Case Studies
Take a look at how we help small businesses win. These case studies walk you through real challenges our clients faced, how we tackled them with smart, budget-friendly strategies, and the results we achieved together. No fluff—just honest work, flexible support, and big impact. If you’re wondering what Soma Marketing can do for your business, this is a great place to start.
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Big Fish Aquariums
Industry: Pet & Aquarium Retail
Location: Chicago, IL
Client Since: July 2024
Website: www.bigfishaquarium.com
Services Delivered: Website Redesign, Rebrand Strategy, GEO/SEO/AIO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile Optimization, E-commerce Management
Case Study
The Origin: Chicago’s Aquatic Authority
Big Fish Aquarium (BFA) is a cornerstone of the Chicago aquatic community, led by Eddie—a straight-to-the-point subject matter expert with deep roots in the city.
The brand was built on specialized husbandry knowledge and a commitment to high-quality livestock, catering to serious hobbyists who value technical expertise over big-box convenience.
Before partnering with Soma, BFA operated on a simple Google Sites template, functioning primarily as a local shop with no digital infrastructure to support its growing influence.
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The Challenge: The Scale and Sync Deficit
Operating as an independent shop, BFA faced the challenge of growing in a niche market without the tools to reach a national audience.
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The Visibility Gap: The original site lacked the infrastructure and scalability needed to appear in search results or support eCommerce transactions.
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The Inventory Drag: In the high-velocity livestock market, keeping physical stock in sync with a digital storefront was a manual, error-prone process that hindered growth.
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The Technical Debt: BFA needed to transition from a "passion project" digital presence to a professional, multi-channel engine capable of driving consistent weekly sales.
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The Strategy: The Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine
We applied the Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine framework to transform BFA into a technical retail anchor.
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The Modern Authority Rebrand: We overhauled the visual identity to align with Eddie’s SME authority, building a high-trust digital storefront that positions BFA as the definitive source for aquatic livestock.
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The Growth Engine Implementation: We installed a real-time technical backbone. This included implementing tri-weekly website inventory syncs and weekly high-conversion email blasts to move high-value livestock within 48 hours of arrival.
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Local & National SEO: We optimized the brand for both the local Chicago market and national search visibility, ensuring BFA dominates terms relevant to serious hobbyists.
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Data-Driven Reporting: We implemented a rigorous monthly Google Ads audit and performance scoreboard to ensure marketing spend is directly tied to high-margin turnover.
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The Results: From Local Shop to National Engine
The digital transformation of Big Fish Aquarium has delivered consistent, measurable growth across all major performance metrics since July 2024:
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Total Brand Reach: Successfully engaged 37,247 Active Users through the new digital engine.
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Search Dominance: Acquired 9,385 New Users through Organic Search, proving the brand’s authority is now "owned" in the aquatic market.
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High-Impact Retention: The implementation of the sqmktg_email strategy generated 3,926 Sessions, driving consistent weekly sales and a loyal subscriber base.
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Market Anchorage: While expanding nationally, the brand remains a dominant Chicago staple with 8,375 active users in the local market alone.
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Press Photography Network
Industry: Professional Photography Services
Location: Naperville, IL (Serving the Greater Chicago Area)
Client Since: February 2025
Website: www.pressphotographynetwork.com
Services Delivered: Branding, Website Redesign, Rebrand Strategy, GEO/SEO/AIO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile Optimization
Case Study
The Origin: From Portfolio to Professional Authority
Press Photography Network (PPN) is a Chicago-based collective specializing in event and micro-wedding photography. They’ve always had the technical chops and a world-class portfolio, but their digital presence wasn’t reflecting the quality of their glass. As a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the Chicago scene, PPN needed a brand that commanded professional authority while maintaining the privacy and personal touch that high-end event clients demand.
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The Challenge: The Search Invisibility Ceiling
When PPN partnered with Soma, they were facing "Page 10" invisibility. With an average search position of 90.2, they were effectively hidden from potential clients.
