practical standpoint.

As much as we talk about lifestyle and freedom and fulfillment, the thing that fits into the bottom line of success is, well, the bottom line. It’s about dollars and cents. This is true from the perspective of the blogger and content creator, just as much as it is true for brands and mega corporations. It’s about how much money is being made. And there are so many factors that go into how much money you can make in the short term and in the long term.

Understanding Influencer Marketing

Traditional advertising and marketing strategies just aren’t as effective these days, particularly when you’re trying to reach a more tech-savvy audience with ad blockers and cord cutters. The 30-second ad on network television costs a whole lot of money, both in production and distribution, and it’s out of reach for most smaller companies. And the ROI is even questionable at the higher end.

That’s one of the many reasons why influencer marketing has become so important these past few years. Brands are looking for ways to reach audiences in more meaningful ways and in places they are already are… like on Instagram.

And as with any other form of marketing, there are a lot of numbers and figures that are of interest, like how much you should charge if you want to participate. How much is a blog post worth? What about an Instagram video? A YouTube video? Well, it depends on how much value you are providing the brand.

But how do you determine that?

Going Beyond the Reach

You might recall when I wrote about a similar topic, saying how important it is to go beyond raw reach when it comes to influencer marketing. I said it’s about getting the right fit and reaching the right audience. And brands agree.

According to a report compiled by Business Insider on the subject of influencer marketing, the most important success metric for an influencer campaign is engagement. Some 90 percent of brands indicated that engagement is how they would go about measuring the success of an influencer marketing campaign.

Engagement, in this context, would include likes, comments, shares, tags and so on. Not only do you want eyeballs on this influencer content, but you want those eyeballs to translate into people actually engaging with the content. That extra step shows that they really did consume the post or picture or video in a meaningful way. That makes the brand (and product) much more memorable.

The Business Insider report shows that engagement is far more important to brands for influencer marketing campaigns that traffic/clicks (59 percent), reach (50 percent), and even conversions (54 percent) and product sales (46 percent). Brands are recognizing that it’s not just about making an initial sale right now, but rather about building long-term brand awareness and loyalty.

More Money on the Table

In many ways, influencer marketing is still very much a new thing and we are still in the Wild West period of its development. Both brands and influencers are still experimenting to see what works best, but it’s obvious enough that this is a great area for growth and opportunity.

Linqia put out its report on the state of influencer marketing in 2018 (you can check the highlights on MarketingProfs if you’re interested). This report is based on a survey with nearly 200 marketers that run influencer campaigns for different brands in the B2C (business-to-consumer) space.

What they found was that among the brands that had decided how much they planned on spending on influencer marketing, more than half were going to increase their budgets for these campaigns. That’s 39 percent of all respondents, but when you factor out the 35 percent who were “not sure” or responded with “don’t know,” you’re left with 60 percent of the remainder. Only 5 percent of all respondents planned on decreasing their influencer marketing budget.

This means there is more and more money on the table for these campaigns, and they’re likely available for influencers big and small, especially as brands start to recognize the value of engagement among so-called micro influencers. Reach and clicks are important considerations, to be sure, but engagement reigns supreme.

What they found was that among the brands that had decided on how much



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2WXQ0tO
via Daniel

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Live Demo: Gator, the new website builder from HostGator

Do you have an idea for a new business, website, or blog, but don’t know where to start? Then we have the solution for you!

It’s easier than ever to build a professionally-designed, reliable website without needing a ton of technical skills – thanks to the new Gator Website Builder from HostGator!

The new drag-and-drop Gator Website Builder allows you to create a website frustration-free, on a reliable and powerful platform from HostGator.


Join us for a Free Webinar as the product team from HostGator demos the powerful new Gator Website Builder, and how you can use it to make your website dreams a reality.

The live webinar will start on February 13 (tomorrow) at 12:00pm CST, and will run for one hour. Seating is limited. Go register now.



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2N1i3nt
via Daniel

It’s Not About the Money (Not Really)

We’ve oftentimes been told not to worry about the money. They’ve told us time and time again that we should do what we love and the money will follow. Well, I’ve got a bit of a newsflash for all the burlap sack enthusiasts in the audience; the money will not follow unless you go out there and get it yourself. And let’s all be perfectly honest with one another: we’d all like to have more money, right?

If your job paid you absolutely zero dollars and zero cents, you probably wouldn’t be all that motivated to keep working that job even if it’s something you really enjoy doing. There are bills to be paid, food that needs to be put on the table, and roofs that need to be kept over your family members’ heads. Money is necessary. But it’s not about the money. Not really.

