Mike Forgie, Local Marketing Specialist

Digital Marketing Specialist

Next Step Connect

Next Step Connect has a sole purpose: connect you to your audience. 
We use paid and organic Ad Strategies to deliver you qualified prospects for easier sales.

Owner

Hey! If you need a marketing strategy for better search engine results or social media exposure, it is time we talk.

Need help getting your business exposure online? I can help you with SEO, Google/Facebook/Instagram ads, and more!

My main clients include:
Agencies that need SEO and social media strategies developed and performed.
Experiential markets such as yacht rentals, supercar/exotic auto drives, helicopter tours, and more. For many of these markets, I can provide photo and video services.
Any company that needs local clients such a wedding equipment (tent, chair, table, etc) rental, contractors, construction equipment rental, medical practices, and more.

Marketing Strategist

M studio Design & Marketing

M studio is an amazing branding, marketing, design and communications agency. Their assets such a Public Relatiosn assists perfectly in the target marketing needed for effective off-page SEO. As for on-page SEO, I work with designers and developers to create websites that will perform on both search engines and as lead generating vehicles

SEO Specialist

PCG Digital Marketing

I started as a Content Writer and quickly moved my way up the ranks at PCG resulting in a Digital Marketing Specialist position. 
One of my main duties at PCG was to create a user journey throughout our new website in order to capture leads. Each page on the site was optimized for specific keywords, whether general or long-tail.

Evolution

I managed the Public Relations/Marketing team of four to reach target markets, developed promotional campaigns to increase search engine optimization and social media awareness, and organized the creation of copyright materials such as press releases, blog posts, and print/online advertisements.

Public Relations/Marketing Manager

Artist Arena

My duties as a freelance apprentice were to administer fan club websites for top pop bands (e.g. Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Green Day), organize and disperse promotional material, and promote the fan clubs.

Freelance

EMI Music Publishing

For college credit I interned for EMI Group, mainly Virgin and Capitol Records, in New York. Here I learned how to read Nielson Soundscan reports, develop and analyze press packets for musicians like Katy Perry, and analyze albums to match with products and/or organizations.

Intern

Excess dB Entertainment

As a member of the street team I handed out promotion materials, performed stagehand work, was the liaison for guests and artists, catered to artists, and attended events at least once a week.

Street Team

Helping Local Service Businesses Get Found and Get Sales — Not Just Clicks. | Google Maps, SEO, & High-Intent Ads

“Why isn’t our business the top result when people search for what we do?”
If that’s something you’ve asked recently, I built this for you.

I’m Mike Forgie, founder of Next Step Connect, and I help service-based businesses stop guessing at what’s working—and finally show up where it counts.

In the last decade, I’ve worked with hundreds of teams across real estate, healthcare, legal, construction, and automotive to install one thing:

A predictable system that drives qualified local leads from search.

Whether your business is getting buried in Google Maps, wasting ad spend on low-quality traffic, or just not seeing ROI from your current marketing…
You don’t need another agency.
You need a system built on buyer intent, trackable results, and total clarity.

What We Deliver:
✅ Google Maps + Organic Search Rankings – for the exact terms your buyers are already searching
✅ High-Intent Google Ads – tracked to real calls, form fills, and appointments
✅ Clarity – with real-time dashboards and reporting you don’t need to decode

Our clients don’t wonder where their leads are coming from. They know.
And they don’t lie awake at night hoping the phone rings. It already is.

📩 DM me or email mike@nextstepconnect.com
📊 Or grab your Free Local Growth Audit at nextstepconnect.com

I just passed 14 years with my fiancée (August 28 🎉).
We’ve put off a wedding for years because we’d rather spend tens of thousands on travel than on one day...

But now we’re looking at venues and packages… and I noticed something immediately:
I shop on price and style.

And I get highly annoyed when amenities that should be standard (like a bridal suite) are hidden behind an extra fee.

Where is she supposed to go to touch up or decompress? 
That shouldn’t be an add-on.

Clarity is key in big purchases.

