Bloggy Boot Camp: Local Content

Hooray! This is the session I was most excited about! (it appears that we are skipping the “Growing Your Traffic” session due to schedule delays)

This post is a “live blog” of the Blogging About Your Town: What to Do with Local Content session at Bloggy Boot Camp Dallas. Please excuse all typos and format issues. We’re live!

Presenter: Holly Homer @TexasHolly http://sheisdallas.com http://business2blogger.com

Your blog is YOUR personal space.  No one should be telling you what to do with it.  Own it.  Do it your way.  One of the things about YOUR story is where you live.

Your Local Influence

  • Google Analytics – go to Audience  => Demographics => Location => Us => Arkansas  Look at % of visitors and amount of time spent on site.
  • Twitter – check twitaholic for local ranking
  • Roughly estimate % of followers on twitter, FB, LinkedIn, G+, Pinterest, and any other online networks
  • Look Offline: Email contacts, local organizations – HOA, PTA, kids’ sports, etc.
  • Create a snapshot of your local influence

Write down and track

  • # of Blog views per month from Texas
  • Ranked 3rd for twitters followers in DFW
  • # of local social media reaches
  • Local organizations

How to Grow Local #s

– On Your Blog

  • Change URL of your ABOUT page. http://yourwebsite.com /[your city]momblogger (or other keywords that you want to be found by).
  • Use your new keyword phrase in your bio on that page
  • Add the phrase in your sidebar somewhere
  • Always use local keywords on your photo names
  • Promote your local content to your local friends

– Guest post where locals will see you

  • Online version of local newspaper
  • Local organizations/businesses’ blogs
  • Link your guest post to your new about page.

– On Twitter – stalk local followers – find them on local accounts like news, museums, organizations that are specific to your town

– On Pinterest – search for geo-centric boards: town names, sports names, local attractions

– Press – make yourself available to local TV, newspapers, local blogs

– Attend local events when asked

– Network with your local bloggers

How to put Local Content on YOUR blog:

  • If it’s occasional, just do it.
  • If once/twice per week: Consider setting aside a day or the weekend for this content
  • Set up a blog category with your town’s name.

Reasons you should NOT start a local blog

  • Workload – local blogs compete with news organizations who have PAID employees…and a lot of them
  • Website Traffic – potential traffic capped by your town’s population limiting passive income ptential dramatically
  • YOU are NOT the PRESS – but people will act like you are and not want to pay you
  • Local Businesses – don’t have the budget to take a chance on you and may be a little intimidated about social media in general

Find a way to fit local content in with what you are already doing.

Holly Homer hosts a G+ hangout on Wednesdays at 10:30am on social media practices.  Feel free to come over and ask questions!

This session is being blogged to you live by Fawn Rechkemmer, who blogs at Instead of the Dishes. Special thanks to Petit Jean Meats for sponsoring Fawn’s attendance at Bloggy Boot Camp. What’s better than Petit Jean Bacon? Chocolate Covered Petit Jean Bacon.

Other Bloggy Boot Camp Session Posts: