townsend.bunksite.com

Tag: facebook ads

Top 10 Search Influence Blogs of 2016

The year 2016 was filled with memes, the Olympics, superhero movies, and the election. You can bet, with over 46% of people now online worldwide, there were plenty of changes to online marketing, too. If you haven’t kept up, here are the top 10 blogs of 2016 to make sure your business is poised for the #bestyearever.

1. What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Our Internet Marketing Team Lead, Michelle Neuhoff Boyd, created this informative blog post that eased the confusion of Facebook’s 20% text grid tool. Find out how this new rule may affect your business.

2. An Update: How to Get Rich (Answers, That Is) with Google

Not rich with money, but with Google. Over the years, Google has changed their algorithm, and our team at Search Influence is making sure to stay on top of every change. Read this post from 2015 to learn more about rich answers.

3. Getting Hands on With the New Google My Business

Having a hard time understanding the new Google My Business? This engaging blog post can clear up any confusion on listings, editing, and more.

4. Three Top Picks for The Big Idea at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week

During New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, The Big Idea picked 10 entrepreneurs’ ideas in front of a large crowd, and everyone got to vote their favorite. See the top three picks that Paula Keller, our director of sales and marketing, enjoyed the most by reading this post.

5. Email Marketing for Small Business: 9 Things Not to Do

Find out how not to email your customers when just starting your business. Originally published in 2010 by a Search Influence Alumni, read all about effective email marketing.

6. A Dentist’s Guide for Choosing Target Audiences on Facebook

Ever wondered how to market your dentistry on Facebook? This guide will help you understand the most successful dental campaigns in the industry. You’ll know what age group and interests to target.

7. Should You Be Using Google’s URL Shortener in Your Social Media Campaigns?

Are you still unsure if you should use Google’s URL shortener? This blog post talks about the benefits of using their shortener, such as the URL analytics, redirects, ease-of-use, and more.

8. Barnacle SEO – Local Search Engine Optimization for the Sam’s Club Crowd

Will Scott, CEO and co-founder at Search Influence, published this post back in 2011. Learn more about the term Barnacle SEO and which sites to trust for small businesses.

9. Nix the Wix SEO Challenge: Tips & Tricks

This post from 2015 helps you make the most out of your Wix website by guiding you on the meta tags updates, sharing your site on social media, making your site visual, and more.

10. 10 SEO Blogs You Should Be Following

Do you want to read reliable SEO blogs? Here’s a list of the most informative SEO blogs that Monica Shariffskul put together. Many of these are on my top list, too.

Be sure to subscribe to our Search Influence blog, and you’ll be the first to know when a new blog has been posted. Also, Happy New Year!

January 3, 2017
Search Influence Year in Review: Our Top 10 SEO Blog Posts of 2016

With this year drawing to a close, now is the time to reflect on the year and prepare for a successful and productive 2017. In keeping with this, we’ve highlighted our top SEO blog posts of 2016 to get you extra pumped for your New Year’s re-SEO-lutions.

1. An Update: How to Get Rich (Answers, That Is) With Google

In 2016, it’s estimated that approximately 40 percent of queries on Google resulted in “Rich Answers.” So what are these Rich Answers, and how can your website get selected for a Rich Answer on Google’s search engine results page (SERP)? This updated post gives you all the details.

2. Barnacle SEO – Local Search Engine Optimization for the Sam’s Club Crowd

For small businesses with small budgets, the “Barnacle SEO” approach may have big payoffs. Learn how attaching yourself to the white whales of the SEO world can expose you to new markets and customers.

3. Nix the Wix SEO Challenge: Tips & Tricks

Sure, Wix is the uber-easy-to-use, code-free web developing platform for dummies, but just how well do Wix sites get along with search engine optimization? Thanks to these quick tips and tricks, it’s easier than you may think for Wix sites to play nice with SEO.

4. 10 SEO Blogs You Should Be Following

Fancy yourself a true SEO connoisseur? This list outlines all the insider blogs you should be reading to stay up to date on the constantly changing world of search engine optimization. Hey, even if you’re new to the game, resources like the Google Blog and MOZ Blog provide a plethora of information to get started.

