Wednesday, July 31, 2013

SEO Reseller Tips - The Definition of the Ideal Modern Marketer

Perhaps the most difficult part of being a white label SEO reseller is balancing parties on two different ends. On one end there's the client, the person who pays you in exchange for services. On the other end, there's the provider, who you pay to give your client the services they need. But here’s how you can make it less complicated. Think about it this way: you're simply dealing with two "customers" with different needs. That’s something a modern marketer can easily do.

But what exactly is a “modern marketer” anyway? Is he simply someone who is able to change his approach based on the kind of customer he is serving, just as how resellers change their approach to bridge providers and clients? Is he someone who prioritizes testing to find out which campaigns actually work? The definition will always change per person, primarily because this is very a subjective topic. But then again, there's a way to quantify what people often qualify. And that's exactly what marketing software company Eloqua did.

Defining the Modern Marketer: From Real to Ideal

Eloqua sponsored a research (conducted by BtoB Research Services) to find out marketers' perception on what a model marketer should be. The survey, which we here at SEO Reseller Tips are lucky to have secured a copy of, asked over 550 professionals who are active in digital marketing.

Among its goals were to define "modern marketing," get a picture of who an ideal modern marketer would be, and where marketers currently stand compared with this ideal marketer. And true enough, knowing your audience and adjusting your approach seem like some of the best qualities needed to become an ideal modern marketer.

Respondents said the "ideal" is composed of 30% targeting. The researchers cited the following as examples of "targeting": knowledge of people involved in the buying process, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, and dynamic profiling to adapt to changing environments. The second biggest chunk was engagement, which accounted for 24%. For instance, delivering the right content at the right medium at the right time is good engagement. Our SEO reseller followers can check the full composition of the ideal marketer below

The ideal Vs. actual modern marketer (Source: Eloqua)

How the Actual Marketer Fares Vs. Ideal

As you may see in the graph above, today's marketers rate themselves as being only 65% of what the ideal benchmark is. For example, they rated themselves only 21% when it comes to targeting, which is what the biggest concern of an ideal marketer should be. They were also short when it came to the second biggest factor, engagement, grading themselves with only 16% out of the possible 24%.

Of the possible 19%, actual marketers are only 12% when it comes to conversion. Researches gave an interesting example of conversion, and frankly one that is often the disconnect in online companies these days: collaboration with sales and delivering high quality leads. When it came to analytics, which accounted for 13% of the ideal marketer's composition, actual marketers were graded only 8%. Marketing technology accounted for 14% of the modern marketer but the actual is short at 9%.

Transformation of Marketers to 'Modern'

What's transforming the "modern" marketer (Source: Eloqua)

The BtoB survey defined a modern marketer as someone who pays attention to the following areas: targeting, engagement, conversion, analytics, and marketing technology. These are the factors that make a marketer "modern." But what exactly led to the transformation of the traditional marketer to a modern one?

The study found that "tracking marketing ROI via technology" is the most transformative factor today's marketers are coping with. It's the biggest change that contributed to the formation of the modern marketer, being rated as No. 1 by 60% of respondents. The surveyed professionals also believe the use of social media in marketing (58%), shift of power from brand to customer (42%), and maturation of demand generation and lead nurturing (42%) are also important changes that "modernize" marketers.

How is Modern Marketing Success Measured?

As the tracking of marketing ROI via technology is a massive concern for today's marketers, it's also not surprising that appeared as a key indicator of marketing success. Researchers asked respondents what measures are most important in gauging marketing success and "marketing ROI" topped results at 35%. This is quite difficult to achieve for businesses that employ various strategies to market their products. On the contrary, those who use purely white label PPC advertising are able to track ROI easily. The ability to influence sales (24%) and conversion rate (16%) also garnered double-digit percentages.

How "modern" marketing should be measured (Source: Eloqua)

Customer retention (9%), customer experience (9%), revenue per customer (7%), and social media metrics (7%) were the other measures for gauging marketing success.

How 'Ideal' Marketers Help Resellers

White label SEO resellers are in essence marketers because they conduct various online efforts geared toward marketing the brand. For example, search engine optimization is of course aimed at landing on the page 1 of Google to that the website can be visible online, and so it can be used to market products. PPC advertising is of course aimed at sending targeted traffic to a sales funnel, and that is essentially marketing. That is why it is important to pay attention to what the modern marketer is up to nowadays.


