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Posted by Megan Blahnik

Our 4 Favorite Downtown San Diego Brunch Spots

Local SEO, Social Media for Restaurants

Cafe 21

Located on the cute little corner of downtown’s Fifth Avenue, Cafe 21 is a quaint and delicious brunch spot that always welcomes a long, hungry line ready to devour. Do not let the quaint name fool you though, Cafe 21 has a wide variety assortment of heavenly dutch pancakes and crepes straight from the cast iron itself filled with organic and local ingredients.

From fluffy tiramisu pancakes smothered in espresso syrup and powdered sugar to food-filled crepes like the roasted chicken breast drenched in caramelized onions, feta, and mozzarella, Cafe 21 is guaranteed to be your next favorite brunch spot in San Diego.

Bottega Americano

Besides having one of the most distinctive and savory brunch menus in the city, Bottega Americano is the place to go for a “Sunday Funday” alcoholic brunch bash. As a classy Italian bistro, Bottega carries the essential selection of reds and whites, but its fabulous mimosa choices may just be too good to be true.

The lush brunch-inspired drinks can range from the typical champagne and orange juice combo that never fails to a grapefruit surprise full of flavor and fresh local ingredients. Other cocktails that we highly recommend are the Caffe Fresco, a vanilla-infused vodka mixed with refreshing cold brewed coffee and the Al Fresco Sour! Enjoy their power frittata or grilled ciabatta avocado toast sprinkled with zesty, cracked black pepper. It’s seriously all delicious at Bottega Americano!

Cafe Chloe

Before anything else is mentioned, we have to point out that out of all of San Diego’s French restaurants, downtown’s Cafe Chloe was awarded the best in the city. As that sets the tone for their insatiable brunch selection, let’s get into it, shall we? Starting with the cocktails (as the French do) Chloe supplies the finest wines, Bloody Mary’s, and sorbet mimosas San Diego has ever seen.

If you aren’t feeling the Sunday Funday drinking vibe, sip on their insanely delicious lavender lemonade that is guaranteed to carry you off into another dimension. As for what you should savor the rest of your stay, the absolutely fabulous and authentic brioche french toast may even have you speaking French. If that doesn’t get you talking, check out their delicious Hand Chopped Steak Tartare or the signature Chloe Burger! Everything Chloe has to offer will exceed your prior brunch expectations tenfold. Guaranteed.

 

Kettner Exchange

One major reason to check our Kettner Exchange’s epic brunch is the odd selection that they offer compared to most other places. The menu includes things like 3Big-Eye Tuna Tacos, Drunken Noodles, Spicy Shrimp, Brussel Sprouts mixed in with delicious tender pig ear and their pork steam bun covered in crushed peanuts, this brunch is definitely not one to miss.

Although they have a few of the typical brunch choices like the bennie and french toast, Kettner’s fresh take on lunch portion of brunch is well-received absolutely divine. Not to mention their selection of wines, craft beers and signature hair of the dog drinks is pretty impressive too!

Posted by Megan Blahnik

The Best Kaaboo Yet: Recapping the Festival

Uncategorized

Well, it was a big year for Kaaboo with a few changes here and there like the dip into the entrance parking lot and various adjusted arrangements for vendors and performers. But nonetheless the lineup was not lacking at all with some major groups and some fantastic early fall weather. The 2017 three-day bonanza included bigger names like the iconic Ice Cube, Jane’s Addiction, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse and so much more. But it’s not to say that small and growing talents weren’t seen between the major sets like the uprising stars of Lany, the Stone Foxes, Milky Chance, and San Diego local Sysqband.

Music

At the crevice of every cornered post in the venue music could be heard, purposefully fainted as to not overwhelm festival goers. Both sober and not, people flocked from stage-to-stage like hungry animals in search for a prey that rested only in the hands of their favorite singers and musicians. It called to them throughout the day and night, back and forth, feeding and feasting upon sonic booms with small meals in between. Never was there a moment dull with multiple performers chanting, ranting their hearts out to the crowds as they pulled people on stage and sang their prayers into their worshipers.

