Relevant local content is one of the most challenging types of content to write, whether you’re a family-owned single-location business or a multi-national corporation with physical locations all around the globe. The sad truth is that our experience with this challenge reveals it to be more of a resource challenge than a content challenge. Finding the time to generate that local content is time consuming and can be frustrating, especially for marketers who have responsibilities marketing for multiple locations!
I think we call all sympathize with the resource dilemma. Who hasn’t been there, right? You have 80 things to get done in a week but only the time to accomplish 50 of them, so something gets left off the list to be done next week. How many “next weeks” has this task seen for your organization?
Since it is not likely that the demands on your time are going to ease up any in the near future, I want to address how marketers like you can craft relevant local content for their website on behalf of multiple locations without obliterating any return they may get for their time investment. Some factors to consider:
- What knowledge do people at your locations have that you do not that might be relevant to local customers?
- What resources are leveraged by your locations that you don’t have access to?
Maybe you don’t have local dealers, franchisees or location managers whose knowledge about your product offerings or whose ability to express the value proposition of the sales points relevant to your products and services is all that strong. What those people will have undoubtedly is better insight into their respective local markets – namely, your customers. They’re going to understand how your sophisticated knowledge about the products can best be applied to that local market and will have some insights of their own (which I’m sure they’ve shared with their territory manager if not with you directly).
The application of this insight to what might be a more “generic” piece of content about a new product line or your latest promotion could be just what is needed to make that content speak more directly to local customers. How can you harness that knowledge easily? Ask questions! How much more effective is a piece about a new widget when the local dealer talks about how customers in his area might use that widget? I’m sure that dealer would love to tell you!
Let’s not forget the principal advantage they have over you – they are local. I guarantee that members of their team are uncovering all sorts of content development opportunities every day – whether speaking directly with customers in their homes or in the office, interacting with other businesses in the community, or sponsoring an event on behalf of a local charity. These are all sources of content that people in a specific location might care to read about, and all these sources can be directed toward increasing your local authority when it comes to talking about your products and services.
Did a homeowner, say, encounter a problem with small creatures infiltrating his ducts? His friends and neighbors are likely dealing with that themselves or may want to get ahead of that type of problem! Did someone injure himself trying the latest fitness craze? Tips on avoiding that extra trip to the therapist are just the kind of content that people will read and share with their networks.
One example comes from an agency we partner with whose client had a sales associate who went above and beyond the call of duty for a family with a very sick child at home. This employee worked her network to help this family find a high-quality solution they wouldn’t normally be able to afford; a solution that will protect their child from exposure to elements that could cause more complications. As a result, our partner’s client had a great story about how their compassionate team helped out a family in need, and at the same time had an opportunity to share how some of the equipment they sell can actually make home life healthier.
These content opportunities are there and are ripe for the picking. Getting your team to communicate them up the chain is the first challenge. Developing a system for incorporating that feedback in a unique way is another. When you solve those two sides of the equation your localized marketing efforts will start seeing some real results! Check out our Content Opportunity Report for help with mapping out these opportunities and organizing your outreach to these local sources of relevant content.