Author: Eric Needle

  • Unlock Your Business Potential Online with Digital Marketing

    Unlock Your Business Potential Online with Digital Marketing

    Does your site drives less customers and leads than it used to?

    A website is essential for any business looking to grow sales, but simply having a website is not enough. If you site isn’t performing, then what you’re missing is digital marketing.

    Search engines are the new yellow pages. Does big tech have their thumb on the scale, when it comes to your business getting found online? The answer is yes, but it’s surprisingly easy to rank in search engines. But, you have to compete!

    Get started with a free consult

    Digital advertising has come of age in every market and it’s changing the business landscape. The reason for this is simple: All search is local. Understanding this and how it impacts your sales is a key to changing the equation in your favor.

    Most professional service firms still do business the old fashioned way, and while networking, chambers, and word of mouth referrals still works, they will not get you found on Google.

    If all search is local, then how do big national firms outrank me?

    It’s because they advertise. Their websites are optimized, their content marketing never stops. Their Social Media is extensive and they pay for the privilege of coming up first in search. And it happens with such regularity that you’re pushed to the second, third, and fourth pages in search returns—if you rank at all.

    But fear not, all hope is NOT lost. You just have to play the game. When it comes to local search, when you compete, the big guys can’t beat you. Yet, most small businesses don’t even try, and wonder why they lost market share.

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    Consider these truths

    Content is King

    In 1996, Bill Gates coined the phrase. We think original content is king. This quote is very often used to that unique, high-quality, interesting and relevant content contributes significantly to the success of companies on the Internet. Content marketing and SEO are essential to being found in search.

    Online advertising works

    There reason Google dominates search and online advertising is because it works. Google and You Tube Ads are not cheap, but they are effective. Most small businesses can’t justify a few thousand dollars a month in ad spend, but the ones that do understand that it’s essential.

    The learning curve is what hurts. It’s expensive and when you try and do it yourself, well, you learn why it’s a profession.

    Social Media has always been “Pay-to-Play”

    Facebook was never really designed as a place to share your lives with friends and family. Social platforms exist to determine which ad to serve you, period. Understanding this, helps us to use each channel, better, and more effectively.

    If you are not spending on social media, you’re missing out on reaching thousands of potential customers. And the 600 lb. gorillas in your market are. That’s how they win in our local area. Their content and ad spend is used to take over your local market.

    When you compete, you see that advertising works and all the services we provide have meaning and ROI.

    Now, add AI to the Mix

    But wait, it gets worse… or better, depending on your perspective.

    Factor in AI to the equation and see how the threat increases. What does Artificial Intelligence in marketing today mean for us?

    We compete against every nation in the world, to land each website and digital marketing client. Not long ago, it was nearly impossible for a web company outside of the US to provide value for a local, small business. And that’s because they just don’t know how to speak to, or market your services. The culture divide is too wide and we see that every time we’re stuck on the phone with customer support from another country.

    But now, with the help of AI, out of area competition can speak in your language. They can sound local and look local. The big guys are making it easier and lowering their costs to reach our local audience. And again, they’re winning—until you compete.

    Whole industries are transforming or trying to. As a marketing guy, I see huge agencies buying up small firms like mine, for market access, but they underestimate the agency model. I’ve been building the web, professionally, since 1992. At every stage, I’ve had to compete with new tech, innovation, and foreign firms seeking a share of our local markets. But none of this can compete with a local professional who knows their market.

    It’s the same for search. The prescription for you is to begin to compete online and it starts with your website, the thing you own.

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    Conclusion: Pretty websites aren’t enough

    At Longbow Strategic Group, we understand that a visually appealing website is just the beginning. While anyone can build a pretty website, the real challenge is to make it work as a powerful tool for your business. That’s why we go beyond aesthetics to design, build, and promote websites that not only look great but also deliver results.

    Our experienced designers and developers specialize in creating modern, user-friendly websites that are tailored to your unique business needs. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, we work closely with you to understand your goals, target audience, and brand identity to create a website that reflects your vision and drives results.

    As you work with us, you keep local dollars in our market. We do not outsource, but many do.

    One of the key pillars of our approach is performance. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, users expect websites to load quickly and seamlessly across all devices. Slow loading times can significantly impact user experience and drive potential customers away. With our expertise in website optimization techniques, we ensure that your website loads lightning-fast, keeping visitors engaged and reducing bounce rates.