Art

Although the lineup held its own, people will most likely remember the on-going artwork that took place over the span of the event. Talented and not yet famous artists hung from lifts as they bared their souls in front of huge crowds with paint and expression so very loud. San Diego seems to be lost in the mix of larger cities when it comes to artistic talent, music and not, so for us to have a chance to show what we bring to the table really means quite a great deal; especially since this festival is run and operated through companies located in Kansas City. All walks of life travel thousands of miles to set up, oversee, and take down the event; it really is so much more than just three days long.

Comedy

Even comedy rocked the stage with massive names like David Spade, Norm Macdonald, Patton Oswalt, Nick Swardson and more! Laughs carried across waves of sound sweeping grounds that drifted with people above. Long lines drew people in as they awaited their small chances to get their spots in the “Humor Me” section since there were only so many places to seat. But, of course, so worth the wait. Appropriately, the festival was wrapped and ended with the brilliance of David Spade that has been woo laughter for years and there could not have been a better choice.

All-in-all, the festival was a success; not that we were surprised or anything. We are so proud to have attended an event wreaking of San Diego pride and will definitely be joining in on the fun next year. We cannot wait to see what Kaaboo lineup awaits in 2018! Share with us your experience in the comment section below!

Posted by Megan Blahnik

Disappearing Content is the Future of Advertising

Advertising, Content Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Social Media, Social Media For Retail Businesses, Social Media Marketing, Social Media predictions

We’re not really too sure if Snapchat knew exactly what they were getting into with the concept of disappearing content. You know, it being the future of social media and all. But why would we want our content to disappear? It all comes down to the power of relevance.

As we have mentioned in past blogs, the future of content is user intent. Although Facebook and Instagram have become more organized as far as relative content, Snapchat has become king. With the power to choose what we want to see, the only content audiences view is exactly what they want to see; what they intend to see. And not only is appealing to them in the first place, but the fact that it only lasts so long commands more attention than it would if it did not have the ability to disappear.

Much like feeds that seems to tailor themselves to the user’s personality and interests, Snapchat also offers options of different entertainment companies to view their content like magazines, sports channels, teams, models and more. By taking this information into account and storing it in the user’s personalized account, they have specific options to revisit the content whenever they choose until it eventually disappears. This creates a win-win for brands and companies to not have to bombard users with over saturated ads and give a special insight into the exciting lives behind them simultaneously. These channels seem to be one of the most popular features of the application, besides the fact that the filters fuel social lives for friends to share.

How Can It Help You?

So far, the creative and illusive form of content has been used for campaigns and fundraisers through uploaded selfies and relative pictures. According to Blue Baboon Digital, “in 2014 the World’s Wildlife Fund began a Snapchat campaign to raise awareness about endangered species. They launched the #LastSelfie campaign, inspired by the disappearing nature of Snapchat. They included the tagline ‘Don’t let this be my #LastSelfie’ to encourage users of the app to take pictures of their ads and share them with friends.”

Beyond which companies and brands are already featured on this application and utilize its beneficial properties, any are open to use it! The hype of disappearing content not only attracts big businesses due to its popularity but its low cost especially. Snap Ads generally run only $3,000 a month, sponsored lens can be a bit pricier running from $5,000 Mon-Friday, and finally, the discover ads that we have been talking about. Priced at $50,000 currently, Snap decided to drop the rates from $750,000 to make them more affordable with “Live Story” prices at $250,000 in the Discover section.

With many options to choose from, more and more brands and businesses are jumping on board to the Snapchat disappearing platform every day. Depending on how much your budget is for advertising, this is definitely considered to be a wise investment for personal brands as well as clients. Consider how much you want your name out there and what you’re willing to invest for it; this is the future of social media advertising so let’s get with the times.

