7 techniques to optimise your local content marketing

Content marketing is the perfect tool for attracting new prospects, particularly when combined with a user-focused communications strategy.

Content marketing involves producing all kinds of web content to ensure an effective online presence. Local content marketing takes this further by targeting specific geographical areas. Ideal for a local business, here are 7 ways to carry out local content marketing effectively.

1. Write seasonal local content marketing

This is a fairly simple and obvious technique, but this list would be incomplete without it. Local content marketing gives you the opportunity to capitalise on interests that are specific to your local community. Try thinking about a seasonal product or service that is important or interesting in your area, and write an article about it that highlights your business's local credentials and demonstrates that you place proximity at the heart of what you do.
For example, in the case of a restaurant — if you are in a region where a particular local, seasonal dish is highly sought after, an article on the subject would be extremely valuable.

2. Combine local activities with offline marketing

This is one of the best opportunities offered by local content marketing. Every region has its own activities and events — fairs and festivals, for instance.
From a content perspective, there will be strong demand for information about these events.
Staying with the restaurant example, you could write a guide to local recipes linked to a particular event. You could also write a review article after the event, complete with plenty of photographs. People always enjoy seeing what a past event looked like.

An effective approach is to combine content on local themes with offline local marketing.
Being present at local events — by running a stand, sponsoring them, or simply attending to hand out flyers — is well worth considering. Naturally, you should choose events that are relevant to you. A motor show may be popular, but if you hire mountain bikes, it probably isn't the right fit.

3. Use Google Trends and Twitter to discover what people are talking about

Knowing about local online trends can be seen as the digital equivalent of local events.
Leveraging these trends wisely and producing relevant content on the subject can be highly rewarding. To this end, you can use Google Trends to identify the expressions most searched for by internet users. Or Twitter, and its advanced search, to find out which topics people are discussing most.
If you find a subject related to your sector, you can then create relevant content and share it with those same users.
Relevance is obviously one — if not the — key success factor. If you write a popular article on a topic or trend that does not interest your target audience, many people will click and read it, but it will translate into little or no profitable action (such as a purchase or a booking).

4. Find local sites to spread your local content marketing

This technique delivers two important benefits.
First and foremost, the sites in question already have a certain local audience, which you may not yet have if you are just starting out with content marketing.
Secondly, it can positively impact your search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO means optimising your site's position on the internet to make it more visible. The better a site's SEO, the more likely it is to appear on the first pages of Google search results, for example — and therefore to be found more easily by users. One of the best ways to improve your SEO is to have other sites talk about you and/or include a direct link to your site.

Finding high-authority sites can therefore be particularly useful. High authority here means that Google considers these sites to be references in their field — popular, heavily visited sites. Your own SEO can thus be greatly boosted if such reference sites mention you. It signals to Google that you offer interesting, relevant content that users should be able to find easily.
These reference sites are often very active, and therefore always on the lookout for content. Proposing to contribute your content — and thus be published on or linked from their site — should therefore be straightforward.
However, as always, it is worth bearing in mind that this method only works for sites dealing with subjects related to your sector.

5. Obtain reviews from local bloggers

This method is fairly similar to the previous one. However, it offers an additional benefit. Bloggers are often regarded by internet users almost as acquaintances or friends, thanks to their approachability, while still producing semi-official and credible content.
As a result, loyal readers tend to place a great deal of trust in bloggers' opinions. In this way, bloggers are influencers — and even advocates — of real value.
If you work with a local blogger and receive a favourable review from them (with a link to your own site), you will be hitting three birds with one stone. Your existence will be revealed to a local audience, you will have the endorsement of a trusted source, and it can positively influence your site's SEO.

6. Rewrite popular articles from your region

Picasso is said to have declared, "Good artists copy, great artists steal." This can be understood as meaning that having an original idea is a fine thing — but it also makes sense to look at what others have done well and personalise it for your own target audience. Drawing inspiration from it, in other words, by reshaping it rather than copying it blindly.
This approach works in content marketing. Try to identify on Google the most-viewed articles and content in your sector.
Once you have found relevant content, rewrite it with a different angle, adapted to your local community. And cite your sources at the end of the article, of course.

7. Use Press Relations

Recently, the press relations approach has made something of a comeback — and it can truly bear fruit in a local context. Your region likely has local or regional newspapers, which may be distributed free of charge to the public and enjoy the trust of their readers.
Getting published in this type of press is generally simpler than with the national press. They often provide the opportunity to run a paid advertorial — essentially advertising dressed up as an article.
If you can afford a paid media slot, this can therefore be a solid option. If you don't feel confident writing a press release yourself, you can call on the services of a freelance press officer who will almost certainly have already built up their network with the publications in question.

8. Test and find the local content marketing strategy that works for you

These 7 techniques should help you get a solid grasp of local content marketing.
As we have seen, local content marketing can be low-cost in monetary terms, but requires a time investment and will not deliver results overnight.
Producing quality content, building your audience online and offline, and finding the best ways to communicate your content to your target audience all require a great deal of work.

The impact will take longer to materialise than with paid advertising, for example. But it will also be more sustainable and valuable in the long term than those ads — particularly if you produce content that remains relevant and original over time.
Now and then, you will create content that continues to bring you traffic years later. Some writers report that an article written almost three years ago still receives hundreds of views per week to this day.

Finally, it is worth remembering that local content marketing is only one way to grow your business. Many other strategies can be used, or even combined. It is up to each individual to test and discover which strategy works best for them.

(Freely adapted from Marketplace Academy)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

UGC, the future of marketing: How user-generated content can revolutionise your marketing strategy

by Yumea, 7 March 2023

UGC (User Generated Content) is changing the game in the world of marketing. With the rise of social media and content-sharing platforms, the... READ MORE

Category: News , Getting visible online , Social media

Comments: 0

How to use Instagram to reach your audience and drive traffic to your site?

by Yumea, 1 February 2023

Social media has become an indispensable tool for businesses seeking to reach their target audience and drive traffic to their website. With more than 3.8 billion active users... READ MORE

Category: Getting visible online , Instagram , Social media

Comments: 0

7 Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to know in 2023

by Yumea, 12 January 2023

In 2023, there are many sites that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help users write content and generate images. If you are looking for tools to help you write... READ MORE

Category: News

Comments: 0