Get to know Dan DelMain, Founder, DelMain Analytics

Hello. My name is Dan DelMain and I’m the founder of DelMain Analytics. DelMain Analytics is a full-service digital marketing agency based in sunny Portland, OR. Our mission is to help small businesses get more leads and sales through their website.
We typically work with small, service-based businesses, targeting a well-defined local area. Dentists, lawyers, remodelers, and roofers are typical DelMain Analytics clients.

Funny you should ask!I recently hit my 10 year anniversary in the digital marketing and SEO space.
I think the biggest change is the search engine algorithms. Google, Yahoo, and Bing are more sophisticated and humanized in how they show search results. Gone are the days when you could trick search engines (the wild, wild west of black hat techniques).
In the past, many agencies (DelMain Analytics included) focused on reacting to changes in the search engine algorithms. It was a constant and unwinnable game of catch-up. In the past few years, our strategy has shifted and we have tripled down on content marketing, focusing on:

1. internal site pages
2. blog posts
3. Newsletters
4. offsite content syndication

Today our entire SEO strategy revolves around content. Why? DelMain Analytics fully subscribes to the adage “content is king.” We strongly feel our content will only become more valuable in future Google and SEO updates by providing real value to potential customers. Our clients are rewarded with ongoing brand visibility, keyword rankings, and traffic.

I worked in-house for an eclectic natural health products company. Specifically, the staple products were Himalayan Salt Lamps (bonus points for anyone who knows what they are). At the time, the company only had an offline wholesale business model.
We/I quickly realized the power of SEO and ranking in the top positions for “salt lamps” and related phrases. Over the course of two years, SEO and AdWords quadrupled our revenues. Wow! Shortly thereafter, I left to start my own agency to share my talents with other companies (versus working in-house).

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – National, local and maps optimization.
2. Paid Advertising – AdWords, Bing Ads, Facebook & other emerging social media platforms.
3. Content Marketing – Internal site pages, blogging, newsletters, outside content opportunities.
4. Social Media Marketing – Used mostly in conjunction with SEO and paid advertising but we also offer consulting.
5. Website Design & Development – Mostly WordPress websites and in addition to the design/development, we include a content audit and overhaul.

1. Messaging – How are you different / what makes you special?
2. Reputation Management – In your immediate area, do you have the most reviews / best rating?
3. Website User Experience – Is your website’s mobile experience equally great to your desktop experience?
4. Content – How can you leverage content to get in front of more new customers?

Great question and one I enjoy tackling and mentoring. Here are my ideas:

1. LinkedIn – Ensure your LinkedIn profile is completely filled out, ask your peers to write recommendations, and connect with as many people as possible.
2. Get your domain – If possible, secure your personal domain. Example – dandelmain.com (my first and last name).
3. Build an online portfolio – Create a website showcasing your work samples, portfolio, testimonials, about (make this page special because this where people will go to learn about you) and contact info. Host it on your personal domain.
4. Meet People – In business, it’s about who you know, not what you know. So do whatever it takes to get face time with the people or businesses you’d like to connect with. Initiative goes a long way. You must do whatever it takes it to make yourself memorable, especially when 100 other people are applying for the same job.

Here are two neat ideas I heard through the industry grapevine.

1. The first comes from an aspiring designer trying to land a job at Nemo Design, a top notch design agency. What did he do to get noticed? He created a new website demonstrating how his skill set mapped to the company’s needs. He followed up by bringing pizza by the office every day for a week.
2. A recent college grad wishing to break into the industry wanted to get noticed at all the big SEO agencies. What did he do to get noticed? He sent an email to the CEO’s of all agencies on his target list inquiring about an interview, culminating in final a piece titled (something like) “How do folks without industry experience break into the digital marketing industry?” Based on the interview and the indirect intention of the interviewer, the CEO of Seer Interactive was so impressed, he flew the candidate to Philly for an interview and later hired him.