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Financial Services PPC

We talk with a number of Private Equity firms each month and the one thing that comes up about 50% of the time in our conversations is “Should their firm being doing SEO?” and “Does SEO even work for Private Equity?”

The other half believe that SEO for Private Equity works but needs to better understand how so they move forward on getting the results they need it to produce.

Here we explore how your firm can increase exposure, acquire new investors, increase deal flow and attract talent to your firm all using SEO tactics specific to the Private Equity space.

 

Does SEO Work for Private Equity Firms

Yes. Private Equity firms are actually in a position to capitalize on SEO better than many other industries. The reason being that the majority of firms aren’t actually doing it. Many firms just don’t think about it or they don’t think it’s necessary, but this is old school thinking that you see across a lot of industries (manufacturing as an example) that hang on to only the tactics of the past and keep out any of the new methods to market and attract investors, deals or talent.

The basic logic of how SEO works alone makes sense for all firms to be doing it. If someone searches for your firm, searches generically for a private equity firm or searches for a private equity firm specializing in a specific industry you would want your firm to show up.

Some would argue that no one is searching for private equity firms online but that is simply untrue.

Take a look at the Keyword Chart below that shows almost 10,000 searches per month for Private Equity Firms, 720 searches per month for Dallas Private Equity Firms, 2,900 searches per month for Providence Equity Partners and 90 searches per month for Private Equity Firms Energy.

seo for private equity keyword chart

This example shows that people are searching for firms in different ways, in specific areas and in specific verticals.  So Yes, SEO does work for Private Equity firms.

 

Build Awareness for Your Private Equity Firm Using SEO

By implementing an SEO Strategy for your Private Equity firm it will immediately bring you new visibility that you previously did not have. Image showing up in the search engines for a variety of different searches with different intents. This exposure is building awareness for your firms brand that otherwise wouldn’t have been gained.

This result is a longer term, brand building benefit but it comes regardless of your primary objective. We speak about it as a positive byproduct of doing the SEO work.

 

SEO Strategy for Private Equity Firms

Something that is grossly overlooked by most agencies who say they do SEO is mapping the SEO Strategy to the firms goals and targets. What you’ll find much of the time are agencies showing you how many times the term Private Equity is searched on Google, but the problem with that is it isn’t focused.

Your firm is involved in acquiring investment, raising capital, and deal origination. So the SEO strategy is going to focus on content that speaks to the questions potential investors or target business owners are searching that relate to your firm.

For example: Investors might be searching for a specialized private equity firm OR a new investor might be searching for a way to diversity their investment portfolio in something other than securities or bonds. For the latter you would do keyword research on and optimize for answering that exact question.

Another Example: A business owner may be searching for alternative financing options to purchase new equipment so they can expand production. Your firm could do keyword research and optimize an article on doing exactly that but using your private equity firm as a way to capitalize the business.

Thinking about what your target investors, partners, owners or new hires are asking will give you the foundation for creating an SEO rich content strategy for your private equity firm.

 

SEO Tactics for Private Equity Firms

Again this is where most agencies go to immediately when talking about SEO to firms like yours. The problem is this is the part you care about least. You want results. Results like acquiring new investors, increasing deal flow and recruiting top financial talent.

But the reality is that these tactics must be executed (and we at Acumen Studio do this very well), so we’ll briefly share with you the things that need done to ensure you are technically and strategically optimized for the search engines to get visibility, build awareness, build authority, generate traffic, leads and close more of everything.

Develop Your SEO Strategy

We talked about this earlier in the article, but you need to start here. Do this first! Define your targets and create content based on their needs and how you meet those needs.

Do Keyword Research

This is done once you’ve defined your targets to ensure the Keyword Research is being done from the correct perspective. Without the right target or intent while doing this research you’ll end up with an unfocused set of results.

Technical SEO

This the implementation of SEO tactics that include things like optimizing your firms Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, H1 tags, increasing page speed, creating a sitemap, etc.

