So you’re talking to someone at your local café while having a cup of coffee before you start work for the day. They ask what you do and you tell them you are into online marketing and search engine optimization. However, this is when it occurs to you. Not everyone is well versed in how the computer works, the internet, and other new online industries. Most people may not understand the terms you use like SEO, long-tail keywords, search engine rankings, so on and so forth. So what can you do to better communicate your online marketing work, not only to people interested in what you are doing but to also your clients, your boss, and associates?
Here are five effective ways to better communicate your online marketing work:
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Don’t Assume They Know What You Are Talking About
We do not want to insult anyone’s intelligence, so we usually just assume that they know what we are talking about. However, if you want to make sure you are clearly communicating your work to someone else, it is important to talk in simple terms that most people will understand. This is a key factor to make others understand the kind of work that you do. A good example would be a doctor that talks to their patients using scientific and medical terms for diseases and conditions, only to have the patient say, “What?”. This will instantly make it harder for people to relate to you and you will have to repeat yourself, but by then the attention of the person you are talking to may have already diminished.
To make sure you are clearly communicating your online marketing work, it is important to leave the industry lingo out and to talk in a way that most people will understand easily. Try using layman’s terms. If possible, create a mini-speech that captures the gist of your profession in 3 to 4 sentences. What’s more is that you’ll finally have a ready response when people ask you what you do for a living.
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Explain What You Are Doing
The second way to clearly communicate your online marketing work is to simply explain what you are doing. If you are doing search engine optimization for a website, then talk about SEO and how it improves the chances of people finding that particular website through search engines. Using examples to explain your work clearly to people interested can help them understand what you are doing and even impress them enough to use your services in the future. This also shows that you have the expertise to get the job done.
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Talk According to Your Audience
You will want to adjust how you explain your work depending on the person you are talking to. If you are talking to someone who has no experience at all with online marketing, then you may want to stick to basic terms. However, if the person you are talking to has experience or knows the kind of work you do then it may be a good idea to get more into depth while talking to them.
Someone who has done web development in the past or is currently doing it may be interested to know the details of your work, while someone without this experience may get bored. So make sure you adjust the way you explain things depending on your audience. This also has an impact on your job. If your boss asks you how your work is doing, they may not be entirely interested in all the details; they just want to know if things are still on the right track and if you’ll be able to meet the projected deadlines.
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Storytelling
One of the best ways to explain anything is through storytelling. When you are talking to associates or even your boss, you could just tell them the raw data but unless you are a special kind of person, this information may just go in one ear and out the other. It is important to captivate your audience with powerful storytelling.
You can use visuals, dashboards, and other means to provide the information you are trying to convey. By making your message interesting, you can hold the attention of your audience and they are more likely to remember what you told them.
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Document Your Work
When it comes down to online marketing and search engine optimization, it is important to document all of your work. This allows you to show your clients what you have done exactly while also making you more reputable. If you want to provide your web design services or SEO services in the future, you can really sell your capabilities through proper documentation that potential clients can look at.
After all, when people are looking for a digital marketing and custom website design company, they will want to know your style and what you are capable of doing before they hire you. This is so they know they are making a good investment and are not wasting their time.
Those are five effective ways to clearly communicate your online marketing work. Just like with most things, you will want to be transparent, easy to understand, and know what you are talking about. Do not be like a doctor that unleashes a load of unknown technical terms – you will not be helping others if you keep doing that. When talking about your online work, you want to be relatable. After all, no one wants to hire or work with someone they can’t understand, right?