Posted by Megan Blahnik

A Realistic Look at San Diego and Its Charming #8 Luster

Business, SEO

In a recent study done by WalletHub, San Diego was deemed the eighth best large city to live in across the nation. Not bad, but we all know that it’s a stretch to give us that number as the dream vacation destination of So-Cal. Whether you want to transport yourself back to the vibing ‘60s in Ocean Beach, dine like royalty in North County’s Encinitas over the ocean, or explore the authentically enchanting history of Balboa Park, we have it all. Ribbed with beautiful beaches, delicious food, fun activities and nightlife accommodations, and incredible hotels that inhabit our serene city, we are eternally lucky to call San Diego home. However, it is important to know that people that live here work as hard as they play.

Number 30?

Recently ranked number 30 out of 62 national areas, San Diego’s current local economy and income taxes are something to consider when desiring to move here in a realistic sense. Granted we are no L.A (well behind us at number 38), or San Francisco at 17th. But we are climbing the ladder of difficulty to sustain a life here and fast. Sixth in health, 11th in education, and just shy of San Jose’s high point average, it is getting harder to make a life for yourself here. What is hurting us to sink so far down the list? Our wages. It is no secret that although economic prices are high in Northern California, the incomes match them creating an easier environment to afford. However, we seem to have lost the memo based on what we are paying to live here as our wages are significantly lower than our overall local pricing.

All locals know these facts as they are more than aware when trying to pay their rent or their mortgages; we really have no choice. But, according to WalletHub, this survey was “tied to a time of the year when families and individuals decide if it’s time to move for a better job and better life.” Due to the company’s always updated data compilation chart, people have become “obsessed” with understanding the best places to live within their means. Who could blame them?

Number 48?

Like we said, none of this is new information. But Bakersfield winning the number one spot for family activities and fun over San Diego kind of irks us, we won’t lie; especially with how a resident must endure the smell of manure 24/7. Come on. With one of the best Zoo’s in the nation and the incredible Hotel Del, one would think that San Diego would not rank 48th. But we have become small potatoes in this category.

Our fun beaches, awesome nightlife, lavish hotels, bay front views, and authentic restaurants unfortunately don’t match up what we would hope. But nonetheless, we still love our city for what it is. Despite the tough times, San Diego still is a magical place to sustain a life and raise a family.

Posted by Megan Blahnik

San Diego Might Be Open Until 4 A.M.

Blogging, Business, Local SEO

We are already known as the most liberal state out there, so now California is out to set the bar again for the states. This, a play on words as we are aiming to achieve the extension of bar time until 4 a.m. But this is no easy feat against public safety organizations scattered across the state that believe the lack of restriction will increase the crime rate. Local requirements, longer business hours, more law enforcement- will it be worth it?

Most argue the costs will not be, especially former chair of Pacific Beach Planning Group, Brian Curry, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. “Where’s the positive economic impact of our current law which allows drinking until 2 a.m.? Does it in any way come close to exceeding the negative impacts resulting from injury, death, and law enforcement, (on) city services, and anti-social behavior?” Yes, he has a point as our economy is already struggling. But we already know that the youthful piece of the population will be in favor of this motion, feeding their habits, social lives, and personality. As much as they are hungry for alcohol and adventure, local officials feel the same about the way the city is perceived; always wanting to be “the best.”

The silver lining? Those that want to partake in the communal uprising of socialites can choose to and those that want nothing to do with it can reject the extended bar hours. It’s a win-win. Co-author of the bill, Joel Anderson, says “this bill will allow tourist destinations an opportunity to apply to stay open later only with local support. Every scenario suggested by the naysayers would quickly fail to be approved in the process.” Although it will be fun for kids to stay out later, the real responsibility will rely on local officials that will be required to form task forces comprised of local police, Highway Patrol and more to oversee the aftermath of the extension.

It will also be interesting to see what this possible extension will do for those that drive drinkers for a living, aka Uber and Lyft. One of the major worries of the public safety organizations is that the differing closing hours in the community will increase chances of drunk driving. “Different bar hours between different cities would only encourage people to drive- oftentimes while drunk- in order to find a business that is open late and still serving alcohol.” Which we understand, but considering how prominent these driving companies are in this city, we feel that most will simply rely on the cheap form of transportation more. But then again, who knows?