One of my favorite posts that I’ve written on this site explored this in the context of the dot com lifestyle and making money online. It echoed a sentiment that John has asserted time and time again here too. The best part of the dot com lifestyle is not the money itself. Instead, it’s the time and location freedom that the lifestyle affords you.

Another thing that I’ve asserted time and time again here and elsewhere is that inspiration can come from practically anywhere. That’s one of the ways that you can work when you’re not working, as counterintuitive as that may sound. That’s also why some of the most successful people in the world read a lot of books, both for business and for pleasure.

I recently finished reading “Vacationland” by John Hodgman. You might know him as the “I’m a PC” guy from the Apple commercials or as the “deranged millionaire” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The book is partly a memoir, intermingled with some unique observations and lessons gleaned from his personal experience. And this involves his experience with money.

While he never really had to worry about going hungry or homeless, it wasn’t until Hodgman came into some wealth that he really got to understand the power of money. In his book, he writes:

This country is founded on some very noble ideals but also some very big lies. One is that everyone has a fair chance at success. Another is that rich people have to be smart and hardworking or else they wouldn’t be rich. Another is that if you’re not rich, don’t worry about it, because rich people aren’t really happy. I am the white male living proof that all of that is garbage.

There are plenty of rich people out there who don’t “deserve” to be rich. They got lucky or they were born into wealth or any number of other possibilities. And there are plenty of smart and hardworking people who never get their “big break” and are left leading an existence on the brink of poverty. But is it really about the money, then? Is that all it takes to be happy?

Hodgman continues:

The vast degree to which my mental health improved once I had the smallest measure of economic security immediately unmasked this shameful fiction to me. Money cannot buy happiness, but it buys the conditions for happiness: time, occasional freedom from constant worry, a moment of breath to plan for the future, and the ability to be generous.

Money, in and of itself, won’t make you happy. You could be a billionaire and still suffer from horrible bouts of depression. However, when you reach a certain threshold, it sure makes it a lot easier to be happy. If you’re not worrying about paying your looming bills, it’s easier to be happy. If you have more free time to explore your interests and hobbies, rather than being saddled with the responsibility of keeping the ship afloat, you have an easier shot at being happy.

And almost as counter-intuitive as it sounds, spending your money on other people makes you happier than when you spend that money on yourself. It’s awfully hard to do that when you don’t have enough to feed yourself, right?

So really, this all boils down to the same thing we’ve been saying all along. It’s not about the money. But that money can create the circumstances that allow for greater time and location freedom, as well as the creative freedom to do what you want, when you want, in whatever manner you want. And that’s what the dot com lifestyle can grant you if you’re willing to work for it.



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2tht7no
via Daniel

Monday, February 11, 2019

Why I Send My Daughter To A $32K A Year Private School

In this video, I explain why I’m willing to pay $32K a year in tuition to send my daughter to a private school. Agree? Degree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel


from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2SHJgkw
via Daniel

How To Increase Your Conversions with Webinars

Webinars are slowly gaining popularity and notoriety for their ability to effectively draw traffic while increasing sales. In this day and age, time is in short supply. At the end of the day, individuals prefer listening to engaging content rather than reading about it. The value of a meaningful, and well-executed webinar is undeniable. In fact, a survey conducted recently found that over 60 % of content marketers are now seeking to include this medium within their marketing strategies.

The path has already been paved by many travelers which takes the guesswork out of creating success within your first attempt. You don’t need to be a seasoned professional to implement a successful webinar. All you need is a road-map to guide you on your way and to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes made by countless others before you.

Your journey to a successful webinar begins here today. Let’s examine the 4 major components of an effective webinar and how implementing a few successful strategies can yield immeasurable results.

THE 5 COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL WEBINAR

  1. HOW TO EFFECTIVELY REMIND PARTICIPANTS ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING WEBINAR
  2. EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTIONS
  3. FOLLOW A PROVEN CONTENT STRUCTURE
  4. HOW TO SPEAK IN AN ENGAGING TONE

Let’s begin!!

  1. Reminding People of Your Upcoming Webinar

Timing and frequency are everything! Email reminders serve to keep your upcoming webinar foremost in the mind of your participants. However, there is a fine line between sending gentle reminders and overwhelming your attendees. Your webinar will be successful if you can attract a viewing audience so you must strike a balance that will guarantee a prosperous outcome.

