LSM

BACKGROUND

We are a beauty studio franchisee. I am the owner of this business and one other company, so I'm quite busy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I own a beauty industry franchise. I knew that I needed SEO work, so I asked my franchise for tips. 

SOLUTION

LSM only provides SEO work and strategic advice. They also provide strong reporting. We started work in December 2015, and it's completely ongoing. I will not stop until they stop providing value.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Local Search Masters is exactly what their name implies: Masters of local search. However, they are so much more. One aspect that sets them apart from all others is their exemplary customer service. Lauren [Etter, director of client services] and Toni [Cunningham, digital marketing account manager] must live, breathe, and sleep "everything search" because not only have we been moving up in rankings, it is typically just minutes before I receive a reply to an inquiry or information I request. 

We are most appreciative of the time, effort, and individual attention put into our account – right down to the finest details of insuring neighborhoods are correctly identified, and reports are jointly analyzed rather than just emailed. The "cherry on top" is an excellent return on our investment.

Our traffic is up by a healthy percentage. I love my LSM reps because they always go above and beyond to grow my SEO presence.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Massage Envy is a health and wellness franchise that has more than a thousand locations across the United States and provides a variety of massage and facial services. My region contains 15 locations. Our target market is about a 15-mile radius around each clinic, although that varies based on contracted territories and franchisee needs. Our target audience is men and women between the ages of 21 and 39 who believe that health and wellness are an important part of well-being.

What is your position and what are your responsibilities there?

I am a regional operation manager. I oversee the daily operations of 15 Massage Envy clinics in Oregon and southwest Washington.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Local Search Masters?

We needed our web presence to generate more online sales and walk-in traffic. We wanted to see more new users on our website, more appointment requests generated from our site, and a cheaper cost-per-conversion rate for sales generated from our paid search efforts.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

LSM first got our microsites well positioned in the organic search results for important nonbranded "massage-related" keywords. Then, to help us get higher organic rankings on more "facial" and "spa" keywords, they built new pages on our microsites with custom content about our facial and spa services. They run Google Search and Google Display Ads for us in a targeted marketplace. They help us respond to reviews on Facebook, Yelp, and Google My Business, which is very helpful. 

The products they provided for us were SEO [search engine optimization], online advertising via Google and Facebook, social media marketing, content development, email marketing, and reputation and review management.

How did you come to work with Local Search Masters?

We heard about LSM through other satisfied Massage Envy regional developers. We chose them because we liked them and because of the results they'd provided for our counterparts across the United States.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since February 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our rankings went up on important keywords, organic traffic to our microsites went up more than 100 percent, and then increased again once we implemented the additional spa service pages. We saw some reviews that they responded to change from a "negative" to a "positive." 

How would you rate your overall experience collaborating with Local Search Masters?

I have had the pleasure of working with LSM for a few years, and my experience with them has been nothing short of exceptional. Their staff is not only extremely professional and attentive, but they are genuinely great individuals who always go above and beyond to help our business. Although I work directly with their owner [Brad Hill], who is absolutely fantastic, I have worked with quite a few others, and my experience has always been extremely positive. They are always so quick to assist with whatever support I need, which makes my life easier. They are a fantastic team.

BACKGROUND

I'm the owner of an exclusive waxing studio that's dedicated solely to the art of better body waxing. We provide both men and women a full array of waxing services.

From the start, we've been fanatical about waxing expertise, with highly trained Cerologist technicians who ensure that customer experience is a smooth one.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

[Our company] was founded in 2003 in Denver, Colorado. We enjoy a great following locally, but we aren't known outside of our locale. Arizona is a new territory for the brand, we aren't recognized there. Our main objective is bringing new customers into the Arizona studio by bringing awareness to the waxing concept and specific brand.

SOLUTION

We need to educate our audience on the benefits of waxing. It's important that we produce compelling content that people want to read. This content marketing strategy is helping push more traffic to our site, which leads to new customers.

Local Search Masters was referred to me. The owner of LSM [Trevor Emerson] called me within two days of my contact to put together a digital strategy. Once strategy was put in place, a dedicated account manager [Luke Myszka] was put in place. They work on SEO [search engine optimization], PPC [pay-per-click], reputation management, and social media marketing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Luke is always available whenever needed. I'm a very engaged owner and ask a lot of questions. Luke always takes the time to explain to me what's going on in a fashion that I'll understand.

