Hey everyone, I would like to introduce you to a good friend today, Taylor Timothy, a digital marketing professional that I go back real far with. We first crossed paths in student government at Dixie State University, and we both ended up building careers in the digital marketing space.
Taylor and I have been connected and mentored each other through many projects and questions over the years about marketing strategies and how we can take care of customers to the best of our abilities. When he launched his podcast, the Marketing Lyfe, I was very pleased to be invited on as a guest for episode 5.
How I Got Into Marketing
My path was pretty cookie cutter. I changed direction a few times in college, spent some time in graphic design and eventually found mentors and classes that prepared me for broader digital marketing. Student government, DECA and a marketing role at the Dixie State campus stores gave me my first real experience promoting events, websites and products.
Search Intent Turned a $30k Ad Budget Around
The success story I shared came from my time working under great mentors at an SEO agency. A client came to us spending about $30,000 a month on AdWords, and much of that budget was going to high cost keywords that were broad and only loosely tied to buying intent.
As SEOs first and paid specialists second, we refocused the account on searcher intent. There is a big difference between someone ready to buy and someone who just wants to learn. A search for a retreat near Zion National Park usually means the person wants a place to stay, while a search for things to do around Zion is more educational. We trimmed the expensive broad terms, focused on purchase and conversion keywords, and smoothed out the landing pages and checkout flow.
The result was spend dropping to about $18,000 a month while conversions and leads went up. Small, intent focused changes like that can improve quality score and conversion rate at the same time.
Learning From What Did Not Work
Taylor also asked about failures, because online marketing is a lot of trial and error. My biggest takeaway was to do your research before taking on a client and to set clear expectations from day one. No single strategy is a solid wall that works for every business.
Keyword Research, Backlinks and Getting on Podcasts
For one client, the path to more visibility came down to a stellar writing team producing consistent content, paired with linking and PR strategies. Getting them booked on industry podcasts turned out to be one of the most successful avenues.
Links will always be valuable, but they need to be honest, quality links. When a business gets talked about on a podcast in its own industry, Google can recognize that exposure quickly and understand that the website deserves to show up too. It is all about earning that exposure and making it easy for Google to connect the dots.
No Magic Bullets
When Taylor asked about industry trends, my answer was that there will always be hype and people pushing broad, blanket strategies. SEO does not work for every company, and the same goes for PPC or Facebook ads. Do your research and find the mix that fits the business in front of you.
Since marketing books date themselves quickly, I mostly learn from people who share their work openly, including Moz, Distilled, the Google Search Central blog, Seer Interactive and Raven Tools. And when I am not working, you can usually find me rock climbing, mountain biking in Moab or canyoneering.
Where the Conversation Went Next
Taylor had me back on the show for episode 33, where we dug into whether SEO actually works for startups. You can read that recap in SEO Industry Deep Dive on the Marketing Lyfe Podcast, and find all of my podcast appearances on our Media and Press page.
Connect with Taylor directly at www.taylortimothy.com, and catch more of his video work on his YouTube channel.