How I get quality SEO clients with cold email 2024

Summary

In this video, Sergio, founder of Axel Leads, explains how his agency helps SEO clients book qualified sales meetings through outbound strategies. He discusses the challenges of using SEO for lead generation, such as market saturation, commoditized offers, and low urgency. Sergio highlights the importance of differentiating your offer by creating unique value, using case studies, and offering guarantees. He also shares how custom videos showcasing specific SEO opportunities can create demand, build trust, and drive revenue. By scaling this approach, agencies can fill their sales pipelines with ideal prospects.

Takeaways

• 🚀 SEO agencies face stiff competition, making it difficult to stand out by ranking through their own services.
• 🎯 Referrals can work but are unreliable for consistent lead generation; paid ads and outbound outreach are better options.
• 📧 Outbound email marketing for SEO faces challenges: it's a saturated market, SEO is seen as a commodity, and the audience is already aware of SEO's benefits.
• 🔑 SEO agencies often struggle because their offer gets lost in the noise or lacks urgency for prospects.
• 💡 Two main approaches for outbound: either hope prospects are currently looking for SEO or create demand where it doesn’t exist.
• 👥 Customizing outreach by focusing on specific outcomes (e.g., revenue, brand awareness) relevant to the prospect increases engagement.
• 🎥 Offering a lead magnet, like a custom video audit, adds value and helps differentiate from competitors.
• 🏆 Case studies, testimonials, and industry-specific success stories can build trust and authority with potential clients.
• 💼 Offering a guarantee can mitigate risk for skeptical prospects, potentially increasing trust and conversions.
• 📊 SEO should be framed as a revenue-driving solution rather than just a technical service, making it more compelling for decision-makers.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the video?

The main objective of the video is to explain how the speaker helps SEO clients book qualified sales meetings and the strategies used to achieve this, particularly using outbound lead generation.

Why is it difficult for SEO agencies to generate leads using their own SEO services?

It's difficult because SEO agencies are competing against the top agencies globally, making it hard to outrank established players with more resources. This pushes smaller agencies toward referrals, paid ads, or outbound strategies.

What are the three main challenges in pitching SEO via cold email?

The three challenges are: 1) SEO is a saturated offer, 2) SEO is a commoditized offer, and 3) the market is already aware of SEO services, making it harder to stand out.

What are the two major problems that result from these challenges?

The two problems are: 1) Getting lost in the noise, as many companies are pitching SEO, and 2) SEO is seen as a low urgency offer because it's considered a 'nice-to-have' rather than a 'must-have' solution for businesses.

What are the two approaches SEO agencies can take when doing cold outreach?

The two approaches are: 1) Reaching out to people who are already open to SEO services and hoping to catch their interest, or 2) Creating demand where it didn’t previously exist by educating potential clients and offering value.

How can SEO agencies create demand that didn’t already exist?

Agencies can create demand by framing SEO as a solution to business problems like increasing revenue, improving brand awareness, and reducing the cost of lead acquisition. By doing this, they educate potential clients and position SEO as a strategic business tool.

What role does offering a guarantee play in cold outreach for SEO services?

Offering a guarantee helps build trust with potential clients, especially those who have been burned by SEO in the past. It reduces their perceived risk and increases the likelihood of them considering the service.

How does targeting specific roles within a company improve the effectiveness of cold outreach?

By targeting specific roles, such as a VP of Sales or Head of Brand Marketing, and framing the offer in terms of the KPIs they care about (e.g., more inbound leads, increased brand awareness), the agency can make the outreach more relevant and appealing to the recipient.

What is the importance of using lead magnets in cold email outreach?

Lead magnets, such as a custom video audit, are important because they provide value upfront, demonstrating how SEO can help the prospect. This engages the prospect, builds trust, and encourages them to consider the services being offered.

Why is scalability important when conducting cold email outreach?

Scalability is important because not every prospect will have the budget, interest, or availability to respond. Sending personalized outreach at scale (to hundreds or thousands of prospects daily) increases the chances of filling the sales pipeline with qualified leads.