Discussion 5: How to Sell SEO via Email Spreading?
Machuret
Cold Emailing like a Spartan to sell Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Cold emailing only works when you do things different. This is an example of how cold emailing in fact works if you just "give it a go"
I applied this to SEO, because SEO usually brings the best ROI possible when doing cold emailing… and instead of doing the typical email approach, we are going to do something different.
We're going to really grab their attention.
We're going to trigger their curiosity, their egos, their need to compete – and we may even just piss them off in the process!
We want to make them think, "Who the hell does this guy think he is?!"
This is the difference.
Now here's how we do it.
Equipment:
An Email Spartan – that's you!
Email
Mobile phone
Facebook account
Balls of steel = Bravery
Rules:
Do not (DO NOT!) send to generic emails. Don't be a lazy Spartan! So no emailing info@… Only send emails to real people.
Technique:
First of all, know your industry and choose a keyword.
Find out who is ranking in top position, do a sneaky audit on them.
Now, find some companies ranking on the second page. Find who's in charge, get their names and contact details. (Read my guides "How To Find Contact For Cold Emailing – Parts 1 & 2" if you need help with this.)
Email them (duh)
Now, SMS them. Yep, that's right. Get your phone out of your pocket and send a message to someone you've never met who isn't expecting it.
Say something like,
"[Name], I just sent you an email about [main competitor's name]. When is it a good time to chat?"
Or, Facebook message them. What? But they'll see my name? And my face? And my dog?! I know. Remember, balls of steel … balls of steel.
WARNING: If you can't find a mobile number or you can't find them on Facebook, avoid!
For this technique to work, you need a combination of contact. So, email + SMS or email + Facebook. Otherwise, you're not doing anything differently!
Here are some email templates you can use: (I have over 35 email templates for sale if you need them)
Email template # 1
Title: 5 minutes to understand [Competitor's] strategy
[Name],
This may just be the best email you will receive this week – for real!
My name is Gab and my job in life is simple:
To help [occupations] like you to increase their revenue via online marketing – especially if they are located in [City]! I was in [City] last week by the way, beautiful town.
So let me get straight to the point: [Name], let me show you why [Competitor] is getting 4 times more online enquiries and leads via their website than you.
Attached is an audit of [Competitor] and their Google positioning. Would you like me to send you a comparison to yours?
Cheers,
Gab
By the way, I love how you xxxxx in your site!
Cold Email Marketing Works.
You may love it, you may hate it… regardless it works.
The art is not in the cold email. The art is in being smart and getting the attention in the most efficient way without being a royal ass.
The great thing of email is that with email anyone and everyone is reachable , so you have the same capacity as me to reach out to any CEO in the world.
The question is only one: who is going to do it in the smarter way.
Remember the Spartans. It's not about the numbers… it's about the strategy and the quality of those numbers.
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I like it – nice idea using text as a kicker. Facebook messages sound good but they just go into the not friends box, which on mobile isn't even seen.
How do you get the VA to send text messages from your phone number? Or does the VA just do the research?
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You read my mind…
Dave
Great minds think alike 🙂
Machuret » Dave
You add them as Friends. Always
Meakin
"I love how you xxxxxx in your site" … What sort of sites are we contacting here? 🤔🤔🤔 😂😂😂
Steve
I wonder what percentage of thos SMS messages earn you an instant block?
Ask my accountant
Steve » Machuret
Your accountant tracks your conversion rates?
Machuret » Steve
And cooks for me also
Windham
I have had zilch luck with cold email. Tried templates like yours mailed to thousands and nothing to show for it.
Because you messaged to thousands..there you go .
I bet you swipe right to anyone in Tinder also
Windham
Lol no I have great taste in women thanks. I am just saying it didn't work for me. I have plenty of cold email apps templates etc It has just never gotten me a client. Scopeleads for example does pull nice emails, it send personalized emails with website screenshot etc It just seems people do not give a shit about there own business. I have not had much luck building an agency despite my best efforts. I do other things ecom etc and make a living,and have a few clients from other contacts but cold email no luck.
