Strategy from Private Investigator to SEO

As I touched upon in an earlier post, I once worked as a private eye and researched trademark concerns. When presented with a brand new assignment, I was given a trademark and its “intent of use” (whether it be a restaurant name or a logo of a haircare/skincare product), but little else. It was my responsibility, then, to begin — especially for legal considerations — to research the product as thoroughly as I could, especially if it was off the market (and had been for 20 years!). I can’t delve into specifics for obvious reasons, but I definitely reaped the benefits of this thorough research. Almost everyday outside the office, I encountered an application of a previous case I had worked on, whether in the street or in conversation. Through research, my knowledge of the culture that surrounded me (and even overseas) was enhanced. It was exciting to see how learning about a variety of products and services within an office found me realizing its importance outside the office and how I became more educated through it, especially understanding practical applications of products and the like from a historical and a marketing perspective.

It’s been a few years since, yet I’m still constantly reminded about companies I hadn’t previously known about before I had worked on a specific case that pertained to them. Now, I work in Internet Marketing and have a similar responsibility: I have to evaluate a company in order to get an idea about how to strategize for their SEO or social media campaign and to help assist with content generation and link building tactics. (Fortunately, this time, I can share my findings and the benefits of particular offerings to my peers!)

I am realizing that I am approaching SEO as I had done as a private investigator. The goals are different, but the research involved requires gathering as much information as is available so that the SEO is quite familiar with the product to best optimize. The application is quite similar — thorough, credible research, whether online or offline — to produce compelling copy that will cause people to act. In this area, it’s even more rewarding to encounter everyday issues outside of work that cause me to chime in with some knowledge about the issue at hand and be able to say, “hey, did you know that so-and-so provides that service?”

I’m still always learning, and I’m definitely enjoying it!