Top Tips for Local Businesses to Make the Most of the Olympics this Summer

London 2012 is almost upon us, but how can local businesses capitalise on the potential customer uplift?


Make the most of local search trends


By developing compelling web copy to help gain an outstanding search engine ranking, you will immediately be increasing the opportunities for your business to capitalise on this summer’s Olympic Games.  With visitors to London expected from across the world, there really is limitless potential for small businesses.  Having finely tuned web copy will make your business stand out and deliver you a whole new range of customers.

Visitors to London will likely be unfamiliar with the city and will be looking for places to eat, shop and things to do.  While a number of these travellers will have undoubtedly invested in a travel guide, modern technology allows people to search for places on a level like never before.  Say you’re the owner of a small coffee shop, and a tourist from Australia is looking for a coffee not from Starbucks, Costa or one of the other well-known brands.  Typing “coffee shop” into their phone can potentially link them directly to your business, complete with a map, directions and the time it will take to get there.  Ensuring you have optimised your site for web searches will ensure you can make the most of the additional footfall throughout Britain this summer.  Take note of the various sites across the country where various events are taking place, and athletes will be staying at given times.  The Olympics are a massive opportunity for small businesses across the country, not just those based in London.


Be social media savvy


A number of tourists will be looking to social media in order to make informed decisions over where to go during their time in the UK.  Make sure you’re businesses is on Facebook so customers can “check in” when they’re at your premises and tell others where they are.  The more check-ins and likes you get on Facebook, the better your ranking and visibility on those sites will be.  Are you able to attract more business by perhaps offering a small discount to customers who check in at your business using a social media platform?

Why not ask international customers to review your business, or enable an online social forum for visitors to tell everyone how impressed they were.  Beware this works both ways, so ensure you’re on top of your game to avoid any unwanted negative publicity and comments!


Get after it


This summer’s Olympics are a celebration which the whole country can take part in.  Ensure your small business makes the most of this opportunity to develop potentially a worldwide buzz about your services and products.
BrightLocal is a small internet marketing company. They specialise in local search engine optimization.

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