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The Importance of Business Reviews and Credibility in the Age of GEO

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:59:26 GMT

As the digital landscape evolves, we’ve seen firsthand how small businesses must adapt to new ways customers discover and evaluate brands. One of the most significant developments is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—the process of optimizing your online presence so that generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and voice assistants can accurately recommend your business.

At Creekmore Marketing, we’ve served businesses across the United States and Canada for over a decade by staying up to date on the latest digital marketing changes and adapting our strategies, helping our clients stay ahead of the curve!

Learn more about GEO, building credibility, and how to jumpstart your marketing strategy!

What is GEO, and What Does It Have to Do with Reviews?

Authentic reviews are the cornerstone of a strong digital reputation. While it may be tempting to seek shortcuts, the most sustainable and effective approach is to build credibility organically. This not only aligns with platform guidelines but also ensures that feedback accurately reflects the customer experience.

Start by integrating review requests into your everyday processes. After a successful interaction or service, send a follow-up email or SMS thanking the customer and inviting them to share their experience. Simplify the process by providing direct links to your preferred review platforms, such as Google or Facebook.

Consistency is key. Consistent recent reviews signal to both search engines and generative AI that your business is active and trustworthy. Additionally, showcasing reviews on your website and social media channels strengthens your review marketing strategy and reinforces credibility with prospective customers.

Monitoring your reviews across platforms is another key aspect of online reputation management. Responding promptly and professionally demonstrates that you value customer feedback and are committed to delivering exceptional service.

Why Google AI Search is Important for Businesses

Positive reviews are more than just compliments—they are powerful marketing assets. When customers take the time to share their satisfaction, responding with gratitude helps reinforce loyalty and encourages repeat business.

Effective responses should:

Thank the reviewer by name.
Reference specific details from their experience.
Reinforce your brand’s values.
Invite them to return.

For example:
"Thank you, Sarah, for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that our team provided the support you needed. At Creekmore Marketing, helping small businesses succeed is our top priority. We look forward to working with you again!"

By engaging with positive feedback, you humanize your brand and foster a sense of community, both of which are invaluable for building long-term credibility.

Bad Reviews Are an Opportunity

While negative reviews can feel discouraging, they present a valuable opportunity to demonstrate professionalism and commitment to improvement. Over the years, we’ve seen how a thoughtful and prompt reply can turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal advocate.

When addressing negative feedback:

Respond promptly to show attentiveness.
Acknowledge the issue and express empathy.
Provide potential solutions or invite the customer to continue the conversation offline.
Maintain professionalism regardless of the review's tone.

For instance:
"We’re sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Providing excellent service is important to us, and we’d like the opportunity to make things right. Please contact us at your convenience so we can address your concerns."

Such responses not only help resolve individual issues but also signal to prospective customers—and generative engines—that your business is trustworthy and customer-focused.

Jumpstart Your Review Marketing Strategy with Creekmore

Developing and maintaining a successful review marketing strategy requires time, expertise, and the right tools. That’s where Creekmore Marketing comes in. As a digital marketing agency serving small businesses, we specialize in helping brands build credibility and enhance their online presence.

Our comprehensive approach to online reputation management ensures that your business not only collects reviews but also leverages them effectively to drive growth.

Amplify + Interactions

Creekmore Marketing’s Amplify + Interactions solution is designed to streamline the review generation and management process. This powerful system helps businesses:

Automate Review Requests: Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences through email and SMS campaigns.
Centralize Review Monitoring: Track feedback from multiple platforms in one convenient dashboard.
Engage with Customers: Respond quickly and professionally to both positive and negative reviews.
Showcase Social Proof: Display reviews strategically across your website and various marketing materials to build trust with prospective customers.
Gain Actionable Insights: Analyze customer sentiment to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Integrating this platform into your digital marketing strategy transforms customer feedback into a powerful engine for growth and credibility.

Build Your Credibility by Partnering with Digital Marketing Professionals

In the age of GEO, credibility is currency. Businesses that actively manage their reviews are better positioned to earn the trust of both consumers and generative AI platforms. However, navigating the complexities of online reputation management can be challenging without expert guidance.

Partnering with a digital marketing agency like Creekmore Marketing provides the strategic support needed to succeed. With decades of combined experience, our team understands the challenges small businesses face and delivers tailored solutions that drive measurable results.

When you work with Creekmore Marketing, you benefit from:

Strategic Expertise: Customized reputation management strategies aligned with your business goals.
Advanced Tools: Access to innovative technologies like Amplify + Interactions.
Consistent Brand Messaging: Professional responses that reflect your brand voice and values.
Enhanced Visibility: Improved credibility that supports both SEO and GEO performance as well as other digital marketing services.
Ongoing Support: Continuous monitoring, optimization, and touchpoints to ensure long-term success.

Ultimately, business reviews are more than just feedback—they are a reflection of your brand’s integrity and a key driver of growth in today’s digital ecosystem.

Let’s Gameplan Your Reputation Management Strategy in Your Free Consultation

The shift toward generative search marks a new era in digital marketing, where credibility and authenticity are paramount. Partner with Creekmore Marketing today and discover how our expertise can help your business thrive in the age of GEO.

Creekmore Marketing is based in Lexington, Kentucky, serving clients across the US and Canada. We can’t wait to work with you!

How AI is Changing Google Search and What We’re Doing About It

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:59:57 GMT

If you've searched for something on Google lately, you may have noticed something different at the top of the page — a block of AI-generated text that summarizes an answer before you even scroll to the first result. That's not a glitch. It's Google AI Overviews, and it's changing the way people find businesses like yours.

At Creekmore Marketing, one of the questions we're hearing more is: "What do these changes mean for my website?" It's a fair question. The rules of Google search are evolving, and if your digital marketing strategy isn’t keeping up, you could be losing visibility without even knowing it.

The good news? This shift also creates real opportunity — if you know how to position your content the right way. Here's what you need to know.

Understanding Google AI Overviews

Google AI Overviews — sometimes referred to as AIO — are AI-generated summaries that appear at the very top of certain Google search results. Instead of simply listing links and letting users choose where to click, Google now compiles information from multiple sources and presents a synthesized answer directly on the results page.

This is part of a much larger shift in how Google search works. The search engine has evolved from a directory of links into something closer to an answer engine. When someone types in a question — "how long does roof replacement take" or "best HVAC service near me" — Google increasingly wants to deliver the answer, not just a list of places that might have it.

AI Overviews pull content from websites that Google considers authoritative, well-structured, and relevant to the search query. That means businesses whose content is clear, well-organized, and backed by topical expertise have a real shot at being featured — even if they're not the biggest name in their industry.

For small businesses, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Why Google AI Search is Important for Businesses

The truth is that rankings alone are no longer the full picture of SEO success. Traditionally, the goal of SEO is to rank as high as possible on page one. That still matters — but it no longer tells the whole story of your online visibility.

Why? Because with AI Overviews, a user can get their question answered without ever clicking a single link. If your content isn't structured in a way that feeds into those AI summaries, you could be sitting at position three on Google and still losing potential customers to a competitor whose content was pulled into the AI-generated answer above you.

This is what we mean when we say that search results are becoming more answer-based. Users want fast, direct answers — and Google is doing everything it can to provide them. Voice search, featured snippets, and AI Overviews are all part of the same pattern:

Google is becoming a destination, not just a directory.

For small business owners, this means your content marketing strategy needs to evolve. It's not enough to have a website with a handful of pages and a blog post or two. You need content that answers real questions, signals genuine expertise, and is structured in a way that AI systems can easily read and cite.

Businesses that adapt now will have a significant advantage over those that wait.

How Search Engine Optimization is Evolving with AI

AI search engine optimization isn't about abandoning traditional SEO — it's about expanding it. The fundamentals still apply: you need a well-built website, relevant keywords, quality backlinks, and consistent content. But the way you structure and present that content has become far more important.

Here's what's driving AI-era SEO:

Structured Content

Google's AI systems scan your content looking for a clear, logical structure. That means using proper headings, writing in a way that directly addresses questions, and presenting information in chunks that are easy to extract. When your content is built this way, it's far more likely to show up in featured snippets and AI Overviews.

FAQ Sections

FAQ-style content is one of the most effective tools for AI search visibility. When you directly answer the questions your customers are already asking, you make it easy for Google to surface your content as a trusted response. This is especially powerful for local and service-based businesses.

Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data code added to your website that helps search engines understand what your content is about. This additional context makes your content more eligible for rich results and AI-generated summaries.

Topical Authority

One of the most important shifts is the move away from isolated keyword pages toward building genuine authority on a topic. Instead of writing a single blog post about a keyword, creating a network of interconnected content demonstrates your knowledge in your field, which directly influences AI search visibility.

Authority Signals

Links from reputable websites, positive reviews, consistent business information across the web, and a strong content history all tell Google that your business is trustworthy, influencing your ranking and whether your content is pulled into AI Overviews.

How Creekmore Marketing Helps You Stay Visible in AI Search

We’ve been watching these changes closely, and we’re constantly evolving our processes and approach to stay on top of all the changes that Google is making. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

We structure content for both traditional rankings and AI summaries: Every piece of content we create is built with both goals in mind — ranking well in standard search results and being eligible for AI Overviews.
We optimize for featured snippets and direct answers: Featured snippets have been a gateway to AI visibility for years, and we've refined our approach to earning them. We craft content that answers specific questions concisely, which increases the likelihood of Google pulling your content to the top.
We build topic authority instead of one-off keyword pages: Rather than writing a single blog post and hoping it ranks, we develop content ecosystems that establish your business as the go-to source in your niche.
We monitor visibility inside AI results, not just rankings: Traditional rank tracking only tells part of the story. We also look at how your content performs within AI-generated search experiences — so we can see the full picture of your online visibility and adjust strategy accordingly.

The bottom line is that AI search isn't replacing what we do — it's raising the standard for what good digital marketing looks like. And we're already there.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google AI Search

What is AI search?

AI search refers to search engine experiences powered by artificial intelligence — most notably Google AI Overviews (AIO), which generate synthesized answers at the top of search results. Instead of showing only a list of links, AI search delivers a direct response drawn from multiple web sources, giving users faster access to information.

What are Google AI Overviews?

Google AI Overviews (AIO) are AI-generated summaries that appear prominently at the top of Google search results for many queries. They're created by Google's AI systems, which scan and synthesize content from trusted websites across the web. Being cited in an AI Overview can drive meaningful visibility for your business.

Does my Google ranking still matter?

Yes — but it's no longer the only metric that matters. Traditional rankings remain important for driving clicks and traffic, but AI Overviews, featured snippets, and voice search are also significant sources of visibility. A comprehensive SEO strategy addresses all of these, not just page-one rankings.

Can small businesses compete in AI search?

Absolutely. AI search levels the playing field in some ways — because it rewards well-structured, authoritative content rather than just domain size or marketing budget. A small business with a clear, helpful, expertly written website can earn visibility in AI Overviews alongside much larger competitors.

How do I know if my content is showing up in AI results?

Monitoring AI search visibility requires going beyond standard rank tracking tools. At Creekmore Marketing, we track how your content performs within AI-driven search through various channels, including our own CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard .

Contact Creekmore Marketing for Help with AI Search

At Creekmore Marketing, we specialize in helping small businesses across the US and Canada build digital marketing strategies that actually work — strategies grounded in what Google is doing right now, not what it was doing five years ago. From AI search engine optimization and structured content to schema markup and topic authority, our award-winning team will handle the details so you can focus on running your business.

If you're not sure how your website is performing in AI search — or if you've noticed a drop in traffic and can't figure out why — we'd love to take a look. Contact Creekmore Marketing today to schedule a free consultation and find out exactly where you stand.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and Why It Matters for Your Business

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:15:36 GMT

The way people search for information online is changing rapidly. Instead of scrolling through results, many users now rely on direct answers generated by AI tools, voice assistants, and search engine features. This shift has introduced a new marketing strategy, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

For small businesses , especially, implementing AEO helps to get ahead of the competition in the SERPs (search engine result pages). While traditional search engine optimization (SEO) remains valuable, modern digital marketing strategies require businesses to optimize content for answer engines—platforms that deliver immediate, concise answers to user questions.

At Creekmore Marketing , we help businesses stay ahead of evolving search trends. Learn more about answer engine optimization, why it matters, and how it can help your business adapt to remain visible online

Answer Engine Optimization: At A Glance

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring and optimizing your online content so that search engines and AI-driven platforms can easily identify, extract, and deliver your information as a direct answer to a user’s question.

While traditional SEO focuses on ranking webpages in search results, AEO marketing focuses on being the answer itself.

Examples of answer engines include:

AI-powered search tools
Voice assistants like Siri or Alexa
Featured snippets on search engine results pages
Knowledge panels
AI-generated summaries in search results

When someone asks a question such as “What is AEO in marketing?” or “How does answer engine optimization work?”, search engines often deliver a summarized response instead of directing the user to multiple websites.

This means businesses that structure their content correctly can position themselves as an authoritative source in their industry.

Effective answer engine optimization AEO content marketing strategies typically involve:

Creating clear, question-based content
Structuring articles with logical headings
Providing concise, experience-based answers
Using schema markup and structured data

Why AEO Matters to Business Owners

Search Behavior is Changing

Consumers increasingly expect instant answers to their questions. Instead of browsing multiple websites, they often rely on AI-generated responses, voice searches, or featured snippets.

If your content is optimized for answer engines, your business has a greater chance of being included in those responses.

Without AEO, your content may still rank well in traditional search results—but it could be overlooked by AI systems that deliver the answers users see first..

AEO Builds Authority and Trust

When search engines or AI tools cite your content as a trusted answer, it reinforces your authority within your industry.

This type of visibility can position your brand as an expert resource, which helps build credibility with potential customers.

For small businesses, being recognized as a reliable information source can make a significant difference in attracting and retaining clients.

Voice Search Continues to Grow

Voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant rely heavily on answer engine optimization when responding to spoken questions.

Voice searches are typically conversational and question-based, such as:

“What is digital marketing?”
“How can digital marketing help my business?”
“What are the best digital marketing strategies?”

Businesses that structure their content around clear, concise answers are more likely to appear in these responses.

AI Search Tools Are Becoming More Popular

AI-driven platforms are quickly becoming a major source of online information. These systems scan websites, blogs, and digital content to generate responses to user questions.

Businesses that develop strong answer engine optimization AEO content marketing strategies can improve their chances of being included in those AI-generated answers.

This type of visibility can drive brand recognition, website traffic, and ultimately new customers

AEO Complements Traditional SEO

One of the biggest misconceptions about AEO marketing is that it replaces traditional SEO. In reality, the two strategies work together.

Traditional SEO focuses on:

Keyword targeting
Backlinks
Technical optimization
Search engine rankings

AEO builds on those foundations with:

Direct answers
question-based content
structured information
AI-friendly formatting

When combined effectively, SEO and AEO create a stronger digital presence that serves both human users and AI-powered search platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions About Answer Engine Optimization

What is AEO in marketing?

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing website content so that search engines and AI platforms can easily extract and present it as a direct answer to user queries.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking webpages, AEO focuses on providing the best possible answer to a specific question.

How is AEO different from SEO?

SEO helps webpages rank higher in search results, while AEO helps content become the answer itself in search engines, voice assistants, and AI-generated summaries.

Both strategies are important, but AEO addresses the growing demand for instant answers and conversational search queries.

What are the top answer engine optimization tools for marketers?

Several tools can help marketers develop stronger AEO strategies, including:

Keyword research platforms
AI content analysis tools
Structured data and schema generators
SEO analytics platforms

These tools help marketers identify question-based keywords, user intent, and opportunities to provide clear answers.

What types of content perform best for AEO?

Content that performs well for answer engine optimization typically includes:

FAQ pages
blog posts answering common questions
how-to guides
concise definitions
structured articles with clear headings

This type of content makes it easy for search engines and AI platforms to extract relevant information.

Is AEO important for small businesses?

Yes. Small businesses can benefit greatly from AEO marketing, allowing them to compete with larger companies by providing clear, authoritative answers within their niche.

Well-structured content can help smaller businesses appear in search results, featured snippets, and AI-generated responses

AEO Implementation at Creekmore

When you partner with Creekmore, we build content that answers real buyer questions. We do this by learning your industry inside and out and working closely with you to address real questions, concerns, and needs.

Not only do we optimize our content for featured snippets and direct answers, but we also focus on building topical authority rather than creating one-off keyword pages. We stand behind the work we do, which is why we look beyond keyword rankings and monitor visibility within AI results.

See what sets Creekmore Marketing apart from other marketing professionals, and learn how we can help your business build digital marketing strategies that adapt to the ever-changing landscape of search.

Learn More About AEO and More Digital Marketing Strategies Today

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is quickly becoming a critical component of modern digital marketing, helping businesses provide the answers customers are searching for. Our team develops custom SEO and AEO marketing strategies designed to improve online visibility, build authority, and drive long-term growth.

Prepare your business for the future of search by partnering with Creekmore Marketing & Design. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, we proudly serve businesses across the United States and Canada. Contact us today to learn how AEO can support your digital marketing strategy.

Top Lead Gen Strategies for Small Businesses in 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:45:03 GMT

As a business in today’s online world, it’s crucial to stand out amongst the constant stream of noise. But it can also feel increasingly difficult to accomplish just that. For business owners, it’s simple: If you aren’t generating leads, you aren’t generating sales, making it imperative to invest in a local lead-generation strategy so you can close that deal.

At Creekmore Marketing , a small-business lead-generation agency based near Lexington, KY, our team of experts can help you get the quality leads you want without the bullsh*t.

What Is Lead Generation?

So, what is lead generation? Lead generation is getting the target audience to take an interest in your company and eventually turn that interest into a sale.

Lead generation is all about nurturing those who show promise of conversion, whether that’s buying your product, subscribing to your service, or attending your event.

Types of Leads in Marketing

There are various types of sales leads you may try to reach with your lead generation strategies, such as:

Unqualified Leads : Unqualified leads are those who don’t interact with your brand. They’re the least likely to convert to any other type of lead.
Cold Leads : A cold lead is someone who may have liked a one-off Instagram post, reviewed your blog, or is on your cold email list.
Warm Leads : Warm leads are those already familiar with the business, either through a trusted referral or online interactions via your website or social media. These leads feel easier to start a conversation with, as they’re already open to your product or service.
Information Qualified Leads (IQL) : An IQL has provided you with some information, such as entering their email address to receive your free eBook. IQLs often are part of your target demographic, but you may not know much else about them yet.
Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) : A MQL knows more about your business than an IQL. If they once downloaded a free eBook from you, they followed up with additional actions, such as visiting your site frequently or following you on social media, but they haven’t yet bought your product or service.

Investing in PPC for Small Business Lead Generation

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads are the number one local lead generation strategy that you can invest in when it comes to your small business . With PPC, you’re using paid ads to drive your target audience to a devoted landing page or even fill out a form to capture contact information, converting them from a cold or warm lead to an IQL.

The best part of PPC is the precision you have control over where the ad appears. When you’re setting up a campaign, you can target your audience by their location, device, or job title. You’re setting your campaign up for success by getting your company’s ad in front of eyes who are already interested in your product or service.

How to Use PPC for Lead Generation

There are several ways that you can ensure your PPC ad grabs attention, including:

Conducting Keyword Research : Use paid or free keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, to understand the search volume and estimated cost-per-click for various keywords. These tools may also provide additional keyword ideas.
Applying Negative Keywords : Negative keywords prevent your ad from showing for specific words or phrases. These keywords help keep your ad focused on the right target audience rather than on unqualified leads.
Creating Engaging Copy : Keywords are essential to PPC ads, but so is appealing copy. It’s vital to keep the benefit of your product or service at the forefront, followed by an explanation of how it solves pain points and a clear CTA.
Developing Landing Pages : Landing pages are designed specifically for warm leads. These pages usually have one goal: to convert, whether that’s purchasing your product, submitting a form, or signing up for a webinar or newsletter.

4 Additional Types of Lead Gen Strategies for Your Small Business

Here are four additional types of small business lead generation strategies you can implement into your marketing campaign in conjunction with PPC:

1. Content and SEO Marketing

There are numerous advantages to executing content marketing and SEO solutions as part of your small-business lead-generation strategy. These benefits include introducing yourself to cold leads, enhancing brand awareness , and building engagement. In content marketing, you’re responsible for creating educational and inspiring narratives to draw in leads.

Here are a few ways you can leverage your content marketing to help generate leads for your business:

Creating Content Plans : Curating a content plan on when you’re going to post, the topics you’re going to cover, and the keywords you’re going to focus on will help your target audience find your website and, subsequently, your offerings.
Developing Buyer Personas : Buyer personas are a market research tool for understanding your audience, including biographical details and pain points. You can even create segmentations for different lead types.
Writing a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA) : Make the action you want the potential lead to take clear, such as calling your business, buying your product, or submitting a consultation request on your website.

2. Email Marketing

Email marketing is an effective component of small business lead generation, but just any old email won’t do the job. A lead-generation email indicates that the consumer, anywhere from a cold lead to an MQL, is interested and has willingly provided their contact information. These emails often include an incentive, like a discount code, to encourage warm leads to take action.

A few key elements you’ll need to grab a lead’s attention with an email include:

Using Strong CTAs : Emails need a CTA to guide leads to the desired action. Embed links with action words, like “sign up”, “read”, or “download”.
Writing Solid Subject Lines : Keep subject lines short, sweet, and to the point. Make it personable by adding their name, asking a question, or using action words.
Trying A/B Testing : Conduct A/B testing to determine which strategy works best for your company. Send one type of email to one set of leads and another to a different set, and examine the analytics to see which performed better at generating leads.

3. Social Media Marketing

Today, social media is an integral component of marketing. It lets you engage with and nurture your relationships with current customers, while also getting your brand in front of cold leads and beyond. Social media marketing to produce new leads for a small business is about creating static images and short-form videos to capture attention and draw them in to learn more about what you can do for them.

A few ways you can use social media to generate more leads are:

Optimizing Your Profile : Use high-quality images everywhere, from your profile picture to your in-feed posts to your stories. Include information and keywords in your bio about who your brand is, what it does, and a strong CTA.
Implementing Social Media Ads : Social media ads are a great local lead-gen strategy, as many platforms offer specific targeting, increasing the likelihood that your ads appear for your target audience rather than unqualified leads.
Investing in Retargeting : Retargeting helps re-engage users who once showed interest in your brand. For example, you can reappear on the social media feeds of a user who visited your website but didn’t sign up for your email list.

4. Referral Marketing

Nothing beats a trusted recommendation from a satisfied consumer. Referral marketing is getting your happy customers and contacts to leave reviews for your business. This local lead generation strategy can also involve incentivizing customers to leave a review, such as entering them into a giveaway in exchange for a Google review.

Referral marketing can also refer to encouraging customers to recommend your business to their friends and family, providing you with a new set of warm leads.

Partner With a Lead Generation Company for Small Businesses

Getting cold leads and beyond doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark, hoping something sticks. It can be a well-thought-out, structured sequence of events that requires careful planning and market research, whether by you or a lead generation company for small businesses.

When you work with a lead generation agency that understands your business and passion and believes in your mission, you can get back to other aspects of your business you first fell in love with.

When you’re ready for a steady flow of qualified leads from experts passionate about helping your business grow, contact us online or call (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation. At Creekmore Marketing, we’re headquartered near Lexington, KY, and serving many small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States and Canada.

How To Track Marketing ROI Without Being a Data Analyst

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:34:26 GMT

Tracking marketing ROI can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t consider yourself a numbers person. But you don’t need to be a data analyst to understand whether your marketing efforts are working. When you focus on clear goals, simple calculations, and the right tools, ROI tracking becomes far more approachable. By using practical methods instead of complex analytics, you can confidently measure performance, justify your marketing spend, and make smarter decisions without getting lost in data.

ROI, or Return on Investment, measures how much value you gain from your marketing efforts compared to what you spend. In simple terms, it helps you answer one key question: Is this marketing activity worth the investment? Whether you’re tracking SEO, content marketing , paid ads, or email campaigns, ROI allows you to connect your marketing efforts directly to revenue, leads, and other meaningful business key performance indicators (KPIs).

Utilizing The Simple Calculation

The most straightforward way to calculate marketing ROI is with this formula:

ROI = (Revenue Generated – Marketing Cost) ÷ Marketing Cost × 100

To use this formula effectively, you first need to define what “revenue” means for your business. If you run an e-commerce site, this may be direct sales. If you’re a B2B or services business, it might be the value of qualified leads or closed deals. Once you know your revenue and total marketing costs, including ad spend, tools, content creation, and labor, you can plug the numbers into the formula. Even rough estimates can help you quickly identify which marketing efforts are delivering the strongest returns.

Using Marketing Data Tools and Platforms

Tools are built to simplify digital marketing ROI tracking by automatically collecting and organizing your data. Instead of manually analyzing spreadsheets, you can see how traffic, conversions, and revenue connect to your marketing channels. From an SEO and content perspective, tools like Google Analytics and Search Console help you understand how organic traffic and keyword performance contribute to your overall content marketing ROI. By focusing on a few key metrics, such as conversions, cost per acquisition, and revenue by channel, you avoid “analysis paralysis” and gain clearer insights.

You can track marketing ROI using tools such as:

Google Analytics
Google Search Console
HubSpot and Salesforce CRMs
Constant Contact
SEMrush
Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads
Proprietary Dashboards like the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard

Leveraging a Combination of Methods

Relying on just one method rarely gives you the full picture of marketing ROI. Simple calculations offer clarity, while marketing tools provide deeper insights and context. When you combine both, you create a more accurate and practical approach to measurement. For example, you can use analytics tools to identify high-performing campaigns, then apply the ROI formula to see if the results justify your investment. This balanced strategy helps you make confident, data-informed decisions without needing advanced technical skills.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing ROI

How often should you track marketing ROI?

Marketing ROI should be tracked monthly for most businesses, with more in-depth quarterly reviews. This timeframe allows enough data to evaluate performance trends while still enabling timely optimizations and budget adjustments.

What if marketing doesn’t directly generate sales?

When marketing does not generate immediate sales, ROI can be measured using lead value, conversion rates, assisted revenue, or customer acquisition costs. These metrics help quantify the long-term impact of brand awareness and demand-generation campaigns.

How long does it take to see marketing ROI?

The time required to see marketing ROI varies by channel. Email marketing can show results within days, while paid ads may show results within weeks, and SEO and content marketing typically take three to six months or longer to generate measurable returns.

Is negative marketing ROI always bad?

Negative marketing ROI is not always bad, especially for new campaigns or long-term strategies like SEO. Initial investments may take time to generate returns, making ongoing tracking and trend analysis more important than short-term results.

What is the biggest mistake when tracking marketing ROI?

The biggest mistake is tracking too many metrics instead of focusing on core KPIs. Prioritizing revenue, qualified leads, and cost per acquisition provides clearer insights and more actionable decision-making.

Do small businesses need to track marketing ROI?

Small businesses should track marketing ROI to ensure limited budgets are spent effectively. ROI tracking helps identify high-performing strategies, eliminate wasted spend, and scale marketing efforts with confidence.

Working With a Professional Marketing Company Like Creekmore Marketing

When you work with a professional marketing team, such as ours at Creekmore Marketing, you get experts who deliver top-tier digital marketing efforts in SEO, PPC, Social Media, Website Design, and Email Marketing, as well as a team that analyzes your ROI to ensure our services deliver actionable results. If you’re interested in our digital marketing services, including ROI tracking, contact us to get started.

Proud to Be Your Award-Winning Window Treatment Marketing Partner

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:26:46 GMT

Over a decade ago, Creekmore Marketing started with a simple focus: to help local businesses grow with individualized marketing plans that actually drive leads, bookings, and revenue.

That focus began in the window treatment industry and expanded to many other niches , but our principles remained the same : practical strategy, measurable results, and a no-BS approach to collaborative marketing that feels like having a calm, expert partner in the room.

Today, we’re honored to share a milestone that reflects how far the journey has taken us— we won Best Marketing & Social Media in the first-ever Window Fashion VISION Readers’ Choice Awards .

That recognition comes from you, our clients, and over 21,000+ industry peers who took their time to vote for us among the many brands and professionals shaping the future of window coverings.

It’s a sign that our consistent focus on real results—rooted in industry experience—resonates with the businesses we serve.

Our Approach to Window Treatment Industry Marketing

Window treatment and interior design pros face a lot of different factors that make their marketing unique: long sales cycles, high-consideration buyers, and the interplay between online shopping, big box stores, and local showroom traffic.

Over years of working with dealers across the world, we have fine-tuned our individual approach to meet our designers in their market with organic SEO and paid search strategies that improve discoverability and increase conversions. We help design logos, website and content frameworks that support our clients’ reputation and assist with brand visibility and recall.

Growth That Broadened But Didn't Lose Focus

We expanded into broader service verticals , helping businesses beyond the window treatments industry.
Our team’s expertise deepened , with specialists in SEO, PPC, social media, content strategy, and analytics.

We became sought after as educators and contributors because we kept returning to the same fundamentals:

Audit → fix foundations → launch focused campaigns → measure → iterate
Transparent reporting that empowers clients to act based on real performance data.

A particularly meaningful part of our growth has been engaging with industry leaders as peers and contributors. For the past three years , Creekmore team members have been featured as:

Speakers at the International Window Coverings Expo (IWCE) —the premier trade show and educational event in the window coverings industry. We’ve shared insights on topics like social media, SEO and content strategies, and email marketing tailored for window treatment pros, designers, and installers.
Exhibitors at IWCE , connecting face-to-face with dealers, designers, and manufacturers ready to grow their businesses.
Featured guest authors and contributors for Window Fashion VISION Magazine—one of the industry’s leading publications with three decades of influence.

What Our Award-Winning Marketing & Social Media Means For You

Winning the Window Fashion VISION Readers’ Choice Award is just one part of the story —but it allows us to appreciate our clients even more. We’re even more motivated to provide excellent guidance to service providers in the window coverings space.

Even with this recognition, our focus stays on helping your business improve lead quality , with content that guides your audience through research to purchase. By bundling your marketing needs into thoughtful packages, we can align your marketing channels, so they compound impact by working together.

Recognition is great—but real growth is built each conversation and campaign at a time. We don’t do any cookie-cutter plans and build each solution and strategy to each unique business.

Work with Creekmore Marketing

Whether you’re a window treatment dealer or any other niche looking to grow— book your free consultation and our Business Development team is standing by to give our free test to your current strategy. Let’s talk about your current goals and how a practical, performance-first approach with Creekmore Marketing can help you get there.

Digital Marketing Mistakes Small Business Owners Make (and How to Fix Them)

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:30:25 GMT

The world of digital marketing can be difficult for small business owners. You’re constantly trying to balance sales, customer relations, and team member satisfaction among the various digital marketing needs that your business requires to be successful.

Unfortunately, when you’re trying to juggle too many of these things at once, mistakes can happen, which may harm your company’s brand, your hard-earned reputation, and ultimately, your bottom line.

At Creekmore Marketing, we’ve helped small businesses achieve their digital marketing goals. Today, we’re excited to share some common digital mistakes we’ve seen over the years and how to fix them!

You Don’t Have a Clear Digital Marketing Strategy

One of the most common digital marketing mistakes we see is that small businesses simply don’t have a clear strategy for their digital marketing. Rather than having a defined set of goals, some business owners tend to throw the kitchen sink at their digital marketing efforts.

And, as we all know, kitchen sinks run the risk of overflowing if they’re not properly managed.

Rather than wasting efforts chasing undefined KPIs, it’s important that you sit down and map out the goals that are important to you and your business. Whether you’re just starting out or are revamping your marketing efforts, a few clear goals you could focus on are:

Increasing organic keyword growth by 15% in the next 6 months
Getting 5 new Google reviews in the next 45 days
Improving social media presence on all channels by 25%

You’re Ignoring Your SEO Efforts

One of the most important areas of digital marketing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), allows you to organically rank on search engines like Google, Bing, etc. This makes it possible for your customers to find your website using popular, relevant keywords.

Some small businesses either don’t have a fully formed SEO strategy or ignore it completely. This can cause your website to get fewer leads and potential customers finding your competition.

If you’re struggling with your SEO efforts, some simple solutions can be to:

Create keyword-optimized product and service pages
Develop a content calendar around popular, seasonal topics your customers are searching for
Target high-value keywords in your blog strategy
Improve page speed
Having a strong interlinking strategy

You’re Making Content Marketing Mistakes

Optimized content is still key to making conversions and driving business. Content such as blog posts, product and service pages, and even social media posts, can make or break your digital presence if the right approach isn’t taken.

Mistakes such as overlooking your target customers’ needs and questions, ignoring best SEO practices, and creating surface-level content can not only harm your rankings with Google but can also bring into question your credibility with your audience. When creating content for your website, several factors to keep in mind are:

Having a consistent publishing schedule
Optimize your content for SEO, GEO, and AIO
Write for your audience, not search engines
Create helpful content that serves a purpose

You’re Not Tracking Performance

Tracking the performance of your website and digital campaigns is crucial to ensuring that you’re not only performing well, but also identifying areas where you can improve. Without looking at the data, you could be making decisions based on incorrect assumptions, leading to wasted money and time. If you’re looking to start tracking your performance, some ways to start are with:

Google Analytics: Helps you understand how people find your site, user behavior, and conversions
Google Search Console: Shows how your site appears in Google search results, the most effective keywords, and technical issues that can affect performance
Conversion tracking: Measures form submissions, phone calls, and purchases
Monthly KPI dashboards: Offers a detailed snapshot of important metrics such as page views, site traffic, and more

You Don’t Know How to Advertise Your Business

Getting your products and services in front of the right audience is crucial for your business to succeed. However, while many companies may have the right idea in wanting to advertise their business, knowing the correct steps to take can pose a real challenge.

Small businesses can find their ads not converting, customers not finding their site, and potential leads going nowhere. If you’re not sure where to begin, a few ways you can start are by:

Understanding what digital marketing tools are available
Determine Your Goals
Set a Budget
Monitor Your Update and Strategy Over Time

You’re Working with the Wrong Small Business Marketing Agency

At Creekmore Marketing, we’ve been helping small businesses get on track and stay on track with their digital marketing goals for over a decade. We’re the premier small business marketing agency near Lexington, KY, and our dedicated team of marketing professionals can help your business from making these common digital marketing mistakes.

Contact us today to learn how we can serve your business needs. Based in Lexington, KY, we serve the United States and Canada.

How To Market Your Business With A Simple 90-Day Starter Plan

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:17:47 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, we work with businesses that are juggling real life concerns: limited time, limited budget, and a long list of priorities.

Most local businesses don’t need a full 40-page 5-year plan to start their digital marketing and design strategy. You need a clear, 90-day action plan you can actually execute, adjust, and repeat.

A shorter planning window gives you enough time to see results, without locking you into something that doesn’t fit six months from now.

