Today, our Senior Manager of Content & Promotions, Anne Marie Robson, answers another common question that we hear from clients looking for ways to boost online engagement.
Which is more beneficial for my site: generic or local content?
Anne Marie: Good question! I think it’s important to balance your online content with some generic material such as national or worldwide news and entertainment pieces. Generic content is necessary because it requires minimal time and effort to create, which helps you keep up a consistent flow of new material on your site. For example, you can have an intern or part-timer curate a list of articles and videos from around the internet to share with your audience each week.
However, for optimal engagement, I recommend a larger offering of local material. Content that is brand-specific is essential to your digital strategy; the reason your listeners will visit your site to begin with is to learn more about your station and engage further with your on-air talent. So, be sure to include local news, interviews with members of your community, a calendar of upcoming events, contests, and blog posts from your on-air personalities to keep your audience active online. Creating local content doesn’t have to break your budget or consume your whole work day, either. Syndication is a great way to save time when publishing appropriate content across multiple sites. For instance, if you’re managing a cluster of station websites located in the same city, consider syndicating posts about local or regional news. This is one way you can regularly provide content to all of your sites while still allowing time and energy to focus on creating more site-specific material.
For more content ideas that will save you time and resources, check out this recent blog post.
