Training is a cornerstone of our business. We love helping agencies master the art of search engine optimization and marketing. We also love improving how we train each time we’re invited to. After training over a dozen amazing digital marketing agencies, we believe we’ve mastered the art of ROI-driven SEO training and quality assurance.
Our Approach With This Client
We originally started training agencies with workbooks and with classroom-style teaching techniques. What we found was very little engagement and zero personalization. Let’s just say it was a learning experience we want to forget.
With this client, who specialized in online reputation management, we went in empty-handed and tried to focus on the current needs and improvement opportunities.
The Agenda
- Day 1 – Assessment
- Day 2 – Training
- Day 3 – Training, QA & Dinner
Day 1 – Assessment
We came in early, did a brief all-hands introduction and started interviewing each team, including sales, project managers, content writers, technology / web developers, outreach / PR, and management teams. We collected all the current checklists, forms, spreadsheets, training documents, intake forms, PowerPoint presentations and anything else we could get our hands on.
That night, our trainers worked from 3 p.m. until around 2 a.m. putting together a custom training program that incorporated as much of the existing process as possible, thereby enhancing the current program rather than making each team start from scratch (which was extremely appreciated).
Day 2 – Training
The day started with a brief 30-minute meeting with the leadership and management teams, going over the game plan for the day.
Starting with Sales, we made suggestions that involved educating clients and providing helpful information to equip their prospect with what they need to know about SEO before selecting a package. We also helped solve a major problem with the handoff from Sales Rep to Project Manager, which management was very happy to hear.
We went through our SEO Strategic Plan with the Project Management team, along with project life cycle, communication and account management improvement suggestions. We introduced reports that highlighted success and outlined opportunities. Let’s just say we’ve never actually had a standing ovation for training before this particular session.
Technology team members learned how to perform an Obstacle Analysis Report, how to troubleshoot tough technical issues with certain content management systems, how to upgrade a website CMS without the risk of losing rankings and geeked out a bit into some serious tech topics.
Content teams learned how to segment selling vs marketing content and then how to optimize specific SEO focal points, such as titles, meta descriptions, headings, media, cross-linking and so forth.
Outreach teams learned how to use Buzzstream and where to get additional training on the CRM for tracking links. They were provided examples and sample outreach templates for inspiration. More importantly, they were warned of the dangers involved in violating Google Webmaster Guidelines to “game rankings.”
Day 3 – Training, QA & Dinner
Training on Day 3 was more quiz, trivia and Q&A than actual training. All teams seemed to know their next steps, had all their new templates and tools we recommended and were ready to take on the tasks ahead of them.
We spent a majority of the day at the desks of individual employees to observe, answer questions and help however we could.
The day ended with a wonderful dinner at a Las Vegas buffet where the video above was recorded.
Talk to Us About a 3-Day Training for Your Agency
We can only accept a limited number of training sessions per year with our light team here in La Mirada, so if you are interested in training, please let us know as soon possible. We can be reached during normal business hours at (562) 732-4417.