This guide walks through a simple 90-day framework you can reuse every quarter:

Clarify your goals and baseline numbers.
Audit your foundations and make fixes.
Launch a small set of focused campaigns.
Measure what matters.
Adjust and plan the next 90 days.

1-10 Days: Clarify Your Goals & Baseline Numbers

These estimated numbers don’t have to be perfect. You just need a starting point so you can tell if your 90-day plan is working. Before you start adding or altering your website, paid ads, or social media, think about your business goals.

Ask yourself:

How much do we want revenue to grow in the next 12 months?
Are we trying to grow, stabilize, or improve margins?
Do we want more of the same ideal customers—or to grow a new service, product, or location?

Your marketing plan should exist to support these answers, not the other way around.

Then, pull a rough baseline so you know where you’re starting:

Average leads per month (calls, forms, bookings)
Close rate (% of leads that become paying customers)
Average value per customer
Where your best leads come from now (referrals, walk-ins, Google search, ads, social, etc.)

20-30 Days: Audit Your Marketing Foundations

Next, spend a week or two auditing the basics. You’re looking for anything that makes it harder for good leads to find you or contact you.

Website

Can a new visitor tell in 5 seconds what you do and where you are?
Is your phone number, address, and main call-to-action easy to find?
Are your top services clearly explained and easy to navigate?

Search Listings

Is your Google Business Profile claimed, accurate, and fully filled out?
Do you have current photos, correct hours, and the right categories selected?
Is your Bing listing claimed and up to date?

Tracking & Analytics

Do you have Google Analytics (or a similar tool) installed?
Can you see how many form fills or calls are coming from your site or listings?

Make a short list of the highest-impact fixes. These will become your action items for the first half of the 90 days.

30-50 Days: Fix the Biggest Gaps

Now it’s time to implement the most important fixes from your audit.

Clean Up Search Listings

Make sure your Google Business Profile and Bing listings are fully filled out and accurate. If you don’t have good photos already, upload current photos of the interior and exterior of your space, as well as any key product lines.

Link your listings out to the right pages on your website. If you have more than one location on one site, each of these should ideally have its own landing page.

If you have extra capacity, add 1–2 new FAQs or products to your listings that answer common questions. Regularly updated posts, Q&A, or key announcements help increase your visibility for the search engines.

Strengthen Your Website

Focus on the pages that matter most:

Logo and Web Design: Modern websites need impactful and clear logos and web design to stand out. Remember: this is your online showroom and needs to be a conversion tool for your business.
Our design teams can help you create a new site or logo design that stands out.
Homepage: Clearly explain who you are, what you offer, and who you serve. Add an obvious next step (call, request a quote, book a visit).
Top service pages: For each main service, include:
A plain-language explanation
Who it’s for
What to expect
A clear call-to-action
Blog posts: If you have extra capacity, add 1–2 new blogs each month that build your overall content ecosystem around keywords relevant to your business, location, or services. This will aid your SEO .

These are all pieces of the plan that will grow your visibility over time and help both search engines and customers understand your business even better.

60-80 Days: Launch Complementary Campaigns for your Sales Flywheel

When it’s time to market your business effectively, you should consider your level of investment in the hours your business needs to do the right things consistently.

But you don’t have to do everything at once. With your foundation in better shape, it’s time to run a few focused campaigns. The goal is depth, not “everywhere all at once.”

For many local and service-based businesses, a simple mix might include:

Review Management, Listings, and Interactions

Post a high-capture lead management tool with interactions to convert leads with an automated messaging platform. Easily communicate with your clients from your site and keep them in your sales flywheel.
Ask happy customers for reviews on Google and other key platforms.
Make sure your primary categories and service areas are still accurate on listings and on site.

Refresh website content

Publish one helpful blog post or resource this month that matches gap keywords and high-ranking intents.
Add a small seasonal or promotional section to your homepage or service pages if relevant.

Add One Ongoing Channel

Pick one channel you can realistically maintain for the rest of the year:

Email: A simple monthly email with updates, offers, or helpful tips.
Social media: A consistent social media marketing cadence on the one platform your customers actually use.
Paid search: Start with a simple digital pay-per-click advertising campaign focused on 1–2 key services and locations, with a clear budget cap.

80-90 Days: Measure, Adjust, and Plan the Next 90 Days

After 90 days, revisit the numbers you captured at the start. Take note of where your best leads came from, then ask:

Did qualified leads increase, stay steady, or drop?
Did our close rate or customer value change?
Which channel clearly contributed to good leads?
What felt sustainable—and what didn’t?

Based on your answers, decide for the next 90 days what you’ll keep because it’s working and what you’ll test next (a new offer, a different ad, a new content topic, etc.) Instead of guessing once a year, you’re learning and adjusting in manageable 90-day cycles.

Need Help Building Your 90-Day Marketing Plan?

Many of our small business clients get overwhelmed, but we know that consistent, realistic efforts outperform when you have a solid plan and team behind you. You don’t have to figure your marketing out alone.

Our team is based in the Lexington, Kentucky area and proudly serves clients across the U.S. and worldwide. At Creekmore Marketing, we specialize in helping businesses build practical marketing plans they can actually use—whether that means tightening up your website, improving your search presence, or helping lead clients toward sales and conversions.

How to Pivot Your Marketing Strategy When Vendor Marketing Funds Shift

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:06:35 GMT

The weather changes, taxes are due, and vendor marketing funds shift - it’s just a part of life. Knowing what to do when marketing dollars change is our specialty, and one of our favorite ways to help our clients. At Creekmore Marketing , we understand that your business is your livelihood and that every penny counts. We work with clients of all marketing budgets, helping them to stretch every dollar and adapt their strategy when vendor marketing dollars shift.

Navigating the Nuances of Co-Op and Marketing Funds

You may have heard terms like “co-op funds,” “co-op advertising dollars,” “vendor funds,” “vendor marketing dollars,” or any variation of these terms. They all essentially mean the same thing: marketing money you receive from vendors you work with.

Most vendors will have particular rules for how you can spend those funds, whether on digital marketing efforts, in-store promotionals, ads, etc. How you pay for those marketing services can also vary from vendor to vendor. Some vendors will provide money up front, while others prefer the business to front the money, then reimburse them at a later date.

A common question business owners have is about how vendors determine the amount of co-op dollars a business receives for advertising. Another aspect that varies from vendor to vendor, but frequent factors we’ve seen include:

Number of years working with the vendor
Partnership tier
Quarterly or Yearly Revenue

Whether you’re handling co-op marketing funds for the first time or experiencing funding changes with your long-term vendor, we recommend asking your representative a few questions to ensure you’re starting the next quarter or year on the right foot.

Questions to Ask Your Vendors

Can I keep my current marketing company?
Can I get the new terms in writing?
When do these changes take effect?
Can you provide a list of reimbursement deadlines?

Navigating the nuances of vendor requirements can feel like a full-time job. Here are a few questions to start the conversation with your vendor representative. If you know your vendor marketing funds are about to change, reach out to us. Creekmore Marketing has over a decade of experience working with businesses to maximize their marketing investments, effectively communicating with vendors, submitting co-op claims, and more.

How to Pivot Your Marketing Strategy

A few things can happen when marketing funds shift:

1. Your advertising budget goes up.

An increase in your marketing dollars offers the opportunity to diversify your marketing efforts, increase your ad spend, and expand your reach. If you have specific goals you want to meet with the extra funds, let your marketer know. If you aren’t sure where to put those funds, ask your marketing partner about their recommendations.

2. Your advertising budget goes down.

A decrease in your marketing dollars means you’ll need to decrease your investment in marketing services or make up the difference out of your own pocket. Before making any changes to your marketing campaign, consult with your marketer. Decreasing your budget will result in adjustments to your ad budget, target radius, and overall cost per lead. Your marketer may have ideas on how to maximize a smaller budget and still achieve your marketing goals.

3. Your vendor now funds more marketing services.

Marketing services that weren’t covered by vendor funds, now are. This means that services you’re paying for out of pocket may now be covered, or you can utilize the extra funds to expand your marketing strategy. This might mean adding social media marketing to your plan or increasing your ad budget and targeting. The more vendor dollars at your disposal, the further you can expand your brand awareness, authority, and relevance.

4. your vendor now defunds certain marketing services.

Marketing services that were covered, now aren’t. This means you’ll need to pay out of pocket to maintain ongoing services, or you and your marketer need to get creative. This might mean prioritizing lead-generating avenues, such as SEO and PPC, over strategies focused on brand awareness, like social media. This might also mean reducing your paid ads budget or limiting your targeting.

In all of these scenarios, the key to maintaining a strong marketing strategy is ensuring you have the right marketing partner to walk alongside you. At Creekmore, each of our clients has a dedicated Account Manager who helps devise a custom strategy based on their unique needs, goals, and budget. Our team has extensive experience in various industries, including years of navigating vendor partnerships and co-op funds.

When vendor marketing funds shift, being prepared and getting creative are the best strategies for maintaining your authority in the SERPs (search engine result pages), staying relevant in AI-driven search, and continuing to generate leads. Creekmore can help you do that.

Partner with a Vendor Who Can Stretch Every Co-Op Dollar

Partners like Creekmore Marketing help you navigate the changing world of vendor dollars in 2025 and beyond. We ensure you get the most out of your budget and maintain your reach when funds shift.

Contact Creekmore Marketing today to learn how we can meet your goals and best utilize vendor funds. Creekmore is based in Lexington, Kentucky, serving clients across the U.S. and Canada.

Why Traditional Marketing and Digital Marketing Work Best Together

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:38:24 GMT

In today’s world, we’re more online than ever before. We can do practically everything digitally now, from grocery shopping and delivery to scheduling dentist appointments and consuming all sorts of media at our fingertips. Naturally, many companies have turned their eyes away from traditional marketing and favor digital marketing.

While digital marketing is effective and a great way to reach your target audience better than ever, should we completely phase out traditional marketing? Absolutely not! At Creekmore Marketing , we’re a team of passionate digital marketers who believe in setting up businesses for success and caring for your bottom line. Achieving these goals means finding the best opportunities for you to grow online and offline.

What is Traditional Marketing?

Before the internet became as popular as it is today, companies marketed their brands' services or products to a mass audience, and they did it well. They could localize their reach by placing advertisements in local newspapers or specialized magazines, such as a brand with a revolutionary cleaning product may include an ad in Good Housekeeping. This approach is what we’ve come to know as traditional marketing.

Traditional marketing is tried-and-true and relies on getting advertisements to consumers without going online, but it’s more challenging to personalize and measure the return on investment (ROI). It’s also more expensive, especially for those with tighter marketing budgets. Here are some examples of traditional marketing:

Billboards.
Printed Advertisements.
TV Advertisements.
Radio Advertisements.
Cold Calls.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing , conversely, promotes services, products, and brands via online sources, like social media and websites. This type of marketing benefits any-sized business because it’s flexible with most budgets and allows you to curate tailored strategies to reach your goals and target audience while increasing customer engagement and sales.

Additionally, digital marketing makes tracking ROI easier, but campaigns may take more experimental approaches and offer better personal customizations than the traditional route. You’ll find there are several sectors of digital marketing, like:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Pay-Per-Click Advertisements (PPC).
Social Media Posts and Advertisements .
Email Marketing.
Influencer Marketing.

The Benefits of Merging Traditional and Digital Marketing

Combining traditional and digital marketing efforts allows you to reach your objectives more effectively and see better investment returns. Other advantages you may experience include:

Expanded Audience and Market Reach.
Improved Brand Awareness .
Enhanced Consistent Messaging.
Increased Engagement.
Enriched Audience Insights.

4 Examples of Using Traditional and Digital Marketing Together

Here are some ways you can use traditional and digital marketing together to improve your company’s reach:

1. QR Codes and print advertisements

Creating a QR code is an efficient way to use digital marketing in conjunction with traditional marketing. You can use these codes in many ways, like adding them to a print advertisement in magazines, newspapers, brochures, etc.

This tactic works well because someone interested in your ad can immediately take action with the QR code, such as visiting your website, sending a message via your contact page, or visiting your social media profile.

2. Website links and television commercials

If your company plans a TV commercial, be sure to include a URL to your website or social media handles. This combination encourages viewers to act and know precisely where to find you if they’re interested.

3. geotargeting and billboards

Geotargeting is a digital marketing strategy that sends personalized ads to users based on location. You can use traditional marketing, like a billboard, with online banner or social media advertisements when folks are near the area you have set on your digital ad.

4. retargeting and direct mail

Online shoppers may become unresponsive to digital touchpoints, like abandoned cart emails or retargeting ads. When this happens, consider sending snail mail if they’ve provided their address during their buying journey.

For example, you may send a handwritten note or an incentive like a unique coupon code, which can feel personal to the customer and likely elicit a desirable action from them, such as completing their cart checkout or returning to your site to learn more.

Find Premium Digital Marketing Services in Nicholasville, KY with Creekmore Marketing

In the digital age, we don’t have to give up on traditional marketing. You can use both types to help maximize your results. Don’t know where to start? Our expert and driven team has you covered.

Our expert digital marketing agency team works with you to understand your business and intentions, create a customized plan, and cultivate real results. Contact us online or call (859) 309-5987 to start a conversation with us today. Creekmore Marketing has digital marketing services in Nicholasville, KY, and proudly serves local and national clients.

The Connections Between Email Marketing and PPC

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:44:58 GMT

Email marketing and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising are two pillars of modern digital marketing that businesses should be taking advantage of. While each of these can be beneficial separately, combining your email marketing and PPC strategies will allow you to reach a wider audience, improve performance, and drive real results for your business.

At Creekmore Marketing, we understand the ins and outs of digital marketing and can help your business create a cohesive strategy to boost your online presence through a smart combination of PPC and email marketing efforts.

Why Email Marketing is Important

If your business doesn’t have a current email marketing strategy, it should. Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach your customers in a space they’re in almost every day – their inbox. This marketing strategy allows you to communicate with your customers with carefully crafted emails that promote your business, products, and brand identity. And, because this method of digital marketing has one of the best ROIs at 38-41%, every company should think about incorporating it into its business plan.

With email marketing services, you’re able to craft content such as welcome emails, newsletters, promotional emails, and more. By creating a tailored email marketing strategy, you can target your customers’ individual needs to help build a strong connection that will enable you to establish lasting trust with your audience.

Why PPC is Important

PPC, or Pay-Per-Click advertising, is a model where advertisers pay a small fee for each time a user clicks on their ad. These ads come in different forms, but often revolve around targeted keywords that the advertiser bids on. The primary benefit of a PPC campaign is that it enables advertisers to appear in the SERPs quickly, often within a matter of hours, allowing interested customers to see and click on these ads.

Additionally, even if a user doesn’t click on the ad, appearing in the SERPs allows the brand to build familiarity and increase brand awareness simply by being more visible. PPC is also a great way to target your intended demographic through interests, behaviors, and even location, ensuring you reach the intended target audience.

The Benefits of Combining Email Marketing and PPC Marketing

While it may not be immediately apparent, pairing PPC and email marketing can be a highly effective strategy for increasing leads and generating more revenue for your business. By joining these marketing strategies and combining their efforts, you can enjoy both short-term and long-term benefits.

Since PPC enables customers to start finding your ads almost immediately, you can quickly increase your traffic and enhance your digital presence. Meanwhile, targeted emails discussing relevant products, seasonality, or current trends will help build a long-term relationship with customers, keeping them coming back.

In addition to hitting short-term and long-term goals, PPC and email marketing also work together to provide the following benefits:

Attracting Quality Leads: Since PPC can target specific customers based on various factors, you can find and attract customers who are more likely to be interested in your products and services, which is ideal for getting them to sign up for your email list.

Growing Email Lists: PPC ads can drive traffic to the sign-up forms on your company’s website, helping to grow the list of people who receive your emails.

Targeting Relevant PPC Keywords: Utilizing data from email campaigns will enable you to identify which messaging, subject lines, and content sections are resonating with your readers, which can give you valuable insight into which PPC keywords to target.

Combining different marketing channels, such as email marketing and PPC, or SEO and email marketing , enables you to not only expand your digital reach and build brand awareness but also align company messaging and enhance personalization to increase conversions.

Get Email Marketing and PPC from Creekmore Marketing

Whether you’re a startup with a dozen employees or have a dozen years as a large corporation providing service to clients across the country, combining your email marketing and PPC efforts into one unified strategy can help take your business to the next level.

Contact us today to learn how we can help with your digital marketing needs! We offer SEO , PPC , Graphic Design , Website Design , and more! Call us at (859) 309-5987 to get started.

The Connections Between Email Marketing and SEO

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 14:23:37 GMT

As two major digital marketing channels, along with PPC and social media, SEO and email marketing are integral for gaining new prospects and continuing the conversation with your current customers. But how can these two digital marketing channels support each other, and what are some strategies you can use to get them moving in the same direction? At Creekmore Marketing, we help businesses just like yours create a cohesive digital marketing strategy to drive leads to your business.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is when you create a commercial email and send it to a large group of people. Typically, you make emails to nurture leads, increase sales, and continue interacting with customers who have already purchased your products or services. While some businesses may consider only some emails as part of email marketing, the truth is that any outgoing communication via email from your company to its customers, prospects, and leads is part of email marketing. This means each one is an opportunity to engage your contact list and improve your relationship with people beyond your business.

What is SEO?

SEO, or search engine optimization , is the craft of finding high-quality leads and introducing them to your brand via search engines such as Bing, Google, and Yahoo. Generally, the goal of SEO is to explain the reasons why people should interact with your brand and follow through on the promises made on search engines by creating quality content and experiences for people who interact with your business online. There are several aspects of SEO:

Off-page SEO helps search engines categorize your website and products or services.
On-page SEO improves user experience and creates quality content.
Technical SEO bridges the gap between on- and off-page SEO to create a well-rounded and valuable experience for search engines and users.

How are Email Marketing and SEO Connected?

At first glance, it may seem that email marketing and SEO have few connections, but the truth is that they both interact directly with your prospects, leads, and customers. Here is an example of how a customer is likely to interact with both efforts for most businesses:

A lead searches for your product on Google and finds your website, where they read about the benefits of purchasing your product. When they call, you successfully convert the lead into a customer. Afterward, you send an email to the customer, letting them know what to expect as you prepare their order.

In the example, the customer’s journey with your business starts with an interaction driven by SEO. From there, they go through your sales pipeline, at which point they start to interact with your email marketing efforts. While these are both great for your business, it’s also important to note that in the above example, they’re still mostly separate from one another, even though they did connect and nurture your lead. So, how can you get both of these channels even more aligned?

Cross-Channel Support Between Email Marketing and SEO

Email marketing support for seo

To support your SEO efforts with your email marketing channel, you can encourage more traffic to your website. This starts with including links in your emails that lead to high-value locations on your website, such as your blogs, review page, about page, and contact page.

You can further increase traffic to your website with emails focused on uplifting your content. For example, create an email series that highlights some of the best content from your archives, then connects to another related piece in a second email before ending with a final piece that will take readers in a new direction.

seo support for Email marketing

You can also support your Email Marketing efforts through your SEO and content, encouraging people to sign up for your emails to receive special offers, discounts, information, or other incentives. This starts by directing readers of your blog to your website’s email signup form. Often, content that is useful for your customers on search engines is also helpful for them in emails and on social media . This means that sharing keywords between these channels can help you target your customers more effectively, giving you a more personal touch in your emails.

Email Marketing and SEO at Creekmore Marketing

When you’re ready to get started with Email Marketing, SEO, or other digital marketing services , we’re here for you. Our teams are experts in their fields and work to get each of your digital marketing channels to support each other, meet your goals, and grow your business. Contact us to learn more.

How to Market Your Small Business and Make a Splash This Summer

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:44:45 GMT

When you think about summer, you might consider relaxing at the beach or hosting weekly themed dinner parties with your loved ones. However, this season is also excellent for advertising your company to generate leads and drive more revenue in Q3. It’s also a time to get more creative with your website marketing and social media posts to convert those leads. Our Creekmore Marketing experts compiled this quick guide to help you learn how to market your small business to make an impactful splash this summer.

1. Host a Summer Event

Many folks appreciate a summer event, whether you’re hosting a cookout in your window treatment showroom, having a vendor booth at your local home and garden shows, or planning a community field day. It’s a fantastic way to attract potential customers and boost morale for team members.

Additional advantages of hosting a summer event as a small business include:

Generating new leads.
Building community relationships.
Establishing local credibility.
Launching new products or services.
Increasing brand awareness .

2. Remain Consistent Online

The online world doesn’t take a vacation. A consistent content strategy for social media and your website is always essential, but it’s even more so in the summer as some may have more free time — we’re looking at you, Summer Fridays!

Developing a social media strategy

Often, social media feels tricky and almost impossible to remain consistent with when focusing on other aspects of your business. However, creating a content calendar, scheduling posts, and dedicating an hour or two to create batch content makes it easier, even in the summer. But how do you keep it fresh and engaging? Here are a few ideas:

Creating summer-related content : If you host an event, use the opportunity to develop batch content for Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. For more niche-specific posts, focus on topics like sun-blocking window treatments, tropical paint palettes, or AC care.
Hosting contests or giveaways : Social media contests or giveaways are a great way to make your brand visible to your core audience. It also boosts your page engagement while you build relationships.
Cultivating summer-themed visuals : Using Canva or another program to make summer-themed posts that capture attention mid-scroll. You can also gather your team members for a fun beach-inspired photo to introduce each one on social media.

Using website marketing to your full advantage

While creating content for social media is vital, so is developing a content strategy for your website. Website marketing includes creating content strategies like researching keywords and integrating them into relevant blogs so your target audience can find you. In the summer, aim to post at least once a month, but if you’re feeling inspired and the ideas are flowing, post two to four pieces a month.

3. Work With a Like-Minded Digital Marketing Compnay

If this is the year to put your head down and grind, working with a like-minded digital marketing company, like Creekmore Marketing, is worthwhile. With our dedicated team, we take care of your online presence, from designing a new website to managing your socials.

We understand the latest marketing trends and developments, allowing us to get real results for you. Our talented SEO and social media professionals will keep your content fresh for the summer with creative topics and help you engage with your community and potential customers.

Find the Best Local Advertising for Small Businesses Near Lexington, KY

Summer is perfect for having fun and experimenting with your content and engagement. Whether you put in the work yourself or trust our knowledgeable team, the efforts will speak for themselves come fall.

At Creekmore Marketing, we’re digital marketing experts specializing in growing small businesses like yours. To learn more about what we can do for you and your goals, contact us online or call (859) 309-5987 to book your free consultation. Located near Lexington, KY, we love assisting local Kentucky businesses, but we also excel at providing our skills and services nationwide.

What is Digital Marketing?

Thu, 15 May 2025 21:38:46 GMT

Digital marketing is the cornerstone of nearly every successful business. By using digital media, such as websites, apps, search engines, and social media, companies can market and promote their brand to help reach their target audience.

In the past, many companies used traditional marketing to promote products or services through magazine ads, billboards, and even direct mail. While these efforts may have been effective previously, to succeed in today’s ever-changing world, you need a thoughtful digital presence to stand out from the crowd.

As a leading digital marketing agency, we understand the ins and outs of digital marketing and know how to craft a compelling digital marketing strategy to help businesses thrive. Today, we’re going to dive into why you need digital marketing and the different methods you can use to reach your goals.

Why You Need Digital Marketing

Small businesses, especially those just starting out, can benefit greatly from a strong digital marketing plan. Having a tailored marketing plan can help you figure out KPIs, increase brand awareness, and even improve customer engagement. Here are a few reasons you should invest in digital marketing:

Reach Your Audience: Unlike traditional marketing efforts, digital marketing allows you to precisely target your intended audience through specific interests, age, location, and more.

Better Customer Experience: Using social media channels lets you communicate with and respond to customers, allowing you to better understand their wants, concerns, and thoughts.

Measurable Results: With digital marketing, you can use data and analytics to track campaign performance and ensure optimization.

Improved Sales: By implementing different digital marketing strategies, you’re able to target a larger audience and increase your business's sales through targeted messaging that resonates with your customers.

Methods of Digital Marketing

There are several effective ways to implement a successful digital marketing strategy. At Creekmore Marketing , we’re well-versed in the different methods you can use to build your business. Some of the areas we suggest investing in your digital marketing plan are:

Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO , or Search Engine Optimization, is a digital marketing service that works to help you rank higher on search engines. By appearing higher on places like Google and Bing, potential customers will have an easier time finding you by searching relevant keywords for your business.

Social Media Marketing

Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, having the right social media strategy is key to reaching your audience. Social media allows you to increase customer engagement, drive traffic, and build brand awareness.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

PPC is a paid method to help customers find your website. By using PPC , you will be able to have ads near the top of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that customers can click on. Each time a person clicks on your link, you pay a fee. Since your ads will appear near the top of the first page, you will increase the likelihood of a customer seeing your ad.

Begin Digital Marketing Services Near Lexington, KY

If you’re looking for help with digital marketing services near Lexington, KY, then we can help! Whether you’re looking to expand your digital footprint or need a comprehensive marketing plan built from the ground up, Creekmore Marketing has worked with businesses of all sizes to help reach their marketing goals. We work with clients in the U.S. and Canada. Book a free consultation today to see how we can help your business!

A Guide to AI in Marketing

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:31:52 GMT

In 2025, AI (short for artificial intelligence) is everywhere—but should you embrace it, fear it, or just learn how to use it wisely? At Creekmore Marketing, we believe AI is a powerful tool in a toolbox of other valuable tools, not a replacement for human strategy. When used sparingly and correctly, AI can spark creative ideas and optimize processes. Used recklessly? It can derail your brand’s credibility.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

What generative AI really is (and what it isn’t).
Google’s AI Overviews—how they work, where they pull data from, and how to opt out.
The right (and wrong) ways to use AI for SEO, PPC, and social media.

What is Generative AI? And Why Should Small Businesses Care?

Generative AI (commonly known by names like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude) are programs that can generate media like text, images, or even code based on patterns it has gathered from sets of its training data.

This means that “artificial Intelligence” is not "thinking"—it’s predicting. AI cannot remember. Instead, it generates answers word by word based on a large pool of potential data.

This means that it can often provide information that is incorrect—though it may sound like the opposite! In fact, AI has been known to make up facts or talk its way around a subject—not providing any experience or advice.

How Businesses Should Use Generative AI

Brainstorming – Need 10 ideas in 5 minutes? AI can help.
Data Analysis – Spot trends in a data sample faster (but always needs verify with human eyes).

What Should I Not Use Generative AI For?

Writing final drafts without editing.
Making strategic decisions (like bidding adjustments) without oversight.
Replacing original research or expert insights.

Google's AI Overviews vs. Gemini

Gemini is Google's generative AI chatbot—useful for brainstorming ideas or drafting. AI Overviews (AIO), on the other hand, are AI-generated answers at the top of Google search results, pulling data from websites (sometimes unreliably) and absorbing clicks from businesses.

Where Do AI Overviews Get Their Information?

Google’s AI pulls from:

High-authority websites like your website—if it’s well-optimized and trusted.
Featured snippets like "People Also Ask" data.

The Problem? AI Overviews, like any other generative chat AI, sometimes make up answers or cite fake or unreliable sources. AI Overviews also mean a rise of zero-click searches . This means that more traffic may be coming in through Google than through your pages, which could show less users than in the past when judging organic traffic metrics.

How to Turn Off Google AI Overviews

If you’d like to search the web without AI Overviews, there is an easy way to revert to a more streamlined point of view that lists sites according to Google’s algorithm without the addition of AI:

Use the "Web" filter – Click "Web" under “More” in the search bar after searching to see only traditional links.
Opt out via Search Labs – If you’re in Google’s test group.

The Right Way to Use AI in Digital Marketing

As we stated above, the best way a business can use AI is thoughtfully and sparingly.

AI can be used to speed up planning or research processes—not to replace expertise. Tools like generative AI may help find patterns in data or provide some analysis of your competitor’s websites, but we always recommend expert perspectives that can fact-check and refine any marketing strategies.

AI excels at spotting trends and testing variations, but it’s important to set strict guardrails to your AI queries first—never let AI fully control your marketing strategy. Ask AI questions for a general answer, but it cannot deep dive or understand context. Only a marketing expert who knows your brand can inject your brand’s knowledge into your content or determine what current trends mean for your business’s marketing goals.

The Future of AI in Marketing: Stay Ahead Without Losing Your Edge

AI won’t replace marketers—but marketers who use AI well will do better than those who use this took recklessly. Always oversee AI outputs : fact-check, edit, and add your expertise to any information gleaned from AI outputs. AI can’t fact-check itself or replicate your unique expertise. Don’t let an artificial intelligence or language generation model lead your strategy. Instead, use AI as a tool, with lots of oversight.

Need Help Navigating AI? Let's Talk!

Looking for someone to help you navigate the changing waters of digital marketing and AI optimization? At Creekmore Marketing, we’re your local marketing experts. Whether you’re tweaking your SEO or refining PPC bids, we’ll help you work smarter, not harder by providing human-led marketing solutions for your business.

What’s your biggest AI marketing challenge? Let us know! Book a free consultation today to learn how we can help your business grow with dedicated efforts from our team of over 50 professional marketers!

Creekmore Marketing Is Going To IWCE 2025!

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:57:20 GMT

Our team will be at the 2025 International Window Covering Expo (IWCE), and we can’t wait to connect with you while there! We’re excited to have the opportunity to attend the expo once again and have some news about what we’ll be doing while there. And believe us, you don’t want to miss out on this year’s biggest event in the North American window covering industry.

What is The International Window Covering Expo?

If you don’t already know, the IWCE is an annual event where window treatments and interior designers, marketing professionals, window covering manufacturers, and many other experts gather to learn about the newest updates in window treatments, including:

Regulations
Products
Marketing Strategies
Laws

IWCE is also an opportunity to network with one another to create a stronger window covering industry in North America. The event features seminars, special events, awards, and exhibitions, all centered around window covering news, products, and marketing.

What Creekmore Marketing is Doing While There

Networking with you and other window treatment and design professionals

We want to see you at IWCE 2025 . This is a great networking event where we can share information about different aspects of the industry. From learning about the needs of local businesses to sharing strategies for effective marketing in your local area, we can all benefit from this excellent networking opportunity.

Visit us at booth #1135 at the event. We’ll have information about our upcoming presentations and our services. Plus, you can speak with our team directly and schedule a free consultation to find the best digital marketing strategies for your business, such as:

Tips for Search Engine Optimization and Organic Search
Steps for Social Media Management
Ways To Write Effective Content For Your Business
Notes On Updating Your Website

Hosting six seminars on digital marketing

1. Clicks That Count: Proven Strategies for Google Ads Success

Host: Katie Creekmore
Time: Monday, April 14, from 9:00 - 10:00 AM

2. Leveraging Your Social Media Through Visual Storytelling

Host: Katy Enyeart
Time: Monday, April 14, from 10:30 - 11:45 AM

3. Optimize Organic Lead Generation: SEO Trends & Proven Strategies for Designers and Retailers

Host: Katie Creekmore
Time: Monday, April 14, from 1:30 - 2:45 PM

4. From Likes to Loyalty: Mastering the Art of Social Media Conversations

Hosts: Katy Enyeart and Katie Creekmore
Time: Tuesday, April 15, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

5. Knowing Your Audience: Why Getting Personal With Your Email Marketing Matters

Host: Carson Carby
Time: Wednesday, April 16, from 9:00 - 10:15 AM

6. Building a Comprehensive Digital Marketing Plan To Knock Out the Competition

Host: Carson Carby
Time: Wednesday, April 16, from 10:30 - 11:45 AM

Attending seminars about the window covering industry

While we will be hosting six webinars at IWCE, we also believe that attending other seminars is important to understand the latest trends, products, regulations, and other updates across the industry so we can help local businesses succeed with the latest information.

Join Us At The 2025 International Window Covering Expo!

We’re excited for IWCE 2025, and you should be, too! If you have any questions about our digital marketing services, please contact us today . We work with local businesses in the window treatment and interior design industries and many others. Just see what our clients have to say !

Introducing the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:30:27 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, we're always looking for ways to empower our clients with the insights they need to make informed marketing decisions, develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and better understand the return on investment (ROI) of their marketing services. That's why we're thrilled to announce the launch of our newest resource for our clients: the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard.

What is the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard?

The CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard is a secure platform that combines the power of multiple forms of marketing analytics into one secure, user-friendly location. Our team of marketing experts designed CreekSmart to give you a comprehensive view of your digital marketing performance, all in one place.

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, data is king. But with information scattered across multiple platforms, getting a clear picture of your marketing efforts can be challenging. CreekSmart solves this problem by providing all your relevant marketing metrics into a single, easy-to-read dashboard.

Key Features of CreekSmart

1. Website lead tracking

Stay up to date with your website's performance metrics using real-time data that matters. CreekSmart provides detailed insights into how visitors interact with your website, helping you identify and capitalize on key engagement opportunities.

Monitor traffic, leads, calls, and form submissions
Track other crucial engagement metrics
Gain a clear understanding of your website's lead generation effectiveness

2. GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE (GBP) INSIGHTS

Increasingly, your Google Business Profile is often the first point of contact for potential customers, especially as Google continues to prioritize Google AI Overview (AIO), featured snippets, and zero-click searches. The CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard helps you track key metrics from Google like:

Clicks for calls directly from your profile
Requests for directions to your business
Other Google-specific interactions that drive off-page and offline conversions

With these insights, you can optimize your profile to maximize its impact on your local SEO and acquire qualified leads.

3. Traffic analysis

Understanding patterns or changes in your website's traffic is crucial for growth. CreekSmart provides in-depth traffic analysis, including:

Detailed session data
User information and behavior insights
Trend analysis to identify growth opportunities

By leveraging this data, you can make information-driven decisions to improve your website's performance and user experience.

5. Pay-per-click (ppc) and pAID AD campaign performance

For businesses investing in pay-per-click advertising or other paid ads, CreekSmart offers a clear view of your campaign. Measure and analyze:

Click volumes and patterns
Impression data
Click-through rates (CTR)

These metrics allow you to fine-tune your paid advertisement strategies, ensuring you're getting the best return on your investment.

6. Social media analytics

A strong social media presence is non-negotiable for many businesses, but understanding how these platforms work can be a full-time job. CreekSmart gives you a bird's-eye view of your performance across major platforms, tracking:

Follower growth over time
Post engagement, including likes, comments, and shares
Impression data to gauge your content's reach

With these insights, you can refine your social media strategy, find out what content engages viewers the most, and grow your community Online and offline.

The CreekSmart Advantage

By bringing all these features together in one intuitive dashboard, the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard empowers you to make informed decisions, optimize your marketing efforts, and drive your business forward in the digital age. Some benefits include:

24/7 Secure Access : Your data is always available and protected with secure log-in for major stakeholders.
User-Friendly Interface : Easy-to-read graphs and charts make understanding your data a breeze.
Customizable : Tailor the dashboard to focus on the metrics that matter most to your business.
Time-Saving : Everything you need is in one place on your schedule.

