Tips for Hyper-Local Websites

This article has suggestions about hyper-local websites, essentially community news sites written by volunteer citizen journalists. Some of the ideas may be applicaable to local music sites as well.

Hyper-Local Citizen Media Sites Learn How to Serve Small Communities

Hyperlocalization and finding advertisers

Here's an article about the struggles of Backfence, a company going after local markets with citizen journalism. The company raised $3 million, which, if doled out very carefully, should sustain them for awhile.

Any website that depends on advertising income will have a tough go of it. There are way too many websites competing for too few ad dollars.

Hyperlocal websites as a way to attract support for live music makes sense because it reinforces the idea that music venues, if done right, can enhance neighborhoods.

But a traditional advertising pricing system, based on cost per thousands, is not likely to be appealing because numbers for hyperlocal sites will be relatively low. More creative integrated marketing plans are a better approach.

For Local News Site, Model Just Didn't Click - washingtonpost.com, 1/15/07: "Most community news sites like Backfence, which rely on reader-generated content to draw advertising dollars, are still trying to make a profit off 'hyperlocal' Internet publishing. Strings of neighborhood sites haven't been able to attract enough users to persuade advertisers to bank on such targeted media outlets, analysts said...

Media analysts agree that many readers are looking for hyperlocal content, but they say most citizen-journalism sites aren't mature enough to tap into the lucrative local advertising markets.

'Realistically, it's going to take close to 10 years for the business models to be there and for there to be enough advertisers willing to give money to hyperlocal start-ups,' said Vin Crosbie, managing partner of Digital Deliverance, a Connecticut media consulting firm. 'Backfence's problem is that it was too early.'"

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More on hyperlocalization

More on the hyperlocalization trend. This article about the company, AmericanTowns, which creates local news websites.

I can envision a day when music venues are promoted this way. Get your neighbors out to support local bands at local venues. To hell with who some kid blogger in another state thinks is the cool band of the moment.

Anytown, Online - New York Times, 1/14/07: "Across the United States, citizen bloggers and deep-pocketed entrepreneurs are creating town-specific, and even neighborhood-specific, Web sites where the public can read and contribute items too small or too fleeting for weekly newspapers. Suburban towns across the greater New York area are joining in, giving residents a new way to avoid traffic snags, find a lost dog or just vent about a local hot-button issue."

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Local is where it's at

Local may be the next big internet trend. And this bodes well for local music scenes and the media that support them.

People may be interested in what goes on around the world, but day-to-day they still live their lives in their neighborhoods and cities.

Next digital step leads to content near you: "... localization is a wild card of the user relevance that drives the Internet. It is a quiet untapped venue that smart players are beginning to embrace as a way to cater to the unique needs, interests and tastes of consumers where they live and drill down into local places where money can be spent.

After all, what's more important than the grocery list, community services, local movie times, car maintenance, school schedules, home repairs, pet care and children's activities that is the 'local' glue holding together everyone's lives. It's the kind of electronic 'to do' list and personal community-based content that everyone needs, and is not as likely to be replicated or ripped off--making it ripe for digital interactive advertising, commerce and other forms of monetization. ...

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in a CES keynote Sunday night, made the important but woefully overlooked observation that consistent and uniform connected experiences are lacking in this 'digital decade' and in a digital consumer ecosystem that equally values shared personal experiences and communications, and commercial events and entertainment."

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Think: Local, Local, Local

This blog is all about developing local music scenes. Noise:Floor is a multi-media concept about local music.

This blurb also talks about the future of local media.

Let me take this a step further. Local media needs to highlight their local talent as much or more than they do national/international talent.

It has been happening here in the Denver metro area. There is an unprecedented amount of coverage of local music.

And it is warranted. There's an explosion of local talent.

But there's still a bias toward bands that are going to break away from the local scene and make an impact nationally or internationally. There's more buzz about the bands that are being checked out by major labels and about bands being invited to the most prestigious festivals.

Perhaps a true local focus will equally tout talented bands that have no interest in leaving the area.

The Consolidation of Local Media - SeekingAlpha: "None other than The Kraft Group and Pallotta's The Raptor Fund have ponied up $20 million of investment capital in Plum TV, the network of local stations in high-powered markets like The Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, Aspen and Vail -- 6 stations currently, with two more awaiting FCC approval.

"Media powerplayers Robert Pittman [Time Warner's (TWX) AOL] and Tom Freston [Viacom's (VIA) MTV] also led the round. While not yet public, a group this smart must know something. In the end, who really wants the 'pablum' of mass produced media in an age of consumer control and customization [think Starbucks (SBUX) and Apple's (AAPL) iPod, where the consumer controls everything about the end product]. And, who really wants the YouTube antics of candyies dropped in Coke bottles (except for momentary entertainment value and a good chuckle).

"Perhaps the future of media -- and the investment dollars that follow it -- will be refocused on local markets and local communities. Like MTV and Freston's vision earlier, Plum is really about influence, not reach. Do more 'eyeballs' matter? Or do the RIGHT eyeballs matter? Most savvy marketers vote for the latter. So do Kraft, Pallotta, Freston, Pittman.

"Consolidation of local media -- while keeping the local content -- may be what the likes of ClearChannel and others ultimately missed."

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