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Is Your Website Running Slowly? Image Optimization Could Help Speed Things Up
Image optimization is a process of manipulating an image’s size, dimensions, and format to reduce it to the smallest possible size while still ensuring the highest possible quality is delivered to the browser. It sounds like a dark art, I know, but it really isn’t, and if your business relies on being able to show your products or the results of your services, image optimization must be a regular part of your ongoing website maintenance. Every single time you upload that new photograph highlighting your most prestigious project, image optimization should be considered and acted upon. It not only helps keep your website fast for your visitors, it also helps with your SEO!

So My Website Is a Little Slow, What’s the Problem?

In today’s world of instant gratification, website speed is extremely important. If your website takes longer than 2 seconds to load, you are losing potential customers. Websites that load within 2 seconds see an average of a 9.6% bounce rate. That figure jumps to 32.3% for websites that take 7 seconds to load, and it only gets worse from there. This ultimately can hurt your brand as people come to know your website as “too slow to be worth the time.”

As more and more website surfers are using their mobile devices instead of their desktop devices, page speed has only become more and more important. Google announced back in January of 2018 site page speed would become a ranking factor for mobile searches—and they meant it, forcing SEO experts to respond by finding ways to speed up their clients’ websites. And it worked! As Search Engine Land noted, Google’s data shows this speed enforcement resulted in a 15-20% increase in page load times amongst the slowest sites on the web.

How do images come into play? You may have noticed that a site with a large gallery takes a long time to load. That’s because large images can add weight to your website, slowing downloading time.

I See Site Speed Is Important, but How Do I Optimize My Images?

To address image weight, you can use image processing software such as Photoshop, (or the free alternative GIMP) to set the height and width to be exactly what you need it to be. Set your dpi (dots per inch) to 72, considered the web standard. You can also use this software to change the file format and compress the image even further, but be careful not to compress the image so much you lose quality. Remember, the goal is to have the highest quality image with the smallest weight. The most common image formats used on the web are:
- PNG—good for screenshots and images with graphics or text
- JPEG—best for photographs
- GIF—if you really need an animated element on your site
If you use a content management system, there are likely add-ons to the CMS that can help automate this for you. For WordPress websites, I recommend the reSmush.it plugin. You can dial in your optimization level and configure it to automatically optimize the image when you upload it. The plugin is absolutely free with the only restriction being the original images must already be below 5 MB.

Image Weight Isn’t the Only Important Image Optimization

While reducing your image weight is an important practice to keep your website running fast and avoid negative rankings from Google, there is more you must do to truly be able to say your website images are optimized and SEO friendly. You should name your images descriptively; the name should indicate what you see in the image. In addition, make full use of the ALT and TITLE tags offered in HTML to further describe in more detail the key things that are visible in the photo. Google uses the name, ALT, and TITLE tags to help them return the best results possible in their image search. You can’t go wrong if you are following the image best practices Google has laid out, and please, please, only use images that are actually relevant to your website.

Image search can be a major source of organic traffic to your website and you should be taking full advantage of it. Keeping your images and decorative elements of your website with an optimized quality-to-weight ratio, as well as using the other best practices mentioned here, will help ensure you are using the image search results to drive organic traffic at its full potential.

If you’ve noticed that your website runs slowly, or you’re trying to increase your SEO rankings, the experts at Search Influence can help make your site more accessible to both Google and site visitors. Contact one of our digital marketing specialists today to start taking your site to the next level.

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August 12, 2019
National Emoji Day – Katelyn Mulkey on WWL
Katelyn Mulkey, Account Coordinator at Search Influence, joined Great Day Louisiana on National Emoji day to share her knowledge on:
- The history of emojis
- New emojis being released in 2019
- How emojis relate to inclusivity and the all-inclusive-web
- Misused emojis
Emojis have been popular since they first appeared on Japanese mobile phones in the late ’90s, and in the past few years they have become a hallmark of the way people communicate. They show up everywhere—from texts and Facebook posts to press releases and corporate emails. At Search Influence, we’re always up-to-date with social media best practices. Learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help your business get found online. Reach out to a strategist today to get started.
August 8, 2019
Top 10 Truly FREE Tools for Nonprofits + Even More Resources
Nonprofit organizations are what I like to call “ballin’ on a budget,” which means strategically selecting resources that won’t break the bank. But where do you start?

Here are our top 10 picks for the best free resources for nonprofits you should utilize to get your organization… organized.

