Most businesses can benefit from some sort of online presence. Ranging from sassy social media posts to economical e-commerce sites, the internet has limitless possibilities for your business. But you already know that, or you wouldn’t be here. You’ve realized that you’re not taking full advantage of the opportunities to grow your business digitally, and you’re looking for guidance about how to take those next steps. It can be a messy, muddled field to try to wade through, but look no further: Here at Beanstalk, we’re happy to answer all of your questions about digital marketing in St. Louis.

You can poke around the rest of our site to learn more about our work as a digital marketing agency in St. Louis, so we won’t go too much into our own credentials here. Just know that we’re confident in our ability to check every box on this list, and we’re a great option if you get to the bottom of this piece and realize your current digital marketing company doesn’t quite cut it.

The Why

Before we even get into all the criteria you should use to vet a digital marketing agency in STL, let’s explore why you would want to go through that process in the first place. Maybe you think you can do digital marketing in St. Louis yourself, or you’re leaning toward hiring an internal team to handle all your digital marketing needs. Those solutions might sound good at first, but read on for all the things a digital marketing agency in St. Louis can do for you that sets them apart.

Time

Like we said, it’s important in this day and age to have a robust online presence for your business, and you’re probably already aware of that and working on it to some extent. But have you ever thought about how much better you could be spending your time? Unless you, too, are a digital marketing agency in STL, you’re probably not an expert in the field, and you have other expertise. Consider all the other things you could be spending your time on if you got a team of experts to run your digital marketing for you. 

There’s also the option of hiring your own internal team of digital marketers, but that will include finding them, training them, and managing them, which is no small task. A digital marketing agency in St. Louis can prevent all those headaches, and it might be cheaper in the long run.

Tools

Digital marketing campaigns require a lot of specialized tools. These often come with a hefty subscription fee that might be a tough pill to swallow for you on your own, but a good digital marketing agency in St. Louis will have access to all the top-of-the-line tools from the jump. That’s another reason why hiring a digital marketing agency in STL can be more cost-effective than hiring an internal team — not only are you avoiding salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes, but you also don’t have to pay for the tools yourself.

Even if you did go ahead and drop a pretty penny on all the best digital marketing tools, you wouldn’t know how to best utilize all those shiny services right away. A digital marketing agency in St. Louis would have you covered there.

Flexibility

The right agreement with the right digital marketing agency in STL will provide you with the perfect level of flexibility for your business. Hopefully, the agency’s efforts will be so effective that you’ll eventually want them to scale up the campaigns, and they’ll be able to do that. If you’re relying on an in-house team, however, you might not have the resources to beef up your efforts at any given time. 

The other part of flexibility is shifting strategies based on results. Digital marketing in St. Louis is an ever-evolving field, and you need a flexible partner who can identify when something’s not working. 

Insight

Sometimes an outside perspective can work wonders for your business. A digital marketing agency in St. Louis can offer important insight about best practices for your specific area, and they’ll offer that insight on a recurring basis. You’ll get periodic reports from them about how the campaigns they’re running for you are doing, and that will help them refine their efforts on a rolling basis. You’ll get to see how they’re using their resources and what kind of returns you’re seeing, as well. Keep in mind that you’re probably not going to get this level of insight if you try to go it alone.

What’s more is that the digital marketing world moves quickly, and it might be too big a drain on your time to try to keep up with best practices as algorithms get updated and new platforms gain prominence. A digital marketing agency in St. Louis would take care of that completely.

Effectiveness

In many circumstances, a digital marketing agency in St. Louis can manage your budget more effectively than you could yourself. Since that’s one of their main focuses and potentially just a side project to you, it makes sense that an agency could do it better. This point combines a lot of the other ones, which makes it a good one to end on — with all of their insight, tools, flexibility, and focus, agencies can get a better result with your ad budget, which makes looking into them a no brainer.

