Brock Murray / Co-Founder at seoplus+
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Brock Murray, COO and Co-Founder of seoplus+
“Practicing gratitude has been a game changer. The more appreciative you are, the more you can shift your mindset and help to create a positive attitude.”
Brock, we know you run a successful digital marketing agency in Ottawa, Canada. How long has your company, seoplus+, been in operation and have you always been entrepreneurially minded?
Thanks for having me Dwayne! This year we are celebrating our 10th year in business. What a ride it has been. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, my grandfather worked in international trade, my uncle in security and parking control, and my aunt in a variety of businesses from alternative health to training and education. I had the opportunity to help them with their businesses when I was growing up, and that positive influence gave me the confidence to start my own business at 24 years old.
What is it about SEO that you love the most?
The thing I love about SEO is how quickly things change. The industry is very collaborative and everyone works together to achieve success as Google makes changes to their algorithm. I also love the blend of creative and technical that SEO commands.
You have a pretty large team at seoplus+. Can you share with us some of the main differences between managing people as opposed to leading them?
This is something that I have always focused on - being a leader versus a manager. I've always felt it's important to lead by example, and work together with the team to tackle challenges while helping them improve. Rather than boss people around and micromanage, I have always focused on trying to train, empower, and build the next generation of leaders. It's so important as people want to feel what they do matters, and that as an employer you care.
What advice would you give your younger self as an entrepreneur starting out?
The advice I would give to my younger self as an entrepreneur would be to start networking sooner. My personality style tends to lean towards introvert so networking takes a ton of energy. I started networking for the first time when launching seoplus+ and while it took time to develop fruitful relationships it has paid dividends over the years. If I could go back to my younger years I would start networking and getting out there much sooner.
Are there any advantages in building a simple and organic SEO strategy for a small independent business (like a photography studio) vs paid digital marketing like Google Adwords or Facebook ads?
There are pros and cons to each strategy. I think any successful digital marketing strategy should have a combination of both organic and paid. For businesses that are looking to generate new customers and leads right away, paid is a good direction. For businesses that have some runway and are looking at long term growth, organic is a solid strategy. There are many things a business can do from an SEO perspective themselves - such as choosing a good web host, building in-depth service/product pages and blog content, creating meta title and headers, and publishing high quality photography and video.
What qualities do you look for when hiring new team members or outside freelancers?
When hiring new team members we prioritize our core values - play, accountability, collaboration and transparency (PACT). We can train for technical skills, and experience will come with time, however if a prospective employee doesn't exemplify your core values or if they don't resonate, it likely won't work out long term.
How do you kindle your inspiration to be a better leader? Do you listen to podcasts or subscribe to any informative blogs or online magazines?
Being a leader is hard. There is pressure to lead by example, to stay even-keeled, and to provide for your team. To continue developing my leadership skills I consume many types of content, from LinkedIn posts, TikTok videos, blogs, and books. I also have many entrepreneurs in my network who I lean on and share challenges and opportunities with. All of this has certainly helped me develop my leadership skills. We also work with a business coach, Rob Dale, from Rhapsody Strategies, who has helped me and my team immensely over the years.
How critical is mindset in your day to day as a creative business leader?
Mindset is so important day-in and day-out. It's not uncommon for people to lean towards a negative mindset versus positive. Focusing on problems rather than the good things. I try to celebrate the wins in business, no matter how small. Practicing gratitude has been a game changer. The more appreciative you are, the more you can shift your mindset and help to create a positive attitude
Lastly, in your opinion, why do headshots matter?
Headshots matter because it's a way to communicate yourself (and your team) to the outside world. As the saying goes, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." With the rise of social media in our day-to-day lives it's extremely important to elevate your personal and/or corporate brand to stand out. Headshots give you an opportunity to do just that.
Thanks so much Brock, for sharing some awesome insights into leadership, mindset and entrepreneurship (and of course the importance of great SEO)!
To learn more about seoplus+, please take a peak at their website: www.seoplus.com
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