On-Site SEO

This the implementation of updates to the copy on your site to include keywords, complimentary keywords that support the primary keywords, as well as adding elements related to conversion optimization such as submission forms, click to call phone numbers, etc.

Off-Site SEO

This the implementation of tactics that are not done to your website directly. Most commonly this is optimizing your Google My Business listing and then doing other tasks such as getting your firm listed on directories, backlinking, running PR campaigns to get off-site exposure, etc.

*At Acumen Studio we don’t run PR campaigns, do backlinking or directory listing. We encourage the firms we work with to do this, but PR is a completely different skill set and backlinking being done by an outside agency has an imbalanced ROI

 

Doing all of these SEO related tasks for your Private Equity firm are guaranteed to generate more attention from investors, increase your deal flow and allow you to be found more often by new hires looking to join a firm.

 

If You Are Looking to Close New Investors, More Deals or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

Or Submit your information below

    Commercial Real Estate Funds have HUGE opportunity to grow with so many deals to be made in the market.
    The great news for funds like yours is that investors are clamoring to find reputable firms who are engaging in profitable deals and developments.
    The question that most commercial real estate funds have though is, “How can I find new investors?”.

    In this post we share two of the easiest ways to connect with these new investors.

     

    Competition in the Real Estate Fund Space

    Competition online from platforms like Fundrise, Crowdstreet are real competitors that are crowding the space, but real accredited investors aren’t using these platforms. Private Accredited Investors, Institutional investors and family offices are all looking for the expertise of successful / proven firms & funds that can the get job done with deals that will pay off big.

     

    How Commercial Real Estate Funds Can Increase Investor Leads Online?

    Most real estate funds simply reach out to their existing network. Previous investors, partners, colleagues, friends and family are all strong sources for raising funds. And while that will bring success there is the obvious limit our how much liquidity exists within that network.

    But what if you want to go bigger by raising more capital and closing larger deals?

    To increase capital you have to expand to outside of your current network and using digital marketing will get your there. Advertising to investors online is literally the most effective way to scale your visibility and generate new investor leads. Here are a couple strategic approaches to how this will work.

    1. Investor Acquisition Online using LinkedIn Advertising
    2. Advertising on Investor Networks and Publications to Increase Awareness & Investor Leads

     

    Finding New Commercial Real Estate Investors for your Fund using LinkedIn Advertising

    Most fund managers know that LinkedIn is a great network to connect with and directly reach out to commercial real estate investors, but what most don’t know is how to run successful campaigns on LinkedIn that are efficient and scalable which deliver a consistent flow of eager accredited investors.

    Running these ad campaigns get you in front of those investors and makes it easy for them to see your message and connect by calling, messaging or getting more information to start the conversation on investing with in your fund.

     

    Increase Visibility for Your Commercial Real Estate Fund by Advertising on Investor Networks & Publications

    This is similar to the LinkedIn ad campaign strategy but different in that you aren’t targeting individuals but instead making your firm / fund visible on the finance, real estate, and investment websites and publications those investors are reading.

    By sharing the message on your ability to drive big returns for investors, you’ll have a consistent flow of opportunities that will fuel your funds growth.

     

    If You Want to Talk With Us About How You Can Increase Your Investor Leads or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

    Or Submit your information below

      The two things every firm needs to grow and thrive are Investors and Deal Flow. They both have to exist and can’t live without the other.

      So in this article we are going to address how your firm can increase it’s Deal Flow by using digital marketing tactics that most firms aren’t doing.

       

      How Can Private Equity Firms Increase Deal Flow?

      Most firms have been doing this by tapping into their personal and professional networks which works well but has it’s limitations built in to the reason that it is so successful for them / you. Your Network!

      Digital marketing strategies focused on deal acquisition are the most effective way to scale your visibility and generate new leads on prospective deals. Let’s look at a couple strategic approaches to how this works.

