Another example of an 'intellectual headshot' in the wild - this time from a former executive client.

Ethan Smith is CEO of Graphite, a premier growth agency specialized in search engine optimization (SEO).

Graphite is the agency behind the SEO strategies for Masterclass, Chime, Honey, and dozens of others.

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There are many intricacies of this domain that are largely misunderstood.

Ethan often said people think SEO is ‘black magic’ when in reality it can be quite predictable and repeatable.

We didn’t call it this at the time, but this essentially is Ethan’s signature POV.

It permeates all of his client work and resulting insights to the root.

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To start to relay this message more broadly to the market, we built a series of frameworks — “intellectual headshots” — one of which around the reliably confusing topic of ROI.

People generally know SEO is a long(er) payback than other marketing channels, and this can feel like throwing money in a pit and crossing your fingers.

Turns out, Ethan had seen over time that there is actually a very distinct pattern and timing of SEO return.

He wanted to share that with the market to demystify the channel while also demonstrating his and Graphite’s intimate knowledge of the space.

Through a series of conversations, we sketched out what that time horizon looks like, and we arrived at the SEO ROI Journey.

A definitive, easy-to-digest depiction that could provide visibility into the otherwise murky topic of expected financial return on the channel.

This "headshot" went on to be:

• A keystone framework in his Reforge course on SEO
• A screenshot-friendly takeaway for his free webinars
• And most importantly, a trust-builder for new client conversations

All the knowledge was in his head already.

We just needed to coax it out, synthesize it, and refine it.

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As a solo consultant, what would you do with this type of asset?

What conversations could it open?

What confidence could it bring you?

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💡

-Wes

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Developing your signature POV and 'intellectual headshot' is a central feature of my 'first mile' coaching service.

Book a free 30-minute strategy call with me if you'd like to discuss what these signature assets could look like for you.