• FAQs

          Search engine optimization (SEO) helps businesses drive visits to their website through organic search traffic. Given that the top organic search results receive a third of the clicks, a decline in ranking could be detrimental for your business. Implementing SEO best practices on your website will help to ensure that your web content is seen by as many potential customers as possible. The more visitors you have, the better your chances are of converting those visits into sales!

          Local search engine optimization (SEO) helps local businesses gain visibility by optimizing their local business listings for local search. A business that leverages local SEO will include its address, phone number, local opening times, and exact location in the form of a local citation. The goal is to rank for local searches which are usually performed by people in a specific geographical region looking for a business near them.

          We typically see results within the first 30 to 60 days, but when it comes to SEO, there are many factors at play. It's important to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy and results may not come as fast at you wish.


        • FAQs

          Digital advertising uses the internet to send advertisements to customers who are online through different websites and social media platforms like Google, Bing, LinkedIn and Facebook.

          The price for Google Ads management depends on the monthly ad spend. For accounts with $1,000 in monthly ad spend, the price is $550/month. Between $1,000 and $5,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $950/month. For $5,000 to $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $2,000/month. For more than $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $4,500/month.

          The price for Social Media Ads management depends on the monthly ad spend. For accounts with $1,000 in monthly ad spend, the price is $550/month. Between $1,000 and $5,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $950/month. For $5,000 to $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $2,000/month. For more than $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $4,500/month.


        • FAQs

          This depends on the complexity and size of a redesign and if eCommerce is needed. On average, it takes around 14-18 weeks from the web design intensive stage to launch.

          If your website experiences the following issues: it’s not responsive on all devices, has a slow loading speed, the design appears old and tired, users don’t spend long on the site, sales are stagnant, or your business is going through a rebranding - your website needs a redesign to boost your brand awareness and sales.

          Sometimes there’s no need to rebuild a website. Minor edits, refreshing page content and images, or restructuring page layout for SEO best practices can boost traffic and sales.


        • FAQs

          Semantic search launched in 2013 with the release of Google's Hummingbird update. Since then, Google's search engine has become more complex. The integration of machine learning, with RankBrain, and NLP, with BERT, has enabled the search engine to better understand the context of a query and deliver more personalized and targeted results. Semantic SEO is the process of creating machine-readable content using structured data and linked open data to help search engines better understand your content.

          On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page SEO refers to both the content and HTML source code of a page that can be optimized, as opposed to off-page SEO which refers to links and other external signals. From meta tags to page content, website structure, and HTML, on-page optimization services are focused on making your website more visible to search engines.

          Structured data refers to any organized data that conforms to a certain format, such as information in a relational database. When information is highly structured and predictable, search engines can more easily organize and display it in creative ways. Structured data involves using a piece of code that is laid out in a specific format easily understood by search engines. The search engines read the code and use it to display search results in a more dynamic way.


        • FAQs

          An SEO agency has experts in different areas of search engine optimization that may be out of the realm of your marketing team's abilities. SEO can be very complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, as search engine algorithms change it can be difficult to stay current on the latest ranking factors and strategies for improving online visibility. You will likely see a greater return on investment and better results from using a professional SEO agency than you would from tackling this on your own.

          As a digital marketing agency, SMA Marketing provides products and services in four areas: SEO, Local SEO, Digital Advertising, and Web Design

          We focus on building authentic, long-lasting relationships with our clients. We’re goal oriented and results driven and believe in doing good and making a difference in the world.

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Social Media for Business: A Starter Guide to Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn

In a world of online interaction, social media has become the center point for connection. But not all social media platforms are the same. In fact, each have their own very unique purpose and in order to use them properly, it’s important to understand what that purpose is. Businesses across the globe have been using social media to connect with customers and find new leads. This post will cover the 3 main social media platforms used by everyday Americans; Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We will look at why the platform was created as well as how to get the most out of social media for your business.

Before we dive into each platform, I want to give you some best practices that apply to all social media platforms. Following these rules will help make sure that you connect and add value to your followers. So let’s get started!

  1. Know The Platform “Rules”: We will cover these in detail below.
  2. Be social: Social media is about connecting, not advertising.
  3. Be authentic: Be who you are. Be yourself. Don’t fake it.
  4. Share the Love: Make sure that you share other people’s content as well as your own.
  5. Don’t over sell: Selling on social works, but over selling (or over self-promotion) will have a negative impact on your business.

