Challenge: Help a long-​time independent owner raise his profile in the local market

Jordan Estes, of The Statesville Record & Landmark, has only been in media sales for a year and a half, but he already has a good grasp of the industry. Recently, he took his talents to a financial planner in the area who had been struggling to make a name for himself in the local market.

“[The owner] likes to focus his business around customer service,” said Estes. “He was in sales like this for a big company and when they would not allow him to do what was best for his customers, he branched off to his own business about 20 years ago.”

Despite being an independent business owner for so long, the financial planner had recently moved offices, and had to more or less start over building back up his clientele. After lackluster results from a campaign based on a simple print ad, the owner was ready to listen when he received the call from Estes.

Solution: Offer creative new ways of marketing

Stepping away from traditional print advertising, Estes introduced his client to new opportunities using AdMall’s Digital Audit. Specifically, he was able to identify search engine marketing (SEM) keywords the client could buy to help potential customers find his business more easily online.

“Their print ad was not working,” said Estes. “We sold them on a digital Search Engine Marketing ad [campaign]. So as someone is searching his keywords, they will find him on Google.”

Result: A 12-​month contract and immediate return on investment

As soon as the new SEM campaign was launched, the owner received over a dozen phone calls from prospective customers, which goes to show that the ad format and delivery method is just as important as ad content. Estes came off as a seasoned expert in the field by leveraging AdMall’s data and research, so the client felt confident investing in digital advertising for the first time. It’s a win-win.