Businesses all around the globe are rapidly embracing digital marketing services to stay ahead of the competition. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local businesses are no exception, and they too are increasingly investing in such solutions to reach their potential customers.
According to a study, the global e-commerce market size reached USD 16.6 Trillion in 2022, and it is projected to reach USD 70.9 Trillion by 2028 at a CAGR of 27.43%.
This suggests great opportunities for resellers to offer digital marketing services to SMEs and local businesses. Businesses can benefit from such services through increased visibility, better customer engagement, and improved brand loyalty.
However, selling digital marketing services to SMEs and local businesses requires a comprehensive sales plan. That’s why we’ve created this guide with 8 tips for local SEO reseller service providers to help them increase their sales.
How to Resell Search Marketing Services to Local Businesses & SMEs
As discussed above, the demand for digital marketing services is growing, and resellers need to ensure they capitalize on this trend. Here are a few tips to help you sell digital marketing services to local businesses and SMEs:
1. Provide Clarity on Your Offer
Most business owners confuse SEO with online marketing and assume both are the same. Resellers must provide clarity on what services they offer and how these can help the business reach its goals.
SEO is a subset of digital marketing, and its tactics are used to optimize content so that it can rank higher in search engine results. Relevant content can help businesses reach their potential customers, build customer loyalty, and increase their online visibility.
Other digital marketing services that can benefit local businesses and SMEs include social media marketing, pay-per-click marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and mobile marketing. So, make sure to provide clarity on the services you are offering and how they can help businesses achieve their goals.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: It is advised for young digital agencies to specialize in one particular area of digital marketing, such as SEO or PPC, and then expand their portfolio later on. Alternatively, you can also outsource requirements as needed.
2. Understand Your Target Customers or Clients
As a digital agency, you need to understand that your target customers or clients are different. Every industry has a different set of challenges and market trends. They have different needs, and thus, they prefer an agency that understands their pain points, bottlenecks, and requirements.
Therefore, create a customer profile for each type of customer, understand their needs and requirements, and create a tailored solution that would best meet those needs. You should do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to understand your target industry and choose your niche accordingly.
Here’s an infographic from WordStream that provides further insights into SWOT analysis:
Understanding your client’s business is crucial to create an effective marketing strategy. You need to know who their target audience is and what their needs are. This helps you create content for them that resonates with their audience, helps them get more leads, and eventually increases sales.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: It is advised for young digital agencies to focus on one particular niche and specialize in it. This will help you build a better understanding of the industry, get more referrals from satisfied customers, and set up a strong foundation for your business. For instance, you can promote yourself as a digital marketing agency for doctors or educational institutions.
3. Create Customer Avatars and Buyer Personas
New digital marketing agencies often struggle to understand their target customers. To solve this problem, you should create customer avatars and buyer personas for each type of customer.
The customer avatar has distinct personality traits and demographic and psychographic characteristics, so you can easily target them and create a suitable marketing strategy to address their needs. Similarly, buyer personas help you understand your customer’s buying journey and create campaigns to address the various stages of their buying process.
To do this, start by researching who your target customers are and what their needs are. Once you have this information, create customer avatars for each type of customer from different industries. You can then run split tests to understand which customer avatar performs better in terms of engagement and leads. These will be the best suitable clients for your agency.
Researching their budgets and specific objectives will also help you make informed decisions. You should also consider their values and how they want to be treated. The customer’s values will differ from industry to industry. Lastly, clarify the services you are offering and how they can help businesses achieve their goals.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: Gather as much data as possible about the target customers. This will help you create more detailed and accurate buyer personas, which in turn helps in getting more customers. Additionally, keep in mind that the customer’s needs and requirements will evolve, so make sure to update the buyer personas regularly.
4. Look At the Right Places
Knowing where your target customers are, is key to success. You should look for them in the right places depending on the industry and target audience. For example, if you are targeting millennials, look into social platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Likewise, if your target audience is the adult population, you can find them on Facebook, local directories, LinkedIn, their website, social handles, and in-person meetings.
Remember, people have changed their consumption habits drastically due to the pandemic, so it is essential to adjust your digital marketing strategy accordingly. Sticking to old methods like cold calling or spamming potential customers digitally won’t work anymore.
