(This post first appeared on my blog, Content is Queen Blogger)

To Thine Own Self Be True – Shakespeare

These days terms like social media marketing, content marketing and search engine marketing are becoming more and more commonplace.

The options for social media marketing are endless. There are so many platforms that it’s hard for clients to zero in on the ones to use. I am a firm believer that educating your clients on a social media strategy is important.  I also believe that it’s better to establish a strong presence on a few trusted social media platforms than dilute your efforts over a plethora of platforms.

Why am I telling you this?

Because strategy is important- strategy is everything.  If you believe in your strategy and your strategy can be backed up by evidence, then stick to your guns.

I recently had an encounter where my strategy for blogging was called into question by another service provider. This other company provides SEO/website services to one of my clients and had concerns with how my blogging affected their SEO. After some back and forth emails, a meeting was called and thankfully, all the concerns were stemming more from the recent Google update than from what I thought was flawed blogging.

What I was most bothered by, though was the fact that the other service provider involved the client directly with his concerns instead of contacting me with his concerns. I understand SEO and blogging are complementary services, but when you are dealing with a client, who in this case is a very busy lawyer who doesn’t speak the technical language of SEO and content marketing, it is improper to bog the client down with these emails. If you must involve the client, keep it simple.

The emails that were sent to the client caused him to be concerned and worried. I felt it was inappropriate and it of course caused me to overreact. In the end, it was not something that I should have wasted such a large amount of energy on, but it was a process where I educated myself on the new changes to Google and learned new blogging tips. Even more so, I learned that I can go into a meeting and stay calm, cool and collected.

I went to the meeting and I was very easygoing. I gave in my suggestions, asked my questions, brought up the points I wanted to. I thought it went well. I sent a follow up email to the person who could assist me in obtaining the further information I needed at the SEO company and cc’d the person I met with. (Note-I DID NOT cc the client on it).

Well…Guess what happened?

I sent the email on Saturday evening.

I get back a response today, Tuesday.. The email is copied to myself, the person I met with, 2 others and the client. The client you say? Why yes!

Why? Why involve the client? There was nothing in my email that warranted a responding email where the client should be included.

I read the email I received, and I see why the client was copied on it.  Without getting into specifics, I was essentially reprimanded and criticized and some ideas were shot down, even though they were ideas suggested to me by this person’s supervisor.

The email eventually addressed the questions I had and provided the information I requested. The tone was accusatory, condescending and totally uncalled for and I am not sure why.  I did try to call this person before sending my responding email. I was too late, he had left for the day.

In my responding email, I did defend myself, providing a full explanation for everything, including why I had made certain suggestions and what my plan of action is.

In a separate email to the company, I was very forthright and said that copying the client on these emails is inappropriate. The goal is to work as a team and to provide excellent client service. I do not think that wasting the client’s time with our technical jargon is beneficial to him in any way.

I am eager to receive a response from the client, and everyone at the company to my emails tomorrow.

Of course, what I really want is an apology for the rude email but I know that is not going to happen- or I want an acknowledgment that I make valid points. It is really me against a company here but if you remember the story of David and Goliath…

Sometimes it takes guts to do what you think is right…and in the end it will pay off.

I would not be where I am today if I did not stand up for what I believed in.

Categories: Content Is Queen

Tagged as: content marketing social media marketing writing

Melanie L.

Mental health advocate. Blogger. Writer. Creative being. Sensitive soul.

(Also law clerk, social media writer/marketer and book worm).