The How

Now that you’re completely sold on hiring a digital marketing agency in St. Louis (we hope), you need some tips on what to look for. Digital marketing in St. Louis can seem like a crowded field, but there are some warning signs to look out for that can help you narrow down your options. Read on for the criteria to keep in mind.

Credibility

First, you’ll want to do your due diligence about any digital marketing agency in STL that you’re looking at. Are they reputable? Have they won any prestigious awards? Do they have good reviews and rankings? Obviously these are not the be-all-end-all when it comes to determining whether a company is worth doing business with, but they’re good places to start.

Once you’ve contacted them, be wary of overpromising. If the agency promises you the world for a shoestring budget, it’s probably not going to work out. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have aggressive goals or to be confident in their techniques, but do be at least a tad skeptical if the digital marketing agency in St. Louis is acting like any of their stretch goals are guarantees. They should be totally upfront with you about how realistic their goals are.

Can They Cater to You?

You’ll also want to really examine your own needs before you contact a digital marketing agency in St. Louis. It’s important to know the size of the services you’re interested in. If you want a digital marketing agency in STL to run a big show for you with the whole works, that’s not going to come cheap. And conversely, if you only want one small service, well, it might not be worth the agency’s time. Do your own research first and then look for agencies that are the right size for you.

Different agencies also specialize in different aspects of digital marketing, so be clear on what your priorities are for a digital marketing agency in St. Louis. Many offer a wide variety of services but only specialize in a few key areas, so don’t lose sight of what’s important to you. A digital marketing agency in St. Louis can also help you figure out what your priorities should be and can show you where their specialties and your specific needs intersect. 

Knowledge

You want to make sure you’re dealing with a company that knows what they’re doing and is committed to staying up to date on all the best digital marketing practices. It might be hard to ask the right questions here if you’re not in the know, but just listen to how they describe their work, and if you need any clarification on terms, they should be happy to explain. We’re sure you want to understand what your money is going toward, and a good digital marketing agency in STL will be happy to break it down for you. However, it’s also a good idea to go into meetings having done a little baseline research so you have a place to start. 

You’ll also want to ask questions about the work they’ve done for other companies. They might be able to show you case studies of their previous work, or that might be confidential, but it’s worth asking about. A digital marketing agency in STL should be able to talk generally and vaguely about the work they’ve done in the past at the very least, and if they won’t even go there, that’s a potential red flag. If, on the other hand, they can show you good results they’ve gotten in the past, that’s a good sign that it’s an effective digital marketing agency in St. Louis.

Presentation

We all know the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that isn’t completely true of digital marketing in St. Louis. You should do at least a little judging by the look of the company’s online presence. 

Does the digital marketing agency in STL have a really slick blog with awesome, helpful posts like this one? (At least, we hope you consider this a really awesome, helpful post). Or is their site pretty lackluster, riddled with errors, and nothing but a mess? It’s pretty obvious, but if a digital marketing agency in St. Louis is not marketing themselves very well, chances are they won’t market you very well, either.

You don’t have to be super snobby about it, but you should definitely peruse their site and see what’s up. Take note of what information is included and what tidbits are missing. Glance at their social media accounts, if they have them (and they should). If it looks appealing, the agency might be worth reaching out to. And if not, there’s no shame in narrowing down your list.

Communication

Making sure you and the digital marketing agency in STL you want to hire are on the same page is a crucial step to determining which company to go with. This point goes along with several others we’ve already mentioned, but it deserves its own section, too. If the company can’t satisfactorily explain what they want to do with your digital marketing, it’s probably not a good fit for you.

This is also a good place to highlight the specific benefits of hiring a local digital marketing agency. A company that understands your location is a great asset, and they can provide you with specialized service a big, faraway firm just couldn’t. Face-to-face meetings (or perhaps mask-to-mask meetings in this day and age) can be incredibly helpful, and that’s a lot more feasible when you and your digital marketing agency live in the same city. All this makes local digital marketing in St. Louis a great option for your business.