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Free Tools for Nonprofits

1. G-Suite

The mecca of high-powered email and productivity tools is free for nonprofits through its basic plan, and it includes the usage of your domain name for your team’s email addresses. Beyond your domain, you have access to G-Docs, Calendar, Drive, and so much more.

2. Canva PRO

Photoshop out of your skill range? No worries, Canva is here to make your social graphics POP! With tons of templates available, you’ll be able to create anything from a quick Facebook post to an entire presentation. Features include saving preset branding color palettes as well as premium fonts and graphics, with the ability to save your work in a variety of formats.

3. Social Good by Facebook

Social Good is Facebook’s hub for all of the tools offered to nonprofits, such as Charitable Giving (Facebook’s fundraising/donation tool), Crisis Response, Health (Blood Donation, Suicide Hotline, and more), and Mentorship (connecting people in need of support with people who have the expertise to help!)

4. HotJar

Want to know how your users are behaving on your website? HotJar has the hookup with “heatmaps” that help you visualize user behavior and see where they are getting stuck or what is really motivating them. With this knowledge, you can better optimize for a great user experience. Their more advanced tracking tools are also 100% free for select nonprofits.

PSA: This is available to nonprofits who are nongovernmental, nonacademic, noncommercial, and nonpolitical in nature, with no religious affiliation. Their goal is to assist organizations working to “further charitable causes.”

5. Follow Facebook’s @nonprofits

Stay updated with all of Facebook’s nonprofit free resources and tools! They periodically announce fundraising events that your organization can participate in. For the last two years of #GivingTuesday, Facebook has secured a partner to match donations through Facebook’s Charitable Giving tool, first with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and then with PayPal. #FreeMoney

6. YouTube Nonprofit Program

Video content is king, and YouTube wants to help your organization with creating inspiring content. If you have over 1,000 followers, they’ll give you access to all of their production studios countrywide, as well as their powerful editing tools. Click here to find the closest studio near you!

7. Action Sprout

Grow your following by seeing actionable insights to your posts, and optimize them to further engage your followers for the most reach. You no longer have to wonder why a post performed well… or didn’t. Action Sprout is now free for nonprofits everywhere!

8. Hootsuite

For smaller organizations with less than two channels to manage, Hootsuite offers a “free-limited” plan with a 50% discount on the unlimited set-up, which lets you manage more than two social channels. With this software, you can schedule and manage your social media posts all in one place with built-in analytics.

9. Google Ad Grants

We’re back again with #FreeMoney! Google Ad Grants gives your organization $10,000 to create and deploy text-based ads, and up to $40,000 for organizations that participate in Grantspro. There are a few limitations, but all are easy to work within.

PSA: “Governmental entities and organizations, hospitals and medical groups, schools, academic institutions, and universities are not eligible for Google for Nonprofits, but philanthropic arms of educational institutions are eligible.”

10. CallHub

For smaller organizations, you can sign up for free and have 5,000 calls on CallHub’s tab for their “Collective Calling Campaign.” This free-for-nonprofit software helps organize and track your fundraising outreach via call and text, and it’s all capable of automation for ultimate efficiency.

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BONUS: 5 Heavily Discounted Tools
- - Slack
Communicate effectively with your team with an 85% discount, plus a free plan for organizations with under 250 employees.
- - LinkedIn
Find volunteers, employees, and so much more with a LinkedIn nonprofit account. Discounts are available upon request for nonprofits at [email protected].
- - BuzzSumo
Analyze what content works best with your demographic, or what’s working best for similar organizations to optimize your marketing campaigns. For discounted pricing for nonprofits, email [email protected].
- - Asana
A work and project management platform that offers a 50% discount for all nonprofits that qualify, which will assist your employees in keeping track of their to-do lists and projects.
- - Zapier
Big workload that can use some automation? Zapier offers a 15% discount on thousands of automation “triggers” that integrate with most of the apps and programs you use daily, including the many listed above.

Learn More About Free Things for Nonprofits

Nonprofits can have access to robust marketing tools and spare their wallets at the same time!

Though some of these are limited by the size of your nonprofit, many aren’t. If you’re in healthcare marketing, higher education marketing, or any other sector, these discounts can be a great way to get the most out of your budget.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the free trials and discounts available! With a little research, you can find plenty of software that fits your needs — and your budget.

Check out some of our educational resources and our blog for more great marketing and SEO advice.

Ready to break new ground in marketing your nonprofit?

