The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be one of the most extravagant events to hit our shores and will undoubtedly provide numerous opportunities for businesses to increase in their individual sector market shares, whether it is locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

There will be 10 million tickets on sale at the event, with an expected worldwide audience of 40 billion. The estimated worth of the London Games has been valued at roughly £2.1bn with the number of visitors descending on the UK for the event estimated to be around 1million.

In the last few years we have seen a huge shift in the numbers of visitors willing to travel to the UK in order to attend and watch major events. But what other activities and interests bring visitors to the U.K?

The chart below shows findings of a questionnaire carried out by International Passenger Survey in 2007, it gives insight into visitor interests and what else, other than the Olympics, might attract them to England. Roughly 45% of tourists like to go shop for clothes and accessories, with 10% more inclined to go to the theatre, opera, the ballet or concerts. This surely is something for retailers, venues and ticket sellers to bear in mind when the Olympic Games visitors hit our shore.

Source: International Passenger Survey (2007)

It’s also interesting to see what the demographics of visitors to the UK are, and therefore the kinds of people that will be coming to England during the Games.

The chart below shows that a lot of visitors will be coinciding their trip to the Games with a visit to family and friends (VFR), or even for business.

How can you as a business owner use this information?

With only 724 days left until the Games, how is your company’s online marketing strategy planning going? It might seem a bit early to be thinking about these things but we think you should start planning sooner, rather than later, and particularly if your plans include search engine optimisation.

Here are 7 tips to consider when planning your Olympics 2012 online marketing:

1: Defined Your Objectives – Have targets, goals and objectives established prior to the 2012 Games.

2: Research Your Audience – Know your audience and potential target market.

3: Localise Your Campaign – Focus on either targeting visitors/businesses locally and regionally.

4: Think Global – Be aware your brand will reach a global audience.

5: Get The Marketing Mix Right – Decide the best online marketing mix to push your brand using mobile device apps, social media, search engine optimisation, pay per click, display advertising, email marketing.

6: Be DDA Compliant – Ensure your website is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005

7: Analyse Everything – Focus on getting more from your web analytics to make marketing decisions and track your customer’s lifecycle

Not sure how you should market yourselves in the lead up to London 2012? Contact us and we’ll help plan your online marketing strategy.