TIMING:

Life is busy and your participants may get distracted and forget about your upcoming event. This is natural and to be expected. By taking this factor into account, you can determine just the right time to send your reminder emails.

  • First and foremost, stick to sending reminders during the working day as there is an increased chance that they will garnish attention.
  • A week before- Reminds participants that they have signed up for your webinar and gives them the opportunity to put it in their calendar for the upcoming week.
  • A day before – Allows participants to plan for the upcoming day and remove any and all distractions
  • An hour before – Serves to remind participants and make necessary adjustments so they are prepared to participate

FREQUENCY:

  • Sending 3-6 email reminders is a good place to start
  • On the day of your webinar, there is no harm in sending multiple emails which give your participants extra notice.
  • The final email you send should highlight the education and knowledge that participants will attain within a bullet point format combined with the time. This will further entice attendance at your webinar and drive up the excitement factor of your audience.

DISCLAIMER:

  • There is such a thing as too much. If you get emails requesting that you stop sending reminders than make sure you heed this demand. Rather than stopping all together, it’s advisable to merely cut back significantly and send out the occasional reminder closer to the date.
  1. Introduction of Webinar

Developing trust and peaking the interest of your participants should be the main goal of your introduction. You’ve managed to attract their attendance. Now you must provide invaluable resources that truly speak to the needs of your participants.

The introduction is vital to the success of your webinar. It’s here where you entice your viewers and create a bond that will have them engaged and listening to what you have to say until the very end. Personality and qualifications go hand in hand in the creation of a successful webinar.

Making effective introductions involves establishing yourself as an expert and detailing what you have to offer. Your audience may or may not be familiar with your work. It’s a pre-emptive strike to take the time to establish credibility and to get your audience on the same page.

Introducing the topic in a fun and exciting manner is also crucial to establishing rapport with your participants. For them to remain engaged in your webinar they must truly understand the topic of discussion and the value that you will bring to the table. Your viewer’s knowledge of the subject at hand may vary extensively so therefore it is necessary to break down the topic in a clear and concise way. Don’t be afraid to use your personality as well as humor to make an impression on your audience. A good laugh goes a long way!

  1. Follow a Proven Structure, and Strategy from Before

To ensure that your audience remains with you to the end, seek to be clear and to the point. Jumping from one topic     to another only leads to confusion. Your content must be easily understood and the connections that you highlight need to be concise and practical.

In the case of webinars, its best to follow a well-laid out formula that guides you through the process. One that fits well with this format is termed the P.A.S.T.O.R. model

  • Problem – Identify and Clarify the problem that you are hoping to solve
  • Amplify – Delve deep into the problem at hand and provide intricate details that effectively illustrate how dire the situation is.  You want viewers to understand the seriousness of the problem so that they can fully appreciate the solutions you have to offer.  Keeping your audience motivated and paying attention is your ultimate goal. They will be more inclined to take action if they get a full and accurate picture of the scenario.
  • Story/Solution – Describe your solutions to the problem at length. You’ll want to include how you came to your conclusions and often it’s a good idea to incorporate a funny story to illustrate your points.
  • Testimonials –Reviews are extraordinary ways to validate your service. Ensure that your testimonials Include businesses as well as individuals who have experienced unparalleled success with your product or information.
  • Offer –You’ve highlighted your value and provided creative solutions. Now the time has come to showcase your offer. Clearly explain how your solutions can improve their lives or businesses. You’ll want to demonstrate how your service is unique and how investing in your product or service can effectively solve even the most difficult dilemma.
  • Response –Effectively you are asking your visitors to take immediate action. Your product and service is of great value to them and here you’ll impress on them the need to make solutions their reality by buying your product. Here you’ll need to be clear and explicit when directing your customers towards the exact steps they’ll need to take. (e.g. “go to this link” or “send me an email here”)
  1. Speaking In An Engaging Tone

Engaged audiences are created through inspiring speakers. Even the dullest subject matter can elicit a favorable result when presented in a fun and exciting manner. There’s an old adage which states that your tone of voice communicates far more words ever could. How you present your content is just as valuable as the content you have to deliver.

It’s important to pay specific attention to inflection, rate of speech and familiarity of content when preparing your material. Your personality and the way you present your content can impact your overall effectiveness significantly so follow the below mentioned criteria and your webinar will be poised on the brink of success!

