Greg Roth

If you can create interactive content that’s truly valuable, you’ll generate a ton on backlinks and it will be great for SEO in so many ways. But how do you create something insanely useful? I’d use the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework to come up with a tool, widget, quiz, grader, or calculator that adds significant value through deeply understanding your audience’s needs. JTBD is based on the idea that people “hire” products (in this case your content) to get a specific “job” done. This job can be functional, like completing a task, or emotional, like achieving a certain feeling. Use this framework as you brainstorm and it will increase your chances of creating something that resonates.

When setting up a lead magnet, whether it's an ebook, checklist, cheat sheet, or any content upgrade, I always include a checkbox for opting in to receive promotions, discounts, or more info about our services. This approach aligns with Seth Godin's concept of permission marketing. The key benefit is folks who self-select to receive follow messages are more likely to be high-quality leads. They have already shown interest, making them more receptive to the follow up offer. Also, I make it clear that we respect their inbox: we'll only send one follow-up email, no relentless hounding. This strategy not only builds trust but also enhances the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. A great, cheap and easy tool for this is mailmunch.com.

I’ve heard marketers on LinkedIn parrot the phrase, “Your brand is not your logo. It’s your reputation.” Well it is your logo. It’s all of your touchpoints. It’s your look and feel (logo, copy, etc.). It’s your people and products (UX, customer support, etc.). It’s all the parts of your customer experience. And your reputation is built on your customer experience. So yes, your brand is your reputation but that includes your logo.

A simple “How did you hear about us?” survey at signup/checkout does the trick. I suggest drop-down options and an “other” option for them to write in. We have our survey connected to our CRM and we zap it to a Google Sheet and a Slack channel so we can see the feedback in real time instead of a quarterly review. This real time feedback has helped us spot trends and shift ad dollars to take advantage of opportunities we’d otherwise be sleeping on. The integrated tools we use for this process are super affordable and easy-to-use: - Typeform (cheap) - Zoho CRM (cheap) - Zapier (free) - Slack (free) - Google Sheets (free) BTW: If you’ve never zapped anything with Zapier, you’re missing out.

Consider creating SEO-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and checklists. These documents serve as a clear guide, ensuring uniformity in approach and understanding. Here are the key elements of this approach: - Detailed SOPs: Cover essential SEO tasks like keyword research and content optimization. This sets a standard, helping team members align their practices. - Consistency & Clarity: SOPs provide a common reference, reducing misunderstandings and ensuring consistent application of SEO strategies. - Objective Discussions: With SOPs, team dialogues shift from subjective opinions to a focus on adhering to established guidelines. - Adaptability: Regular updates to SOPs keep the team agile and in sync with evolving SEO trends.

At Unitel, I'm famous for my one-pagers. When tackling big digital marketing projects, I swear by a one-page document that slices the project into bite-sized phases. Each phase gets its own set of tasks, with rough timelines (days or weeks). The cool part? Every phase has a 'Show & Tell' section - a quick blurb describing what winning looks like at that stage including tangible stuff to show off. This way, everyone knows what's up, what's next, and how we're nailing it. These one-pagers are clear & concise storybooks. They keep everyone in the loop, ready to tackle hiccups, swap ideas, and tweak things on the fly if we need to. It's all about getting buy-in and making big projects less scary. If it can't fit on one page, it's too long.