    Web Promotion Services

    Building a website is only the first step, promoting it effectively is even more important.

    With our comprehensive digital marketing services, we help you grow your business, increase your online visibility, drive targeted traffic to your website, and ultimately, convert visitors into loyal customers.

    • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
    • Content Marketing (SEM)
    • Social Media Management, Boosts, Ads, and Re-targeting
    • Email Campaigns and Newsletters
    • Traditional Advertising and Direct Mail

    What sets Longbow apart is our commitment to delivering measurable results. By analyzing key metrics such as traffic, conversions, and engagement, we analyze and refine what we do for continual promotion.

    Digital Marketing is more than your website. Don’t settle for an under-performing website, instead, rebuild with a powerful digital presence that drives real growth. Partner with Longbow and unleash the full potential of your business.

    Contact us to learn more about our website design, development, and promotion services.

  • Promoting the Grant BBQ Festival

    Promoting the Grant BBQ Festival

    Build a successful marketing campaign

    In a nutshell, digital marketing is all about recognizing your audience, tuning your brand to meet their interests, and then guiding them to your website and services.

    Your website is the crucial piece of the puzzle in marketing, as it is the sole online property that you control. Social media, news outlets, and even your book listings on Amazon are all managed and maintained by another entity, one that, in order to continue their services, must market themselves first and foremost over you and your brand.

    Your website is not just a general sales pitch, it’s the intersection where all your marketing efforts should meet; social media efforts should drive viewers to your website—not the other way around.

    You own your website, but Facebook owns your account.

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    Grant BBQ Festival

    The Grant BBQ Fest is an annual cookout and fundraiser created by radio personality and DJ, Timmy Vee, to help raise money and awareness of his charity, Toys For Kids—an-all volunteer organization which works to provide toys and gifts to the children of families in need for Christmas. Every year, hundreds of people flock to the three-day event to participate in the epic grill-out for a good cause.

    But this year was different, Timmy decided that, in order to reach more people, he needed a powerful marketing strategy. In the month leading up to the event, Longbow worked to bolster the fundraiser’s outreach through a digital campaign, and the first step was to build a proper website.

    A successful website’s purpose is to demonstrate your product or service with clarity, draw people to complete an action, and be the cornerstone of your marketing campaign. For an event, a website needs to provide information about its location, directions and parking, entry fees, timetables, a description of the available activities and entertainment, and of course, have a healthy supply of pictures to showcase the event to the public. And grantbbqfestival.com does exactly that, and is laser-focused on providing the information necessary for attendees. With the website clean and complete, the real work begins—social media.

    Visit Grant BBQ Fest‘s Facebook Page.

    Every brand has a specific audience you need to target, but how do you start?

    “We knew that we would find a big percentage of Timmy’s audience on Facebook, but Grant BBQ Festival hadn’t built up their connections. With only a month to spare, it was a race to modernize. We’d need Timmy’s voice to connect with all the past BBQ-lovers and supporters—and gather both old and new traffic to our new channel.”

    By reaching out and connecting to past attendees and sponsors, we rekindled old friendships, and created a network of people ready to receive and share our new Facebook news feed.  But the network was far from complete, to ensure that people would hear our message, we reached out to the local press, getting small ads and mentions—broadening our voice. We purchased Facebook advertisements, allowing us to reach the local population, instead of getting lost amidst Facebook’s world-wide network. We sent press releases to local papers, and created graphics promoting the event.

    With all the pieces in place, we began the process, using the Facebook page to promote the Cookout, live entertainment, Car Show, Food Market and Crafts, and of course, the BBQ contest. We posted everything—basic informative posts, pictures from past events, and even ran a meme campaign. Our main focus was to not simply raise awareness about the event, but to physically connect potential viewers to those involved. Memes and funny captions are critical in this sense, helping us to connect our audience to the voices of the volunteers, the bands who agreed to play live at the event, and Timmy Vee himself.

    It’s important to remember that when using social media to market your brand, your personal reach is limited, and there’s only so much you can do for yourself. But by actively encouraging your target audience to engage with your page and to share your posts, you are jump-starting a powerful marketing engine. Using a plethora of photos is a critical aspect of a social media campaign, as they help you to become prominently featured in your audience’s streams, tag specific people to create a solid foundation of links, and most importantly, showcase the past successes of your event.