Tip#1 Rehearse, But Never Memorize

To truly establish a connection with your audience you must develop an authentic rapport. If you seek to practice and rehearse every single aspect of your presentation you may appear robotic at times and your audiences will have a hard time relating to you. There is also a chance that memorizing your presentation as a script can backfire if you lose your place and freeze up.

However, if you feel your extensive knowledge doesn’t warrant practice, there is a danger that your laziness will be felt by your viewers and you will lose their interest. It’s important to hit a happy medium.

You want your viewers to feel like you are engaged in a passionate conversation with them. Rehearse between one to three times prior to your presentation. When deciding what to say, create generic talking points that you’d like to cover rather than a word for word script. Adlibbing will create ease with your audience but still keep you on point. While practicing, mark down areas where you feel your confidence lagging and then re-do these sections.

Take the time to establish a connection with your audience through confidence and ease and let the conversation flow. Your webinar will thank you.

Tip #2 – Make Speech Interesting:

Inflection is your friend. If used wisely it can help keep things interesting and spice up your webinar. Changes in your speaking tone help to keep your audience engaged and entertained. This is easily done by emphasizing certain words while you’re speaking or slowing down in important sections and pronouncing words in an increased volume.

Inflection breaks up monotony and draws the interest of the listener. Webinars often last for up to 40 minutes. Due to the fact that you are the solitary presenter, you’ll need to employ methods of interest to retain the attention of your viewers.

Tip#3- Never Rush When Presenting

Rushing makes it harder to comprehend what’s being said. Nerves are often the culprit when you find yourself breezing through your presentation. It’s not a competition and getting to the end faster does not mean you’ve run the race. This is the fatal error that many presenters make. Learn from their mistakes and take your time.

The strategic placement of a pause here and there can have the desired effect of attracting the audience’s attention and allowing you to slow down the pace of your presentation. Pauses also create opportunities to vary the speaking tone and generate viewer interest.

Don’t underestimate the power of taking a well-placed breath from time to time. It will allow you to refocus on your content and settle your nerves. Your audience has the ability to pay attention for extended periods of time if the speech is captivating and the speaker is interesting and charismatic. Speed isn’t everything and if you take your time you’ll find your groove slowly but surely.

CONCLUSION:

Webinars are the wave of the future. Not only are they powerful tools to increase your conversion rates they also foster strong relationships with your clientele due to their personalized format.  Follow the above steps to create your own unique webinar that will engage your audience and delight your audience. Your confidence will soar as your business prospers.  Anyone can do it and if you honestly apply these principles you’ll begin to see how powerful a webinar can truly be!



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2I1t1dU
via Daniel

Sunday, February 10, 2019

But What Are You Going to Do About It?

Over on Beyond the Rhetoric a while back, I blogged about some common sayings that annoy me. Words matter. For example, it really bugs me when people say something like “it’s my Friday” on a Wednesday. Sorry Irene. Just because you work a non-traditional schedule doesn’t mean you get to rename and redefine the days of the week. If that were the case, as a self-employed freelance writer and professional blogger, every day of the week is both my Monday and my Friday.

And another one of those phrases that really bothers me (but for a completely different reason) is “it is what it is.” You’ve surely heard it. You may have even said it yourself; I know I have. But it bugs me, because it perpetuates this diea that you’re just a helpless and hapless victim. That life is simply something that happens to you and you’re just a passive agent in this whole thing.

That’s simply not the case. You can’t just shrug your shoulders and give up so easily. If you do, you’ll always be playing the role of the victim and you’ll never be able to change your circumstances. Take the reins. Be in control of your own destiny.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone starts out with equal opportunity and equal circumstance. Some people definitely start with a leg up on everyone else and some people come from a much more challenging situation. It’s not fair. Life isn’t fair. But that doesn’t mean that you should just shrug your shoulders with a defeatist attitude and say, “But what are you going to do about it?”

Because that’s exactly the thing. What *are* you going to do about it? That’s really the key question here, as it helps to illustrate the difference between fault and responsibility. It might not be your fault that you grew up in a less than desirable neighborhood. It’s not your fault that you weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth. But it is now your responsibility, as a full-fledged adult, to do something about it.

Recognize what you can control and focus on that. Here’s an excellent example.

I have practically zero nautical knowledge whatsoever. If I were to accept the defeatist attitude of “it is what it is” or “what are you going to do about it,” I would simply accept my ignorance and assume that I would never know anything about boats or sailing ever. Of course, we all recognize that this is silly. I could read books, I could take a course, I could watch YouTube videos… there are plenty of opportunities to learn.

