October is Cyber Security Month, and with it comes yet another Phishing attempt. Here’s what you need to be on the look-out for.

It’s an email which looks like it’s coming from the USPS, but it isn’t. The email is telling you that you have a package sitting at the post office and you need to come get it. That they’ve tried to deliver it to you. But as with all phishing attempts, there are some obvious spelling errors, as well as grammar mistakes.

Here are some other points, it isn’t speaking directly to your company, or even your address. And the reply to address is some place not in the country. The tracking ID isn’t even valid. These are important factors when looking at emails like this. When you stop and look at all the facts, it really stands out as a fake email, just trying to get you to click on it.

So please, when you get an email that looks fishy, be aware of the fact that it probably is. If you have to ask yourself, is this legit? More often than not, it is indeed not legit at all.

If you are still questioning it, and want some reassurance, send us an email here at Webtivity, or give us a call. We’re happy to answer any question you have. But don’t forward the email if you think it’s suspicious, take a screen shot of it, and send us the picture. We don’t want you forwarding any phishing emails.

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It’s the time of year when we usually all gather around a table with our family and friends to celebrate what we’re most thankful. While a lot of us will still be spending time with the immediate family, some of us may have to sacrifice in terms of the number of people we have around the dinner table.

It’s not all doom and gloom. With social media and technology in our everyday lives, it’s easier than ever to include the whole family and family friends that usually joins us around the turkey. With video calls like FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, and Zoom, it is possible to see Grandma and the grandkids as we enjoy our holiday meal and give thanks.

Here are some helpful tips on how to stay safe during a funky year’s Turkey Day:

Sanitize!

With the kitchen being the chef-of-the-day’s safe zone, squeezing into the sink may be quite the task. Consider scattering bottles of hand sanitizer around the house for your immediate family members.

Designated tablet/computer person

While meeting with family virtually, there’s potential for many different hands all over the same device. Let’s be smart about how we bring virtual dinner guests to the table by designating one person to operate video calls. This practice should also be considered when sharing a bottle of wine or pitcher of iced tea.

Fewer guests

This is the one we’re all dreading, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Sure, we want all the usual guests over for the holiday, but is the family’s health really worth it? Consider reducing the number of people around the table to keep some wiggle room between each other. Maybe put the kids’ table in an adjoining room.

It’s a strange year with sacrifices to be made by all of us. But with vaccines on the horizon, hopefully we’re on our way to Thanksgiving as we remember it. And the efforts we make this year could help ensure that everyone we love is healthy enough to join us for the next one.

We wish all of our loyal customers, family, and friends a safe and healthy Thanksgiving!

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Kirkey Roofing: We are family and we treat every client like family!

After: 

Before: 

Kirkey Roofing has been serving Sarasota, Charlotte, and Manatee Counties since 1951. They felt their website did not accurately reflect the quality of service they provide. It was not designed with mobile-first methodologies in mind leading to lackluster performance in garnering the company the leads it expects from their online presence. Webtivity Marketing & Design created the new website with Kirkey Roofing’s vision and mission firmly in mind. The new state of the art website has been designed using the latest technology so that it is compatible with today’s browsers and mobile devices. Webtivity employed a mobile-first design in keeping with the highest search engine optimization standards in designing and launching the website from the ground up.

This new website highlights Kirkey’s exclusive roofing services. Particular focus was taken to highlight the impressive credentials the company has collected in its 69 years of operation. Kirkey Roofing wanted a modern website that flies in terms of speed. For Webtivity, this meant working with them to build a website, in keeping with their branding, to espouse their services while remaining sleek and efficient.

The site is built on the WordPress platform using the latest components for speed and search engine optimization. The Kirkey Roofing website is a one-stop, self-contained platform that delivers information in a simple yet effective manner. The ease of navigation and use, combined with the state-of-the-art components, make it a pleasure for customers to learn more about Kirkey before making a buying decision. Call to action buttons are clear and concise in case potential clients want to request more information.