5. These 10 Expert Tips Will Drive Traffic to Your Business’s Website

Driving traffic to your website means driving sales for your business. Our in-house experts share their insights when it comes to getting people in the online door. Hint: If you’re promoting on Facebook and publishing press releases, then you’re off to a good start.

6. 5 Tips to Improve Local Search Rankings Even If You Don’t Have a Physical Location

Many businesses are opting for prime real estate on the interweb instead of brick and mortar locations, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice website optimization. Check out these five tips for increasing your ranking.

7. Google My Business for Doctors: Visibility, Authority, & SEO

Claiming or creating a Google My Business listing can have big search impacts for medical practices. Follow this step-by-step guide for single practitioner practices, multi-practitioner practices, and multi-location practices.

8. Local SEO: How to Clean up Citations for Better SERP Visibility

A citation is the presence of a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on any website. The consistency and accuracy of your NAP across sites will improve your local SEO rankings. Learn the four basic steps to complete an effective citation cleanup.

9. 12 Things You May Not Know About Online Marketing

Are you ready to be shocked and awed by the amazing (and hard to predict) world of online marketing? Here’s a list of some of the things that caught our Search Influence team members by surprise when they were rookies in the game.

10. The Importance of Content Marketing to Your SEO Strategy

Content marketing is the bread and butter of your SEO strategy and, in many ways, the success of your brand. Are you telling a relevant and compelling story about your business? Are you targeting the right audiences? This post will help you answer these important questions.

What better way to bring in the new year than with a new online marketing strategy? We hope these posts offer some helpful insights and maybe even a little motivation for a productive and optimized 2017.

December 21, 2016
Top 5 Most Read Search Influence Blogs of October

Between Halloween, the World Series, and Election Season, a few Search Influence blogs may have fallen through the cracks. Don’t worry! Here’s the top 5 most read blogs from October to get you caught up!

#1. The Importance of Content Marketing to Your SEO Strategy

Did you know that businesses with websites of 401–1000 pages get 6x more leads than those with 51–100 pages? Find out exactly what content marketing is and how it can help your business with this informative blog post.

#2. Search Influence Adds 8 New Employees

Welcome to the Search Influence family, Ann, Rosie, Amy, Joel, Roane, Sabian, Sam, and Trace! Get to know these friendly faces a little better, and discover which one of them dances Bachata.

#3. What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Originally published in March, this post is still holding onto its rank as one of our most popular blog posts ever! Learn exactly what changed with the update and how it might affect your business.

#4. A Day in the Life of an Account Manager at Search Influence

Ever wondered what it’s like to be an Account Manager? Ever wondered what it’s like to take over the Search Influence Twitter for a day? This engaging blog post lets you experience both through the eyes of Account Manager Presley Brouillette.

#5. Like Our Facebook Page and Help a Worthy Cause

Read all about the #Likes4Lives campaign, our October fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness! We’d like to thank everyone who made it a great success! Discover the campaign’s outcomes in our recent results blog.

November 8, 2016
Here Are Our Top 5 Blogs From September

Another month, another top five blogs from Search Influence! All of these posts are chock-full of information that will help you keep your website in tip-top shape and give you some insight into life at Search Influence. Subscribe to our blog to stay up to date on what’s going on in the world of SEO and Search Influence.

#5: How Google Possum Has Affected 3 Pack: A Before and After Review

Google’s newest update has had some drastic effects on the search results 3 pack. Amy Arnold gives us the lowdown on some listings that are pretending to be dead.

Look at that beautiful Google update devouring those listings.

#4: What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Michelle Neuhoff Boyd is back at it again this month and refuses to leave the top five standings. Whether you’re a Facebook fiend or a business taking advantage of the social platform, this blog entry has mountains of information about the inner workings of the Social Media giant.

#3: Happy Working Parents Day: 10 Influencers on Lessons From Their Working Parents

To celebrate National Working Parent’s Day, Mary Silva whipped up a heartfelt blog post complete with written and video interviews of some of our employees. Tears may be shed by the time you reach the end of the video, so be sure to have that tissue box ready.

#2: Search Influence Adds 3 New Hires in August

Search Influence added three more employees in August and a lot of people were interested. Learn more about our new team members in this post compiled by Melissa Verzwyvelt.

