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There are several social media channels that may be extremely impactful on your business and its bottom line, and Instagram is a top candidate across many industries. Knowing how to maximize engagement on a platform like Instagram, which functions as a heavily visual channel, can make a significant difference in how effectively you reach and retain your target audience.

At Be Locally, we proudly offer a wide range of SEO and digital marketing programs to clients around Utah, including social media marketing campaigns that utilize various channels to drive customers to your site and draw conversions. This two-part blog series will begin by going over why Instagram engagement is often very important for businesses marketing themselves, then will dig into various tactics for boosting your engagement.

Boosting Instagram Engagement

Why Instagram Engagement Matters

Before we delve into tactics for increasing Instagram engagement, it's important to understand just why this particular platform is so significant when it comes to social media marketing. Instagram is popular and potent for several reasons:

Our next several sections, and on into part two of our series, will go over some basic tactics for boosting Instagram engagement.

Profile Optimization

One of the simplest and most impactful ways to increase your Instagram engagement is by optimizing your profile. This includes:

Overall, taking the time to make sure your profile accurately represents your brand and is visually appealing can go a long way in boosting user engagement.

Setting Goals

Another basic tactic for increasing Instagram engagement is setting clear goals for your account and content. This might include:

In part two of our series, we will dive into specific tactics for achieving these goals and boosting your overall Instagram engagement. At Be Locally, we have extensive experience in creating and executing successful social media marketing campaigns, and we can help your business reach its full potential on Instagram and other key platforms. Contact us today to learn more about any of our digital marketing programs.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the important areas to keep in mind if you have a limited budget for your website's SEO content, but still want to succeed in this vital area. It's definitely possible to achieve great content that helps draw in customers to your site even if you have limited dollars to spend, especially if you know what you're doing and are working with professionals who are in the same boat.

At Be Locally, we're here to offer a wide range of SEO and other digital marketing solutions, including local SEO, PPC, social media marketing and more. While part one of our series looked at topics like content plans, use of technology and the prioritization of quality over quantity, today's part two will dig into some other specific approaches to achieving strong SEO content despite a limited budget.

SEO Content on a Budget

Outsourcing Where Appropriate

One important topic when it comes to SEO content for any budget level is the idea of outsourcing. Outsourcing some or all of your SEO content needs to a professional agency like Be Locally can often provide significant value and save time, meaning it's an efficient use of budget dollars.

Now, deciding whether to outsource or not is often a budget-based decision. But in some cases, even if you're trying to save money, it may make sense to invest in outsourcing certain aspects of your SEO content. This might include tasks like keyword research and optimization, content creation and distribution, or technical SEO work – these areas are all crucial for strong SEO performance but can be time-consuming and require specialized knowledge. At Be Locally, we have the expertise and resources to handle these tasks efficiently and effectively, helping you get the most out of your budget.

Re-Using or Repurposing Past Content

Another budget-friendly approach to SEO content is finding ways to re-use or repurpose past content. This can save time and money while still providing valuable material for your audience. For example, you might take a popular blog post from the past and turn it into an infographic, video or podcast episode that can be shared on various channels.

Similarly, look for opportunities to update or expand on past content that may have performed well in the past. Maybe you can add new statistics or research, update images, or provide a fresh perspective to keep it relevant and engaging for your audience.

Leveraging User-Generated Content

Finally, don't underestimate the power of user-generated content (UGC) when it comes to SEO efforts. Not only is UGC often more authentic and engaging than branded content, but it can also save you time and resources. By encouraging customers to share their experiences or reviews on your website or social media channels, you can create a valuable source of SEO-friendly content that will help drive traffic to your site.

Overall, with some strategic planning and the right approach, it's entirely possible to achieve successful SEO content even on a limited budget. And with Be Locally as your partner, we'll work closely with you to make the most of every dollar and help your business thrive in the competitive digital landscape. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help boost your SEO performance despite budget constraints.