And this is the lesson for any business:
If you have add-ons or premium options, make them clear and easy to understand.

Create a transparent pricing page.

Even better, ask ChatGPT to build you a calculator (this is called vibe coding — literally, just prompt it).

The benefits:
 - Higher customer satisfaction
 - More time on site (yes, that’s an SEO factor)
 - Visibility in AI overviews (pricing pages get cited)

Whether it’s weddings, apartments, or services...clarity converts.

Mike Forgie

EV. Pets. Gym. Remote work. These 3 amenities are dominating apartment search.
And most properties aren’t even trying to rank for them.

Renters aren’t browsing anymore. They’re filtering.

 If your listing doesn’t show for highly sought-after amenities like EV chargers, pet-friendly, on-site gym, or remote work, you’re invisible at tour time.

Here’s how to rank fast—and even get recommended by AI:

1/ Add attributes in Google Business Profile
EV charging, Dog-friendly, Cat-friendly, High-speed internet, Business center.
Make sure you’re listed as an “Apartment complex.”

2/ Show, don’t tell with real photos
Upload EV chargers, pet wash, coworking lounge.
First photo = biggest impact. Caption everything.

3/ Create short amenity pages
“Pet-Friendly Apartments in Austin”
“Apartments with EV Charging near [Landmark]”
Bullet points, city names, and a “Book a Tour” CTA.

4/ Use Google Q&A and FAQs to answer what renters care about
Lease terms, pet policies, parking, WFH setups.
Mirror your Q&A on a site FAQ page so AI sees it too.

5/ Ask for reviews that mention specific amenities
“Glad you loved the coworking lounge! Feel free to mention it in your review.”
The words they use help your rankings.

Bonus: You control all of this.
 Your website. Your GBP. Your content.
 And AI feeds on it to decide who gets visibility.

I can help you in 2 ways!
1. DM me and I will write your QAs for you. 
2. Ask nicely, and I will let you sneak peek "The AI-Ready Apartment Marketing Playbook"

📸 I always look for pet-friendly businesses. Apartments, restaurants, parks...she is my best bud!

From invisible to 299 people driving to their door. 
No ads. No gimmicks. Just search.

Most businesses are still relying on word of mouth, social media, or expensive ad campaigns to get attention.

Meanwhile, people are actively searching for exactly what they offer...
but can’t find them.

No visibility means no calls, no clicks, no customers.

This local business (an apartment building) followed our SEO and Google Maps optimization strategy.

Here’s what happened in just a few months:
- Search views increased by 786%
- Maps views jumped 1770%
- Phone calls went from 4 to 60 (a 1400% increase)
- Website clicks rose 728%
- Direction requests surged by 1659%

These aren’t vanity metrics. 
These are buyer-ready actions.

All from optimizing the search platforms customers are already using.

If you're tired of fighting the algorithm and want actual customers taking action,
DM me “Google Ready” and I’ll show you how we can do this for your business too.

 Google business profile optimization shows a significant increase in search views, map views, phone calls, website clicks, and direction requests.

How I get clients featured on Yahoo, Fox, CNN, and more.

Getting cited on major outlets isn’t luck. It’s strategy.
And in the AI era, PR isn’t just about “branding.”
It’s SEO.

Because AI, LLMs, and Google’s AI Overviews pull from sources they trust, and that means your name needs to show up in credible places. 

Here’s the playbook I use:
- Pitch smart, not spammy → HARO/Connectively + targeted journalist lists.
- Offer something worth citing → original data, case studies, or unique angles.
- Leverage syndication → press releases on tier-1 wires (with restraint).
- Repurpose features → add logos to your site ("as seen on"), amplify links on socials, build authority signals.


PR distribution drives citations.
...citations drive trust.
.......trust drives SEO and GEO.

Want to be featured on these sites? 
Want LLMs and search engines to take your brand seriously? 

DM me.

local news public relations helps AI SEO and GEO

The fastest visibility lift this month?
 Real Q&A + a matching FAQ page.

