This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Let's welcome today Omar. Omar is a digital marketing professional based in Chicago. He is tuned into the world of side hustles thanks to a suggestion from a coworker. Omar also brings knowledge in local SEO, that would be search engine optimization, how to get your website ranked highly in Google so that when people search for some term, they're gonna find your website instead of somebody else's, it's a huge industry. And so Omar has been contemplating how to put that expertise to good use outside his full-time job, how to go from idea to income in either a quest to become self-employed or just to make extra money, both of those things are good.
So as he navigates this potential venture, he's got some questions about how to approach clients and effectively communicate the value he can provide. Okay, that sounds good to me. Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name's Chris Guillebeau. Let's dive into Omar's idea and explore how he can take his first steps in the world of SEO consulting.
Wanna say a big thank you to our sponsor here and also thanks so much to our listeners, that would be you. So 30 second commercial message and then Omar's question. [Music]
Hello, I'm Omar from Chicago. I've been working in the field of digital marketing for years and have gained a lot of expertise, especially in local SEO. My co-workers suggested your podcast when we were discussing side hustles during lunch.
And it's been a goldmine of information for me. I'm considering a side hustle offering SEO consulting services to small and medium sized local businesses. Given that I understand the struggles of local businesses to rank on search engines, could you share some insights on how to identify the right clients and pitch my services effectively? [Music]
Omar, your experience in digital marketing, specifically in local SEO, can definitely be turned into a valuable side hustle. There are lots of people doing this, but it's a needed service for just about every business, especially every business trying to reach local customers.
So I do think it's a smart business to go into. Here are a few things you might wanna consider. You wanna think about how you can identify potential clients. How can you identify businesses that might benefit the most from improved local SEO? Now, of course, these are typically companies or businesses with a physical location or those who offer services in a specific geographical area.
Tools like Google's Keyword Planner, which you're probably familiar with already, can help you identify those businesses. And then you want to develop a tailored pitch. So you wanna start reaching out. I always think it's good in these situations to reach out with just a very quick introduction before actually pitching. So basically you pitch to pitch.
You ask permission to pitch. You reach out and say, hey, it's something I could do to help your business, but you don't know who I am. Would you mind if I send over a proposal or you can ask for a call? Although that might be difficult because people don't always wanna take random sales calls. But the point is you're somehow trying to get in the door, get in the door and then actually have the conversation about the pitch.
You might also want to offer a free consultation or audit, some kind of tool that can actually be helpful. So it's not just a sales technique. It's something that can truly be helpful to a local business that's trying to increase their SEO outcomes, but also kind of shows off what you're able to do. I think that's a great strategy for building a local client base. And of course you already know some people, so you want to do some networking.
You want to leverage initial connections, initial and existing connections. Don't be shy about letting people know that you're trying to do this. Your goal is to highlight your expertise in SEO and demonstrate how it can benefit potential clients by driving more local traffic. That's what it's about. Good luck, Omar.
I really think you can make this work. Let us know how it goes. Listeners, if you have a question, sidehustleschool.com/questions. We got a new episode every single day, seven days a week. I'm excited to bring you more in the days to come.
That's all for today. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
