So, I recently read an article where the author had seen a kid standing at a bus stop in Cleveland, in January, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Makes no sense to dress like that, right? Not in the middle of a Cleveland winter. Well in the article, she was using that story of dressing appropriately for what the weather is like as an interesting metaphor for advertisers needing to make sure that they are giving the consumer what they want in the current climate. Her point was why in tough economic times, are some advertising agencies advising their clients to push their products in the wrong way.

This made me think a bit beyond just our current economy, which, by all accounts, is not doing so well right now. Common opinion puts us somewhere between one of the worst recessions and the Great Depression. We may not be to the point of 1930’s government cheese lines, but one could argue that $700 billion worth of bailouts is a lot of government cheese. I’m going to say that there are a lot of things that do not compare very well now that almost 80 years have passed between these major economic swoons. That doesn’t mean that times aren’t tough, just very different types of tough times. Ask the person who is on unemployment and wondering where exactly that next job is going to come from, since we are cutting positions at a record pace. Sorry for the soapbox diversion, now back to our regularly scheduled topic.

It doesn’t matter what the economy looks like, if you are in a consultative role to a client, then make the most of it. There is a reason why the client hired you and it is your responsibility to provide them with what they asked for. However, you should go past just what they asked for and offer them what they need, even if they don’t know it. As search professionals, we need to take responsibility for providing our clients the expertise that they themselves do not have. If they understood search, knew how to implement it, and could afford the staff to do so, then they wouldn’t have knocked on our door. We are the subject matter experts and it is up to us to listen to the client, hear what they want, but to also look beyond that and let them know what else could be done for them. Yes, it has to end up being fiscally responsible for both sides to expand past the original scope, and I’m not naïve enough to think that is not a hurdle to get past. The point is to demonstrate the value you bring and outline all the reasons why you need to implement your plan, and I am optimistic enough to think that approach will win more times than not. If the client is driving (and don’t know where they are going or at least how to get there), and we are the passenger (just watching the scenery go by), then both the client and us are missing out on a huge opportunity.

Let’s be pragmatic; search is no longer an infant or even a toddler. Search is a teenager who has hit puberty with growth spurts of new offerings and innovations. Like that new teenager, we’re a bit gawky while we go through those growth spurts. We enjoy living in the here and now, and we feel a little misunderstood by the adults around us. So if the predictions are true, and they seem to be, the search industry will continue to grow in a time when other media advertising outlets are contracting. That means that more and more people will decide that they want a part of the search action, and that there will be more people to dilute and potentially pollute the search industry. What I mean is that there will be more people that start to get into search and they probably won’t do it very well. They will want to capitalize on the client’s fervor for any form of search campaign and not care as much for the end results, but rather just giving the client what they think they want. On the other side of that bell curve are going to be the people that will do search the right way and with impressive results. While that may be a picture of the future, my belief is that it is a picture of the very near future.

Now is the time to set yourself apart from the rest of the current and future wannabes out there. Take control of what search is and how you offer it. Make your approach and offering creative, innovative and knowledgeable. Be what the client brought you in to be – an expert to guide them in the ways of search marketing. Make it a point to display the leadership and guidance that brought you to the table in the first place.

Be a driver, not a passenger!

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