We are one of seven companies headquartered in West Virginia on this year’s list. In addition to achieving spectacular revenue growth of 150% over the last three years, our agency has also:

• Increased it’s total employee count by 179% (PS – we’re actually hiring right now! Check out our latest job openings.)
• Earned 5 awards from the WV Department of Commerce for entries into new international markets
• Received recognition as one of the Pittsburgh region’s best places to work by BizJournals
• Completed the acquisition of C-leveled, a Pittsburgh digital marketing agency
• Maintained its decade-long status as one of Google’s top 200 global partner

“As crazy as it seems today, back in 2006, people still weren’t sure if the Internet had staying power,” said Justin Seibert, our founder and President. “To see DOM grow from me doing work in my basement to hitting this mark really means a lot.”

“None of this would be possible without the tremendous team we have supporting our clients around the world,” he continued. “Everyone has contributed to this accomplishment. I feel very excited, blessed, and fortunate to get to work with so many talented experts and amazing human beings on our team every day.”

Our first ever ranking in the Inc. 5000 is 3,473 overall. In total, the 5000 companies included in this year’s list are responsible for creating over $317 billion in total revenue and adding over 1.1 million jobs to the economy.

The Inc. 5000 is a prestigious list that was first published in 1999, featuring the fastest growing and most innovative private companies in the US. To create the list, Inc. ranks overall revenue growth for every company that applies over a three-year period.

The complete list was released online on Tuesday, and the annual magazine featuring the top 500 companies will hit newsstands on August 23.

The post We Made The 2022 Inc. 5000 (And We’re WV’s 4th Fastest-Growing Company) appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

“the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.”

DOM’s Break It Ups

Here at DOM we took this definition to heart and designed our own weekly, 15-minute team activities called “Break It Ups.” The point of these activities is to get us away from our computer screens and clear our minds.  We have a standing event in our office calendar for Wednesdays at 2:40PM that reminds the whole office to pause and interact with our coworkers through fun activities.

Doing these Break It Ups helps the DOM team foster cooperation, motivation, and some healthy competition. They also give the team some time to relax and reenergize toward our work. We often feel more productive and eager to tackle our most difficult projects afterwards.

Looking To Grow? Idea Driven? Not A Jerk?
You Might Be A Great Fit For DOM.
Check Out Our Current Openings.

Team Building = Team Bonding

We recognize that the team spends a large portion of their days at the office; Break It Ups are a great way to get to know the coworkers we spend all our time with. Since starting DOM Break it Ups, we have developed stronger connections between the branches of the office as well as our teammates.

Haley Steed from our Organic Team told FitSmallBusiness.com that our Break It Ups are “.. a great way to break out of our weekly routine, and really laugh and bond with our colleagues. While it may seem silly (…), it really helps create an air of camaraderie in the office.”

Activities have included:  Scattergories, seeing which team could build the biggest tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows, and even Cards Against Humanity.

Team Activity Favorites

A DOM favorite has been Pictionary where we compete in teams to guess what each other are drawing. We set a timer and if nobody guesses by the time is up, that team loses out on the round. We may or may not fight over which team gets the graphic designer on their team.

The back to back drawing contest also brought out a competitive edge in us which was able to distract us for a few minutes. One of our PPC managers, Leland Reed, said this about his experience participating in the back to back drawing contest:

“One of my favorite things we’ve done for Break It Up is the back to back drawing exercise. It was a great way to explore the trust we have in each other and also get our minds off of work, while still dealing with some problem-solving situations. It also doesn’t hurt that my team dominated the competition and ended up with an almost perfect drawing.”

We love trying new activities every week and are always on the lookout for new ideas. Please share your ideas with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram!

Looking To Grow? Idea Driven? Not A Jerk?
You Might Be A Great Fit For DOM.
Check Out Our Current Openings.

The post Beat Work Stress With A Few Team Building Activity Ideas appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

What percentage of consumers find local goods and services on the web?

1. 1. A. 75%
   2. B. 97%
   3. C. 66%

I’ll give you a moment . . .
Take your best guess!

What percentage of business owners have claimed their local business listing on a search engine?

1. 1. A. 53%
   2. B. 45%
   3. C. 37%

Do you think you know the answers?

If you attended our Let’s Put Wheeling on the Map workshop, you already know the answers!

Previously we introduced you to Google’s GYBO program when we hit the road and helped Frederick, MD and Charleston, WV businesses get on the map. This time we took the program to our own backyard!

