When you work in web marketing and SEO, you see clients from all different backgrounds, in all different fields. It’s what really keeps the job interesting, because you get to work on different kinds of campaigns on a daily basis. That said, creating a web marketing plan for a technical company can be a bit daunting when you don’t have a background in what they do.
There’s no cut-and-dry technique for technical web marketing. However, there are a few tactics that come in handy when you’re in such a situation.
Study
Study up while you’re doing keyword research. While you don’t have to become a complete expert in your client’s field to be able to help them with their web marketing and SEO, you’ll need to know at least the basic details. What do they offer, in what ways do they offer it, and why? Learn what you can from the website and from the client.
On-Page
Start with the normal on-page basics. Craft or perfect the page titles and meta tags using the top keywords. When doing this for technical clients, keep the audience in mind. Whether your audience is very technical (IT groups) or possibly less technical (small business owners) will dictate how you should craft the titles. Make sure on-page content is well-crafted as well, depending on the audience. When technical folks are writing content, they can sometimes overshoot their audience.
Linkbuilding
Linkbuild around your client’s product or service. While you’ll do this for any client, there are certain ways of link building for a technical client that are easier than a non-technical one. There are a lot of directories and forums online pertaining specifically to software, computers, and security topics. Use forums to your advantage, here. Find people asking questions that you or your client can answer, while providing a link to relevant content on your website.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging will be your friend, especially if your client is on board with doing some writing. There are niche blogs for just about every topic in this world, but technical ones are often even more abundant. Find blogs that post content similar to your client’s, and inquire about guest blogging. Make sure there’s a blog on your client’s site, and source some popular, industry-specific guest bloggers.
Social Media
Social media can be quite difficult, if your client has an especially technical niche. The more technical the niche, the smaller the group of people on social media that are going to be interested. The best way to gain a following on social media is to make the subject seem more approachable to more people. Find the human interest stories behind the technicalities. For instance, let’s say your client makes advanced software that’s used inside factory robots. Not very approachable by the normal non-technical person on social media. What is approachable, though, is content about the behind-the-scenes human interest topics like whether robots are taking jobs away or adding them, what sorts of things these robots can be programmed to do, what factories have the most robots, the variety of things that are made by robots, etc. Don’t forget about your technical audience, though – remember to cater to both.
Joli D. writes from experience with RJS Software Systems. From document management and capture to distribution and security, RJS provides innovative solutions that put your business in high gear.