    Facebook suppresses most traffic, but once enough people engage, when it becomes popular, they instead lift up your posts above the noise. We call it critical mass.

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    The Result

    This year’s Grant Barbeque Festival had the largest turnout in the event’s history, reaching people all over central Florida. It not only proved the worth of building up a social media campaign from scratch, but laid down the groundwork for following years—The Grant BBQ Fest can only get bigger from here on out.

    Regarding the results of the Grant BBQ marketing campaign, Timmy Vee writes,

    “In the 17 years of the Festivals history, I have never seen online promotion and Marketing like I saw this year. I was a bit worried, but believed in Longbow after speaking with Eric and his son, Ryan. I didn’t understand everything at first, but I was made a believer. Looking forward to the 18th annual Grant BBQ Festival next year, with very little stress! Trust me when I tell you, it was amazing.”

    So many companies out there can build you a website, but often forget the most important part—promotion. Longbow’s mantra is “Brand, Content, Digital”. We don’t just leave you with a shiny new website to fend for yourself, we initiate marketing campaigns, designed to get your brand on your feet and seen by your target audience.


    For more information on Timmy Vee and the Grant BBQ Fest, visit http://grantbbqfestival.com/, and http://toysforkidsbrevard.org/

    Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/grantbbqfest

    To see how Longbow can work for you, visit https://www.longbow.net/to Design, Build, and Promote your brand.

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  • Toys for Kids helps needy kids celebrate the holidays

    Toys for Kids helps needy kids celebrate the holidays

    by Ryan Needle

    What does it look like to brighten up Brevard County by giving away toys to those who might not have had much under their Christmas Trees?

    Toys for Kids Brevard completed their 2024 toy drive, culminating in their giveaway, held at Azan Shriners Center in Eau Gallie. This year we saw 2,500 registrations!

    Community raises support for kids at Christmas

    Timmy Vee, Space Coast radio personality and DJ, has worked for years to make sure kids have something under their tree for the Holidays. Timmy’s nonprofit, Toys For Kids, works to provide toys and gifts to the children of families in need, and every year, companies across Brevard County Florida support their efforts with fundraising.

    “I started Toys for Kids in 1995 because I felt that there was a huge need in Brevard County,” Timmy Vee, founder of Toys for Kids shared with us. “I was doing a radio Morning show and we were getting tons of calls asking where they could get help for the holidays.”

    Toys for Kids is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization in Brevard County dedicated to providing holiday gifts to underprivileged children in our community.

    Their annual event, the Toy Pick Up, all happens online. Their website opens for registration just after Thanksgiving, and then a week or two later, families across Brevard all come to the toy pickup event.

    This year, pick up is on December 13 at Azan Shriners Center, on Eau Gallie Blvd in Melbourne.

    Since 1995, Toys for Kids has distributed toys to over 155,000 children. Donations stay in our area, and they work to make sure families in need aren’t turned away.


    Sponsor their work. Reach more kids.

    We count on support from Toys for Kids fundraising events, sponsors and individuals so we can continue to put smiles on children’s faces come Christmas morning.

    The biggest part, outside of helping families have Christmas, is the bond that has developed with my main team. Every single one of them loves doing this program. From raising money to spending it on helping families. It has become part of our lives. —Timmy Vee

    Visit their site to become a sponsor or contact Timmy at brevardtoysforkids@gmail.com.


    Building their site

    For the past ten years, Longbow has been managing their website and how families register using the popular Event service, EventBrite.

    “Eventbrite gives Toys for Kids the tools they need to better manage registration.” said Eric Needle, Longbow’s founder. “Day of their event, it helps their team check everyone in, right from their phone or tablets.”

    We work all year raising money to do what we do in December. None of it would mean anything if we couldn’t get the Toys to the families. Lots of websites and sign-ups need to be working without any issue at all; one problem, and things get messy. Finding Longbow has been our greatest support team to date. They keep our site and sign-up programs up to date and working perfectly. Eric and his team are amazing and we are lucky to have them. —Timmy Vee


    For more information, visit their site at https://toysforkidsbrevard.com/