Intended to increase the sources of entertainment that feed the economy, tourism, and marketing for the city, the bill is currently awaiting the approval of the local Assembly Appropriations Committee here in San Diego. If the Committee is in favor, the bill will become law and has potential to be issued as soon as January 1, 2020. Being in the Gaslamp community, lucky enough to be, we are often exposed to this rich, vivid nightlight culture. As long as our society does not risk their well-being, we are in favor of the extension and hope to partake in the festivities from time-to-time. How do you feel about the bill? Are you in favor of the nightlife or the security of safety?

Posted by Patrick

Semantic SEO: Google’s Newest Focus and Its Relevance

SEO

Gone are the days when we could just place important, level 10 keywords all throughout our content and watch the campaign wins, clients, and money roll in. To add more fuel to the fire, Google’s newest focus is called semantic SEO. Playing off of its definition of logic, semantic SEO is specifically about the placement of keywords within your content and how well they relate to one another. Although it sounds quite complicated at first, the focus of semantics in search engine optimization is actually helping keep our ducks in a row, so to speak.

Through the demanding prevention of overlapping keywords as mentioned prior, this is creating a more readable and less dense quality of content that will not only keep the visitors more engaged, but more likely to revisit the site as well. As a bonus, this system even accents previous keywords used in archived posts and various pages on the site and links them to one another to improve the quality of semantic SEO for the future.; which, of course, you know, helps to increase your ranking on the Google page.

The brilliant Search Engine Journal even broke down how to properly execute semantic SEO for all readers as such.

 

This is a helpful strategy that organizes and optimizes your chances for a clean semantic system; this will allow user intent, as we talked about in our last post, to increase based on the sequence of patterned, relatable keywords.

Topics

In the article, Search Engine Journal chooses to being with topics and how they relate to the customer persona. By organizing the general ideas behind what your target audience will be specifically searching for in the Google search bar, you will get a better understanding of what semantic SEO keyword sequences have generated the most site visits. Again, relating back to the importance of user intent, we always want these search results to reflect what that individual is looking for specifically. It is helpful to create a physical list of these popular and effective topics in order to keep records of what you have used in the past so you can tailor it to the Google semantic SEO system and optimize on your future content.

Concepts

Just like your words and content must be related heavily to your brand, business and market, your key concepts behind these words are significantly a part of executing this helpful strategy. In order to narrow down your concepts you must take into consideration what your audience is looking for specifically based on what service or brand you are supplying. Pay attention to reviews, specific word searches like “best San Diego pizza spot” or “best San Diego ramen restaurant,” implement them onto your site and programs like SEMRush to discover these important key phrases.

Keywords

Lastly, build a list of keywords that stem from both the topics and concepts behind what customers are looking for; this strategy will definitely require use of programs that track Ad Word campaigns. Make sure to make separate from the specific words you consider concepts and topics, as they should be the most specific and narrowed down of the steps.

The best bet to “winning” a campaign on Google is the easiest and most relatable keywords to pick up. When choosing your topics and concepts, take user intent into consideration and take the time to understand your audience and what they are specifically typing into the search bar. Once you have established a list of keywords that can easily relate to what you are selling, your site will be optimized and will require little maintenance in the future.

Posted by Patrick

Quality User Intent Is SEO’s Everything And More

SEO

Everyone in the marketing industry knows and predicts the fickle fluctuations of search engine optimization, but there might just be more of a meaningful strategy in terms of quality toward this living and breathing entity than what meets the eye. In the past, we have focused on keyword scores and relatable search engine results, which are both vital to the success of a brand or business’s Google ranking. However, there are a few avenues within these general SEO walls that can be outlined to improve the optimization strategy you are, most likely, already utilizing.