When you work with Creekmore Marketing for SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, or other services, your Account Manager will walk you through your dashboard and provide key insights regularly so that you can work together on implementing changes to your marketing strategy.

Contact Us to Boost Your Marketing

As we put the finishing touches on CreekSmart, we can't wait to roll it out to all of our valued clients. We can’t wait to help you to track your marketing data, understand your overall progress, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate your successes with this powerful tool.

At Creekmore Marketing, we're committed to helping businesses grow. We're confident that the CreekSmart Marketing Dashboard will help take your digital marketing efforts to the next level. Book a free consultation today to learn how we can help your business grow with enhanced analytics with CreekSmart!

Should I Keep Marketing My Business During Slow Seasons?

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:27:41 GMT

Questions to Ask Yourself if You’re Considering Quitting Marketing Services

For most industries, slow seasons are normal. They often occur at the same time(s) of year and usually correlate to the types of products and services you offer and buyer behavior. For instance, landscapers may see a drop in customers as the weather gets colder and mowing grass is no longer necessary. This scenario can vary greatly depending on climate and if the landscaper offers additional services in the fall/winter months, but you get the gist.

At Creekmore Marketing, we understand the value of continuing marketing efforts all year round, even if you need to pivot your strategy due to budget constraints or other variables. There are multiple benefits to continuing to do so, and we’ll cover those. But first, if business is feeling slow and you’re wondering if you should continue marketing efforts, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Why is business slow?

Seasonality is a big reason most businesses have a slow season, but it’s not always the case. In addition to seasonality, major elections, the state of the economy, competition in your local market, and your marketing budget are just a few of many factors that may affect sales. We recommend looking at why business might be slow and then asking yourself: Is this a slow season, or is something else going on?

Is this truly a slow season?

More often than not, slow seasons are normal in every industry. But sometimes a slow period is an indication that there’s something else at work. Here are a few reasons you might be slower than usual:

New competitors in your market.
Local competitors stepping up their marketing efforts.
Economic and political factors like inflation or major elections.
Low PPC budget for your area.

Once you can identify whether you’re in a slow season or other factors are at play, you can start working towards a solution.

Why is continuing marketing during slow seasons worth it?

If you are experiencing a typical slow season, you’re likely considering stopping marketing efforts until your busy season begins. This can be helpful with saving costs, but it can be detrimental to your overall campaign. Here are a few reasons why:

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

At Creekmore Marketing, you’ll hear us say that “SEO is a marathon, not a sprint,” and it’s true! Building your organic presence on Google takes time, ongoing optimizations, and a solid keyword and content strategy. Realistically, it takes 4-6 months to start seeing returns on your SEO efforts. Consider this analogy:

An SEO strategy is like pushing a cart up a hill. If you stop pushing the cart, it might stay where it’s at for a time, but eventually, it will start rolling back down the hill. Stop SEO for a month or two, and you’ll likely recover without issue. Stop SEO for two months or more; you’re looking at steady drops in rankings and leads. If you’re considering stopping SEO, check out our blog, which answers the question, “ When Can I Stop SEO? ”

PPC ads take time to optimize.

Changes to your PPC ad campaign can take one to two months to optimize. This includes target, structure, or large budget changes. So if you stop your PPC ads for a few months to save money, you can’t simply pick up right where you left off when you decide to resume. You’ll have to go through one to three months of setup and campaign optimizations before your ad campaign is performing at its best.

New competitors can enter the market at any time.

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is staying ahead in a flooded market. Halting marketing efforts can allow current or new competition to step in and gain ground. To stay ahead in your market, you must continue optimizing your marketing strategy, differentiating yourself from the competition, and connecting with your community .

Let’s Work Together

If you’re considering halting your marketing efforts during slow seasons, let’s talk! Whether you are a current client or a prospective one, Creekmore is here to listen to your concerns, find solutions, and, ultimately, help you meet your goals.

Creekmore Marketing proudly serves small businesses worldwide. Book a free consultation today to learn how we can help your business grow!

3 Signs It’s Time to Outsource Marketing Efforts

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 19:48:17 GMT

As a business owner today, juggling all the various tasks and strategies can feel overwhelming. An effective marketing strategy requires consistency and creativity, which means you might need assistance from an outside source, like a digital marketing agency, who understands your company and wants to achieve your goals just as much as you do.

If you’ve been debating about outsourcing your marketing efforts to a knowledgeable and professional digital team, Creekmore Marketing can solve your challenges.

1. Your Team Is Overwhelmed

When it comes to digital marketing, there are several key areas you need to focus on and maintain consistently, like implementing search engine optimization ( SEO) into your website and managing your social media presence . If, for example, you’re a small, family-owned business, it might feel challenging to work on your marketing tasks on top of everything else your company requires on a daily basis.

Outsourcing to a digital marketing agency means getting a dedicated, expert team who can work with you to develop and implement a strategy to help you achieve your goals. These enthusiastic digital marketing experts create a locally optimized website to help the target audience find your business.

2. Your Team Doesn’t Have Time to Invest in a Marketing Strategy

Operating a business is a full-time job before even creating and implementing an effective marketing strategy. Marketing strategies are vital to every business because they help define and understand the company’s target audience. An effective marketing strategy includes:

Conducting market research.
Defining your goals.
Analyzing competitors.
Tracking and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs).

When you hire a marketing agency, a group of trained professionals can devote their time to collaborating with you and focusing on creating a strategy that works well for your company. A marketing agency can also help build impact for your company by using crafted marketing strategies and cultivating relationships with current clients or customers and potential leads.

3. Your Team Wants to Focus On Other Priorities

Your team likely has several other priorities, such as core business activities, to focus on instead of digital marketing efforts. When outsourcing these tasks, you can concentrate on what matters most to the business, like creating stronger customer or client relationships or refining your product or service.

A digital marketing agency can take marketing off your plate and help you achieve your goals. They can do this by implementing agreed-upon strategies, researching your competitors, and much more. Additionally, you can have monthly calls with your agency so you remain up-to-date on how your goals and numbers are progressing.

Benefits of Outsourcing Marketing Efforts

Your business can experience several benefits of outsourcing marketing efforts to a digital marketing agency, including:

Having marketing professionals and skilled writers focused on getting you results.
Gaining new and creative ideas implemented into your marketing strategy.
Getting more time to focus on your customers and other projects.
Accessing the right marketing tools and technologies and rising industry trends.
Seeing a return on investment (ROI) for marketing campaigns.

Achieve Your Digital Marketing Goals Near Lexington, Kentucky

When collaborating with marketing experts, achieving your digital marketing goals is easier than ever. At Creekmore Marketing, we specialize in local digital marketing and website design for small businesses, with marketing experts obsessed with hitting your goals.

Although our home base is in Lexington, Kentucky, we work with clients around the world. Our passionate team is here to help your small business thrive and celebrate your wins. Contact us online or call (859) 309-5987 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we can do for you!

4 Marketing Tips for Standing Out as a Shop-At-Home Business

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:44:55 GMT

If you’re a shop-at-home business, you understand how competitive the market can be. Promoting your services and reaching your target audience can be difficult, especially when you don’t have a brick-and-mortar store. So, what’s a shop-at-home business owner to do?

At Creekmore Marketing , we’re experts in the digital marketing landscape and we offer custom marketing services for shop-at-home businesses across the country. Together, we can design the best marketing strategy to reach your target audience, grow your business, and meet your goals.

1. Promote What Makes Your Shop-at-Home Business Unique

One of the best marketing tips for small businesses to stand out from the crowd is to showcase what makes your business unique. Do you offer certain white-glove services that your competition doesn’t? Does your business have sales or promotions that are unique to the industry? Maybe you want to leverage the years of experience you have to highlight your knowledge in a certain area.

While you may not have a physical location like some of your competitors, you still have things that make you and your company unique. Take advantage of this to draw the attention of potential customers looking for services and benefits that are important to them.

2. Ensure That Your Business Offers Great Customer Service

As far as marketing tips for small businesses go, providing great customer service is an integral part of your success and is near the top of our list. Since customers will be inviting you into their homes to see your products, providing quality service is a great way to build trust and loyalty and establish who you are as a business.

Exceeding customer expectations allows you to make a positive impression on your client. This can help you get positive online reviews for your business, which can lead to more jobs in the future and let potential customers know that you offer quality services and are a name they can rely on.

3. Prioritize Local SEO

We also recommend that shop-at-home businesses invest in local SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization , allows you to optimize your online presence to help local customers find you online. By partnering with a local digital marketing agency like Creekmore Marketing, you’ll be able to tailor an online strategy to get your business in front of the right customers through trending keywords and relevant seasonal content that your customers are looking for.

Local SEO is one of the most important marketing services for shop-at-home businesses since this is how your brand can rank above your competitors in search who offer the same types of services and products that you do.

It is important to note the difference between local vs. national SEO . Local SEO focuses on optimizing your presence in your local geographic area, while national SEO increases visibility nationwide in an attempt to target a larger audience.

4. Develop Your Brand Identity With a Website

Every business should have a clear brand identity, and shop-at-home businesses are no different. Your website should showcase your products, services, and tells the story of your business. This is also where you can promote any sales that you’re having as well as list your service areas so that customers and Google know where your business operates to give you the best results.

Branding is also important from a recognition standpoint. An attractive, optimized website makes your business more visible and gives you a place to promote your work. Some other benefits that having a website for your shop-at-home business are:

Establish an online presence
Offer quality customer support
Improve cost savings for your business
Consumer insights
Improve SEO rankings

Find Marketing Services for Shop-At-Home Businesses Near Lexington, KY

Understanding how to best promote your shop-at-home business is crucial to success. At Creekmore Marketing, we provide marketing strategies for small businesses across a variety of industries and understand what it takes to get you discovered by the right audience. Whether you’re just starting out or have been a shop-at-home business for years, our expert insight can help you stand out from your competition.

We offer a range of services to help your shop-at-home business thrive, such as logo and graphic design , website design , pay-per-click (PPC advertising) , and more.

Creekmore Marketing specializes in offering local digital marketing and website design for small businesses. Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 654-7368 to get started!

Meet Our Head of Amplify + Interactions: Audra Baldwin

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 17:50:15 GMT

Tell us a little bit about your experience speaking at Birdeye View 2024.

It was an honor to be selected to speak at Birdeye View 2024. I’ve spent the last three years working to become an expert in Birdeye. Since I took over the department and rebuilt it, Creekmore Marketing has become one of Birdeye’s top partners. Knowing that my work has allotted Creekmore the opportunity to be a thought leader worldwide when it comes to being an agency selling Birdeye is such an incredible feeling.

Tell us about you and your role within Creekmore Marketing.

As the head of the Amplify and Interactions department, I create all our clients' accounts in Birdeye. Creating client accounts means I set up templates, build integrations, use their logo and branding to adjust their accounts to their needs, register them for 10DLC, and then give them personalized training so they can fit the platform into the needs of their business without making many changes.

Once a client is kicked off, I monitor their usage and work with the account managers to ensure it stays high. I give tips and tricks on how clients can improve their platform use. In addition to running the Birdeye department, I manage some of Creekmore’s larger clients that need deep data analysis.

What are some things that help you be successful in your role? What motivates you?

At my core, I’m an innovator, or as I like to call it, I’m lazily efficient. I have always taken a task that may take an hour and then spent two hours, one time to shorten it into something that only takes 30 minutes when I have to do it again. This approach has helped me save so much time over the years.

I’m also a perpetual student. I love learning and expanding my knowledge, even past what my role entails. I would rather learn how to do something myself than have to ask other people consistently. Questions are just opportunities.

I’m motivated by always wanting to be better and helping clients grow. My family was very poor growing up, and my dad worked hard to teach himself how to be a full-stack web developer until he created his own business, helping to make my sister and me first-generation college graduates. I’ve seen firsthand how much a thriving small business can impact a family, and I love seeing the clients I work with have those winning moments.

How do you approach building a trusting relationship with clients?

I have always joked that I know I have won a client over if I can make them laugh. While that’s always a good first step, I like to build trust by ensuring I understand a client's wants and needs as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that and helping them navigate their digital marketing strategy while focusing on it goes a long way to earning trust. It allows clients to feel seen and heard, not like another cog in the wheel .

What are two things business owners can do to help their marketing campaign be successful?

Reviews, reviews, reviews! We’ve heard it 1000 times, but reviews are so important to ensure you rank highly on Google and that customers truly follow through with your business. I look at the reviews whenever I search for a company on Google. If the business hasn’t gotten a review in a long time, has very few reviews, has a low star rating, doesn’t respond to reviews, or responds unprofessionally, I’ll skip past that business.

Having a good website is another must-have. The website is the foundation of a good marketing campaign. If you have a poorly built website without the current trends, not only will you not rank highly on Google, but your paid ads won’t be successful either. Even if you were to somehow get good traffic from your paid ads with a bad site, your conversion would suffer because of that bad site.

What are the most frequently asked questions you get about Creekmore's services?

The question I get asked the most is what Amplify + Interactions is. I wish it were a simple answer, but the best way to describe it is customer relation management (CRM) on a lot of steroids. It takes what you should be doing to grow your business and makes it easier: getting reviews, communicating with clients, capturing leads, and more.

What exciting things are you doing to help clients stay ahead of the competition in 2024?

There will be new AI features to help clients monitor their customers’ experiences and business even more!

What do you wish people knew about your job?

I wish people knew how easy the service can be to use and how important it is to do so. So many clients struggle to get reviews, and they’re incredibly important for search engine optimization (SEO). Amplify + Interactions makes it easy.

What is your favorite service we offer?

My favorite service we offer is web design in combination with content. Having a good website with good content sets the foundation for the rest of your digital marketing; without it, the rest of our services would have little impact.

What's your favorite thing about Creekmore?

My favorite thing about Creekmore is the community. We work hard to develop meaningful relationships with our clients and co-workers, making for an incredible work environment.

Tell us a little about you. Outside of work, what are your interests and hobbies?

I’ve been a musician since I was four years old and have even performed at Carnegie Hall. I play piano, trumpet, guitar, flugelhorn, and sing. I’ve been working slowly toward learning the accordion as well. I’m a big reader, and I love working on cars. My current project car is a 1971 Volkswagon Super Beetle.

Work with Audra Baldwin and Creekmore Marketing

Are you interested in working with Audra Baldwin and the Amplify and Interactions team? Contact us online or call (859) 605-5899 for a free consultation and digital presence analysis!

We’re based in Lexington, Kentucky, but we work with clients worldwide. Creekmore Marketing is a full-service digital marketing company. Our team is here to help your small business thrive and celebrate your wins!

The Key Differences of Local SEO vs National SEO

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:02:23 GMT

In a competitive sales and marketing landscape, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical for businesses looking to improve their online visibility and offline sales flywheel. However, not all SEO strategies are created equal. Depending on your business’s goals and target audience, you may need to focus on either local SEO or national SEO services to get your business where it is more likely to be seen by your potential client base.

At Creekmore Marketing, we offer comprehensive SEO packages tailored to meet the unique needs of your business. Let’s explore the key differences between local SEO and national SEO to help you determine which approach is best for your business.

Understanding Local SEO vs. National SEO

Before we dive into the differences, let's define these two approaches:

LOCAL SEO: This SEO strategy focuses optimizes your online presence to attract targeted customers in a specific city, state, or geographic area. This type of strategy is particularly beneficial for small businesses with one or several regional physical locations or for companies and organizations serving local communities.

NATIONAL SEO: This more complex approach aims to improve visibility across an entire country, targeting a broader audience without the same geographical constraints.

Differences in National and Local SEO for Small Businesses

Target Audience

Every business should have a nuanced understanding of their key demographics and how to communicate to its different target audiences. With these ideas in mind, your SEO plan should be honed in on its target audience based on location and then on secondary factors like age, income level, and need.

Local SEO for small businesses targets customers in a specific city, region, or state. It's ideal for client-oriented nonprofit or service organizations and businesses in a variety of categories like home decor, food service, medical, or local retail. On the other hand, national SEO aims to reach customers across the entire country. This style of campaign is suitable for e-commerce stores or nationwide retailers and service providers.

Keywords and intent

Making sure that your business can be seen by its target audience requires specific study of your target audience, keyword utilization, and customer intent. Local SEO focuses on a variety of competitive keywords, specific long keywords, and location-based keywords (e.g., "best pizza in Lexington") and "near me" location-based searches. National SEO targets broader, non-location-specific keywords (e.g., "best online pizza delivery").

Google business profile optimization

Making sure your business can be easily indexed by the top search engines and seen by customers is very important—and having a well-thought-out web presence starts with making sure the leading search providers know your business.

Creating a Google Business Profile is one way to ensure Google has a fuller understanding of your business. Locally, this means optimizing Google Business Profile listings, critical for appearing both in local search results and Google Maps. Local SEO emphasizes building citations and listings in the SERPS and in local directories to improve local search visibility.

While still important for national SEO, Google Business Profiles play a less significant role in national SEO strategies. Instead, a robust backlinking plan helps to ensure a better Domain Authority, meaning that more and more people see your site as a credible source.

Content strategy

You can’t have a solid SEO plan—locally or nationally—without a plan for your brand voice with which you use to develop your content and hone in on its quality.

For small local businesses, this means that your business should regularly publish content tailored to local audiences, including location-specific pages and blog posts about local news, product updates, and informative pieces that engage with local needs, like blogs about how locals would use your items.

National SEO content plans are broader. A full national plan develops different types of content—including pieces that appeals to a nationwide audience or segmented content that focuses on trends or general topics important to different key demographics.

Similarities Between Local and National SEO

Despite their differences, local and national SEO share some common elements:

Both local SEO and national SEO require high-quality, relevant content.
On-page SEO optimization techniques are crucial for both approaches.
User experience on-site that drives conversion is a feature both styles of business should consider.
Website performance on desktops and on mobile platforms is an important factor in both local and national SEO strategies.

Choosing the Right Approach for Your Business

When deciding between local SEO vs. national SEO, consider your business type, target audience, and the geographic reach of your products or services. When it comes to the level of local or national competition for your industry or business, this can help you determine your use of available resources and budget.

For many small to medium-sized businesses, a local SEO strategy often provides the best return on investment, helping you compete effectively in your specific market without the need for a large-scale national campaign.

Let Creekmore Marketing Show You Our National or Local SEO Packages

Understanding the differences between local SEO and national SEO is crucial for developing an effective digital marketing strategy. At Creekmore Marketing, we offer tailored national and local SEO packages designed to help businesses improve their online visibility and attract more customers.

From logo design and AI-powered interactions management services to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , let us show you how our team of experts can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.

Whether you need local SEO for your small business or a comprehensive national SEO strategy, contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation with a member of our Business Development team.

Meet Our Head of Graphic Design: Emma Preston

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:24:17 GMT

Building Lasting Relationships

Building trusting relationships with clients is a cornerstone of Preston's approach.

“I think that honesty and being upfront about a project’s scope is the best thing for building trust,” she says.

Her transparency about the scope of projects ensures clients view her as both a reliable resource and their designer. This foundation of trust is pivotal in fostering collaborative and fruitful client-designer relationships. Preston advises business owners to invest in a robust brand strategy and think clearly about their brand’s visual identity to enhance the success of their marketing campaigns.

She is often asked about the breadth of Creekmore's branding and graphic design services . Emma Preston ensures that clients can come to her for almost any graphic design need:

Brochures
Business cards
Documents
Logos
Product packaging
Promotional products
Signage
Full branding services

Preston says, “We are able to quote out and take on almost any project your business may need.”

Looking Forward to 2025 and Beyond

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, Preston is focused on helping clients stay ahead of the competition through cohesive brand strategy and visual identity. She emphasizes the importance of aligning with the target audience and building a community around the brand to foster growth.

Preston says “Having a cohesive and consistent strategy and visual identity are more important than ever. Aligning with your target audience and rallying a community behind your brand is one of the fastest ways to grow your business. While we say we don’t judge a book by its cover, consumers make snap decisions through visual stimulation and our brains subconsciously translate that messaging into something we either like or don’t like, that we accept or reject. If you want to say the right thing to the right people, then investing in strategy AND visuals that complement each other is how we can help put you above your competition!”

Learn Part of What Makes Emma a Special Part of Our Creekmore Family

Emma Preston has accomplished many professional achievements in working for campaigns for Pepsi, Ferrari, the Super Bowl, Jim Beam, and private airline companies, among other goals. Creekmore Marketing holds a special place in her heart for the friendships it has fostered and the opportunity it has provided her to work remotely and spend more free time playing soccer, hiking, and spending time with husband Lee, their son Reese, and their border collie, Fynn.

Emma Preston's journey at Creekmore Marketing is a testament to her dedication, talent, and ability to connect with clients and stakeholders to meet the needs of businesses and consumers of all types.

“One of my favorite services is our full branding package,” she says. “Sometimes, clients need to reconceive their brand starting from the ground up fresh with a new, research-proven strategy, and complimenting their visual identity can improve brand perception, add value, and increase ROI.”

Contact Creekmore Marketing and Work with Emma and Our Graphic Design Team

Interested in working with Emma Preston and seeing how you can grow your business with branding and graphic design from Creekmore Marketing? Contact us online or at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation.

We’re a full-service digital marketing agency that serves the entire United States and countries across the globe with graphic design, website design , search engine optimization , pay-per-click advertising , and other services. Reach out to us to see how our team can help your business grow!

A Guide to Expanding Your Brand Awareness

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:51:50 GMT

In today’s world, brand awareness is everything. Whether you’re a local start-up or have been in your industry for decades, few things matter to your business as much as how well your target audience recognizes you.

At Creekmore Marketing, we want to help you understand what brand awareness is and how to maximize its potential to help your business grow.

What is Brand Awareness?

When we talk about the term brand awareness, it simply refers to the familiarity of your brand and the extent to which your target audience recognizes you. Why is this important? Brand recognition is typically the first step in a customer’s journey. The more a customer knows about a brand, the likelier they are to want to be a customer.

What are the Benefits of Brand Awareness?

There are several benefits to increasing brand awareness for your business.

Increase Your Marketing Impact: The better known your brand is, the more effective your efforts with SEO, content marketing, and social media will likely be.
Build Brand Loyalty: Prioritizing brand awareness not only attracts new customers but also helps keep existing ones. Having a loyal customer base helps ensure repeat purchases of new products and services.
Establish Market Presence: A recognizable name will give you an advantage in the market since consumers tend to favor brands they’re familiar with.
Increased Sales: Since more people will recognize your brand, customers are likely to choose you over businesses they know little to nothing about.

While building brand awareness is crucial to growing your company and attracting more customers, achieving your desired results can be challenging. With so much noise in today’s market, how do you make your business stand out from the crowd?

6 Tips for Increasing Brand Awareness

There are many ways to increase your presence, but here are a few tried-and-true strategies.

1. Engage in targeted campaigns that promote your values

Many of today’s consumers value honest and ethical companies that promote values that they align with. Take a look at your business and what your company stands for. Are there any causes or social campaigns that align with your values? Engaging in campaigns can help you establish a sense of community with your customer base and help them feel more comfortable supporting your company through purchasing products and services or online engagement.

2. Share customer testimonials

Sharing testimonials from happy customers is a great way to promote brand awareness. When potential buyers see what others are saying about your business, they’ll feel more assured that they’re getting a quality product from a brand they can trust. A good review can also mean the difference between a customer choosing you or choosing your competitor.

3. Tell your story

Customers need to know who you are before they’re willing to spend money or engage with your business. Share your company’s story on your website and social media profiles.

How do you relate to your audience? Why is this business important to you? What are your goals? Who do you want to help with your product or service? Letting the consumers peek behind the curtain will allow you to foster a sense of trust and familiarity that will last long after they’ve left your website.

4. Have a multi-channel presence

In a world where social presence is everything, having multiple platforms where you can clearly convey your brand’s message is vital. You need to be where your audience is, which can include everything from social media, email, search engines, or in-person events.

5. Use social media to your advantage

Many consumers are active on social media. To help increase your social media brand awareness, it’s important to post regularly on all your platforms, respond to comments, and engage with trending topics in a meaningful way.

6. Create content that helps your customer

Another great option to promote brand awareness is through user-friendly content that helps build brand authority, a dedicated audience, and online visibility. Focusing on industry-related keywords and helpful content that customers are searching for will allow your content and website to rank higher, making it easier for customers to find you online.

Build Your Brand Awareness with Creekmore Marketing

If you’re trying to build your brand awareness and increase your presence online, our team at Creekmore Marketing can help. A digital marketing agency near Lexington, KY, we’re dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes increase their reach and hit their brand awareness KPIs.

Some of the ways we can help your brand are through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) , Social Media Marketing , Branding Services , Website Design , and more.

Call us at (859) 309-5987 or schedule a free consultation to get started today.

Marketing Questions Answered: Content Marketing

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:29:14 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, we want to help you gain a good understanding and foundation for starting content marketing on your own or with our help.

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is creating, publishing, and updating content to attract and retain a specific audience for a business. Typically, content marketing aims to develop relevant, valuable, and consistent content targeted at a particular audience. For example, a company selling window treatments may create monthly content with advice about maintaining those treatments directed at home and business owners as business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.

Similarly, a company that sells services such as digital marketing may create content each week that explores changes in their services, updating trends, or valuable research about their clients’ successes with their services targeted at business owners who want to improve the awareness of their businesses in a form of business-to-business (B2B) marketing.

Types of content marketing include:

Blogs
Case studies
E-books
Podcasts
Social media
Videos

Is Content Marketing Effective?

Yes! Content marketing is an excellent way to gather leads and create conversions for your website, but it’s important to know that you can’t just put any random content on your site. You should create a content strategy that meets your business's needs and is uniquely yours. This ensures you have unique, helpful content that your target audience wants to read.

How Do You Start Content Marketing and Create a Content Strategy?

The best way to begin content marketing is with a content strategy. Here are a few steps to help you get started:

Identify Your Audience: Every business and industry has a target audience, so it's important to identify yours. It’s easier to create content relevant to your audience and keep them interested in what you say about your products or services when you narrow down who the content is for by asking yourself questions such as: who is my target customer? How old are they? What is their income? What are their needs?
Set Goals and Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive (SMART) goals are a great way to identify goals and set KPIs for your content marketing strategy. They give you or a digital marketing team realistic and measurable goals.
Audit Your Current Content: If you already have a website, you have some content you can review. Determine whether your content is directed toward that audience and meets your business's needs and goals.
Research Successful Content For Your Industry or Niche: Understanding successful content in your niche is important and can help you create timely, relevant, and successful content for your business. Creating fresh and innovative content can help you stay ahead of the competition and lead the industry with new ideas and knowledge.
Create a Content Calendar: Creating a content calendar can keep your team organized and help you coordinate content and other marketing efforts. For example, a paint distributor can benefit from seasonal content, so it should create topics with each season in mind. In comparison, a business that creates custom machining parts doesn’t really need to worry about seasonality and should focus on evergreen content that’s always valuable.

What Are The Metrics or KPIs for Content Marketing Success?

Some types of metrics and KPIs that are important for a variety of content include:

Organic search traffic volume and sources
Views on videos and podcasts
Click-through-rate (CTR) on web pages
Engagement (social shares, comments, or email open rates)

Are Keywords Still Important?

Keywords are still important for content marketing. They help users find your website, and using them improves its SEO, allowing Google to potentially rank it higher on the search engine results page (SERP).

What Ways Can You Get People To Read Your Content?

There are many ways to help people read your content. Most importantly, creating content that is relevant to your audience and easy to read helps more people want to interact with it. You can create easy-to-read content by:

Including descriptive headers with keywords
Using charts and lists to break content into manageable sections
Including valuable and relevant images
Adding links to additional information and reliable sources
Improving your methods of distribution

Content Marketing With Creekmore Marketing

If you’re looking for experts who can create and implement a content strategy, you can rely on Creekmore Marketing. We’re very familiar with digital marketing methods and want to help you grow your business with our services, including:

Get a free consultation today to unlock tangible ways to grow your business.

Marketing Questions Answered: Email Marketing

Wed, 22 May 2024 15:11:58 GMT

Embarking on any kind of digital marketing journey often leads to all kinds of questions, whether it's about what kind of results you can expect, what keywords you should bid on, how to get more reviews — and on and on.

At Creekmore Marketing, pride ourselves on our industry knowledge, and we are here to provide you with the answers you need for all of your marketing questions — starting with some of the most common email marketing questions we encounter.

1. Is Email Marketing Effective?

Absolutely — email marketing is effective and hold its ground as a formidable technique in the digital marketing arsenal for one simple reason: it works. It is a classic marketing technique that has survived to this day and for good reason. While it may feel outdated, studies show that most people check their email inbox at least once a day, if not several times throughout the day. Emails place your brand directly in front of your audience, combining an attention-grabbing subject line and engaging content for ultimate brand awareness.

2. What are the Benefits of an Email Campaign?

The main benefit of email marketing is visibility. A catchy subject line makes your email stand out in a flooded inbox, leading to more clicks and more eyes on your brand. But that’s just scratching the surface; email marketing also allows you to:

Craft personalized content tailored for diverse client segments.
Boasts a high return on investment as a cost-effective marketing avenue.
Delivers immediate insights through email performance metrics.

3. What's the Best Way to Grow My Email List?

The golden rule is to give potential customers as many opportunities to sign up as possible. When you work with them, let them know you have an email list and that they should sign up for it. You can even sweeten the pot a little with something free - whether that be a coupon, an e-book, or just the ability to hear news or promotions before anyone else through your email list. Providing an incentive can be a good way to foster interest and, ultimately, conversions. In addition, it is important to make use of specific keywords within the subject line alongside enticing visuals to get people to click on and open your email in the first place.

4. How Often Should I Send Emails?

The answer depends on your goals, but a good place to start is once a month. This provides consistent interaction with your clients and or customers without feeling overwhelming for most. If you want to drive more traffic or conversions to a communicative customer base, you can send out two newsletters per month.

In addition to regular newsletters, it’s also a good idea to send out emails whenever you have an ongoing promotion or event. This will keep people informed about what is going on and give them more opportunities to engage with your business. The exact cadence of your email campaign will depend on your business's specific needs, and we can help you figure out what will work best for you.

5. How Do I Measure the Success of an Email Campaign?

Any good email marketing tool provides analytics for every email sent. There are many different metrics that can be tracked, the most important include:

Open Rate: Number of people who have opened the email.

Click-Through Rate: Number of people who have clicked on a button or link in the email.

Unsubscribe Rate: Number of people who have unsubscribed from receiving emails.

Spam Rate: Number of people who have reported the email as spam.

These are just a few of the many metrics you’re likely able to measure with your email marketing platform. With email list segmentation and further refining of your criteria, you can get fine-grained information about how your emails perform as soon as they are opened. This information is condensed into an easily digestible report that lets you see exactly how successful your campaign is.

Email Marketing with Creekmore Marketing

We’re passionate about empowering businesses with a full spectrum of digital marketing tools geared toward brand awareness and lead generation. Email Marketing is one of our many digital marketing services; we also proudly offer Search-Engine Optimization , Pay-Per-Click Ads , Social Media Marketing , Review Marketing , Graphic Design and Branding Services , Website Design , and much more.

Call us at (859) 309-5987 or schedule your free consultation to get started!

The Creekmore Marketing Guide to Google for Small Businesses

Wed, 22 May 2024 14:34:00 GMT

Want to learn more about Google and how your business can use it effectively? Let Creekmore Marketing tell you a little about Google’s history and some of the ways your business can use Google to improve its online presence.

Originally Published in 2017 and Updated May 2024

Google is an important part of any small business’s online presence. Google’s search feature has become genericized with searching on the internet—how many times have you heard “Let me google that?” as shorthand for any search? Plus, Google offers many other features and services many small businesses rely on to be seen every day, including Google Business Profiles and Google Maps, Google Ads, and now expansions into AI technology with Google Gemini.

But how did this digital giant start, and how can businesses use these features to build their web presence and their business? Our digital marketing experts at Creekmore Marketing have developed this guide to Google to help get you and your business acquainted with this institution.

History of Google

In the digital landscape, standing out can be a formidable challenge, particularly for small businesses. Understanding the origins and evolution of different search engines, especially Google, offers a valuable perspective in crafting strategies that yield results.

When considering the titans of the digital age, one might presume Google has always been at the forefront. However, this global powerhouse began rather late, in 1996, as a research project of two industrious Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Page was interested in how math served to link pages on the internet and created a database of how different pages linked to each other with Brin’s help.

Their initial venture, affectionately termed "BackRub," was designed to streamline academic research by tracking citations. This academic project, however, evolved into a disruptor of the status quo. Page and Brin introduced a transformative concept in their thesis, the foundation of which is known as the "PageRank algorithm." It posited a revolutionary idea: the more a webpage is referenced—linked to—by others, the greater its relevance. Such relevance should reflect in a higher positioning within the search results. This principle underpinned the very essence of what would become Google's algorithms, influencing how search results are served to users even today.

Officially incorporated in 1998 and patented a year later, Google—deriving its moniker from 'googolplex,' symbolizing vastness (1 followed by 100 zeros)—has come to embody the infinite potential of web search. A playful nod to this concept is subtly imbued in the design of the Google logo, exhibiting successive 'O's, mirroring the expansive nature of a googolplex.

Since their initial use as an academic database, Google has spread its uses out as well—disrupting and innovating in such varied industries as digital search and advertising, consumer technology, and many other services.

As a trusted partner, Creekmore Marketing assists businesses to navigate the intricacy of Google and its relationship to their digital marketing platform, providing the tools and expertise required to thrive. Contact us for a free digital marketing consultation with a member of our team.

Google Search

According to GS Statcounter , as of April 2024, over 86.5% of search engine market share in the United States belonged to Google, with the nearest competitors being Microsoft Bing at only 8% and Yahoo! and DuckDuckGo each controlling under 3% of the market. It goes without saying that this volume of potential search traffic places Google at the forefront of your small business’s digital marketing strategy.

Google regularly updates its algorithm—the complex series of formulas that help it determine the usefulness and relevance of different search results it populates—to refine its results. Small businesses see these changes in how they rank on search engine results pages (SERPS) and how often they appear in featured snippets and other high-visibility locations on Google’s search pages.

In 2024, Google has seen updates to its algorithm and will continue to see changes that require alterations to how a business plans its search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Its March 2024 Core Update was one of several recent additions that have continued to hone their focus on high-quality expert content that comes from high-authority and trustworthy sites.

By enacting a complete and thought-out SEO strategy , businesses can grow their impact and appear higher on the Google search results page by creating thoughtful content.

Google Business Profile

Formerly known by the name “Google My Business,” Google Business Profiles are free tools that help businesses get listed on Search and Google Maps. But creating a Google Business Profile is only the start of the process. Your business needs to have the ability to manage and edit its listing through a verified Google account in order to use its Google Business Profile to its best benefit.