There are a few needs that are absolutely vital within any sort of SEO or digital marketing program, and creation of quality content is at or near the top of any such list. For companies with limited budgets to put toward content, never fear - there are a variety of robust ways to generate good content even without breaking the bank.

At Be Locally, content creation is just one of numerous areas we're proud to assist clients with as we help them with SEO programs, web design services, social media marketing solutions and various other parts of the online marketing sphere. Here are some basic tips we offer clients who are working with limited budgets on how to still ensure they have great content across their sites and other important areas within digital marketing, across this two-part blog series.

SEO content budget planning

Content Planning and Mapping

One of the single most important steps throughout the content generation process is planning and mapping out what you're going to create. This stage allows companies with limited budgets to be more efficient with their efforts, ensuring they don't waste time or resources on content that won't have a positive impact.

For instance, using tools like Google Analytics can give you an idea of what kind of content your audience is drawn to, and what keywords they're searching for. This information can then be used to plan content that will attract and engage your target audience. Additionally, creating a monthly or quarterly content calendar can help you stay organized and on track with your content creation goals.

Technology and Other Tools

As you're planning and creating content, there are various technology and tools you can use to help make the process easier and more efficient. For example, many SEO programs offer keyword research tools that can help you find relevant keywords to target in your content. There are also numerous free or affordable graphic design and video editing tools available online for those looking to incorporate visual elements into their content.

There are also now more and more AI-based content creation tools on the market that can help generate written articles or social media posts with minimal human input. While these tools may not be able to fully replace human creativity and writing ability, they can still be helpful for those on a tight budget.

Quality, Not Quantity

One major mistake that companies with limited budgets often make is trying to produce as much content as possible, thinking this will increase their online presence. However, quality should always take priority over quantity when it comes to digital marketing.

In fact, search engines like Google value high-quality, informative and engaging content over a large quantity of mediocre content. So don't feel pressured to constantly churn out new content - instead, focus on making each piece of content the best it can be.

In part two of our series, we'll cover more tips for generating good content on a budget, including leveraging user-generated content and repurposing existing content. Check back soon! For more on this or any of our SEO and digital marketing solutions, contact our team at Be Locally today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the basic differences between goals and KPIs (key performance indicators) within your SEO and other digital marketing programs. Both these terms speak to general objectives you have for your business and the metrics you're using to track and accomplish them, and both are vital for your long-term SEO efforts.

At Be Locally, we're happy to assist clients with a wide range of SEO solutions, including proper goal and KPI planning and management throughout your campaign. While most of part one of our series focused primarily on goals, which are broad objectives for your business's SEO efforts, today's part two will look at KPIs - what they are, why they're vital, and some top examples of them within SEO.

SEO goals basics KPIs

Digital Marketing KPI Basics and Importance

As we alluded to in part one of our series, KPIs are specific metrics or data points that are used to measure the success of your SEO campaign. Unlike goals, which may be broader in nature and encompass several related objectives, KPIs are more precise and make it easier to track overall progress.

This is why many professional digital marketers refer to them as key performance indicators - they provide a snapshot of how well you're doing with your efforts at any given point in time. And as with goals, it's important to set KPIs in the beginning and track them regularly to make sure you're on the right path to achieving your overall SEO objectives.

Top KPI Examples for SEO

So which specific metrics might serve as solid KPI examples within an SEO program? Here are a few of the most commonly-used:

There are also many other KPIs you might track depending on your specific objectives, from bounce rate and time on site to click-through rates (CTRs) and overall engagement metrics.

For more on this or any of our SEO services, speak to the staff at Be Locally today. We're dedicated to helping our clients reap the full benefits of strong goals and KPIs within SEO.

There are a few key concepts when it comes to managing SEO and other digital marketing efforts for your business, and working toward basic goals is at the top of this list. Ensuring you know your most important goals and KPIs (key performance indicators) makes a huge difference in organizing and optimizing your entire online marketing approach.

