Local businesses looking to improve their online visibility are regularly challenged to prove their “localness” and relevance to search engines.
In my previous article on using local partnerships and collaboration to build authority and visibility, I touched on the importance of community participation and engagement as a means of establishing this locality.
The two main means of engaging with local customers are through events or establishing communication on relevant occasions.
Both provide an opportunity for local businesses to create informational, educational or promotional content that can demonstrate their experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness (EEAT). Google has strongly incorporated these into its search quality rating guidelines and therefore its search rankings. .
Participation in local events and seasonal communication can also help address distance and visibility factors, which are strongly believed to be ranking signals for local businesses.
Additionally, related to the above, Google rankings are refined by both locality and personalization. The main goal is to deliver the right content to the right user on the right device for each search.
Increased visibility of engaging content in search rankings leads to more targeted traffic and potential customers.
Why are seasons important?
Naturally, the season has a huge impact on consumer behavior.
These influence how people shop, the products they need, and the services they seek.
For example, a small ice cream shop may see a spike in sales during the summer. Landscaping companies begin to see a surge in inquiries with the first signs of spring and the end of summer. Tax preparation and accounting services are inundated with customers as tax season approaches.
Limited-time offers during specific periods create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
where to start
The logical place to start developing your local events and seasonal strategy is to identify the types of events and occasions that are most relevant to your business and customer base.
Consider what events and initiatives will resonate with local audiences. Look for ways to truly connect with them.
These are events hosted by your business, local business partners, or events you support/sponsor through local organizations.
Some types of events to consider include:
- New product launches and special promotions.
- Educational in-person seminars or online webinars, depending on where and how you provide your services.
- Business milestones (such as anniversaries or new locations).
- Customer appreciation event.
- Holiday and seasonal events or promotions, such as Black Friday and Christmas.
- Local charity event.
- Local sports and other club events.
There are definitely other types of events that are specific to your business or local community. So use your imagination and come up with something that differentiates you.
Once you've decided on the types of events you'd like to host or attend, create an event plan that outlines the details of each event, including:
- Event goals (number of attendees, number of new leads, etc.).
- event organizer.
- Date, time and event schedule.
- Location/Venue.
- Speaker list (if applicable).
- budget.
- Promotion of the event – where, when and how.
- Event content requirements.
Creating event-based content
As mentioned earlier, hosting or participating in events provides ample opportunity to generate content.
Once you've identified the local events and opportunities that are most important to your business and customers, tailor your content to showcase your local EEAT, work with your brand to increase event awareness, and maximize attendance.
Event web page content
If you plan to host a regularly scheduled event, or if you want your website to emphasize community involvement and provide instant access to event details, create a dedicated event page or It makes sense to add an events section to your About page.
This page should, of course, include all relevant event details and links to relevant service pages or supplemental content (see below).
If you are affiliated with another business or organization, this content also provides a place to include relevant links to additional details about the event or business partner.
If you link to a partner company or organization's website, you should, of course, ask for something in return for the link. Such links are important signals for search engines to establish a connection to your local community, and therefore evidence of your “localness” in context.
This web page should also include a FAQ section that answers commonly related questions your customers may have about your event or the organization involved.
Informative blog posts and articles
Depending on the theme or topic of your event, you can create, publish, and distribute detailed blog posts and articles with relevant images, audio, and video to provide helpful background and educational information to potential attendees.
This content will naturally link to related event pages, along with related product or service pages, as a way to build authority.
For example, a landscaping company that hosts the “Welcome Back to Spring” event referenced above may publish and post a blog or blog series about preparing gardens and lawns for spring.
Tax accountants co-publish and share articles on “How to minimize your tax burden” and ask local personal investment advisors to co-host in-person seminars and online webinars just before tax season arrives You may.
Google has made it clear that relevant, useful, and high-quality content is an important ranking factor. Events and seasons provide a natural means by which you can create this type of content that benefits your target audience.
video content
It's no secret that video is becoming popular, and for some audiences, the preferred method of web communication is through social channels such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Anyone with a mobile device can now quickly create and distribute effective, professional-looking videos.
Sharing educational or promotional video content on these platforms, in the form of how-to guides or product/service promotions that align with upcoming events or changing seasons, can help your local business stand out from its competitors.
YouTube videos in particular can and should be optimized to appear in YouTube and Google search results, given the fact that Google owns this platform.
These types of videos should be embedded in the aforementioned event web pages and blog posts, as well as articles created to support them.
social media content
Assuming your local business has already started building a social media following, all web, blog/article, and video content should be shared via the channels that are most relevant to your business's target audience. there is.
For most local businesses, social media is just an extension of their offline community.
Additionally, social posts are intended to get people to view, view, like, share, and/or click on the engaging content they create. All social posts should include a clear call to action (CTA) and a link to event details.
When considering creating social media posts specific to an event or season, be sure to include unique and relevant hashtags, such as #welcomebackspring #springgardenprep #location. In addition to being a social search tool, hashtags have become an important branding tool that connects posted content with businesses, events, and places.
During the event, encourage participants and attendees to share their comments and experiences via social media using appropriate hashtags.
This can also lead to opportunities for recognition or rewards for those who post the best or the most, thereby increasing engagement.
These posts can be reshared on social channels and are an opportunity to highlight your local expertise and credibility.
Return to partnership
Partnering with local influencers, like-minded businesses, and organizations to co-host or co-promote an event reduces your workload and expands your reach by sharing responsibility for your event and content. and introduce your brand to new audiences.
Identify and reach out to organizations and individuals with similar audiences and propose mutually beneficial collaborations with common goals and expected outcomes.
Measure and analyze everything
The success of your digital marketing strategy depends on analytics.
By tracking key metrics such as organic search visibility, paid ad results, social engagement, and website visits, you can assess what aspects of your event worked, what didn't, and what's happening now. Or you can make any necessary adjustments to future campaigns.
Another way to measure the success of your event is to simply ask attendees for feedback.
Consider sending a post-event survey to attendees to see what they liked and what they didn't like. It lets attendees know that their opinions matter and helps you create more value-added events and content that ultimately benefits them.
Get eventing
By taking a holistic approach that integrates local events and seasonal campaigns into their marketing mix, local businesses can build stronger connections with their communities, thereby increasing their visibility and sustainability. Build the EATT that Google is looking for through customized content to drive growth.
Google's desire to provide personalized, relevant, and local results within a defined area allows us to reward the most engaged and active businesses.
Remember that consistency and data-backed adaptability are the keys to long-term success.
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Featured image: kenary820/Shutterstock