Usually, you can find Google Business profiles underneath pay-per-click advertisements and above organic search content. These listings are often associated with Google Maps and include a variety of information about the business, including its phone number, address, links to its website and social media, and categorizations for the business.

Once Google takes the profile through its verification process, clients can find the business and leave reviews, add photos, and questions, and more. The business can reply to reviews, answer customers’ questions, and add additional descriptions, products, and service information to bolster its visibility and relevance on Google’s platform.

Whether your business decides to handle this process by itself or in coordination with a digital marketing company, the Google Business Profile is another opportunity for you to consider your business’s SEO presence, develop unique and expert content, and let potential customers know where you are, what you offer, and what helps you stand out from the pack.

Google Ads & Pay-Per-Click Advertising

According to Statistica , in 2023, Google’s total advertising revenue totaled over $237 billion. This whopping sum was generated through its display ads in its search results pages, product listings, and across the broad spectrum of Google’s advertising network—including YouTube—and is a massive contributor to the visibility and success of many businesses large and small.

While SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising have a lot of similarities in that they use ranking keywords to improve a business’s visibility, their differences matter a great deal. Pay-per-click advertising uses Google Ads to bid on ranking keywords and offers precise targeting options with agile ways to respond and segment advertisements to different audiences based on age, income level, exact location, and other determining factors that may drive your preferred demographic of customer straight to your business.

Using Google Ads, your business pays a fee each time one of its ads is clicked, essentially buying visits to specific landing pages on your site, rather than pulling them organically through SEO. This immediacy is instrumental for businesses seeking a quick uptick in traffic for time-sensitive campaigns or to gain a foothold in competitive markets.

The Future of AI and Google Gemini

Google has always been at the forefront of innovation with its search technology. The company continues to innovate with automated intelligence in its search engine processes—first all the way back in 2001 when it rolled out machine learning to help users autocorrect their spelling errors. In 2023, Google continued this expansion in machine learning when it unveiled Google Bard using its conversational language model, LaMDA. Google Bard helped users combine all of their Google services like its Search, Google Drive (a file sharing system), Maps, and more than 30 other systems to be even more comprehensive.

Now named Google Gemini, this system can come together to create search results from Google’s top-ranked listings. Bard also generates content like text and images and combine all sorts of other information to be even more versatile and usable than ever before. The implications for how automated intelligence and its impact on business on all sizes is still to be determined—but the fundamental truths still remain that Google itself and local customers and businesses still rely on content and information that comes from real human experts who are local to them and truly understand their needs.

Creekmore Marketing Can Help You Conquer Small Business SEO

No matter your business’s size or scope, it’s important to make sure that you are tailoring your business’s digital marketing strategy to pay attention to this key player in paid advertisements and organic search engine optimization .

Creekmore Marketing can help your business navigate the best way to utilize Google as it constantly evolves across the digital technology space.

Learn how Creekmore Marketing can grow your business with enhanced Google services. Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation and speak with a member of our team today.

Curious about other business listings and search engines? Check out our guides to Apple , Bing , LinkedIn InMail , Yahoo , and more.

How to Use LinkedIn's InMail Feature Like a Pro

Tue, 21 May 2024 16:37:00 GMT

LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for companies and individuals looking to network, improve brand awareness, and recruit potential talent. Of the many benefits LinkedIn provides, one exciting feature companies can take advantage of is LinkedIn’s InMail feature.

While this internal messaging service allows you to contact prospective hires, business partners, or potential leads at a moment’s notice, there are certain things you need to be aware of before communicating through InMail. Creekmore Marketing can help you learn about the benefits that LinkedIn InMail provides while maximizing its effectiveness for reaching prospects.

Originally Published in 2017 and Updated May 2024

What is LinkedIn InMail?

LinkedIn Mail is a paid feature through the platform that lets users send messages to members without the need to connect. This premium service allows you to purchase credits that you can then use to send a message to an individual who is not in your network.

Standard LinkedIn messages have limitations on who you can contact, but LinkedIn InMail let you reach out to any LinkedIn member on the site. According to LinkedIn, you’re more than twice as likely to hear back from an InMail prospect than if you sent a standard email or cold call, helping you to get in touch with priority individuals quickly and effectively.

LinkedIn InMail Best Practices

Much like any communication service, understanding the best communication practices is key to maximizing its value. Proper research, conciseness, and even the time of day can impact whether or not a prospect returns your message. Here are a few tips we have for some LinkedIn InMail best practices and how to make them work for you.

Have a Concise Subject Line: A short, compelling subject line is better than one that’s overly wordy. Hook your reader with a line that shows you’ve taken the time to research them, such as mentioning a shared interest or previous employer.
Make Your Message Personal: Rather than sending out a cookie-cutter message that feels stale and impersonal, mentioning specifics, such as completed projects, work history, or past initiatives, can help entice a prospect to respond to your message.
Pique Your Prospect’s Interest: In your message, detail why your prospect would want to work with you. Does your business offer a great work-life balance, flex work, or a range of great benefits? Highlight some of these great perks to showcase why your prospect should message back.
Keep Your LinkedIn InMail Message Short: Many of us don’t have the time to read through long messages, so keep yours short and sweet. LinkedIn suggests keeping your InMail messages under 400 characters for a better response rate.
Provide the Next Steps: Include a Call to Action to put the ball into your prospect’s court. Ask the prospect if there are any good times to connect in the coming week or share your calendar availability so they can pick a time and date that works for them.

Use LinkedIn InMail for Your Business with the Help of Creekmore Marketing

Whether you’re a small business just starting out or your company has years of experience, LinkedIn InMail can make a big difference in how you communicate with potential leads and prospects. Creekmore Marketing, a local SEO marketing agency near Lexington, KY, can help steer you in the right direction with our LinkedIn InMail best practices.

Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 today to begin growing your business. Our team can help you succeed with everything from pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and custom website design to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) , social media , and more. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Curious about other business listings and search engines? Check out our guides to Bing , Google Search , Apple , Yahoo , and more.

The Creekmore Marketing Guide to Bing

Tue, 21 May 2024 14:05:00 GMT

Do you routinely use Bing? While many people don’t because of Google’s success in the search engine industry, you may be looking at ways to diversify where your business shows on the internet. Bing is the closest rival to Google in the Western world’s search queries. Because of this, you shouldn’t ignore Bing when creating your business’s SEO strategy. To help you out, we created this guide to help you master this oft-forgotten search engine.

Originally Published in 2017 and Updated May 2024

History of Bing

Bing has gone through many changes on its way to becoming the search engine we know it as today, both in cosmetics and functionality. Initially, there was no search engine with the name “Bing.” Instead, it was known as “MSN Search.” Originally, MSN Search did not provide its own search results, instead pulling results from other popular services at its release in 1998. In 2004 and 2005, MSN Search began to use its own Microsoft-built search engines, although its image searches were still delivered by a third party.

In 2006, MSN Search was rebranded as “Windows Live Search” and began to include search options for things like “News,” “Local,” and “Music.” Windows Live Search also began to include its own image searching. In 2007, Windows Live Search became simply “Live Search.” However, after several of its services were discontinued, it was again rebranded as “Bing” in 2009. In the latter half of 2009, Bing bought Yahoo!

Why does this history matter? Because Bing and Yahoo! Are Google’s biggest competitors in the search engine industry. Don’t just take our word for it. The biggest leaders in SEO and other digital services agree : Bing competed, can compete, and will continue to compete with Google, making it valuable for your business.

Percentage of Overall Search Volume

Naturally, Bing isn’t Google, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t benefits to targeting potential leads for your business on Bing. From May 2023 to May 2024, Bing increased its search volume from 6.8% of the market to 11.2%, while Google declined from 87.6% to 80.7%.

While that disparity is pretty striking, Bing still receives a lot of search queries every month, accounts for a large fraction of internet traffic, and is on the rise as people move away from Google to find other search engine experiences that meet their needs.

Reviews on Bing

If you create a Bing listing for your business, you should be aware that your customers cannot leave you reviews directly. Bing introduced this in 2017 because the company wanted to focus more on aggregating reviews, as its goal as a search engine is to help consumers make decisions. Bing pulls reviews from other sources, such as Yelp and other locations where people leave reviews. Then they post those reviews on Bing Places for Business listings and local search results.

Major Algorithm Changes

Because Bing receives less attention than Google, it can be difficult to track down changes in Bing’s search algorithm. Despite this, Bing confirmed a 2014 crackdown on “keyword-stuffed” URLs and domain names. Using too many keywords in your content can cause Bing to prioritize other content on the search engine results page (SERP). Instead, you should focus on creating content that appeals to readers, answers their questions, and targets some keywords instead of all of them.

When Bing enacted this change, it affected 3% of Bing’s search results, so be wary of attempting to make your URL focus only on SEO and instead create people-friendly content with an eye toward SEO. That’s one way Creekmore Marketing can help your business succeed in digital marketing.

Bing's Importance for Small Business SEO

While Bing isn’t Google, you can’t afford to ignore it because of the amount of search traffic Bing gets and the unique benefits Bing provides. Of all the services that allow you to create listings for your business, Bing Places for Business has some of the most detailed and varied business categories available. And remember: all SEO work you do for your business is ultimately beneficial, regardless of where you choose to place your focus. And while we don’t recommend focusing on Bing at the expense of Google, it is another valuable piece of the puzzle.

Curious about other business listings and search engines? Check out our guides to Apple , Google Search , LinkedIn InMail , Yahoo , and more.

The Creekmore Marketing Guide to Apple

Tue, 21 May 2024 13:44:00 GMT

Sometimes, it feels as if Apple owns the world. From the ubiquity of iPhones to Apple Watches, Macs, iPads, and AirPods, few brands are quite as omnipresent and recognizable in today's market as Apple.

That’s why we recommend keeping an eye on Apple as a wise strategy for your business. But with such a wide array of products and services, mastering Apple can be a bit daunting. That's why Creekmore Marketing is here to tell you everything you need to know about this innovative company and how you can use it to help grow your business.

Originally Published in 2017 and Updated May 2024

Safari's Unique History

When we talk about Apple within the context of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), we’re largely talking about Apple’s own web browser, Safari. Until 1997, Apple computers were manufactured to run the browsers Netscape Navigator and Cyberdog. Apple then struck a short-term deal with Windows to package its computers with a version of Internet Explorer designed for Mac.

In 2003, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would be creating its very own web browser: Safari. Safari did not see any major changes until the release of the iPhone, which necessitated the development of a mobile version. In 2008, Apple repaid its bargain to Windows and released Safari for Windows. However, when it stopped allowing Safari to be run on Windows machines in 2012, Safari could no longer be run on anything other than Apple products.

Search Volume

Apple’s Safari is not, technically, a search engine. Instead, it is much more like the aggregating web browsers of days past, such as the early forms of MSN. But, rather than being at the mercy of whatever search engine that Safari pulls, you can actually designate which search engine you would like to pull results from.

According to W3Counter , Safari only accounts for 15% of desktop browser market share compared to Google Chrome at a whopping 69%.

Simply, Safari is less popular than Chrome, even among Mac users. Instead, Safari gets much more traffic from people who use mobile Apple devices, such as iPhones and iPads. Interestingly, Apple phones are no longer the most popular phones in the United States; so far, in 2024, Samsung is the leading smartphone brand . No matter whether you prefer Apple or Android, Google is the number one search engine , followed by YouTube and Bing.

Apple Maps & Reviews

One element that makes Apple so powerful for businesses is Apple Maps. This comes pre-installed on most Apple devices and is directly connected to Safari in the same way that Google Maps is connected to Google Chrome. If you search for your business on Safari and have an Apple Maps listing, it will automatically display.

This makes claiming your listing on Apple Maps just as essential as claiming your listing on Bing Places or Google Business Profile. While you can’t leave long-form reviews like you would on Google Business Profile, Apple Maps offers a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” rating system with subcategories to choose from.

Apple Maps is Essential for Small Business SEO

Comparing Apple's importance to a search engine like Google is a bit like comparing apples (wink wink) and oranges. They are services that do similar but ultimately very different things. While Google may have a monopoly on the internet, Apple and Android have monopolies on the devices (particularly mobile ones) that access it.

Our best recommendation for building your presence with Apple Maps is consistency. Ensure that all the business information across your website, business listings, and social media are the same so that potential customers can easily find your business.

Need help optimizing your business listings like Apple Maps? Contact Creekmore Marketing today, and we can help you get ahead of the competition. We’re located in Lexington, Kentucky, and we serve businesses worldwide with innovative digital marketing services.

Curious about other business listings and search engines? Check out our guides to Bing, Google Search, LinkedIn InMail, Yahoo, and more.

Celebrating Your Business’s Milestones

Fri, 03 May 2024 18:53:27 GMT

Just one year ago, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Creekmore Marketing , a major milestone for our journey. Milestones are an important part of a business's growth, success, and community outreach, and it’s important to recognize and celebrate different milestones as your business achieves them.

At Creekmore Marketing, we recognize and celebrate many milestones throughout the year to help us build an excellent company culture and recognize the people who make our work possible. With 11 years of history, people, and goals, we have a lot to celebrate and want to share ways you can celebrate your business’s achievements, too.

Identification and Recognition

One of the most important steps for celebrating your business’s achievements and milestones is to identify the milestones you, your employees, and your community care about, especially since some can be industry-, community-, or business-specific. Below are some types of milestones that can apply to many types of businesses:

Anniversaries (Big and Small)

Anniversaries are some of the most recognizable milestones in any business and can range from the company overall to individual people. Many business owners and CEOs recognize the following anniversary milestones for their businesses:

5 Years
10 Years
25 Years
Every additional 25 years (50, 75, 100, etc.)

Anniversaries can also extend to individuals within your business. Often called “work anniversaries,” people like to receive recognition for their time at your business. You can work this into an internal message or email for your business, a post on your social media , and a flyer that goes into the customer side of your store to recognize some of the people who make your business possible.

Completing Large, Long, or Integral Projects

Another milestone that’s worth celebrating is the completion of large projects. Large projects can be the cornerstone of many businesses, and recognizing their completion and the hard work to get there is integral to good morale in your business and ongoing momentum to accomplish even more.

For example, suppose you’re a business that provides painting services and have a customer ask you to paint the walls and ceilings of a 40-floor building. In that case, that is a monumental job. Completing it and recognizing the difficulty can create a sense of relief for everyone involved and empower you, your employees, and your business to do even more.

Exceeding Company, Professional, and Personal Goals

This milestone is perfect if you love sharing business goals with everyone in the business. For example, wanting to hit a certain amount of revenue and exceeding it by a large amount is an excellent time to celebrate. If you provide an ongoing monthly service, recognizing and celebrating when you retain a certain number of clients over time is also valuable.

Expanding Your Community

Celebrating your business milestones helps build momentum for continued growth, which helps you expand the community around your business, whether you’re an online company that provides services to a large area or a neighborhood shop with a very local reach. Connecting with and expanding your community is important for business growth and development.

Milestones, Growth, and Community at Creekmore Marketing

Eleven years ago, we started to connect with our community, which has grown and expanded ever since. We continue to serve our roots in and around Lexington, Kentucky, and work with clients throughout the United States and worldwide. No matter your industry, we want to help you grow and celebrate your milestones. Contact us today for a free consultation to boost your business’s digital marketing presence and stay ahead of the curve .

We said it a year ago, and we’ll say it again now: Thank you to everyone who has made Creekmore Marketing who it is today!

Meet Our Head of Account Management: Carson Carby

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:58:48 GMT

This commitment drives Carson forward in her role as Head of Account Management. Carson does a lot for Creekmore Marketing, including:

Managing Our Team of Account Managers: Our team of account managers are the voices and ears of Creekmore Marketing, and Carson ensures each person on her team gets the support they need every day.
Working Directly with Our Clients: Beyond managing her team of experts, Carson also has several clients she supports directly, allowing her to keep our relationships strong for years.
Facilitating Interdepartmental Communication: Carson also helps every department understand what clients need by communicating with our leadership team and each department that provides our services.

Carson’s biggest passions outside the office are travel and influencing others to live their best lives. She is an avid reader and fitness guru. Despite being a huge food lover, she cannot eat anything with gluten–though she does enjoy it when friends and colleagues share their favorite gluten-free snacks and recipes during office events and meetings.

Success Before Creekmore Marketing

Even before she worked with us at Creekmore Marketing, Carson was very successful. Carson spent years developing her customer service style, which she leverages to bring the best services to her clients at Creekmore Marketing. She also created successful social media channels to help inspire positivity, success, and personal happiness and share her passion for travel.

Success With Creekmore Marketing

Carson believes that a big part of her Head of Account Management role is also acting as a chief motivator. Discussing client success is one part of that plan.chief motivator. Discussing client success is one part of that plan.

“Wins with our clients are so important, and seeing my team have those wins with their clients helps motivate me to keep pushing myself as a leader,” she says. Sharing the successes of clients is only part of Carson’s weekly duties. She also guides the success of the Account Management team. Carson tells the Account Management team, “We want clients to know they can come to us, share their goals…. Their success is our success.”

When it comes to measuring success, Carson believes that being an industry leader is important. She prioritizes factors like organization, clear communication, customer service/relationship skills, and being a strategist who keeps up with the latest industry trends.

Carson prides herself and the Account Management team at Creekmore Marketing on having a great working relationship and getting to know our clients personally: celebrating birthdays, graduations, and fun trips while also building the successes of their business.

During a regular workweek, each account manager spends their time collecting and analyzing data, scheduling, and leading client meetings, and working with the extended Creekmore Marketing Web Development, Content & SEO, Web Design, Branding, Pay-Per-Click, Impressions, and Social Media Marketing teams to enact each client’s content plan.

Carson recommends all of these services for her clients, keeping in mind the guiding concepts of open-mindedness and trust.

“But my favorite new service we offer is email marketing,” Carson admits. “I like trying new things and seeing new services. [With email marketing], you can get really personal and use it to highlight your business. It helps to retain old clients and build new relationships. Follow-up is so important; email marketing is a great way to do it because it keeps our clients’ brands at the top of their customers' inboxes.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Creekmore Marketing's Services

Clients ask Carson many questions , and answering them is an integral part of her job. Here are a few of her top questions.

Q: What services generate leads?

A: Pay-per-click, Review Marketing, Social Media, SEO & Content all help draw visitors to your website and have the potential to generate leads for your business.

Q: Why are leads so important?

A: Growth! Leads are integral for the growth of any business. More leads can increase your conversions and sales, increase your customer base, and improve your business's revenue.

Q: Why does my website need content?

A: Content is important because it can generate better traffic, leads, and conversions for your website over time. It builds trust between you and your target audience and helps you align with Google’s goals of E-E-A-T .

Q: Why do I need social media?

A: Social media helps you build relationships with your target audience. Almost everyone is on social media, and creating a business profile can help you attract larger audiences, generate more leads, and serve as another way to drive traffic to your website.

Work With Carson C. and Creekmore Marketing

In 2023, Carson made a significant shift when she transitioned away from the office and state that she’d come to know so well. Along with her high school sweetheart and their beloved dog, Obi, Carson moved to sunny Florida, where she began to lead the Account Management team remotely–but the weekly check-in remains (mostly) the same.

In her three years at Creekmore Marketing, Carson has watched many changes across the digital marketing landscape. Moving forward, her goal for Account Management is to join monthly webinars with fellow leading marketing companies. As head of Account Management, she continues to work with the leadership team. She develops professional development opportunities for our Account Managers to serve our clients' businesses best and stay ahead of the curve .

“My favorite thing about Creekmore Marketing? The relationships I’ve created within my team and with my clients,” Carson says.

If you want to work with our Account Management team to grow and build your online presence, we’re here to find the best strategy for your business and marketing goals.

Digital and Online Marketing Questions Answered

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:21:49 GMT

Whether your business is new to the digital landscape or already has an established online presence, you should know how important a defined digital and online marketing strategy can be in helping you get found online. Our Account Management team members work closely with their clients and act as a resource and guide to web marketing, connecting businesses with all the services that Creekmore Marketing has to offer. We’re a top digital marketing company based out of Lexington, Kentucky that serves clients across the US and abroad.

Technologies and the digital landscape are always changing and adapting. You can benefit from the experience of our Account Managers as they answer common questions asked by business owners and stakeholders to help them better understand what to expect when boosting their business’s online presence and increasing conversions and sales with digital marketing.

How Important is Updating My Website in Building a Strong Online Presence?

Think of your website like being a unique combination of a business card and virtual store. In 2024 and beyond, having an optimized and responsive website with up-to-date content can make all the difference to a potential customer—and to the search engines that list your site in the search results.

At Creekmore Marketing, we can guide you toward building a professional website that differentiates your business from the competition and ensure that your products and services are listed in a way that helps increase the number of people who are able to interact with your business. We offer website design services as well as search engine optimization (SEO) services to boost an existing website.

When Should I Expect to See Results from a Digital Marketing Campaign?

Once you set up a website and connect it with major search engines like Google, the next steps of a digital marketing plan include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising .

Depending on what services you select, you can expect to see results from your digital marketing services in as little time as a couple hours or in as much as three to six months. This is because there are key differences in the purpose of SEO and PPC advertising .

Pay-Per-Click Ads are an faster strategy that bids on high-ranking relevant keywords and places your paid advertisement at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs). While potential customers can see your PPC ads in as little as hours, for best result, we caution that there is a 60-90 day optimization time that serves as a training period for your ad campaign, which our team uses to further refine your ads to improve your overall strategy. The important difference between PPC ads and other paid advertisement is you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and visits your site, offering some level of conversion.

Search Engine Optimization is a longer-term strategy that builds keyword relevance on your website over time and involves several different active practices like creating optimized and relevant webpages and blogs using important keywords, improving website performance, creating links between your website and high-authority sites, and more. As your site builds authority over months and years, it climbs its way higher up the search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.

You can expect to see leads from pay-per-click advertising as soon as your ads go live on the search platforms. SEO services may take as much as six months to show a full effect, but these services build over time and cement your business as an authority in your field with the use of optimized keywords and increased performance technology through the website’s coding language and other technical upgrades.

How Do I Measure a Return on Investment (ROI) When Marketing with PPC or SEO?

Measuring your return on investment (ROI) is an important part of any marketing plan, as it lets you know what is working well and what you need to change to alter your end result. There are several different ways to measure a return on investment over time. One easy formula to use is:

[Net profit (total of converted sales - cost of investment) / total digital marketing costs) x 100 = ROI

For example, if you earned $12,000 in February from converted sales and paid $2,000 for digital marketing overall, then:

[$10,000 / $2,000] = 5 x 100 = 500% ROI

It’s important to understand that digital marketing is a part of an overall marketing plan and that your overall business may still fluctuate with industry or market trends. At Creekmore Marketing, we provide our clients with a live marketing dashboard that allows them to track and analyze conversions and see changes in traffic patterns over time. We use industry tools and these insights to pivot our strategies to ensure your marketing plan is performing at it best—so you don’t have to do the work of web marketing yourself.

Why Are Reviews So Important?

In 2023 and 2024, Google went through several massive changes to how they approach searches, adding beneficial new features, FAQs, snippets, and other functionalities to their search pages. These changes impact businesses of all sizes, especially smaller local businesses.

That’s why one of the very first digital marketing goals that our Account Managers complete for new clients is making sure that their Google Business Profile is verified and able to receive updates and reviews.

Customers trust the reviews of others when making key purchases, and Google and other search engines are paying attention to this—meaning that positive reviews draw customers in and boost a business’s ranking while negative reviews can turn customers away. Businesses with a high volume of recent 4- and 5-star reviews are deemed to be more trustworthy, especially when those reviews are in-depth and include images or keywords relevant to the business.

See Why We're a Top Digital Marketing Company Near Lexington, KY

The modern business landscape, with its constant fluctuations, demands a strategic approach for businesses eager to establish or boost their online presence. Our experienced Account Management team at Creekmore Marketing has over a decade of experience in helping businesses navigate this complex online environment and select the right services to grow their impact.

From logo design and AI-powered interactions management services to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , let us show you how our digital marketing company can help your business achieve its marketing goals.

Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation and learn how Creekmore Marketing can grow your business in 2024 and beyond!

Meet Our Brand Director: Katie Creekmore

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 18:05:41 GMT

Tell us about you and your role within Creekmore.

Hi there, I'm Katie Creekmore, and I serve as the Brand Director here at Creekmore Marketing. My role is all about expanding our company's reach and visibility through strategic outreach efforts, attending events to showcase our services, and working closely with clients to develop tailored marketing strategies that align with their goals.

What are some things that help you be successful in your role? What motivates you?

Success in my role is driven by my ability to build strong relationships with clients. I think creatively about how to position our services and stay ahead of industry trends. What really motivates me is the opportunity to connect with people, understand their needs, and develop solutions that truly make a difference for their businesses.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in marketing?

For newcomers to marketing, I'd advise them to be proactive in seeking out opportunities for learning and growth. Don't be afraid to take risks, think outside the box, and always be willing to adapt to change.

What do you believe sets Creekmore apart from other digital marketing agencies?

Creekmore sets itself apart with our personalized client service and dedication to delivering tailored, result-oriented strategies. We take the time to understand each client's business thoroughly, crafting customized solutions to help them achieve their goals. At Creekmore, we believe in mutual success, which is why we don't enforce long-term contracts.

What advice would you give to someone hesitant about starting marketing services?

Start by having a conversation with us to discuss their concerns and objectives. We're here to listen, answer any questions they may have, and work together to develop a strategy that's right for them. Our goal is to build trust and confidence so they can feel comfortable moving forward with our services.

Tell us a little more about Katie Creekmore. Outside of digital marketing, what are your interests and hobbies?

Outside of work, my world revolves around my two amazing kiddos, Lacie, a lively 17-month-old, and my spirited son, Lawson, who's 5 going on 15! We're a sporty bunch, so you'll often find us cheering on our favorite teams at sporting events or soaking up the great outdoors, whether hiking, biking, or just playing in the park. They keep me on my toes and remind me every day what truly matters in life.

What are some exciting things Creekmore has going on in 2024?

In 2024, we have several exciting developments at Creekmore that we're eager to share. Firstly, as part of our commitment to industry leadership, we're thrilled to announce our participation as featured speakers at IWCE in Grapevine, Texas. We're excited about the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and share insights. Additionally, we're dedicated to knowledge-sharing and will continue hosting monthly webinars for IWCE attendees.

Moreover, in our ongoing pursuit of innovation, we're leveraging AI specifically in our data analytics processes. This initiative aims to enhance our proactive approach and provide deeper insights for our clients.

Digital Marketing Services with Creekmore

Want to learn more about Creekmore and how we can help your business? Request a free consultation ! We serve businesses big and small and in various industries. Find out how we can help you meet your business goals today.

Creekmore Marketing is based out of Lexington, Kentucky, serving businesses worldwide. Contact us today to learn more!

What To Know About The Google Core Update in March 2024

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:10:41 GMT

Google Core Updates are broad changes that Google makes to its algorithms that rank websites in its Search Engine Results Page (SERP). At the beginning of March, Google announced another round of core updates to help the company present helpful, high-quality conten t to users. This update focuses on refining the Helpful Content updates it worked on starting in mid-2022 and continued to process through 2023. With this newest update, Google has expanded its efforts to limit spam from AI sources and low-quality content.

Google's E-E-A-T Method

To understand Google's methodology for determining what content is "helpful" for consumers, understanding its E-E-A-T acronym is essential. Google uses this acronym for its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Each aspect is important for your website to appear on Google's SERP and rank higher than your competitors.

Experience: Google values first-hand experiences with the products and services companies sell. For example, if you sell and install window treatments, good content can include your experience working with customers and installing their new products in their homes and businesses.
Expertise: Similar to experience, Google values experts in their respective fields. For example, if you're the leader of a law firm, including evidence of your licenses and education and those of your partners is valuable for Google because it shows your business has law experts.
Authoritativeness: Another valuable part of Google's E-E-A-T method, authoritativeness is how others perceive you or your business. For example, if you're an expert in early childhood education and other experts in the field rely on you for information and provide links to your website, you can build authoritativeness.
Trustworthiness: Trust is a significant factor in all aspects of business marketing, and you can build your trustworthiness by providing accurate, relevant, and accessible information to your customers safely. Citing data from sources, using accurate user reviews, and having easily accessible and accurate contact information can all help you build trustworthiness.

Expect Volatility

When Google goes through its updates, many websites experience volatility, which means their rankings can change, their website may leave Google for brief periods, and website traffic fluctuates. Typically, this means you may experience lower traffic and conversions, which affects your business. Once Google finishes rolling out its March 2024 Core Update, most of these will likely return to their stable state unless you have a lot of AI-generated content.

AI-generated content continues to be a debate among almost everyone except Google. Ultimately, the search engine doesn't value AI content because it lacks experience, expertise, and trustworthiness, which are some of Google's highest priorities for helpful content. But there's a way to boost a low-ranking website or maintain your leading positions on Google SERPs with the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services at Creekmore Marketing. We use and recommend processes such as:

Writing about what makes you and your business unique
Creating content based on relevant keyword research for your location, industry, and competitors
Setting the trends in your industry instead of following them
Evaluating your content for unique, expert advice, solutions, and information

Get High-Quality Content and SEO Services with Creekmore Marketing

At Creekmore Marketing, we create content written by people for people, precisely what Google values with its updates. When you rely on Creekmore Marketing for your website content and SEO services, you know you get high-quality content from our expert SEO & Content Specialists. We go beyond the basics and provide a full suite of digital marketing services, including website design , pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , social media solutions , and more .

The Importance of Responsive Design in an Increasingly Mobile World

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 14:40:41 GMT

While some trends may change from year to year, one thing remains true as we head into 2024: our world is becoming more mobile.

With customers searching and making purchases on smartphones and tablets more than ever, businesses need to adjust to this ever-growing development. One of the most effective ways to keep customers happy while they’re on your website is to ensure you have a responsive website design. Responsive design helps your site in a number of ways:

Improves user experience
Makes website maintenance easier
Faster loading times
Reduces time and development costs for your website

Whether you’re a brand-new company in the Lexington, KY, area or have businesses worldwide, if your website design isn’t responsive, you could lose traffic, customers, and money. At Creekmore Marketing, we can help you design a responsive website that caters to your business’s needs while providing optimal performance no matter what device your customers are on.

What is Responsive Website Design?

Responsive website design centers around the idea that your web page will properly resize and render on a variety of devices, no matter the differences in physical attributes like screen size or resolution. This ensures that the content and performance of your web page can perform without issues across a computer, tablet, and, most importantly, a smartphone.

Responsive design uses a combination of flexible images, grids, and media queries to help create a layout that adjusts to different screen sizes. This lets the user have a streamlined experience that remains consistent even if they’re on a mobile device with a screen that’s much smaller than a desktop.

Why is Responsive Website Design Important?

Responsive design is important, especially since many customers now shop and browse on mobile devices more than ever before. This design allows your web page to render accurately on any sized device that your customer is using, meaning that the UX (User Experience) will have proper optimization, and your customers won’t have issues looking at web pages while on your company’s site.

Responsive design is important for other reasons as well. Search engines prioritize websites that are optimized for mobile devices, meaning that sites without responsive website design will not be prioritized by search engines like Google and won’t rank as high.

Another reason why responsive website design is important is because of the cost-effectiveness that it provides. Rather than having to create separate apps for websites for different devices, responsive design works across all devices, allowing you to save money.

Responsive Website Builders at Creekmore Marketing

Creekmore Marketing understands that having a responsive website that streamlines the user experience for your customers is important. Our team has years of experience building websites with responsive website design for clients across nearly every industry.

Our team of web development professionals near Lexington, KY, can work with you whether you’re starting a new site from scratch or updating an existing one. We can sit down with you and create a plan that allows your website to function exactly how you want while still having a user experience that will keep people on your website.

A Better Website Development Company Near Lexington, Kentucky

If you’re looking to introduce a responsive website design to your company’s site, our team at Creekmore Marketing can help! We’re a full-service digital marketing agency near Lexington, KY, dedicated to building lasting relationships with our clients. We have years of experience helping businesses, both local and worldwide, meet their short-term and long-term goals.

We offer everything from website design and logo design to amplify + interactions and search engine optimization to fulfill all your digital marketing needs.

Top Trends for Web Design in 2024

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:25:03 GMT

With 2024 well underway, many web design trends are emerging (or reemerging) across the digital marketing industry. Plenty is happening in this industry sector concerning web design trends, too. Some more exciting trends include a resurgence of old typography styles, utilizing video backgrounds more efficiently, and the growing focus on user experience.

Typography Trends 2024

In web design, typography is written material's style, structure, and appearance. Typography can include the content on your website, headers, links, and any other text you may have on your web pages. Understanding typography is important for your website because it can help you build and market your brand, draw your audience's attention to specific areas of your website, and help your target audience understand how you can provide helpful products or services for their needs.

Kinetic Typography

A major reemerging trend in web design is kinetic typography. Kinetic typography is a text style that moves to entertain, draw attention, or set a specific tone. On your website, you can have text that:

“Fades in” to draw attention to itself or “fades out” so users can focus on other parts of a website
Represents your business or products through motion, such as having the text “paint” itself onto the page for a paint supply store
Fonts that shift color to create a specific tone, such as going to orange, black, and purple, around Halloween

Having kinetic typography can help your website tell your brand’s story more effectively and make your website more memorable. For example, one project we did for Kentucky River Tours has text that fades in when the page loads.

Gaining Your Audience's Attention Without Motion

Another part of typography is understanding other ways fonts can get your audience's attention without kinetic typography. Examples of ways some businesses choose to get their audience’s attention include:

Bolding font surrounded by unbolded font
Capitalizing letters surrounded by regular text
Using very large and very small font
Choosing specific colors for text

While these are only some ways you can use fonts to get attention, they’re often very effective. Ashford Acres Inn’s webpage , another project of ours, has larger fonts to draw attention and uses different font styles.

Video Backgrounds in Web Design

Historically, using videos as the background for a website wasn’t a good practice in web design since it created longer loading times and could affect the overall performance of a web page. However, technology has advanced with more streamlined video formats and better coding practices, allowing us to use them without causing large website load times.

Using video for your website background comes with a few benefits. First, it allows you to insert more of your branding and processes into your webpage, which can improve user experience. Then, you can use the videos to create a more engaging website, highlight information about your business, and direct visitors to perform specific actions. Consider this webpage for Marshall Lifestyle Medicine as an example.

Web Design Focused on User Experience

Your website is for people, so focusing on user experience (UX) is integral to a successful website. There are many aspects of UX-focused web design that you can use to ensure your website is enjoyable for visitors, but some of the most important are:

User control: People make mistakes, and that’s alright. User control is a way to help your website’s users reverse mistakes they may make easily, such as correcting information on a shipping form.
User accessibility: A variety of people will use your website, so it’s essential to design it with everyone's accessibility in mind. After all, the more people can use your website, the more likely you are to develop leads.
Usability: People want easy access to products and information, which extends to web design. Creating easily usable websites is critical to UX because when people are in a research stage, something as simple as easier-to-access information can be the difference between whether they choose your products and services or a competitor’s.

