Marketing With Local Directories
Hey, welcome to Resort Marketing Vids. Today we’re talking about marketing with local directories.
First things first, let’s describe what we mean here when we say a local directory. I’m sure the first thing a lot of you thought of when I said that was the Yellow Pages. It’s a fact that the majority of people have replaced their yellow pages directory book with the Google search engine.
This is great news for you, because there are plenty of ONLINE local directories that have taken its’ place. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about today, marketing with ONLINE local search directories.
Did you know that there are at least twenty one local directories online that you should be registered for? There are. I’ve included a list of them here for you. The link should be right here on this page.
There are several reasons why you want to be set up on all of these different directories. First off, you get found more easily, whether people are searching for your resort, or for camping in the area, being registered in more directories will increase the chance that they’ll find you when they do their search. I’ll beat a dead horse here and say that this is one of those times where strong keyword research comes into play.
Another reason to register on all these directories, is that the search engines really like it when you do. Directory listings provide you an excellent opportunity for setting up back links. Almost every directory lets you link to your resorts homepage, and most will let you link to all your main social sites as well. This creates a web of cross-links all over the internet that tells the search engines you must be pretty important, and that they should list you higher in the search results because of it.
A few other great features of local online directories are, the ability to add photos of your resort, video tours of the resort, member testimonial videos, and even “coupons†for a discounted three day two night stay, or some other special offer you can come up with.
Bottom line is this. Registering on a bunch of local directory sites is going to get you found more online. There are hundreds if not thousands of people searching for your resort, or what your resort provides, every single month. Setting up profiles on these directories allows you to put yourself in front of more of those people. And having a good description, great pictures, a few videos, and an offer people can’t refuse, will give you a greater chance to connect with them.
So download the list of directories I’ve compiled for you. Register on ALL of them. Use good pictures, and add videos if you can. Link back to your resorts homepage and all your social sites. Then update the information on the directories once a month. It takes about an hour and a half to set them all up, and the same amount of time to update them each month. This is an easy, no brainer strategy to get yourself in front of more eyeballs online.
That’s it for this week. Next week we’re getting a little more advanced as we finally jump into mobile marketing for fairs and shows. If you haven’t read through the mobile marketing article series, I HIGHLY recommend you do so. You can find them under Executive Reports.
I’ll see you later.