ALK Digital Marketing

ALK Digital Marketing ALK Digital Marketing delivers effective online strategies with a verifiable track record of growth. Until that goal is reached, we’ll never stop climbing.

Like a mountain shrouded in mist, many companies have yet to discover how far they can rise.

08/06/2026

The irony is not lost on me. One of my clients recently asked me what my favorite social media platform was. The question stumped me, because I don’t really like any of them anymore.

I used to love Instagram, back when it was over-filtered pics of food and cats. But honestly, I think marketing (and a touch of corporate greed) ruined it. I know that sounds disingenuous coming from a marketer. But there were no barriers to access for marketers. No way to prevent our feeds from becoming ads and product placement machines. There were ways to incentivize good content baked in (likes, follows), but nowhere near enough disincentive for the unnecessary or downright bad.

The result? People started throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick, making every video with every imaginable ounce of relevance to their product they could. Whether the algorithm rewarded it or not, that volume became the expectation for businesses.

When you’re brought on as a social media manager, frequency matters as much as quality. This is a “keep up or fade away” place.

After a while of thinking about my client’s question, I eventually responded with: Reddit. Why? Because Reddit makes it harder to market. You can’t just hop onto any thread and push your product. You can’t just share only new posts angled at selling. Reddit has a public reputation score called “Karma” influenced by up-votes or down-votes of your contribution (and Redditors hate spam).

So on Reddit you are incentivized as a marketer to provide ad much VALUE as possible. Not just saturate screens, jump on trends, or post a certain amount at certain times.

That sort of system results in more thoughtful marketing, I think. Most people I know go to Reddit when they want to avoid bu****it. And I guess I like my social media as bu****it-free as possible.

I’m not saying there isn’t junk on Reddit or brilliant marketing on Instagram. And there’s a lot of science and effort that goes into social planning for Meta. It’s just that one has a better system for checks and balances, imho.

Rant over. On a side note, make sure you pull those eyes away from a screen today and go touch some grass. It�

I’m going to love watching the social media marketing girlies who wanted to just be creative and avoid data analysis ada...
07/30/2026

I’m going to love watching the social media marketing girlies who wanted to just be creative and avoid data analysis adapt to this one.

Google Search Console now lets you add Instagram (along with TikTok, X, and YouTube) as a property, giving marketers visibility into how their social content performs on Google Search.

That means you can now see things like:
- Which Google searches surface your Instagram profile
- Which individual posts are appearing in search results
- Clicks and impressions from Google
- Performance trends over time

Setting it up is simple:
1. Open Google Search Console at search.google.com (and create an account if you haven’t already)
2. Click the property dropdown
3. Select Add Property
4. Choose your Instagram profile (if available)

If you only see website properties, don’t worry. The rollout is still in progress.

I’ve already begun adding this for my clients, and I’m excited to start using the data to make smarter SEO and social content decisions.

Knowledge is power in digital marketing. The businesses that understand how people discover them have a huge advantage over those that don’t.

SEO is no longer just about your website. It’s about your entire digital presence.

I don’t brand myself as a photographer. Yet content shoots are still on my service menu. Confusing? Maybe. But here’s wh...
07/24/2026

I don’t brand myself as a photographer. Yet content shoots are still on my service menu. Confusing? Maybe. But here’s why I’ve been investing more time this year into content creation for my clients:

When I manage my clients’ social media, I am constantly begging them to send fresh content. Oftentimes, their supply doesn’t meet my demand. And while I have many professional photographers I outsource work to, I reserve this for clearly defined campaign media with clearly defined goals (not the kind of trend-driven, time-sensitive content that social media demands).

So, it’s really out of necessity that I have picked up the camera for my clients. That being said, I also really enjoy it. It takes me away from staring and clacking away at the laptop for a day.

Slowly but surely, my skills and set of gear (much to my husband’s chagrin, given our lack of storage) have been growing this year. While the one-woman-band style of marketing may not always make sense, right now my strength is in filling in the gaps where my clients need it.

Which of this year’s photos is your favorite so far?

07/08/2026

I have the absolute privilege of working with some of the island’s most talented creatives to bring my visions for ads to life. SUPER stoked to see how this one with John Kowitz for Iruka Hawai’i Dolphin comes out! We were blessed with fantastic conditions yesterday 🎥🤌🏼🌊

Hot take: Freelancing might be more stable these days than a traditional 9-5. Growing up, I understood that the safest p...
07/03/2026

Hot take: Freelancing might be more stable these days than a traditional 9-5.

