Ever since this group started Local University, our goal has always been to educate as many small business owners and fellow marketers as possible about local online marketing best practices.
For a bootstrapped, ragtag group, we’ve done pretty well with our four-year-old events series, bringing between 150-250 attendees to each of our small business-oriented seminars, and 50-75 professional marketers to our Advanced events.
But we’ve consistently heard from folks around the country (and even internationally) that it’s just not economically or logistically feasible for them to travel to one of our in-person events.
Today we take a major step forward towards broadening the audience we’re able to reach with the release of the Local University Forums.
What the forums are, in a nutshell:
A place to get expert answers to all of your local search questions.
Whether it’s about rankings for a specific client or general questions about how to implement a review acquisition campaign, we’ve got you covered across 14 different topical threads. And if you don’t see a relevant thread to your question, just tell us and we’ll start a new one.
A collaborative environment where you can learn from your peers (and build your own professional network).
Not only will the Local U faculty actively participate in these forums, but some of your most-experienced marketing peers will offer their experiences and accrued learnings as well. Together the amount of knowledge that will exist between faculty and subscribers will be the most concentrated collection anywhere.
An ongoing feed of all the hot news in local search.
From new algorithmic trends to bugs in the system, get bleeding-edge tips for how to stay on top of the local rankings in one of the fastest-changing disciplines in all of marketing.
Membership also includes access to:
- Unlimited viewing of Local University: Advanced sessions from Seattle, WA
The only way to attend Local University remotely. - Moz Academy Local Search Videos
12 quick-hitting, action-packed tutorials on how to handle everything from Local competitive research, content development, mobile optimization, and more. - Members-Only Google Hangouts
One-of-a kind interactive presentations hosted by the Local University faculty.
Expect to see all of the Local U faculty jumping in and answering questions as they pop up in our designated areas of expertise. We’ve also recruited even more moderators to assist us with this effort, including:
- Darren Shaw and Nyagoslav Zhekov of Whitespark
- Andrew Shotland of Local SEO Guide
- Phil Rozek of Local Visibility System
- Carrie Hill of Ignitor Digital
- Dan Austin, Mapmaker Expert
- Helmut, International Google Local Expert and Long-time Top Contributor
- Treebles, Long-time Google Places Top Contributor
And of course, as a new initiative, we’re still building out all the great informational materials that come as part of this subscription — have a study you’d like to see us perform? A topic you’d like to see us cover in a webinar? Just let us know and we’ll see what we can do to add it as a member perk.
Our goal with these forums is to increase the number of people we can help with our knowledge, at a price point that makes sense for business owners and digital marketing agencies alike. In other words, help more “clients” than we’d have the bandwidth to do with standard consulting arrangements, or than could afford an hourly rate from any one of us.
Introductory pricing for the forums is $99/month for the first 50 members. And if you register by January 31, you’ll save an extra $50 on your first-month’s subscription.
Well, I think that about covers it. Let us know if you have any questions about the forums in the comments & we look forward to helping many more of you than we’ve ever been able to, starting today!