Conclusion

Digital marketing in St. Louis can be a great tool to add to your business-growing toolkit. The benefits are wide-ranging. Hiring an agency can be a cost-effective and flexible way to provide greater insight into the process. You’ll get access to the best tools on the market, and you won’t spend your valuable time getting into the weeds on the specifics of campaigns day-to-day. All this can mean your digital advertising budget is being used more effectively.

Once you’ve decided you’re going to hire a digital marketing agency in St. Louis, you’ve got to pay attention to a few key elements to make sure you’re choosing the right firm for you. Can they answer all the questions you ask satisfactorily? Are they the size you need? Do they specialize in an area you’re interested in? Do they have a proven track record? These are all questions you should address.

If you’re struggling to find a digital marketing agency in St. Louis that embodies all of these characteristics, you don’t have to look any further. At Beanstalk, we strive to excel in all of these areas and more. We would be thrilled to come up with a digital marketing plan tailored to your needs — contact us today to get started.

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How Adding an Online Plant Shop Helped Sugar Creek Gardens Stay Open During COVID-19

With Stay At Home Orders affecting people across the country, businesses have had to modify their operations significantly to adapt to a new normal. Such was the case for Sugar Creek Gardens, a Kirkwood nursery that has temporarily shut down their store to customers. Instead of halting business completely, Sugar Creek Gardens turned to Beanstalk to help develop an online store.

Sugar Creek Gardens offers 2500+ plant varieties, specializing in exceptional and rare perennials and shrubs. After selling her excess plants at the Kirkwood Farmer’s Market, Ann Lapides developed her passion for plants into a local business. Sugar Creek Gardens has been a part of the community for 30 years.

When Sugar Creek temporarily closed their storefront to protect their customers, calls asking to purchase plants came flooding in. The number of calls they received was overwhelming, so they asked us to help them create their Online Plant Shop where customers can purchase plants from the comfort of their homes. 

The online shop allows customers to browse plants, pots, and gardening supplies and place orders for curbside pickup. Upon placing their order online, customers schedule a time to come pick up their plants. Sugar Creek Garden places the orders onto tables right outside their doors; then, customers can safely find and pick up their orders.

Since the shop went live, Sugar Creek Gardens has been fielding many new orders from customers. And Sugar Creek will be able to continue utilizing its online store after its doors reopen for in-house shopping. Customers love the convenience of being able to find the plants they need quickly online and have them ready to load into their trunk when they roll up to Sugar Creek Gardens.

Beanstalk has worked with several other companies, like Sugar Creek, to begin offering products, gift cards, and services online. Online shopping capabilities have proved enormously helpful to small businesses seeking to boost revenue during the coronavirus outbreak. They also provide an opportunity for long-term success, even after regular, in-store operations resume. If you’d like to add shopping functionality to your website, talk to an expert today.

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The reality is that the global pandemic is affecting most businesses, whether directly or indirectly. Whether you are just a consumer, a B2C business, or a B2B business odds are you have been affected in some way by COVID-19. Many small businesses need to find new ways to make money and stay afloat. There are various ways that you may not have thought of, but we hope to provide you with some ideas to boost your business during uncertain times.

For B2C businesses, one thing you can do is make gift cards available for purchase online. Offering gift cards for your customers gives your business a small cash infusion immediately to make it through these uncharted times and also allows your customers to feel included.

Gift cards basically work as a no-interest loan from a consumer to business. Consumers, in turn, feel as if they have helped, even if it is just in the form of a simple gift card that they will eventually use at your business, whether that be now or post-pandemic. If they use the gift card, they are helping bring business to you, and may even bring others with them. Or they might forget about the gift card and never even use it, making it a loan that you never have to pay back. Unfortunately, or fortunately, in this case, $1 billion in gift cards go unused every year.