Table of Contents

Facebook

Facebook (originally called TheFacebook) is by far the largest social media platform in the world. The platform as we know it today, launched in October of 2005. It was created by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates as a way for college students to connect. It went live to the public in 2006 and has continued to grow ever since. Today Facebook has over 1 billion active users across the globe and is used for both personal and commercial purposes.

Facebook is the most personal of all the social media networks. It’s become a place to connect with old and new friends, family and co-workers. While Facebook may be the most “personal” network, this doesn’t mean you should share everything about yourself. Many companies look at the profiles of perspective clients and business partners to see who they “really are.” This also applies to consumers looking at what businesses they want to interact with. Many consumers will look up the personal accounts of business owners to learn more about them. In a connection based economy, people want to do business with people that are authentic, real and trustworthy. If your business page shows you as a clean and caring person, but your personal account contradicts your claims, this can result in lost business and a bad reputation.

When it comes to your personal account, make sure you only share stuff you want people to see and won’t regret in the future. Make sure that your image across Facebook is consistent. It is a public site, so what you post is out there for the world to see.

When posting for your business, planning is a smart move. The frequency and types of posts you make should be determined by your buyer personas. What you see working for a tech company is probably not the best approach for your local real estate company. Facebook posts do have a longer “shelf life” than Twitter post. But with Facebook’s complex algorithm, just because you post something, doesn’t’ mean you’ll reach all of your audience. Check your analytics often to see when you have the most engagement. These can be found by clicking the “insights” tab at the top of your business page.

Facebook Marketing for Business

This will also help you find the right balance of posting. If you’re just starting out, start slow. See how your audience reacts and then add more if needed.

Twitter

The fast pace social network known as Twitter, has over 300 million users world wide. Twitter limits their posts to only 140 characters. This keeps the conversation short and to the point. One of the main benefits of Twitter is that it’s timeline is just that, a timeline. While Facebook uses a complex algorithm to deliver you posts it thinks you want to see, Twitter shows you posts in real time. This means you can post (and should post) more often.

Twitter may be most famous for the creation of the “Hashtag”, #.  The symbol originally known as “The Pound Sign” is used by Twitter to group conversations and make it easier for users to find and track a topic they are interested in. Hashtags can be very helpful to get your message in front of the right audience. Research trends to see what people on Twitter are talking about and make sure you connect with industry leaders.

twitter marketing for small business

Twitter also has analytics that you can dive into to see if what you are doing is working for your business. Just go to https://analytics.twitter.com and login. Look at the engagement rates and how your audience is interacting. Build your audience by retweeting, using hashtags and sharing helpful content. Don’t forget to engage with others too. Answer questions and be helpful. That’s what social media is all about.

Twitter Marketing for Beginners

 LinkedIn

Business went social in 2003 when LinkedIn came on the scene. Unlike the other two networks that are used for both personal and business reasons, LinkedIn is all business. It was created to be used as a platform for business professionals to connect online as well as a way for companies to recruit and prospect top talent.

LinkedIn now has over 300 million business professionals on their platform and its reach is global. LinkedIn’s focus is business. They have a number of ways to connect, such as groups, business pages, Jobs and more. When posting to LinkedIn, keep it business focused. One of the biggest pet peeves of LinkedIn users is when people post personal information on the platform.

Another “rule” on LinkedIn is don’t over promote yourself. You want to help others and position yourself as a trusted source of information. Add helpful content, respond to others and join industry related groups.

Making sure your profile is fully completed and optimized will help increase your presence. You also want to make sure that you create a company profile. Here is a visual guide to help you create a great looking and optimized LinkedIn business page.

LinkedIn Marketing Strategy

Just like the other two, LinkedIn also gives you data on how your users are interacting with your content. This can be found under the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” link under “Profile.” If you have a business page, you can also access the analytics for that page. Tracking what you are doing and tweaking to maximize results is the best way to get the most out of each of these platforms.

LinkedIn Marketing Strategy

Social media has changed the way we connect. There are hundreds of social networking sites across the globe and because of social media, we have the ability to be connected to the world with just a click. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the giants of social media at this time, but there are others who are climbing in popularity. Remember when using the platforms, understand the purpose, track what you are doing and add value to your followers! So now it’s your turn. Log online and get social!

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