Skip to main content

Organic Search: Kicking off a New Client as a Strategist

M
Written by My Welch
Updated over 6 months ago

Uploaded: 10/1/24

Process Owner: My Welch

Staffing and Deployment:

  • All new clients and resigns are announced through the new-client-deployment channel - if you are on an account, you will be tagged in the post!

  • Team members will all be added to an internal client Slack channel

  • AM will schedule an Internal Kickoff

    • Meeting Objective: This is time for the sales lead to give the internal team all the information they need for the account, discuss what was discussed during the sales process and go over the sales to marketing handoff sheet [example]

  • AM will schedule an External Client Kickoff

    • Meeting Objective: This meeting will include the client and kickoff Power Digital’s partnership. The AM will lead the call and each channel strategist will introduce themselves during the Team Slide, and speak to their respective slides within the presentation

Strategist Roles and Responsibilities Prior to External Kick Off:

  • Internal Kickoff Meeting: Please read the client Blueprint and Schedule A prior to the meeting and come prepared with questions that would be helpful to guide your channel strategy

    • Ensure services, hours, and outsource costs look accurate in the BP and match the Schedule A - if there’s discrepancy flag to the AM immediately

    • Other helpful questions to ask:

      • What CMS is the client on?

      • What level of familiarity does the POC have with SEO?

      • Did we do an Organic Search forecast during the appraisal?

  • Research client website, product line, high level competitors

    • Note: If we have GA access, take a quick look at performance for the last 6-12 months to get an idea if Organic Search has been trending down or up!

  • Kickoff survey - Share important questions for the AM to include in the kickoff survey respective to your channel

    • Examples:

      • Who is your target audience?

      • Who are your current competitors?

        • Note: competitors that the client may think are competitors may differ on the organic search landscape, the blog, and collection pages - esp for ecommerce

      • What are your top products/services you want to drive prospects to?

      • Are there any new products or services that are currently NOT reflected in the existing website that we need to know about?

      • Do you have any established brand guides/marketing materials?

  • AM will create the external kickoff deck [example] and share in the internal client slack channel

    • Align w/ AM & internal team and update your channel specific slides within the external kickoff deck

  • Prep for competitor keyword gap analysis & note initial questions about competitors for the kickoff call

  • If this is your first client kickoff, please review the Intro Best Practices Deck to practice your introduction as a Strategist

During the External Kickoff Call:

  • During your channel slides:

    • Ask the client who will implement (us or them)

    • Ask the client their most important categories/products / best sellers - if they did not share in kickoff survey

    • Ask for the client's Organic Search goals

    • If ecomm, ask for a promo calendar

    • Take down notes of any action items or notable insights

Strategist Roles and Responsibilities Post External Kickoff Call:

  • Recap your channel specific action items from the call within the slack channel

  • Continue to get to know the client’s website, products, offerings, areas for opportunity

  • Review the blueprint and schedule again to understand what you are responsible for and when each deliverable is due

    • Begin work on month 1 deliverables (Note: all deliverables will also be assigned to you in Asana)

    • Ensure AM has a clear understanding of delivery timelines for SEO & Content deliverables

SEO Specific Deliverables:

  • Keyword Gap Analysis: If you haven’t already, confirm list of competitors for the Keyword Gap Analysis–you will need 3-4 to get started!

  • Technical Audit: Look at the forecasting doc to see what team members will be conducting the Technical Audit. You must confirm access to GA, GSC and CMS before conducting the audit.

  • Note: Let your AM know that the Keyword Gap Analysis and the Technical Audit will require two separate 1 hour meetings for presentation.

    • IMPORTANT: For the Technical Audit, the client’s technical and/or engineering team is required to be on the call.

Content Specific Deliverables:

  • Note: When a new client kicks off with Content strategy, they will automatically be added to the Content Deliverables Tracker Asana Board

    • WATCH: Instruction Video on how to update the board

    • Expectations:

      • Strategists will update their client specific dashboards each Friday

      • Weekly updates will be left in the form of comments

      • Instructions:

        • Weekly Update: Any roadblocks, wins, next steps/solutions, pivots?

        • NOTE: Once you update your client dashboard tasks in the Asana Content Deliverables Tracker, please PUSH the due date to the next Friday versus marking the task complete, so we can view your weekly comments historically.

Did this answer your question?