Allow us to present you the latest in pick axe technology — Search Influence’s new eBook, Unlocking Free Resources for Nonprofits: Your Roadmap to Using Ad Grants and Free Marketing Tools.

This eBook is your key to unlocking countless nonprofit marketing capabilities without breaking the bank.

Our team compiled a list of over 15 free services for nonprofits that encompass every aspect of marketing, including:
- Copywriting
- Graphic design
- Email marketing
- Analytics & lead tracking
- Social media marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Project management
- Online advertising (Google Ad Grants & Microsoft Ads for Social Impact)
As you read along, you’ll learn how to access these tools and the best ways to use them to boost your marketing ROI.

From Hemingway Editor and Canva to Google Analytics and Ahrefs, gain access to a whole new world of marketing capabilities for your nonprofit for just $9.95 when you purchase Unlocking Free Resources for Nonprofits: Your Roadmap to Using Ad Grants and Free Marketing Tools.

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August 7, 2019
Nine Reasons Facebook & Instagram Ads Are a Powerful Combo
If you asked someone to name a social media network five years ago, their answer would probably have been “Facebook.” But in 2019, there’s an entire social media ecosystem with distinct content, styles, and user groups. Facebook continues to dominate, but with such a dynamic social media landscape, who knows how long that will last. For marketers, the uncertainty can be unnerving.

The good news is that digital marketing spend is growing steadily. The great news is that just two of the major social media networks will give you incredible advertising coverage. As a bonus, you can create ads and manage campaigns on both networks with one ad platform. Of course, I’m talking about Facebook and Instagram. Let’s look at some statistics to see how powerful this combination can be.

Facebook: Older and More Experienced

Facebook has been the world’s leading social media network since January 2009. The company announced that it had reached 500 million users in July 2010. As of March 2019, Facebook had 1.56 billion active users each day and 2.38 billion active users each month. Facebook has more daily users than the entire population of India.

According to Statista, 214 million American adults used Facebook by the end of 2018. The most well-represented age range was 25 to 34, with 58.3 million users. Even though the bulk of its users are over 35, Facebook has 46 million American users under 25.

By early 2019, about 69% of adults in the U.S. used Facebook. YouTube is the only major social media platform in the same range, with 73%. Facebook remains popular with all demographics but attracts certain groups at higher levels. About 75% of U.S. women use Facebook, compared to 63% of men. Users also differ by education level. Around 74% of adults with a college degree use Facebook, compared to 61% of those with a high school diploma or less.

Facebook, like MySpace before it, was once considered a platform for younger users. About 79% of people aged 18 to 29 use Facebook, while only 46% of users are 65 and older. But users over 65 have more than doubled since 2012. This reflects Facebook’s diversification from mostly features for socializing to ones that include marketing, shopping, event management, news, and other aspects of business.

Though Facebook has reached new global user records, its U.S. market share has been declining for a few years. Facebook once enjoyed 70% of the American market, but this has slipped to 36.6%. Data from 2019 revealed that about 15 million fewer Americans use Facebook compared to 2017. The losses have mainly been in the teen and millennial groups. Other networks like Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and WhatsApp have picked up the slack.

Instagram: Younger and Faster

Instagram has become insanely popular since its 2010 launch. The photo-sharing app has bloomed into a news source, marketing tool, social influence platform, and meme-sharing community. About 500 million people use Instagram every day, and over 1 billion use it every month.

Instagram’s largest market is the United States, with over 120 million active users. In February of 2019, about 67% of U.S. adults from 18 to 29 used the platform. Around 72% of U.S. teens and 35% of U.S. adults use Instagram.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram has not become as popular with older age groups (yet). Facebook attracts about 79% of U.S. adults from 30 to 49, while Instagram attracts only 47% of the same group. People over 65 rarely use Instagram and only make up about 8% of its users.

Although Instagram has a smaller user base than Facebook, Instagram users tend to use the app heavily. Over 76% of Instagram users 18 to 29 use the app daily, while 60% use it multiple times per day. Instagram users are also prone to use multiple social media networks: 95% of Instagram users also use YouTube, 91% use Facebook, and 60% use Snapchat.

When Your Powers Combine…

So, to recap: Facebook has been losing market share and its user base is getting older. Teens and millennials are moving towards Instagram and other networks. These factors make a compelling case for shifting your advertising focus to Instagram.

Luckily, you don’t have to make that decision. Since Facebook has integrated advertising through Ads Manager, you can reach Instagram and Facebook users on one platform. Even better, about 91% of Instagram users use Facebook, so you can potentially reach 323 million Americans with only Facebook ads.