Support Small Businesses

Another way that you can support fellow businesses is by supporting them online. Shout out other small businesses whether they are in your industry or in another industry. We are all in this together. We need to support each other and let any rivalries go. Don’t be afraid to reach out to businesses, collaborate, and be creative together. Small businesses more than ever need to stick together and lift each other up. Is there a product or service that you could provide that will help another small business prosper?

The bottom line is, whether you are selling gift cards, supporting other businesses, or working together with other businesses, you will make it through to the other side and be better than ever before. This pandemic does have a silver lining, and many businesses will come back even more efficiently than before, with new strategies for gaining revenue and growth. Keep working hard and doing your part to help businesses around you.

If you are interested in adding gift cards for purchase on your website, contact us!

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Since we are staying safe and working from home for the time being, we asked everyone at Beanstalk for their top tips for working from home.

1. Set Up a Good Workspace

“Make your home office as much like your real office as possible – I find it very helpful to keep my work environment the same. I have my desk set up identically to how it usually is at the office. This also allows me to separate my work life from my home life, even though they are now existing in the same place.” – Suzie

2. Stay Active

“Try exercising every day to stay healthy. Outdoor walks, jogs, etc. help the mind significantly, not just the body.” – Tim

3. Keep Caffeinated

“Make sure you have plenty of your favorite coffee or tea on hand. We are still working standard office hours and we all need our favorite caffeine to get through the day.” – Asher

4. Pace Yourself

“Don’t fill your plate with too much at once. Pace yourself. Don’t get overwhelmed. And, take time in the morning to center yourself and just breathe before you get right into your workload.” – Rusty

5. Keep in Touch With People

“Keep in touch with people. If working by yourself isn’t your thing, set up a video chat and work alongside your coworkers or your friends. Just having people around, even virtually, can help you stay focused and keep you from feeling too isolated.” – Sam 

6. Minimize Distractions

“Hold daily meetings, stay connected, use a camera. Know your distractions, silence them. Turn off weapons of mass distraction. Wear clothes.” – Mike

7. Eat Right

“Now is the perfect time to prepare food at home and get healthy. Cooking is a great way to connect with others, exercise your creativity, and feel a sense of accomplishment. Find some new recipes online or make recipes you haven’t had in a while. Try something new like eliminating oil, eating plant-based, or even counting calories. You can order carry-out every once in a while, or support your favorite restaurants in other ways – like buying gift cards.” – Braxton

8. Separate Work from Life

“Have a designated space to do your work.  If you’re an early riser and want to fire off some emails from bed, that’s fine, but spend the majority of your workday in your workspace to keep your personal life and work life as separate as possible when working from home.” – Grant 

9. Stay Comfortable

“Make sure your desk and chair are ergonomic, so you aren’t uncomfortable by the end of the day or dreading sitting down to a source of discomfort.” – Anna

10. Take Care of Yourself

“Now more than ever it’s important to stay healthy while cooped up at home. I like to get a daily workout. Once my workout is complete I take some much-needed relaxation time. My favorite way to relax at the end of the day is by watching the Bachelorette and putting on a soothing face mask.” – Alex

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Alex Domino

Title:

Project Manager

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m 25 years old and have a B.S. in Biology from Lindenwood University, where I was a member of the lacrosse team.

How long have you been at Beanstalk and what is your role at the company?:

I’ve been with the company for four months now.  I communicate with our clients and developers to oversee the completion of all projects at Beanstalk Web Solutions.

What do you like most about your job?:

I like the people I work with and the different challenges my job presents everyday.

What should potential clients know about Beanstalks services?:

We strive to provide excellent customers service and a great product.  We are honest with our pricing and want our clients to make the best decision for their needs.

What do you do when you’re not at work?:

I coach the high school lacrosse team at Priory High School.

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Computer science aficionado Tim Hebel has turned his childhood computer programming hobby into a bona fide business.

