Sara MacQueen
Blogging is the act of writing articles (aka Blog Posts) and publishing them on the Internet (usually your website).
As a marketing tool, your blog is one piece of an effective inbound marketing strategy. Inbound marketing aims to earn (rather than buy) the attention of meeting planners, and provide them with the information they need to make a decision. In contrast, “Outbound Marketing” buys attention through direct mail, traditional advertising and cold-calling (to name a few).
Why Your Event Venue Should Have a Blog:
1. Blogging Gets Your Venue’s Website Found by Search Engines
In a nut shell, as you blog, your website gets larger (i.e. it grows in number of pages). This gives search engines more pages to index in their database…which means more opportunities for your website to appear in search results.
An effective blogging strategy involves considering what event organizers are searching for as it relates to your industry…and write blog posts on those topics. No doubt, if your venue is located in Miami, Florida, there are event organizers “Googling” all sorts of things related to “where to host a conference in Miami”, “best city in Florida to host a boat show” or “beach front convention centres in Florida”.
2. Blogging Brings More Traffic To Your Website
Not only will a blog bring more search traffic to your website, if you post relevant and engaging content, people will want to share it, and link to it. You’ll notice your website getting more social shares on sites like Twitter and Facebook…and you’ll notice more links from other websites referencing your content.
These shares have the added benefit of boosting your ranking in search engines. Why? Search engines see when other websites link to yours. This is a signal that your content is popular and high quality…and one of the best ways to boost your website closer to the top of search results.
3. Blogging Earns Trust by Showcasing Your Staffs’ Expertise
Enlisting your staff to contribute to a blog about your venue, and other topics relevant to event planners looking for a venue in your region, is a great way to demonstrate that your staff know their stuff.
4. Blogging Educates Event Planners About Your Venue and Region
Blogging is a fantastic way to get event planners excited about your venue and show them why you’re a top-notch meeting destination!
Wrapping It Up
Blogging draws event organizers to your website by producing interesting, helpful and informative content. You’ll capture more traffic from search engines, establish your venue staff as experts and educate meeting planners about your venue. If you have a blog, and do it right, your blog can be a lucrative source of leads and new bookings for your venue.
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“Why Every Event Venue Should Blog” was originally published on the Booked Up Venues Marketing Advice Blog, reprinted with permission.
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