However, with just a few tweaks of our ads, we can optimize them for both Facebook and Instagram. This is a level of direct access for marketers that hasn’t been available since the expensive days of mass mailing. Now, with a few clicks, you can deliver your message to millions of potential customers.

Here are nine reasons marketers should be advertising on both Facebook and Instagram in 2019:
- The combined U.S. audience of Facebook and Instagram is about 230 million users, who are all reachable with one ad platform.
- 2 million brands are using Instagram Stories to tell their brand’s story.
- 60% of Instagram users discover new products on the platform.
- 78% of Facebook users discover new products on the platform.
- 50% of Instagram users follow brands, the most of any social media network.
- Instagram users are 70% more likely to buy on their mobile devices.
- The average Facebook user clicks on 8 ads per month.
- Facebook’s e-commerce click-through rates tripled between 2017 to 2019.
- TV advertising costs 10x more than Facebook videos, for the same size audience.
As you can see, there is huge potential for marketing on Facebook and Instagram, despite Facebook’s supposed “saturation” and Instagram’s less serious reputation. Facebook and Instagram have millions of users in the U.S. This audience includes 72% of teens, about 80% of millennials, and 46% of the elusive 65+ crowd.

Facebook and Instagram’s large market shares, combined with the targeting features in Ads Manager, means marketers can find and reach potential customers more easily than on other platforms. The browsing behaviors of users on both platforms means that marketers have a higher likelihood of making a sale. All of this means a higher return on investment and happier marketing directors. If you’d like more information on leveraging social media to generate more business for your agency, contact our team at Search Influence for a digital marketing analysis.

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July 29, 2019
Seven New Employees Join Search Influence

Anita Shah

Anita Shah has been hired as an Account Manager.

Anita is a Midwest native, growing up in Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan where she received a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Outside of work, Anita loves to travel; specifically, backpacking trips are her favorite. A bucket list item is she wants to make her way through every national park in the US.

Raquel Paiz

Raquel Paiz has been hired as an Account Manager.

Raquel is from Reston, VA but has lived in New Orleans for ten years. Raquel joined the Marine Corps out of high school and then ultimately received her B.A. from Tulane University in Public Relations. Her most recent experience includes working at a full-service agency in NC and doing Public Affairs work for the Marine Corps. Raquel loves food, music, and travel almost as much as working in the communications field. You can usually find her binging Game of Thrones on a continuous loop while eating some sort of Asian food.

Kaitlyn “KJ” Johnson

Kaitlyn “KJ” Johnson has been hired as a Digital Marketing Associate.

Although she is a native of New Orleans, she traveled to Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA for school where she earned a B.A. in Mass Communication and a minor in Publishing. After graduating, she entered the digital media industry and never looked back. Like a true NOLA local, food and music are two of her favorite things. So, you can always spot her at a local festival reveling in her southern roots. KJ also enjoys going to concerts, traveling, and visiting art museums. She is a firm believer that immersing yourself in different forms of art and culture is the key to a well-balanced life…When life is well-balanced, good things will always find you.

David Fransen

David Fransen has been hired as a Senior Web Developer.

David is in his second stint with Search Influence, having joined the company as an IMA in 2012 and moving into Development, where he worked on all varieties of clients and projects for nearly five years, eventually making a move to start building out full websites elsewhere in 2017. After soaking up a lot of knowledge and experience over nearly two years in this role building websites, he realized his best skills and general energy was far better suited to Search Influence, and he was fortunate to be welcomed back home. He is a native of Kenner but has lived in Uptown New Orleans for the last 5+ years. Naturally, David studied English—and nothing even remotely related to Web Development—at Trinity University in San Antonio. He is a hopeless music nerd, having played in bands and DJ’d throughout his roaring 20’s and beyond, and he spent seven strange, exciting years in Brooklyn chasing ill-advised rock n’ roll dreams before moving back to the New Orleans area and deciding to grow up. He is a borderline psychotic NBA fan who takes any opportunity to be smug and pompous about the extended success of his beloved San Antonio Spurs.

Paige Nulty

Paige Nulty has been hired as a Digital Copy Editor.

A GNO native, Paige majored in English at UNO, concentrating in local literature as an excuse to read more Kate Chopin than she already was. Since then, she has worked freelance gigs—contributing to Gambit and New Orleans Magazine—as well as cut her copywriting chops in the B2B world. When not writing, Paige can be found trying too hard to be funny with her improv troupe and growing her comic collection. She’s excited to be a part of the team at Search Influence and keep growing creatively.