#1: Barnacle SEO – Local Search Engine Optimization for the Sam’s Club Crowd

Last but not least, Mr. Barnacle SEO himself, Will Scott, saw a massive resurgence in popularity of his blog where he coined the industry changing term. Take a gander at this super informative blog.

While you’re at it, follow our blog to get the latest updates from Search Influence.

October 7, 2016
Here’s an Idea to Increase Your Facebook Following This October

With 58% of Americans now on Facebook, it’s now more important than ever to make sure your customers — and those potential ones — LIKE your business’s Facebook page. But let’s face it, sometimes it is hard to convince your targeted audience to press that little LIKE button. But, we have a plan.

Introducing LIKES FOR LIVES.

What Is Likes for Lives?

Just in time for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Likes for Lives is a Facebook fan-building initiative that encourages your targeted audiences to “like” your Facebook page. They simply like your page, and in exchange, your business makes a $1 donation to your choice of breast cancer awareness/research non-profit organizations.

Likes for Lives Works. Here’s 3088 Reasons.

In October 2013, Search Influence launched our own Likes for Lives campaign. We wanted to increase the number of people who liked our Facebook page and pledged $1 for each new like. We designed a special cover photo for our Facebook page that told people what we were doing:

We also launched a paid ad campaign on Facebook, targeting business owners who didn’t already like our page, who lived in the United States, with interests specific to industries we have done work. Here is an example of the ad we did (the arrow pointed directly to the LIKE button on our page):

The results? In just one month, we earned 3,088 new followers, and we decided to donate $5,000 to The Breastoration Fund. Now that’s a true win/win.

Since 2013, many of our clients have also incorporated Likes for Lives into their October marketing plans, many with similar results. They increased their Facebook following and were happy to donate to their own local breast cancer research/treatment non-profits.

Are you interested in learning more about this program? Contact us today to get started.

September 19, 2016
Top 5 Most Read Search Influence Blogs of August

It’s back to school time, and you know what that means—time to catch up on your reading! Here are the top five most read Search Influence blog posts of August. Study up!

1: What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Ranking in the top five for yet another month, this updated blog post gives the ins and outs of Facebook’s latest text grid update. Peruse this popular post to learn what this update means for your advertising.

2: Search Influence Jobs: What Does an Account Associate Do?

Get a sneak peak into daily life at Search Influence! This upbeat post talks about three great aspects of working as an Account Associate: personal growth, great team members, and helping businesses.

3: Local SEO: How to Clean up Citations for Better SERP Visibility

If the image above makes zero sense, then you should probably read this post. Learn all about how consistent citations can increase your website’s visibility to search engines.

4: 5 Ways Technology Has Changed the Olympic Games

There’s no better remedy for Olympic withdrawal. Instead of mourning the sudden lack of Michael Phelps and Simone Biles in your life, learn about technology’s impact on the Olympics.

5: Two New Hires Join Search Influence

Welcome Kayla and Mildred! Get to know the two newest members of the Search Influence team, complete with fun facts about cars, Google Android, and Wolverine 3.

Image 1 Credit

September 6, 2016
Here Are 10 Eye-Catching Medical Display Ads That Worked

Need a little inspiration for your practice’s online ad campaign? The following medical display ads are some examples of online advertising at its finest. They boast an impressive balance of striking imagery, audience targeting, creative calls-to-action, and concise copy.

These advertisements from Stewart Dermatology and Dr. Grant Stevens, FACS, at Marina Plastic Surgery utilize close-ups of women, which grab the attention of viewers more effectively than the alternative. Consider using real people in your ads to appeal to more potential patients.

#1: Stewart Dermatology

#2: Dr. Grant Stevens

You can also target specific audiences to yield even better results for your online ads. For example, these ads from Gleevec and Allure Dental could target people specifically in New York or specifically adult males seeking dental or orthodontic work.

#3: Gleevec

#4: Allure Dental

Using a creative call-to-action is also essential for conversions. The following ads from Medscape, Dermatology Associates of Wisconsin, S.C., and Hospital for Special Surgery challenge the viewer to do much more than “Click Here.” Consider trying “Request an Appointment” or “See Our Success Stories” on your display ads as a way to challenge your potential patients to more actively engage with your advertisements.

