The Seersucker Blog

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5,500 Free Clicks

What could you do with 5,500 free clicks to the website of your nonprofit? 

The Google Ads Grant program affords you the option to explore these possibilities. The underutilized program literally gives certified nonprofits free advertising through Google Search. 

Do you want to show the world your exciting rebrand? Done. 

Do you need to amplify the cause of your mission? Done.

Do you desperately need to advertise a call for volunteers? Done.

Do you have a major fundraiser or Kickstarter coming up? Done. 

The world is your Gulf Coast oyster with Google Ad Grants. Need proof? Look for the campaign we are running for our client Smart Home America’s “Don’t Goof. Reroof” initiative. This nonprofit is based out of Mobile, Alabama and advocates for higher construction standards to improve homes’ abilities to withstand high wind events like hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes. Smart Home America currently has vendors along the East Coast and Gulf Coast as well as inland states like Colorado and Oklahoma. 

Smart Home America hired Seersucker Creative to launch its Google Ad Grants campaign in late 2019, and we’ve successfully bought in 5,500-plus clicks and over 90 thousand impressions for the brand.

That’s the equivalent of  $15,647.12 of advertising. Do you think those types of numbers could help your business?

It’s a Tricky Road

If you’re interested in pursuing this route for your nonprofit we advise you to get started on the qualification process immediately. Google the product is ubiquitous but Google the staff is not. So, there is a lot of running to stand still early on. Then it’s a sprint again and waiting again for a response from Google. However, it’s a small price to pay for the wonderful program. Just get started right now. 

After you’ve qualified for the Google Ads Grant and have built your search campaigns you’re ready to get into the game. As with any game, there are obstacles to overcome for victory. The following are just a few examples of what we’ll be up against. 

Without getting into the nitty-gritty, the Big Goal to achieve with your nonprofit’s campaign is to achieve a 5% click-through rate (CTR). Your CTR is determined by how many clicks you get divided by how many times your ad shows (impressions) on the page. Remember, this is just for Google Search so you don’t have the advantage of visuals or remarketing (those ads that follow you around to other websites). The point is, you better have an ad that gets people to respond. If you don’t achieve the 5% CTR two months in a row your account will be suspended until it is reviewed and deemed acceptable by Google. We’ve never had to deal with this thankfully (#humblebrag). 

Other restrictions include no use of single keywords. So you can’t simply use “cats” for your nonprofit pet store, but you can use “fluffy cats,” “cats in New Orleans,” and “adorable cat videos.” If you use the latter, just make sure your website actually has adorable cat videos. To be compliant, you will have to set up valid conversion tracking as well. There are other requirements like having at least two ads per ad group and at least two ad groups per campaign, which is really just common sense. 

One of the rules that is buried in the details is that your nonprofit’s ads will never appear above a paying customer’s ad on the Google Search page. We believe this is your biggest challenge and why you need an active manager of your Google Ads Grant. For example, for our friends at Smart Home America, we are advertising in markets that include construction and real estate. These are very competitive markets. These are markets where one click can make a company thousands of dollars so they aren’t afraid to pay good money per click. That’s why you need a smart, experienced and, just as importantly, never-say-die company at your side to obtain your nonprofit’s goals. Seersucker Creative is that company. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg about this intricate, and surprisingly still esoteric program. We’ve been through the battles and know the do’s (use maximize conversions) and don’ts (Smart Campaigns are a waste of time). We can put our experience to work for you. 

Our mission is to do good works. Our cause is to amplify your message. Let Seersucker Creative help your nonprofit be the most successful it can be.

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Carnival Time in New Orleans

With Twelfth Night in the rear view, New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and beyond steps into the most amazing time of the year — Carnival.

For outsiders, this time of year brings to mind the clichés that are always shown on TV and social media — risqué revelers in the French Quarter, throngs of people dressed in green, purple and gold, and beads for days.

So many beads.

Obviously, all of those things are part of the Carnival season (even though the risqué aspect is a bit overblown) and to be enjoyed, but the season is so much more.

Carnival is about sharing.

Think about it — almost everything about Carnival is about sharing. We share the sidewalks together, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the neutral ground, we open our doors to friends and family. Float riders share their throws neutral ground side and sidewalk side alike. As we’re all crammed together on the streets of New Orleans we share our food, we share our drink, we share stories and, most importantly, memories.

Carnival is about caring for one another.

During the parades as the floats roll by, we protect each others’ heads, we catch beads and hand them to children. As the last floats disappear down St. Charles Avenue, we help each other clean up (some folks could do a better job in this department). Then, the very next day, we’ll walk blocks upon blocks just so we can hang at our good friends’ “spot” — another way of showing that we care.

Carnival is about our time together.

We care for one another and share what we have with one another. “Here, have this last piece of king cake,” or “Who wants this last piece of Popeyes?” These are beautiful days to be remembered. This Carnival season we’ll head to the French Quarter to watch Melanie and the Merry Antoinettes strut their stuff in the Krewe Bohème parade. We’ll also be cheering on Ladybeast’s new show, “Vaude d’Gras – Broken Circus,” at the Marigny Opera House.