Consider this webpage for Stamper’s Blinds Gallery , where any information is only “one click away.”

Usable, Contemporary Web Design with Creekmore Marketing

Creekmore Marketing understands the importance of an excellent website for your business, including the need for accessible, engaging, and user-focused web pages. With our solutions for website design, we can help your business grow by building a new website from the ground up that speaks to your brand, audience, and needs.

At Creekmore Marketing, we love working with clients by building relationships, innovating with technology, helping business strategy, and creating unparalleled growth.

We offer a full suite of services to help you market your business digitally. From website design to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to social media solutions , let us serve you with our 5-star, full-service support. While considering our services, you can also consider our portfolio for examples of the most recent web design trends.

How a Digital Marketing Agency Can Build Your Impact

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:46:26 GMT

In 2024, understanding the ins and outs of digital marketing can be a tricky feat. With seemingly constant changes being made to how customers interact with search engines and companies like Google changing their ranking systems on a daily basis, having the help of a digital marketing agency can help you stand out from the rest of the pack so that your business doesn’t get left behind.

At Creekmore Marketing, we’re a full-service digital marketing agency that caters to the needs of our clients. Whether you need help with digital marketing near Lexington, KY, or serve clients worldwide, our experienced team of professionals can help you reach your short-term and long-term goals. We’re excited to share with you why working with a digital marketing agency is important to the success of your business.

Account Managers Can Help Build Client Relationships

One of the ways that a web marketing firm can help your business grow is through the individual attention provided by your Account Manager. These digital marketing professionals can help you create a laser-focused marketing plan for your business, help you get reviews for your company, and act as the touchpoint for any questions you have during the process.

A frustrating aspect of working with big digital marketing agencies can be the lack of human interaction. Rather than being impossible to contact or keeping you on an automated phone system answering questions for hours, at Creekmore Marketing, our Account Managers will work with our clients one-on-one to help foster a relationship between you and the wider Creekmore Marketing team, getting to know you and your business on a personal level. Since providing excellent customer service is one of the reasons we offer premier digital marketing near Lexington, KY, and worldwide, our Account Managers are just a phone call or email away.

Our Account Managers have years of experience working with clients in various industries, so they understand how different companies require unique planning to achieve their digital marketing goals. By getting to know your business, Account Managers can create a detailed, laser-focused marketing plan specific to your needs, including search engine optimization, interactions and reviews management, web design, and much more.

Drive Organic Growth with Targeted SEO

Search Engine Optimization , or SEO, is a key part of any business in today’s digital landscape. By using important keywords strategically across your web pages, you can improve how your pages rank in search engine placement over time with an SEO plan. At Creekmore Marketing, we infuse your website with good SEO practices and create or optimize high-quality content that your customers find relevant, letting you rank higher in Google’s SERP. With Google constantly making updates and changing how they rank pages and websites, business owners who don’t keep up with these changes can see their search ranking drop.

Our professional search SEO + Content Specialists work with your Account Manager and understands the changes that occur, and can create custom plans tailored to your business’s unique needs. These experts can create quality content while following Google’s unique guidelines to help your website rank and reach your target audience, allowing your company to grow.

Using Reviews Management to Your Benefit

With customer reviews playing a larger part in a company’s success in today’s digital marketing landscape, having a plan in place to gather and manage these reviews is paramount to a business’s success. By using Amplify + Interactions , businesses can streamline communication with their customers.

Amplify + Interactions, in its simplest terms, is a customer reputation management system. With dozens of customizable options, your business can get exactly what it needs from the system. Some features that you can use through Amplify + Interactions are:

Provide texting numbers that allow you to text customers review requests
Offer AI-backed webchat that responds to customer questions on your site
Give your Review Request Templates to improve customer review conversation rate

By streamlining how you manage reviews, you can increase the likelihood of your company receiving positive reviews, which is an important part of ranking with Google in 2024 .

Get Professional Digital Marketing Near Lexington, KY

Whether your business is a startup or you have decades of experience in your industry, working with a search engine marketing firm can offer major benefits for your business. We have years of experience helping customers both locally and worldwide, and our team can’t wait to see how Creekmore Marketing can help your business grow.

We can assist your business with logo design and website design , pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , and more.

Web Marketing Trends vs Fads in 2024

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:46:13 GMT

As a leading web marketing agency near Lexington, Kentucky, our team at Creekmore Marketing has over a decade of experience in helping businesses worldwide grow—from larger companies to family-owned enterprises. Our clients trust the expertise from our team because our passion is helping their businesses grow—and because we stay up to date on all the latest web marketing trends so that they don’t have to take on that effort themselves, instead focusing their energy on other efforts like managing their business’s physical presence.

Breaking Down the Trends vs Fads

When it comes down to breaking down web marketing trends vs fads, our team pays attention to what is going on in the world of web marketing and with all the major players like Google, attending conferences, workshops, and completing continuing education so that our information is the most current and the most helpful for our clients.

So, what are some of the top trends in web marketing for 2024? Our team has compiled a list of the top trends vs fads to give you insight about how a free consultation with our team at Creekmore Marketing can add value to your business.

Web Trends in 2024

1. Incorporate ai with interaction management tools

Effectively incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your web marketing strategy holds vast potential for both agencies and clients. Advanced interaction management tools can help businesses streamline customer communications, automate responses, and analyze customer sentiment with leads and reviews management. This translates to a better brand reputation and increased customer loyalty.

2. Increase the use of video

Video marketing is here to stay, with its popularity rising exponentially in recent decades. Videos hold an incredible power to convey messages in a convenient, engaging, and relatable way. Brands that harness the potential of personal and relatable video on social media will undoubtedly experience a boost in brand awareness and customer acquisition.

3. Blending ads with Social media posts

Making ads look like social media posts allows your business to blend seamlessly into users' feeds. This subtle approach can be more effective than traditional advertising, as it feels more relatable and less intrusive than traditional marketing. It also builds trust between brands and their audience.

4. Influencer marketing continues to grow

The impact of influencers in web marketing is undeniable. Partnering with the right influencers can result in increased brand visibility, targeted audience engagement, and higher conversion rates. As influencer marketing continues to mature, choosing the right partners will remain crucial to individual success.

5. social media commerce is big in 2024

Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have made it easy for customers to shop directly from their social media feeds. As a result, the growth of social media commerce shows no signs of slowing down, making it essential for businesses to adapt and deliver seamless shopping experiences through these growing new venues.

6. Evolve your data with Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is a game-changer for marketers in tracking user behavior and gaining insightful data. Staying up to date with the latest tools from the biggest provider of search data, Google, will help businesses optimize their marketing strategies and create more targeted campaigns.

2024 Design Trends

1. authentic design rises to meet ai

Though the use of AI is a growing trend, the reaction to its widespread use has been a mixed bag. Though many businesses are using AI and its capabilities in some occasions, authentic and personal design elements are growing in popularity as people look for elements that feel real and human-made, especially in art and design.

2. a more subtle, minimal look

Though minimalism is still an ongoing trend, designs have been shifting from big and bold to more subtle and nuanced in tone. Neutral and pastel colors are making a return in web and graphic design, as well as geometric shapes and subtle animations and transitions in display designs.

3. all types of bold typography

Bold, oversized fonts and varied typography in different weights and colors are used to emphasize or highlight certain words or products in web designs while keeping the User Experience (UX) neat and easy to navigate.

4. Video backgrounds take focus

As technology makes web page speed less of an issue for UX, video backgrounds and features are continuing to be trending features that draw in viewers and impart information in a pleasing and effective manner compared to static images—plus, these video features won’t impact website load speeds in the same way that they have in the past.

2024 Trends in SEO and Ads for Digital Marketing

1. Google favors quality content

With an eye toward “helpful, reliable, people-first content,” Google continues to update their core algorithm to be more helpful for individuals, reducing the amount of spam on the web and affecting how old and new content performs on the web. Google prioritizes answering user questions rather than clicks in 2024.

2. AI isn't taking over

Artificial intelligence will be a tool as part of the toolkit—not a replacement for quality writing and experience-driven information. Expect these AI systems to help you generate search results and find you information at a faster rate than you may have experienced in the past.

3. Mobile ads take over pc uses

As more and more people use their phones and tablets as their primary electronic devices, mobile ads for digital marketing will grow in use over desktop ads.

4. more smart devices lead to more voice searches

As more people use their voices to search for information, keywords are changing to meet the use of new technology—expect to see longer high-ranking keywords and search queries in the form of a question, like those one may ask their favorite device like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.

Avoid the Fads and Follow the Trends

While trends carry long-term positive impact, it's crucial to identify and avoid fads that may not deliver lasting results. Fads are at heart temporary and can lead to wasted time and resources, as well as potential damage to a brand's reputation.

Our Advice: Beware of strategies that promise quick wins but lack substance, ask you to shoulder unrealistic goals, or are suggestions that simply don't align with your business’s values.

Why Do You Need Our Web Marketing Agency in Lexington?

At Creekmore Marketing, we keep an eye on web marketing trends for the short and long term so that we can inform our clients of the best practices to keep their building their web presence and their business in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

From logo design and website design to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , let us show you how our search engine marketing agency can provide you with our full-service 5-star support.

Contact us online or give us a call at (859) 309-5987 for your free consultation and learn how Creekmore Marketing can grow your business in 2024 and beyond!

Staying Ahead of the Curve in 2024 with Creekmore Marketing

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 18:00:57 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, we always look to stay ahead of the curve. Whether we’re researching the latest social media trends to keep our clients at the top of their customers’ feeds or discovering how we can implement the latest marketing strategy and tools to guide our best practices, our team is always striving to improve how we do business.

2024 will be no different for our team, so we’re already looking to better ourselves in the new year. With new and exciting changes happening with Google and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the team at Creekmore Marketing has compiled a list of important Google Core Updates to consider from 2023, trends that we’re seeing, and ways to help our clients improve their rankings so that they can stay ahead of the competition.

2023 Google Core Updates

2023 was a busy year for Google. With four major updates made throughout the year, nearly every company saw changes to its search rankings in some form or another. Each core update that Google made altered the formula by which Google ranked web pages, causing disruption and shuffling the search rankings of indexed web pages.

One big change going into next year is the impact Google’s new quality rater guidelines will have on search. Known by the acronym E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, the quality rater guidelines are loose systems set by Google that determine the quality of the content on a website, which can affect its rankability. Since Google de-prioritizes low-quality websites, it’s imperative that we continue to give our clients high-quality, SEO-rich content to help them thrive in the coming year.

The four core updates changed things in various ways, including an increased focus on User Experience. Google also implemented a Helpful Content Update by loosening the restrictions on AI while focusing on helpful, people-focused content. With this update, User Experience will be more important than ever. The aim of this change is to reward companies and content creators who have firsthand knowledge and experience in their topics.

Trends We Noticed in 2023

Many clients saw a fluctuation in their search rankings because of the Google Core Updates. While clients across various industries saw a disruption to how they typically ranked, certain clients and websites were able to see improvement through the implementation of new site content, up-to-date information, and strong keyword strategy.

How Creekmore Marketing Will Adapt

Creekmore Marketing is no stranger to adapting our strategies when it best suits our customers. Steps that we plan to implement in our marketing strategy to continue helping our customers succeed in the coming year are:

Working together to investigate odd trends in data
Perform content audits to ensure relevant website content for our clients
Revamp older content
Remove duplicate content from client websites
Continue to use original, client-focused strategies
Keep up with Google Updates in 2024

Trends We're Seeing for 2024

F rom the increased use of AI and voice commands in search to getting the most out of a Google Business Profile, several trends will likely continue influencing how customers find information in 2024.

Voice Search: More consumers are turning to voice search to help them find products, services, and information.

Artificial Intelligence: The use of AI in search will only continue to grow, especially with Google likely to release new Artificial Intelligence tools in the coming year.

Zero-Click Searches: Zero-click searches will continue to rise, making it more difficult for customers to find websites even on the first results page. Google is using SERP page features that keep people on Google versus them interacting with websites, making it less likely for consumers to click on search page results.

Google Business Profile: Businesses will want to ensure that all information on their profiles is optimized and accurate.

Strategies We'll Use to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Staying ahead of the curve is essential for marketing and local SEO for us as a company, and our team is already working on ways to thrive next year and beyond. A few steps that we plan to incorporate when creating and strategizing content are:

Focusing on Topical Authority: Establishing topical authority revolves around becoming a go-to source of information for a given topic. By showcasing our clients' experience and product knowledge in their industries, we’ll be able to demonstrate that our clients are trusted authorities on any given topic in their field.

Answer Engine Optimization Strategy: Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO, is an AI-powered technology that breaks down information to answer conversational queries for users. At Creekmore Marketing, we’ll use techniques such as introducing People Also Ask opportunities and Frequently Asked Questions to help structure our content toward common questions. Using advanced SEO and marketing tools is also an excellent way for our team to help clients stay successful.

Zero-Click Searches: By focusing on securing featured snippets that users are frequently targeting, we’ll be able to create a focused content creation strategy that best suits each of our clients' needs.

Get Ahead in 2024 with Creekmore Marketing

Whether you’re starting a new business or have years of experience in your industry, knowing how to navigate the coming marketing and SEO trends in 2024 is crucial to growing your business. Creekmore Marketing offers a wide range of services to help you achieve your goals, such as SEO , Website Design , Social Marketing , and more!

We proudly serve local businesses in the Lexington, KY, area, and businesses worldwide. Contact us today to see how we can help you stay ahead of the curve in 2024.

5 SEO Questions Answered

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 19:35:57 GMT

Whether you’re a large business with multiple locations or a new business just starting out, search engine optimization (SEO) is integral for a successful web presence. But what is SEO, and how does it work? At Creekmore Marketing, we have the answers to top SEO questions and why they matter.

How Does SEO Work?

An SEO marketing plan is a way to rank higher on Google and help customers find you online. It targets specific areas of your website that influence your search engine results page (SERP) rankings. Websites with good SEO practices typically appear closer to the top of Google SERPs, while those without good SEO usually appear lower.

The two main branches of SEO are on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO works on parts of your website, such as meta tags, meta descriptions, and meta titles. Off-page SEO works on aspects of search engines that aren’t part of just your web page. For example, earning links to high-authority sources like government agencies and improving your content authority.

What is SEO Writing?

SEO writing creates content aimed at appearing on Google’s first SERP. You may hear it as first-page results or top-10 SERP results. Successful content can have the following qualities that help it rank higher on Google:

Create high-quality content: High-quality content is free from grammatical and logical errors that show how you are an expert in the topic you write about.
Show unique perspectives: Google values unique and novel perspectives about familiar content. For example, how your business uses its products and services to solve specific problems or answer consumers' targeted questions is a unique perspective in every industry.
Solve problems: Many users search for answers or solutions to their problems, so answering those questions or providing your expertise to solve them is valuable.

What is SEO vs. SEM?

SEO is all about organic results. These are the ones that rely on quality, accuracy, and first-hand accounts to achieve top-ranking positions on Google. In contrast, search engine marketing (SEM) uses paid advertising to drive traffic to your website. While accuracy and quality still matter, you pay for an advertisement on Google with SEM.

Is SEO Worth It?

Absolutely. Not only is SEO worth it, but it’s necessary for success. Good SEO practices help you create high-quality content that’s relevant to your specific audience and provides answers to their questions. Investing in an SEO plan can ensure you get the traffic you need to increase leads to your website.

How Do You Choose an SEO Company?

When you’re ready to partner with a company that specializes in SEO, there are several considerations to make, including:

Quality: Check for previous work the company has and consider talking to the company’s clients to see how successful SEO strategies are. You can also look at reviews from the company’s previous and current clients.

Success: Consider how the SEO company meets its goals, including how it measures its success and the processes it uses to achieve results.

Budget: SEO can be labor-intensive but doesn’t need to be expensive. Set your budget for SEO, find an SEO plan that works for your business, and consider doing monthly or other short-term contracts so you’re not locked in with a company you don’t like.

SEO Services at Creekmore Marketing

When you partner with Creekmore Marketing, you can find high-quality services, explicit plans and goals for your SEO improvement, and short-term contracts that allow you the flexibility you need. We believe in creating digital marketing strategies for your entire business, SEO included. If you’re interested in our services, you can book a free consultation with our Business Development Managers to find a strategy that meets your marketing goals.

Creekmore Marketing proudly serves local businesses near Lexington, Kentucky, and businesses worldwide. Contact us to discover what we can do for your business.

How to Rank Higher on Google: 3 Tips for Small Businesses

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 21:14:59 GMT

Visibility on Google is crucial for any business's success. In today's digital world, Google is the go-to search engine for most. However, navigating the nuanced rules Google operates by can be incredibly challenging, especially when your business's future is at stake. Don't worry – Creekmore Marketing is here to help you! Knowing what to do to get your web pages ranking higher is essential, and we have three tips to share with you that will put you and your small business on the path to SEO success.

1. Optimize Your Website

First and foremost, your website needs to run smoothly. Ensure that your site loads quickly and is responsive on both desktop and mobile. More and more people are navigating the internet through their phones entirely, so having a website that is easy to use and navigate will make sure that people don’t just leave your site for it being slow or clunky. Plus, Google prefers well-performing sites and will promote those over slower, unoptimized web pages.

Second, make sure people can navigate your site easily. If your website runs well but is a confusing mess of pages linked together haphazardly, then people aren’t going to stay on your site for long. Make it easy for people to navigate your site with a common sense site layout, make it easier for your users to get to where they want to go on your site, and you’ll find higher Google rankings.

2. Follow Google's Guidelines

Google offers valuable guidelines to enhance your site's ranking. By adhering to these recommendations, you fortify your website's ranking potential. Google recommends:

Provide complete and accurate business information on your website.
Verify your business locations with Google.
Keep your business hours up-to-date.
Manage and respond to reviews left by customers.
Add relevant photos to your website.
Optimize your Google Business Profile.

All of these suggestions come straight from Google and provide a basic checklist to boost your website’s chances of ranking higher on Google.

3. Create High Quality Content

If you want your small business to rank higher on Google, you’ll need well-written, optimized content!

First, employ the use of structured data or schema markup. This type of data informs Google and your audience about the purpose of your webpage, making it easier to read and beneficial for matching relevant search queries to your content. Including prominent header tags and giving your pages a structure that is easy to understand will make Google and potential customers happy.

Secondly, always opt for short and engaging titles that carry the gist of your content, which helps Google and people alike understand what they are reading. Prioritize providing optimized metadata featuring relevant keywords that give additional information on the content, as this will help Google provide better search results and help you rank higher.

Lastly, compel your audience to return by giving them something worth reading. Whether it's informative, entertaining, or problem-solving content, make sure it adds value and is relevant to your target audience.

SEO for Small Businesses with Creekmore Marketing

If you're looking for help with your digital marketing needs, Creekmore Marketing is here for you! Not only do we have the expertise to guide you through the complex world of SEO, but we also offer a wide range of comprehensive services for businesses of all sizes, including SEO , Website Design , Social Media Marketing , and more!

Together, we can reach your SEO goals and help your web pages rank higher on Google. Contact Us today to schedule your free consultation and see what we can do for you!

Transcend Boundaries with AI-Powered Automations

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 18:48:31 GMT

The business landscape is undergoing some rapid transformations, with changes accelerated by increasingly tech-savvy customers, tightened resources, and an incessant need for differentiation. As a business owner striving to adapt and thrive, you require innovative solutions at the convergence of cutting-edge technology and customer-centric strategies.

Located in the heart of the Bluegrass near Lexington, Kentucky, Creekmore Marketing is the premier web marketing company with the tools to help businesses around the country meet these challenges head-on, including an ingenious combination of AI-powered automations with our Interactions Management programs that will engage your customer base with smart webchat, texting services, and more.

Addressing the Need for Efficiency Amidst Tight Resources

Businesses, small and large, continually grapple with managing their resources. There's always a need for more money, time, or personnel, whenever businesses attempt to scale or adapt to an ever-changing economy. Every business seeks to maximize their resources, and this is where Creekmore Marketing comes in.

We can help you with AI-powered solutions instrumental in streamlining business processes, reducing operational costs, boosting efficiency, and managing leads.

You’ve probably heard how AI algorithms can automate routine tasks, but this can start right at the inflection point—on your client-focused website, freeing up valuable human resources that can be deployed to more strategic roles. This level of efficiency is instrumental in helping businesses make the most out of their limited resources.

AI: More than Just an Algorithm

Artificial Intelligence, in its essence, revolves around creating systems that can learn, adapt, and mimic intelligence. This unique attribute adds a layer of sophistication to Amplify and Interactions management through which Creekmore Marketing can humanize AI-driven services, making them feel more personal.

Personalized Recommendations: When integrated into your business, AI can analyze previous interactions, transactions, and customer behavior, using this insight to offer tailored recommendations. The algorithms can suggest products, services, or content relevant to the specific customer, creating an experience that feels personal and attentive.

Familiar and Friendly Interface: No one likes to feel as though they're conversing with a machine. Creekmore Marketing designs our AI-driven solutions to be friendly, casual, and approachable. By using natural language processing, the AI can interpret, understand, and respond in a language that is natural. This generation of AI goes beyond rigid codes, speaking and interacting in a manner that customers find familiar and engaging.

Understanding Customer Sentiment: We speak in more than just words. Our tone, choice of words, and emotion tell a story about our sentiments and feelings. Advanced AI systems can pick up on these subtle cues to gauge customer sentiment and react accordingly, ensuring a highly empathetic interaction. By measuring customer sentiment, AI can help businesses provide a richer, more personal, and contextually aware customer experience.

Immediate Problem-Solving: A significant part of making AI personal and responsive lies in its ability to solve problems. Creekmore Marketing's AI-powered system listens to customer queries thoroughly and presents resolutions considering the customer's perspective. The AI does not hurry customers into a solution but effectively guides them through their concerns, making the problem-solving process empathetic and personal.

Rising to Meet Customer Expectations

Customer expectations are reaching new heights, with today's consumers demanding immediate responses and personalized interactions. They desire exceptional experiences, often determining their brand loyalty based on the level of engagement they receive.

Creekmore Marketing offers our clients with AI technologies to provide robust customer service solutions that can ensure businesses stay ahead of the curve. By optimizing Amplify and Interactions management, businesses can facilitate real-time responses to customer inquiries, leveraging AI chatbots that can deliver clear, personalized, accurate, and intelligent responses around the clock. This significantly enhances customer experiences and satisfaction levels, culminating in increased brand loyalty and higher retention rates.

Differentiation in the Age of the Internet

Turning leads into loyal customers often stems from a business's ability to differentiate itself from competitors. Creekmore Marketing enables businesses to achieve this differentiation through AI-powered webchat. Offering a unique, personalized experience on your website is a fantastic way to make your business stand out from the digital crowd.

Amplify and Interactions management driven by AI allows businesses to tailor each interaction based on the specific wants and needs of their customers. It means being able to provide the right solutions at the right time in the most appealing way possible. This level of personalization contributes immensely to the overall value offered to customers, separating your brand from the pack, and establishing a distinctive identity in the market.

AI-Powered Automation with Creekmore Marketing

Creekmore Marketing understands the trials that businesses face in terms of tightened resources, rising customer expectations, and the need for differentiation. With our AI-powered solutions for Amplify and Interactions management, we can equip your business with the means to navigate these challenges effectively.

At Creekmore Marketing, we pride ourselves on building relationships with our clients, and helping you bridge the gap between technical innovation and practical business strategy, resulting in unparalleled growth and customer satisfaction.

In this age of technological upheaval and uncertainty, with swift changes to familiar means of communication, finding a partner like Creekmore Marketing might just be the competitive edge your business needs to surge forward.

From logo design and website design to search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising , let us show you how we can provide you with our full-service 5-star support.

Get More Out of Your Business Text Messaging Platform

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:18:21 GMT

Every marketer and business owner has been hearing it for years: texting is the future of marketing .

It's true, and it becomes truer every year as technology advances and more customers seek easier ways to communicate with businesses. The best way for businesses to stay ahead of the competition is to incorporate a business text messaging platform into their daily processes for a few reasons.

Customers Expect It
It's Faster Than Email
Texting is Proven to Increase Engagement

Creekmore Marketing is here to help your business stay ahead of the competition. And with us, you get more than just your average text messaging platform. Our all-in-one messaging platform goes beyond simple text messaging. Learn how Creekmore Marketing can help you take customer communication to the next level!

All-in-One Messaging Platform: Amplify + Interactions

Creekmore Marketing's Amplify + Interactions platform allows businesses to connect with customers through texting, live chat, video chat, Google Business Profile, and Facebook messages. This all-in-one solution allows you to chat with customers and connect with leads without checking your email, work phone, personal phone, Facebook, and more.

Amplify + Interactions is meant to help you go beyond simply responding to messaging. Our business messaging platform allows you to turn a simple question into a connection and eventual conversion while gathering reviews and generating referrals along the way.

Key Features of Amplify + Interactions

Messaging

What's easier than your emails, landline and mobile text, and notifications all in one place? Enjoy our platform using a mobile app so you can send messages and answer questions while on the go.

Webchat

Manage all of your leads in one place. Our web chat feature offers potential customers easy ways to ask questions and get quick answers with live chat, a friendly chatbot with customizable FAQs, and more. Even enjoy business text messaging right from your desktop or mobile app.

Video chat

Video chat makes consultations and estimates much easier with a secure and encrypted connection, screen-sharing, video conferencing to bring in multiple team members, and much more.

Digital Receptionist

Sometimes, taking a call when you're helping a customer is challenging. Our digital receptionist ensures you'll never miss one. You can even provide readily available answers to common questions, book appointments, respond with a text, and more.

Whether you consider yourself tech-savvy or entirely out of touch with technology, Amplify + Interactions is simple and intuitive. When you sign on with Creekmore, our Amplify + Interactions team will work one-on-one with you and your team to ensure you're comfortable with every aspect of the platform. We're also always available for questions, how-tos, and refreshers whenever you need them.

Know When to Switch Platforms

Are you missing leads?
Juggling messages across multiple platforms?
Having difficulty answering customers quickly?
Do you have reliable support to help you troubleshoot?

Asking yourself and your team these questions can help you determine if it's time for your business to switch business messaging platforms. Book a free consultation with Creekmore; we can help you find the right solutions for your business.

Business Text Messaging & More with Creekmore Marketing

Creekmore Marketing proudly serves the local Lexington, KY, community and businesses worldwide! We specialize in all things digital marketing, including Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click Ads, Social Media Marketing, Review Marketing, Graphic Design, Website Design, and more.

Book a free consultation with us, and we'll help you find the solutions to meet your goals. Contact us today to learn more about our services and all-in-one business messaging platform: Amplify + Interactions!

Marketing Keywords: The Difference Between SEO & PPC Keywords

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:42:02 GMT

The right marketing keywords can mean the difference between a busy schedule and an empty one. Whether you’re an in-house marketer, a business owner looking to learn more, or a marketing professional, marketing keywords are essential to understand if you want to stay a step ahead of your competition.

Both SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click) ads utilize keywords in their strategies to improve visibility in the SERPs (search engine result pages).

Let’s begin with understanding what SEO and PPC keywords are, and then we’ll dive into their differences.

What is SEO, and What are SEO Keywords?

SEO is a long-term marketing strategy aimed at improving a website's organic ranking on Google. Strategies include improving website performance, optimizing metadata and headers, writing custom content, backlinks, and much more. Creekmore Marketing implements strategies like these daily with the goal of having our clients rank on the first page of Google.

Keywords are crucial to our strategy! They are the words and phrases people search for when they’re looking for information on Google. Take a Benjamin Moore paint store, for example. The SEO keywords we might target for this business will be based on their relevance to the business and their search volume.

If this paint business wants to rank for interior paint in Lexington, Kentucky, relevant keywords might include "paint store Lexington," "Benjamin Moore interior paint," and "interior paint store near Lexington".

Selecting SEO keywords involves extensive research to identify what keywords customers may be searching for in the local area, what keywords line up best with a business’s products and services, and keyword search volume. This research is referred to as “Keyword Research.”

Once we identify which keywords we’re going to target, we strategically place those keywords in the metadata, website content, headers, URLs, etc., to signal to Google what this business offers, where they’re located, etc.

SEO keywords require ongoing optimization and monitoring. As search behaviors and algorithms change over time, it is important to continuously update and refine your keyword strategy to maintain and improve rankings. This is something we actively do at Creekmore Marketing and something in-house markets should consider.

What is PPC, and What are PPC Keywords?

PPC is a paid advertising strategy involving strategically bidding on keywords with the goal of ads being displayed in the SERPs. The upside to PPC is that you’re likely to receive instant visibility and website traffic, unlike SEO, which is a long-term strategy. But the downside is that it requires a dedicated budget, as advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their ad.

PPC keywords are chosen based on relevance and commercial intent. Since advertisers pay for each click, it is important to select keywords that are likely to lead to conversions. Let’s come back to our paint store example. If this paint store wants to run ads on its new selection of primers, relevant PPC keywords might include "buy paint primers," "best paint primers," and "buy Benjamin Moore primers."

PPC keyword research carefully considers what competitors may be targeting and search volume. Keywords with high search volume, more often than not, have higher competition, which means higher costs per click. This is why it’s so important for marketers to analyze the market and select keywords that best align with their clients’ budgets and goals.

Once chosen, keywords are ready to be included in ad campaigns and incorporated into specific landing pages on a website. PPC campaigns need regular monitoring and optimization to ensure keywords are performing well.

The Difference Between SEO and PPC Keywords

Purpose and implementation

The biggest difference between SEO keywords and PPC keywords is their purpose and how we implement them. At Creekmore Marketing, we utilize SEO keywords to optimize our clients’ organic rankings and attract organic traffic, while we utilize PPC keywords to drive immediate traffic through paid ads.

Cost

Another difference to consider is the cost involved. SEO is generally considered a long-term investment and does not require direct payment for website traffic. In contrast, PPC involves paying for each click generated by the selected keywords.

Both differences are worth considering when deciding between one or both services.

SEO and PPC for Your Business

No matter their differences, both SEO and PPC require monitoring and optimization by marketing professionals who understand your goals. This is where Creekmore comes in!

We believe in a well-rounded marketing strategy where we can leverage the strengths of both SEO and PPC. Book a free consultation with one of our Business Development Managers to learn which marketing strategies are best for your business and goals.

Creekmore Marketing proudly serves the local Lexington, Kentucky, areas, and businesses all over the world. Contact us today to learn more!

How to Make the Most Out Of A Small PPC Budget

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:28:59 GMT

Whether you're launching a startup or running a successful business, there's a good chance you are at least somewhat familiar with the acronym PPC or the terms paid advertising or pay-per-click advertising . It's a powerful weapon in a business's marketing arsenal, but one that's often approached with limited understanding or resources in hand.

At Creekmore Marketing, the only number that we care about is your bottom line , so that is why we offer a full range of web marketing services that will set your business up for success—including pay-per-click advertising . Our team members will walk you through what you need to know about PPC so that you can stay ahead as it changes, and we’ll use our expert strategies for making the most out of a PPC budget—whether you’re making a larger investment or you have a smaller PPC budget to work with.

Understanding PPC: The Basics

PPC is an internet advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked. It essentially buys visits to your site, rather than paying for the space alone or attempting to find those visits organically. Each click in a PPC campaign can lead consumers directly to your products or services , making it a vital tool in online advertising when paired with other marketing tools like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or traditional marketing like print or broadcast media marketing.

The basics of a PPC campaign revolve around keywords, bidding, and ad placement. Selecting the right keywords forms the foundation of a successful pay-per-click strategy. Online platforms like Google Ads provide a marketplace where businesses pay to have their ads displayed in the search results when users look up a particular keyword. Ad ranking and competition determine the individual bid price and advertisement placement on the search engine.

PPC is often the go-to option for businesses with limited budgets. This advertising method presents a cost-effective way of appearing high up on the search results page, even amid tough competition. PPC also ensures a high potential ROI—you pay only for the clicks on the ad and not for ad placement. This way, your business can benefit from high levels of brand visibility without the steep investment of other forms of advertising.

Changes to PPC in 2023: Staying Ahead of the Curve

The landscape of PPC advertising is ever-changing. For businesses to remain effective in their ad campaigns, they need to stay current with these changes. Adapting to these changes promptly gives your business a competitive edge.

Two key shifts to watch out for in 2023 are the emergence of AI in PPC management and the rising popularity of video advertising. AI will enable more advanced keyword research, smarter bidding management, ad placements, and enhanced ad performance analysis. Video advertising will provide a dynamic medium to engage users more interactively and directly.

At Creekmore Marketing, our Pay-Per-Click Marketing team stays up to date on the latest trends in PPC so that we can always offer the best information to our clients and keep them informed for great strategies to move their marketing plan forward.

Expert Strategies for Making the Most Out of a Small PPC Budget

Did you know that businesses make an average of $2 in income for every $1 they spend on Google Ads ? Whether you have a little or a lot to spend on PPC marketing, some simple steps from the Creekmore Marketing team will help you maximize your ROI from your small PPC budget.

1. Conducting Thorough Keyword Research

Keywords are the center of any successful PPC campaign. The first step to effective keyword research is understanding your target audience and identifying their search habits and preferences. Leverage SEO tools like SemRush, Ahrefs, and Google's Keyword Planner to find relevant but low-competition keywords. Remember, general and high-competition keywords might bring more traffic, but they are more expensive and may not necessarily promise higher conversions for your dollar in comparison to those lower-competition keywords all the time.

2. Crafting Compelling Ad Copy

Once you've selected your keywords, it's time to get smart with your ad copy. Your ad copy should activate your keywords and resonate with potential customers—but most of all, encourage them to click on your ad. Engaging headlines, clear and concise descriptions, and a compelling call-to-action is the recipe for a well-crafted PPC ad. A/B test different ad variants to determine which one yields the best performance.

3. Optimizing Landing Pages

A successful PPC campaign doesn't stop at a click. The ultimate goal lies in conversion—turning visitors into customers. Your landing page should match the promise of your ad, making the conversion process as smooth as possible. An optimized landing page resonates with your customer's expectations, enhances trust, and increases conversion chances.

4. Setting REalistic Goals and Budget Allocation

A small PPC budget can often feel limiting. However, setting realistic and measurable goals can direct your resources more optimally. You can distribute your budget based on the lifetime value of keywords, expected conversion rates, and the importance of specific keywords or ad groups to your business. Balance between high and low competition keywords, broad and narrow target audiences, and prospecting and remarketing campaigns could help in using your budget efficiently.

5. Monitoring and Analyzing performance

Monitoring and performance analyses are crucial for any sustainable PPC campaign. Digital tools like Google Analytics 4 offers valuable insights into campaign success and areas for improvement. Performance tracking also helps in verifying the quality of clicks, detecting click fraud, and making changes in your real-time optimization.