Crysten Price

Crysten Price has been hired as a Content Marketing Team Lead.

Crysten is a native Louisianan and loves the outdoors. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and French from Loyola University New Orleans. Prior to her career at Search Influence, Crysten worked in several industries: information technology, nonprofits, and advertising. Outside of work, she can be found participating in pickup volleyball games and traveling.

Katie Whittington

Katie Whittington has been hired as an Account Manager.

Katie has a unique story to where she was born and raised like many residents of Louisiana. She is originally from St. Bernard Parish where she spent most of her childhood until Hurricane Katrina, which caused her to move to Covington. Katie is excited to be back on the Southshore living right outside of the New Orleans Metro Area. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University where she earned a B.A. in Social Work and continued her education at Tulane University where she earned an M.A. in the same discipline. For the last few years, she has been working as a school counselor and softball coach and she is extremely excited to finally follow her passion in marketing. She is joining Search Influence as an Account Manager and she is hungry to help her clients grow. Outside of work you will find her biking through the city, trying out new restaurants and bars, working out at her gym, or creating content for her blog, The Bailey Method.

If you’ve been hoping to expand your business’ digital marketing campaign, look to Search Influence. Our experts, whether tenured or new to our team, can help boost your company’s online presence while tracking leads and analyzing trends. We’re committed to helping you reach your marketing goals. Start a conversation with one of our strategists today.

Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions!

July 26, 2019
Planning Your Vacation Destination Using Instagram – Ariel Tusa on WWL
Ariel Tusa, Account Supervisor at Search Influence, joined Great Day Louisiana to share how you can use Instagram to plan your vacation like a local. Learn how to build your next trip itinerary using:
- Hashtags
- Geotags
- Creating and organizing Instagram “Collections”
- Travel bloggers and travel magazines
Instagram is a dynamic tool that can be used for more than just scrolling. At Search Influence, we know how to leverage Instagram for our clients, and we’re always up-to-date with social media best practices. Learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help your business get found online. Reach out to a strategist today to get started.
July 24, 2019
How to Bounce Back From a Bad SEO Experience
If you or someone you love is struggling to bounce back from a bad SEO experience, please call 504-208-3900 today.

Let me first start by saying, I am truly sorry. I hate to hear our competitors are delivering anything less than a successful (and profitable) SEO campaign, and I really hate to know these companies are giving a great company, like mine, a bad name. Shame! I hope this blog can be therapeutic and we can strengthen your trust in SEO and humanity… together.

If you’re reading this, you don’t need me to tell you how SEO is an investment and how it should be included in your marketing strategy. Actually, the more I think about it… maybe you do. Maybe the value was never clearly communicated or our competitors did a poor job in setting expectations. Again, on behalf of the industry—I apologize.

A big step in therapy is acceptance. Together, let’s accept that an immediate impact is not possible with SEO. Let’s also accept that in the SEO world, Google controls life. If we understand the algorithm and play by the rules, there’s no reason this experience should be negative. As a reminder, Google is responsible for 94% of total organic traffic, so yes, we play by the rules. If you think I’m just drinking the Google Kool-Aid, know that 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority.

If you’ve ever sat in on one of my webinars or pitches, you’ve heard my analogy—SEO is the marathon and paid search is the sprint. SEO is organically strengthening a brand’s authority, and it’d be illogical to believe anything organic can efficiently mature and be optimized in a short period of time. If you’ve heard “we can increase rankings immediately” or “I promise you’ll be on page one,” SEO wasn’t the right campaign for you. If you are looking for immediate results, it’s possible with paid search. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but expectation-setting and communication is key to any partnership. It’s possible that your previous SEO campaign was strong and could have been very successful, but expectations on results and return wasn’t effectively or honestly communicated.

Over the last seven years, I’ve worked with and regained trust of many business owners and marketing executive who’ve come to Search Influence a little gun shy. Over the years, I’ve had time to think of all the things I wish clients would have asked our competitors when they weren’t doing their job. I’d also like to share some of our unique selling points that aren’t broadcasted because it’s so natural to our team and part of our core, we sometimes forget to share.

Anyone investing in SEO, especially while recovering from a negative experience, should consider the following when interviewing new marketing partners.