      1. Deal Acquisition Online through LinkedIn Advertising
      2. Investor Network Advertising to Increase Awareness & Deal Flow

       

      Increase Deal Flow for Your Private Equity Firm through LinkedIn Advertising

      Most deal origination teams know that LinkedIn is a good place to connect with and gain direct access to brokers, owners or partners, but what most don’t know how to do is take the strategies that are successful in connecting & sourcing deals on LinkedIn and turn that into a scalable ad strategy on the LinkedIn ad platform.

      These ads get you in front of the exact people you want to connect with and those same people who have assets that fit your deal criteria will see your message and connect by calling, message or getting more information to start the conversation on making that acquisition.

      It really is that simple!

       

      Increasing Deal Flow for Your Private Equity Firm by Advertising on Investor Networks

      Similar to the LinkedIn strategy but different in that you aren’t targeting individuals but instead making yourself visible on the finance, real estate, or commodity websites and publications those brokers, owners and partners are reading.

      By sharing the message on your ability to drive returns for the deals you acquire, you’ll have a consistent flow of opportunities that will fuel your firms growth.

       

      If You Want to Talk With Us About How You Can Increase Your Deal Flow or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

      Or Submit your information below

        As we enter December now is the time to finalize plans moving into 2021.

        Specifically focusing on your Marketing Plan for 2021 is what we’re most concerned about as a Marketing Agency.

        Even more specifically we want you think think about your lead and customer acquisition strategy for the new year.

         

        Questions We’re Asking

        1. Do you have a Lead Acquisition plan for 2021?
        2. If not, In 2021 are you looking to gain NEW Customers?
        3. If so, Do you currently have a overall / broad marketing plan for 2021?

         

        If you want to bring in new customers next year and don’t have a broad marketing plan for 2021 at all we suggest at a minimum roughing out ideas you have on promoting the business. But if a big part of your strategy is new customer growth then even more important will be your lead acquisition strategy.

         

        Here are the components of a 2021 lead acquisition strategy that you should consider

        • Is your website optimized for search engines (do you rank well for everything you do / sell)?
        • Is your website optimized to convert visitors when they get to your site?
        • Are you actively publishing content / blogs to your website?
        • Are you actively publishing content to your social media channels?
        • Are you actively running ads that target your primary customers to drive them to your website or to the phone?
        • Are you sending out at a minimum monthly emails to your email list?

         

        If you answered No to any of these then your 2021 marketing strategy should turn those No’s to Yes’s.

        Prioritize these to comprehensively attack getting new business.

         

        If You Want to Talk With Us About Your 2021 Marketing Strategy or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422

        Or Submit your information below

          We are always putting out content on digital marketing tactics for SEO, PPC, Social Meida, Email Marketing and Analytics, but the truth is we really are a Content Marketing Agency.

          Our Definition of a content marketing agency is one that creates content based on research and strategic principles that generate awareness, drive more traffic, leads, form submissions, phone calls, new customers and revenue.

          We are a Really Good Content Marketing Agency!

          Many agencies, especially here in St. Louis, can write and publish content while calling themselves content marketing agencies, but the truth is, they are rarely strategic and virtually none of them have the deep discipline experience to effectively utilize a multi-channel strategy that will drive results.

          Good Content Marketing delivers results.

          The goal is to ultimately obtain new customers through the strategic exposure and knowlege share that content marketing lends.  Greater visibility, More Traffic, More Leads, Form Submissions, Phone Calls and Revenue.  This is the goal.

          We approach content marketing from a very technical position.

          • First, we get to know a company at it’s core.
          • Then focus on the why, the how and the what.
          • This allows us to perform meaningful research into the behaviors of users and potential customers around strategic topics and terms.
          • We then perform a content gap analysis to identify what content does exist or needs to exist on your website.
          • The modification of the existing content and addition of the missing content is outlined and implemented.
          • We then monitor, analyze and recommend tweak or additions thereafter to continously optimize the content marketing efforts.