If you’re not using these...
You’re losing trust. Rankings. Clicks...
And now? You’re losing visibility in AI too.

LLMs like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and other tools are scanning your FAQ pages, service pages, and Google Business Profile Q&A to decide what to show—and who to trust.

Here’s the move:
 – Add real, useful answers in your Google Q&A
 – Mirror those questions on a clean, focused FAQ page
 – Weave the same content into your service pages with smart internal links

Here’s the bonus:

You control all of it.
Your site. Your GBP. Your content.

And AI rewards that kind of clarity.

Want the exact questions your customers are asking and how to answer them for more visibility?

DM me “Q&A” and I’ll send it your way.

My career started with Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance.
(they were kids getting laughed at)

Back when they were playing tiny venues, I was promoting local concerts as a teenager. And, seriously, I made them bring their own equipment in so I could help the who headliners. 

But, the bands they toured with were cool...

That’s where I learned my first PR lesson:
If the cool kids say you’re cool, you’re cool by proxy.

That idea carried me everywhere.
In college, I used my photo skills to sneak into huge events like CMJ Festival.
I sat on panels with Mac Miller’s crew, hung out with Matt Pinfield, and met fashion week designers.

That led to opportunities like helping Love Majewski during her documentary (nerve-wracking driving her car around).

And when more “cool” people advocated for me, my reputation grew.

From there, I landed internships at Virgin Records and EMI Group, where stars like Kid Rock would stop by. 

And, I landed a gig shooting and writing for an entertainment blog where I got to interview Liam Neeson and Sam Worthington. 

My whole job? Gather content and get it distributed.

Which, looking back, is all marketing really is...
Content + distribution = visibility.

That was PR then. That’s SEO and GEO now.

This week I’ve shown how even simple PR (like distributing press releases) can make a big difference in search and AI results.

So the question is: what are you doing that’s newsworthy?

 It doesn’t have to be massive:
 – Opening a new location
 – Sponsoring a local team
 – Donating time or money
 – Running a raffle

Every one of those can be used to boost visibility in search engines and in generative results.

 My life has come full circle.
 PR isn’t separate from SEO anymore...it fuels it.

Pro Tip - cameras are a great entry point to making cool friends

7 SEO strategies to get AI to recommend your apartment complex
(works for any local business)

AI Overviews is already listing apartments in your city.
If yours isn’t one of them, it’s not an amenities issue...it’s a signals issue.

Here’s how we fix that:

1. Be Google-Certified (Digitally)
 Make your business identity 100% consistent—website, GBP, and listings.
 – Name: “The Oaks Apartments – Austin, TX”
 – Same address + phone everywhere
 – Use the “apartment complex” category
 – Embed a map + NAP in your site footer
If Google’s unsure, you’re not getting recommended.

2. Create Search-Intent Pages
 Match what renters search:
 – “1 bedroom,” “pet-friendly,” “near UT Austin”
 – Make simple, targeted pages with location in headlines
 – Link back to your GBP + contact page
Clear answers = higher visibility in Maps and AI.

3. Trigger Trust with Specific Reviews
 Google loves recent, detailed reviews.
 – Ask post-tour or move-in
 – Prompt: “Mention the dog park or covered parking”
 – Reply authentically
 – Feature your best reviews on site/images
“Review velocity” is a ranking factor.

4. Your First Photo = Your First Impression
 Photos drive clicks.
 – Lead with a bright hero shot
 – Upload monthly (model units, amenities, neighborhood)
 – Caption: “Pet-friendly 2BR near [Landmark]”
 – Post seasonal updates on GBP
Better pics = more clicks = more tours.

5. Build Neighborhood Cred
 Prove you’re part of the local fabric:
 – Get linked from developer/property group
 – Sponsor or collab with local orgs
 – Publish a “Neighborhood Guide” with local hotspots/employers
Local mentions = real-world trust.