Contact Creekmore Marketing to Outsource Your PPC with Our Expert Team

It may seem daunting to think about optimizing a limited budget in the complex field of PPC advertising. Still, with a careful understanding of pay-per-click advertising basics, keen attention to its changing dynamics, and sharp execution of strategies from experts in the field, you can achieve a better ROI with pay-per-click.

Having a dependable marketing partner can ramp up your business’s success. Creekmore Marketing can provide the guidance, tools, and expert assistance you need in your PPC endeavors.

From logo design and website design to search engine optimization and web chat and interactions management , let us show you how we can provide you with our full-service 5-star support.

Contact us today to learn more about Creekmore Marketing. We look forward to working with you! Remember, in PPC, every click matters. Make the most of them with Creekmore Marketing!

Mastering Social Media: The Difference Between Good and Great Socials

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 11:49:57 GMT

In the dynamic world of modern marketing, few aspects hold as much possibility and intrigue as social media. Yet the road to mastering social media marketing isn't merely about posting frequently or garnering a mountain of likes. It's about carving out an engaging, authentic presence that truly resonates with your audience.

At Creekmore Marketing, we’re obsessed with helping businesses grow—and that includes their social media presence. We find that many potential clients come to us with a lot of questions and active social media portfolios that are already doing good work—but who are looking for that extra step to make their impact special and differentiate themselves from the pack of people already active on all the platforms.

So, what’s the difference between good and great socials, and why may it be beneficial to partner with an adept web marketing company such as Creekmore Marketing?

Good Social Media vs. Great Social Media

Good social media is marked by a strong, active online presence, consistent brand messaging, and engagement with your audience. But what sets great social media apart? Let's delve into some key differences.

1. Audience Understanding

Good: Knowing the basic demographics of your audience.

Great: Understanding your audience's desires, challenges, and values to create tailored content.

For instance, an effective company can consistently offer personalized discounts and recommendations based on a customer's purchase history. Social media gives you the opportunity to target posts towards specific audiences and carve out segments within your wider audience.

2. Quality Of Content

Good: Posting quality content on a regular basis.

Great: Offering a mix of personal, promotional, informational, and interactive content that provides value to your audience.

Effective companies, for example, can do a remarkable job of this by sharing inspiring design ideas, providing meaningful tips, and interacting with followers to foster a community .

3. Authenticity and Engagement

Good: Responding to comments and direct messages in a timely manner.

Great: Actively posting information from your company’s point of view and seeking new ways to spark conversations, inviting user-generated content, and sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses to build a more authentic connection.

Effective companies let their customers do the talking. By sharing a mix of personal and user-generated content, they not only encourage participation but also demonstrate their products in real-life situations.

Choosing a Digital Marketing Company

Embarking on the journey from good to great social media marketing requires significant planning, insight, and time—resources that many businesses may find hard to allocate to social media marketing on its own. This is why partnering with a skilled digital marketing company like Creekmore Marketing can prove beneficial. Here's how:

Expertise: Creekmore Marketing’s Social Media Marketing team has an extensive understanding of varied social media platforms, the latest trends, and successful strategies, ensuring your business always stays ahead in the social media game.
Time Saving: Unlike in-house teams who juggle social media with other responsibilities, Creekmore Marketing can dedicate more time to strategizing, planning, executing, and analyzing your social media efforts.
Cost-Efficient: In the long run, hiring a professional marketing agency can prove more cost-effective than hiring and training an internal team, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

While having good social media might tick off the basic boxes, it's the transition to great socials that can supercharge your online presence and foster deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience.

Get in Touch for More Web Marketing Tips

If you're looking for a full-service web marketing agency that offers social media marketing services for Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile, and more, Creekmore Marketing has you covered.

From logo design and website design to search engine optimization and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , let us show you how we can provide you with our full-service 5-star support.

Top 3 Tips for Marketing Your Business on Social Media

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 11:28:05 GMT

Social Media has proven to be one of the best tools for marketing your business or personal brand, so it's not something companies can ignore if they want to succeed in today's market.

At Creekmore, potential clients often ask, "How can my business be successful on social media?" Whether you've grown up with social media at your fingertips or are just jumping in, these tips are simple, doable, and make sense for business teams of one or twenty.

Posts Should Be Personal

77% of small businesses utilize social media to Connect with Customers [Forbes Advisor 2023]

This tip may seem simple, but putting it into practice can be challenging. We've seen time and time again that the most successful posts, the ones that get the most engagement and eventual leads, are the ones that put a personal face to the business. Customers don't want to engage with faceless brands. They want to see that your business has personality.

Team-building events, team member highlights, candid moments at the office, or even casual work lunches are all easy ways to show what your business is up to without pushing sales content in your customers' faces. Personal posts are also a great way to show what your business cares about!

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Office or employee pet features
Team member birthday highlights
Team lunches at a local business (make sure to tag the business)
Business anniversary celebrations
A day in the life at the office

Even though it may seem silly, getting personal often means more post-engagement and building trust with your customer base. Customers want to know you're human and are living life just like they are.

Engage with Your Community

44% of small businesses utilize social media for Brand Awareness [Forbes Advisor 2023]

Engaging with your community is another simple-to-understand tip, but it can be hard to implement without a little direction. Often, businesses will take the strategy of heavily pushing products and sales. While it's great to let your community know what you sell, there are better strategies for community engagement.

We always say, "You need to engage with the community you want to be a part of." This means talking about community issues, attending community events, and liking and sharing posts of members and businesses in the community. This goes a step beyond personal posts by actively trying to be a part of your local community.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Sponsor a local event or team
Attend or participate in a community event
Have lunch with locals
Like and share community member posts
Respond to local events and issues
Hold events in-store

While posts like these aren't necessarily pushing products or services, they are getting your business name out in the community. Remember: engage with the community you want to be a part of, and they will engage with you!

Don't Forget to Boost

41% of small businesses utilize social media to Drive Revenue [Forbes Advisor 2023]

While it's not a new idea, it's still true: you must invest money to make money. This principle is a fact for social media. It's not enough to post. Boosting posts for even a short period has proven to significantly increase overall likes, impressions, traffic to your website, leads, and eventual sales.

If you don't put money behind your posts or have ads running, the only people who will see your posts are your page followers. So the name of the game is to invest in social media and to do that, you need to boost your posts.

Here are a few considerations to get started:

Determine your target audience and location, then create a saved audience for future boosts and ads.
Choose shareable content people would want to see and interact with.
Test different amounts of money and posting times to see what works best for your business.
Create ads with a personal touch to make a consumer interested in your brand and want to follow along.
Remember, any amount of money spent investing in social media is better than none at all - you want to get in front of your target audience, and this is how you do it.

Social Media Marketing Services with Creekmore

Our clients stay with us at Creekmore Marketing because we live by these principles. Our goal for our clients is always to help their business grow. To do that, we know how important it is for businesses to get personal, engage with their community, and put money behind it.

To grow your business, consider social media marketing services with Creekmore! Join us in a free consultation to learn what solutions might be right for you. We proudly offer an array of digital marketing services, including Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Branding, Graphic Design, Website Design, Review Marketing, Co-Op Management, and, of course, Social Media Marketing .

Creekmore Marketings serves the local Lexington, Kentucky, areas, and businesses worldwide! Get started today !

The Benefits of Creating a Logo for Your Business with Creekmore Marketing

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:27:21 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, a logo is more than a mere image - it is a powerful tool that communicates your brand's essence and leaves a lasting impression on your audience. It's often the first thing that customers ever see of your brand and the defining aspect of how customers view your business.

First impressions matter. Research shows that customers often make their decisions based almost entirely on visuals. Your logo and branding have the power to convey essential information about your business in just one look.

Getting your logo right is essential to your business's presence and identity, and that's why Creekmore Marketing has created a dedicated team and system to do precisely that. Team up with us to design your perfect logo and get your business the presence it deserves!

Intentional Design: Crafting a Visual Representation of Your Brand

Your logo speaks volumes about your company. It communicates to your audience what your business represents. At Creekmore Marketing, we understand the significance of intentional design. Our team of talented designers utilizes their talents and knowledge of modern design language to create a logo that beautifully encompasses your brand's identity. We approach every design project with creativity and intention, keeping your company's objectives in mind. With our proven design techniques, you can be confident that your logo will make a lasting impact, whether displayed on a computer screen, a piece of paper, or a billboard.

Impress Your Audience: Making a Memorable First Impression

A logo must be clever and memorable in today's fast-paced world, where attention spans are shorter than ever. It needs to capture the essence of your brand in a way that resonates with your target audience, all in just one look.

A well-designed logo can communicate your brand's values, personality, and offerings with just a glance. A well-crafted, clever, and memorable logo can make all the difference in how your brand is perceived and make you stand out from the crowd in a world where first impressions are critical. A well-designed logo will stick in people's minds and keep them thinking good things about your business. At the same time, something lackluster will be forgettable among the torrent of information in everyone's lives. Keep your business in people's minds with a logo designed perfectly for you and your business.

Make Your Mark: Stand Out from the Crowd

With a logo designed by Creekmore Marketing, you can set yourself apart from your competitors. Your logo and brand identity reveal why customers should choose you over others in the marketplace. We work closely with you to understand your business, target audience, and unique value proposition. Our goal is to create a logo that enhances your business and projects an image that resonates with your ideal customer.

This process starts with a thorough panel of questions that give our designers all the information they need to know about your business. From there, our team takes all this information and uses it to design several logos precisely to match your business's needs. Then you pick your favorite one, we apply a few finishing touches, and we have your finished logo!

By partnering with Creekmore Marketing, you can make your mark and ensure your business is noticed in a sea of competition.

When You Work with Us, You Work with The Best

We take immense pride in our team of talented individuals, including Emma Preston, the Head of our Graphic Design Department . Emma has been with Creekmore Marketing for over five years, and she has honed her skills in crafting visually stunning logos. Before joining our team, she worked on campaigns for renowned brands such as Pepsi, Ferrari, Jim Beam, and private airline companies. Emma's expertise and passion for design shine through in every project she undertakes.

Logo Design with Creekmore Marketing

Creating a well-crafted logo is an investment in your business's success. With Creekmore Marketing as your partner, you gain access to intentional design, the ability to impress your audience, and the opportunity to make your mark in the industry. Let us help you bring your brand to life with a logo that captures your unique identity. Reach out to us today , and let's embark on this exciting design journey together!

When Can I Stop SEO?

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:22:00 GMT

As SEO experts, the Creekmore team gets these kinds of questions a lot:

When can I stop SEO?
How long does it take to see SEO results?
How will my SEO plan change in the future?

And, unfortunately, the answer isn't often the easy one that you want. You see, SEO is like a never-ending marathon. You can't just stop running halfway through and expect to win. You have to keep running, keep training, and keep adapting to the changing landscape around you.

The Short Answer

As the very official SEO.com put it: "You can quit doing SEO when your competitors quit doing SEO."

"Now Trace," you ask, "isn't that exactly what the person selling me SEO services would say?" Admittedly, it's among the more predictable things we could say, but we say it with three points of reasoning behind it: competition, algorithm changes, and continuing growth.

The Eternal Competition

The internet is a crowded place, and everyone is vying for attention. For every high rank If you stop doing SEO, your competitors will quickly overtake you. They'll show up at the top of search results, getting all the clicks and conversions.

To stay ahead of the competition, you need to keep optimizing your website, creating new content, and building backlinks. It's a never-ending race, but if you're not in it, you've already lost.

Algorithm Changes Can Affect Your Ranking

Search engines like Google are constantly tweaking their algorithms to improve the quality of their search results. These changes can have a big impact on your website's ranking.

For example, if Google releases an update that penalizes websites with slow loading times, your site could suddenly drop in the rankings. To avoid this, you must stay up-to-date on the latest algorithm changes and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

Grow Your SEO Campaign

If you've been doing SEO for a while, it's easy to fall into a rut. You might be using the same old tactics, creating the same type of content, and targeting the same keywords.

But there are always new opportunities to reinvigorate your SEO campaign. There could be a new keyword you haven't targeted yet or a new type of content gaining popularity. By staying on top of industry trends and experimenting with new tactics, you can keep your SEO campaign fresh and compelling.

Stay on Your A-Game with Creekmore Marketing

In conclusion, SEO is more than just a one-time task you can check off your to-do list. It's an ongoing process that requires constant attention and adaptation. But don't worry; you don't have to do it alone. At Creekmore Marketing, we're here to help you navigate the ever-changing world of SEO and stay ahead of the competition.

Feel free to contact us if you're feeling overwhelmed by the thought of never-ending SEO. Our team of experts can help you develop a customized SEO strategy that fits your unique business needs. Whether you're just starting out or you've been doing SEO for years, we can provide the guidance and support you need to succeed.

How Long Does It Take to See SEO Results?

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:44:29 GMT

In an ever-changing digital landscape, search engine optimization, more familiarly known as SEO , plays a crucial role in driving traffic and generating leads for businesses. Content is the foundation of any search engine optimization plan, whether it be the information on your website’s individual product or service pages and blogs. It’s vital to optimize this content around your product line, service-specific topics, and targeted keywords.

Measuring the effectiveness of your SEO strategy is essential for long-term success. At Creekmore Marketing, our team of SEO and Content specialists understand the many factors vital to building a robust SEO plan, and at Creekmore Marketing, we are often asked “How long does it take to see SEO results?”

What Influences SEO Ranking?

There are several factors that influence the amount of time required to see results from an SEO strategy, including:

Your website's current web ranking
Level of competition
Quality of content and strategy
Chosen keywords
Optimization techniques used

Website's Current Ranking

Your website's current ranking on search engines plays a significant role in determining how long it will take to see results. If your website is already ranking well, it may take less time to improve its position further. However, if your website is new or has a low ranking, it could take longer to climb up the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Level of Competition

The level of competition in your industry and for your target keywords directly impacts the time it takes to see SEO results. Highly competitive industries and keywords require more time and effort to rank well. Focusing on longer, more complex keywords and niche markets can help you see certain results faster.

Quality of Content & Strategy

High-quality, relevant, and engaging content attracts both customers and search engines, leading to better rankings and higher conversion rates. By conducting thorough keyword research, optimizing individual pages, and creating quality content that answers the needs of your target audiences, you can significantly improve your SEO performance. A well-planned strategy that includes an up-to-date plan with high-quality content will contribute to a faster increase in rankings.

Keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process, and staying up to date with changes to the search engine algorithms and other industry trends is essential to maintaining your position in search results.

Chosen Keywords

The keywords you choose to target play a crucial role in determining how long it takes to see SEO results, but knowing which keywords are the best for your business can be a real guessing game. Focusing on relevant, high-traffic, and low-competition keywords can help you rank faster. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the best keywords for your business.

Optimization Techniques Used

Depending on your market, Creekmore Marketing specialists choose the best SEO techniques to employ, such as key branding, on-page optimization, technical SEO, and link building, that can significantly impact the time it takes to see results. Implementing a well-rounded SEO strategy that addresses all aspects of optimization can lead to faster results.

Creekmore Marketing's Role in Developing and Managing an SEO Strategy

Seeing significant SEO results takes time, and patience is key to achieving your desired outcomes. Unlike pay-per-click advertising , organic search rankings often require a long-term plan to show substantial improvements. Factors such as your website’s current performance, ranking, and competition within your field can all impact the time it takes to see measurable progress.

Typically, it can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months or more to see noticeable results, depending on your starting point and the strategies you implement. By committing to a long-term SEO strategy and consistently refining your approach based on research, you can gradually climb the search engine rankings and see the many benefits of increased visibility and organic traffic.

Creekmore Marketing takes a multi-pronged approach to SEO, focusing on high quality content with an eye toward your brand’s message and tone, in-depth market and keyword research, and refining the technical aspects of Search Engine Optimization. Our team of SEO Specialists, writers, and editors work together to create data-driven, engaging content, ranging from blog posts, home pages, product pages, and location pages. All of Creekmore’s content is based on keyword research and industry best practices. Additionally, we optimize the backend of your website with the best practices in metadata to ensure it is easily read and trusted by search engines like Google.

Key Takeaways

Be patient: SEO results take time, and you should be prepared to invest in a long-term strategy.

Focus on quality: Create high-quality content that appeals to your target audience and provides value.

Conduct keyword research: Identify relevant, high-traffic, and low-competition keywords to target.

Implement a well-rounded SEO strategy: Address all aspects of optimization with our team at Creekmore Marketing, including on-page, technical, and link building.

Get in Touch

If you're looking for a full-service web marketing agency that offers a complete SEO solution for your business, Creekmore Marketing has you covered.

From logo design and website design to social media management and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising , let us show you how we can provide you with our full-service 5-star support.

Celebrating 10 Years of Growth: A Decade of Creekmore Marketing

Thu, 25 May 2023 18:55:06 GMT

It's hard to believe that it has already been ten years since Creekmore Marketing opened its doors. In that time, the company has grown from a small startup to a thriving business with a reputation for excellence in marketing. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we want to reflect on our journey and our achievements along the way. Join us as we look back at the last ten years of Creekmore Marketing and the exciting things still to come.

The Beginning

For Chelsea, family and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. Her grandfather bought and sold businesses, while her father created a window treatment company of his own called Stamper's. She grew up watching them both work hard and create something new to support them and their family.

Chelsea wanted to follow in their footsteps.

A year before starting Creekmore, Chelsea was helping Stamper's with their marketing efforts, which resulted in Stamper's having their first-ever $1 million year! Along the process, she saw the opportunity she had been looking for— an area where she could thrive and help people like her parents. She would open her own marketing agency.

While working with Stamper's, she saw all the areas where local, family businesses weren't having marketing success simply because they needed someone to guide them who understood what they were going through. With the experience of working at Stamper's all her life, she set off to begin her journey.

Early Growth

Chelsea's first client was her parent's window treatment company. With her footing in place, the company began to flourish and grow. She talked with folks all over Lexington: plumbers, real estate businesses, local car dealerships, and other small businesses. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Creekmore Marketing would be strictly Lexington-based.

But then something magic happened.

Chelsea signed her second window treatment company. With the signing, it crystallized something in her. She realized that she still wanted to focus on small businesses but that window treatment companies specifically would make a brilliant fit. She could continue her family's legacy while still creating something of her own.

Growing Pains

Like all new businesses, the path forward was a challenging one. Despite having a solid start, there were two major hurdles with pitching marketing services to small businesses:

Small business owners are rarely operating with a high enough profit margin to afford big marketing services.
You have to teach what digital marketing is before you can truly sell people on its worth.

Chelsea soon found that many small businesses didn't want to partner with a company where they'd just be one in a dozen. Small businesses have specific needs that can't afford to be lost in the multitudes.

Early on, convincing people that it's worth being on Google was challenging. But she learned and grew through this, all while maintaining the motivation that started the company. These hardships paved the way for what makes Creekmore Marketing an excellent fit for small businesses:

Robust marketing team well-versed in small businesses.
No long-term contracts.
Bottom-line driven results. No fluff, no bullshit.

Creekmore Today

Enter Creekmore today as we close in on our 10-year anniversary! We're proud to have clients across 48 states and Canada (and one single one in Ireland ��). We've grown to the biggest team that we've ever had, and just last year had our most profitable year to date!

Where we have grown larger than Kentucky, we still love our home and try to stay close to our roots. We bring the same small-business mindset and locality to businesses across the world.

But what's next?

Creekmore Tomorrow

After ten years, we do want to reaffirm our love for our home here in Kentucky (with the majority of our company being UK Wildcats, Kentucky is an easy thing to love). Over the next decade, we want to grow our footprint and the economy in our home state.

Creekmore has always been focused on doing what's best for our clients, be it big or small. AI has been a hot topic and one that we’ve been keeping a close eye on! We will always strive to be on the cutting edge of providing as much value as possible to our small businesses and their families. Lastly, there are always new services we're excited to explore. The marketing world is ever-evolving, and we plan to grow with it.

Thank you to everyone who has made Creekmore Marketing who it is today. We thank you for a wonderful decade and look forward to the next.

User Experience Design: Customer-Focused Website Design

Wed, 17 May 2023 16:36:44 GMT

Creekmore Marketing is proud to be recognized as one of the best web design companies in all of Lexington! In addition to the Herald Leader Reader’s Choice Award for 2021 and A Social Media Marketing Award for 2021, we are proud to have been named Lexington's Top Web Designer by Three Best Rated®! All the candidates for this award must pass an intensive 50-Point Inspection which weighs customer reviews and satisfaction, trust, value, and general excellence, to create a truly objective rating that we couldn't be more proud of!

Being a Local Leader

Since 2013, Creekmore Marketing has been helping small businesses across the nation grow. We have designed our services to provide businesses with the support they need to get them to where they want to be. Our services include Search Engine Optimization , Pay-Per-Click , social media management and advertising, logo design , review marketing , and of course, our award-winning website design. We can create the perfect package of custom services to give any business exactly what they’re looking for. No matter the goal, Creekmore is here to help you meet it!

We know how overwhelming the internet can be, and with so many websites designed by larger and larger companies with what feels like less and less of a human touch, it can leave many people feeling like no one really cares about their experience. Most digital marketing and web design companies are eager to rush you through a process, leaving you with a mediocre product. At Creekmore, we believe in providing care and individual attention to each and every product!

It's About the Customer

Customers want to visit user-friendly and visually appealing websites, and for many customers, a company’s website is their first impression. So, it's essential for the website to not only look great but also be easy to use. We believe that an effective website needs to look good while operating smoothly across all platforms - including desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile. It's not just about looking "pretty." It should get more eyes on your business, more customers through your doors or site, and more money in your pocket!

Additionally, our SEO team chips in to ensure that your website is on its way to crushing the top of Google's SERPs. We marry SEO techniques with the creativity of our web design team for a dynamic combo that builds web pages that are not only beautiful but rank well while doing it!

The best part about any money invested into website design is that you get to keep it fore ver! It’s your website, after all. So even if you decide to stop working with us, you will still be able to reap the benefits of all the upgrades you paid for!

Customer-Focused Website Design with Creekmore Marketing

If you’re looking for customer-focused website design from a company that really cares, Creekmore is here for you! We are obsessed with helping businesses grow! We have the tools and team you need to make an effective website. Contact us today to get started and receive a free digital presence analysis and consultation.

The Barn at Belle Hills Website Redesign

Tue, 16 May 2023 13:25:06 GMT

Websites should be redesigned every 3 to 5 years. Businesses that revamp their website every few years are more likely to have better brand recognition, retain more customers, and generate more leads than businesses that don’t.

At Creekmore Marketing, we work closely with our clients to build websites they love that meet their business goals. Whether we’ve created the website or not, we help businesses give their website a makeover. Often clients want to offer their customers a more modern website; other times, business goals change, and their website needs to focus on that new goal.

We recently worked with The Barn at Belle Hills , a wedding and event venue in Crittenden, Kentucky. We originally designed their website in November 2021 with a specific vision. In 2023, they came to us looking for a change because with their recent change of ownership came different business goals.

The Barn at Belle Hills Original Design

Though the owners loved the original aesthetically-pleasing dark mode design with gorgeous fonts and exquisite stock photos, the website’s look and feel no longer felt like it represented the goals and direction of their family-owned and operated venture.

That’s where Creekmore came in!

The Barn at Belle Hills Redesign

Cory Creekmore runs The Barn at Belle Hills wedding venue with the help of his grandparents and sister, Katie Creekmore . This family-run operation is dedicated to creating a warm, welcoming barn wedding experience for its guests. It’s why Cory wanted to redesign Belle Hill’s website to reflect the people-first approach he and his family take daily.

The recent redesign of Belle Hill’s website includes lighter, brighter colors and photos of real Barn at Belle Hills weddings. Our web designers made it much easier for inquiring couples to ask questions, learn about the venue, view pricing, and contact the venue.

Cory and his family love the new redesign and find that it represents their business perfectly while reaching more couples interested in hosting their wedding at The Barn at Belle Hills!

Wedding & Event Venue Marketing

WEBSITE DESIGN

At Creekmore Marketing, we love helping businesses grow. If you own a wedding or event venue , we have the knowledge and expertise to help you meet your business goals.

If you’re looking for a new website or want to redesign your current one, our web designers are up to the task! We build fully-responsive websites customized to your brand and offer custom packages to meet your business’s unique goals. And the best part? You get to work one-on-one with our web designers to ensure we make your vision come to life!

Beyond WEBSITE DESIGN

Once your new or revamped website is launched, Creekmore offers a wide range of services to help build your brand awareness, generate leads, and increase your rankings.

Our services include:

You’ll also work closely with your personal Account Manager, who will help you strategize your custom marketing plan to ensure all efforts are working in unison to meet your goals.

Design Your Website with Creekmore Marketing

Learn more about designing a website that best meets your business’s goals! Creekmore Marketing is based out of Lexington, KY, and serves businesses throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Contact us today for your free digital analysis!

Ten Ways to Build Customer Loyalty with Branding

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:36:46 GMT

In 2022, a Harris Poll study commissioned by Google Cloud found that 82% of shoppers prefer a consumer brand’s values to align with their own. When your customers feel a strong emotional connection to your brand, they are more likely to remain loyal to your business.

Businesses can create these connections through smart design, social media marketing, content planning, and by taking appropriate steps within their community to show their values whenever opportunities arise. These moments are marketable moments because they draw connections between your business and the community that you’re serving.

At Creekmore Marketing, we help our clients create a strong brand that resonates emotionally with their customers. Our branding services focus on creating messaging and visuals that communicate your brand's values and personality, coaching individuals and building a sense of community and loyalty around your business.

What is Branding, and Why is it Essential?

Your brand is your business's identity. It's what sets you apart from your competitors and gives you a unique identity in the marketplace. A strong brand helps you build a visual and personal relationship with your customers, which is the foundation of creating customer loyalty.

We know that a strong brand is critical to building customer loyalty. Our branding services focus on creating a consistent visual style that communicates your brand's story and values, building customer confidence.

Creating a strong brand identity is not just about a recognizable logo or modern website design—though those are obviously a part of the package—it's about creating a consistent look and feel across all customer touchpoints, from marketing materials to social media, to word-of-mouth referrals.

Ten Ways to Build Customer Loyalty with Branding

1. Brand recognition builds connections: Your brand is your business's identity, setting you apart from competitors and helping build trust and recognition with customers.

2. Focus on consistency: Create a consistent look and feel across all customer touchpoints, including marketing materials, social media, and word-of-mouth referrals.

3. Build loyalty through brand recognition: A cohesive visual identity helps customers know what to expect from your business, fostering loyalty.

4. Display professionalism and expertise: Consistent branding demonstrates your business's commitment to its image, meaning that they’ll know what to expect when they see your business.

5. Encourage word-of-mouth referrals: A strong, emotionally resonant brand leads to customers sharing their experiences and promoting your business.

6. Invest in other aspects of your business: Allocate time and resources for strategic planning, design work, and maintaining consistency to boost recognition, trust, and sales.

7. Stay adaptable: Keep up with industry trends and be prepared to update your visual brand as needed to reflect changes in the market.

8. Collaborate with experts: Work with a team of professionals in graphic design, brand strategy, content creation, and digital marketing to develop a strong brand.

9. Maintain consistency across channels: Use the same colors, fonts, and messaging in all marketing materials, social media, website, and in-person interactions to build trust and recognition.

10. Develop a style guide: Create a reference for all future marketin g and branding efforts, ensuring consistency throughout the brand's lifespan, and contributing to long-term success.

Adapt to Changes

The business world is constantly evolving, and your brand should be able to evolve with it. It's important to stay up to date with industry trends and be willing to make changes to your visual brand as needed. This might mean updating your logo or changing your messaging to better reflect changes in the market.

For example, we recently completed a website redesign for a client that included a redesign of their promotional booklet. Both needed a modern refresh with new images and information about their increased line of products. Not only were we able to use their existing branding to complete this task, we also digitized the booklet and make it accessible online , but so potential clients could also access it and flip through their booklet on their smartphones, tablets, or computers.

At Creekmore Marketing, we understand the importance of adapting to changes in the business world. We stay up to date with industry trends and are always willing to make changes to a brand's visual identity to better reflect its unique story and messaging.

Get in Touch

Investing in your branding is an investment in the future success of your business. At Creekmore Marketing, we offer a variety of branding services, including logo design , website design , business cards, uniforms, merchandise, flyers, promotional materials, and digital media.

Contact us today to learn how Creekmore Marketing can help you develop a visual brand that tells your unique story and builds long-term customer loyalty.

How to Incorporate Text Messaging Into Your Business

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 14:59:13 GMT

Did you know that 70% of consumers prefer messaging a business and that text messages receive a 98% open rate compared to email at only a 20% open rate? Businesses that incorporate texting see better leads and more conversions. It’s that simple.

Texting has allowed consumers to ask specific questions, get quick answers, and easily set up appointments without ever needing to leave their homes or make a phone call. For businesses, texting cuts out a lot of the back and forth of phone tag and form submissions, so you go straight from initial contact to consultation and sale.

Business text messaging is the future, and Creekmore Marketing is here to help you meet the needs of today’s consumers! Here are our top tips for getting started.

Find the Right Platform

Set out to find the right platform for your business. It's best to consider your needs before committing to a platform. Whether your priorities are a personal account manager, one-on-one training, social media integration, or web chat capabilities, ensure your chosen platform meets your business's needs or offers flexible scalability. The right platform will also be priced competitively and provide specialized support when you need it.

Creekmore can help you capture and convert more leads with our Amplify + Interactions platform. This all-in-one platform lets you connect with customers through texting, live chat, video chat, Google Business Profile, and social media. And you'll always have access to our specialists, who are happy to answer your questions and provide any support.

Establish Best Practices

Once you've chosen a platform, it's time to establish some best practices to ensure your team and the platform work seamlessly together. Most platforms will offer one-on-one training; it's essential that all team members who will be utilizing the platform attend the training and can ask questions as they arise.

Here are our top recommendations for establishing best practices:

Ensure customers can opt-out
Keep messages short yet personal
Add appropriate calls-to-action
Respond quickly and professionally
Consider the timing

When it's time to get your team onboard, ensure everyone is current on best practices. Your team will undoubtedly learn as they go, so updating best practices every few months is okay.

Get Your Team Onboard

Next, make sure your team trains on the platform. Most business text messaging providers offer individualized training allowing your team to ask questions and get hands-on experience and ask questions.

Establishing a point person on your team for all things customer communication is optional, but it can be helpful. This designated team member has the opportunity to become an expert with the messaging platform and can help other team members troubleshoot. Alternatively, this person can be the customer's sole point of contact who answers questions and fields consultation requests to the appropriate parties.

However you get your team onboard, partnering with a local marketing agency is your best bet for managing all your marketing efforts in one place!

Business Text Messaging with Creekmore Marketing

Creekmore Marketing can help you reach more customers, generate leads, and beat the competition! Contact us to learn more about our business text messaging platform!

Creekmore Marketing & Web Design is based in Lexington, KY, and works with businesses all over the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Get started with your free digital analysis today!

Proud to Be An LGBTQ+ Friendly Marketing Agency

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:10:01 GMT

At Creekmore Marketing, we're proud to be an LGBTQ+-friendly web marketing agency. Diversity and inclusion are essential to our success, and we're committed to creating a welcoming environment for all our clients, employees, and partners.

As an LGBTQ+-friendly agency, we understand that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community face unique challenges and barriers, both personally and professionally. Discrimination and stigma can make it difficult to find a safe and supportive environment, whether you're looking for housing, seeking employment, establishing healthcare, or building a business.

That's why we're committed to creating a space where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. We believe that our differences are what make us stronger, and we celebrate diversity in all its forms.

Here are just a few of the ways we strive to be an LGBTQ+-friendly web marketing agency:

Cultivating a Culture of Inclusion

We believe that a culture of inclusion starts at the top. Our leadership team is committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels safe, heard, and respected.

We foster a culture of open communication, where employees are encouraged to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback. By creating a safe and supportive environment, we can help our team members reach their full potential.

We also welcome open communication from our clients. Our team members pride themselves on our responsiveness and availability, and with no long-term contracts to tie our clients up with red tape, we strive to provide a seamless experience for business stakeholders that need to pivot to meet their needs at the last minute.

Using Inclusive Language

We're mindful of the language we use in our marketing materials, communications, and interactions with clients and partners. When possible, we strive to use gender-neutral language and avoid assumptions about people's gender identity or sexual orientation.

We understand that language is a powerful tool, and by using inclusive language, we can create a more welcoming and accepting environment for everyone.

Partnering with LGBTQ+ Businesses

We believe that it's important to work with other LGBTQ+-friendly businesses and organizations. By partnering with like-minded companies, we can amplify our impact and create a more supportive and inclusive community.

We're proud to partner with businesses and organizations that share our values and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Providing LGBTQ+ Specific Services to Clients

We understand that members of the LGBTQ+ community have unique needs when it comes to healthcare, legal services, and other areas. That's why we offer marketing, design, and SEO services to LGBTQ+ businesses and individuals to ensure that everyone has access to the support they need.

Whether it's creating an LGBTQ+-friendly website, designing marketing materials that speak to the community, or offering LGBTQ+-specific SEO services , we're committed to providing the support and resources that our clients need.

Proud to Support the LGBTQ+ Community with Marketing & Design

We’re proud to be an LGBTQ+-friendly web marketing and design agency. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success, and we're committed to creating a welcoming environment for all our clients, employees, and partners.

By cultivating a culture of inclusion, supporting LGBTQ+ causes, using inclusive language, providing LGBTQ+-specific services, and partnering with LGBTQ+-friendly businesses, we're proud to do our part to promote equality and acceptance.

We understand that our work is never done, and we're committed to continuously learning, growing, and improving. We believe that by working together, we can create a world where everyone is valued and respected, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Get in Touch

If you're looking for an LGBTQ+-friendly web marketing agency, look no further than Creekmore Marketing. We're committed to providing the support and resources your business needs. From logo design and website design to social media management , let us show you how we can champion your business and provide you with full-service 5-star support.

The best way that we can show you our allyship is through our actions, so let us begin by starting a conversation with you. Contact us today to learn more about Creekmore Marketing. We look forward to meeting with you soon!

The Best Tips for Home Services Marketing

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 12:25:08 GMT

What makes a home service business stand out in an increasingly competitive environment? How do you attract and convert customers without being too pushy? After all, you're not only marketing your services, but you’re also marketing your brand.

Understanding the best ways to market your home service business in today's world is critical to your success. You can take many steps to optimize your online presence and dominate your market, so let’s explore a few!

Make Your Home Service Business Easy to Find

Your first and best home services marketing tactic is to make it easy for customers to find you. If customers can’t find you, they can’t buy from you or elicit your services. Optimizing your business's presence on Google and other search engines will go far in reaching potential customers and allowing them to reach you.

One great way to make your brand visible is to set up a Google Business Profile (GBP) so you can appear in search results on Google Maps and the organic search engine results. Your GBP is likely the first interaction potential customers have with your business, so make it as accurate and detailed as possible with information such as:

Operation hours.
Address.
High-quality photos.
Business categories.