          St. Louis Content Marketing Agency

          We are not a Creative Agency

          There are a TON of agencies in the St. Louis area that call themselves digital marketing firms, content marketing agencies or marketing agencies and try to do the strategic work, but this needs to be handed over to the pros the digital marketing technologists and analysts that know the tools, tactics and research methodologies.

          We’re not just in St. Louis

          Mentioned alot here in this article are “St. Louis Content Marketing Agencies” or Marketing Agencies in general, but we actually have phenomenal clients from all over the united states and are working on global campaigns for a couple of our domestic clients.  We just want to be clear in giving examples of what we actually do and what other agencies say they do.  Plus we Love St. Louis and rep this city pretty hard!

          Why work with us on your Content Marketing Strategy

          1. We’re really really good at content marketing
          2. Our goal is to generate as much value as possible for you (authority, leads, customers, revenue)
          3. We are on 24/7.  Accessibility, transparency and getting things done is what we do all of the time.  There is no such thing as too early or too late for us!

          If you want to work with the Best St. Louis Content Marketing Agency or learn more then please contact us by phone or by filling out the form on this page and we will speak with you very soon.

          SEM, PPC, Paid Search, AdWords or whatever you call it is a pretty mature channel with many tactics that you can find outlined anywhere online.

          But most people don’t give any creative ideas that can help bring massive value for you or your company.

          Below we have listed 3 Creative ideas / tactics that you can use in your SEM Strategy.

          1. Find Out Where Else Your Website Visitors Go Online

          Use remarketing to display unappealing ads so visitors WILL NOT click on them and then view the report to see where ads have been shown.

          This is useful because it gives you a deep understanding of where else your website visitors go online, what other topics are they interested in, what sites could you be partnering with or advertising on, etc.

          To see which websites, videos, and apps have displayed your ads from your Placements tab.

          1. Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com.

          2. Click the Campaigns tab and select your campaign.

          3. Click the Display Network tab.

          4. Click the Placements tab.

          • To see where your ad appeared based on your other targeting methods, including keywords, topics, interest categories, remarketing, and demographics, look at your automatic placements.

          • Click the “See details” drop-down to see a list of site URLs where your ads have shown.

          2. Bid On Terms That Won’t Immediately Convert

          Most people bid on terms and phrases that have a high probability of converting immediately.

          Move people into your funnel at all points and then nurture them into becoming customers.

          The Normal Way

          Term: Best Price Plaid Scarf

          Landing Page: www.Domain.com/Low-Price-Plaid-Scarf/     *product page

          Get them to buy!

           

          The New Way

          Term: How to choose what type of scarf to buy

          Landing Page: www.Domain.com/Types-of-Scarfs-and-Why-You-Were-Them/  *info page

          1. Get them to read

          2. Get them to subscribe

          3. Remarketing to them via email, adwords and social media

          4. Send them to category or product pages

          5. Get them to buy

          6. Send them information in the future

          7. Get them to buy again!

          Costs doing this are only incrementally higher compared to the normal way, but will increase your sales volume and your SEO visibility, because more people find your useful article and will potentially link to it after reading it.

          Make this a part of your content marketing strategy!

           

          3. Tell People NOT to Click on Your Ad

          Now that we can upload email lists to AdWords using Customer Match it is very easy to know who your ads are being presented to.  This will allow you to confidently tell people to not click on your ads, but When they do, the content will be 100% relevant for them.

          Why tell them to not click on your ads?

          Because it will make them want to click on your ads!

          Just think about the last time someone told you not to do something, it’s 100% safe to say that you immediately thought, “I’ll do that if I want to!” and it makes you want to.

          This will increase your Click Through Rate and ensure this known audience sees your message.

          Google released a paid search update recently.  It is a second line of structured snippets that can be inserted into PPC ads.

          This new update gives ads more space in the search engine results pages and allows companies to callout different things about their business. Below, a shutter company, uses the headers “Styles” and “Services,” to highlight unique product offerings.