#5: Medscape

#6: Dermatology Associates of Wisconsin

#7: Hospital for Special Surgery

Short and catchy phrases and slogans can do a great job of getting and holding viewers’ attention. Here are a few examples from Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, Hass Plastic Surgery and MediSpa, and Coolsculpting: “We treat the woman. Not the symptom,” “Love the memories, forget the lines,” and “Lose the fat. No needles. No surgery. No downtime.”

These slogans perfectly utilize short, concise phrases that successfully capture the viewer’s attention.

#8: Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine

#9: Hass Plastic Surgery and MediSpa

#10: Coolsculpting

August 31, 2016
Top 5 Search Influence Blogs from July 2016

If you are like many of us at Search Influence, you took a few days off last month to enjoy the summertime. Now that August is here, you may have a few minutes to catch up on your reading. Here are our top five most read blogs from July.

1: Search Influence Reviews: Here Are 5 of the Best Bars We Visit After a Long Day at Work

Our team members enjoy grabbing a nice cold one after a long day at work! Check out our top five list of local bars—each with a wide selection of beers and delicious bar food in venues only New Orleans can provide.

2: What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Facebook officially rolled out this new update to the 20% text rule in June. Read about it and how it affects Facebook ads in this updated blog.

3: Learn How to Create a Snapchat On-Demand Geofilter to Boost Your Next Event

Snapchat launched the ability for users to create On-Demand Geofilters for birthday parties, weddings, business events, or just for fun! Learn how easy it is to submit the filter along with some key metrics to gauge your filter’s success.

4: 12 Things You May Not Know About Online Marketing

New to online marketing? Here are 12 things that surprised some of our team members when they started working at Search Influence.

5: 10 SEO Blogs You Should Be Following

Every day, we see traditional marketing grow more obsolete. Learn about 10 of the most informative and essential SEO blogs you should be following.

August 4, 2016
10 Things Your Medical Practice Should Be Doing on Facebook

We all like to think of ourselves as Facebook experts. This is 2016 after all, and Facebook has been around for over eight years. But the resting state of the online world in our internet age is continual flux, with updates and improvements becoming available quicker than you have the time or energy to research and evaluate. We know you’re busy, so let us give you the tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) version, with some easily employable tips and tricks that you should be using on Facebook.

1. Engagement, Engagement, Engagement!

Relationships can’t be one-sided, so make sure your Facebook fans see the benefit in keeping up with your page by responding to their comments, questions, and concerns. Just like your patients, your growing fan base wants to feel like they’re being heard. Taking just a few minutes to reach out to them and address their inquiries will keep your current fans happy and could even help you gain more interested Facebook followers. And, with Facebook providing users with an estimated response time right on your page, it’s more important than ever to quickly and thoroughly respond to your fans.

There’s a reason it’s called social media! For more tips on posting irresistibly engaging content, check out this post by a fellow influencer.

2. Create Shareable Content

The key to great Facebook messaging is shareability. Creating compelling, viral content that your fans can’t help but pass on increases your reach outside of your social network, earning you more fans and more influence. Consider curating a monthly list of debunked medical myths or posting an article detailing easy lifestyle changes that result in major prevention benefits.

3. Show Me the Money!

With subsequent Facebook algorithm updates, overly promotional posts are receiving less and less organic distribution on the platform. Thus, it has become increasingly important to put some spend behind your posts in order to engage specific audiences, especially since gaining fans doesn’t necessarily mean your content will reach those fans. Appealing to your growing fan base and encouraging engagement and familiarity with your products, services, and industry through post promotion is an extremely cost-effective way to combat these updates.

4. Practice Events

Facebook events are a great way to get your business and services in front of the community. Create your own events around prevention, fundraisers, and community outreach. Is your practice offering free flu shots? Create an event and allow people to invite their friends. Watch your RSVP list grow!

5. Community Events

Events can also be a great way to express your involvement in your community. Do you have a team participating in Relay for Life or a March of Dimes event? Show your solidarity, and encourage your fan base to support your favorite cause by creating your own Facebook event or attending one!

6. Know Your Audience

Being familiar with your fan base can help you provide content and services tailored to your fans’ interests. The Audience Insights tool can provide you with an invaluable cache of information. You can analyze the times of day your fans are most active on Facebook, the makeup of the Reactions your posts receive, and even the demographic makeup of Facebook users near your place of business.