Making your business easy to find and with accurate information allows your business to build credibility. For example, at Creekmore Marketing, we work with many HVAC, electric, and plumbing home service companies. We ensure their GBPs include accurate information with strategic keywords and relevant business categories like HVAC contractor . Accurate GBPs increase our HVAC companies in their local searches and improve brand awareness and recognition, which can help increase calls and sales for HVAC companies.

Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews

One bad review isn’t the end of your business, but it can be the difference between customers choosing you or going with your competitor. Consistent, positive reviews can tip the scales in your favor and help your ranking on search engines. It’s vital to resolve negative reviews quickly and ask satisfied customers to leave reviews. Some ways to encourage customers to leave a review include:

Asking delighted customers kindly.
Offering incentives with discount codes.
Sending follow-up emails.

At Creekmore Marketing, we offer online reputation management services to help our home service clients protect and improve their brand while driving new leads. For example, we’ve helped window treatment dealers manage their online reviews.

If your window treatment business receives a less-than-shining review about a client’s latest blind installation, our review marketing team can begin a conversation with them to understand their woes and work to mediate the situation.

Alternatively, we can even post glowing reviews on your social media accounts to drive leads to your window treatment business and generate brand loyalty with your existing customers, so the next time they need new drapes or shades, they’re more likely to return to you as their first choice.

Prioritize a Website That's Easy to Navigate and Looks Great

The first place where you can lose prospective clients is your website. A clunky, outdated, and hard-to-use website can scare off even the most interested prospects. An easy-to-use, clean, and modern website optimized for desktop and mobile browsers is your best chance for success. Additional features, like live chats or FAQs, make it even easier for the clients to get answers to their questions.

Your goal is to have the following on your website:

Easily navigable website.
Clear product and service offerings.
Many ways to contact you, including an online contact form and a phone number.

Our graphic design and website design team wants to help your small home service business succeed and gain new clients. For instance, our innovative graphic designer takes the time to understand an interior designer’s vision and goal. With this information, they create a custom logo that speaks to exactly what the client is looking for and creates brand awareness for the target audience.

Creekmore Marketing’s talented web designers do the same to create a responsive and well-organized custom site for those seeking an interior designer.

Don't Forget to Spread the Word

When searching for home services, customers are typically looking for local professionals. You can take advantage of that habit by advertising to those locals directly! Pay-per-click (PPC) ads and social media adverts are the perfect way to inform local customers about you and your business.

PPC ads display relevant ads directly to consumers in your local area who are looking for home service businesses like yours. And, as the name might suggest, you only have to pay for these ads when someone clicks on them, so not only do you get better audience targeting, but you only pay for when it works.

As for social media, boosted posts are the best way to engage with the community you want to be a part of. The goal is to make your business the first brand individuals think of when they’re in need of home services.

For example, our PPC and social media teams can create ads that increase your roofing company’s online visibility, making it easy for potential leads to find you and your services. Running an advertisement informing new customers about a discount for roof repairs after a storm comes through can entice them to call you.

Additionally, if you run social media ads for your roofing company with locational and keyword tags, you can better reach your target audience, enhance your brand awareness, and interact with leads and established customers.

Find Home Services Marketing Near Lexington, KY

Marketing your business doesn’t have to be painful or complicated. With these simple tips, you'll be able to capture more leads, grow your business, and dominate your home service market!

Creekmore Marketing is a digital marketing company near Lexington, KY, but we work with clients nationwide. Our team is obsessed with helping businesses grow, and that includes you! If you’re ready to grow your business, give us a call at (859) 309-5987 or schedule a free digital marketing consultation today.

We look forward to collaborating with your home service marketing!

5 Ways to Boost Google Leads

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:17:18 GMT

Google Ads is a powerful tool for marketers, but getting the most out of it can be tricky. There are a few simple steps you can take to improve your performance on Google— here are my top five tips for boosting your leads with paid ads:

Build Your Long-Tail Keywords Around Buyer Intent

Buyer intent: The goal or objective of the buyer.

Building your ads around buyer intent is a quick way to elevate your ads from average to astounding. When you're shopping for new shoes, you're not interested in reading some article about the invention and evolution of the sneaker— you're interested in buying some new kicks.

Building your ads works the same way. Even though both examples might target the same keywords, their intent and approach set them apart. Thankfully, Google is pretty smart about detecting intent, which means the type of lead you generate will match your ad.

Long-Tail Keywords: Keywords with high search volume but few competitors.

While it'd be awesome to target sweeping keywords (ex. cars, shoes, grocery store), it's often unrealistic, especially if you're a local business. We have found much more success by targeting long-tail keywords (ex. 2017 Honda Civic, blue and black AJ1s, Leestown Rd. Kroger) that inherently share a lot in common with the buyer's intent.

By searching for more specific keywords, you’re more likely to show intent. Looking not just for grocery stores but for a specific grocery store on a specific road, our hypothetical person clearly intends to travel to that location. These are the people we want to capture with our ads.

Understand Why Quality Score Works

Quality Score is a measure of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to a user's search query. It's a tool used by Google to determine who will receive their limited ad space.

Google uses this data to create the keyword auction system that determines where your ad appears in relation to other advertisers' ads. That means if you have low quality scores, you may see your ad placed lower on page one than someone else with higher scores despite having bid more for their keywords or having a better CTR (click-through rate).

So how do we improve q uality score? Three different factors affect quality score: expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. Factors one and two are directly tied to PPC, while the third factor can have ties to SEO, web design, and behind the scenes web services (wouldn’t you know it, Creekmore offers services to all three ��).

Create Engaging Ad Copy - Talk Like a Person

With as many ads as we all get served a day, it's easy to let them fade and blend into the background. If we're going to stand out, we need to employ engaging ad copy— the easiest way to do so is to talk like a normal person. Corporate jargon is prevalent across many ads, companies, and PR statements when most people want to be talked to like the human that they are.

Use a conversational tone.
Write short, catchy, and relevant headlines for the ad group.
Use sitelink extensions to link out to what you offer in your ad copy. This will make it easier for people to understand what they can get from your business and increase click-through rates on your ads.

Create Relevant Ad Groups

You can also make your ads more relevant by creating ad groups that are related to each other. This will help you to:

Create a common theme across your ads, which is important for building trust with users.
Ensure that each keyword has the same purpose, tone, and goal throughout— you’re using a keyword targeting shoes, make sure that the page the consumer lands on is about shoes (not shirts, pants, or super cool designer socks). We want the process to be as easy as possible for any potential customers.

Test, Test, and Test Again

Testing is a critical part of the process of increasing your Google leads. You should be testing different keywords, ad copy, and landing pages to see what will work best for your business. Other options include:

Test different bidding strategies
Test the impact of negative keywords (e.g., "used cars" vs "new cars")
Test the impact of ad extensions (e.g., callout extensions)

How often should you test? To get meaningful data, you need at least 2-4 weeks, so we’d advise waiting that long between changes; Beyond that, the changes you make can be as aggressive or passive as you desire; the decision should be made based on your industry and the market around you.

Done Well, Paid Ads Can Be a Valuable Addition to Your Marketing Strategy

You can't just throw money at ads and expect results to come rolling in. There is a lot of competition out there, so you need to know what you are doing, or else your paid ads will not be effective for your business.

Know what keywords people use when searching for products or services like yours: If someone searches "how do I get rid of bed bugs?" then they probably want information on how they can get rid of bed bugs (and we all know how annoying those little critters can be!).

The last thing to note is that it's important that you keep track of who else is bidding on similar keywords. A large variable in determining the price of your ads will be how competitive and dense the market around you is.

Improve Your Lead Gen with Paid Ads

If you're looking for a way to increase your Google leads, paid advertising may be the right fit. Still trying to figure out where to start? That's where we come in! Creekmore has a talented PPC team that ensures you're getting the most bang for your buck. Contact our team today and get a free competitor analysis!

3 Reasons to Work with a Digital Marketing Agency

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 19:59:56 GMT

Running ads in newspapers and local publications, sponsoring sporting events, and TV commercials are all good tactics to engage with an active audience, but they are by no means going to bring in the number of leads you’re looking for to grow your business and meet your marketing goals.

Digital marketing is the most effective way to market your business and increase leads. Partnering with a digital marketing agency like Cree kmore Marketing is the best way to maximize your leads on Google, create a strong visual brand, and meet your marketing goals.

1: You Need to be Found on Google

How many leads are you missing out on because potential customers can’t find you on Google?

Google is the most popular search engine in the world, with over two billion searches performed every day, steadily increasing since 2009. Search rate is not just about quantity; it's also about quality: 82% of users say they are more likely to click through from organic listings than paid ads, according to Semrush.

So what does this mean? You need to be found on Google.

If you aren't ranking for keywords related to your business or industry, people won't find you when they search for things like "best restaurants near me" or "plumbers near me."

Work with a digital marketing partner whose bread and butter is search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. We’ve helped hundreds and hundreds of businesses find their customer base through specific keyword research, the appropriate use of strategic content planning and targeted advertisement to activate locals in search of the products and services your business provides every day.

2: You Need to Build Your Brand

What is it that makes your business stand out from the crowd?

Branding is your business’s identity and how you differentiate yourself from the competition. It’s why people keep coming back to your business. If you want to stand out in a dense market, then investing in developing an effective brand identity for yourself makes sense.

Building a brand is not simply about having a logo and fancy business cards. Anywhere potential customers can interact with your business’s identity shapes their experience. Everything from your logo and content to the design of your showroom or store says something about your business. The key to branding is conveying that message or image through your marketing efforts. A digital marketing agency can do that for you!

Creekmore Marketing offers a full range of branding services , including website and logo design; We ensure every touchpoint, from your website and social media to your business cards and store signage, works together to tell your brand’s story.

3: You Need a Marketing Partner Who Understands Your Goals and How to Reach Them

Building a killer website and running ads are great, but you need a marketing partner who understands your goals and how to reach them for you to dominate your market.

You need a marketing partner who understands your business, your customers, and your industry. An agency partner will work with you to develop a cohesive marketing strategy, including search engine optimization (SEO); pay-per-click advertising (PPC) management; content creation; website development and design; social media management; email marketing campaigns; and anywhere else potential customers may find you.

Pro Tip: An experienced agency offers transparency, provides clear ROIs, and communicates effectively.

Don’t just take our word for it! Creekmore Marketing has a record of excellence and over 150 sterling reviews from current and former clients. Our team isn’t satisfied unless we’re meeting your business’s goals!

Digital Marketing Agency Near Lexington, KY

Creekmore is obsessed with helping businesses grow! We can help you get found by Google and build your brand while supporting you with a team that understands your business’s needs and goals.

Creekmore Marketing is based in Lexington, KY, and works with businesses all over the U.S., Canada, and the UK. When you’re ready to partner with a digital marketing agency, Creekmore Marketing has the experience, know-how, and talented team to help you reach your marketing goals! Contact us to receive a free digital analysis!

What is the Purpose of a Logo?

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 20:56:01 GMT

There is an old adage that you should never judge a book by its cover; however, as a business owner, you recognize that this isn't quite true. A book with an unattractive cover is unlikely to sell well regardless of how good it is inside. The same goes for your logo —people will judge your company based on how professional it looks.

The Purpose of a Logo is to Create an Identity and Face for Your Company

A logo is a visual representation of your company. It helps customers remember you and can even be used as a selling tool by creating an identity for your company.

It's important to know that logos don't just advertise themselves, but they also build trust in the consumer's mind. The more familiar they become with a brand or product, the more likely they will repurchase or refer others to it. A well-designed logo should attract attention with its color scheme and differentiate itself from competitors' designs by bringing something new to the table—whether through clever wordplay or incorporating elements from traditional logos in an innovative way.

Logos and Branding Identify Your Business

Branding is about creating an image for your company that sets it apart from the competition. Simply put, branding establishes how others— customers, competitors, etc— perceive your business. You can do this through marketing campaigns, packaging designs, or, coincidentally, updating your logo (also known as updating your visual identity ).

When an effective branding strategy is implemented, it becomes easier to market yourself—and by extension, enjoy greater success in business than if you were just an anonymous entity among many others in the same field.

What Makes a Good Logo

A good logo is an effective logo. A logo that is easy to read, memorable, unique, timeless, and consistent across all platforms.

It's easy to get caught up in trends and look at what other brands are doing—but don't be too quick to copy them! Your audience will recognize when you're trying too hard with your design elements or when you're just following the crowd. Stand out from the crowd by being true to yourself!

Good Logo Designs Make a Strong First Impression

A good logo embodies the following traits:

A logo should be simple, memorable, and easy to read — you want potential clients and customers to understand and remember your logo at a glance.
It should be distinctive — logos should be trendy, but not timely. They should persist in the mind. You shouldn’t have to worry about your logo becoming outdated or passing like a fad.
It should be versatile —it's a good idea for your logo to work equally well in black-and-white or color on various media: print materials, websites, and more.

When Should I Update My Logo?

Creating Your Logo as a New Business Owner

When starting a brand new business, it is important to present yourself on a serious and professional front. As an unknown entity to your clients or customers, you have to work even harder to establish a trusting relationship. A lot of groundwork can be covered by how professional your logo and website look.

Consider how you'd feel buying from an old or poorly designed website. Visiting these websites can leave you feeling uneasy, especially when compared to large professional brands like Amazon. Logos work the same way. Despite the sentimental value it might have to you, if it comes across as unprofessional, it may be time for an update!

Updating your current logo

Many businesses, especially small businesses, have been around for decades. Whether they've been kept in the family or have just been an established part of the local community, having a long-lasting website can be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to logo design.

Updating current logos generally is more focused on refining existing ideas than creating new ones. After all, your logo and branding have lasted this long; we don't want to reinvent them. We want to refresh them and ensure they can carry forward for generations to come.

Is It Worth Paying Someone to Create a Logo?

So what is all entailed in creating/refreshing a logo? It's important to know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The best way to approach this is by looking at your brand and asking yourself: what do you want your logo to convey? Are there any particular colors or fonts that are associated with your business? How would the logo look on pieces of merchandise, such as T-shirts or coffee mugs? Would it be appropriate for branding on larger items, like billboards or vehicles?

With all this in mind, creating a cohesive brand image is an incredibly difficult task— at Creekmore Marketing, we have an exceptionally talented logo and branding team to help you achieve your vision. Where it may be tempting to create it yourself or go with cheaper options, investing in a professional means ensuring that you can meet all your needs.

Small Business Logo and Branding

That's it! You have all the information you need to know about logos. If you still have questions, we encourage you to reach out and talk to a member of our team . Creekmore Marketing is a marketing agency based in Lexington, KY; we love helping small businesses achieve their marketing goals.

Recession-Proof Your Business

creekmoremarketing@gmail.com (Creekmore Marketing) — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 18:26:17 GMT

Recessions can be frightening— after the '08 boom, it took many companies years to climb back to where they were (if they made it at all). If you're a business owner, you wouldn't be alone if you were looking for ways to feel secure about the future. Now there isn't much we can do to control the economy as a whole, but there are a couple of ways that you can work to secure your company's future.

Many articles preach tenets such as "become indispensable," which is often easier said than done. Instead, we offer three tips to help any size business endure tough times.

Lead by Example

Often purely associated with a temporary economic decline, recessions have some side effects which can profoundly impact your business. Chief among them are increased feelings of doubt, mistrust, and wariness. Typically these feelings are caused by a lack of economic stability, but they can spiral and cause problems within the workplace.

As leaders within your company, you may not be able to fix the economy, but you can help stabilize your work environment and maintain a semblance of health and balance in the workplace. This can be combated by leading from the front or leading by example.

Leading by example shows that you are one with your employees and are all one team. Morale is easier to maintain, and you have a greater capability of responding to crises or other vital situations. This is extra important for small businesses!

Invest in Targeted Marketing

Where spending money might not seem to make sense when facing an economic downturn, the act of promoting your business is essential to overcoming a recession. However, as with most things, you must be tactical in your approach; not all marketing efforts are created equal, and you must choose what is most efficient for you.

It's crucial to do your marketing with people you trust to understand your business. Marketing efforts can be divided into three main categories: Social, SEO, and Web Design.

Social Media >

Social Media is an excellent example of "you get out what you put in." The barrier for entry is extremely low, but the ceiling of what you can accomplish is nearly astronomical. The good news is that you don't have to spend any money to achieve the basics of social media— you can have a good social strategy without spending a cent. Reaching the next level, however, generally requires an expert.

When you spend money on your social media, ensure you're paying to get expertise and efficiency. These are the biggest aspects that any soc ial media marketing company can offer you. If they have experience or knowledge about your industry, all the better.

SEO >

SEO has the potential for the highest value per dollar amount of any marketing effort. The successes of SEO stick with your website long after you stop paying for services, and a good SEO marketing company will set you up for future success as well.

These evergreen services help clients big and small. No matter the size of your website or how long you’ve been in business, SEO can help your website appear for more people and drive more traffic to your website.

UX and Web Design >

Existing in the digital world is essential in today's business landscape, and the success of your online efforts can often be determined by the appearance and usefulness of your website. Everyone who has spent time on the internet has visited a website and immediately left because it either didn't have the professionalism they were looking for or gave off a less than confident appearance.

Upgrading your user experience and the design of your website is a surprisingly efficient way of improving all marketing efforts.

Stay Ahead

Don't get surprised by shortages in the supply chain, and don't let suppliers get surprised by business on your end. There's a good chance that suppliers and similar companies are also going through a tough time, and communication between your company and theirs can make life easier for everyone involved.

From a strategy standpoint, you want all players on your team to be on the same page. If you're a startup looking for financing, get financing early rather than when you're in dire straits. If you're a Mom & Pop Shop, ensure that your customers and suppliers know about your company, the gaps in supply, and what can be done to streamline things. The prepared are often the most successful in any scenario.

Recession-Proof Your Business

Economic highs and lows aren't something we can control individually, but by preparing your company and laying a sound foundation, you can weather any storm. Creekmore offers a variety of consulting and marketing services to any level of client. Interested in how we can help? Get a free quote or call us at (859) 270-3169 today to start securing your company's future.

Creekmore Marketing Announced as a 2022 Local Excellence Award Winner by UpCity!

creekmoremarketing@gmail.com (Creekmore Marketing) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:02:44 GMT

For more than a decade, UpCity’s mission has been—and continues to be—to help businesses find B2B service providers they can trust. The UpCity Recommendability Rating was developed to determine a service provider’s credibility and recommendability, giving UpCity the confidence to recommend them to the more than 2 million businesses that visit their site.

Each year, UpCity analyzes and scores more than 70,000 service providers based on their UpCity Recommendability Rating and acknowledges the top national and local providers with an UpCity Excellence Award . The results are in, and we won!

We are proud to announce that the Creekmore Marketing team has been recognized as one of the top B2B service providers of 2022 in the Lexington area by UpCity!

Joe Banks, SVP of Engineering at UpCity, had this to say about Creekmore Marketing:

“There is no shortage of marketing agencies out there right now, but there are few who offer the same combination of value, service, and passion as Creekmore Marketing. We are proud to name them a 2022 Local Excellence Award winner.”

— Joe Banks, SVP Engineering, UpCity

This recognition has been driven in large part by our 5-star review rating on UpCity. Here are a few of our favorite pieces of feedback we’ve received from our incredible customers:

“Creekmore Marketing has represented Anderson & Rodgers Construction for several years now and they are certainly one of the most important aspects of our brand and visibility. Creekmore's design team was able to take our portfolio and create an experience that is unlike any other. We consider the website to have a timeless design that we have effectively used to grow our brand amongst the construction and real estate community. As much as we love the design the real nuts and bolts of the website are the internal coding and SEO management. Online marketing has been by far the best ROI we have in our marketing budget. Tens of thousands of views and hundreds of leads every month come through our website. We also direct clients there if they have not previously visited the website. It is the best representation of what we can do for our clients. We certainly appreciate the years of service and will continue to be loyal customers for many years to come. Teddy Rodgers CEO, Anderson & Rodgers Construction” — Teddy R., October 2021

“I had a tight budget with a clear vision. The staff brought my vision to life. The feedback from others on my website is AMAZING! They were so great to work with that I'm having two team members as guests on my podcast!” — Ellen M., March 2021

We are beyond proud to be named a winner of a 2022 Local Excellence Award. Thank you to UpCity for recognizing us and thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years.

Learn more about the UpCity Excellence Awards .

Digital Marketing Pricing: How Much Does Digital Marketing Cost in 2022?

creekmoremarketing@gmail.com (Creekmore Marketing) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 13:48:47 GMT

In our modern world, most customers will find you first online, then visit you in store (if you have a brick-and-mortar store). At Creekmore Marketing , we offer digital marketing services aimed at generating new leads for your business and creating brand awareness in your local community, which means more sales and, ultimately, more revenue. Our proven track record and excellent customer service mean that you’ll appreciate working with us as much as your bottom line will.

But we already know what your next question is: what will digital marketing cost me? Luckily, we’ve broken that down for you so you can decide up front if Creekmore is a good partner for your business.

Digital Marketing Pricing with Creekmore

Website Design

Starting at $995

Let us design a beautiful website for your exact needs and wants. We always recommend updating your website every 3-5 years to keep up with the latest design trends. We can also provide custom content for any pages you need built out!

Logo Design

$995

After a great website, nothing sets a company apart like a great logo ! Our team of designers are ready to get creative with your logo, so you’ll have something instantly recognizable to use for everything from business cards to merchandise.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Starting at $350/month + Ad Spend*

PPC advertising is one of the best ways to get your business name, website, phone number, etc. out in front of potential customers during their Google search. PPC ads are pay to play, so the higher your budget, the longer your ads will continue to show on G oogle. We’ll provide you with a budget estimate based on what your competitors are likely spending in your local market. Our budget recommendations vary by industry, location, and target market.

*Average ad spend recommendation of $500/month minimum.

Social Media Management/marketing

Starting at $350/month + Ad Spend*

75% of purchase decisions are filtered through social media first, but not everyone has the time or market research to manage their business’ social media presence effectively. That’s why we’re here. We’ll do weekly posts, engage with those who interact with your posts, and more. We’ll also boost your posts so more eyes are on your business!

Retargeting

Starting at $375/month

By putting powerful banner ads in front of the people who are most likely to take action, you can generate even more awareness, engagement and leads from your digital marketing. Our goal is to create top-of-mind awareness with previous website visitors and bring them back, reach new audiences based on characteristics, behaviors, and online activities, and elevate your brand across leading sites and mobile apps.

Geofencing

Starting at $375/month

We use the most advanced location-based targeting technology to pinpoint the right audience and reach them through their mobile devices, wherever they go. We work to build the right audience based on proximity to any location, connect with more consumers on mobile, with access to 90% of devices, and track true conversions and see measurable ROI.

Amplify Reviews

$150/month

5-15 new reviews each month are proven to help improve rankings on Google. We believe that sending out review requests be a part of your weekly to-do list. With Amplify, this task becomes a whole lot easier. Amplify allows you to send out a review link for your client to open and leave you a review; Our platform also offers add business texting and so much more.

Interactions

$250/month

Our Interactions service is designed to help you connect with customers on multiple fronts. We’ll add our webchat bot Robin who will answer any questions your customers may have. Amplify Reviews is also included in this incredible package. You can even turn your landline into a text-able number!

Why Creekmore

We care. Unlike most marketing agencies, Creekmore cares about YOU. We’ll learn everything we need to know to help you increase revenue, including your target customer, your competitors, your strengths, and your struggles.
We listen. Every Creekmore Marketing client is assigned a dedicated Account Manager, so you always have someone you can reach with questions and ideas. We believe in the basic human decency of being available, so we’ll always answer your calls and respond to your emails quickly. And you’ll always know how your campaign is performing.
We win when you win. With Creekmore, your online presence is in the hands of experts – award-winning (and highly-caffeinated) experts with a passion for helping businesses grow. We only succeed when you succeed, and we focus on doing what we do best so you can focus on what you do best. You plus Creekmore equals a winning combination.

Contact Us

Have questions? Our Business Development Managers would love to chat about how Creekmore can help your business grow. Contact Creekmore Marketing today or get a free quote online . We are located in Lexington, KY, and we are ready to help your business today!

I Hate My SEO Company - SEO Not Working?

creekmoremarketing@gmail.com (Creekmore Marketing) — Mon, 17 May 2021 19:49:28 GMT

Hate your SEO company? I'll bet we can guess why...

#1. They Made Outlandish Promises, But You Haven't Seen Squat .

They got you all hyped up about how much business you're going to get and how you're going to rank #1 on Google. Now, you hardly hear from them and if you do, they make nothing but excuses for why your business isn't growing.

#2. You Search on Google or Bing and You're Nowhere To Be Found, Yet The Reports Your SEO Company Send You Shows "Incredible" Numbers.

Your SEO company isn't being transparent. They're distracting you by showing high traffic to your website, but you're still not ranking well on Google or Bing and your sales haven't increased.

#3. They Locked You Into A Long-Term Contract

If they really believed their service worked, they wouldn't have to force you to stay for 6-12+ months. A good SEO company keeps their clients by providing results, not locking them in.

#4. They are working with your competitors too.

They're cheating on you! Sure, they do your marketing, but they're also working for 3 of your competitors in town. There's only ONE #1 position on Google and Bing. Who does your SEO company work harder for? Whoever pays the most? On top of that, you have the exact same strategy as you competitor. That's a recipe for disaster.

What makes us different?

We're transparent . We're not here to trick you or hide anything. We'll explain to you in plain English exactly how our SEO services are driving business for you. We'll give you the good, the bad and the ugly.
We'll never lock you into a long-term contract. If we don't grow your business, we expect you to fire us. We keep our clients by providing real results (and the only real result is sales growth).
We provide exclusive services. We work with one client per industry per city. Period .

5 of Our Favorite Social Media Accounts & What We Love About Them

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:49:00 GMT

Social media is somehow complex and easy to understand all at the same time. Posting, following, and liking posts are all pretty self-explanatory, but figuring out what your audience wants to see and how to grow your following is less clear. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite social media accounts and what we love about them, so you can have a better idea of how to rein in some more followers to your own accounts.

1. MoonPie’s Twitter

First of all, I love a MoonPie. What’s not to love? It’s basically a soft s’mores cake. But I started to love them even more when I discovered MoonPie’s Twitter account . Whoever they hired to run their social media is killing it. The tweets are funny, timely, and engaging, which is truly the trifecta of good social media. Plus, they aren’t all about selling the little cakes, which is perfect, because I know what a MoonPie is and when I want one; I don’t need to be told with every tweet. Social Media is a cocktail party; no one wants to be friends with the person who tries to sell them something all night.

2. The Lexington Humane Society Instagram

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like looking at pictures of dogs and cats, and the Lexington Humane Society does a great job taking high-quality photos and using captions that make their animals more adoptable. They’ve also done a few “story takeovers”, where they film Instagram stories as if they’re from a certain dog or cat’s point of view. This is both cute and funny, and leveraging animals is a great way to make sure people stay subscribed to your social media account. One of our clients will post pictures of dogs and cats that “help” them when they visit clients’ homes, and it always goes over well.

3. Shop Dandy on Instagram

As young women on a budget, it’s no wonder that a social media account focused on quality clothing you can buy inexpensively on Amazon resonates with the women of Creekmore. I think at this point, everyone in our office follows @shopdandy. The owner of this account does several things very well. First, she posts extremely regularly. Not many days go by without a new post or story from her. Additionally, she’s pretty open on her feed. She talks about building a house with her husband, the new dog they got, and her travel experiences. She makes it easy to let her followers feel like they know her, which builds trust and makes it easier for her to promote different pieces of clothing. Building trust through social media is a great way to make your customers more loyal to your brand.

4. Netflix on Twitter

So, naturally, lots of people engage with Netflix because of the shows they’re watching. However, Netflix does a great job capitalizing on that engagement by retweeting, mentioning, and quoting the people that tweet at them about their shows. A lot of their feed is user-generated content, which means that it comes from other people rather than them. This works really well with a brand as big as Netflix because people get excited when brands interact with them on social media. While this works great for a big brand, that doesn’t mean it can’t work for a smaller, more local brand as well. If you provide a product or service, invite people to tag you on social media with their experience or pictures. Just be sure to engage with them if you do this.

5. Wendy’s Twitter

The tagline for Wendy’s Twitter really says it all: “We like our tweets the same way we like to make our hamburgers: better than anyone expects from a fast food joint.”, but we’ll elaborate anyway. Wendy’s, like MoonPie, relies on humor and satire to keep their social media numbers up. Their Twitter account blew up a couple of years ago with their “clapbacks” at other business accounts, and they continued these shenanigans this summer when Popeye’s released their new chicken sandwich . It’s definitely paid off for them and made them a more prominent name in the fast-food market. Humor is a great way to engage your followers and keep your business at the top of their minds when they’re looking for someone in your industry.

As you can see, running a successful social media campaign takes a lot of effort. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it by yourself. Creekmore Marketing has an experienced social media team that can help you grow your following and engagement. Give us a call today and let us help you come up with a social media strategy for your business.

Keyword Rankings Aren’t Everything

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 14:47:00 GMT

In today’s world of ever-changing business tactics, AI Overviews, and 100 or more other changes to marketing, you may be wondering whether the effort, time, and money you spend on marketing is really making a difference for your business. We’re here to say: yes, it matters! However, the metrics you use to track the success of your marketing efforts may be misleading. One such metric many businesses use is their keyword rankings. But what are keyword rankings really? And how do they fit into the overall success of your digital marketing efforts?

Originally Published in 2019 and Updated July 2025

What Are Keyword Rankings?

Keyword rankings are the positions your business has when people use a search engine like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo to search for a specific query. For example, you may look for popular restaurants in Lexington by using the query “best restaurants in Lexington, Kentucky” and see that there are several results on the page. That’s because these locations are ranking for that keyword.

At any given time, your business may be ranking for many keywords and holding different positions as you and your competitors release regular content to maintain and grow your keywords reach. After all, being the first result on a search engine is known to improve leads. But keywords aren’t the only factor that shows your marketing is successful.

How Keyword Rankings Can Be Misleading

When you look at keyword rankings, you may feel discouraged seeing a keyword sitting at rank five, or you may be excited to finally get that number one spot on the search engine results page (SERP). Either way, it’s important to note that keywords aren’t just about ranking. Three other metrics you should use when you do keyword research are keyword volume, keyword difficulty, and keyword intent:

Keyword Volume: This is the estimated number of searches for a specific keyword during a set period of time. It indicates how popular a keyword is, with high values meaning more searches and low values meaning fewer searches.
Keyword Difficulty: This is how hard it is to rank for a particular keyword in the SERPs. Lower values mean it’s easier to rank for, while higher values indicate a keyword that will be hard to acquire.
 Keyword Intent: This is the purpose behind the search. In other words, keyword intent is what people mean to do when they use a specific keyword. For example, someone may be looking to buy right now or may just be gathering information before making a decision.

When you look at keywords, you may notice you’re ranking in the first spot for a keyword, but it only gets a monthly volume of 10 searches. While that keyword helps a little, ranking fifth (or even 10th) for a keyword with a high volume will likely bring you more leads, traffic, and overall business than the low-volume, high-ranking keyword. While keywords are important, they’re part of and feed into a larger set of metrics that can help you determine if your marketing efforts are successful.

Other Metrics to Measure Marketing Success

While keyword rankings are a good way to take a quick peek at how your marketing efforts are going, particularly for PPC and SEO, there are several other metrics you should monitor to get the complete picture:

Traffic

When you monitor your website, it’s essential to look at your traffic. Generally, your marketing is successful if your traffic is maintaining or increasing. Notably, with the advent of Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) in May 2024, traffic for many sites decreased along with keywords since AIOs often answer informational intent queries with a user even having to click. Even so, marketing efforts typically bring traffic to your site, so if you maintained or even increased your numbers throughout May 2025, your marketing is working.

Impressions

If you run a pay-per-click (PPC) or social media campaign or have a marketing company that does, impressions are another metric you should monitor to see if it’s successful. Impressions are the number of people who open a website or app where your digital ad or social media post is displayed. High impressions can indicate that the ad is getting visibility and is in a high-value location.

Click-through-rate (CTR)

The CTR is the number of people who click on your PPC advertisement, social media post, or email compared to the number of people who see it. It’s a great measurement to see if your post, ad, or email is converting people into leads for your business. Generally, a higher CTR is better for your business, and the average CTR for your industry is a good metric to see if you’re doing well. For example, a company in the home and home improvement industry has a different CTR average than one in the entertainment industry.

Leads

Leads are an excellent way to determine whether your marketing efforts are successful. Leads represent any person, organization, or other entity that interacts with your brand and has the potential to become a future customer. While they haven’t converted yet, you have the opportunity to move them from awareness of your brand to supporting it by purchasing your products or services. If your leads are increasing after your marketing efforts mature, then they’re successful.

Conversion Rate

At the end of the pipeline, sales are when you successfully convert a lead into a customer. This is a good metric to track and compare the number of leads you have to the number of sales you make. The higher your conversion rate, the better your team is at closing sales. You can calculate the conversion rate by dividing the number of sales you make by the number of leads you have and multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.

Return on investment (ROI)

As a modern business, you know everything is about ROI. If an investment you make isn’t panning out for your business, then you may consider cutting that investment off. While it’s essential to measure this, it’s even more crucial to know when to measure it. Often, digital marketing efforts and campaigns take at least six months to a year of consistent effort to mature, which means they’re fully optimized for your audience and your business and are creating leads for you. It’s essential to give your efforts time and make a judgment about your ROI and the effectiveness of your efforts after they have had a chance to succeed.

Business Doesn't Happen in a Vacuum

While we often wish it weren’t so, business is affected by the life events of its owners and staff, as well as world events. Changes to taxes, economic stability, and even the environment around a business can all affect how it performs. While each of the metrics above is important, thinking about them in the greater context of what’s happening around the business helps ensure a well-rounded approach to marketing and other efforts you make as a business owner.

Create a Custom Digital Marketing Plan Perfect for Your Business

If tracking the metrics above (and even more) sounds like a lot , our team does it at Creekmore Marketing. As a digital marketing company located in Lexington, Kentucky, we help businesses and business owners like you with their marketing efforts. Contact us today to see how we can help your business grow!

How You Can Get More Repeat & Referral Business

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 17:12:00 GMT

Repeat and referral customers are a huge part of your business, but they can often get overlooked in favor of new leads. Even most digital and print marketing efforts focus on bringing new customers in the door while basically ignoring previous customers or those your previous customers have referred to you. Luckily, there are ways to bring these lead sources back to you without sacrificing the new leads you want.

Email marketing is a great way to capitalize on repeat business. You have to have an existing list of subscribers to run a successful email marketing campaign (meaning you can't just buy an email list), and there are tons of ways to personalize your emails to get the best return. On average the ROI for email marketing is $44 for every $1 spent. In fact, one of our customers spent $200 with us and received a $10,000 lead, which by itself is a $50:1 ratio. Email marketing helps keep your name in front of existing customers and gives you a platform to incentivize them to return to you.

