We recently connected with Danielle Magner and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

Transparency is king (or queen, in my case).

Having worked for and as a partner of many-a-marketing agencies, one thing I bump up against is a lack of honesty. Everything is “in-house”, everyone is “full-service”. This self-proclaimed brand differentiator stems from a shared fear among marketing agencies. The fear? That by admitting your firm can’t do it all, a prospect will walk and find someone who can. The fear is losing business.

For me, I lean into that fear differently. I’ve seen RFPs pull through where agencies could not fulfill the work internally. I’ve been the person tasked with finding reliable freelance help in a pinch. I’ve had to pull together a presentation built fully from external, single-time hires. Here’s what that taught me – I don’t like to lie. Even bigger takeaway? Lying in business is so avoidable and absolutely unnecessary. Whether they are small white lies about whether someone is a full-timer or a freelancer or if a project is completely white-labeled from another source, I learned I won’t let a fear of losing business lead me into a lie.

And thus was born one of the foundational pillars of my own marketing business – leading my business development with transparency. If I can’t do a task myself, I’m open about that. I serve as a connector to other freelancers and businesses who fill the gaps I have hoping that, in return, they reach out to me if they ever have a strategy, SEO, or audience development need.

While many agencies work under the assumption that people want a one-stop-shop above all else, I built my business to serve people who crave authenticity. The truth goes a long way in building trust with clients, whether they are existing or prospective. Being honest with my abilities has only strengthened my connections and improved my focus. The best part? I have never completely lost a piece of business by clearly outlining what I do and what I don’t. I simply close business I am qualified to execute and confident in delivering.

All hail Queen Transparency!

Danielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I tripped into marketing and SEO work. While I had gone to school for business and language studies and had always had an interest in marketing, I just so happened to sit next to an agency employee at a networking event while I was working as a fundraising fellow for a nonprofit.

It started like most entry-level jobs: doing the execution busywork everyone else was too busy to handle. Social media management, blog writing, presentation deck QA, basic SEO implementation… the works. But then I stumbled into a persona presentation we were giving to a client on how we segmented their audience to better serve and speak to their targets. I liked speaking the same language as people. It didn’t feel like gross salesy marketing. It felt like storytelling.

This is what I wanted to lean into when I left the agency space and started my own business. I wanted to marry telling brand stories with serving the Almighty Google. There’s a way to to both, and that’s the trapeze line I walk daily. How can I position this brand’s website to tell their story in a way that grabs their target audiences and serves them fully while still following Google’s best practices to ensure we’re checking the algorithm boxes?

I do fully believe there is room for both. (Pleasing Google and pleasing people behind the search screens.) This is where I shine and where I serve. When I’m able to get more eyes to a website, that’s a win. But when I’m able to engage the eyes that are on the website and encourage engagement? Oof. Homerun.

If internal marketing teams are looking for a way to scale their digital efforts without adding a full-timer? That’s a me thing. If there is a solopreneur wanting to focus on what they do best and leaving the website work to a trusted partner who speaks to them like a friend? Here I am. If an agency is working through a big website redesign and needs a strategy partner to run point on laying the right foundation? Again, pick me! Whether it’s a one-person-show or a full team who needs a third-party perspective on digital strategy and SEO, I can step in and lead. And I try to approach all clients as extended friends – you’ll get my honest opinion with realistic recommendations backed by data and analytics… not a standard sticker solution that isn’t catered to your specific business needs.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

RE👏FERR👏ALS👏

*Clap it louder for the people in the back*

My business would hands-down not be where it is without referrals. While I’ve had a couple of opportunities come my way with outreach or website-generated leads, my best projects come from people who have worked with me before dropping my name.

Not only do these referral clients often go incredibly smoothly, but the referral prospects also can clearly outline what they are expecting and what their friend or connection said about me that they’d like to address for their own business. They are educated leads coming in with needs they KNOW I can fill. Makes the discovery calls incredibly efficient and allows space for getting to know the person behind their business early on.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If you’re a woman in marketing or SEO or are looking for freelance support from a highly supportive and connected group, the Women in Tech SEO Slack channel is pure gold.

From topics like coding, local SEO, and paid search to opportunities for freelancing, full-time, and industry events, this Slack channel has it all. It is an amazingly supportive channel of nearly 2.5k people who share inspiring stories and ask helpful questions to serve anyone and everyone in marketing. Whether you just entered into digital marketing and want to learn more about SEO or if you’re a seasoned SEO, this group has a purpose and a place for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: daniellemagner.com
• Instagram: smanielle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danimariemagner/

Image Credits
Suzy Collins Photography