At Be Locally, we're happy to help with everything from local SEO to web design, social media marketing and more for any business looking to expand their digital reach. In this two-part blog series, we'll go over both goals and KPIs - what both are, how they differ, and some examples of each. Today's part one will go over goals, while part two will dig into KPIs in more detail.

SEO goals KPIs importance examples

Comparing Goals and KPIs

Before we get to those details, however, let's define both goals and KPIs. Goals are the general objectives you have for your business or marketing efforts - they can be long-term or short-term, but they represent what you ultimately want to achieve.

KPIs, on the other hand, are specific metrics used to measure progress towards those goals. They should be quantifiable and measurable, making it easy to track progress and see if you're on target to meet your goals.

Why Digital Marketing Goals are Vital

Within SEO and any other element of digital marketing, having clear and defined goals is critical. There are several reasons for this:

Examples of Digital Marketing Goals

Goals will vary for each business, but some common examples of digital marketing goals include:

In part two, we'll delve into KPIs and how they relate to these goals. Stay tuned!

At Be Locally, we're dedicated to helping businesses achieve their digital marketing goals. Contact us today for a free consultation and see how we can help your business grow online!

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some basics on why backlinks are important for digital marketing, plus some examples of undesirable or "spammy" links that you should be guarding against for your website. Avoiding spammy links is a big part of the overall link-building strategy, and this means knowing what to look for.

At Be Locally, we provide clients with a wide range of SEO services and related solutions, and we're experienced with numerous types of link-building campaigns. Today's part two of our series will look at some additional types of undesirable links that you should generally avoid for your site, plus why you should steer clear of them.

undesirable website links comments

Article Marketing

When we talk about article marketing, we're referring to sites or entities that create blog or other articles purely to attempt to generate backlinks. These articles typically lack originality, don't pass any sort of quality standards, and are clearly written just to get a link.

Articles like this do nothing to help your website's ranking or reputation and should be avoided. They also lack authority and don't add any real value to the original content you're linking back to.

The Bait-and-Switch

One particular tactic that Google and other search engines hate is called "bait-and-switch." This is a process where companies will promote one product or service on their website, but the actual link leads to something completely different. This deceptive practice is used by some websites in an attempt to generate additional backlinks, and it's frowned upon by search engine algorithms.

In addition to being unethical and illegal in many cases, this practice also harms the user experience and can have serious negative implications for your website's ranking.

Directory Spam

There are far too many "link directories" out there that are set up purely for the purpose of generating backlinks. Directory spam is a serious problem, because these sites often contain links to hundreds or even thousands of unrelated websites in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings.

Avoiding directory spam is essential if you want your website to rank well - it's best to stay away from any directories that don't appear to be reputable or provide any real value to the user.

Comment Link Spam

Another newer tactic to watch out for is comment link spam. This is a process where people will post comments on blogs or websites with the sole intent of generating backlinks. These comments usually lack any real value and can be easily identified by their generic and often off-topic nature.

Comment link spam should always be avoided, as it harms the user experience and Google has cracked down on this type of behavior in recent years.

At Be Locally, we're here to provide our clients with the highest quality SEO services and solutions. Our team has extensive experience in link-building campaigns, and we strive to provide only the best quality backlinks for our clients' websites. If you have any questions or would like more information about link-building strategies, feel free to contact us today!

There are a few concepts that play a major role in SEO and online marketing in general, and links are definitely on this list. There are a number of things to be considering within the world of website backlinks, and one of the most important is steering clear of spammy or otherwise undesirable links that, rather than contributing positively to your site's visibility and popularity, actually do the opposite.

At Be Locally, we're proud to assist with a huge range of SEO services for clients across numerous industries, and link-building and management are key elements of these programs. In this two-part blog series, we'll go over what backlinks are and why they matter, why staying away from spammy links is so important, and some specific types of spammy or otherwise poor links to stay away from.

undesirable website links spam

Basics on Backlinks - And Why Spam is Undesirable

For those who are just learning about SEO, backlinks are links from another page pointing back to a page on your website. These can be incredibly powerful when it comes to increasing the visibility and popularity of your site online, as they allow for other websites and sources to point towards you.

