Hyper-Local

I did a presentation on the Unemployable Initiative last week.

My presentation was about hyper-local websites, meaning websites that are built around news, lifestyle or events of a specific city. I used the example of Your Boulder, which is a project where I partnered with one of my idols.

The success of Your Boulder and other hyper-local websites has made me think a lot about what other opportunities there are for people. If you are interested in starting an online business, but you don’t know where to start, I think a hyper-local website is a damn good option.

Why?

Local keywords are “winnable.” Meaning since you are only competing with other websites in your city or demographic, you have a real shot at climbing in the search engines.

You have a designated audience. One of the biggest mistakes online entrepreneurs make is trying to appeal to everyone. You don’t need more followers, you need the right followers. Hyper-local sites come with a predetermined target audience.

People will always be interested in local news and events. How many weekends have you asked, “what should we do this weekend?” Local events will always have an interested audience. Give the people what they want.

Countless ways to monetize. One of the biggest issues I am having with Your Boulder is deciding on a monetization strategy and sticking with it. There are so many options to chose from. It’s a good problem to have. You can sell sponsored content, build a business directory, get involved with real estate, sell event promotions… the options are endless.

I recently launched an online community called Success Labs, the first workshop I will put together is going to be on this model.

I’m happy to talk to anyone who may be interested in learning more. Feel free to reach out.