Taking it one step further, I think we can all agree that as a human being, I have no control over where the wind blows. Does that mean I have no control over which way the ship sails? Again, of course not. I don’t know the specifics of how this works (if you do know, enlighten me in the comments below), but you do have the ability to set and adjust your sails in whatever way you’d like.

In this way, while you cannot control the wind, you can control (to some extent) where you want your sailboat to go. If we were always at the complete and utter mercy of the wind, all those ships over the years would have never been able to go to where they wanted to go. Columbus would have never made his way over to North America and I probably wouldn’t be here typing these words.

If you ever catch yourself in a “what are you going to do about it?” line of thinking, take that question literally. It may or may not be your fault that Google slammed your site into oblivion. Now, it’s your responsibility to pick up the pieces and try again.



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2DvAQDo
via Daniel

Saturday, February 9, 2019

How You Know You Have an Effective SEO Team

The world of SEO is broadening daily and companies that know how to harness the power of a multi-disciplinary team are far exceeding their counterparts within the online business world.

Gone are the days where a solitary SEO could effectively run the show. The demands of the marketing world have given rise to the need to procure a team of professionals with specialized skill sets and abilities.

Given this information, two options present themselves. Companies can either hire an agency who have on staff the appropriate specialists or they can, themselves, seek to develop a team with the necessary expertise.

The advantage to creating an in-house team is that you have far more control of the process and can easily determine where and how to make adjustments if necessary.

Building a strong and dynamic team of experts can ultimately take your SEO organization and put it on the map. Picking just the right person for the job comes down to the area of expertise that you wish to acquire. For the purposes of this article, let’s now delve deep into what makes an effective SEO team and how you can create just the right structure to make your SEO thrive in today’s market!

Component #1: The Management

Any great team needs a leader to guide them. Managers oversee the entire operation and are integral to the organization. Strong leaders know how to delegate tasks effectively but also give their employees the trust and autonomy to perform duties independently.

Managers are responsible for pitching ideas and working directly with clients. As the pitch is ultimately what creates the sale, the person responsible and the individual executing the project must be one in the same. This creates continuity and customer satisfaction as promises made during the pitch will be attended to throughout the process.

Other duties performed by a manager include creating proposals, working out payment agreements and keeping clients updated and happy before and after the sale. While sales reps can bring in new clients they won’t have the level of expertise to capture big accounts and therefore the manager must be involved in this aspect of the business as well.

The goal of any manager is to make the sales process as seamless as possible. It’s important to get an accurate picture of a client’s strengths and needs in order to service them properly. A manager is in charge of initiating and facilitating an effective SEO strategy that will incorporate the skill set of the entire team and provide the client with a high level of satisfaction.

Component #2: The Content Producers

Great products speak for themselves and have the power to sell based solely on their quality. Your product is your content and how much traffic you generate through SEO hinges specifically on the quality of your work.

A content writer’s skills are not merely limited to articling for blogs. They also have the ability to create videos or infographics which are phenomenal tools to include and provide a multi-faceted approach to content.

Copywriting is yet another area where content writers can excel.  Email marketing or conversion rate optimization tasks can be delegated to content writers thus providing managers with the ability to focus on tasks of higher priority.

The quality you wish to generate is in proportion to how well you value your content creators. You’ll want to establish high standards and pay your creators accordingly. Valuable content garnishes approximately $100 dollars per post. While this figure may seem slightly overblown, modern day writers provide a professional service and if you pay them well you will be handsomely rewarded with backlinks.

Component #3: The Designers

Designers are valuable assets to an SEO organization. Custom images can draw substantial attention to your work and greatly enhance the quality of your content. Therefore designers are essential components of effective SEO teams.

It is unlikely that you’ll encounter an individual who possesses both writing and design abilities. As design requires a highly specialized skill set, you will need dedicate a position specifically to this area of expertise.

Whether you hire a freelancer or employ a full-time designer, it’s crucial that you include this component within the structure of your SEO organization. Freelance designers are great options for specific projects if a full-time designer is not in your budget.

Content creators and designers work hand in hand with one another to maintain the integrity of the work and managers oversee the process. Cohesiveness within a team environment has the ability to create immeasurable value and extremely powerful content!

Component #4: SEO And Link Building

PR and link building go hand in hand. Creating connections is truly what it’s all about. This particular component involves reaching out to industry professionals and developing mutually beneficial relationships.

PR is simply a broader term that encompasses modern day link building. Joint ventures and other profitable opportunities fall under the PR job description. Therefore, it’s important for SEO’s with link building abilities to expand their horizons and acquire PR skills to boot.