Partner With a Transparent Agency

Like any relationship or partnership, communication and trust are crucial. At Search Influence, we truly see our team as an extension of your company and brand, and we want you to trust and challenge us as much as you would your own. In employee interviews, you ask for references and work experience. Why should hiring a marketing partner be any different?

When you’re vetting through agencies, ask for client references. We know that customers are 88% more likely to trust a review or testimony from a complete stranger as much as family and friends. If numbers are all you care about, ask for success stories. I encourage you to not only ask for references and case studies within your own industry, but in others, as well. Analyzing an agency’s ability to target different types of audiences like college freshman vs. concrete manufacturers or write strong legal web content vs. e-commerce ad copy shows willingness to understand your audience and shows they aren’t cookie cutter.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask the Hard Questions

No relationship is perfect, but before starting a new partnership, don’t you want to know why it didn’t work out with all the other ex-girlfriends? Don’t you want to know who broke up with who and why, and if we ever break up, are you going to be salty and never return my stuff?

The first cut is the deepest, so let’s cut to the chase and ask the hard questions that are extremely important. I strongly encourage you to ask the following questions:
- What happens if it’s not working and I’m not seeing results?
- What’s the number one reason clients part ways with your company?
- How do you hold yourself accountable?
- If you create logins on behalf of my company, will you share them with me?
- Should I ever leave, will you remove work from my site?
In my opinion, how the agency responds to these direct and powerful questions says more about their core values than the strategy alone.

See What’s Behind the Curtain

If Search Influence sees ourselves as an extension of your company, don’t you want to know how we operate? If I were in your shoes, I’d want to understand a day in the life of my campaign. I’d want to understand the frequency of internal communication, who Q/A’s site edits before they go live, how many editors sign off on press releases, and how frequently will I be hearing from my team.

Maybe you’re not interested in a list of references or reading success stories, but are instead interested in what’s behind the curtain. To tease a little bit of the magic, I’ve listed just some of our day-to-day activities that are so routine we almost forget how glamorous it is to the other side of the curtain.
- Results-Driven
  - Every campaign starts and ends with your goals. The strategy, the work, and the focus is centered around what we need to do in order to deliver success. We track conversions and measure success so we can confidently show you a positive ROI.
- Think Like Your Target Audience
  - We evaluate the entire consumer journey and create buyer personas to understand their behavior online. We analyze their interests, triggers, frequented sites, content consumption, and more to implement a strategy to target and convert your audience into customers.
- Transparency and Accountability
  - We’ve created a reporting dashboard to how you how your campaign is performing 24/7. Not only can you see campaign success, but you can see what our team is actively working on and tactics coming up the pipeline.
- Proactive, Not Reactive
  - We’re constantly learning from each other through our daily department huddles and weekly company meetings. Our constant collaboration allows us to share what’s working and what’s not working and how we can improve. With every learning, we confidently and proactively bring new ideas to each campaign.
Don’t let one bad breakup keep you off the SEO market forever. Get in touch with the SEO experts at Search Influence today so we can help you create and implement a targeted digital marketing plan.

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June 24, 2019
Client Spotlight & Campaign Success: Caluda’s King Cake

If you are from or live around New Orleans you are VERY familiar with the delicious treat that is king cake. One of our client’s, Caluda’s King Cake, is a top king cake bakery in the New Orleans area and continues to see success year-round. Caluda’s King Cake is a local business with over 35 years of experience. We have been pleased to work with them for the last two years and love the knowledge and success our collaboration has brought.

2018/2019 Digital Marketing Strategy and Success:

During the 2018 Holiday and 2019 Mardi Gras season, Caluda’s King Cake saw a 2,393% return on investment (ROI) during their digital marketing campaign with Search Influence. With target advertising, smart branding, and relationship building, Caluda’s continues to bring high value to the market. Let’s take a look at some of the efforts Search Influence completed to support this ROI and success:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

When comparing 2019 to 2017 we saw a 158% increase in organic sessions. This means more than two times the amount of users were able to discover Caluda’s site from search results. When comparing 2019 to 2018 we saw a 45% increase in organic sessions. Efforts to support this were a new website build, content creation, and continual website optimizations throughout the campaign.

Social Media:

Social following and post engagement have continued to be an important and successful strategy for Caluda’s. During their 2018/2019 social media campaign they gained over 3,000 NEW fans. They currently have over 10,400 fans on Facebook and 2,000 followers on Instagram. Their social posts continue to reach high audience engagement, ensuring that their brand is top notch with the community!