In a nutshell, the benchmark marketer wants data to see the progress of campaigns and to prove whether his activities are bearing fruit. The use of technology is also crucial. As a reseller, this translates to being able to provide your clients "quantifiable" or "measurable" data on your reports. They also want data that's mined through technology, such as the dashboard technology of white label SEO reseller provider Endlessrise. The dashboard enables your clients to check data about their campaigns just by logging into the system. Remember, it is easier to prove the success of your efforts by providing data to clients and using technology to gather and present that data.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Breaking SEO Reseller Tips: The Best and Worst B2B Email Subject Line Keywords



As an SEO reseller, you are constantly searching for new clients. One of the best ways to do it is to conduct email marketing, which can be as complicated as using software to manage lists of tens of thousands or as simple as writing an honest proposal to a prospect. Regardless of which methods you use right now, there's one crucial piece of the process that matters a lot. It's writing the email subject line.

The email subject line is so important to email or list marketers because much of the success of their campaigns depend on it. Maybe you've heard copywriters say that headlines are the most crucial part of the copy because if people don't read it, they won't read the rest of the copy. Such is the case of the email subject line. And frankly, some SEO resellers struggle to get clients not because they are not good marketers or managers. Sometimes, it's just because they use poor subject lines.

Good thing we stumbled upon a recent study on the most effective and least effective email subject lines. According to British marketing agency Adestra, the keywords "breaking" and "alert" perform well for B2B marketing. (We'll focus on B2B since this is the category resellers likes us fall into.) On the other hand, "reports" and "forecast" performed poorly. 

See the full table below:

B2B Email Subject Line Keywords

(Source: The 2013 Adestra Subject Line Analysis report)

Best, Worst B2B Email Subject Lines

As you can see, the word "breaking" registered a high open rate variance vs. the average at 35.4%, leading all keywords in this category. "Alert" also performed well with 32.9% open rate vs. variance. No other listed keywords fared in the 30's although editor (28.7%), weekly (27.5%), and update (26.8%) fared well with late 20's percentages. Broken down by objective, "breaking" was best performing for B2B content emails. For date, it was "weekly" while for subscriptions, the pound sign ranked highest.

On the other side of the fence, the keyword "forecast" registered the worst open rate variance at -34.0%. Take note the variance is against the average, thus the negative open rate percentage. Report was another word in the negative 30's at -30.6%. This week (-18.5%), newsletter (-11.2%), and top stories (-11.2%) also fared poorly.

What the Subject Lines 'Say'

If anything, B2B email recipients have most probably gotten tired at seeing the word "report," which is pretty much one of the most abused terms in the history of Internet marketing. Saturation point, as they say.

On the brighter side, B2B email recipients seem to appreciate timely matters, at least based on the subject lines they open. The top two performing keywords, alert and breaking, convey some sense of immediacy or urgency and business owners seem to appreciate urgent or timely matters. The other top performing word, editor, conveys a sense of authority. Here at SEO reseller tips, this only means business owners want to receive timely messages from people with authority.

What About Free, Deals, Exclusive?

Breaking: Use Breaking for B2B emails.

Common keywords like free, deals, and exclusive were lumped into the B2C category and for a good reason. These are keywords that are indeed targeted at consumers. If you're curious, the word free registered a -10.3% open rate variance vs. average. Deals was surprisingly good at 7.3% while exclusive was even better at 11.3%. The biggest performers in this category were the words review and iPad, which registered 37.1% and 37.3% rates, respectively. On the worst performers, trial (-45%) and discount (-38.8%) were the leaders.

Perhaps this says a lot on how we should treat customers. The most striking was the word review, underscoring the importance of online reviews. Some studies suggest that majority of surveyed consumers now trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. And the iPad? Well who doesn't want one!

How to Use this Survey to Get Clients

First and foremost, if they signed up to your mailing list, use the words "breaking" and "alert". That's obvious because these words generate great open rates. Also, ensure that if you use these keywords, you actually have an "urgent" message for your prospects.

Second and more importantly, remember the word "reviews." Online reviews matter today and the best way to optimize reviews is to use correct search engine optimization methods. We highly recommend Endlessrise SEO Reseller Programs for you to use. They have basic, advanced, and custom packages so you can choose which ones suit your clients best.