           

          updated_snippet_imageThis new ad format looks great, but what it will do to help your marketing and ultimately your business?

          Below are a few tips, benefits and structured snippets tests across PPC & SEO channels to highlight how this update will help drive more qualified conversions to save your business time & marketing spend.

          Utilize categories to show unique product offerings

          While PPC experts like us were initially loving the news of new structured snippets, our smiles began to fade as we read the fine print. There are a limited number of headers you can choose from for your snippets and there are only a few industries. The following headers are available:

          • Amenities
          • Brands
          • Courses
          • Degree programs
          • Destinations
          • Featured hotels
          • Insurance coverage
          • Neighborhoods
          • Service catalog
          • Shows
          • Styles
          • Types

          Industries that really benefit from this category extension are those that have a high cost per click. Insurance keywords are responsible for 24% of Google advertising revenue, which is most likely why “Insurance Coverage” was added as a distinct header. On the same note, 4 out of the 12 headers are related to travel, which also have historically high CPCs.

           

          better_image

          In the future Google will expand the number of header options, but until then, advertisers have to get creative on ways we can utilize them. For instance, financial institutions could use the “Types” structured snippet for No-Fee Savings, High Interest Savings or list out the types of certificate of deposits they offer (3 month, 6 month, 12 month, etc).

          Raise awareness for additional service lines

          Your business may have one very well known product or service, but it’s struggling to get the word out about the additional items it offers. By adding structured snippets into your PPC ad account, you can use the new headers to bring attention to the business’ additional offerings.

          An example of this is Drexel Online. Many people know that they offer online bachelor’s programs, but everyone may not know that they also offer master’s programs and certificates. By utilizing structured snippets, Drexel can inform searchers about other aspects of their business.

          Create more effective call to actions

          PPC continuously has the ability to test call to actions within search ads. With the new snippet feature, PPC ads can test more specific styles and service lines to hone in on the language and format that best connects with consumers. From these tests, your marketing team can vet the call to actions that convert the most, to identify what phrases and styles to use within SEO content, such as meta descriptions, headers, and call-to-action buttons.

          Google may still choose to create their own meta description based on the search term, but in many cases your well crafted meta description will now show up with an even better chance to convert due to the PPC tests.

          Save money & avoid a negative brand experience

          This extra PPC snippet will enable searchers to be better at self-qualifying themselves for your business. Let’s say you own a wedding dress company. If customers are looking for a specific type of wedding dress, for example, A-Line, Mermaid, Ballgown, Trumpet, etc. and it’s not listed in your snippet, they know not to visit your website. Great! One less unqualified person potentially filling out a contact form asking your team about it.

          There’s also a big cost-saving here. By having better pre-qualified leads coming to your site, it saves the call center or whomever reads submission forms time. If the call center charges per minute, every call – whether it’s profitable or not, costs your business money. However, if more incoming calls were qualified, the more profit you could get out of those calls.

          In addition, setting the expectation of what your site contains before the person clicks, will help ensure that customers never have a jaded customer experience. As structured snippets give you more room to discuss your business’ offering, it could prevent shoppers from leaving a poor/mediocre review because your site doesn’t have what they’re looking for.

          For example, when conducting a quick search on reseller.com ratings for “limited selection,” “small selection,” and “didn’t have,” we found time and time again that customers left mediocre reviews because the store did not carry the products that they had expected.

          updated_review_ss


          By using structured snippets, www.reseller.com could have set better expectations up front about what they do, and do not, carry, to avoid these negative ratings.

          Learn & test for organic SEO

          From Google’s past PPC tests, we predict that Google will measure the success of the new category PPC snippets, before rolling out additional rich snippets to organic SEO category pages. Currently, as the example shows below, Google indicates only the following for organic product specific pages:

          • Ratings by star
          • Number of people who rated
          • Price
          • In-Stock
          • Number of stores nearby

          rollout_for_organic_

          Before I click on the product in the SERPs, I already know if it’s in stock, within my price range, how many people loved or hated it, and if a store is located nearby.

