19 Apr Blogging for a local audience
In past posts we’ve talked about using the language of your readers and the semantics of choosing between using your “local” language (Canadian or British English, for example) or the universal language of the internet (US English). That discussion brought up other questions – like whether or not you should be making appeals to your local readers with your content.
This week I started thinking about the issue again after a client made a comment. After posting an article on an NYC business’ site, the client commented on a line that said the following, “People who have been coping with a cold winter climate….” His comment was “we’re a business in New York, isn’t that kind of redundant? All of our clients just experienced winter.”
Inarguably, if you’re writing strictly for a local audience, that kind of statement is redundant. But, when writing client blogs I very rarely include a local perspective when it’s a general interest topic where location is irrelevant. After further discussion with my client, it came out that his perspective was “only local readers are going to turn into clients”. It is a fair point – but I think you know that I just don’t agree that it’s everything, and here’s why:
- It’s the internet, you’re going to get more than just local readers coming to your site when you’re discussing a common interest topic, so embrace it and make that fact work in your favor.
- A general interest topic without a local perspective will be passed all around social media. If you appeal to only individuals from a certain area, it will only be shared with those individuals directly. Even if it doesn’t have a local perspective, with greater sharing potential, it’s more likely to come to the attention of local people that will bring business.
- It establishes your reputation, because those reading your blog for the information you’re providing, may recommend you to local friends, whether or not they’ve actually used your services.
- The more people that read, the better you’ll succeed with SEO rankings. Better rankings mean more visibility to those specifically looking for your services.
There are circumstances when writing for a local audience makes total sense – if you’re discussing promotions of experiences only those that can visit will find relevant, for example.
What do you think? Is it better to remain neutral with general interest topics or should you just write for a paying audience?