Despite this power, there's one thing that you must never do in the world of backlinks: accept spam. Generally speaking, "spam" is defined as any link that has been forged or created with the sole purpose of increasing artificial page rank in search engine results. This can include links on foreign websites and other sites that are not related to your content, links with overly-optimized anchor text, and more.

Our next several sections, and on into part two of our series, will go over specific forms of undesirable links, plus why they're problematic and how to steer clear of them.

Link-Mill Links

While they're less common in recent years as Google has cracked down on them, link-mill websites are still out there. These sites are designed to create a web of backlinks between pages, all for the purpose of increasing SEO rank. The vast majority of these links will do nothing beneficial for your site - in fact, some could even have negative impacts on your online visibility.

Be sure that any backlinks you accept come from respected, authoritative sources. Never accept links on link-mill sites - or any other type of spammy website, for that matter.

Links From Spam Websites

This is a bit of a more nuanced problem - but it's still problematic. Whereas link-mill links are obviously created for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings, some websites may offer backlinks with seemingly good intentions.

The problem is that these "good intentions" don't factor in the potential harm they could do to your online visibility - and even if you can get traffic from them, it won't be of the same quality as from respected, authoritative sources.

It's best to steer clear of any website that looks like it might have been created for the purpose of spamming - this includes sites with long urls, ones with a large number of outbound links, and those that are obviously selling backlinks or other SEO services.

In part two of our series, we'll cover a few more types of spammy links, plus methods you can use to check whether or not a link has the potential to help - or hurt - your website's SEO rank. Stay tuned! In the meantime, contact us today at Be Locally for any assistance with backlinks and other SEO-related services. We're here to help you take your online visibility to the next level!

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the basics and features of what's known as social commerce. Involving the sale of products directly via social media channels, social commerce is growing in value for many businesses - and if you're using it correctly, it can be quite beneficial.

At Be Locally, we're here to help clients with a huge range of digital marketing and SEO solutions, including both ecommerce SEO and social media programs (plus numerous other options). While part one of our series went over the common features of social commerce, today's part two will look at the various approaches marketers can use to inform their social commerce efforts.

social commerce marketing approaches

Customer Feedback Informing Your Setup

For many businesses, customer feedback is one of the primary drivers behind their decisions. Going over customer reviews and surveys can help you understand what people like or don’t like about your product, which could be invaluable for tweaking your social commerce setup. The same applies to any other engagement metrics you have access to - by understanding how customers interact with your content on social platforms, you can start to better inform your decisions.

For example, if customers are responding well to a particular post on Twitter, it could mean that it's worth sending similar content or even running an ad campaign with similar messaging.

On the other hand, if a post doesn't receive many responses, it could be an indication that either the message isn’t resonating or that there's room for improvement in terms of product presentation.

Linking to Products in Posts

Naturally, one vital component of any successful social commerce setup is the ability to link directly to products from posts (or other forms of content). On many platforms, this can be done by providing a direct link to the product page in question.

However, if you’re looking for an even more streamlined workflow, some social media channels offer distinct ‘Shop’ sections. Through these, you can provide detailed information about the products in question and make it easier for customers to purchase directly from within the platform.

Across all of your social platforms, the aim should be to make it as easy as possible for customers to purchase quickly and without additional hassle.

Live Shopping Showcases

Another popular option for businesses looking to implement social commerce is that of live shopping showcases. By streaming product demonstrations and other forms of content in real time, these can be great ways to generate additional interest in your products or services.

These events can also be used as a platform for launching new products, with the added bonus of being able to interact directly with customers. Many platforms now offer various tools and features for creating these sorts of events, so it's worth exploring what options are available to you.

