Man tweeting about a local business. Social media engagement Seafoam Media blog
When it comes to driving growth on social media, some companies just seem to have a better knack at grabbing people's attention than others. What is it specifically that they're doing that we can learn from? Their secret comes from having certain expectations about social media that we first need to understand. By this, we mean that if your small business is launching a social media plan, you need to understand that the majority of the time, you're not going to see immediate, tangible results. Many businesses give up when they hear this, because they assume social media is like advertising—you spend some money and people come flocking to your website. The truth is, you're not going to get any traffic on social media until you prove that you're trustworthy (in the eyes of your fan or follower). This happens overtime through social media engagement, in the form of conversations, and sharing useful information.
That being said, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Below you'll find some examples of how to create the initial spark via social media, and form long lasting relationships with potential customers.

Social media engagement that works:

Listen for opportunities, then talk.
What do people talk about on Twitter? Well, lots of things. But as a business, you should be listening for people who tweet about:
A. Needing to get something done
B. Having to wait to wait for something
For example, when I was handling social media for a car dealership, I would look up people in the area who were tweeting about getting an oil change. In many cases, they'd be frustrated with the amount of time they had to wait for their car to get finished at another dealership. What did I do? I'd simply reach out to them and offer my condolences at the fact they had to wait so long at a competitor. They'd respond to me, we'd start a conversation, and at the end of the day, our dealership would have a new follower. Now, is this person immediately going to become our customer? No. However, they are going to be thinking of our dealership first the next time they need an oil change, because they know that we're active, and that we listen to their communication.
Respond to everyone and everything, including negative posts. 
One of the best magic tricks you can perform in the world of St. Louis social media management is to turn a sour, unhappy customer into a brand advocate. How does this happen? Simply by being responsive! If a customer leaves negative feedback on your Facebook page, or another social media outlet, you want to address it as soon as possible. The faster you can be in touch with your customer to address their issue, the more they will be impressed at how adept you were at handling the situation. Here's how to break it down:
A. Respond publicly to the customer that you're working to resolve their problem.
B. Promise to privately message them to handle this further.
C. Make good on your promise, get in touch with your customer, get a manager (or the owner) involved, and wow them with customer service.
There have been many times where I've turned unhappy customers into loyal fans, simply because they were so amazed at how quickly and professionally we handled their problem. Often times, they'll even write updated feedback to your social pages, letting your other customers know how you handled the situation. This gives both new and existing fans the opportunity to see that you're attentive, and that you work hard to provide a great product or service.
There are endless examples like these of social media engagement stories that happen every day! Do you have any of your own? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

how to rank for keywords seafoam media blog
When you're just starting out in the world of search engine optimization, the prospect of competing with giant corporations or other well known local institutions can be a daunting one. After all, they've had years to hone their craft and build their rankings to the top of Google's search engine results page, while you're starting out at the very bottom! Many small business owners may wonder about how to rank for keywords when the odds seem so stacked against them. Fear not— we're here to tell you that it is entirely possible to become a top player with time and effort!
Search marketing has seen a massive growth in popularity, and as such, it's gone from being something that a few companies grasped, to being a necessity in today's digital landscape. Even the most niche of businesses are popping up online, building out their websites, and optimizing them for the few coveted spots at the top of Google's search engine. Whatever industry you're in, you're bound to have some form of competition, and chances are, they'll have been around longer than you, and have developed more inbound links and content. The great thing about this all, however, is that SEO is no longer a contest of who has the biggest content, or the longest running website. SEO is about who has the most relevant content for the audience they're trying to reach.

Here's how to rank for keywords and give your small business the boost it needs:

1. Focus on one specific area that you are passionate about.
The blanket approach to SEO (trying to cover everything at once) will leave your content and your efforts stretched thin. For example, if you run a local hobby shop that specializes in comics, board games, figures, and card games, your instinct may be to spend an equal amount of time on all of those keywords. This will give you relevance for many keywords, but each specific one won't be as high as your established competitors.
Instead, find one particular keyword and optimize around it as much as you can. In our example, you may find that many users are searching for a specific card game: "Magic the Gathering". Your goal should be to dominate this specific niche, so that while you may not rank highly for all your keywords, you'll be the highest when it comes to users looking for this particular card game.
2. Find longtail keywords that exist in your industry
Longtail keywords are searches people make with an extended phrase or sentence, such as " how to remove carpet padding from living room". Generally, they have a much lower volume than highly popular keywords, but they're also less competitive. This makes them more valuable to you as a small business compared to a highly sought after keyword, such as "carpet removal".
There are plenty of paid services out there that can help you find longtail keywords. Otherwise, you can take advantage of Google Webmaster Tools to help you find some.
3. Know your neighborhood
In recent times, a new tactic has developed that many small businesses have started to take advantage of: focusing on being hyper local. What this means is that instead of trying to go after established keywords for your state or city, you are instead targeting on a more micro level, going after specific neighborhoods that are around you. A recent article from SearchEngineLand explains that Google has started to get better at recognizing individual neighborhoods. This is especially useful if your business is located in a larger city!
You can take advantage of this by adding your neighborhood name to title tags on your website, as well as optimizing your Google Business page and social media profiles to reflect your location.
What other techniques can a small business use for learning about how to rank for keywords? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

