What to do in a herd of Zebras

As I refine my positioning and scale Centori, I’ve realized a big problem: the SEO/Content writing space is crowded.

Like, this crowded:

What do you do when you’re in a crowded space where everyone looks the same? You need to find a way to stand out.

To borrow a phrase I heard from Seth Godin on a recent podcast (the Copywriter Club for those interested), we live at a time where anyone, anywhere can be hired for something. That is truly incredible and creates new opportunities that otherwise were never available.

There's a problem. When you can hire “anyone” for a job, “you need to hire someone, so why not hire me” becomes a less enticing sell. Often, when a business wants to hire “anyone” for a job, they’ll choose the cheapest or best value.

Coming from Boston, Massachusetts, I am far from the cheapest option. I’m not the most expensive, but the guys who are more expensive and get away with it usually do so because they have the track record that I don’t have.

My zebra needs a glow-up.

Over the past week, I’ve racked my brain* over what exactly it is that is special about what I do.

On the surface, it’s fairly basic: I build SEO/content strategies for companies. I then advise them on how to implement these strategies, or I write their content for them.

Great, that’s a claim literally every SEO person and copywriter can make. Many SEO people will also sell backlinks, which I do not do (I find it to be a waste of time and I have the case studies to prove it).

OK… well let’s go a level deeper. My clients like that I’m “strategic” and that I focus on their business and generating “ROI.” That counts for something, right?

It narrows the field a bit. However many SEO specialists and copywriters are starting to adapt their phrasing toward lead/demand generation. Besides, anyone can say they are “ROI-obsessed” so that phrase starts to lose its meaning quickly.

OK… back to the drawing board.

I can’t be the cheapest. I’m not the “best” (as in, I haven’t done SEO since 2000, I don’t have 500+ clients, I don’t have a massive team or awards), but I have done something truly special and unique for the clients I worked with.

That thing hinges on:

• I think like a product manager, not just as a marketer. Product Managers need to cross disciplines in an organization, lead their teams, think strategically, use data to back up their decisions and demonstrate the ROI of everything they do. I was a product manager at HubSpot, where I managed three teams and adapted the frameworks I learned to SEO/marketing.
• I love to write. I’ve written for 15 years across disciplines with a speciality in SaaS, marketing, and finance. (Many people can say this, but it’s worth mentioning).
• I’m not “just” SEO, and I’m not “just” a writer. I get to know my clients' businesses and their customers and work with them to dream up unique content experiences that can help them rank and truly stand out. It’s the intersection between SEO, Content marketing, and Website strategy,

OK, we’re getting warmer here:

• A product manager background allows me to think across disciplines, understand the business needs, and focus on ROI.
• Background in writing means I am damn good at what I do.
• These combine in a triple threat: I help my clients create websites that are highly usable, rank, and engage and convert their traffic.

It’s not pithy, but I’m starting to look like a snazzier zebra here.

Ohh - and if you want someone who can wear a few hats and go beyond the basics with content marketing - let’s chat :)

*Side note, as I wrote this article I wondered, is it “rack” or “wrack” - it turns out either works, though “wrack” is becoming more popular as time goes on. The more you know!