About Us
These days, your business cannot grow with an amazing presence online. Things like search optimization and online reviews are the new word of mouth, and you probably know next to nothing about how to create a great brand online. That's where I come in at- let me educate you before spending a small fortune on things that just don't work.
What do I do? I'm a copywriter by trade that's worked in the digital marketing world for over 20 years now. I can help you create an amazing website that converts visitors into customers, plus I can help/advise you with email, content and video marketing, sales funnels, social media and so much more.
So how do we work together? I'm a handshake type of guy that keeps things simple at Upstate Synergy. Let's sit down for lunch one afternoon, talk about where you're struggling, and I'll gladly give you a blueprint for getting on the right track. If we do business together then that's great...but that's never my #1 priority.
I'm simply here to help and network with other great business owners.
How We Got Started
There simply weren't any internet marketing firms in the Upstate- there were only companies that sold basic websites that weren't optimized for people. And as an Upstate restaurant owner myself back at the turn of the century, I was taken advantage of more than once. So I learned digital marketing, discovered my love for copywriting and I've been helping local businesses ever since.
The products and services we offer
Products & Services
My team and I build gorgeous, fully responsive websites that are optimized for people in every possible way. We take a lot of pride in engaging yo...
If you're looking to capture the attention of ideal customers, it takes an awesome copywriter in your corner that truly understands marketing. Fro...
Recommendations Given (16)
"Thanks for reaching out! I just recommended you to help grow your network here. Also, I'm new..."
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"Thanks for reaching out! I just recommended you to help grow your network here. Also, I'm new to Alignable but always willing to find ways we can network together...please let me know if you have any ideas or if I can help you in any way!"
"Thanks for reaching out! I just recommended you to help grow your network here. Also, I'm new..."
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"Thanks for reaching out! I just recommended you to help grow your network here. Also, I'm new to Alignable but always willing to find ways we can network together...please let me know if you have any ideas or if I can help you in any way!"
Recent Activity
Hi James-
To make a long story short, you are learning the hard way that it's not easy to rank on Google Local. And what some have failed to mention her is that it's possible that your business will never, ever rank no matter what optimizations are completed.
Location plays a massive factor. ...
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Hi James-
To make a long story short, you are learning the hard way that it's not easy to rank on Google Local. And what some have failed to mention her is that it's possible that your business will never, ever rank no matter what optimizations are completed.
Location plays a massive factor. If you're not central for the city you're targeting, then you'll have to spend 10x a business that does. Your site's overall rankings and it's interactions with customers are also critical. If people aren't clicking through to multiple pages, leaving occasional comments and using your contact form, then your problem is bigger than Google Local. Get someone you trust to take a look and give an honest opinion before you spend any more money.
Long story short, it is becoming very hard to "bluff" Google these days. Either you prove that you're the real deal through actual customer interactions or the search engines will ignore you. There's just no way around that.
1 Reply
I'll post the free listing on Yellow Pages, YP.com and similar sites, but the sponsored listings just aren't worth it in digital format since major categories have dozens of sponsored slots. You could actually pay good money and still have nobody see your ad.
If you're talking about the printed...
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I'll post the free listing on Yellow Pages, YP.com and similar sites, but the sponsored listings just aren't worth it in digital format since major categories have dozens of sponsored slots. You could actually pay good money and still have nobody see your ad.
If you're talking about the printed directories then I think there's even less value since most homes/businesses throw the books away these days. For certain industries though (think seniors), it's likely still viable.
I would not recommend Weebly for one simple reason- you're renting a website that someone else has full control over. Patrick was right that the coding in any drag and drop builder make them a little tougher to rank, but the bigger issue to me is that if you do complete all the SEO, build an...
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I would not recommend Weebly for one simple reason- you're renting a website that someone else has full control over. Patrick was right that the coding in any drag and drop builder make them a little tougher to rank, but the bigger issue to me is that if you do complete all the SEO, build an awesome website and end up ranking fantastic, it's still not yours....everything belongs to Weebly.
The other issue is that Weebly limits you to some degree- why wouldn't you want a WordPress site with thousands of awesome plug-ins (mostly free) that can let you add new functionality in minutes? That's why over 60% of today's sites are on the WP platform. Better security, cleaner code, easier to maintain and update...I can go on and on.