A question mark What your website needs to answer Seafoam Media blogCustomers who visit your site may start in a variety of different ways—perhaps on a landing page, or a blog post they found through a search engine. However, much like the old saying "All roads lead to Rome", your customer is eventually going to click through to your home page to find out more about your business and what you can offer. Knowing this, you need to be prepared to quickly and easily give your customer the full scoop on what it is you do, and what you provide (whether a product or service). You'll want to explain things clearly, but also in a way that is exciting and enticing. First impressions count! If your copy leaves your customer lingering on whether or not to continue scrolling down, there's a good likelihood that they will give up and click off your site.

Here are the 6 questions a customer is going to ask themselves when they come to your site:

1. What is this?

The description of your product or service should be as precise as possible. If your headline copy mentions that you sell pencils, but you actually specialize in selling mechanical pencils, you should emphasize that fact in your design. This can be done with fonts, colors, or anything you can think of to hone your customer's eye on the keyword you want.

2. Who is it for?

Answering this question is a matter of showing your customers that what you have is specifically for them. Take Square, for example. They use a variety of imagery showing the different types of small businesses that would want their mobile payment device.

3. How does it work?

Because you don't want to clutter your homepage with an overwhelming amount of copy, your best move is to provide a few brief sentences into what your product or service does. Think about the 2 or 3 most important things a potential customer should know, and then communicate those on your homepage. If you want to go more in-depth, provide a short video, or a call to action button leading to another page that fully describes your business.

4. How much does it cost?

Am upfront, transparent pricing model immediately shows your customer that you're ready for their business. Take WooBox for example: they show exactly what you get with their different pricing models.
Alternatively, if you offer a service that requires getting an estimate first, take the opportuntiy to allow your customer to set up a free consultation.

5. How can I trust this?

The sensation of trust comes from a variety of different sources. As humans, we are most likely to try something new based off of the recommendation of a peer or someone else who has tried the service we're interested in. That is why testimonials are so important for your business. A tactic that many sites use nowadays is to prominently display them on the homepage.
One of our clients, Chicago Casino Suppliers, does exactly this, displaying a slideshow of testimonials right below their event packages:

6. Where can I get started?

If your customer has made it this far in their thought process, there's a good chance they'll want to learn more about how they can take advantage of what you have to offer! This is where your main call to action comes into play. You want to build upon all of the momentum that you've built, and give your customer a large and easy signal as to what they need to do next. Guide them with large, colorful buttons or forms that instruct them as to what it is they would want to do.
For some ideas on what can go into an effective call to action, check out our recent article.
Are there any other questions you think a customer would ask themselves when visiting a small business website? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

Head with lightbulbs flying in. Consumer decision making process Seafoam Media
Can the consumer decision making process be affected when our brain processes the image of a brand's logo? Take a look at the 50 most iconic brand logos of all time. Chances are, you recognized each and every one, and when you glanced at them, something quickly triggered up in your head. The sensation you felt was an emotional response, which connects brands to certain memories of yours! For example, seeing the red bullseye associated with Target could make you think about warm, comfy sweaters, and how you can't wait to get another one next time you go out shopping. What's even more amazing is that this all happens in the blink of an eye...literally! An eye blinks at the speed of about 400 milliseconds, which is the same amount of time it takes for your brain to process all the information associated with recognizing a brand logo.
We may not consciously recognize it, but logos do affect the consumer decision making process in a deeper way than we previously thought. After all, we're more likely to buy from known, trusted brands, and seeing a logo we're familiar with lights up multiple parts of our brain at once. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, this is a crucial detail to keep in mind: if your logo isn't simple, well designed, and/or memorable, your customers are going to have a much harder time recognizing you and associating your brand with certain feelings.
So what's happening when these areas are activated in our cranium? Below you'll find an infographic from LogoMaker, which dives into the fascinating process that occurs when your brain spots a logo.

