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INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGY:
LOCAL INTERNET MARKETING TIPS FOR DENVER BUSINESSES - Part One of Series
by Steve Ebner, December 3, 2009

Sometimes a roadblock can force you to take new pathways that lead to undiscovered opportunities. That's exactly what has happened to Denver businesses during the recent economic downturn. When it comes to marketing spending, it is no longer business as usual. Denver businesses are desperate for finding newer, cheaper ways of promoting their services and maximizing fewer employees. The slow economy has forced even companies solely focused on the Denver market to embrace the web to drum up new business. I have had multiple clients confirm they are moving large chunks of their marketing budgets into Internet-related channels. However, most are still uncertain about the best way to leverage the Internet for their local marketing.

Over the next couple months, I will publish a series of articles aimed at sharing information and tips on local Internet marketing for Denver businesses. The series will explore website content, search engines & online advertising, email marketing, partnering, and social networking & new media.

Let's start with a high-level overview of some key Internet marketing channels and a few basic tips:

Internet Marketing Channel	Campaign Activities	Tips to Maximize
COMPANY WEBSITE	Add local market & social networking content	Add content relevant to local target audience, such as articles, blogs, forums, news, calculators, etc. Look for ways to make more of your content interactive, such as enabling site visitors to post replies to your articles or blog postings Prioritize proprietary content over outside syndicated content Consider value of adding website sections (or versions of exisitng pages) designed for mobile users
COMPANY WEBSITE	SEO	Focus search engine optimization on local geographic keywords (Denver, Highlands Ranch, etc.) mixed with keywords that describe your business or product Don't necessarily go with highest traffic keywords...instead, find the keywords that will produce "biggest bang for buck"
SOCIAL NETWORKS	Regular postings	Prioritize Twitter (campaigns on Facebook & LinkedIn may be benefical as complementary campaigns for some businesses) Start by positioning your campaigns as publicity and awareness rather than direct response (don't expect immediate measureable ROI) Create a posting plan that defines frequency & types of "tweets"...all well aligned with your branding goals Only post content and links that will bring value to your local audience
SEARCH ENGINES	Local pay-per-click ads	Prioritize Google in your PPC marketing budgets Restrict ad runs to Denver market or narrow further to target neighborhoods or business areas (e.g. Denver Tech Center) Make sure your website's landing pages and PPC ads are well optimized for local keywords
SEARCH ENGINES	Local business listings	Place free business listings with address, phone, and website link on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others
ONLINE DIRECTORIES	Local business listings	Prioritize free listings in national trade directories and portals (Don't waste your time with paid listings unless the online directory is heavily used by your local target market...ignore the national traffic data)
EMAIL MARKETING	Newsletters	Create unique value for your target audience through original articles, white papers, local industry roundtable discussions, local market interviews, local training webinars, special data releases, etc. Give your email recipients a reason NOT to opt-out, report spam, or unsubscribe. Think about content that extends your branding or extends the applications for your products Enable recipients to receive in mutliple formats (HTML or text) as well as an embedded link to an online version Give newsletter subscribers more choices about the email communications they receive (e.g. topical stories, new product announcements, industry community features, etc.) Integrate content from other Internet marketing channels into your email communications
PARTNERING	Cooperative marketing	Identify current and prospective partners that target the same local customers; Look for ways you can work together to make a bigger bang online Can you share website or newsletter content, jointly create a bigger buzz through the social networks, cooperatively leverage technology or manpower, co-sponsor an online contest or webinar, or split the costs of a joint online advertising campaign? Are their complementary products or services that can be bundled or leveraged during the sales cycle

Check back soon for Part Two of "Local Internet Marketing Tips for Denver Businesses"
I will discuss some ways your business can leverage Twitter and other social networking applications even if your focus is B2B.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Ebner is an Internet marketing strategy veteran. His Denver marketing consulting company, Steve Ebner Marketing Inc., provides strategy planning, Internet marketing & professional SEO services consulting, and other promotional strategy consulting services. Visit www.SteveEbner.com to learn more..