Tom Ho » Windham If you are using Scopeleads then no wonder you are getting little to no response. Those "leads" are being bombarded to death! And most of their emails are generic ones like info@… As Machuret mentioned, you want to email to real person, not generic emails. Perhaps your success will improve then 🙂
Discussion 4: How to Sell SEO via Email Spreading?
Machuret
how to sell SEO like an authority even if you are not an Authority.
or … How to conquer a whole industry and get a client like a boss" (feel free to replace this title with something "guru" style)
Here is the angle:😎
People hate cold emails because they believe is a PITCH involved…. but what if the email is not a pitch but an emailing informing them about your decision to educate them.
here is the way it works. Gab Cold approach tip #278
1. Select an industry in 1 town that has high competition but not INSANE competition .
Let say 8 to 15 active competitors…
2. Be sure the "decision maker is reachable"
(no. don't be a clown. don't send emails to support@ or info@ )
3. Before you do the same stupid move or offering a "free audit" – someone please kill me – be sure you you have in 1 excel file, the decision maker, the email, the url, and the top 10 to 12 keywords ALL THE 8 to 15 competitors are going for
4. We are going to presume one of these 15 companies is CRUSHING IT… so we are not going to email this person/company we skip it.
5. We add the 14 remaining in our Rank tracker , because you are going to track 10 keywords per url, you are going to need 14 urls x 10 so let say 140 keywords available.
6. Okay this is going to take some time because you are going to add them all as competitors… it takes around 2 hours to have the 13 tracked with the competitors (actually 1 hour , depends on how bad is the Netflix movie)
7. Okay sorted, Now go to your Report Template (the one that gets sent to the client) and change the title to a call for action) – this is how you are competing vs X in [town]. [Name] let's talk. I think we can improve this numbers if you implement some of my strategies [your number]
8. If you want then to be a boss, you can email them all and notify them you did a competition analysis of all of them and you are happy to work with 1 of them … you can also educate them that you "are sending all of them" a ranking report, to bring awareness about the marketing opportunities in their industry etc
9. Done.
Some tips 🧐
1. only do this with industries that are worth your effort,
2. be smart how you address the message.
3. this is not super scalable
4. it works! (for god sake stop telling me why it will not work and try it – then come and troll this)
5. is a bit painful to setup
There you go… (now.. go bananas and tell me how awesome I am – I have a tiny ego so any comment below makes me feel better about my tiny confidence levels)
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I built my first agency on cold email. Not like this though. This is way better.
This method is pretty much gold. If you're struggling to get clients, you probably have some time on your hands, so maybe give this a shot.
Matt
I really want to test this out on SOLO attorneys in my area. All their email addresses are on the state bar website. Alot of them have egos lol. This could work well
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Plugaru
Did this at scale, but without luck.
So we all know there are around 42K zip-codes in the US, right?
I user my rank tracker to find all the businesses in one single niche, let's say: hair salon. For each and every zip code separately.
So then I had a huuuuuuge database of local businesses. I imported the raw data in a business intelligence tool and connected some more data points, specifically the population per zip-code. I was then able to compute a few metrics that apply to each website I found. Metrics like AveragePosition, Visibility, but most importantly – their most important 2-3 local competitors.
So then I was able to send thousands of personalized emails, with their competitor in the subject line. A few replies, but no luck getting clients.
It is, however, very very scalable.
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Mark
This sounds a great idea to me. People should and will be aware of their competitors name popping up in the title of an email.
Not convinced ranking for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) " enter small town" has ever given me much except small, slightly annoying clients tbc.
You got to go searching for new business rather than sitting back and hoping the universe feels generous in B to B. B to C is different.
That's kind of business 2.1 isn't it…?
However England can be a " bit" backwards when it comes to digital marketing.
Keep it up Gab. Great content!