Growing up, I understood that the safest path was to find a good company, work hard, and gradually move up. For generations, that advice worked.

Today’s economy is different.

AI is forcing entire industries to pivot and adapt. And greed too often motivates downsizing. Even the most loyal and exceptional employees can find themselves back on the job market.

Freelancing comes with its own challenges, and I certainly wouldn’t claim it’s the right path for everyone. But one thing I have come to appreciate is the security that comes from diversification.

I don’t rely on a single employer to determine my future. I have the privilege of working with multiple businesses across multiple industries. Not only does it satisfy my craving for variety and constant newness, but it also means that when one chapter closes, I only need to replace that chapter (not the whole book).

Ironically, that has made me feel more financially secure than I ever did with a traditional job.

I didn’t start freelancing because I thought it was the safer option. Looking back, it may have become exactly that (for me, at least).

Do you agree? Has your definition of “job security” changed over the past few years?

06/25/2026

The most common thing I hear in response to explaining my scope is, “That’s a lot!”. And tbh, it is 😅

On any given day, I might be:
- Strategist
- Analyst
- Designer
- Web Developer
- Social Media Manager
- Copywriter
- SEO Specialist
- Email Marketer
- Ads Manager
- Photographer
…and occasionally IT support

That’s also why I intentionally keep my client roster small. Wearing every hat is only possible when you have enough time to wear each one well.

My favorite thing about being a digital marketer? Seeing my friends and family’s businesses thrive.It’s incredibly speci...
06/19/2026

My favorite thing about being a digital marketer? Seeing my friends and family’s businesses thrive.

It’s incredibly special to get a front-row seat to the growth of people you’ve known long before the media strategies and marketing plans.

When a long-time friend opens a brick and mortar showroom. When someone who took a chance on hiring me sees their best sales month on record. I don’t get tired of it.

My business has always been built on community. So many of my opportunities have come from people who believed in me, referred me, encouraged me, and trusted me before I had years of results to point to.

Being able to pay that forward by helping the people I care about achieve their goals is the most rewarding part of what I do.

06/12/2026

I recently spent two days on Maui gathering content for The Curtis Wilson Cost Maui Art Gallery on Maui, capturing enough iPhone video assets to support 6+ months of social media content, while also refreshing the gallery’s library of high-resolution imagery for use across their website, email marketing, and future campaigns.

Between content gathering sessions, we also spent time discussing upcoming promotions, campaign ideas, and long-term digital marketing strategy (as well as just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company ☺️).

A special thank you to the Cost family for capturing some behind-the-scenes footage of me at work. It’s never expected, but always appreciated.

And of course, spending time on such a beautiful property surrounded by decades of incredible artwork is a privilege that never gets old.

Now it’s time to turn all of that inspiration into six months of marketing. 🎨📸

Thank you for the 5-star review of my services! Here’s what they had to say:“I’ve worked with Allison at ALK Digital Ma...
06/05/2026

Thank you for the 5-star review of my services! Here’s what they had to say:

“I’ve worked with Allison at ALK Digital Marketing in the Hawaii travel space for over 5 years, and she has become my trusted source for digital marketing advising. At my previous job, she helped us grow sales tremendously so I knew I could trust her with my own business. I started my business this last year and knew that Allison’s skill set would help my company thrive. I reached out to ALK to help boost our website performance, start up paid advertising and oversee all other digital marketing channels. Over the last 3 months, ALK helped us see 10 times revenue and traffic growth month-over-month. ALK is efficient, dependable, and she gets real results. I’d recommend her digital marketing services to any company looking to increase website performance.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

Choosing the right digital marketing support can be challenging. In-house staff can be costly, agencies might spread too...
05/29/2026

Choosing the right digital marketing support can be challenging. In-house staff can be costly, agencies might spread too thin, and most freelancers lack the range.

At ALK Digital Marketing, we blend the best of all worlds: agency-level expertise, in-house dedication, and freelancer affordability. With experience across B2B, B2C, and nonprofits, ALK offers personalized, top-quality service at competitive rates.

Schedule a consultation call to talk about how to transform your company’s marketing with ALK’s unique approach. Currently booking website design or ads-only contracts.

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