When looking for potential clients, also look into their competitors and what they are doing. It will help you gain insights into their strategies and identify potential opportunities to target them more effectively.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: Without a clear understanding of the target customers and their needs, it will be difficult to reach them effectively. Conducting a survey or focus group to understand customer preferences and behaviors is also beneficial.
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and create a digital marketing strategy that resonates with them. This approach will help you establish trust and credibility, leading to successful customer relationships.
Conduct thorough research on their business, market trends, target audience, and the best ways to tap the market. Find the right places to reach out to your target customers and build relationships with them. Analyze their current marketing strategy and identify any pain points they have. Then, suggest the best solutions to address those pain points.
5. Build An Emotional Connect
Knowing your target customer’s emotions and understanding how to tap into them can be a great asset. Use storytelling in your campaigns or offer personalized services and discounts to build an emotional connection. Show them you care by being available to answer their questions, address their concerns, and offer helpful advice.
Be proactive and take the initiative in starting conversations. Listen to their feedback, implement their suggestions, and promote it through your channels. This will create a strong emotional connection and generate positive word-of-mouth.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: Remember that trust is built over time, so take your time to nurture the relationship. Offer value and be consistent in providing quality service. Regularly update customers on what’s new with your services and products.
It might take time to win their trust, but once you have it, the customer will be more likely to convert. They will also be more likely to recommend you or write reviews about your services and products.
6. Offer Additional Value
Today’s market is very competitive, and you must differentiate yourself from your competitors. On average, every business receives three to four calls weekly from a digital marketing agency in the US.
You need to stand out and make sure that your customer remembers you. Offer additional value that no one else is offering. They may include free content, helpful resources, discounts, or giveaways.
At SEO Vendor, we take an entirely different approach. If you sign up for the SEO Vendor agency account, you will get access to free tools like Marketing Engine, Lead Engine, Site audit tool, and many more. You can use these tools to help your clients understand their marketing goals, build effective digital strategies, and get better results from their campaigns.
Don’t over-promise, instead, focus on creating value for your clients. Offer them something that would make their life easier or help them reach their goals more quickly. Such a value addition is more likely to convince them to choose you over your competitors.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: It is advised not to ask for payment upfront. Demonstrate your expertise by providing value through free consultations, advice and additional services. Once you have built trust and credibility with the client, they will be more likely to make a purchase.
7. Use the Language of Your Target Audience
Many agencies make the mistake of using industry jargon when talking to their customers. This can be confusing and off-putting for the customer. Assess the expertise level of your clients and use the language accordingly.
If they are beginners, avoid using industry jargon and provide simple explanations. If they are experts in this area, be careful with your word choice and explain things in depth. Always keep your conversation logical, and don’t make any false claims.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: Building relationships is key to a successful digital marketing campaign. Use the language of your target audience and show them that you understand their needs. This will help you build trust and credibility with your customers.
8. Demonstrate Your Expertise
In the digital world, customers want to know that you are an expert in your field. A great way to demonstrate this is by sharing case studies of previous successful campaigns you have managed.
Share your knowledge and educate your customers on how to use digital marketing for their benefit. This will show them your expertise and make them more likely to choose you for their digital marketing needs.
Show your customers that you understand their industry and specific needs. Focus on providing solutions instead of just offering services. Demonstrate your expertise by sharing case studies, your current campaigns, and the results you have achieved.
SEO Vendor Pro-Tip: If you’re a young agency, lack of experience can be a challenge. In this case, you can access our free content library and provide your customers with helpful resources. This will show them that you understand their industry and needs, as well as demonstrate your expertise in digital marketing.
Keep in mind that building relationships with your customers is key to successful digital marketing campaigns. Use the language of your target audience, provide value, and demonstrate your expertise. If you do this consistently, you will be more likely to stand out from your competitors and build a successful digital marketing business.
Providing local SEO reseller services can be a lucrative and rewarding business. However, there are many factors to consider when setting up your reseller program. At SEO Vendor, we offer a comprehensive program to help you get off the ground quickly and easily. Our platform provides access to free tools, professional support, and a range of other features to help you deliver great results for your clients. Contact us today to learn more about our local SEO reseller program.
