Digital Business Information (DBI) Spotlight:
A Music Studio, Covid, An Abandoned Catholic School and How DBI Restored Harmony
Since the digital universe was created, businesses large and small have put their hands-on their keyboards, gazed with wonder at their screens, and asked this existential question:
If I move the physical location of my business will that move be reflected online?
In today’s blog, we share the story of Rockdale Music and how getting their Digital Business Information in tune helped them navigate through two moves in less than one year.
Background:
Rockdale Music & Studios is a performance-based music school in the Philadelphia suburb of Aston, PA. Students of all ages and skill levels are welcome and encouraged to participate in Rockdale’s musical community which includes private lessons, music camps, and group programs. They also have a recording studio and rehearsal space available for hire.
Rockdale Music services neighboring communities; Clients drive up to half an hour to take lessons with Rockdale teachers and utilize the rehearsal rooms.
Jared Loss has owned the music school for approximately 15 years. He has a reliable referral network of parents and former students. He hasn’t done much marketing other than some paid search and Facebook ads.
On a typical day, Jared and staff are busy giving young students lessons or maybe helping a local band get on the map by recording their first demo or EP.
They generally don’t spend time wondering if they themselves are on the map and if their digital business information is correct!
Enter Stage Right: Covid 19
The company had been in the same location since the school’s inception. Then, in December 2019, they lost their lease and moved to a temporary location in a nearby closed Catholic School.
Like many businesses, when the pandemic hit in March 2020 Rockdale Music was forced to pivot. They went all virtual and dropped their lease at the Catholic School. Fortunately, virtual lessons turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as they not only retained nearly all of their students but picked up a number of new students who were looking for something constructive and fun to do.
As they planned their next move, Jared focused on finding a new hybrid studio space suited for both in-person and virtual learning. After finding a nearby location that fit his needs, he completed a rapid build-out and was open for in-person socially distanced sessions in July / August 2020.
Having finished the upgraded studio, Jared shifted focus to marketing in order to generate buzz about the new space. He quickly realized the impact of having 3 different business addresses within a 9-month period.
Resolving Online Business Address Issues
As he searched for Rockdale Music on various search, nav, social, and directory platforms, results showed inconsistencies in the address listed. Depending on the search, any of the 3 addresses might be listed. There were also duplicates on some sites that showed more than one address – creating confusion for Rockdale’s clients.
After spending several days trying to claim and update the different business profiles, the last straw came when Jared hit a dead end trying to claim and update Mapquest.
Needing to focus on running his business and having no more time to spend on this project, Jared turned to DSG for help.
We were able to resolve the discrepancies by taking control of Rockdale Music’s Digital Business Information (DBI). We started by deploying a Yext campaign and manually claimed and populated additional profile pages.
The Yext platform allowed us to push out the correct address to over 100 sites. We also used the opportunity to fully populate Rockdale’s profiles with volumes of relevant information including hours, services, and even updated Covid protocols as the guidance was changed.
This simple strategy largely resolved the business address issue. We continue to monitor Rockdale Music’s profiles and quickly address discrepancies and duplicates as they arise. We are also making any updates to their DBI in real-time to reflect changes in their business.
Currently, Rockdale is enjoying increased online traffic to its business profiles and website. Jared said having consistent brand messaging across all platforms has allowed him to cut back on a portion of his paid media budget.
In fact, Rockdale is planning a further expansion. As Jared told us…
“Now we are taking on a lease for the space next to us and are using our social media and directory platforms to get the word out. It is important that no matter where consumers look for us, they will find our message displayed with consistent information about our brand.”