One of the top concerns for businesses everywhere is building and maintaining a strong relationship with clients. This is particularly true for agencies in the SEO and digital marketing industry, where success or failure lies on how good a company can relate to clients and its target audience.
The start of any good client-provider relationship is similar to dating. Both parties need to size up each other and try to determine if they’re a good match for each other. Questions will be asked, plans will be proposed, and deals will be made. After that, clients probably won’t care much as long as the provider lives up to their part of the deal.
An SEO campaign, however, can’t succeed if communication and a solid relationship with the provider are lacking. The success of your SEO campaign is only as good as your relationship with the service provider.
With that, here are a few things you might want to keep in mind on how to get the most of client-agency relationship and ensure the highest return of investment (ROI).
Connections and Understanding Matter
First off, remember that as clients, you’re working with people, too. It is not unheard of in the industry to hear stories of rude clients that show no respect for the people working on their campaigns. Nothing good ever comes from being unreasonable or impolite to providers.
While there will be situations where lighting a fire is encouraged, most of the time, you’ll want your project manager and team to genuinely care about you and your company. Project managers are more likely to exert extra effort and go the extra mile for clients they like to collaborate with.
Remember that a little friendliness goes a long way.
Encourage Risk Taking
Risks are part of any business activity, and this is no different in marketing.
SEO success is both an art and a science. Sometimes you need to be open to new ideas, and some of these may yield outcomes that you weren’t expecting.
Instead of taking these “failures” negatively, use it as opportunities to learn. Without any mistakes, there is no growth. Be careful, though; you do not want to end up looking incompetent. There’s no excuse for failing consistently or trying out a radical strategy that has no solid foundation or research.
Come Together
Clients choose an agency for a reason. Take the time to trust their judgments and recommendations. For the project managers, meanwhile, it’s okay to not come off as a know-it-all.
The client’s experience, vision, and connections are important factors to your success. Collaboration between the two parties should always be encouraged to achieve success.
Release the Positivity
Remember that positivity breeds positive results. Even if you have had a string of marketing failures and mistakes in the past, what’s important now is what’s in store for you in the future. Boost your chances of success by bringing a little excitement and positivity. You’ll be amazed at how differently meetings will go if you focus on future plans instead of past mistakes.
Striving for the best SEO return on investment and getting things done should be a task for both parties. Making this happen requires an effort from both sides. Sometimes, simple communication and collaboration can make great things happen.
Talk to your account manager today if you have any questions about your campaigns, or if you need any help with your marketing solutions. Sign up today and become a partner to receive your free SEO dashboard and to get the support you need for your online marketing business. Check back from time to time for more updates!