We helped a lifestyle digital publication break 1M traffic threshold with organic website and social media content.
1M+
Organic Traffic
Year of 2022
30%+ Monthly
IG Engagement
Over the past 12 months
Paid Content Interest
Significant Growth
Company Overview
Urban Matter Chicago
UrbanMatter, Inc. is a Chicago-based digital media platform that launched in early 2015 with the goal of being the city’s best source for local news and has become one of the fastest-growing media companies around. Focusing on hospitality, tourism, entertainment, arts, culture, and community, Urban Matter Chicago is a digital publication positioning itself as the leading information source for those looking to fully enjoy their time in Chicago and a thought leader to building a more united community across neighborhoods.
The Challenge
Coming back from the pandemic lockdown, Chicago’s media world is more competitive and active than ever. With new businesses and events showing up left and right at an exponential rate, Urban Matter needed a unique voice to stand against major competitors such as Choose Chicago, Eater Chicago, and Time Out. On the social side, Urban Matter has been sharing local photographer works which has built a decent fanbase. However, the shortage of original content has become an issue with establishing their presence and credibility on social media when larger outlets have a dedicated social team constantly pushing out original content.
The Solution
Expanded Editorial
Our first approach was expanding general editorial based on what our competitors are doing while adding some personal twist. For example, most major digital publications in Chicago focus on providing monthly activity guides and new business highlights, so we added monthly “Things to Do in Chicago” articles to stay competitive, while utilizing these summary lists to boost a tighter internal linking structure to other articles throughout the month.
We’ve also expanded editorial to develop weaker categories such as the art, culture, and community/non-profit segments.
Curated Thematic Content
60% of modern digital press is about trends. Staying trendy was Urban Matter’s biggest challenge due to its small business nature, and we decided to take the problem head on. Through effective social listening and competitor research, we made sure to stay in the game with popular themes such as Dry January, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, while carefully choosing additional themes that may be overlooked by our competitors, such as Lunar New Year celebrations, Filipino-American Heritage month, etc.
In the meantime, we’ve developed new content partnership with existing and new media partners to leverage them as our trend tippers, instead of passively receiving pitches from publicists and PR firms.
Unique Features
A unique voice is what you need to truly stand out in the media world. With a highly selective curating process, we developed a editorial feature program where we create unique writeups for various events. Instead of directly using the press release or new tips sent to us, our approach allowed Urban Matter to establish themselves as one of the few digital outlets that create “real content” with a unique voice that is different from the rest of the world.
The Solution
Diversified, Engaging
Social Media Content
After evaluating the existing social media statistics, we identified Instagram as Urban Matter’s primary channel where they have the strongest fan base and footprints. We developed an engagement strategy that collaborates with local influencers in Chicago focusing on the niches in line with Urban Matter’s editorial coverage. We also developed an organic content strategy to stray away from 100% reposting photographer by creating local guide posts, interactive stories, and city exploration reels.
The Results
Significant Traffic Increase
Urban Matter’s Chicago site alone captured over 1 million visits, accounting for over 1/5 of the total traffic under the national Urban Matter website and two other city sites, and is the second highest performing site among the four. This number is significant as national site relied nearly 100%+ paid content, whereas Urban Matter’s Chicago site was 90% organic/editorial. Compared to the previous year, the client gained over 350M new users (51% increase), 600M more (50% increase) pageviews, with average session durations increasing by 10%. The holiday season traffic was over 2x higher than that of the previous year, finishing the year off on an unprecedent peak.
Stronger Local Presence
After two years of intensive, unique content development, and in-person engagement, Urban Matter has established a powerful local presence and spread its brand name across communities and neighborhoods. Chicago audiences and travelers now see Urban Matter as a trustworthy source for relevant information.
Improved Media Authority
Urban Matter is now recognized as a media authority and thus have gained access to higher level conferences, events, and EXPOs that didn’t include Urban Matter on the media list. Urban Matter’s Chicago site is no longer just another digital publication, but one authoritarian and influential enough wo be regarded on the same level as larger, multi-media publications in the area.
Social Media Partnership
Increased Instagram reach and engagement has led Urban Matter to new opportunities regarding influencer partnerships. Larger influencers are now on the organic collaboration team, and Urban Matter has discovered high-value affiliate and sponsorship opportunities through lead captured via Instagram.
Quote Source
“Thanks to Westerlund, Co's efforts, the client has seen a substantial drop in bounce rates. They are also gaining around 70 followers per week on Instagram and higher click-to-open rates for email blasts. Both sides continue to have a seamless and enjoyable partnership. ”
Ready to Go Viral?
These results can be yours, if not better! See for yourself why we’re recognized as one of the top-performing content marketing agencies in every state we go. We create each strategy based on your needs, budget, and business goals, and help you make every dollar work.
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