Thinking locally successfully

January 31st, 2008 by Steve Gerencser

There are plenty of blog posts out there that are happy to regurgitate the short list of local search hangouts, Google Local, City Search, Local.com and all the others. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting listed there if your only goal is getting a free link and possibly one or two visitors.

But what if your goals are more than that? What if you actually want to be a part of the local scene? What if you are after something a little more fulfilling than a quick link and move on?

There is an answer, or I wouldn’t be posting this.

Take a look at Lafayette Online, a local website that has been running for years with the simple goal of giving people in Lafayette, In., local news, a local dining guide, lodging information, even a calendar of events. And it’s primary viewer? People that actually live and shop in Lafayette! What a concept! (BTW, go Boilermakers!)

Lafayette Online isn’t alone, take a look at Nashville Scene. A different approach to the local scene, but the same effect. Local information is being provided to local people, and if you are targeting locally, these sites are where you need to be.

Find these sites. Contact the site owners. See if you can get a news story written about you. At the very least add them to your press release list, many of the site owners are small operations just trying to provide something to the local community and any news that they can get is good news. And if it isn’t, it’s easy enough to delete.

Don’t have a news worthy item? Advertise! Everyone is wrapped up in Google AdWords as the ad supplier of choice. But these local sites run by local people, putting local money back in to the local economy can be a far better investment over time than the random Google Ad. Besides, how often is someone from Google going to come in to your shop and spend $20?