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The Visibility Gap: Inconsistent branding and an outdated website were causing conversion leaks.
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The Privacy Paradox: Their Google Business Profile (GBP) was broken due to location privacy concerns, meaning they weren't showing up in the crucial local Map Pack for Chicago-area searches.
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The Budget Constraint: They needed a full transformation but required a lean strategy that prioritized high-intent visibility over broad, expensive ad spend.
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The Strategy: The Authority Engine Pivot
We applied the Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine framework to move PPN from the sidelines to the center of the Chicago event market.
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Technical Rebrand & Redesign: We modernized the visual identity to reflect an SME perspective, creating a "Digital Front Door" that builds immediate trust with micro-wedding and corporate event planners.
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High-Intent SEO Sprints: We focused technical optimizations on the "lowest hanging fruit"—specifically targeting "Event Photographer Chicago" and "Micro Wedding" search intent to capture high-value leads.
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GBP Repair & Local SEO: We resolved the location privacy issues to restore local visibility, ensuring PPN appeared for Naperville-to-Chicago corridor searches without compromising the team's privacy.
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The Growth Engine Implementation: We leveraged a targeted Google Ads strategy to bridge the gap, generating immediate impressions while the organic SEO authority matured.
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The Results: Proven Visibility
The shift from a "service provider" to a "technical authority" has delivered ironclad results since February 2025:
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Search Position Boost: Moved from an average position of 90.2 to 45.4 (a 50% increase in visibility) in just a few months.
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Total Brand Reach: 5,224 Active Users successfully engaged through the new digital engine.
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Traffic Quality: Generated 4,800+ impressions and 53 high-intent qualified clicks during the initial launch phase.
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Market Anchorage: Solidified Chicago (1,339 active users) as the primary lead hub, successfully dominating the local search market.
"We don’t just capture moments; we capture the market through technical authority and geographic precision."
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Einnim Creative Studio
Industry: Apothecary, Custom Fragrance & Experiential Workshops
Current Location: Oak Brook, IL
Former Brick & Mortar: Oak Park, IL (July 2021 – March 2025)
Established: June 2020
Status: Founder & Owner Portfolio
Website: www.einnim.com
Services Delivered: Website Design, GEO/SEO/AIO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile Optimization
Case Study
The Origin: The "Maker" Legacy
Einnim Creative Studio was founded in June 2020 as a response to the global shift toward intentional self-care.
Built on a foundation of technical merchandise product development, the brand quickly established itself as a premier destination for custom fragrance and handcrafted apothecary products.
By July 2021, Einnim opened its flagship brick-and-mortar location in Oak Park, Illinois. For nearly four years, the brand served as a high-traffic community anchor, processing over 870 transactions annually at its retail peak and cultivating a loyal, high-intent audience across the Chicagoland area.
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The Challenge: The "Success Trap"
While retail volume was high, the business model had become labor-intensive. Every dollar of revenue was tied to a linear increase in physical production: pouring candles, packing soaps, and managing complex shipping logistics.
This "Success Trap" created a ceiling on growth—the business could not scale without a massive increase in overhead and administrative drag.
The brand needed to protect its high-quality reputation while decoupling its income from manual labor, transitioning from a volume-based "maker" shop into a high-leverage, expertise-led enterprise.
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The Strategy: The Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine
Einnim served as the inaugural proof of concept for the Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine pipeline. The strategy was engineered to refine the business model for long-term owner equity and operational freedom.
Strategic Product Freeze: We permanently halted daily retail soap production to eliminate physical labor drag, refocusing soap production strictly on high-value Wholesale (WS) contracts.
High-Margin B2B Shift: We pivoted the marketing engine to target high-intent corporate partners (e.g., Boston Consulting Group, Zynga), shifting the sales conversation from "$25 products" to "high-value experiences."
GEO-Optimization (Generative Engine Optimization): We overhauled the digital presence to be "AI-Extractable." By creating technical, authoritative content—such as our deep dives into "Bastille vs. Castile soap"—we built a search moat that attracts high-intent leads without a constant social media presence.