Crago
Machuret, an informative post. Well done!
I will give it a run, but with a much smaller sample (thinking 5-6 only).
I run new clients through my 'qualifying filter'.
i.e. no startups, no online-only businesses, 3+ years operating, 5+ full time staff and manufacturing or providing products or services locally. And the final item… annual turnover of $1,000,000+
This might seem a harsh assessment, but these businesses are able afford $500-$1,500 per month for quality SEO.
And in any town/city area of 25,000+ population, there are lots of businesses that fit that description.
Discussion 3: Email Marketing is One of Some Powerful Tools for B2B and B2C in SEO
Jessica Foster 🎓
How important is email marketing to what you do for your clients? Is it truly "dead", like people like to say it is?
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It's not dead but highly abused – I read very few of the newsletter I opt in
And if a marketer sends me 2-3 per day he goes to the ban list lol and reported as spam
Messenger marketing I believe is the future
Interested. I find messenger marketing to be much more aggressive.
Marco » Jessica Foster
Intrusive yes but highly engaging.
because they are not implementing it correctly you feel harassed – but a good bot is super effective campaign right now – some feel like the person is talking to you
Elise
This is really interesting. I truly can't tolerate messenger marketing. It feels so incredibly invasive.
Personally, email marketing still works for me, despite getting way too many emails. I think they are still very necessary for e-commerce.
Great points Jenny. Plus let's also note that when you're heavily using Facebook for promotion and selling…you don't own that list. I know it comes up in every Facebook marketing conversation, but the fact remains – at any time, Facebook can make using a bot more expensive than its worth or drastically limit your reach.
Marco » Elise
That's where you all are actually missing information
Messenger marketing you own the list you export it to to anywhere just like email and plus you can integrate it to tooons of tools via Zapier
How expensive is it? 12/mo Less then active campaign or any email automation.
Not sure you have the whole picture
Messenger marketing is a 2 way. Email is one way only really.
What I'm trying to convey is – you have to do things different to stand out and those embarking on email alternatives are getting better results..
Especially brick and mortars – who wants their emails!?
Elise » Marco
This is interesting. I'll have to look into it further. Thank you for bringing this up. 2-way seems a little…hopeful, from my perspective.
Marco » Elise
Absolutely! It's actually very fun to engage with your audiences on a conversational level!
Jenny
Email is one of the most powerful tools a marketer can use for business to business (B2B) and to consumers (B2C) alike. I started in email 8 years ago and as I've loved branching out to other channels, I can't deny the strong ROI email brings to the table even today. I'm actually seeing stronger conversion rates in 2018 than I saw in 2017. I've worked with brands across a wide range of industries and 90% of the time we integrate some form of email campaign into their conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy.
Email is often discounted because most marketers use the batch and blast mentality without thinking of it as an opportunity to build 1 to 1 relationships. Building out an email strategy that leverages the right messaging, segmentation, personalization, and is driven with a true understanding of the audience will convert in any industry. Guaranteed.
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Segmentation is dope. I've used it with great success at all stages.
Jenny » Diaz
And with so many tools offering automated segmentation for free it's easier than ever before!
Diaz » Jenny
It's a no brainer. 1000% agreed.
Keith
I always find the 'fill in the blank' marketing is dead argument to be a lazy way of saying, 'I don't know how to/not willing to learn how to do it correctly'. Like any form of digital marketing, to be done well – you have to invest time and resources to be good at it. Email marketing, just like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Ads, Google Ads, etc… continues to drive a positive ROI for me and the brands that I manage. I pay a lot of attention to it and try to invest in quality content and keep it relevant to the audience.
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Diaz
It's not dead and the real question for me is why not? Email is so cheap, drips are so easy to setup and can be part of a broader follow up strategy. Unfortunately, with all digital noise that users and conversions are exposed to, you have to touch the conversion so many times to get the desired effect. It's an easy way to build online trust by giving solid value. Open rates haven't been the same in my experience.