Review and Testimonials:

Caluda’s King Cake gained over 580 new reviews during their campaign. They also gained over 1,000 page views on their onsite reviews page. With more than 80% of consumers admitting that they trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation, this gain in reviews is extremely beneficial to the brand!

Caluda’s King Cake Unique Propositions

Eat Fit King Cake

In 2019, Caluda’s collaborated with Ochsner Health System’s Eat Fit team to develop a king cake that’s gluten-free, grain-free, low carb, and keto-friendly! Centered on an all-natural clean ingredient label, the Eat Fit King Cake is made with almond flour, coconut flour, and Greek yogurt. It’s sweetened with Swerve, a natural, plant-based sweetener based here in New Orleans, with no artificial sweeteners or food dyes. This collaboration was a HUGE success for both Caluda’s and Eat Fit. Caluda’s continuation of brand awareness and providing high-quality products continues to open doors for exciting new ventures.

King Cakes Year-Round

Caluda’s King Cake offers king cakes year-round! You heard that right—you can get delicious king cakes any time! They offer specialty king cakes via online or phone orders. Whether you are a local or live in another state, Caluda’s offer you the opportunity to enjoy king cake 12 months a year. Bring a delicious treat to your next holiday event or party and be the hit of the event

If you’re ready to grow your business like Caluda’s King Cake, start a conversation with one of Search Influence’s digital marketing experts. We’re ready for you to become one of our success stories!

June 19, 2019
Which Social Media Platforms Should Insurance Companies Use?

In a world where a new social media platform gets launched every other week, it can be difficult to know which platforms to embrace and which ones to ignore. This can be particularly difficult when trying to identify the platforms your audience is already on. As a rule of thumb, you should try to be active on the platforms that matter to your clients. However, as I am sure you know, this is not realistic for everyone, especially a small team or a one-person operation. As an insurance provider, here are the top social media platforms you should be focusing on. A carefully crafted strategy for each platform can boost both brand awareness and lead generation.

Facebook

We’ll start with the big one, Facebook. According to Statista there are 2.32 billion active users on Facebook as of 2019, meaning your audience is probably on this platform. If you don’t already have a free Facebook Business page, this is where you should start. You want your Facebook Business page to be in line with the messaging that you’ve established with your current branding. Once your Facebook Business page is set up and optimized, you‘re ready to start sharing content with potential clients.

When writing posts for Facebook, you should aim for a mix of promotional posts, informative posts, and engagement posts. You do not want your feed to be purely promotional posts where you’re constantly pushing your products or services. While this is an important aspect of posting on social media, it can get repetitive. Adding in informative posts, such as industry updates, breaking news, and fun facts, or engagement posts, such as polls and questions, can help break up your feed and encourage customer interactions and sharing. Engagement metrics are one factor Facebook considers when prioritizing your content within the newsfeed.

While having a good organic presence is a great start, it’s not always enough. According to Hubspot, organic post reach has dropped to 6.5%, meaning that the majority of your audience (and even fans of your page) is not seeing your posts. To combat this, you need to have a strategic promotion schedule in which you methodically choose key posts to promote with ad spend behind them. This will help with brand awareness and will likely result in new fans of your Facebook Business page, as long as you’re targeting the right audience.

YouTube

Another giant in the field is YouTube. Statista reports there are 1.9 billion active users on the platform. Videos are the most engaging form of social media content, so YouTube is a great place to promote your agency.

Some might think of YouTube as a platform exclusively for hair and makeup tutorials; however, it’s a great platform for placing easy-to-digest content in front of potential customers. For example, if you are an insurance provider that provides coverage from multiple insurance companies, then a video that analyzes all of your insurance companies and their plans might be the best and most efficient way to get this information in front of your customer instead of making it a long page of website content. A video is more digestible and you can let your creative juices flow when it comes to the direction of the video.

By being active on your YouTube channel and posting videos, you can share your content on different social media networks. Hosting videos on YouTube also lets you embed video content on your website or in newsletters. Content on YouTube can be shared easily, which is great for utilizing assets across platforms.

Twitter

There are 3.3 billion users on Twitter according to Statista. While Facebook prioritizes what users are seeing, Twitter does not. Newer or smaller business with less engagement might have a better chance of getting in front of their audience or a new audience on Twitter. Twitter is known for being a text-based medium, but don’t limit yourself to just 280 characters. Twitter is also a great space to share videos and infographics that are centered on your top products and services.