Relationships Grow Exponentially:

Developing relationships over digital mediums requires creativity, ingenuity and a comprehensive understanding of social media trends.

This brings me to the Network Effect. Simply put, this philosophy states that we stand together much more powerfully than on our own. Establishing relationships through online networking can be very fruitful. Each new member increases the value of the entire network across the board and all participants benefit from the experience.

Strong relationships formed over this medium can create opportunities for joint ventures. In your group you may even find yourself acting as a middle man between your contacts and facilitating connections that are mutually beneficial for both parties. As this may not directly yield results in the present moment, further on down the road your contacts will be more than happy to return the favor. This is the Network Effect.

The Network Effect is only truly advantageous when there are multiple participants and the community is fairly large. For this reason, it’s best to hire one specific person to do all your outreach. A team of PR/link builders will create a bunch of small networks rather than one large one. Let’s stand together and make ourselves a power to be reckoned with!

Component #5: The Technical Experts

The technical side of the business is still a very important component. It forms the foundation upon which all other aspects are built.

Site architecture and split testing fall under the technical umbrella. Keyword, load time and internal linking optimization are also areas that technical experts would be responsible for as well as implementing rich snippets and “rel” tags.   The technical side of your SEO is fundamental to your success and therefore deserves a significant role on your team.

Without technicians who understand these factors, your team would struggle and you’d have difficulty exposing gaps and flaws in your SEO.

SEO analysts often possess programming/development skills, but they can still work with developers. Large complex sites require a dedicated developer while SEO analysts can function just fine for a small WordPress site.

Component #6: Developers

Developers seek to create phenomenal experiences for site users. The value in your content speaks volumes but you need return readership to guarantee success. If site navigation or multiple ads overwhelm users than you’ll be less likely to receive return business.

Developers can assist you to make the appropriate modifications. Their unique skill set may even enable you to create different forms of content such as tools that benefit your target audience. SEOs often do not possess these skills so you may think to hire a freelance or full time developer.

With the aid of a developer, Quick Sprout was able to create a unique tool dubbed the Quick Sprout Tool. The subsequent business generated and the links it attracted brought us enormous success. The addition of a developer to our team actually increased our revenue by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Herein lies the value a developer can bring to an SEO team.

Component #7: What About the Account Manager?

Account managers exist to alleviate the burden of responsibility off the shoulders of the head manager. Often, they will handle most of the basic post-sale client communication. Post-sale reports allow managers to determine the overall effectiveness of the team and make adjustments accordingly. As the account manager is responsible for collecting the data they hold a critical role in the sales process.

Their responsibilities can also include customer support and often they are your first line of defense for issues or questions that arise.

Account managers take on a bulk of responsibilities once performed by the head manager. They will handle concerns themselves and pass them on to the SEO director only if they are not able to answer effectively and need a higher level of expertise. Primarily the position of an account manager adds value to an organization as now the head manager is free to prioritize other pursuits that can add to the overall growth of the company.

Component #8: Email and Social Media Marketers

Email marketing is an incredible tool to amplify the ROI of a company.  This coupled with social media marketing can yield the greatest return on investment (ROI). These two mediums tend to overlap and therefore must be attended to individually and can be allocated to different members of your team.

Social media can act as an effective channel for certain types of products and/or services. Regardless of which tool you implement it is crucial that these roles have input into your content marketing strategy. The content will need to be embedded within the framework of their emails and posts so to be effective as a promotional tool they must be allowed direct access into the process.

The SEO director can delegate these roles to copywriters or content creators who are more than capable of fulfilling these responsibilities. The final step of this process is to keep tabs on the progress of this initiative over email and social media. Tracking and documenting the process will provide solutions for future campaigns and allow the team to determine areas for improvement.

Conclusion

An effective SEO team covers all its bases. It’s crucial that the structure of your organization reflect the complexity of today’s SEO world. If you follow the above mentioned components and truly give them the weight they’re due then your team will dominate the SEO market.

Specialized personnel with specific skill sets can absolutely take your business to the next level. Whether you work with an agency or have an in-house team, these essential roles must be filled and optimized efficiently.

Survey your own company just for the heck of it. How many of these components do you yourself cover? How big is your current SEO team?  And if you were to contemplate making just one change, where would it be and how do you think it would improve your bottom line?

Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments in the space provided



from John Chow dot Com http://bit.ly/2E2xsRW
via Daniel