Listen to this articleWe interviewed Scott Kindred, the founder and director of SafeHouse Web, a website and digital marketing company that partners with clients to build strong brands, create effective websites, and utilize SEO and social media marketing to drive profitable business.
Q: What sets SafeHouse Web apart from other website design and digital marketing companies?
A: One of the key differentiators is that we offer expertise in the essential components of digital marketing—website design, SEO and social media marketing—unlike the lion share of web firms who focus only on website design. If a business comes to us for a new website or update, we take a holistic approach to achieving their marketing goals. The most cost-effective marketing strategy may be social media with the website playing a secondary role, for example. We are always looking to advocate our client’s best interests.
Integrity is another key differentiator. It is part of our Ethos statement and it guides how we do business every day. We often hear from new clients about the many other marketing firms out there promising unachievable results. We have been delivering on our promises since 2007.
Q: What’s trending now in marketing and how can businesses capitalize on it?
A: An important trend is voice-driven search. Our cell phones, tablets, computers and voice assistant devices have become our personal helpers and the way we find services and information using Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc. Businesses can capitalize on this trend by optimizing their digital content for more conversational queries using the right keyword phrases. Some stats on this trend: (1) According to Wordstream statistics, 40% of adults use voice search at least once per day. (2) Gartner predicts that by 2023, 25 percent of employee interactions with applications will be via voice, up from under 3 percent in 2019.
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Q: What are some of your recent client success stories?
A: We developed a Facebook video ad campaign for a regional San Francisco Bay Area HVAC company that targeted a very narrowly defined audience. The campaign included pre- and post-production of video content, the creation of ad copy and ad campaign, established spending limits. During the first 30 days the campaign reached 17,000+ in the target audience, 4,000+ were engaged, and 600+ clicked.
Another recent example: we optimized the websites of three organizations that are now on Page 1 of Google search results: a Los Angeles intellectual property law association, a business law firm in Palo Alto (super competitive keywords/market), and an Orange County law association.
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Q: How do you stay on the cutting edge of the latest techniques in SEO to boost clients’ ranking in Google searches?
A: Our regular reading list includes Think with Google, Search Engine Journal, Content Marketing Institute, Google Webmaster Blog, MOZ, and we also pay close attention to industry innovators in the field of SEO. Our close proximity to Silicon Valley and network of peers also keeps us in the mix.
Q: What are the keys to success for businesses marketing online today?
A: Businesses that want to be highly successful today should buy into these 5 practices:
#1: Understand your target audience: their wants and needs, what engages and motivates them, and how to cost-effectively reach them.
#2: Have the right mix of marketing tools/platforms (website, social media, email marketing, SEO) to cost-effectively achieve your marketing goals. And make your Google listing a priority, not an afterthought!
#3: Implement cohesive branding/messaging across all channels.
#4: Create fresh, meaningful, and engaging content that is written for your target audience first, then Google.
#5: Get expert help from a marketing partner who becomes intimately familiar with your business and develops and executes an effective marketing program based on the above practices. Given the complexity of marketing today and what’s coming just around the corner, the DIY approach is no longer optimal.
