Northern Ontario Travel Editorial Webinar How to reach your target audience

1. NORTHERN PORTAL EDITORIAL WEBINAR
How to reach your target audience
Presenters:
•Miriam Stucky
•Scott Adams

2. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
But your point is ...

3. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We are not just herding cats

4. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We are connecting people with experiences

5. FINDING THE MATCH
Speak to your customer

6. FINDING THE MATCH
Reference Your
Marketing Strategy

7. FINDING THE MATCH
Stay on target

8. HOW TO SPEAK TO THEM?
Creating great web content is a craft:
Part Art, Part Science
The goal is to create web content that is:
• Useful
• Timely
• Engaging

9. Writing a story isn’t a shot in the dark.
It’s a targeted effort.
Make your time and effort count.

10. #1 BRAINSTORM TOPICS
• Identify knowledgeable, creative people in your
midst (2-3).
• Make a time to sit down
• Everyone prepare (research, keep notes)
• Brainstorm

11. #1 BRAINSTORM TOPICS
• Make group list five more
• Set yourself a time limit (10-15 minutes or more)
and/or a target number of ideas (50, 100)
• ALL ideas are possible (no nay-say at this point)

12. #1 BRAINSTORM TOPICS
If you’re stuck:
• Consider another area: (health,
entertainment, international news, sports
news, regional news, etc.)
• Do more research (scan youtube, local,
national news, websites, social networks)
• Go back to your target markets -- what are
those people doing/looking to do right
NOW (seasonally)?

13. EXAMPLE
We took a stab at this, re: our community, mid December and came up with
the following:
families -- kids off for two weeks; looking for things to do santa clause
• crafts -- shopping
• gifts gift giving (+) (trail permits, help the environment)
• activities green gifting -- top 5 / top 10 gift ideas (low packaging,
• recipies experiences, gift cert. encouraging an active, healthy lifestyle
new city council Top ten gifts
winter New Yearʼs resolutions
canal frozen yet? youtube sensations (in the area)
canoe museum doing? things your bossʼs been talking about
holiday social (BB) seasonal party etiquette
Festival of Trees (Health Care Fundraiser) eco decorations
tobogganing waste reduction
ski reports eating healthy in winter (local eating, local restaurants,
x-country skiing clubs whatʼs on their menu; highlighting local biz. while offering
top 5 tips for getting your ski-wear in shape useful content for readers)
new ski gear indoor air quality
lessons/instruction available vitamin D/sunshine

14. #2 HONE IN
Now that you have a wealth of ideas...
• Put a little star next to the ideas that generate
energy/conversation
• Explore any/all potential links to buyable, doable
tourism experiences
• Refer to your target market -- which of your
stories have the potential to provide the greatest
value to your readers?

15. EXAMPLE
Topic: Gift Giving
Top 10 environmentally friendly gifts of 2010
(Travel experiences as gift ideas)
•Low packaging - theatre, event tickets
•Active lifestyle - trail permit, park pass
•An experience - Northern Ontario vacation
•Eco-friendly wrapping paper ideas
Provide Value

16. EXAMPLE
Topic: New Years Eve
How to Plan a Romantic New Year’s Getaway
(ideas paired with places that offer them)
•Warm & Cozy - Fire place / Jacuzzi
•Pampered - Spa treatments
•Good food - locally sourced options
•Outdoor activities - skating, tobogganing
•Attention to detail - in room champaign upon arrival
Be Timely

17. KEYWORDS
Making sure you are using
the right words.

18. KEYWORDS
Resources:
http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/
http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/
http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-information/

19. KEYWORDS

20. KEYWORDS

22. KEYWORDS
Where do they go?
1. Focus your page’s SEO on a primary and a
secondary keyword
To get started, focus on a primary and a secondary
keyword. Your page will be targeting many more than
those two keywords - but they are your starting point
and your focus

23. KEYWORDS
Where do they go?
2. Use your primary and secondary target keywords in
these specific places
• Page title tag
- Should be the first words
• Description tag
- Minimum 150 characters
• Headlines, sub-headlines
- Use the h1 or h2 tag

24. KEYWORDS
Where do they go?
2. Use your primary and secondary target keywords in
these specific places
• Body text
- A keyword for every 50 to 100 words
• Internal and external links
- In anchor text and link title
• Image names and alt tags
- Use image alt tags and rename your image files

25. ASSESSING STORY IDEAS
• If/when press releases or other unsolicited
information comes in -- ask “is this relevant
to my target audience(s)?”
• Does/can this story appeal to the interests
and/or needs of your readers?
Stay on Target

26. THANK YOU
Any Questions?
Presenters:
•Miriam Stucky
•Scott Adams