Ask and Listen

The first to be mentioned is the importance of capitalizing on the customer persona, which we (in marketing) get a good sense for with Google analytics, polls, A/B testing, newsletters and more. Even though these launched campaigns and strategies feel as though you are doing everything in your power to build and improve awareness and exposure, you can do more with this valuable database. The saying “You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been” really encompasses it all here.

Find out directly from your current clients, that have already been established as “buyer personas” what makes them happy, or unhappy, or did at the beginning of the process; what works well for them as well as what doesn’t. Taking this beyond what your “target audience” would be considered, find out their interests in relation to your business or product by directly asking them rather than sending over a MailChimp poll or generalized email. Why did they want to buy a certain item? What turned them off from another? Not only will you gain a better understanding of who to target in the future and how to do it more effectively, but you will even build stronger relationships with the people you work with in the moment.

Quality Intent Is Everything

Words are just words until they possess meaning and optimization is no stranger to this belief. If you are interested in reaching beyond this advice to ensure good quality search results (as we hope you would be), focus on the quality of intent behind your content. Just as we tend to concentrate on someone’s intent when they are speaking to us, gauging whether or not they are truly and genuinely interested, the user does the same online. Outside of spending time hitting all of the keywords and reaching decent Yoast SEO quality, focus on what you are saying and what it will mean to your audience.

According to New York Times Best Seller Neil Patel, “What really counts isn’t just the keyword- it’s the intention behind a given keyword as it relates to the algorithm.” Basically, Neil is saying that regardless of executing a perfect 10 keyword match on a blog or article through SEO standards and although it may bring up the ranking of your business, it will never keep the potential customer engaged. One of the most important aspects of a site’s performance is its ability to keep customers on the page. Sure, you may bring them to page and initiate interest based on your optimization skills, but what is really going to sell them on working with you or purchasing your product is how relatable you are to them.

A Question and an Answer

When anyone types in something in the Google search bar they are asking a question and are expecting an answer. This is where most companies lose their stamina in addressing their customer persona, by not utilizing the specific searches beyond what keywords they see in front of their face.
Running specific campaigns through Google with different programs allows us to actually track what the users are typing in but are we truly looking at what they are saying? Great marketers will learn to read between the lines of these generalized searches in order to capitalize on what their customers are looking for. Search Engine Journal breaks it down as simply as this: “’Restaurant near me’ means ‘I am hungry, don’t want to cook and want to eat somewhere now.’” An adaptive and informed marketer that has restaurant clients would see this and apply the seemingly general inquiry to their site with “not in the mood to cook? Looking for something close and delicious? Try x ,y, and z.”

Care About Your Audience

To summarize these important points of marketing wisdom that really should never go out of style in the world of optimization, we will leave you with this: care about your audience. Have quality of integrity and intent behind the words that fill your site, understand who you are appealing to and learn who they are and  what they want. Regardless of the ups and downs of the always-changing SEO market and the challenges it will continue to present your business, intent will never go out of style.

 

Posted by Patrick

Local SEO Best Practices for Small Businesses in San Diego

Business Tips, Content Marketing, SEO 0

When running a small business in today’s digital age, it’s no secret that much of your marketing efforts will rely on the Internet. With so many people online, and using the web to research businesses and read product and service reviews, it’s extra important to employ a few local SEO best practices when implementing your digital marketing strategy

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Posted by Patrick

3 Exciting New Social Media Features You Should Know About!

Social Media 0

The only constant in social media platforms these days is the fact that they are constantly changing, experimenting with new features, copying each other, and adding new and exciting ways of communicating with others and marketing ourselves. With that, we have three exciting new features that have just hit three of the more popular social media platforms that everyone should be taking advantage of, with the exception of Twitter timeouts, that is. ?

Twitter Timeouts

For a while now, Twitter has experienced a bit of criticism concerning incidents of cyber-bullying and abusive behavior by some of its users. Twitter has started cracking down on such behaviors by issuing digital timeouts. A Twitter timeout generally lasts 12 hours, or may be determined on a case by case basis depending upon the infraction. While a user is in timeout, they may still tweet, however only those who follow them will be able to see their content. This is a step in the right direction for protecting social media users and taking a stand against abusing behavior online.

