Issues
1. A common problem for business includes the fact that visitors don't know what is available or how to take advantage of products and services. Every year people come, visit, and return home while spending less money than they would have, if they had only known what else was available.
2. Another common problem is that people don't drive from Cincinnati, Indianapolis, or Louisville based on the promise of only doing one thing or visiting one shop. No matter how interesting that one shop (or one shop's web site) might be, it still falls into the "maybe someday category" (translation maybe never category). And then the next television show comes on, and they never give it a second thought.
Work is currently underway to solve both of these problems simultaneously. An expansion on this web site is being developed into an independent web site which will "integrate interest building" opportunities and preferentially filter for "high quality traffic."
Integrating interest building opportunities:
Situation A involves people searching for places to buy shoes on the internet. An individual can find "one" shoe store in any town, including the town where they already are, thus there is little motive to drive here.
Situation B involves people searching for places to buy shoes on the internet. However instead of the individual finding a list of independant shoe store web sites, they instead are introduced to a dozen other places to shop as well at the same time. In situation B, the motivation to drive here only to shop for shoes is still little motivation, however when combined with many other things to do on the same trip. The motivation is significantly enhanced. This can be accomplished by introducing internet searchers to shoes, and literally the restaurant immediately next door, and the antique shop just inches away, etc etc, all at the same time.
For example, while you are waiting on your watch to be repaired you could get a massage, eat, or shop, in order to make your time as valuable as possible. Note there is little competition between massage, restaurants, or shopping. This does involve overlapping interests.
Instead of separate independent web sites, each only selling themselves in otherwise isolation, we sell the idea that Main street is like an outdoor mall. With geometrical layout associated with the real world one might find when they get here and walk down the sidewalk.
This combines selling the idea of making a trip to Madison Historic District, specifically directed at those who have both the time and the money (high quality traffic), to take advantage of many different ways to spend their money, allowing them to "see" as they would if they were here, and in effect, allow them to see themselves already here.
This effort will include the white page web site effect, with seo and sem campaigns designed to preferentially filter for people who have the time and money from significant distances willing to make the trip. This helps all to make more money, minimizes the impact of low quality traffic (large numbers of people showing up to only spend $10), and minimizes population growth (people with the time and money from far away are typically well invested in that life where they are from, professionals for example).
All this will involve an enormous ongoing effort which is expensive, not to be mistaken for a few web pages, rarely updated. SEO or search engine optimization is about getting high search results, first or second page display on search engines for what you are selling, directly or indirectly. SEM is search engine marketing. This last part is not entirely dissimilar to the wild wild west in that there is constant battle against continuous evolving competition with other businesses on the internet. And occasionally everything changes and shifts like a flock of birds changing directions. Where before the birds were flying directly into your net every time changing into catching none of them. There is constant adaptation required.
The first goal is to get each tourist to spend, to the penny, exactly what he or she has budgeted for their trip to Madison, taking none of it back home with them. The second goal is to get higher quality traffic, fewer individuals which will spend more money, while still getting each tourist to spend their entire trip budget. This effort will address both goals.
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