For a basic 1 page profile site that doesn't need to rank, Weebly is a fine choice. For almost anything else though, you're spending more money long term to have far less control over your site. Besides initial costs, there are zero benefits to using Weebly.
Awesome question! I'll usually know pretty quick up front like others have said. I look for relationships and someone that feels trustworthy, relatable and passionate about what they're doing. Mostly though, I just want to do business with good people that care. That's basically my approach...
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Awesome question! I'll usually know pretty quick up front like others have said. I look for relationships and someone that feels trustworthy, relatable and passionate about what they're doing. Mostly though, I just want to do business with good people that care. That's basically my approach as a client and a consumer.
For me personally, it's always worth my time- I provide B2B services so my ideal clients are on LinkedIn (and maybe here). That's the key for any business type- go to where your ideal customers are and focus on HELPING and EDUCATING them.
An example is a comment I made just like this one in...
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For me personally, it's always worth my time- I provide B2B services so my ideal clients are on LinkedIn (and maybe here). That's the key for any business type- go to where your ideal customers are and focus on HELPING and EDUCATING them.
An example is a comment I made just like this one in another Q/A chat- a person had a question about their website. I provided a detailed answer, that person followed up by calling me and I did some basic work for them. This was about three months ago.
Last month, that same person referred me to one of their largest clients for a massive opportunity. They've also hired me for odd jobs several times since then...all because I took the time to answer a simple question that I was really knowledgeable about. I have referred business to that person as well, so we're literally helping each other grow.
That's what social media is SUPPOSED TO BE...most people just don't use it like that.
For instance, I'm a copywriter that builds websites, plus creates marketing material and sales funnels for my clients- would it help you to have a friend like me? Of course it would! And you can help me just as much through referrals, introductions, your business knowledge, etc.
That's what we're here for...networking and helping each other grow. That's real social and it's very powerful in any business. I hope my answer helped.
Believe it or not, I pick up multiple customers a month by offering a free lunch to sit down and talk about their business challenges. It's one of the best pages I ever put on my website.
To me, the challenge is finding ways to educate clients that I can make them considerably more money. I'm a...
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Believe it or not, I pick up multiple customers a month by offering a free lunch to sit down and talk about their business challenges. It's one of the best pages I ever put on my website.
To me, the challenge is finding ways to educate clients that I can make them considerably more money. I'm a copywriter that builds websites. Every business these days should know that a great homepage is your #1 sales tool. If your site's not completely optimized for people, then nobody finds you in search or Google Maps. That's my challenge- teaching you that without sounding like a typical sales pitch.
So I just focus on starting relationships these days and let potential clients see my value on their own. The sit-down lunch is just a way to open those doors to people- I basically tell clients to ask me anything and I'll provide detailed insights they can use right away. So I focus on building the trust first and then I don't have to sell at all.
I hope that helps.
Honestly, there's no difference at all since social should not be about marketing or selling...it's about building engagement. That's where 99.9% of business owners go wrong on social media; they're focused on the quick return instead of building loyal customers that love hearing about the...
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Honestly, there's no difference at all since social should not be about marketing or selling...it's about building engagement. That's where 99.9% of business owners go wrong on social media; they're focused on the quick return instead of building loyal customers that love hearing about the company and its culture.
Start real conversations that your group genuinely cares about. As long as you're doing that, people will find you and you'll grow over time. The other side of that equation is to start off with great people involved helping you- get your staff involved and invite your colleagues into the...
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Start real conversations that your group genuinely cares about. As long as you're doing that, people will find you and you'll grow over time. The other side of that equation is to start off with great people involved helping you- get your staff involved and invite your colleagues into the conversation. That's how anything organic expands.
I think we'd all answer that question similar- we obviously want to make a great income, but the main goal is to give great products/services at a price that provides value to our customers. For me personally, expanding my business is about helping others and empowering them to do more for their...
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I think we'd all answer that question similar- we obviously want to make a great income, but the main goal is to give great products/services at a price that provides value to our customers. For me personally, expanding my business is about helping others and empowering them to do more for their clients.