About Kirkey Roofing

Established in 1951, with 69 years of roofing experience, Kirkey Roofing’s team of roofing specialists know which roofing systems have stood the test of time and have the technical expertise to install the best roofing systems to protect your home. Specializing in residential re-roofs and repairs, Kirkey Roofing’s highly trained, skilled, and trusted professionals provide you the best quality, service, and value and understand the needs and concerns of homeowners, neighbors and HOA’s. For more information, please visit www.kirkeyroofing.com.

About Webtivity Marketing & Design:

Webtivity Marketing & Design, a Bradenton & St. Petersburg based company, serves clients throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. Webtivity provides website design/development and cross-media marketing services, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, email marketing, and branding/identity services. Using a consultative approach, Webtivity works with clients to develop an effective marketing strategy based on their business, customers, competition, and budget.  For more information, please visit www.webtivitydesigns.com.

Webtivity Marketing & Design – Contact

Tim Seward, Business Development Director

Phone: 941-753-7574 x107

Kirkey Roofing, Inc. – Contact

Patty Squier, CFO, Marketing Manager

Phone: (941) 474-2113

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Online Reputation Management Case Study

There are no magic bullets in digital marketing, and anyone who claims to have one most likely has bad intentions for your marketing dollars. The online landscape has one avenue that comes eerily close to producing magic-like results for your marketing efforts. Online reputation management is an often-misunderstood critical component of an online marketing campaign.

The Stats

A recent study by ReviewTrackers found that 63.6% of all consumers check Google before patronizing a business. Search engines have recognized this consumer behavior and continue to increase the rewards, in the form of rankings, they give to companies with solid reputations.

The recent 2020 State of the Local Industry Report by Moz found that reviews are the second most important factor in rankings, right behind Google My Business elements.

Local Ranking Factors 2020 by Moz

Introduction to the Case Study

In this case study, Webtivity will explore a recent client online reputation campaign from infancy to maturity. We will endeavor to be as comprehensive as possible with the details to present to you a clear picture of the power of reputation management to building an exhaustive lead generation funnel for a business.

Across the board, there is no other component that has the potential to supersize the returns to your business, regardless of your niche, like reputation management.

Online Reputation Management Case Study Breakdown

Client background

• Local payroll services provider
• Established local business
• Long term client profile

Client Goals

• Increase sales
• Increase phone calls leading to sales
• Increase form submissions

Converted Webtivity Strategic Goals

• Increase organic search engine rankings
• Increase high-quality traffic
• Communicate results to the client

What is Online Reputation Management?

Online reputation management is the strategic pursuit of public and private customer feedback to nurture and maintain a positive brand name online.

The advent of the likes of Yelp, Angie’s List, and Thumbtack has brought to the forefront for business owners everywhere that reviews and references are still the most valuable currency of new business. In that manner, the online world is very much in line with the real world.

The Problem

The client wanted more inquiries from potential clients. They were happy with their current consistent returns but wanted an immediately noticeable jump in clients who espoused Google as the original method they found the company. Before the online reputation campaign by Webtivity, they had a total of three reviews across the internet.

Campaign Strategy

Webtivity’s strategy in this case study focuses on two sources of reviews; current and past clients. We employed a strategy centered around engaging, and in some cases re-engaging, the client’s customers to provide feedback on their experience with our client’s services.

We use carefully crafted communications to encourage direct feedback of negative reviews to our client while stimulating positive reviews to be shared across third-party platforms such as Google, Superpages, and others.

Campaign Tracking

Results of a reputation campaign can be seen with an increase in local rankings, interactions with Google My Business, and increases in traffic. In this case, the emphasis is placed on the address, and phone number clicks on the client’s Google My Business page.

Online Reputation Management Case Study Results

The campaign period lasts from August 2019 to November 2019. As seen below in Figure 1, in that time the client’s total reviews went up from their original three to ten total reviews. That’s a 233% increase in reviews in just three short months! By comparison, it took the client nine years to gather three reviews.