We love our hometown of Wheeling, WV and were eager to hold a Wheeling GYBO (Get Your Business on the Map) workshop to assist our local small business owners in getting on Google Maps.

We weren’t the only ones excited about bringing this program home. Several local organizations helped us spread the word and make this event happen! A huge thank you and shout out to:

• West Virginia Northern Community College
• Weelunk
• WTRF
• Wheeling CVB
• Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce

Check out the rest of our photos from the event.

At the workshop, we shared some mind-blowing statistics!

97% of consumers find local goods and services on the web, while only a mere 37% of business owners have ever claimed their local listing on a search engine.

I’m not referring to just any search engine either; I’m talking about the big one! You’ve probably heard of Google once or twice before, haven’t you?

Direct Online Marketing is a certified Google Partner in their Managed Agency Program. We were thrilled to once again partner with them for this awesome program. With help from the above organizations, we reached several businesses and helped them claim and optimize their Google listing.

Some of the awesome non-profit organizations and local businesses included:

• The Vagabond Kitchen
• Wheeling CVB
• The Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley
• Sandscrest Conference & Retreat Center
• Easter Seals
• Wheeling Country Day School
• Mmm…Popcorn
• King’s Daughter Child Care Center
• Comcast Spotlight
• Gabriel Project of West Virginia
• Engineered Foundation Solutions

Look them up!

The event began with our president, Justin Seibert, giving an overview of how search engine marketing can help small businesses grow. I then had the pleasure of speaking to the group specifically about Google My Business.

Moving forward, we plan on holding more of these events, not only in Wheeling but in surrounding areas as well. We also plan to hold open office hours in the near future where business owners will be able to stop in to our office to have our digital marketing experts assist with their listing.

Be sure to stop by often and follow us on social media to keep up with all of our upcoming events!

If you are local, please join us on Monday, October 12th for the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn. We will be presenting and exploring search engine marketing further.

Hope to see you there!

The post We Helped Put Wheeling on the Map! appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

First, let me give a little background about myself. I’m from Grafton, West Virginia, a small town around two hours southeast of Wheeling. I grew up in Grafton and lived there until I was 18, when I moved to Morgantown, West Virginia to attend West Virginia University. I graduated from WVU in both 2012 and 2014, first with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sport Management and then with a Master’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications.

In my spare time, I am a sports fanatic. I love almost any sport and will watch any type of sport on TV. My favorite teams are WVU of course, and then the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Penguins. I love to play golf, even though I am horrible and I’ve been trying to make myself enjoy running, but that’s an ongoing struggle.

I ended up at Direct Online Marketing after spending almost the entire summer searching for a job. When I saw the posting online for a Search Marketing Associate, it seemed almost too good to be true. A marketing job that was actual marketing and not sales? I was amazed I could find something like that in West Virginia, especially after I had been applying to jobs all over the country for months. I filled out the application and sent my information out and the next day I had a response and a phone interview set up. After my phone interview, I had an in-person interview and here I am!

My first day at DOM was honestly uneventful. It was a day full of paperwork and meeting new people. For the most part, the entire first week was uneventful. Since I had never done any type of search engine marketing, I couldn’t just jump in and start doing actual work. There was a lot of studying to become Google AdWords Certified, but I learned a lot while studying for those tests. It was during the first or second week that I found out what my first responsibilities would be and I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about them.

I quickly found out that I had nothing to be nervous about. Everyone at DOM is so helpful and the office really has a team feeling around it. It seems like everyone is in this thing together, which is a little refreshing in what has become a mostly me-first world.

As the days went on, I found myself with more and more responsibilities which was a welcome difference from my first week or so. The days seemed to be flying by because of how busy I was. I didn’t hate it, though, I was learning so much from every task that I had been given. Even now, I learn so much from doing each task.

So far, my favorite thing to do has been search queries. It may not seem like the most necessary thing, but there is a lot to be learned from what your customers are searching for. There is always a chance of finding a funny search term, which lightens up what can be a slightly tedious task. I really don’t have a least favorite thing to do yet. Everything has its own importance and I haven’t come across anything that gets under my skin too badly.

The past two weeks have been a big change from my first month here. I have my own campaigns that I am taking care of, and even though I am still being walked through some aspects, it makes me feel like I am a trusted member of the team now. It’s nice to feel like I am needed. Not saying I didn’t feel that way to begin with, but now that I am understanding the job and everything that is involved in it, I feel like everyone trusts me to be able to get whatever they need done and in the correct manner.