We are very early in our campaign but what impressed me was after the first month, we chatted about what was working and what was not. Luke took it very serious to what was what not working vs. trying to push it under the carpet. I feel Luke and his team have an invested interest in my success. Success isn't necessarily always a straight line. LSM is committed to the process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

[Our franchise is part of the] nationwide leader in massage therapy and spa services. The typical facility is 2,500 to 4,000 square feet. It’s a membership-based model. At our location, members pay $59 a month, which includes a one-hour massage. They can get any massage after that for a reduced price. We started in 2002, and we have more than 1,000 locations, I am a franchisee in Arizona, and I own nine locations.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am a franchise owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Local Search Masters?

I’m a member of a co-op of franchise owners, and we put together our marketing dollars for advertising and marketing activities. We hired Local Search Masters about a year and a half ago to do our SEO [search engine optimization] and SEM [search engine marketing], and they’ve done a tremendous job on that. Before we were ranking on our search terms, in most instances, around a four or five. Now, we’re ranking one or two pretty consistently on all of our major search terms. We saw a big boost in our click-throughs also.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

In addition to SEO, they also do our search engine marketing management with Google AdWords and Facebook. We also do some Yelp advertising. We have hired them recently for our Facebook posts, and they do that for us as well. They also represent about 300 massage franchises in their portfolio.

What was your process for selecting Local Search Masters with which to work?

I believe they were referred by another co-op that was using them. We got a bid from them, and we looked at seven different agencies that we liked. We liked their style and their president, Trevor [Emerson].

Many of the companies in the interactive space have created their own language, and tried to make it mystical when it comes to organic rankings and digital marketing. What we like about Local Search Masters was they spoke in plain English and were easy to relate to when it came to the mystery behind the organic rankings and SEM.

Would you consider this a minor, mid-range, or major financial investment for your franchise?

We’ve increased our interactive budget almost double in the last couple of years because we believe in it so much. We’re looking to make major investments in interactive. We think that’s the future.

Are you still working with them on an ongoing basis?

Yes. We are.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or feedback to illustrate the success of their work?

We’ve used four or five different agencies in the past, but this is by far the best one we’ve had in terms of results with cost per click, click-throughs, and organic rankings. So, we’ve been extremely pleased with the results.

In terms of our click-throughs on Google Local and Facebook, we’ve seen a lot more traffic to our site. I think it’s up more than 50 to 60 percent in terms of traffic. They really performed well in terms of being able to improve our metrics and improve our customer accounts or prospects. We’ve been up compared to last year [2014] in all areas. We actually had a price change in August of last year, and when that happens, most co-ops go down in terms of member counts anywhere from 20 to 25 percent, and we saw our guest counts stay consistent. They have definitely been a big factor in our ability to attract more people to our clinic.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think they’re more transparent than other agencies. Like I said, they explain things in plain English, and they don’t try to hide behind the terminology. They are one of the most cost-effective interactive agencies we’ve seen. Some of the ones we’ve seen have really inflated their prices and tried to charge a lot.

We think they’re very reasonable in their pricing and give very good service. They just released a dashboard that measures all of your Yelp reviews, Web traffic, organic rankings, and all other relevant metrics. It’s all in one place, and they’ve made this feature interactive. It’s been amazing to have all of that data at your fingertips instead of having to wait until they send out reports. You get real-time data on all of your interactive.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think for what they do, I think they’re the best we’ve seen with SEO and SEM.

Any advice for future clients?

I would say compare Local Search Masters to the other interactive agencies, and then look at what they’ve done with the success they’ve had with our franchise. You’re going to find that they compare very well in pricing, they’re transparent, and they have great customer service. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for an interactive agency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a private-practice surgical office in Tennessee. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Local Search Masters, and what were your goals?

Local Search Masters optimizes my website and improves my web rankings. They are responsive and adapt to the ever-changing Google algorithm.

SOLUTION

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

I don't understand exactly how SEO [search engine optimization] works, but Local Search Masters has done an excellent job. They manage SEO and social media channels and write some of my blog posts. We're also consulting with them on general marketing practices. They really push my practice’s visibility.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Their suggestions led to greater recognition and more scheduled consultations. I applied to win a local quality care award and was selected as a finalist. They’ve helped us book more clients and gain more revenue through a solid increase in traffic and leads generated.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

I’ve worked with Local Search Masters for 2 years. They send regular reports with robust statistics. I am seeing great results, so I plan to continue our engagement.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I’m really satisfied. I highly recommend Local Search Masters with no reservations at all.