If you’re wondering if Twitter is the right platform for your business, you should know that your target demographic is already there. The mascots of the major insurance providers, Flo (Progressive), the Gecko (Geico), and Mayhem (Allstate), all have their own Twitter accounts. They’re also on pretty much every other social media platform.

You Have to Start Somewhere

In a perfect world, you’d have a healthy presence on every social media network, but being active on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter is a good jumping off point for building a productive social media strategy. As your business grows and you get a handle of the networks you know are suited to your audience, you should expand to other networks, like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. However, be conscious of stretching yourself or your team too thin. Being consistently active on a few social media channels is better than having a sporadic, unplanned presence across every platform. If you’d like more information on leveraging social media to generate more business for your agency, contact our team at Search Influence for a digital marketing analysis.

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June 18, 2019
15 Quick Tips on Using Geolocation Targeting for Your Law Firm
Once upon a time before GPS and Bluetooth, marketing your firm was an absolute nightmare of unknowns and shots in the dark. There’s a limit to the amount of kitschy commercials you can make, right? The era of big tech is upon us, and if you haven’t tapped into Geofencing marketing, then you’re already behind on the times. The opportunities to target customers in niche areas are boundless and only limited by your own creativity (and some local or state consumer privacy laws).

So What Even Is Geofencing or Geolocation Marketing?

When you Google geofencing the definition that appears is “the use of GPS or RFID technology to create a virtual boundary, enabling software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a particular area.” Basically, it’s the ability to target your ads to users who enter a specific “fenced” geographic location to push relevant information when and where they may be looking for it and at any time in between. Not only will this strategy pull in new leads if you understand what you’re doing, but it will also bring in quality leads with intent to convert. Later in this post, I’ll list some key tips to optimizing this type of campaign.

What Can Geofencing Do for My Firm?

When you’re setting up your Google and Facebook Display campaigns, you no longer just have to input the city you’re looking to target. The market is already saturated with other law firms, and you’ll be paying top dollar to get your ads to show up, much less be the top result. The first step is to examine your demographics and target audience. Then, find specific neighborhoods or landmarks and really zero in on your exact customer. You know that intersection where there are always a lot of car accidents and the auto repair shop that services those wrecks? That’s an area you should target. Know of any physical therapy clinics or chiropractors? Bingo. If you’re an attorney that specializes in estate planning, look for higher-income areas like fine dining venues or country clubs and golf courses. Go where your customers are.

Why cast a wide net in a large pond when you cast a small one where the fish are biting?

15 Quick Tips to Get You Started
1. Get to know your audience and demographics. Without this, you’re toast.
2. Plan and prioritize your KPIs and performance metrics, then build your campaign from there.
3. Exclude locations where you know your target customer won’t be.
4. Target specific events within the town or city. Morris Bart does a great job of this by sponsoring Lil’ WeezyAna Fest in New Orleans.
5. Bigger “fences” don’t always mean better. Keep a 4-5 minute travel radius from your desired location.
6. Make sure the CTA is location-specific so that your customer understands the relevance of your ad and isn’t utterly annoyed by your brand.
7. Timing is key. Try to have your ads show at relevant times for your customer, though this is obviously different for everyone.
8. Use the data you receive from these campaigns to constantly improve them. What’s that quote that mentions insanity and doing the same thing over and over again?
9. The message in the ad should prompt immediate action and usher the user to take the next step.
10. Consider population density in the areas you’re targeting.
11. Targeting your competition is a very good idea 🙂
12. Use location-specific landing pages. Once again, these ads must be relevant.
13. Use location-specific keywords, and even use slang!
14. Set location-based bid adjustments so you don’t break the bank.
15. Enable extensions in your ads for easy calling and emailing. People love convenience.
The Future Is Here

Hyper-targeting potential customers based on niche locations is the next big thing, and utilizing these features in your campaigns is easier than ever. Billboards may still have some value, but it’s more effective to post virtual billboards inside of a customer’s smart-phone or computer at a much lower price than traditional advertising or even PPC campaigns. Geofencing is still relatively new, which means you can stay ahead of the curve.

Which Steps Should You Take Next?

Get the ball rolling! It’s time to optimize your ads to target your key demographic. Need some help? No worries. We have an expert team of online marketers to get your campaigns up and running to gain new clients. Are you unsure of who you should be targeting or do you need to figure out which metrics matter to your business? We’ve got you covered. Request a proposal with Search Influence today.

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June 14, 2019