Life's A Pitch (Part 1 of 3): The pitch process and agency selection
Identifying the need for a pitch
First thing’s first: Why have a pitch?
Your current agency relationship/s is/are tired. There’s nowhere else to go; the agencies you’re working with are all out of ideas and, as a result, your competitors are leaving you behind.
Attitudes. A very common reason for brands to decide its time to move agencies is as simple as a change in attitude of their incumbent – either arrogance, complacency, or just that they no longer come forward with new and exciting ideas or observations.
Relationships. Your account director’s gone, the creative director’s gone, the agency has changed hands and frankly, things just aren’t the same.
Dynamics of your brand. Your brand is moving with the times (as it should) and you’re mad keen to adapt to new consumer trends…
5 questions you should be asking about your SEO agency
At some-point most business have explored outsourcing "SEO", although recently more businesses I speak to are bringing it back in house. A recent guide from Hub Spot sparked this blog post as they have created a short guide to identifying a "Bad SEO Service" you may be interested in. You can check it out here.
While their guide is good, I think it can be distilled down even further & I would even say you should even question whether you need an SEO agency at all!
Identifying a poor SEO Agency:
Here are the questions prompted by the guide:
Q1. Do you they make unrealistic promises - "Guaranteed number one spots". Against which phrases?
Q2. Are they delivering HUGE keyword lists rather than telling you the ones to focus on. The 80-20 rule holds…
Question: Our company is planning to out-source our SEO. We have lots of companies pitching, what are the major things we should be looking for from these agencies before we hire one?
Answer: You will hear many similar promises or processes from SEO agencies so it can be difficult to tell them apart. Based on several SEO pitches I have run for clients and reviewing a lot of proposals talking to a lot of clients on SEO courses, here are 7 important questions that I would advise asking - it"€™s vital that you do all you can to find the best fit possible!
Exactly how will they improve our results? Some SEOs may be unwilling to disclose techniques, but ethical techniques are well understood and documented and so an open relationship about SEO methods is essential. It will aid internal learning as well as ensure that you integrate better. Take an example…