Another reason why we recommend these guys is because they are experts in Online Reputation Management. Remember reviews? You want positive reviews but you also want negative reviews to sink down on search results. Endlessrise are experts at SEO so they can help you push down negative reviews using positive reviews, articles and blog posts, videos, and other relevant types of content.

Finally, if you are not using list marketing but have clients who do, share this report to them. A good SEO reseller isn't just a service provider to business owners; he is also a partner who is after the welfare of his client. You may think it's a very small thing to do, but "sharing timely information from authoritative sources" to your clients is one great way of building rapport and nurturing them for the long haul.



Monday, July 15, 2013

SEO Reseller Tips: More Google Plus, Authorship Accounts Appearing on Page 1 Search Results

As SEO resellers, we want our clients to rank as high as possible for their target keywords. We want customers to see our clients and to buy their products. We want clients to see improvement in their site traffic and eventually in sales so that they will continue to use our services. Unfortunately, that isn't exactly easy; especially in highly competitive niches. And then, there was Google Plus.

The Plus Factor

Google Plus is the world's second-largest social network, behind, and quite far from, Facebook. A GlobalWebIndex study found that it now has 359 million monthly active users. From June 2012 to March 2013, its user base grew by 33%. This was a growth rate that enabled it to beat micro-blogging site Twitter as the No. 2 social network.


Snubbed: Google Plus used to be the butt of jokes.

Like other networks, Google Plus is an attractive product for SEO resellers. While it is still not as popular as Facebook, it is gaining momentum and business owners are learning more about it and its benefits. And like other networks too, this platform allows users to create a profile page, customize it with profile and cover photo, and of course, to post updates.

It is powerful as a marketing and networking tool because users outside your main network or circle can see the content you post. Your content can go viral in this social network and you can use that to generate traffic and find new customers.

The Authorship Factor

Google Authorship is associating the content you create online to the profile you have on Google Plus. It is a feature that can help establish your credibility and authority online. It is a must-have if you're a content creator. If you're marketing your business online, chances are you're a content creator.

That's why Google Plus is more than meets the eye. It is more than just a mere Facebook wannabe. It is more than a social network. It allows you to establish authority online through Authorship and then impact organic search results through your public status updates. Google Plus has an amazing feature called Search Plus Your World or SPYW, which enables your posts to be indexed by Google and display them as part of search results!

This means you'll be able to carry out your social media work (engaging with prospects) and the results of that work can spill over to search results.

10% Boost to Organic Search Results

According to a study published recently by SEO technology company Conductor, the use of Google Plus and Authorship can affect search rank placements. The company analyzed searches for the world's top technology writers' names and it seems Google is "surfacing" writers with Google Plus and Authorship accounts. 


Tech writers set up Authorship too. Source: Conductor 
Making personal brand searches like names, the company found that from 33% in January 2012, the percentage of page 1 postings from Google Plus accounts rose to 43% in May 2013. Some 90% of the top 500 tech writers had a Google Plus account and three in every four of those set up an Authorship account.

It seems Google is paying more attention to content creators who are trying to establish their authority in their niche. If you can help your clients establish their credibility online, that would give them better chances of ranking on Page 1 for their keywords.

"Are Google Plus and Google Authorship the silver bullets for helping you and your content to be discovered on Google?" asked Jon Parks, a digital marketing consulting agency owner and contributor at online marketing resource Marketing Pilgrim.

"No, but they are really big pieces of the puzzle. Creating relevant and engaging content is still critical to being found online. But Google Plus and Google Authorship are changing how that content is presented within the search engines, and I believe that's a good move."

Give Clients the Plus-Authorship Boost

As an SEO reseller, it's your job to explain to clients how you optimize their site. This nugget of knowledge about Plus-Authorship will help you explain what these services are and why they need these accounts today.

Google Plus is a social network but it is more than that because it enables content creators to set up their Authorship accounts. Authorship allows marketers to establish authority and credibility online. And if the Conductor study is any indication, Google is putting more weight on content that is linked to a Google Plus profile.

On the other side, ask your private label SEO reseller partner too if they have Google + setup and optimization. Ask about Google Authorship setup and optimization, too. If they say yes, you can start offering the service. If they say no, consider looking for another backend provider who can carry out the service for you. This is an opportunity you should not let pass.