Advanced SEO techniques Seafoam Media blogSearch engine optimization is a tricky game—we all want to take every shortcut and trick possible to get ahead, but Google is constantly changing the rules when it comes to SEO. Is a site legitimate, or simply using questionable tactics to rise to the top? If you want to rank among the best, you need to ditch the ineffective, spammy practices, and replace them with advanced SEO techniques that are content focused.
How can you do that? SEO is kind of like going on a diet. It's a slow, transformative process, where results don't just happen overnight. However, if you stay consistent, you'll begin to rank higher and higher over time for the keywords your business targets.
Check out these tips below, apply them to your small business website, and make your SEO campaign a success!

5 Advanced SEO Techniques

1. Think of keywords from a human perspective.
We all know that the best keywords are the hyper specific ones that are tailored precisely for your business. However, one of the ways in which we can change our thinking of SEO is to put our minds in the eyes of our potential customers. What would they search for? Chances are, it's going to be a phrase or term that is more conversational based, with less of a marketing vibe to it. Think of this way: what was the last product or service you searched for on Google, and what sort of phrase did you use to find your answer? Those are the kind of keywords you want to be aiming for.
2. Avoid duplicate content.
A big red flag for search engines is when your site shows up, and it contains the exact same content or article as another site. Originality is very important for SEO, and when two different websites have duplicate content, the copycat is the one who will see a negative influence on their search rankings. If you're outsourcing a copywriter, be sure that the content they produced is original and pertains only to your site. Tools like Copyscape can be used to check for duplicate content.
3. Perform page audits to find problems.
If it feels like you've been exhausting efforts to optimize your pages, and you're still not seeing results, there could be underlying problems that you weren't able to detect. To remedy this, we use tools like Moz and Raven, which can crawl through your site and point out areas where you're missing, say, a proper title tag, or meta description.
4. Look at your internal linking structure.
When a search engine like Google looks at the way your website is structured, it's going to put more emphasis on pages that are linked to frequently. This is referred to as PageRank flow, which is another important element when it comes to advanced SEO techniques. If you find that search engines are linking to pages with little substance or content on them within your site, such as your "Contact Us" page, you'll want to use a "noindex" code from Google to tell them not to look at that specific page.
5. Write content that makes your customers happy.
If you regularly publish useful content, visitors to your website are more likely to read it—it's that simple! This is why things like a company blog are so great, because it gives you a chance to provide information that your readers will want to click on. Don't focus too hard on keyword stuffing your way into a piece of content that is barely readable. As customers, we want to read stories and articles, not content that feels like an advertisement written by a robot.
What other advanced SEO techniques do you follow? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

Intellectual Property Light bulb money Seafoam MediaGot a great idea? Innovation is one of the best ways a new small business or entrepreneur can succeed. Every day, new intellectual property is brainstormed and designed around the world! You could have a brilliant way to engineer something, a culinary creation that's never been seen before, or an amazing design/logo that inspires others. The possibilities are endless, and if you ever think something is too outlandish, think again.
Remember the "Cronut" craze in 2013, where a bakery came up with a hybrid croissant/donut that swept New York City by storm? People waited outside in lines, sometimes for hours, just to try one! The Dominique Ansel Bakery became so popular and synonymous with their cronuts that many copycats were popping up all over, trying to enjoy a sliver of their success. In response, they filed a trademark on the term "Cronut", leaving Dominique the only bakery to officially distinguish their product as such.
Whatever your intellectual property is, it's important that you protect it as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more vulnerable you become to having your idea copied and stolen. Depending on what you've created, there are four main ways to ensure the sole proprietor of your idea is you and you alone.

4 ways to protect your intellectual property:

1. Patent
2. Trademark
3. Copyright
4. Trade secret 
For a better idea at what these terms mean, law firm Cook & Cook put together an infographic showing how each one is applicable, and the length of protection they offer you as a small business owner or entrepreneur.
Have you taken steps to keep your intellectual property safe? What other tips do recommend?
Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

Keeping Intellectual Property Safe Infographic Seafoam Media

Tools for entrepreneurs Seafoam Media
When you're an entrepreneur, a small business owner, a co-founder of a start-up, or all of the above, there's one resource we always need more of: time. Success often weighs heavily on how efficient you are at managing deadlines, staying productive, and finding ways to streamline your business. If you find that you're spending way too much energy on certain tasks, it's often worth exploring options that can give you the freedom to focus on more important things.
There are a bunch of companies out there with solutions for just about everything. The question is—where do you get the best bang for your buck? Below you'll find three different products we recommend.