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Kutcher
Email marketing is one of the most important activities that ANY organization can do. It is IMO the best way to stay connected with your audiences that have chosen to receive your content. Funneling visitors to your email lists remains one of the #1 tasks for almost all of my clients, as it should be.
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Randy
Email is a very important and irreplaceable channel. The craft of subject line and snippet creation is a sensitive art/science that requires exhaustive testing. Same content, same subject line with only a preposition changed and I've seen the open rate go from 7% to 23% recently. Send time is also a factor that changes results significantly. It requires hard work and persistence but what doesn't??
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I have been tinkering with this myself. My emails have a 42% open rate on average. I need to grow my list, though.
Randy » Jessica Foster
Test every assumption. What we think going in is usually off target.
That's a very high open rate. We send out 800k for a membership org and are very pleased to see 21% open rate. Are you offering free samples of Haute Brion?
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Jessica Foster 🎓 » Randy
Yeah I have heard that is high. Like you said, I need to test my assumptions. I think I have mastered the "clickbait-y" subject line. I get a solid amount of clicks though, too.
Umana
Can any of you share what send times and subject lines have driven your better results?
Randy
Can't share subjects without revealing client strategies. Regarding time it absolutely depends on the audience. For 55+ affluent consumers 10:30AM local time has been best. For working women with kids in grammar school, 4:30PM has been best. The time of greatest receptivity depends on the type of offer, too. As I said earlier, we have assumptions going in, but keep adjusting until we get it right. We typically burn through 3% of a list on testing for a new campaign, sometimes more. The results vary so profoundly based on little things that it's obligatory. Here's an example. A campaign for a family entertainment venue had two subject versions: "Your kids will love…" and the other said "The kids will love…" Guess which one was opened twice as frequently in an A/B test with no other variables? Tell me why and you get the gold cigar!
Jesse Neubert 🎓
Email marketing is gold. It took a dive for a while. Was spammed to death, lots of players left that channel. Now its wide open again.
Last camp I ran for a pre-launch test had 1-3k hot leads a week come in.
The problem is 99.99% of email marketers are doing it all wrong.
YES!!! To that point… I've been brand side for the majority of my career running CRO for enterprise level brands (which a majority of is via email) and it's my biggest money maker.
Tools like Mail Chimp have empowered every person with internet to think that they know email marketing, which overflows a users inbox while providing a visibility challenge.
That's the biggest email marketing issue and why so many claim it's dead while refusing to adapt to the changes of the landscape.
Just taking a look at my inbox and I can call out dozens of reasons why brands are struggling in email. I mean… boring subject lines, preheader text, and dry email copy everywhere. Most the time it's all far too technical, professional, and bland. No one takes the time to segment o make it fun and engaging. I mean, we all need to stand out among 100's of solicitation emails. Give your users something interesting to read. Don't make it dry, and don't use words you wouldn't say in real life. Don't talk to them like they're a business machine, They want the things they're reading to be engaging.
It's a pretty simple concept actually. It's shocking how many disagree.
Discussion 2: 7 Tips to Getting Badass Results Like This Screenshot From Your Cold Email Outreach
Leon
Here Are 7 Tips To Getting BADASS RESULTS Like This, From Your Cold Email Outreach:
🦁 Keep it short and sweet, get straight to the point of what you offer and hit them hard with what exactly you can help them with.
So many email marketers just dance around what they are offering and bore the shit out of people with a two page email when they can just have one or two lines, that say exactly what they do and how it can help
🦁 Personalise your message so they can feel that it speaks to them directly, their business and is not just another mass message blast.
People aren't as stupid as what you might think they are. Stop being a lazy SOB and put some time, energy and effort into your emails
🦁 Add some scarcity so it gets them moving to take action in getting back to you.
We are all programmed the same way, even if we have different values and needs. We will automatically move away from anything that chases us and moves towards something that moves away from us. Use the same strategy in your cold emails
🦁 Don't try and sell them on the first outreach. Just see if they are interested first and push for them to just reply.
