SEO
10 Key Client Questions To Inform Exceptional Quality Content

If you create content for clients, the initial stages after they hire you are exciting.
You know the possibilities for helping them hit their brand goals with incredible content are far-reaching: increasing brand awareness, attracting more traffic, gaining leads, building trust with their audience, and ultimately boosting sales and revenue.
But you can’t jump into content creation for a client without getting to know them and their audience first.
You need some good backstory to help you help them to the best of your ability.
How do you get it?
By simply asking.
Fishing For Better Concepts With A Little Help From Your Client
The content landscape is only getting more competitive.
In a recent study, 82% of marketers now report they actively use content marketing. That means you need to create better content than your clients’ competitors – because, by now, they’ve probably jumped on the content marketing bandwagon, too.
According to Content Marketing Institute, 50% of B2Bs outsource content marketing.
If you’re the service on which that outsourcing depends, there’s a lot of weight on your shoulders to get it right.
But there’s a way to make it easier.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: You can come up with quality content by simply interviewing your clients.
Even when they’re outsourcing content, your clients can be the best source of information to aid in its creation.
An honest, punctual exchange of information can guide your content creation in the right direction and even offer you a much-needed source of inspiration.
Sailing The Seas Of Great Ideas: Ask Your Client To Jump On Board
The challenge is to create a real bond with your client. How do you do that?
The answer is simple: by getting to know him or her.
This is where your curiosity kicks in.
- What does your client actually do?
- How and why do they do it?
- What short-term and long-term goals are they pursuing?
After finding the most accurate answers to these basic questions, you can start to dig a little deeper.
What concepts does your client have in mind for the content you have to create?
10 Foolproof Ways To Get Great Content Ideas From Your Client
Crafting high-value content for someone other than you is no easy task.
Nonetheless, you can simplify the entire process by kindly asking your clients to answer the following questions.
Channel your inquisitive nature, use this definitive client-interviewing guide, and delve into their minds.
1. Where Are You Heading?
Most business owners realize the journey from startup to sustained and accelerated growth is challenging and fairly unpredictable.
However, this doesn’t stop them from dreaming big and setting goals.
Talk to your client about their business-related ambitions.
Avoid the most annoying question that you’ve probably heard a million times while trying to get your first job (i.e., “Where do you see yourself five/ten years from now?) and get to the point.
- What are your client’s goals and what are the key points of interest they are focused on?
- Should the new content encourage an action, increase traffic, build authority in a certain industry, increase brand awareness, stimulate sales, or attract a new audience?
Each objective requires a unique approach.
2. Why Do You Actually Do What You Do?
Next, try to establish a deeper connection with your client on a more emotional level.
What motivates them to get out of bed in the morning? Why do they produce and sell napkins when they could do a million other things with their time and money?
Aim to discover the passion that fuels the daily actions of your client.
This will help you determine what types of values you should express through their content, not to mention give you the opportunity to adjust your writing style based on the information and vibe your client is sending you.
3. Who Will I Be Writing For?
Writing for the sake of writing is not a very productive strategy.
Your creative process should be directly influenced by the needs, demands, and expectations of your target audience. Who may be interested in what you have to say about someone else’s business?
Get in touch with the salespeople and ask them for important details related to the following aspects.
4. Get A Customer Profile
Are you trying to start a meaningful conversation with Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, or Gen Z?
Before putting pen to paper you should know your client’s target customers intimately.
A better understanding of your prospects’ demographics will help you determine what type of content marketing tactics could deliver the best results.
Next, start to analyze the relationship between the product, the seller, and the customer.
5. Get Product Or Service Specifics
How does your client’s product or service actually make a difference in their customers’ lives? What are its weak and strong points? What are the main attributes that enable it to outshine the competition?
6. Identify Customer Pain Points
What are the most common concerns/complaints that customers express after buying or testing your client’s product? How does your client respond to this feedback? What type of customer service policy do they embrace?
7. Can You Provide Access To Testimonials, Support Calls, And Service Or Product Reviews?
Testimonials, support calls, and product reviews are often overlooked by content marketers who are constantly striving to connect one or more concepts with real life, personal identity, the client’s mind, or other unrelated concepts.
They rely on curation, self-interest, case studies, and their own storytelling skills and end up neglecting the most important sources that actually indicate how the end consumer feels.
Read (good and bad) product reviews and testimonials, listen to support calls, or just profit from a quick chat with a member of the customer service team.
These resources offer you the strongest support in the battle with a mean case of writer’s block.
8. Who Are Your Main Competitors (And Why Should They Be Afraid Of You?)
In most industries, the competition is fierce.
By understanding the relationship between your client and their competitors, you’ll further familiarize yourself with the target market and find the most efficient marketing strategies to reach them.
After all, one person’s failure is another’s warning sign, and one person’s success is another’s inspiration.
By asking your client to reveal their competitive advantage, you actually encourage them to define their unique selling proposition, which you can highlight in your copy.
9. What Do You Want Your Content To Look And Sound Like?
Truth be told, it’s not always easy to get and stay on the same page with the people whose success depends on your copywriting skills.
