When we started Seeker Digital in 2016, we knew that we had a good product: outreach. The next step was creating solid outreach processes, delegating those to a team, and building an agency around this tactic (easier said than done).
So, why outreach in the first place? What are our reasons behind us specialising in this tactic? Here are some of the main reasons why we started an outreach agency.
Jack of all trades, specialists of none
What inspired us to launch a specialist SEO agency in 2016?
In some ways, we launched Seeker for the same reason that most people start businesses — we saw a business opportunity and knew that we had something valuable to offer.
At the time, we saw a lot agencies out there, offering everything and anything under the sun.
It felt like the answer to a client question along the lines of ‘can you do this’, was yes: even if the work wasn’t a great fit.
Now if you’re a big team — being a full-service agency might be a feasible strategy. But it’s very rare that a small team of people can do PPC, social, email, creative content, digital PR, branding, site builds etc effectively.
Especially as digital channels mature and become more complex and stratified — the world needs more specialists.
We wanted to make sure that our agency was built around our strengths so that we could service our clients better. We wanted to be specialists.
Also, we felt that a specialism would allow us to build a clearer, stronger company culture. (And we’ve found that to be true — people like being experts).
Our backgrounds came together
Gareth is the technical brains behind Seeker — by 2016, he’d already proven himself as an SEO.
In fact, Gareth had been doing outreach before it was even called that! So when we launched in 2016, we had a live database and plenty of experience managing this (potentially) volatile tactic. The key was taming outreach and making it commercially viable — this was Gareth’s goal for the first 6 months.
My experience in English taught me the value of communication: how successful outreach campaigns hinge on subtle nuances of language and purpose. Communicating with prospects helped us nurture lasting relationships and brought a certain finesse to the proceedings.
We love being agile
We love running an agile business — which is good, as outreach can turn at the drop of a hat.
Being outreach specialists means that we are in the ideal position to collaborate with other professionals and freelancers on a regular basis. We can work with some of the sharpest minds in their respective fields, sharing knowledge and best practice.
Two days in outreach are never the same — and we like that. In fact, we thrive off that.
Relationships matter
We love relationships, people, and communities — and they all lie at the core of outreach.
The ability to create and nurture a valuable two-way relationship is the foundation of outreach and it’s our favourite part of the whole game.
It’s something we’re constantly seeking to improve.
Playing to our strengths
Outreach is what we’re good at. It’s what we do. It’s what we have always done. And now that we have a fully-fledged outreach team at Seeker, it’s what they’ve become good at too.
As an agency, it’s important to know your strengths and work with them. Don’t be afraid of turning away work that’s not aligned with your core capabilities. It’s hard at first, but it’s the best thing to do in the long run.
People took notice
Doing one thing, and doing it well, made us more interesting to others.
Our specialism is at the core of our USP, creating opportunities and sparking new connections at conferences, events, and meetups.
It’s easier to talk to people when you know exactly what it is that you do.
Everyone should embrace outreach
So — there we have just a few reasons why we started an outreach agency. But the main reason we do what we do? Because we love it.
Outreach is something that more and more people are starting to do (and sell). We think it’s great that so many people have finally embraced outreach — the next challenge will be to differentiate and educate clients (and other agencies) about all things outreach. From value propositions to outreach goals — there’s so much more to do.
Outreach is what Seeker is good at, and we haven’t looked back since we launched.
