Conquering the Marketing Maze: Insights from an SEO Leader | Derek Kent from Inet Media

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of the website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Derek from Inet Media, SEO director with them. How are you doing today, Derek?

Derek Kent: Good. Thanks for having me, Ernesto.

Ernesto: Great to have you. We’ve met already and I learned a little bit about Inet, but I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what you guys do. So, let’s kick it off with that, right, Derek? In your own words, tell us a little bit more.

Derek: Inet Media is a small, but not so small agency of 22 people, highly experienced. We’ve all been here a long time. A lot of those bigger agencies, if anyone’s ever worked for them, they’re quite a grindhouse with a lot of turnover. We don’t have a lot of turnover here and we have a lot of very senior people in their respective areas: design, development, content, SEO, paid search, all of your digital outlets that you’d really need. We’re a digital marketing company focused on transparency. We offer all of our reporting for free and ethical web building. We build sustainable, scalable websites that are easy to use and built to Google’s compliance and core web vitals. That’s Inet Media in a nutshell.

Ernesto: Perfect. Awesome. Great to hear that. Is there a certain type of vertical segment? Is there an ideal ICP for Inet Media?

Derek: I would have to say we’re quite big in heavy industry and agriculture. That’s what my background is in. I’ve worked in digital marketing for agriculture for the last seven years, and it’s a space where if you’re a company that needs a website or any kind of digital marketing, there are only a few big agencies that really specialize in that area. We’ve been getting ingrained in and expanding in heavy industry and agriculture. However, we do have quite a wealth of non-niche specific clients across many different industries. It’s always an exciting challenge in any respect.

Ernesto: Definitely. Say I was in the agriculture business, how would I usually find out about Inet Media? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Derek: Most of our acquisition comes from word of mouth and reputation. I’m also on the CAMA board, which is the Canadian Agricultural Marketing Association, and part of the Canadian Agricultural Education Board as well. Being a board director for the Alberta chapter allows us to be in events all the time. Our reputation precedes us the most. We don’t really advertise or do any marketing. We do a lot of networking through reputation and our current partners and clients. We’re very thankful to be quite busy.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear that. Our listeners who are tuned in can visit you guys at inet-media.ca. What role does the website play for client acquisition, Derek?

Derek: No dot after the hyphen. It’s just inet-media.ca. We’re relaunching our website at the moment. One of our newest SEO specialists said that he knew he’d have a lot of work to do because our website needed improvement. He was right. We don’t maintain our own site enough, but we’re relaunching it and will be rectifying that in the coming months.

Ernesto: Awesome. Is there any tools or tips or methods that you would recommend to our listeners as far as some website lead generation?

Derek: Building a Google-compliant website that meets Google’s core web vitals is important. Also, make sure you have good tracking for traffic engagement and key conversions, not just click-to-calls and form fills but unique conversions that your clients need. Competitor analysis is very important, as well as understanding who your customer is. Talking to your client and, if possible, trying the product or service yourself is very beneficial. I advocate for marketing to your base that you already have. Nurture the clients you already have, and new customers will start coming in from that. The 80-20 rule would be my best advice for getting leads.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Awesome to hear that from you, Derek. Thanks so much for sharing that.

Derek: Yeah, I know. I try to keep these answers tight.

Ernesto: It’s great. Insights are really valuable. Thanks for that. Let’s switch gears a little bit. Derek, what are some key tasks you like to focus on in your day-to-day?

Derek: Monitoring organic keywords, organic traffic, and engagement for our clients. Seeing what’s working and what isn’t. Our weekly Friday morning strategy session is very important, where we discuss what’s working for our clients and what isn’t. It’s a fun meeting with no wrong answers. We often have a lot of laughs. I look forward to that meeting every week with my team. It makes us a stronger team. Another part of my day is meeting with my team, helping them with their strategies, and taking responsibility for their strategy. We win together and we lose together. When something doesn’t work out, there’s always a learning opportunity there.

Ernesto: Definitely. Great to hear that. Let’s jump into our next section, which is our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Derek: Sure. Let’s go.

Ernesto: What is the last book that you read?

Derek: “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles.

Ernesto: What is the one single thing that your company is focused on at the moment the most?

Derek: Measurement. Always measurement.

Ernesto: If there would be no boundaries in technology, what would be that one thing that you want to have fixed for your role as a marketer today?

Derek: I would fix Google Business Profile. If I could wave a magical technical wand and make that easier with better support and verification, that would be it.

Ernesto: What is one repetitive task that you could automate?

Derek: Monthly touchpoint meetings with clients. If I could have a digital meeting manager, that would be great.

Ernesto: You have a lot of experience in the marketing world, but what is that one piece of advice that you would give yourself if you were to restart your journey as a marketer today?

Derek: Focus on the 80-20 rule. Market to your base and prioritize good marketing ethics. Stay true to your ethics and do what you feel is right. It’s okay to fail because failure is experience.

Ernesto: Great advice. We are coming to the end of the show. Before we do end, I want to give you the last word. If someone forgets everything about the interview today, what is that one thing they should remember about your company?

Derek: We are a tight team of highly experienced individuals. If you’re looking to join, visit inet-media.ca and reach out to us. We’re really great at what we do. We’re the greatest agency you’ve never heard of.

Ernesto: Thank you so much for tuning in. Derek, thank you so much for being on. I’m looking forward to our next episode at Pathmonk Presents.

Derek: Thanks so much for having me.