Sidharth Iyer is an SEO marketing consultant who has worked in marketing for over a decade. Born in India, he immigrated to Canada five years ago, became a full citizen before we spoke last month. Below is a transcript of our discussion.
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How did you come to be in marketing? What was the path that brought you here?
I started as a journalist in the broadcast, entertainment and technology space in India in 2013. I then moved into corporate communications. And it was only when I landed in Canada as a refugee in 2017 that I had the opportunity to switch to sales. I see the face of the full face in terms of SEO skills. So I just promoted myself to be an SEO expert and an SEO consultant. And I have continued to build effective work as an SEO expert for the past five years now.
I don’t think I changed a lot of things from what I was doing when I was a journalist, which was the first time I became a storyteller.
What I like about SEO is that I can rely a lot on data to actually report and earn purchases for many things. Things that other stakeholders may not be aware of, being with content strategies, being with collaborative strategies. It is easy to get this buy-in based on the ability to show them that we are in X, if we do Y and Z we can reach this place in that time. It is a matter of being able to inform people well so decisions are made based on known methods. I also enjoy the fact that I am still getting involved and working together. As I did as a journalist, all I was doing was looking for a source, meeting people, getting these interactions.
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What are your biggest challenges?
The hardest part is tying success to all the activities that I and all the members of the various organizations do. Most manufacturers miss the last touch or the first touch in terms of data collection so we have some kind of clear understanding of it. Like, then, this is the first source that actually causes interaction, and this is where the lead closes at the end of the touch. We do not have the data to really tie up how channels perform and relate success or failure in this regard.
What changes have you seen in marketing as a result of the pandemic?
There is more focus and energy on developing organic matter as a channel for organizations because they see the value of current. It is not a matter of “just throwing in the canoes and getting those guides,” because that would be a temporary result. Given that investing in content strategies, SEO strategies will further serve them in the long run. I also think a lot of organizations are now evaluating podcasts and videos as a process. They allow them to have a voice and are seen as a mentor rather than just selling their products or services. These are radical changes that I have seen because of the disease.
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About The Author
Constantine von Hoffman is the managing editor of MarTech. A former journalist, Con covers business, finance, sales and technology for CBSNews.com, Brandweek, CMO, and Inc. He was the city editor of the Boston Herald, a news correspondent at NPR, and wrote for Harvard Business Review, Boston. Magazine, Sierra Leone, and many other books. He was also an accomplished comedian, who was given speeches at concerts and plays on everything from Totoro’s neighbors to dice history and board games, and was the author of the true magic book John Henry the Revelator. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jennifer, and has either several or a few dogs.