There's nothing that screams "I'm desperate & needy" than a lonely guy at a bar, that offers any girl a drink or wants to take them home, as they speak. The same goes when you offer your services to just anyone straight away. Make them move towards you and let them know that not just anyone can work with you or have your services.
🦁 Add some proof so they can soothe their inner Croc Brain and not see you as a threat.
People believe what they see, more than what they hear or read. So remove the.. "I call BS" from their mind with social proof or proof of your past results, other than yourself just stating how good you are.
🦁 Add some humour and your personality to your emails so it sets you apart from the rest of them.
There's nothing more powerful that can cut through the human side, than humour. Some of my biggest deals were won with large corporations, from me having a laugh and fun in the conversation. In order to move people.. you need to make them emotionally move and doing this with humour is a great tactic.
🦁 Follow up and follow up again.
The likely hood of them of not getting back to you straight away is very likely. People are more busy and distracted than ever. Don't leave money or potential clients on the table by just sending one or two emails.
If you found this post helpful, give Steven a big shout out for creating this awesome group and the time he dedicates into it!
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Very valid points Leon.
It is very easy to forget that you are actually trying to connect with a real person and provide something useful.
I find after many many emails sent and composed that being upfront and real always wins. It is hard to make that a template. You actually have to treat everything individually.
I can say that when you get good, you can pull links from a short list of candidates easier than sending out in mass.
Exactly, the more personalized, the better. I keep this exact structure/ flow handy to remind me what works.
Connor
Great pointers, would love to see the template you use for cold outreach. 😉
It's a sequence of emails, Connor. Nothing to it really, just follow the structure and test the shit out of it, mate.
Here's the first cold mail outreach letter, for local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) lead Gen.
Good luck and hope you have success with it
Subject: <town/city> <niche jobs>
Body: Hi, <name>,
It's (your full name) here, we haven't spoken yet but I've been meaning to connect out to you and see if you're open to taking on any more <niche jobs> in the <town/city> area, in the next upcoming months?
Some of the potential jobs would be:
<most desirable niche jobs>
<Second desirable niche jobs>
<Third desirable niche jobs>
And a few <niche jobs>
Let me know if you'll have the capacity to take any of these jobs in the upcoming months and we can have a quick chat about how this could work.
<name>, looking forward to hearing from you soon, mate.
<your name>
<your phone – that goes to your Virtual Reality (VR)>
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Zul
Thanks for sharing 😊
Discussion 1: Getting Clients | Cold Calling | Cold Emailing | Google Ads | Facebook Ads | Content Marketing | Others (What’s That)
Jubair
Interested to know how you getting clients!!
1) Cold calling
2) Cold emailing
3) Google ads
4) Facebook ads
5) Content marketing
6) Others (whats that)
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This is the exact process I used to get clients (before I was full-time):
• LinkedIn Groups
• Twitter Hashtags
• Facebook Groups
• Instagram Hashtags
• LinkedIn Prospecting
• Yelp Business Profile
• Organic Search (SEO)
• UpWork/Fiverr
• 99Designs
• Craigslist Job Postings
• LinkedIn Content Slides
• Local SEO ⭐️
• Job Postings Sites ⭐️
• E-mail Marketing
• City Chamber Networking
• City Trade shows
• Content Marketing ⭐️
• Paid Ads (Facebook, Google)
• Referrals/Referral Networks ⭐️⭐️
• Eye-Catching Marketing Materials
• Thumb-Stopping Blog Content
• Press Releases (Optimized for Local)
• Memberships (BNI, AMA, AIGA)
• City Directories – New Businesses for Last Month
• City Directories – New Businesses for Month Prior to Last
I've recently showed this list to a few of my marketing pals and past clients, and now they're on track to filling their pipeline.
Hope this helps! 🤝
This may satisfy you: Cold Calls to Sell SEO Services