6. Drive Actions on Your Profile
 Google tracks clicks, calls, and directions.
 – Use clear CTAs, “Call” buttons, accurate hours
 – Track interactions weekly
 – Use ad extensions: call and location
Activity signals value.

7. Answer Before They Ask
 Address FAQs where they’re already looking:
 – Add Q&A in Google: pets, parking, lease terms
 – Create a simple FAQ page on your site
 – Keep it human and up to date
Answers reduce friction—and win attention.

Bonus: we are turning many of our photos into video tours to use one of Google's favorite assets...YouTube!

Sneak peek - I made a new guide ONLY for CRE pros. Do you want "The AI-Ready Apartment Marketing Playbook"? 
Let me know in the comments of DMs.

📸 can you guess who my client is? Hint 🥇

SEO isn’t dead. It just got a PR degree.

Strong consensus from pros (and a few excellent Reddit, Inc./Quora threads):
AI Overviews and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) aren’t some new magic formula. They’re built on the same fundamentals:
- Crawlability, indexing, entities, and E-E-A-T
- Reputation + mentions across trusted third-party sources

In other words: technical SEO = eligibility.
 Distribution + PR = visibility.

And this hit home for me.

Before I was an SEO specialist, I was a publicist. I studied PR and journalism. That’s probably why I love SEO so much—it’s not just about algorithms, it’s about authority, trust, and story.

GEO is just SEO… with a megaphone.

Want to show up in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, or wherever else people search?

Do the fundamentals right, then make sure your brand is cited, mentioned, and distributed like a PR pro would.

Pro tip - press releases have a secret sauce that works well. I write and distribute them regularly!

Technical SEO = eligibility.
Distribution + PR = visibility.

1 in 4 apartments now offer free rent. For most businesses, concessions are no longer rare...they have become the baseline

Here is how to make them work!

Obviously, we are going to dive into my favorite industry - apartments.
But we see concessions at all local markets - "Buy One Get One" or "Starting at" prices. 

So take this example and apply it to your local business.

 In 2025, “one month free” is no longer a luxury-class perk.
 – Concessions are in Class A, B, and C properties.
 – Discounts average 4–6 weeks across major metros.
 – Effective rents are growing slower than posted asking rents because of it.

For owners and investors, this creates a problem:
If everyone is offering concessions… how do you stand out?

The answer isn’t just the offer.
It’s where and how you distribute it.

Offline, you’ll see concessions on billboards, flyers, or banners.
Online, most people limit it to ads or a single social post.

That’s not enough anymore.

Here’s where you should be putting your concessions so Google and AI surface them:
 - Google Business Profile → list it under offers
 - GBP posts → make the special visible in updates
 - GBP Q&A → “Do you have move-in specials right now?” (answer it)
 - Website FAQ → mirror those answers for AI to read
 - Amenities / Offers page → detail the concession and link it to tours
 - Content briefs → weave “move-in specials” into blog posts, neighborhood guides, and landing pages

Reality check:
When someone asks ChatGPT or AI Overviews “What are the best apartment deals in [City]?”…

...you want your property’s offer to be the one it cites!

 Concessions might win attention on the street.
 But distribution is what wins in SEO, GEO, and all variations. 

Want to learn how to do this? 
I have a FREE checklist to get you started!
Comment "Concessions" and I will send it to you.

They were the new kids on the block.
No reviews. No web presence. No reputation to lean on...

We’ve all been there. Just launched (or opening a new location), surrounded by competitors who’ve been in the game for years.

My client’s competition had:
- A decade of reviews
- Fully optimized sites
- Local citations and brand recognition

But you know what they didn’t have?
My strategy.

They coasted on legacy.

My client came in and played to win—from day one.

We focused on what actually mattered:
- Local SEO that made them show up fast (even in AI search)
- A brand that felt more polished than the “old pros”
- Content built for trust and conversion

The result?
 1,197 profile interactions.

All organic.
Yes, we’re also running hyper-local ads.
But that’s a story for another time.

Here’s the truth:
New doesn’t mean behind.
And even a second location is still a fresh start.