To Sum It All Up
More Google Plus and Authorship results are appearing on Page 1
Help clients rank better by setting up Plus and Authorship accounts

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

SEO Reseller Tips: DIY Vs. Outsourced Copywriting


A lot of white label SEO resellers would outsource anything to providers. Be it a simple header for a Facebook fanpage or a high budget PPC campaign, these projects are often carried out by providers for resellers. However, there are some tasks that other resellers would not outsource to providers no matter what happens. And it's not because they cant find backend providers capable of doing a good job in that department; sometimes it's just because they really want to handle it on their own. What are we pointing at here? Copywriting.

The greatest copywriters have boiled down this discipline's definition as simply "salesmanship in print." While good grammar is certainly a must-have, copywriting puts that in the back burner. What takes the driving seat here is selling... it's effective storytelling that attracts attention and convinces prospects to buy. Sounds familiar? Of course! It's because it's basically the same work private label SEO resellers like you do every single day.

Copywriting and Reselling Side by Side

If you look at the parallels, these two fields indeed have a lot in common. They both are after a common goal of selling. Informing, entertaining, and  engaging are other objectives but those are secondary. What copywriting and reselling really aim to do is to sell. It's to convince prospects to pay you for your services. It's for them to avail of a one-time service. It's for them to subscribe to your monthly services.

That's why you may not realize it... but every time you're talking to a prospects and pitching your ideas, you're essentially selling. When you put your words into print, it becomes salesmanship in print, which is basically what copywriting it.

The 5-Step DIY copywriting for your business.

Copywriting expert John Carlton said so. You can read his posts and you'll find copywriting nuggets here and there. Mr. Carlton is not just a guru; he is the quintessential writer-marketer. He knows this stuff. Other names you can look up are Drayton Bird, Claude Hopkins, and Gary Halbert. They are legends.

Should Your Outsource Your Copywriting?

Here's what a lot of white label SEO resellers do. They outsource the copywriting needs of their clients BUT they take care of the copywriting for their own business. This is merely an observation. Does this strategy work? Will it work for you?

Again, some resellers opt for this strategy because they simply love selling. All they need to do is to put their salesmanship in print.

Here's a tip: Imagine you're pitching your services to a prospect. Record your pitch. Transcribe it. Take out that "ahms" and "ahhs." There you have it: a sales letter to send your prospects.

However, this is something that is hard to achieve when it comes to clients needing copywriting services. Copywriting takes a lot of time and if you decide to do everything on your own, you will run out of time for your core business. Remember, a reseller's focus is always on looking for new clients and nurturing your existing relationships.

Also, be wary of possible dangers when outsourcing copywriting tasks. There are A LOT of good writers on freelance and micro-job sites. However, the problem is they usually cannot distinguish copywriting from typical article or blog writing. This can be problematic for you and for your clients if you asked for a sales letter and ended up with a keyword-rich article. That's why it's always better to outsource copywriting to 1) exclusive copywriters (a bit pricy than usual writers) or 2) to backend service providers that offer and differentiate article writing and copywriting.

If You're a Copywriter, You Can Be a Reseller!

We've discussed that if you're a white label SEO reseller, you can be a copywriter. Just put your salesmanship in print. But what if it's the other way around. Can a copywriter becomes a reseller? No one said no! Of course you can! In fact...

A copywriter is in a perfect position to become a reseller. That's because 1) he has a network of clients 2) he's considered a trusted authority by his clients 3) his clients need the services a reseller offers.


Why a copywriter can be a white label online marketing reseller.

Endlessrise is a good place to start for copywriters who want to become a private label SEO reseller. Go ahead and read their back story. Dive into their blog and learn more about their services. They also have a lot of helpful information that will answer your FAQs about this business.

Think about it... Maybe you're just beginning in this field and you only have three clients. Those clients own websites. Those sites need contact optimization. Every now and then, they will need graphics. And then they will need social media optimization. Or, if they need traffic, they might want PPC. These are services that a white label SEO reseller offers and you can make it your side business to resell these services.

To Sum It All Up
  1. White label SEO resellers are in essence copywriters
  2. Resellers should be careful where to outsource copywriting tasks
  3. Copywriters are in the perfect position to become resellers