Geographic Anchoring: Following the strategic move to Oak Brook in March 2025, we implemented a hyper-local SEO sprint to ensure the brand dominated search results in both the new Oak Brook corridor and the legacy Oak Park market.
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The Results: Ironclad Efficiency
By applying the Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine framework, Einnim successfully transformed its operational DNA. The hard numbers from the FY 2026 technical audit reveal the following:
Operational Efficiency
Administrative Drag: Achieved a 98% reduction in manual production and fulfillment drag.
Transaction Value: Shifted to a high-margin activation model, resulting in an 89.7% gross margin on B2B events.
Profit Velocity: Reached an efficiency metric of $160.52 gross profit per labor hour.
Revenue Goal: Secured 32.1% of the annual revenue goal by early May 2026.
Digital Equity & Search Power
Total Brand Reach: 67,696 Active Users.
Organic Dominance: 16,800+ New Users acquired via Organic Search (Non-Paid).
Market Retention: Maintained primary search authority in Chicago (17.8k users) and Oak Park (2.8k users) while successfully anchoring the new Oak Brook location in Google’s local algorithm.
High-Intent Search Wins: Successfully ranking for high-conversion terms including "candle making oak brook" and technical industry queries.
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Yard Art Decor and More
Industry: Outdoor Decor & Personalized Yard Signs
Location: Scottsburg, IN
Client Since: April 2025
Website: www.yardartdecorandmore.com
Services Delivered: Branding, Website Redesign, Rebrand Strategy, SEO/GEO/AIO, Google Ads, Google Business Profile Optimization
Case Study
The Origin: A 40-year Midwest Legacy
Yard Art Decor and More has been a trusted name in outdoor décor since the 1980s, known for their custom yard signs and personalized metalwork.
For decades, Mary operated a successful brick-and-mortar storefront in Scottsburg, Indiana, building a reputation on quality craftsmanship and personal relationships.
Eventually, the brand made the strategic decision to close its physical doors and shift entirely to an e-commerce model to reach a wider audience.
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The Challenge: The Brick-and-Mortar to Browser Transition
The shift to digital came with significant technical headwinds. While YDM had a loyal customer base and 40 years of brand equity, their digital presence was not equipped to support the transition.
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The Visibility Gap: The existing Shopify site was under-optimized and lacked a clear SEO structure, making the brand invisible to new digital customers.
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The Strategic Deficit: There was no digital ad strategy in place to replace the traditional foot traffic of a physical retail location.
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The Legacy Risk: Mary needed to modernize the brand’s digital presence while honoring its longstanding Midwest legacy and personal touch.
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The Strategy: The Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine
We applied the Modern Authority Rebrand → Growth Engine framework to bridge the gap between YDM’s history and the modern digital landscape. The objective was to repair the technical foundation and build a sustainable lead-generation engine.
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The Modern Authority Rebrand: We modernized the brand’s digital presence, bringing clarity to the visual identity and improving site usability. This ensured the brand felt premium and professional while retaining the "warmth and charm" that made it a local favorite.
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The Growth Engine Implementation: We rebuilt the site’s SEO structure from the ground up and launched targeted Google Ads strategies. By prioritizing visibility around their most popular custom services and optimizing the Google Business Profile, we anchored the brand as a digital authority in the outdoor décor space.
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The Results: Sustainable Digital Momentum
The digital transformation successfully transitioned YDM into a fully online brand, delivering measurable growth in search visibility and online sales:
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Contract Extension: Due to the success of the initial transformation, the client extended their partnership for another full year to continue building on the momentum.
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Market Expansion: YDM successfully reached new customers beyond its local roots, scaling into a national e-commerce presence without losing its personal touch.
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Operational Freedom: By resolving the technical health deficit and implementing a consistent marketing pulse, the brand is now engineered for long-term digital growth with significantly less administrative drag.
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