          In organic results, Google also has sitelinks, although these don’t show up for everyone and don’t include all styles:

           

          updated_moto._

          Right now, these sitelinks indicate some categories, but do not touch upon all of business’ product offerings. It would be great to see a Style snippet in the SERPs before I click, indicating that RevZilla offers Motorcycle Touring, Half, Hi-viz neon, or race helmets as well as the categories pulled in through sitelinks.

          In the future, as Google aims to improve user experience, it seems very likely that Google will roll out a style snippet for organic results. If it does, you’ll already have PPC data to work with to know which Types or Styles convert the best for users interested in your products.

          Increase your paid search real estate

          While there are pros for both PPC and SEO with the new structured snippets, there is one aspect that makes organic SEO practitioners not so happy. With this additional line of structured snippets, paid search gains a new way to obtain more real estate in the SERPs, while simultaneously pushing organic results farther down the page.

          Contact us Today if you want to get your Paid Search up to date in 2016.  Fill out the form on this page or give us a call!

          Make 2016 The Year of Marketing Intelligence.
          Understand what your marketing dollars are producing for you, identify waste & optimize your marketing efforts!

          Here John Bracamontes discusses what Acumen Studio does and how we can help you generate greater visibility online, generate new customers and more revenue.

          Digital Marketing
          Digital Strategy
          Content Marketing
          Content Strategy
          SEO / Search Engine Optimization / Organic Search
          PPC / Pay Per Click / Paid Search
          Social Media
          Email Marketing
          Analytics, Analysis and Inisghts

          Recent findings show that the use of Display Ads in Digital Marketing for Insurance Companies is nine times more effective at generating awareness than television, print or radio.

          Display Ads for Insurance Companies

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

          The reason for this is that many insurance companies are under utilizing display as a channel to generate awareness and direct conversion. This means a less saturated marketing landscape.  (*check out these display ads from Geico)
          Another large reason that Display Advertising is so effective for insurance companies can be attributed to the ability to micro target and personalize.

          These more relevant and personalized approaches for display ads increase their visibility as well as drive action from those who are viewing successfully placed creative and messaging.

          Display Ad Success for Insurance Companies

          • Personalization
          • Segmentation
          • Placement
          • Attribution
          • and Measurement

          To learn more about how we can drive greater awareness and new business for your insurance company, please call, email or fill out our online form.

          The fundamentals and core attributes of marketing apply to Certified Public Accountants just as they do any other industry, but with accounting firms, both large and small there are tactics that can generate massive success.

          Be Personal
          One of those tactics is showing genuine personal attention to your clients. Sounds simple enough, but personal can be defined differently by most so we want to clarify what some of those effective personal touches are.

          Many CPA firms will send out direct mail to their clients that uses their name on the piece, that is great, but not the personal we’re talking about. Try sending out mail with handwritten notes that mention family or events. You can also make sure to send out anniversary cards, holiday cards, birthday cards with a dollar inside (or five) all with handwritten notes.

          cpa marketing

           

          The Certified Public Accountant needs to be marketing themselves 100% of the time. Something that can be overlooked is the expectation of a client that they are important (which they are) and the CPA needs to make them feel that way. Being enthusiastic when meeting with clients or on the phone, making eye contact and looking genuinely happy to see your client is critical to creating that personal relationship which can ensure that they are a customer for life.

          Digital Marketing & Traditional Marketing
          This type of personal attention can be showcased in marketing collateral, events and on digital channels. Use written and video testimonials, hold and highlight customer appreciation events such as galas, picnics or sports outings or hold contests that keep your clients engaged. All of these things can easily be communicated in newsletters, social networks, display ads, brochures, direct mail, television, radio, SEO, PPC and more.

          If you want to learn more about CPA (certified public accountant)  Marketing contact us using the form to the right or giving us a call.

          Learn more about how we can help you with Digital Marketing specifically for Certified Public Accountants.