When I first got hired, I wasn’t sure how all of this would work out. Like I said, it seemed too good to be true, but now I see myself staying at Direct Online Marketing for a long time. The knowledge and experience that I have gained in such a short amount of time makes me excited for the future. I’m sure I’ll be back on our digital marketing blog sooner rather than later, sharing more information about what I have learned and things that are important to me and Direct Online Marketing as a whole.

The post The Beginning: My First Weeks of Search Marketing appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Paul said my digital marketing blog was the main reason he was interested in Direct Online Marketing in the first place. Maybe he was just sucking up for a nice holiday bonus, but I’ll take him at his word since he’s always been honest with me and his readers as far as I can tell.

Paul mentioned in yesterday’s post that we have in fact updated our little blog. Let me explain the reasoning behind it, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not to feed Paul’s wordpress fetish.

The main impetus for the switch is to allow commenting, which I want to address here. Contrary to popular opinion among bloggers (love to get everyone’s opinion here in the comments whether you post or just read and comment), I think it’s acceptable to have blogs that don’t offer commenting.

Having said that, it’s not preferable. We didn’t offer commenting before for one reason: time. When I first started the blog, we were a very tiny company with only enough staff to do some selling and satisfy our clients. I was worried about comments getting out of control and me not being able to monitor or respond quickly enough.

But then, enter Paul Woodhouse stage right (the anti-Snagglepuss if you will), and we made it a priority to add commenting.

So if you’re new to the Direct Online Marketing Blog and are wondering why we have a year’s worth of posts without any comments, now you know. We didn’t start allowing them until December 2007.

I also want to segway from our situation into something more applicable to business owners considering starting corporate blogs. My fear about not having enough time to keep up with comments is different from, but related to, two of the biggest fears I hear from business owners thinking about jumping into the fire. One is legit, the other is not.

Common Fears about Corporate Blogging

1. Getting badmouthed (the illegitimate fear). I call this illegitimate, but perhaps that’s not correct. The fear itself is very valid, but I think that fear goes away with some knowledge about blogging. Almost every time I present blogging as an option to business owners, I hear something like, “What if my competitors slam us?”

My old boss’ father used to tell him: “You only get two chances to make a first impression: the first time you meet someone and the first time you screw up.” When you encounter negative comments, I see that as getting to make your first impression for the second time – whether or not you did in fact screw up. By responding quickly with real answers in a real conversational tone, you come off smelling better than you ever would have without the negative comment being placed at all.

People like seeing that there’s a true face to the company, that face cares, and they can engage in a conversation. And if it really is a competitor messing with you, typically your readership will come to your defense. Plus you always have controls to guard against things like profanity, spam, and unreasonable commenters, although use that stick lightly.

2. Time (the MC Hammer 2 Legit to Quit fear). This is by far and a way, the most often recited reason I give to companies when I tell them not to blog. If you don’t have the time to blog (or monitor comments, as was our case for not including them), don’t.

It varies by industry, but my rule of thumb is to not do a blog unless you can reasonably put up a post at least once per week. You can also hire an outside firm to blog for you, but there needs to be a lot of thought that goes into this option, not the least of which is transparency. If you’re viewed as a flog, you could have a serious backlash.

Bottom line: don’t start blogging to start blogging. Do it with a purpose, a unique voice or perspective, and devote enough time.

In reviewing our plans for 2008 with a client, we suggested they start a blog.

I thought I didn’t have a chance with this one since the President had never even read a blog before. He had further been turned off by hearing at some online marketing conferences that blogs were necessary for everyone (not like this internet marketing conference where Lindsay Patross explained what blogs and their benefits are and allowed audience members to make up their own minds).

After going back for twenty minutes or so, realizing he would have time, that it would be a good potential outlet to address industry hot topics and further their credibility, and that he could own his traditional, non-techy industry, he decided to give it a shot. But that was after discussing both the positives and negatives with someone with intimate blogging knowledge – not on some whim.

So if you’re interested, do your homework. As long as you have the time, blogs could be right for your business.

Oh, and if you’ve previously downloaded our RSS feed, you shouldn’t need to download a new one after this switch over. If you’re having problems, though, please let us know.

The post Justin, You Got Some ‘Splainin’ to Do appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

Ah, but the subtlety is where its genius lies. On the face of it, I’ll admit, there does seem to be an air of a soap powder re-launch with nothing other than an announcement of it being 23% bigger, or with newly added [insert bogus scientific term]. However, what we’ve actually done is move our digital marketing blog over to WordPress. This meant we required a theme creating for the new blog and I think a splendid job has been done. It’s almost seamless.

