Let’s Talk Turkey about 2016. Part One - SEO.

Thanksgiving is almost here and the December holidays are just around the corner.

The year is drawing to an end and we’re inching ever closer toward the beginning of 2017.

Though this is not a startling realization, it did get us thinking about the year that was 2016 at LeDuc Creative.

Because we always have one foot (or some other singular body part) in advertising, we couldn’t help but think about the changes we experienced this past year. Good changes. Changes that made us a better agency. We also thought about fuzzy things like ducklings, which are cute but ultimately irrelevant to this post.

At any rate, when John LeDuc first ventured into running an ad business over 35 years ago, things were a lot different.

The internet was in its packet switching infancy and a couple of years away from being an actual usable thing. It would be quite some time before it would reach adulthood. (Of course, with all of the infantile behavior on the internet, one could argue it still hasn’t.)

The world of advertising then was of the traditional print/broadcast/billboard ilk. It obviously wasn’t called traditional then. After all, we’re talking about a time when direct mail was considered cutting edge. Which is a little hilarious.

But here we are 35 years later and our battle cry at LeDuc Creative is, “We’re not new to this.”

We call it a battle cry because although we have vast experience in traditional advertising, we know there’s a certain fierceness required to survive in the current and constantly changing landscape of today’s marketing and advertising. And we vow to stay out ahead of it - for our clients and for ourselves.

At LeDuc Creative, we must always consider what tactical moves to make in order to be holistic in our approach to get success for our clients.

So the first move we made in 2016 was focusing on SEO.

SEO is the name of the game these days. And the game is getting our clients results. In case you didn’t already know, SEO stands for search engine optimization and though that may sound like some Star-Trekian acronym for achieving warp speed, it’s really pretty simple. SEO is basically a measurable, repeatable process that is used to signal search engines that certain pages are worthy of being shown in Google’s index.

And Google’s where it’s at, y’all.

That’s why this year we added a certified Google AdWords Expert to the team.

We call her our superstar. And not because she’s shaped like a star. (She isn’t.) But because her expertise adds so much to creating powerful and effective SEO.

Google works from an algorithm that gives websites scores based on the quality of the site, how many sites link to it and how trustworthy it is. And our superstar expert helps us create SEO savvy content that is relevant and gives our clients’ sites a higher score. A higher score means higher billing on a search. And higher billing means more visibility.

Some of her other superstar duties include:

•        Conducting keyword research to create a list of keyword phrases on which the client bids

•        Creating Adwords Ads that will run on Google Search, Google Display Partners sites (if desired) and on mobile devices (if desired)

•        Testing different ads using various headlines and ad copy

•        Managing bids

•        Revealing what keywords were entered into Google Search that resulted in an ad being displayed

•        Telling clients how many times visitors clicked on an ad, which ad was clicked on, and which keyword got the ad displayed

•        Working with clients to create targeted landing pages for each of their Adwords Ad Groups

•        Keeping John LeDuc in line

Okay, that last one isn’t really a part of her AdWords duties, although she does it well. Still, through her tireless efforts with SEO and AdWords, LeDuc Creative was able to generate more leads for our clients. A lot more leads.

And in the case of Feed Lease Corporation, those leads came at an exponential rate, accounting for some pretty happy guys over there. And when they’re happy, we’re happy.

Yep. Getting on board the SEO train was definitely a game changer. But we didn’t stop there.

There were two other areas where making changes really benefitted our clients.  One of them was also forward thinking, but the other one - not so much.  And this is a good thing.

Wanna know how we upped the ante on website design in 2016? Stay tuned. 

At LeDuc Creative, Gratitude Is Our Jam Year Round

At LeDuc Creative, Gratitude Is Our Jam Year Round

“I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.”

                     -Benjamin Disraeli

Yep. It’s November. That means less daylight and more carbs. And with Thanksgiving around the corner, that means, well, even more carbs. But November has also become the traditional time for “giving thanks.”

Be that as it may, we’re grateful every day of the year for our clients. So then why are we mentioning it now? Well, we’re not completely immune to the cliché.

But November is also the time our clients consider their marketing plan for 2017. Over the decades we’ve acquired a lot of great clients and are thankful when they make the decision to stay with us year after year. And since we’ve been at this for over 35 years that means some of our clients have been with us a long long time. Like, the lifetime of a cockatiel.

We’re not new to this.

Our creative and administrative endeavors run the gamut from traditional print, billboard and broadcast platforms, through the most current digital and social media marketing. And we have clients in a wide range of industries.

One of our longest standing clients is Feed Lease Corporation, who’ve been a part of us since the beginning. The experts at Feed Lease have been designing and building premium quality, high performance automated press feeding systems and equipment since 1969.

In the early days, most of our work with Feed Lease was in the form of product catalogs and flyers, as this was the advertising du jour for manufacturing businesses at that time. But times they were a changin’. The climate of advertising was beginning to shift. As their company grew, their marketing needs began to change. So we developed print ads that would work in conjunction with the newly-formed internet. The result was potential customers both calling and opting for the email contact list and a subsequent spike in web traffic. In the mean time, they developed more of a presence as keynote speakers for PrecisionMetalforming Association events.

As the years passed, we knew that if Feed Lease was going to continue with its success, they needed more than just a presence on their website and at their industry events. We needed to boost their presence in the newest platform - that of social media. So we did. By incorporating our expert design, knowledge of applicable social media platforms and utilizing our in-house Google AdWords writing expert and management team to contribute fresh and relevant content, we were able to significantly build and strengthen their brand, drive conversions and increase their presence.

All of that equals more business.

We remain grateful to Feed Lease and to all of our clients for recognizing us as the agile and forward thinking marketing and advertising agency that we are. And yeah. While we embrace traditional advertising and still use it where needed, we know that the innovation needed to drive a company’s success comes from staying current and keeping an eye on the future.

As you look ahead to your 2017 marketing plan, see how we can make your life easier and help your company grow. For us, 2017 means the addition of new services, new information and a new website  - all of which will contribute to a bright intellectual thought process. We’d love to include you on our list of clients for whom we’re grateful.

Happy a safe and happy Thanksgiving.