For a business their size, this is a significant jump in references from their clientele. Most importantly, compared to the previous four months, the period of August to November saw a 33% increase in the client’s GMB interactions from asking directions to their office to phone calls!

Case Study Conclusion

Online reputation management works. This case study represents a small snapshot of the possible results one can achieve with a strategic campaign focused on gathering client feedback. The rewards are innumerable from increased business to hearing from your clients directly on how you can improve your business.

But don’t take our word for it, here’s the client’s feedback on Webtivity’s efforts:

Prefer it short and sweet? Check out Webtivity’s handy online reputation management infographic below.

This marks the end of our online reputation case study. If you are interested in garnering this type of result for your business, reach out to Tim at 941-753-7574 x107 or send us a message here.

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Google Ads Case Study

The fundamentals of a successful Google Ads campaign are simple – the steps to get there, not so much. Getting to that coveted spot of a constantly improving advertising campaign requires a holistic approach that begins with the client and ends with well-executed strategy.

In this Google Ads case study we’ll explore a local business that sells kayaks directly to consumers, without an e-commerce component. This e-commerce limitation allows us to use this as a comparative case for any business looking to increase foot traffic and therefore sales using Google Ads.

Google Ads Case Study Breakdown

Client Background

• Regional kayak and kayak accessories dealer
• Established local business

Client Goals

• Increase sales
• Increase foot traffic to store
• Increase qualified leads through phone calls and contact form submissions

Internal Webtivity Goals

• Increase conversions/sales
• Lower costs for client
• Expertly communicate results

Defining Google Ads

Google Ads is an online advertising platform developed and managed by Google to give advertisers an opportunity to shows ads to visitors to Google.com, Youtube.com, and a wide range of websites included in its advertising network.

Although Google Ads’ offerings vary between display ads, video ads, and text ads they all employ the pay-per-click model. To put it simply an advertiser, pays per click from a potential client on a specific placement or website such as Google.com. Some variations feature pay per impression or ads shown as well although these are a lot less popular on the Google Ads platform.

Campaign Strategy

#1: Campaign Structure

Webtivity set up the campaign to focus on the client’s main offerings. Special attention is paid to the three main geographical locations the client wants to target. An ad group for each kayak brand allowed for segmentation of targeting. Extensions in Google Ads such as the client’s phone number, address, sitelinks, and others. Extensions help ads stand out from competitor like the example below.

#2: Tracking

Campaign targeting is set to focus on conversions. In this case, Webtivity defines conversions as phone calls, phone number clicks and form submissions on the website. These data points are supplemented by client communication in instances where sales could be traced back to the campaign.

#3: Optimization Tactics

Custom landing pages are created where possible for every ad group. Landing pages allow for the targeted ad copy which increases keyword Quality Score leading to a reduction in the cost per click. And increases ad position.

Non-performing keywords are constantly being removed to give producing keywords more ad impressions and increase conversions. New keywords are added based on Webtivity keyword research and the built-in Google Ads Search Terms report.

New ads, text and display, are created on a regular basis. Experiments in different ad copy variations are employed to continually improve ad copy. Lower-performing ad copy is paused as ad options increase.

Google Ads Case Study Results

For accurate result tracking we measured two key metrics. Conversions and cost per conversions. Conversions allow us to track direct actions by advertising visitors that turn into clients. Cost per conversion allows us to show that over time the cost per client decreases due to Webtivity optimization of the campaign.

For our purposes we tracked a six month period to allow for an accurate long term picture. As you can see below conversions increased by 28% while simultaneously cost per conversion went down by 21%!

Case Study Conclusion

Constant maintenance works. Most importantly a solid strategy is only as strong as those executing it. Through constant communication, detailed reporting, and a long term plan to produce results this campaign continues to grow at an exponential rate.

The client is a happy referral from another current client and campaign is ongoing.

This concludes our Google Ads case study. If you are interested in garnering this type of result for your pay per click campaign reach out to us at 941-753-7574 x107 or send us a message here.

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