At Be Locally, we're here to help clients with a huge range of digital marketing and SEO solutions, including both ecommerce SEO and social media programs (plus numerous other options). If you’re looking to make the most out of your social commerce efforts, our team can provide invaluable advice on how best to do this. Contact us today!

The rise of social media as part of the online experience has given way to numerous changes in this sector, and some of these directly impact the world of ecommerce. One great example here, and which is becoming much more common in recent years, is a concept known as social commerce.

At Be Locally, we're happy to assist with a huge range of digital marketing services, from SEO and social media to specific solutions targeted at ecommerce companies - and much more. This two-part blog series will tell you everything you need to know about social commerce - today's part one will dig into what it is and the common features involved, while part two will look at specific approaches to consider within this concept.

social commerce basics features

Defining Social Commerce

While social media is nothing new in the digital marketing world, social commerce represents a shift in its use: One that involves the direct showcase and sale of products or services through a social media platform. Rather than clients needing to navigate to a specific website or app, they can now make purchases directly via the same platform which is being used for promotion and marketing.

Social commerce also involves making use of social media channels for more than just sales or advertising - it allows companies to interact with their customers on a much deeper level, by allowing them to comment and rate products, ask questions, and more. This provides a much richer customer experience, and helps to build loyalty with customers over the long term.

Common Features of Social Commerce

When it comes to making use of social commerce, there are several features which are commonly seen in many different platforms:

These are just a few of the common features that come with social commerce - stay tuned for part two where we'll explore specific approaches you can take when it comes to implementing this concept.

In the meantime, we at Be Locally are here to help you make the most of your digital marketing efforts. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you reach your goals.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics, pros and cons of social proof as a vehicle in the advertising realm. Particularly within digital marketing, social proof is a major concept - one that brands need to be prioritizing in the right ways to ensure it's being used properly.

At Be Locally, we're here to help with all your online marketing needs, from SEO and PPC to programs like social media marketing and more. While part one of our series went over benefits and risks of social proof, today's part two will focus on some best practices for utilizing social proof in positive ways for your brand.

social proof marketing best practices

Responsiveness to Consumers

One of the most important strategies for an effective social proof strategy is by actively responding to consumer posts and reviews. This not only shows that you care about your customers, but it also helps build trust in your product or service. Responding to both positive and negative reviews can show potential customers that you are willing to go the extra mile.

Be Authentic

When utilizing social proof, it’s important to be authentic. Consumers today are savvier than ever and can easily tell when a brand is trying too hard. When posting comments from customers or reviews for your product or service, make sure that you are accurately representing the voice of your customer. If a review does not match the tone of other reviews on your page, it’s best to leave it out.

Consider Brand Ambassadors and Influencers

When it comes to leveraging social proof, influencers can be incredibly beneficial. By having influencers or brand ambassadors who are well-known in your industry or related to it, you can easily build a quick following and provide added credibility for your product or service.

Social Media "Takeovers"

When we talk about leveraging influencers, we also have to consider social media takeovers. This involves having someone who is well-known in your industry take over your brand's social media accounts for a day or even just an hour. During this time they can review products, post content related to their experience with the brand, and answer any customer questions - all of which will be used to create social proof.

Sharing Testimonials and User Content

Another great way to leverage social proof is by sharing testimonials from customers or even user-generated content. This provides an authentic, real-world perspective that can be incredibly powerful in swaying potential customers. Additionally, by allowing your customers to post their own reviews and photos on your brand’s page, you can further drive engagement and trust.

As you can see, leveraging social proof can be an incredibly powerful tool for marketing your brand. With these best practices in mind, you will have a strong foundation to help you effectively use social proof as part of your overall strategy.

At Be Locally, our team of experts are here to help with all your digital marketing needs. From SEO and PPC to social media marketing and more - we will help ensure that your brand is taking advantage of all the benefits that come with effective use of social proof. Contact us today to learn more!

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