And that’s lesson number one regarding blog integration to an existing site – MAKE IT LOOK SEAMLESS – or at least appear similar to your existing Website.

You’ll also notice that we’ve finally got comments enabled, so please feel free to bombard us with all that pent up frustration/love you’ve been wanting to share over the past year or so.

Then again, I suppose the switch-over has been timed rather nicely in conjunction with a good little piece in Sunday’s Charleston Gazette entitled Blogging for Dollars in which we get more than a tidy mention and I get to spout more of my blogging zen for the masses. Which is nice considering I probably bored the writer in question with my byzantine waffling in my email reply to her probing questions.

So, enjoy the article, enjoy the new blog and feel free to say what you’ve always wanted to say but were always unable to ask because we didn’t have comments enabled.

The post It’s Good to Talk appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

We’re (I say we in its royal sense) currently in the midst of moving this blog to a new home.

With any luck it should be fit for some form of human consumption fairly shortly.

Aren’t you simply dithering with anticipation?

At least you can start bombarding us with all those pent-up questions you’ve been desperate to know but were always too afraid to ask.

That means we’ve finally got comments.

Anyway, better crack on!

The post Moving appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

I am very pleased to announce that Paul Woodhouse has joined us. Paul’s first post will follow shortly, but being a modest bloke (that means he’s from England), I wanted to give you a little background information.

About Paul Woodhouse

Paul’s very talented and experienced in a wide range of internet marketing skills. One of his biggest strengths is blogging, especially blogging for businesses and corporations. When I call him a world renown expert for business blogging, I’m not blowing smoke or referring to the fact he emigrated from the UK.

The Tinbasher

One of the blogs that he created and still runs is the Tinbasher blog for Butler Sheetmetal. This blog was recently named as one of the top 50 blogs around the world by The Times of London. In fact it was the only blog listed in the Industrials category.

Even more important than awards, however, the Tinbasher brought in new business to Butler. Direct measurable benefits from blogging for a company that fabricates steel!

While this is probably an ideal time to mention that Direct Online Marketing offers free consultations so you can find out if blogging and other types of online marketing can help your business, I’m not going to do that. I’d rather just introduce Paul. I think you’ll enjoy and be educated by what he has to say.

Update: Paul has contributed countless comedic contributions to our digital marketing blog, be sure to check them out!

The post Paul Woodhouse Joins Direct Online Marketing appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.

It’s quite common for most natives to be slightly ‘down’ on their home parish. If we’re being honest, it didn’t take much for me to up sticks and leave my home town of Nelson in the UK and immigrate to the States. (Well it did – three years waiting for a visa if truth be told.) People of Nelson tend to be a tad surprised when ‘outsiders’ tell them what a pretty area they’re in and I’ve seen one or two similar looks since being in Wheeling. Sometimes, as a native, you can be a bit too close to a place to see the woods for the trees.

As a place Wheeling resonates with me personally as it has a certain bygone charm harking back to an era where heavy industries ruled. It’s also set in some delightful little rolling hills with some interesting buildings casually thrown around for good measure. It’s much different to vast swathes of America I’ve been party to; it isn’t just a series of flat sandy concrete shopping malls as far as the eye can see.

A few trees, a river and Victorian homes on hills, while they may remind me in some part of Blighty and are more than a pleasant backdrop, aren’t the only reason for me coming to Wheeling – it just made it easier.

If I’m being honest I think I may have taken this particular job irrespective of where it may have been. Having spent the past three and a half years teaching myself SEO and running quite a successful and well-known business blog, The Tinbasher, the idea of coming to Wheeling and working for Direct Online Marketing seemed too good an opportunity to pass up – something of a no-brainer (not me, but the job). Not only did I have the opportunity to continue with my business blogging, but also the chance to develop my organic SEO skills and learn a few new tricks as well.

So, you’re going to get a dose of me and a dose of Justin as we continue the digital marketing blog in the manner to which you’ve become accustomed. You’ll still be getting your valuable fix of information relating to online marketing and sales whether you’re a business owner, marketer, amateur or pro.

Once I’ve got my head round the backend, we’ll also be allowing commenting – doesn’t that sound magnanimous!

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions just drop me an email at paul@54.236.248.236/dom.

The post What On Earth Brings You To Wheeling? appeared first on Direct Online Marketing.