Following up quickly and putting your best foot forward may seem like no-brainers, but you'd be surprised how many companies struggle with this. On average, businesses take nearly 47 hours to respond to a lead, which, quite frankly, is a little crazy. How often when you're looking for something will you wait 2 days for someone to call you back? The faster you can follow up, the more likely you are to get the business, and as long as the experience is good, that customer will be more likely to refer their family and friends to you. One of our clients was approached by a realtor in his area and initially missed the call, however, he followed up almost immediately. Because of his quick response, not only did he get a $10,000 job putting window treatments into the realtor's home, but that realtor is now going to use our client for all of the new homes being built that he is in charge of selling.

Repeat and referral business is a huge aspect of your company and needs to be treated as such. To learn more about how you can market for these types of customers, contact Creekmore Marketing today! We are conveniently located in Lexington, Kentucky but have clients all over the country. We specialize in a variety of digital marketing services, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC), social media marketing, online reputation management, and email marketing.

Is Your Phone System Costing You Business?

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:40:00 GMT

Automated answering services are now a societal norm, making life easier for many small business owners. However, they can have some drawbacks and may lead to you losing some sales. If your web presence is good and your marketing efforts show leads coming in but you haven’t gotten any new business, it may be time to ask yourself if your phone system is costing you business.

Originally Published in 2019 and Updated August 2025

When I Don't Answer the Phone, How Many Clients Do I Lose?

Answering the phone is one of the most important things you can do to close a sale. Roughly 85% of people who get a business’s answering machine will move on to the next company. Sure, they could leave a voicemail, but there’s no guarantee you’ll call back, so it’s easier to move on to the next business on their list. In fact, 30-50% of sales will go to the business that answers a client first. In this case, if you aren’t first, you really could be last.

What if I Have an Automated Phone System? Will I Still Lose Clients?

The short answer is probably. Approximately 67% of people hang up out of frustration because they can’t talk to a real person , and 72% of callers will hang up if they get an automated answering service.

If someone from your business doesn’t answer your customer’s call, they will likely call one of your competitors next.

Additionally, you don’t want to leave your customers on hold for very long. 53% of customers will only stay on hold for up to 5 minute s.

Do My Employees Need to Have Phone Training?

While you may not need to have a professional receptionist, all of your employees do at least need to practice some basic guidelines and courtesies when answering the business phone. Around 74% of customers have admitted to calling a competitor after a negative phone experience. This can include anything from long hold times to a lack of professionalism. The phone is often the first impression customers get of your business’s customer service, so it needs to be a good one.

How Soon Should I Follow Up if I Do Miss a Call?

In short, the quicker you can get back to your customers, the better. If you return a customer’s call within 5 minutes of missing them, you are 100 times more likely to get a hold of them than if you wait 30 minutes to call them back. Similarly, you are twenty-one times more likely to close that lead than at the 30-minute mark. Quick responses make your customers feel important and heard, hopefully keeping them engaged in the sales process longer.

What is the Best Phone System for a Small Business?

The best phone system for any business, big or small, is easy to use, simple to train your team on, and allows potential customers to reach out in multiple ways. At Creekmore, we want to help your small business capture and convert more leads. We can help you do that with Interactions ! Our all-in-one messaging platform lets you connect with leads through texting, video chat, live chat, and even social media. We offer one-on-one training and ongoing support for you and your entire team as long as you need!

Lead management is streamlined, messaging is easier, and everything is in one place. Video chatting lets you capture leads while on the go, and you’ll never miss a call with an automated receptionist! Talk with Creekmore about all-in-one business messaging today!

All-in-One Business Messaging with Creekmore

Want to learn more? Contact us today to find the right marketing solutions for your business. We work with businesses of various sizes and across industries. Our personal approach and our years of experience set us apart! Schedule a free consultation with our team today! Creekmore Marketing & Design is based in Lexington, KY, and we proudly serve businesses in the US and Canada!

What is SEO & Why Does It Matter?

Wed, 15 May 2019 19:27:00 GMT

When it comes to marketing, the first thing most people think of is ads. After all, ads are everywhere. On the radio, on TV, on the internet, in smartphone apps, on buses, and the list goes on. And while ads have their place, ads are just one piece of the Internet Marketing puzzle. Being found organically is just as important, if not more important in some cases. That’s where we come in with SEO. But what is SEO, and why does it matter?

The Meaning of SEO!

SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization, is the process of getting traffic through “organic” sources, meaning sources you aren’t paying for. For example, say you’re looking for a new car and search “car dealers near me”. The first couple of results are probably going to be ads, but after that, you’ll get to the organic results, otherwise known as those recognized by the search engine to be the best resource for the consumer.

You see, Google especially prides itself on having the best resources for its customers, so in turn, it only wants to promote what it views as the best resources. SEO helps make your site a better resource for both your customers and Google so you can rank higher in those organic results.

Why Does SEO Matter?

If you don’t want any new customers and don’t care all that much about keeping your current ones, then it doesn’t. However, if you’re looking to grow your business, SEO is essential to making sure you’re putting your website in front of potential customers when they’re in a buying mindset. If someone is searching for a local business, chances are they’re looking to visit one of them soon, so it’s important to make sure they find you and not your competitors.

What Factors Go Into SEO?

There are over 200 different factors that affect search results, including content, listing consistency, website optimization, and domain authority. If you don’t know where to start SEO can be extremely overwhelming and even a little frustrating, especially because rising through the ranks on Google can be a slow process. It can take up to 6 months to see some major increases, which is why it shouldn’t be the only piece of your marketing puzzle.

If SEO seems scary or overwhelming, don’t panic. Creekmore Marketing is made up of some major SEO nerds who are obsessed with helping small businesses grow, and we can help you create a marketing plan that’s perfect for you. Each account has at least 3 dedicated people working on it at all times: a marketing strategist, content manager, and web developer. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your business!

Coming Soon to Creekmore: A New Online Reputation Management Platform!

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 12:51:00 GMT

If you’ve ever looked up a business online, you probably noticed the star rating and reviews on their listing. While it may seem like a small detail, these reviews can have a huge impact on the number of leads a business receives. Creekmore Marketing already offers online reputation management services for our clients, but we’re about to roll out a brand new, easier to use platform to help you actively engage with your clients.

What is an Online Reputation Management Platform?

An online reputation management platform allows you to request and check reviews all from a single dashboard. You can get reviews for many different sites, including Google, Bing, Yelp, and Facebook, without having to go to each individual site. Additionally, you can send email requests straight from the dashboard, get access to your review links, or even download a review handout to give to your customers!

What Makes Our Online Reputation Management Platform Different?

Our platform is straightforward, easy to use, and requires no prior knowledge of coding, email marketing, or reputation management. To send email requests, all you have to do is plug in your customer’s name and email address, and our platform takes care of the rest. Your customer will automatically receive an email asking them to leave a review for your business. It offers them several different site options, so they can go to the one that’s more familiar to them.

What Happens if You Have an Unhappy Customer?

Unfortunately, unhappy customers happen. Luckily, our platform offers those customers a place to send feedback directly to you, so you get a chance to make it right. Not only does this strengthen your relationship with that client, it also helps mitigate negative impact on your overall rating.

Who Will Get Access to This Program?

Creekmore Marketing clients who have our Blast or Dominate SEO packages will get this program automatically included in their package. We will also offer it as an a la carte option for our clients who don’t do SEO with us or have a lower package but want review management. Not a Creekmore client? Start a live chat with us today and get a free website review!
If you’re interested in learning more about our brand new online reputation management platform, contact Creekmore Marketing today. In addition to online reputation management, we handle a wide selection of digital advertising strategies, including local search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising, website and logo design, email marketing and more. Contact us today for a free website review and see how we can help your small business grow!

The Importance of Pay-Per-Click Ads

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 14:36:00 GMT

If you’ve ever searched for something online using a search engine like Google or Bing, chances are, you’ve seen a pay-per-click ad. Pay-per-click ads are usually the first results that pop up during a search and are noted with a little “ad” symbol or “sponsored” message. While it may seem fairly straight forward, there’s a lot that goes into making a successful pay-per-click campaign. At Creekmore Marketing, we want to show you the importance of pay-per-click ads, so you can use them to get the leads you want.

With the rise of people searching on smartphones, pay-per-click ads are more important than ever. Search engine ads get prominence, and the size of smartphone screens means that ads are usually the only things shown “above the fold” on search results. This means the user has to scroll down to find any organic results. If the ads show what the consumer is looking for, chances are, they won’t continue to scroll; they’ll just click on the ad. This is one of the reasons pay-per-click ads are so important. Your company and product is in front of the consumer when they’re in a purchasing mindset.

Pay-per-click ads are also great for generating calls to your business. You can add call extensions to your ads, so if someone is interested in your product, they can call you straight from the ad, rather than going to your website and having to look for the contact information. Call extensions make it easier for consumers to get the information they want and easier for you to get leads to your business.

One of the best things about pay-per-click ads, especially Google ads, is that so much of the data can be measured. For example, let’s say you have a call extension on your ad and notice that you get the most calls on Thursdays. This lets you know that you probably need to have more people available to answer the phones on Thursdays, so you can convert those leads into actual visitors in your stores and, hopefully, more sales. Additionally, you can also track which ads are performing well and which aren’t, so you can direct more of your budget towards the ones that are doing well, increasing your ROI.

Pay-per-click ads are extremely important, but they can be difficult to manage on your own, especially if you’ve never done it before. Luckily, Creekmore Marketing is here to help. We have Google Ad Certified experts that can help you create a successful ad campaign and drive leads to your business. We can even do some research for you to show you the low, average, and high spend of other companies in your industry and area to make sure your ads will be competitive. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you run a great pay-per-click campaign and drive more leads to your business.

What Social Media Can Do for Your Business

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:41:00 GMT

Most business owners know social media is important but struggle to generate a return on their marketing dollars. Social sites are filled with political noise, memes, and countless advertisements, making it increasingly difficult to stand out.

Business owners who try to stand out by bombarding users with sales messages can expect little to no return on your investment in 2019 and beyond. People don’t get on Facebook or Instagram to be sold to; they get on to connect with other people. It’s no wonder that businesses who beg their customers to “visit our website”, “Check out our new products”, and “Stop by our showroom today!” feel like social media doesn’t work. These strategies don’t work.

Now, you may be wondering, “Can social media actually help my sales?”. The answer is “Yes!”, if you creatively tell a story and know how to engage your audience. Don’t think of it as talking to your audience. Think of it as talking with them.

Building Trust

If you post engaging, personalized content on social media, people will start to feel like they know you, and therefore can trust you. Because they feel like they can trust you, you’ll be the first person they’ll come to when they need someone in your industry. Additionally, they’ll be more likely to refer their friends and family your way.

Brand Awareness

If you have an active social media filled with fun and engaging posts, more people in your area will start to follow and like your page. The goal is to stick in your potential customer’s mind. Once they’ve seen and engaged with your content a number of times, they will develop name recognition for your brand. This is powerful because when they are in the market for what you sell, your brand will be the first name that pops in their mind. Who is the first company you think of when you think of soda brands? For most, Coca-Cola. They’ve developed powerful brand recognition. For local businesses, this type of brand recognition can be achieved cheaper than you realize if your content is engaging enough and targeted to the right audience.

Personal Connections

Social media is a great way for friends and family who live far away from one another to stay connected. Because of this, social media is perfect for building personal connections with your current and future clients. Posting personal, engaging content is a great way for people to feel like they know you. That’s not to say you have to tell your customers everything about yourself but posting the occasional pet picture with a fun story and a question about your customers’ pets can drive engagement and build those connections.

Social Network Advertising

Along with consistent posting, you can also advertise on social networks. On-going ads run in the background and will often show up on the sides of users’ pages or as sponsored posts in their feeds. These ads will take customers directly to your website and can occasionally drive leads but are more for brand awareness. You can also boost posts for a minimum of $1 per day to reach more people with a specific post. For instance, if you’re running a promotion or giveaway, you can boost that post to reach more people and gather more followers.
Social media is an ever-changing market, but with how many people use it everyday, it’s important to stay on top of it. At Creekmore Marketing, we can help you create an engaging, relevant content strategy to help you build brand awareness, trust, and personal connections. Contact us today to learn more about our services and what social media can do for your business.

How Voice Searches Affect Digital Marketing Strategies

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 19:30:00 GMT

As voice-first search devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home get more popular, the number of voices searches is rapidly growing. You may ask yourself, “Do I need to optimize my site for voice searches?”. The answer is yes, but it’s not as complicated as you might think! Contact Creekmore Marketing today to learn more about how voice searches affect digital marketing strategies. As a part of our SEO strategy at Creekmore Marketing, we ensure our clients’ business information is up-to-date and accessible via Amazon Alexa, which ensures all of our clients’ data will be available for voice searches on the Amazon Echo. We perform additional voice search optimization to keep our clients top of mind in their markets. If you want to improve your presence for voice searches, here are a few factors you can optimize for:

Long-tail Keywords

You’ve probably heard us talk about keywords before, but what is a long-tail keyword? Long-tail keywords refer to the longer, more conversational search terms people use when performing voice searches. Rather than someone searching “coffee Lexington”, they may ask Alexa, “Where can I find coffee in Lexington?”. Adding some of these long-tail keywords onto your site or creating blog posts that answer them are just a couple of ways you can optimize your site for voice searches.

Domain Authority

A big part of the results Google or Alexa choose to show when voice searches are performed are based on domain authority. The domain authority reflects how valuable search engines think your site is based on factors like Google reviews, the number of links that lead back to your site from other sites, and the number of sites you are listed on. The age of your website and how often you post new content also factors in.

Listing Consistency

You’ve claimed your Google My Business listing. Great! What’s next? While your Google My Business listing is important, Google also wants to see that you’re claimed on other websites, like Apple, Yelp, and Bing and that your information is consistent across all of your listings. This is something we handle for our clients across the board.

Mobile Sites

Not only does your desktop site need to be optimized for voice searches, but you need to make sure your mobile site is, too. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, now is the time to invest in one. Outside of devices like the Amazon Echo, tons of voice searches are performed every day from mobile devices. Your site, both mobile and desktop, also needs to load quickly because the average voice search results page loads in about 4.6 seconds. The average page loads in almost 9 seconds!

Easy Access

Google and Alexa need to be able to find answers to their search results quickly and be able to relay them in an easily understandable manner. Therefore, answers to common questions should be readily available on your site, about 29 words long at the most, and written at a 9th grade reading level or below. If Google doesn’t have easy access to the answers on your site or if they’re too long or written at a level Google will have trouble reading, they’ll move on to the next result. There are quite a few ways voice searches affect digital marketing strategies, but if you’re already one of our clients, it’s not something you have to worry about! We pride ourselves on being up to date on all of the latest news and digital marketing strategies and have already been working on a variety of ways to optimize your site for voice searches. If you aren’t one of our clients but want to learn more about helping your site show up in voice searches, contact Creekmore Marketing today! Our team is made up of experts in a variety of marketing areas, including local SEO, pay-per-click ads, logo and website design, social media, content, and more, and we can create a custom marketing strategy for your business.

Parts of Marketing Strategies That Seem Scary But Don’t Have to Be: 2025 Update

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 16:54:00 GMT

Originally Published in 2018 and Updated May 2025

Creating a sustainable marketing plan can feel like navigating a maze. Commonly, you’ll find opaque agencies that send you complex reports filled with insider jargon, and they’ll want to lock you in to intimidating long-term commitments.

But here’s the truth: what seems scary is often just misunderstood. At Creekmore Marketing, we are a friendly digital marketing agency that serves the US and abroad. We’re based out of scenic Lexington, KY—and we’re here to provide friendly supportive marketing solutions that demystify the parts of marketing that can make business owners hesitate.

Whether it’s deciphering keyword reports, analyzing competitors, or setting realistic goals, these strategies are far less daunting once you break them down. Want to learn more? Reach out to a member of our Business Development team today!

The Fear: Long-Term Contracts

Many agencies lock clients into rigid agreements, prioritizing retention over results. They’ll promise businessowners with results that they can’t prove or set up unrealistic timelines for growth—all the while locking you into a lengthy contract. If this feels like taking a leap of faith? It is! What if the strategy doesn’t work?

The Reality: Sustainable marketing strategies take time to optimize, and your agency should help you understand your investment. At Creekmore Marketing, we offer a contract you can leave at any time because we believe that your digital m arketing agency should earn your commitment. We avoid trapping clients in long-term contracts because we prove our value month after month and year over year and offer flexibility to build lasting partnerships.

The Fear: "One-Size-Fits-All" Approaches

While the elements of a strong marketing strategy all include similar features, many agencies come to the table with the same generic strategies that ignore your business’s unique needs. These cookie-cutter strategies often overlook key differentiators , avoid understanding your brand’s unique voice, and ignore key factors like your competitive landscape, or customer pain points. This leads to lackluster results.

The Reality: Your industry, location, customers, and brand value are unique—and we believe that your digital marketing should be unique too . We tailor campaigns to your goals, whether it’s hyper-local SEO for your small business or a PPC strategy that targets your ideal clients—on a nationwide scale.

The Fear: Competitor Analysis

Many businesses and agencies perform their work in a vacuum and avoid looking deeply at the context of a business in its field.

The Reality: At Creekmore Marketing, we serve a large variety of businesses (even more than listed here) , so we have the experience you need to better understand where your marketing strategy ranks with local and national competitors.

Competitor research isn’t about intimidation—it’s about opportunity. We keep factors like market rivalry, economic power, and customer trends in mind without overcomplicating your marketing plan with fluff. We ask important questions like:

Are new competitors entering your space?
What are rivals doing well (or poorly) in their ads?
How does your web presence compete?

The Fear: Setting Realistic Marketing KPIs

Many businesses and marketing agencies avoid discussing or understanding what drives their clients’ need for marketing. That’s why we help our clients develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that suit their business and marketing strategy.

The Reality: We translate these insights into actionable steps, so you compete smarter—not harder. Understanding how your business fits into the wider landscape can be scary. Frameworks like Porter’s Five Forces or PESTLE Analysis are just a couple of structured ways your business can spot opportunities and understand risks.

Porter’s Five Forces examines industry competitiveness by analyzing five key factors: the threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. This helps businesses identify their market position, assess profitability potential, and develop strategies to mitigate external pressures.
PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) Analysis provides a macro-environmental scan, breaking down external influences into six categories.

Given your analysis, then you can better set up KPIs that are both ambitious but achievable. For small businesses, some digital marketing aspects to focus on may be metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, or ad spend return-on-investment (ROI).

At Creekmore Marketing, we’ll help you define KPIs that align with your budget and growth stage—no guesswork required. By grounding your strategy in a thoughtful framework, you’ll be able to move beyond superficial tactics with a marketing approach that aligns with your business’s reality, vulnerabilities, and advantages.

Marketing Doesn't Have to Be Scary—You Just Need the Right Marketing Partner

At Creekmore Marketing , we believe knowledge is power. That’s why we walk you through our proprietary marketing dashboard every month (if required) to discuss your most important data instead of giving you unactionable keyword reports or leaving you stranded in analytics and reports.

Whether it’s outmaneuvering competitors or ditching cookie-cutter tactics, our team makes marketing feel approachable. Ready to tackle the "scary" parts head-on? Contact us for a free consultation and see how we can tailor a strategy to your business.

The Ultimate Guide to Business Building for Window Treatment Dealers

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 13:43:00 GMT

Tried & True Ways To Grow

INTERNET MARKETING

This is a form of marketing you can’t ignore. Be sure to have a strong SEO, social media and web presence. Online reviews will be a key factor in your success.

VEHICLE WRAPS

The key to making these work is ensuring your products, services and contact information are BIG, bold and clear. Fancy images and graphics are less effective.

MAILERS

Sending periodic cards or postcards to your customer base can be very fruitful. Many dealers thrive off repeat business, so why not stay in touch with your previous customers?

MAXIMIZING THE COMPLETED JOB

Top performing dealers have recommended the following:

Take pictures of every completed job. (Some may make great social media/website content.)
Put a yard sign out front, if the customer is open to it.
Knock on the door of the neighbors next door and across the street. Hand out your business card and introduce yourself. “Hi, I’m Ed. I just installed your neighbors window treatments. If you’re ever in the market, we’d love to help you out!”
Call the customer a week later to thank them and ask for an online review.
Send a handwritten thank you card.Top performing dealers have recommended the following:

BNI/NETWORKING GROUPS

Find a group with members in the home services industry. The key here is building relationships. Your best referral sources will be real estate agents, interior designers, general contractors, flooring specialists, etc. https://www.bni.com/find-a-chapter

FIND LOCAL REFERRAL SOURCES

You can make connections outside of networking groups. Stop by your local interior designer, flooring specialist, general contractor, etc and introduce yourself. Dealers who have created structured referral programs/incentives have been very successful. Always thank your referral sources with a phone call or handwritten card.

HOME SHOWS

Sign up for a booth at your local home show. The key here is to have someone very outgoing working the booth. Talk to everyone who walks by and offer them a design booklet or business card. You could hold a raffle to collect contact information.

YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC)

This is a free (government funded) program that provides top of the line business consulting to new or existing businesses looking to grow. http://americassbdc.org/home/find-your-sbdc/

ASK “HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?”

Be sure to ask every single customer. If you want to go above and beyond, keep this information in iCM or a spreadsheet.

TV/RADIO/PRINT

These forms of marketing can be successful or a total flop. It completely depends on the stations or magazines you choose, budget and a variety of other factors. We’ve found that niche/local neighborhood magazines have been successful for some dealers. We typically always recommend Internet advertising if you have a limited budget, as it almost always provides a better return-on-investment.

GOOGLE 360° VIEW/VIRTUAL TOUR

Build trust with a high-quality virtual tour that lets people experience your location before they arrive. These immersive, virtual experiences inspire greater confidence among prospective customers. We recommend you contact Chris Sardinas at CS3Design Inc. His email address is info@cs3design.com and his phone number is (407) 636-7053. Mention that Creekmore Marketing referred you and you should receive a discounted rate of $650.

ONLINE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS

Websites like NextDoor or Facebook Neighborhood Groups are excellent ways to get referral business. Claim your business and be sure to stay active in these groups.

ANGIE’S LIST

We’ve heard good and bad things about Angie’s List. Their program has changed quite a bit over the years. To make it work, it’s important to get a lot of reviews.

HOUZZ

Houzz works well for interior designers. We haven’t found it to be as fruitful for window treatment dealers. Ultimately, many people use Houzz to get design ideas, but end up going to Google when they’re ready to make a purchase. We feel this may change as Houzz continues to gain popularity. That being said, it has worked for some dealers, so we keep an open mind.

YELP

In certain markets, Yelp is widely used and can be effective. We’ve heard overwhelming negative feedback about Yelp from window treatment dealers, so it’s not currently something we recommend.

LINK BUILDING

Getting links pointing to your website from other websites helps your brand gain exposure on Google, Bing, etc. /local-link-building-ideas-for-small-businesses

WINDOWTREATMENTWEBINAR.COM

We host webinars regularly to help window treatment dealers grow. Register at www.windowtreatmentwebinar.com .

UPDATE YOUR SHOWROOM

Your showroom should be clean, easy to navigate and professional. It should represent your brand. If you haven’t remodeled in a while, you may want to consider it!

The Creekmore Marketing Guide To Yahoo!

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 14:47:00 GMT

Do you want to know if your business should focus on SEO for Yahoo? Read Creekmore Marketing’s guide on the search engine to find out.

Like many people of my generation, my very first e-mail address was through Yahoo! Also, like many people of my generation, I haven’t used Yahoo! in years. It mostly functions as a relic of the dot-com bubble now, much like MySpace. But, while you can still access MySpace in the same way you can still access Yahoo!, does that mean you should make an account? If you are wondering if your business should devote time and energy on Yahoo!, Creekmore Marketing has created a quick guide to inform you about what it still has to offer you.

History

Like Google, Yahoo! came out of Stanford University in the 1990’s. It was created by Jerry Yang and David Filo and named “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web.” It was revolutionary for the time in that it organized search results into a hierarchy as opposed to an index, a move that later search engines would owe to “Jerry and David’s Guide.” Several months after the Guide was created, it was renamed Yahoo! The name Yahoo had actually already been trademarked by several different endeavors up to that point, which necessitated the exclamation point at the end of Yahoo!’s name. Through the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Yahoo! saw massive growth, as many such companies did, through the dot-com bubble, even earning the honor of being the most expensive stock ever sold in Japan in 2000. However, when the dot-com bubble burst, Yahoo!’s value crashed and never fully recovered. Various companies attempted to acquire it, but only in 2009 was it officially bought out by Microsoft. While Yahoo! is still running, it is slated to be fully replaced by Bing by 2019.

Percentage of Overall Search Volume

While Yahoo! may be essentially defunct at this point in time, it does still receive a surprising amount of search engine traffic. While it does still fall behind, it stays roughly equivalent with Bing, earning 11% of the total search queries for 2015 while Bing earned closer to 20%. While that gap may sound large, that amounts to Bing receiving 3,676 million queries in December of 2015, while Yahoo! received 2,201 million queries. While this is vastly less than what Google receives, it is still a sizable number of queries, and places it above other search engines that were created around the same time, such as Ask and AOL.

Reviews

Like other search engines, Yahoo! does not give its users an avenue to review businesses directly. While you can still claim your business’s listing on Yahoo!, the reviews that populate will be scraped from other review gathering services, such as Yelp.

Major Algorithm Changes

Because Yahoo! is so comparatively outdated, little is known about recent changes to their search algorithm. The most recent news that broke regarding it was that Yahoo! actually has an algorithm specifically dedicated to those using it to search on mobile. As for what this entails, the CEO of Yahoo! reportedly claimed that Yahoo!’s mobile search algorithm “provides a richer, more action-oriented set of experiences.” If you read our guide on Bing, this sounds similar to their goal of being a search engine centered around spurring consumer action. Ultimately, though, don’t expect many Yahoo! algorithm changes moving forward. After all, its expiration date is set for 2019 when it will be fully replaced by Bing.

Its Importance for Small Business SEO

I’ll start off by saying this: when was the last time you used Yahoo!? For many of us, it’s been years, and while Yahoo! does get a remarkable number of search queries every month, that has more to do with the sheer volume of people using the internet at any given time than it does with Yahoo!’s popularity. Yahoo! is soon to go the way of the dodo, and so dedicating a lot of time to it when it comes to growing your business will be time you can’t spend on other, more worthwhile search engines, like Google, Bing, or Apple. That doesn’t mean that you should 100% ignore it. Many services, like Yext, can claim your business on multiple, smaller platforms, such as Yahoo!, in one fell swoop, so if given the opportunity to do that in a way that won’t take up much of your time, it is a great option. For as long as it continues to exist, Yahoo! is still another patch in the quilt of SEO, but it’s a smaller, older one, and one that probably needs replacing.

Has this helped inform you more about how your business should use Yahoo!? If it has, or if you still have more questions, contact Creekmore Marketing to figure out more ways to grow your business online.

Best Practices for Responding To Online Reviews

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 18:03:00 GMT

In 2025, online reviews are the new word-of-mouth referral—an important part of your brand’s online presence and crucial for ranking well within Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).

With 91-99% of consumers valuing reviews and the growth of AI-generated fakes flooding platforms, real and personal review experiences help your business cut through the noise and build social currency and trust—but only if you manage them wisely.

Originally Published in 2017 and Updated August 2025

Why 2025 Demands a Radical Review Strategy Shift

Forget outdated knowledge and old stats. The online reviews landscape has exploded with the availability of photos, videos, and social media platforms. Customers have come to expect responses to reviews —or they’ll tag you as “unresponsive.”

AI-generated fake reviews now comprise 30%+ of content , using language to sabotage competitors.
Customers trust video or photo reviews up to 3x more than text.
Google’s AI Overviews scrape review comments , pushing businesses with poor review and response rates off page one.

Creekmore's 2025 Review Response Strategies

Prioritize RESPONSES

Deploy reviews monitoring tools (like our in-house reputation management systems ) for real-time alerts across platforms.
Develop processes for tiered response for different types of reviews.
Do: Graciously accept “praise reviews” and compliment the client.
Do: Respond swiftly to “crisis reviews” that represent legal/PR risks or “constructive negative reviews” that have understandable issues.
Don’t: Rely on automated review response. Use third-party review management as an alert system—and reply with personal response to each inquiry.

Respond like a human

Customers spot generic statements instantly. Real and personal responses stand out to old and new customers. Plus, Google rewards response diversity . Be as specific as possible. Refer to comments in each review in your feedback and offer to take any negative feedback off the platform when it makes sense.

For Crisis Reviews: Respond rapidly. Offer transparency and seek legal help if you have any lingering questions.

We take this report of [incident] extremely seriously. Our team has initiated a full investigation of this issue. For immediate assistance, contact us or follow us on social media for further information.

For Negative Reviews : Offer empathy and solutions for their perceived issue. Sometimes, a little pushback is okay—especially if the review is way out of line—but we recommend taking ownership and tracking issues to see any patterns. Do not imply retaliation for negative reviews.

We're deeply sorry that your experience with [specific issue] fell short. [Leadership] will contact you within [timeframe] via [contact method] to resolve this. Your feedback helps us improve–thank you for reviewing.

For blatantly false reviews (sparingly): We take all feedback seriously, but after thorough investigation, no record exists of this experience. We’ve reported this and initiated a full audit. We will update our response upon further review. If you’re a genuine customer: Please contact us directly for immediate resolution.

For Positive Reviews : Go beyond “Thanks!” and give a personal reply.

Thrilled our [specific feature] solved your [specific pain point]!
Your mention of [specific detail] made our team's day!
[Employee] was thrilled by your recognition.

Seek Photo and Video Testimonials

Video reviews convert 3x higher than text. Photos also add social currency and value to reviews. We recommend that you make use of any user-generated content a client may provide. Showcase user video reviews on product pages—consumers spend longer on sites with real-user videos.

Follow FTC Guidelines When Seeking and Responding to Reviews

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is the US arbiter for laws and regulations regarding online reviews and testimonials. It’s important to follow their latest guidelines to stay in compliance. Even small businesses may face fines up to $3 million dollars for deceptive reviews practices.

The FTC’s Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) bans silencing honest feedback, seizing review rights, or cherry-picking happy customers. Remove only truly fraudulent reviews (hate speech, fake claims, employee retribution) with documented proof—never just negative ones. At Creekmore Marketing, we bake compliance into each review response strategy.

Optimize for AI

Many businesses see AI Search Overviews (AIO) that summarize their reviews—often inaccurately. They may even attribute other business reviews to you, or vise-versa. Some businesses also fraudulently use AI to generate reviews—a practice the FTC disapproves.

Red Flags: Generic phrasing, sudden review spikes, or profiles with no history.
Fight Back: Report positive or negative reviews to platforms immediately .
Encourage detailed, keyword-rich positive reviews that mention your services or location and include photo or video.

We Can Help You Manage Customer Reviews

At Creekmore Marketing, we’re your local marketing experts. We offer reputation management services, graphic design, SEO and PPC services, and so much more to take the difficult and specialty marketing tasks off your hands.

What’s your biggest challenge in responding to reviews? Let us know! Book a free consultation today to learn how we can help your business grow with dedicated efforts from our team of over 50 professional marketers!

Link Local: Local Link Building Ideas for Small Businesses

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 17:45:00 GMT

For small businesses, exposure is everything. But unlike big international brands, integrating yourself into the fabric of your hometown or surrounding area is absolutely integral to standing out amongst the crowd. In our digital age, however, it isn’t enough to have an eye-catching storefront, or to put an ad out in the local paper. Because of this, Creekmore Marketing has some valuable tips on how to build up links within your local area so that your business can be seen and get the attention it deserves.

Testimonials

Before you start constructing additions to your website or reaching out to local media, work with what you already have. No man is an island, and no business works entirely alone. Have you partnered with another business in the past, even for something small? Ask if you can give them a testimonial for their website. No one is likely to turn down a glowing review, especially not from a business partner, and so in exchange, you can ask them to link back to your site. Who knows, you may even get a testimonial for your own business this way.

Manufacturer Links

Similarly to thinking about business partners, are you a retailer who sells a product manufactured by another company? Fantastic! Many manufacturers have websites that list dealers of their products. Reach out to them and see if you can get added to such a list, attaining another link to your site in the process.

Internships

You’ve plumbed the resources you already have; now think about what you need. Interns are a great resource, as they often work for little or no pay, and you can also attain a link to a university by searching for someone to lend a valuable hand to your business. Reach out to universities in your area and see if they can link to your business in an internship database on their site. Many college majors are now requiring internships for students to meet graduation requirements, and so gaining assistance, and a valuable link, should come naturally to you.

Job Posting Websites

Not all interns stay forever. Are you looking for more qualified, long-term help? Job posting websites, forums, and message-boards have the dual advantage of possibly finding you the next great addition to your team, and providing you with a visible link in your area!

Local Sponsorships

We’ve talked about the ways that your community can help your business; now let’s talk about ways that your business can help your community, and gain some links to boot. Ever notice the ads on the outfield banners at your nephew’s little league baseball game? Sponsoring a local sports team is a great way to assist your community, and you can also gain a link from the team’s website. Sports teams aren’t the only community organizations that need sponsor money, though: school theater groups, charities, and church groups all need financial assistance, and could link to your business’s website from their sponsor or donor page.

Scholarship Opportunities

With the rising tuition costs of higher education only getting higher, scholarships are a hot commodity, and are heavily sought-after by both future college students and their parents. Help students and gain some good publicity for your business by offering a scholarship. This will require a little extra work on your part, as the scholarship will require a page on your website that lays out the requirements for applicants, but could get you links from a variety of places. By publicizing the scholarship in local newspapers and their websites, high schools, or anywhere else with a vested interest in education, you can gain links with a great level of visibility, and get some very positive publicity while you do it.

Host an Event

If scholarships are not your company’s style, why not throw a party instead? Local businesses usually have the funds and resources to host an event in their town, and are another great way to get links from newspapers and similar outlets while also generated word-of-mouth buzz from grateful participants.

Reach Out to the Newspaper

Have you done something noteworthy for your community (like offering a scholarship to high-schoolers or hosting an awesome event)? See if you can get featured in the local newspaper! While you can't exactly embed a hyperlink in a pulp-and-ink newspaper, almost all newspapers now have online counterparts. If you get a write-up in the paper, you'll also probably end up on their website, and if that is the case, you can see if they would link back to your company's website. While some think that newspapers are falling out of fashion, many people still keep up with them, and so getting a link through them is sure to reach a wide audience, as well as endow your business with the credibility that newspapers still possess for their readers.

If you own or operate a small business, embrace what makes that experience so unique and work with the place that you’re in. Your patrons can oftentimes be fantastic resources to get the word about your business out there, and help you show up in local searches on search engines. Get creative, and help use the relationships that you’ve been through your business to your advantage!