Facebook Jobs Feature

 LinkedIn could be in for some serious competition from Facebook in the job recruiting and searching department. Companies located in Canada and the U.S. can now list job openings on the new job page. Users can apply to the job of their choice for free, and businesses can post job openings for free as well. Applicants are allowed up to 1,000 words as to why they would be a good fit for the position, and they can be reached via messenger by the company they are applying with. Anything a user has made public on their profile will be visible by the prospective new employer. There’s a bit of skepticism as to whether or not his will take off, as many people do not think of Facebook when looking for jobs, however Facebook wants their users to be able to conduct job searches while using their site now. It will be interesting to see if this function really takes off in the next year or so.

Instagram Galleries

When Instagram first launched 6 years ago it was pretty basic. Low-resolution square images with filters you could easily share over social media drew in users by the millions. Then Facebook bought Instagram, and it’s changed in ways users first may have never imagined. Images can be high resolution and larger than they once were, and you can even post live video. What’s even cooler, is that a couple months ago Instagram rolled out the option of uploading galleries, or carousel images that showcase up to 10 photos in one post. There’s no choosing which image to share now. You can share a whole string of images to create a story. We wonder what the app is going to come up with next.

With so many social media platforms rolling out new and exciting features constantly, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up. Especially if you’re a small business owner trying to both run your business, and market yourself digitally. That’s why we’re here. We’re a San Diego digital marketing agency that caters to small business owners. We would love to help you turn your small digital marketing budget into a lead generation machine. For more information or a detailed quote call (619) 291-8181 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.

Posted by Patrick

Social Media ROI Stats and Struggles

Uncategorized 0

One of the biggest struggles for marketers in this digital age is the ability to successfully measure social media ROI. This is an issue for many marketers because it’s truly difficult to measure the financial value of all that social media provides. Increasingly, marketers are straying away from measuring ROI and showing an increase in revenue and sales when reporting success. Rather, they value things such as engagement: reactions, shares, comments, and page follows.

While 65% of managers believe that social ROI is important, 87% do not even try to measure it. This leaves 77% of  CEOs believing that marketers are not talking about what really matters most to them: sales. So, when it comes to social media marketing and ROI, what matters most? Is it being able to measure financial gains, or is it the ability to show growth, engagement and an actively involved community that values your content and message via social media?

As a San Diego website design and search engine optimization firm, we can see how the value of measuring ROI would be important to most CEOs and marketing managers. Our social media marketing department also struggles with this question, as there is a delicate balance to be had when showing results. We want to highlight the growth and engagement of a successful social media following, however, there are limitations to proving that an increase in revenues is directly correlated with a specific social media campaign.

Just the same, here are some general—overall statistics surrounding social media ROI across all businesses and industries when done correctly. Companies who have a well-established social media presence have seen a 9% increase in revenues, are 26% more profitable than their competitors, and have a 12% higher market value. The key factor in these stats, is the fact that these are well-established social media platforms that are successful both in terms of engagement as well as ROI. In order for this to happen, it simply takes time. Social media may not translate into ROI for a company right away, but if they put in the time, effort, and energy into building a strong presence, it most certainly can benefit the company in terms of ROI in the long-run.

So how should marketers approach the topic of measuring social media ROI? Marketing managers and CEOs alike should look at entering the social media realm as a necessity in this day in age, as well as an investment that (if done properly) will result in a profitable return. However, like with most investments, it is going to take some time to see the fruits of one’s labor. It is going to take financial and time investments to build a following over social media. However, once you have that following, it’s an investment that will continue to bear profitable rewards and opportunities for years to come as long as it is upkept.

Would you like some help growing your social following for the future success of your business? Our social media marketing experts would love to help grow your brand and following over social media. For more information, or a detailed quote, call (619) 291-8181 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.

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