In 2011, he founded Beanstalk Web Solutions, which offers website design, e-commerce stores, pay-per-click ad management, SEO campaigns, large web application projects, custom programming and web technology consulting.

“I’ve always had an interest in computer science, and while growing up programming was a hobby of mine,” Hebel said. “So often in this industry, companies take advantage of those who lack computer science knowledge. It was my goal to start a company that provides effective web-related services in a transparent manner and at a fair cost.”
Hebel started Beanstalk as a self-taught, solo practitioner in his home. He now has a team of employees working in a lively office in downtown Webster Groves. He began by building websites for small businesses. Now the business includes Internet marketing services and advanced web programming. He and his crew represent a wide range of skills including graphic design, sales and client development, marketing and public relations.

Hebel gets the most job satisfaction by providing excellent customer service and knowing he can help clients expand their businesses. He also finds satisfaction in “knowing that I can help my clients while also providing my services at a fair price,” he said. “I also enjoy networking with the business community in the St. Louis area.”

Clients tell Hebel they appreciate him being straightforward about how web development and Internet marketing works.

As an example of its transparency and its confidence to let results speak for themselves, Beanstalk offers month-to-month contracts for Internet marketing services.

Beanstalk launched a new website Aug. 4. It is offering a limited-time sale on its pay-per-click ad management service and waiver of the set-up fee.

Beanstalk Web Solutions

23 N. Gore Ave. Ste 004 • Webster Groves • 314-736-4430

Here’s a link to the original article.

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Key features of the site include a cleaner and more attractive design, a more engaging user experience, and the ability to view sample WordPress themes directly through the website.

“We are excited to be able to offer the ability to view sample WordPress themes through our website. This feature allows users to get an idea of what their site could look like before we even start working on it.” said Casey Messmer, Internet Marketing Manager. “As a company that designs websites, we want to offer as many paths to the client as possible.”

The site’s refreshed and simplified look, combined with enhanced content, improved search functionality, and optimization for mobile devices allows users to better interact with Beanstalk Web Solutions.

This includes the ability to contact Beanstalk Web Solutions directly through their contact feature on their website homepage. Changes to the Beanstalk Web Solutions appearance and design will be apparent upon visiting for anyone familiar with the website. The company has significantly modernized this user portal to accommodate a growing customer-base, expanding as the company continues to branch out into new areas.

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On May 28th at 5:00pm Beanstalk Web Solutions officially cut the ribbon to our new location at 23 N. Gore Ave in Webster Groves Missouri. Beanstalk Web Solutions was joined by over 75 guests who looked on as Tim Hebel, the owner of Beanstalk Web Solutions cut the ceremonial ribbon to open our new location.

Below are a couple photos of the event.

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Beanstalk Web Solutions, a local web development and internet marketing company, is proud to announce a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

The grand opening will commemorate the opening of its first office, located at 23 North Gore Ave, Suite 004 on Thursday, May 28 from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Beanstalk Web Solutions was founded in 2013 by Tim Hebel when he was 22 years old. “Though we have been a fully functioning company for two years, we have never had a space of our own,” Hebel said. “The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Beanstalk Web Solutions marks the launch of a new beginning for ourselves and for our clients.”

Beginning with just three employees, Beanstalk’s first staff members all worked from home.

Now, seven employees work together at the new location. “Though working from home was not a bad thing, being able to just walk to the next room to talk to my coworkers is a lot easier than waiting for an email response,” said Casey Messmer, Beanstalk’s Internet Marketing Manager who has been with the company for one year. “Brainstorming and working together has really become a part of our daily process.”

Beanstalk Web Solutions creates, designs, and maintains websites for its clients while providing web-related services that go above and beyond the expectations of its customers.

Web development and internet marketing is an industry where companies prey on those who lack knowledge on the subject by making their work seem more necessary and complex than it actually is. Beanstalk Web Solutions strives to strike down this stereotype by conducting business honestly and transparently.

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