Check out these 3 tools for entrepreneurs:

1. Teamwork
How do you oversee everything that needs to get done? Many small businesses lose efficiency simply because they don't have an accurate way to monitor tasks that need to be completed. Teamwork solves that by serving as a project management software, allowing you to collaborate with all of your employees. You can create projects, make notebooks, set deadlines, and most importantly: move conversations from lengthy email chains to a neat and efficient communication system.
They offer a free option, as well as pricing that starts from $12/month.
2. DocuSign
Signing contracts and scanning documents creates a back and forth communication scenario that can eat up a lot of your time. With Docusign, you can digitally send, sign and manage documents that are stored securely in the cloud. It also integrates with a wide variety of computers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Docusign offers a 14 day free trial, and starts at $10/month.
3. DropBox
Cloud storage has truly changed the way we work. In the past, to keep track of documents and files, you'd need to either transfer them with a USB stick, or remotely connect to your main computer. With Dropbox, you can store, access, and share files anywhere. This means you'll never forget that PDF or Excel document again!
DropBox offers free personal accounts for individual users, as well as business accounts that start at $15/month per user, for up to 5 users. The business account provides collaborative sharing.
What tools for entrepreneurs do you recommend? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

One of the biggest factors as to whether a new small business succeeds or fails lies in how well it appears in local search results. You might have a great product or service, social media accounts set up, and a large colorful sign outside, but if people can’t find you when they type in your area of expertise on Google, they won’t be spending money!

Creating buzz for your business can be done in several ways, such as word of mouth marketing, also sometimes known as event marketing or taking a “grassroots approach”. Another such way, and what we’ll be focusing on in this post, can be done by optimizing your Google My Business page.

Small businesses benefit from SEO that specifically targets local search

When our St. Louis SEO team works with new clients, we stress the importance of targeting their business to their local audience. A great deal of value lies in targeting these long tail, hyper specific keywords that your customers may be using. They want to find options in their local area, and will choose a physical store over an online purchase if they can have the convenience of picking it up immediately.

 

Local search and how it drives Google traffic. Seafoam Media

What are some benefits of having an optimized Google My Business page?

What sort of local information do consumers want to know?

  1. You need to have business information available that is consistent across your various web presences. For example, if you change the hours on your website, make sure you change it within your Google My Business page.
  2. Google My Business can be used to easily set up a page and provide your address, hours, and other pertinent information. We recommend setting up one account if you don't have one already, and be sure to get it verified.
  3. You need to have a large number of reviews and a high average rating. Many good reviews on Google My Business is a signal to both Google and potential customers that your company provides quality goods and services. Having a good My Business rating can translate to higher local results.

Simple ways to boost local SEO:

1. Get verified

A verified business on Google is much more likely to be seen as trustworthy and reliable. In addition, verification is what lets you appear on the map results when users do a search. To get verified, you need to provide a valid address.

2. Research categories for your business and what your competitors are doing

If Google's categories don't provide an exact match for the type of product or service you offer, see what your competitors are doing to find the most relevant categories to include.

3. Verify your information is correct and standardized across platforms that provide business citations

For example, if your information is listed on Yelp, Foursquare, Angie's List, CitySearch, etc, you want to make sure that where your Name, Address, and Phone Number are mentioned, the information mirrors what is on your site.

4. Encourage reviews

Building off of #3, the more reviews your business has, the higher it will appear when a user searches for a particular topic. Don't be afraid to ask your customers for reviews or testimonials, and try to spread out your reviews across multiple sites when possible, especially your Google Local Page. You can also place stickers and signs in your business for sites like Yelp, reminding your customers that you have a presence on there, and appreciate feedback. Just make sure you don't solicit reviews on-site (Google penalizes reviews that come from the same IP address location as the business), and don't ignore your negative reviews!

5. Post content that is local and unique

Whether you choose to update your social media presence yourself, or use a helping hand from a company such as us, the best thing you can do to stay relevant in search results is to have content that your customer will find useful. What kind of content is that? Talk about your company's history, what your staff is like, what community events you're taking part in, what customer specific stories you have that are worth sharing, and blog posts that you've created.

All of these tips will help improve your local SEO. For more knowledge, check out this post from Smallbiztrends, which includes an infographic.
What aspects of local search do you think are most important for SEO? Send us a comment on Facebook or a tweet to @SeafoamMedia with your thoughts!

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