We’ll dance with friends and strangers alike. We’ll gather around the crawfish table peeling and eating crawfish. We’ll laugh and laugh and laugh. If you need us, give us a call and, if we don’t answer, you can find us on St. Charles Avenue, sidewalk side, waving our hands in the air.

Happy Carnival, y’all.

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Origin Story

Wonder Woman. Black Panther. Spider Man.

Seersucker Creative, a digital marketing company.

Everyone, even a digital marketing company, has an origin story we suppose but sometimes it’s hard to explain. “Start at the beginning,” is what the investigator always implores the subject to do in cinema and  in writing for movies the screenwriter is supposed to start as far into the story as they can. But hey, if an origin story is good enough for Captain America, Seersucker Creative can have one, too.

In a way, Seersucker Creative started with the creator of the seersucker suit himself, Joseph Haspel of New Orleans.

Haspel made work clothes out of seersucker for factory workers. The light material was perfect for humid conditions encountered in the shops, mills and factories across the Crescent City. In a moment of inspiration, Haspel realized he could take this cool material and not just fashion work clothes for the common man but take this uncommon material and make cool fashion for the businessman. Thus, in a way, crossing every societal boundary with one goal in mind — to be cool.

Fast-forward over a century and Seersucker Creative stands for those same beliefs.

What we believe

Seersucker Creative strives to not only promote and create solutions to help our clients achieve success across all boundaries but also to keep an eye towards volunteerism and helping those in need. Seersucker Creative approaches all clients — big and small — with the same high-caliber plans for success. No matter the goal, we can work together to figure out a solution.

But you can read all about that on the other pages.

The Seersucker Blog and our social media channels, while occasionally speaking to digital marketing strategies will also cover a wide range of topics such as the history of New Orleans, media relations, etiquette, who looks good in seersucker, who wore what at the Kentucky Derby and volunteer efforts and opportunities (not only our own but others as well).

It will be a far-reaching affair with one overriding theme — goodness.

Goodness in our craft. Goodness towards one another. Good play.

So, suit up, friends. It’s going to be a cool ride.

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When Is The Best Time to Post?

While Google is an effective tool for many of life’s tasks it can also overwhelm and lead to analysis paralysis when it comes to the best paths to take in digital marketing and, more specifically, social media.

“Google it” isn’t just a saying — it’s basically a way of life these days.

Making a delicious stir-fry tonight? Google it.
How bad did the Saints beat the Falcons? Google it.
Why does the #CityofYes have so many potholes? Google it.

Google is also a seemingly endless stream (or ocean-sized conundrum?), when it comes to information, on when is the best time for you to post on your social media channels.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are all different animals and digging deeper into each channel reveals that factors such as your audience, locations and devices used are all variables that come in to play (just to name a few). A nice Hubspot write up gives us some solid data on when to post on each social media channel but, like every other well-written article on the topic, always includes the proviso that you have to test and track your own metrics.

So, where does that leave your funny tweet about your mom’s Christmas ham fiasco?

We figure it out together.

Honestly, that is what every single article on when to post will boil down to.

When is my audience online? We figure it out.

What does my audience like the most? We figure it out.

Am I sending the right message to my audience? We figure it out.

Everyone’s audience is different. So, the Neil Patels and Hubspots of the world are only mere guide posts to keep us on track, but it is up to us to investigate and experiment, track results and act upon our research.

One of the most beautiful things in life is that we are all different. In the song, “Everyday People,” Sly Stone (along with the immortal Family Stone) once sang, “Different strokes for different folks.” Why should our social media channels be any different?

The most powerful weapon that digital marketing employs is its ability to track results and give us the information we need to act upon. After that, it’s all up to us.

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A Seersucker Creative Christmas Playlist

Well, with Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror there’s just no denying it — Christmas 2019 is upon us. No more complaining about stores playing Christmas music too early in the season as the time is now. So, please check out the new Seersucker Creative Christmas playlist, made with nothing but love.

We try to keep it fresh and a little bit different but you’ll find most of your old favorites like Wham’s, “Last Christmas,” and The Jackson 5’s “Santa Claus is Coming To Town.” You might also bump into some songs that you have not heard before like the Reverend Horton Heat’s, “Santa on the Roof,” or Poi Dog Pondering and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s, “Mele Kalikimaka.” You’re correct, we did have to look up how to spell that.

We’ve got Chuck Berry, James Brown, Mary J. Blige and Julian Casablanca to make it cool. We’ve got artists like Kermit Ruffins, Louis Armstrong and the Squirrel Nut Zippers to make it hot. It’s all here and we hope you enjoy it.

Also, whenever you visit the Seersucker Creative website you can always find a playlist by clicking on the Spotify icon at the bottom of the page.

Our clients are our friends and our friends are our family. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Merry Christmas from Seersucker Creative!