For some, getting local SEO clients is one of the most challenging aspects of running a digital marketing agency.

We can’t really blame them since the competition is now tighter than ever before.

But, don’t be discouraged.

The internet is a massive marketplace, and both SEO experts and agencies have plenty of opportunities to find SEO clients.

It might be difficult at times, but if you know where to focus your attention and efforts, you might just hit a goldmine in no time.

The key lies in your sales strategy.

If you are equipped with enough knowledge, right strategies, and useful tools, you will never run out of clients to accommodate.

Now, brace yourself because in this article, we will be teaching you how to sell your digital marketing services and get local SEO clients efficiently.

Target Market

One thing that local SEO experts and marketers tend to miss nowadays is their target market.

The thing is, marketers and SEO experts often find themselves all caught up searching all over the internet for clients.

Again, the online marketplace is a massive place where you can quickly lose yourself if you don’t know what you are searching for.

However, if you have first-hand knowledge about your target market, you will give yourself plenty of time to grow and thrive in the business.

Having a target market will help you shape your services, especially since you are offering specific expertise.

While reaching as many people as you can sounds like a good sales strategy, it is still more useful to focus your attention on the right people and businesses who are in dire need of your SEO services.

Begin your marketing plan by identifying the characteristics of the clients you want to deal with.

Set your monthly profit goal, then determine the number of clients you will need to achieve your target revenue.

If you are having a hard time identifying your ideal target market, here are some tips to help you recognize them:

• Clients or businesses who trigger your interest and make you want to serve or support them.
• Clients or businesses who you know will benefit significantly from your SEO services.
• Clients or businesses who have enough funds to support your SEO strategies and goals.

To date, most of these clients are usually engage in standard home services or are managing small local businesses. Home services are some of the best businesses to target for SEO but don’t be afraid to expand your horizons and reach out to lawyers, healthcare providers, and artists.

Know Your Audience’s Needs

Once you have identified your target market, the next thing that you need to do is understand their needs. This is where market research goes into play.

Launching a market research campaign will enable you to gain valuable information about your potential clients.

You should know that understanding your audience plays a vital role in your marketing strategy.

With the data that you will gather from this initiative, you will be able to answer essential questions relevant to your marketing campaign.

Some of these questions are:

• What are your target markets’ pressing concerns in their businesses?
• What are the factors that affect their willingness to invest in third-party services like online marketing services?
• What are the products and services offered by your potential clients?

Now, here are some ways to gather client information.

• Visiting their website or physical store (business).
• Reading magazines, articles, and blog posts.
• Joining online groups and forums.
• Getting in touch with business owners.

Note that being able to get in touch with your potential client will give you better leverage and opportunity to promote your services.

Aside from that, getting the problem out of your clients directly will make it easier for you to give better suggestions and craft the best SEO service for them.

SEO Pricing and Service Packages

Once you are finished with your market research, it is now time to develop your service offerings based on the needs of your target market.

With the help of the information you gathered from your research and conversation with your potential clients, you must create SEO service packages that will cater to their demands.

You should know by now that companies have different SEO needs. Therefore, you should always be prepared to customize your services and provide competitive prices to your clients.

The following will give you an idea about the current pricing of local SEO services based on a survey conducted by ahrefs.com on over 350 respondents (marketing agencies, consultants, and freelancers) this year.

Hourly SEO Pricing

Based on the data gathered by ahref.com, 36.78 percent of their respondents are charging their clients per hourly work.

It was found that 25 percent of the respondents using the hourly pricing model are charging their clients $100 to $150 for their SEO services per hour.

On the other hand, 13 percent of the respondents charge between $41 and $50 per hour while 19 percent is charging $76 to $100 for their services.

The data also revealed that SEO agencies charge more per hour than independent contractors or freelancers.

53.45 percent of SEO marketing firms charge over $100 per hour while only 15 percent of freelancers charge the same. On average, agencies charge around $134.66 per hour while freelancers charge $68 per hour.

Monthly SEO Pricing

Based on the same Ahrefs data, 74.71 percent of the respondents charge their SEO clients monthly retainer for some of their services.

23 percent of the said figure charge a monthly retainer or $501 to $1000 while 45 percent of the respondents charge $501 to $2000 per month.

Again, digital marketing agencies are found to charge more than freelancers. On average, agencies charge $2800+ per months for their SEO services while freelancers only charge $1300+ per month.

Fixed Price Project

43.39 percent of the respondents charge a fixed price or per project fee for some or all their work. 25.17 percent of the respondents charge around $501 to $1000 per project.

Again, agencies are found to charge more for their projects as compared to freelancers. On average, agencies charge $5,000+ per project while freelancers charge $1500+ per project.

How to Sell SEO Services to Local Clients

At this point, you already have the information that you need about your target market and has set up your basic SEO packages as well as your service fees.

The only thing left to do now is for you to actually sell SEO services to local clients.

This time, you need to focus on three essential things: prospecting, sales pitch, and proposal.

Prospecting

The purpose of sales prospecting is to search and get in touch with potential clients and business partners.

When prospecting, your goal is to move your target customers through your sales funnel and convert them into revenue-generating clients.

Unlike leads, prospects already qualify as potential clients.

They are the people and businesses who made it to your list of ideal target customers.

There are two ways to get in touch with your prospects: either by outbound prospecting or through inbound prospecting.

Outbound Prospecting

Outbound prospecting involves cold calling or social spamming your prospect. These two are done by sending or making unsolicited messages and phone calls to sell your SEO services.

Inbound Prospecting

On the other hand, inbound prospecting includes warm emailing and social selling to reach the prospect.

Unlike cold calling and emails, warm emailing and social selling explore the potential relationship with leads who have already expressed their interest in your services.

While both prospecting methodologies can be used, it is always advisable to use inbound prospecting since it makes use of responsible processes to reach clients.

Done right, you should be able to sell SEO without cold calling and you’ll find this process much more enjoyable in the long-term.

Sales Pitch

Sales pitch plays a significant role in your marketing and sales strategy.

More often than not, the success of your marketing initiative will lie heavily on your sales presentation and convincing pitch.

A compelling pitch will trigger the interest of your prospects by initiating real conversations rather than quick talks.

If you want to deliver a convincing sales pitch, make sure that it’s personalized.

Avoid those generic dialogues and instead, focus on the benefits that your SEO services can contribute to your prospect’s business.

Add testimonials and reviews from previous or existing clients to support your claims.

Also, make sure that you will provide realistic solutions to the needs of your potential client.

Know your limitations and never compromise your reputation by making promises you can’t keep.

All of this is much easier when you standardize the process with a sales script to make selling SEO predictable!

Proposal

Once you get the undivided attention of your prospect because of your compelling sales pitch, you now need to prepare your proposal.

A winning business proposal shows all the information that your potential SEO client needs to see.

Collate all pertinent information about your prospect, his/her business model, and the status of his/her online marketing campaigns.

It is also recommended to add presentations or video demonstrations of your SEO offerings.

Before submitting your proposal, make sure that you already have a clear understanding of your potential client’s expectations and the things he/she wants to accomplish in the long run.

Conclusion

Congratulations!

You’re all set now to land high-paying SEO projects.

Remember, all the tips included in this article are designed to help you create an effective marketing strategy for your digital marketing agency.

However, don’t forget to refine these strategies based on your target market and industry.

Happy selling!