Sometimes being new means you get to come in like a wrecking ball.

1,197 profile interations on Google Business Profile

Are you treating your business like my secret surf spot?
Amazing offer (waves). Happy clients (surfers)... But no one can find you.

You’re hidden behind old competitors with louder voices and outdated websites.

You’re relying on word of mouth when your future customers are searching on Google, Maps Apps, or ChatGPT.

Visibility isn’t vanity...it’s survival!

And in local business, it’s everything.

Here’s how we fix it:
- Optimize where your buyers already look (search, maps, AI)
- Build a brand that earns trust before they ever call
- Use strategy, not brute force

You don’t need more hype. 
You need more visibility.

Let your competitors stay hidden.
It’s time you showed up first.

DM me for a visibility report to see why competitors are beating you.

A prospect told me:
 “Mike, I don’t want to waste money on SEO if Google’s AI is taking all the clicks.”

Fair.
AI overviews and zero-click results are a real fear.

But here are the facts:
- Google Business Profile feeds into AI Overviews.
- Prospects use AI for research — but transactions happen after.
- If you’re not optimized, how will AI even recommend you?

The mess?
Convincing them not to ditch SEO for the next shiny acronym.

The pivot?
- Reputation still drives AI.
- SEO builds that reputation. 
- Content keeps it fresh.

Here’s a simple strategy:
1. Launch a reviews acquisition campaign
2. Build a content plan to update GBP, site, and socials
3. Earn placements on local “Top 10” lists

Sometimes the hardest part of SEO isn’t tactics.

I have a fully laid out checklist/guide on how to optimize and get recommended by AI in my featured section....go snag it!

Would you rather have a discount or a bonus? 
For example, receive one month of free rent or get pet-friendly, EV charging, and a coworking lounge?

In most purchasing scenarios, the general public usually wants free money first, and then they like bonuses. 

Think of adds that state something like "Buy now and it 50% off PLUS we will throw in xxxxx!"

The data shows a clear winner....

For example, in 2025, nearly 25% of apartments now offer concessions like a free month of rent. 

That used to turn heads, but here’s the thing....renters are searching differently.

Instead of just “cheap rent,” they’re filtering by amenities (pets, EVs, remote work setups)

 Amenities create long-term value.
 - 82% of renters said they’d pay more for in-unit laundry or fast Wi-Fi
 - Concessions are temporary; amenities build lasting demand
 - And in search (Google Maps, AI overviews, GBP), it’s amenity keywords that get you discovered

If your business only competes on price, you are racing to the bottom. 

If your property only competes on discounts, you’re invisible when renters filter by lifestyle.

Not only does this strategy attract buyers, but it helps organic traffic and sales. 

Want to rank for the searches that matter? 
Start optimizing for what renters actually type in the search bar.

Don't know how? 

Any local business can use my free guide. 
Simply tell me if you like a discount or bonus in the comments and I will send it to you.

If you’re not optimizing for Maps, you’re invisible to 90% of buyers.
Agree? 

People don’t just “Google” your business anymore.
They open Maps apps, type what they need, and pick from the top 3.

No map visibility = no clicks.
No clicks = no calls.
No calls = no business.

Your competitors aren’t beating you with ads.
They’re beating you with proximity, reviews, and citations.

Maps isn’t optional. 
It is local optimization.

Agree or disagree?

Do you optimize for people… or for machines?
Most business owners aren’t ready for what’s next in local SEO.

Here’s the shift:
You’re not just optimizing for humans anymore.
You’re optimizing for machines that summarize for humans.

AI Overviews don’t “read your site.”
They scrape mentions, citations, and patterns across the web.

That means the local game just split in two:
1. Ranking for humans (classic SEO/Maps)
2. Being referenced for machines (GEO/AI)

The scary part?
If you’re invisible in one layer, you won’t get discovered in the other.

The future of local SEO = SEO + PR + visibility signals.
Not just keywords.

If you had to choose today, would you put more budget toward SEO or PR?

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