7. Analyze Your Reactions

Also available through the Audience Insights tool, or by viewing individual posts on your page, are the myriad of Facebook Reactions users can now express. Taking a look at the various responses like Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad or Angry can give your practice a good feel for the type of content your Facebook fans are interested in seeing more of as well as the content they’re definitely not interested in.

8. Make Posting Easier with Scheduling

Don’t have a dedicated social media team for your practice? If you rely on a few helpful individuals, and especially if you’re taking on the task of social media management yourself, you will definitely want to familiarize yourself with Facebook’s post scheduling tool. If you want your page and its content to be consistently at the forefront of your fans’ newsfeeds, and trust us, you do, the ability to “set it and forget it” is priceless.

Check out this post for a step by step on how to get started with this feature.

9. Update Your Page!

Just as you stay up-to-date on the latest medical innovations and techniques, you must maintain currency in your social media efforts! Keep your contact information current and accurate, and post content with an eye towards the future (i.e. new developments in the field and what this means for the patient). This up-to-date and active approach will help make your practice’s page more likeable.

10. Consistency Is Key

In addition to keeping your post content current, maintaining branding consistency across different channels, such as your website, blog, and social media profiles, is a must for any practice wanting to build authority in the community. A user should be able to seamlessly navigate between your multiple online presences without a jarring change in the consistency of color and imagery, helping your brand to project a pervasive, qualified influence.

As they say, practice makes perfect. So go, implement these tips and tricks to see what works for you and your practice, and keep checking back with us for the latest updates!

May 18, 2016
How to Keep Your Law Firm’s Ads Legal

With the recent death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court is on arguably on track for confusion, gridlock, and bipartisanship. This uncertainty could affect the future of affirmative action, abortion, union rights, and several other topics that are scheduled to go to court within the year. In the face of this uncertainty, we have been looking back at the famous Bates v. State Bar of Arizona ruling of 1977, which held major implications for digital marketing even before the World Wide Web was invented. In this case, the Court emphasized the benefits of advertising as a means of informing consumers of goods and services. A five to four opinion ruled that any restrictions on advertisements for legal services was in violation of the first amendment. The majority decision continued, however, to stipulate that advertisements that are “false, deceptive, or misleading, of course, [are] subject to restraint.” The opinion went on to address the grey area between perceptions of advertisements: “we recognize that many of the problems in defining the boundary between deceptive and nondeceptive advertising remain to be resolved…”

In light of this acknowledged grey area, the question is: How do you keep your online legal ads legal?

Legal Definition of Online Advertising

Online advertising is not just limited to email blasts, pop-ups, or those dreaded YouTube clips that you must watch for at least five seconds. The legal definition varies by state, but in many states, online advertising is broadly defined to include your website and maybe even social media accounts. To be safe, assume that everything you or your firm publishes online is an advertisement.

Avoid Misleading Claims

To avoid false advertisement, everything you publish must be truthful and accurate. In terms of digital content, you will want to hook readers but not make over-exaggerated claims. This might take some creativity from your digital marketing team, but misrepresentation of services could lead to legal repercussions. It’s common sense. Don’t lie.

Ad Targeting

Because state laws vary, targeted ads are a great resource a firm can use to ensure ads only appear within a certain geographical region, avoiding inadvertently breaking another state’s regulations. You should keep all of your online ads relevant and targeted to your state or area. On top of staying within the realms of your state’s advertising laws, ad targeting also helps save you money. You can avoid appealing to people outside of your legal jurisdiction and reduce waste on your advertising budget.

Creative Commons

An image in an advertisement, whether a pay-per-click or on Facebook, needs to be creative and eye-catching. But all material published online or used in an advertisement still needs to comply with copyright laws. To ensure compliance, you can use creative commons material, join a stock photo website, pull images or graphics from a public domain repository, or ask the owner. A firm needs to get creative while staying safe.

Even though the 1977 Bates v. State Bar of Arizona ruling solidified an attorney’s right to advertise, laws regulating the legality and specifics of Internet advertisements have yet to develop. We are operating in a grey area. To stay in the clear, make sure you everything you publish online is not a misrepresentation.

February 22, 2016