What are the characteristics of a good internet marketer? I can’t help to hear the horror stories from people that go through some very awful and terrible SEO experiences with other firms. Over promising and under delivering seems to be a very common thing in the internet marketing world and it seems to be getting worse as times get tougher. I have a feeling it is going to get a bit worse before it gets better out there in the wild wild west. Take the time to find the right marketer for you and your company.
These are our ideas of a good internet marketer:
Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
Being upfront with a client is very important for nurturing a long business relationship. Tell them everything about yourself, your business and your marketing approach. Don’t fluff everything up for it to only come back to bite you in the ass down the road. Be proud of who you are, what you offer and where you came from. You can’t please everyone so just be yourself and be honest and most clients will notice this attribute.
Don’t Yes your Client to Death
If you are early in the sales process and you are trying to get the business don’t say you can do everything and find out later on that you have to put your foot in your mouth. Don’t say yes to everything! If there is something you know you can’t do or accomplish just say so in the initial sales process. If you offer to pull someone in that can do a piece of the work right your client will value that decision much more than if things hit the fan down the road.
Knowledge Is Key
A good internet marketer should be knowledgeable about the industry they are in. They should know about industry changes before the clients do. Of course it is difficult to keep up with all the latest and greatest websites that pop up almost daily but it is important to keep an eye out on the new hot social networks, industry tools and changes where a client can spread their brand and get noticed online in front of their audience.
Availability & Dependability
Whether you freelance or run a company it is important to be available to your clients at all times. SEO and internet marketing related items can often times be difficult to understand so your clients are going to have questions throughout the process. A good internet marketer does not hide from their clients; they are open to conversation fairly easily. Communication is key in any service based business and a good internet marketer won’t be scared to reach back out to you.
Be Genuine
We have brought on clients in the past just from being genuine people, and we are. Just being a nice person on the phone and treating your clients or prospects with respect is business 101. Don’t try to be someone you are not. Be a genuine and kind person and good things will follow.
Show Your Creativity
I think this just goes without saying but a good internet marketer must be creative in more ways than one. You need to be able to think outside the cookie cutter approach and really apply some creative marketing and branding techniques. SEO is not all technical. You need to have some business savvy branding and marketing creativity to get the job done right.
These are qualities I see in us so I feel they are important in the industry. You might have your own definition of a good internet marketer and that is fine. If I missed anything on this list please leave a comment below and let us know!