Sure, you can churn out an endless list of blogs, press releases, onsite content, and articles, but making them engaging and relevant in the eyes of potential buyers is a completely different story.
How do you bridge this gap? You start by talking openly with your client and asking him the following questions, which will help you identify the right format and tone for the content you’ll be creating.
- What are the content goals you wish to achieve? (For instance: better brand awareness, boosted traffic from Google, improved conversion rates)
- What makes your ideal customer tick?
- Are there any specific formatting/posting rules you would like your content to follow?
- What are the areas and/or specific topics that should be frequently explored in your new content pieces?
- Are there any concepts we should avoid while crafting, publishing, and promoting your content?
- Do you have any additional multimedia needs? (For example, infographics or videos)
- What type of voice would be the best match for your brand, product, or service? (For instance, a youthful, fun voice would work best for a teen audience, while a professional voice would be more suitable for companies operating in the financial or tech sector)
10. Can You Use Five Descriptive Words To Define the Values You Want To Communicate About Your Company?
This is a fun exercise you should try towards the end of your interview.
These five words will help your client crystallize and convey the most important values their brand embraces, making it easier for you to include these important aspects in your copy.
Take These Steps & Rock It Out!
Onboarding a new client is both exciting and energy-consuming.
However, remember that the information you gather now will only help you create better content in the long run – the kind that accurately represents your client’s brand voice, mission, and vision as well as speaks to the hearts and minds of their ideal audience.
That kind of content is ultimately profitable content that grows a business.
Get to know your client now, ask the right questions, and you’ll build an invaluable knowledge bank that will help you help them better… not to mention ensure they remain happily invested in your services for the long term.
More Resources:
Featured Image: fizkes/Shutterstock
SEO
LinkedIn Lists This Year’s Top 25 Marketing & Advertising Companies

LinkedIn lists the top 25 companies in the marketing and advertising industry in a new report that could be a valuable resource for job seekers.
The report aims to highlight the ‘best workplaces to grow a career’ in 2022.
Companies are chosen based on a methodology that looks at LinkedIn data across seven pillars:
- Ability to advance
- Skills growth
- Company stability
- External opportunity
- Company affinity
- Gender diversity
- Educational background
LinkedIn’s data illustrates the demand for professionals with experience in search engine optimization. Within the top 10, there are three companies where the most notable skills are related to SEO.
In this article I’ll highlight the most relevant data for search marketers, followed by a skimmable list of all the top 25 companies.
Top Companies For People With SEO Skills
LinkedIn’s list of top 25 companies in marketing and advertising includes three that are top employers for SEO-related jobs.
At number two on the list, the most notable skills of workers at Merkle include web analytics, Google Data Studio, and PPC advertising.
Power Digital Marketing, at number six on the list, hires a notable number of search engine optimization specialists.
SEO, Google Analytics, and social media marketing are the most notable skills among employees at Publicis Health, which is number 10 on the list. Search Engine Marketing Analyst is also the most common job title.
As LinkedIn’s report only includes companies with at least 500 employees, this list excludes smaller firms that may be considered top workplaces for SEOs.
LinkedIn’s Top 25 Companies In Marketing & Advertising
Below is the complete list of companies LinkedIn recognizes as the top workplaces in the marketing and advertising industry. It’s listed by company name followed by most common job titles.
- Havas Media Group: Media Planner, Media Supervisor, Investment Associate
- Merkle: Search Engine Marketing Analyst, Account Manager, Senior Analyst
- VMLY&R: Creative Director, Engagement Director, Account Manager
- Criteo: Account Strategist, Account Executive, Software Engineer
- Spark Foundry: Media Associate, Strategy Associate, Senior Analyst
- Power Digital: Marketing Strategist, Account Manager, Search Engine Optimization Specialist
- Quotient Technology: Customer Success Manager, Campaign Manager, Sales Director
- PHD: Strategy Supervisor, Media Strategist, Associate Media Director
- Digitas Art: Account Executive, Art Director, Producer
- Publicis Health: Search Engine Marketing Analyst, Account Manager, Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
- Area 23: Account Supervisor, Producer, Associate Creative Director
- RPA: Account Coordinator, Account Executive, Media Planner
- Intouch Solutions: Account Manager, Project Manager, Marketing Coordinator
- Digitas North America: Data Analyst, Account Manager, Art Director
- Horizon Media: Brand Strategist, Digital Media Planner, Strategy Supervisor
- Spectrum Reach: Account Executive, Account Planner, Local Sales Manager
- Ogilvy: Account Executive, Art Director, Copywriter
- Octagon: Account Executive, Event Specialist, Group Director
- McCann Workgroup: Account Executive, Art Director, Copywriter
- Starcom: Media Associate, Senior Analyst, Strategy Supervisor
- Saatchi & Saatchi: Account Executive, Art Director, Copywriter
- Walmart Connect: Partnerships Manager, Campaign Manager, Account Manager
- WPP: Researcher, Executive Assistant, Information Technology Operation Manager
- 360i: Media Manager, Account Manager, Art Director
- DDB: Account Executive, Art Director, Copywriter
LinkedIn notes nearly all of the above companies are hiring. For more information, including links to available job openings, see the full blog post.
Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock
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