Public events can be a great way to bring traffic to your website. News worthy event, such as the Olympic Torch Relay, generate a lot of search engine traffic. To take advantage of these events you need to do two things. First be fast and second have a tie-in to your business.

In the age of digital cameras on cell phones being fast is becoming easier. The problem, of course, is everyone has the same advantage. The good news it – not everyone is taking advantage of it.

Pictures are a must. They don’t have to the greatest pictures – but the better the quality, the better your chances that it will attract links. In general – news events don’t require a model release from those participating in the event. However, crowd scenes can be problematic. If you capture someone in the crowd in what could be seen as an embarassing situation — don’t use that picture.

While news organizations use thousands of pictures without any thought of model releases — you shouldn’t. People may not want to be associated with your business. If you are including a picture of a person that is not clearly part of the event – get a model release.

Getting the tie-in to your business will depend on not only the nature of your business – but also how your website is setup. A blog or a community events page are the best places to put these type of articles.

Of course if you can be an event sponsor or participate in the event – that is even better. Sales or other promotions can also work as tie-in. And, if you can’t find a tie-in to you business – just promote your community.

Tags: comox, marketing, olympic torch relay, small business

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