Every business should be a media business

You may have heard about a little thing called the “Digital Transformation”.

This has been a topic of conversation amongst media professionals for the past decade plus at this point. Whether anyone would like to admit it or not, the transformation is complete and the digital space is the most important driver of virtually any business in today’s landscape. Whether you are a local restaurant, a granite countertop company, a general contractor or a used car dealer, your business will need a digital presence to compete in the long term against the competition.

In the day and age of COVID-19, the digital space has only expanded its iron grip on the attention of consumers. So what does this all mean and as a business owner, how can I enhance my digital presence to engage my existing consumer base and also reach new customers? One strategy to consider is to think like a media business no matter what industry your business is in.

What does it mean to think like a media business? 

For example, lets say your business is a local tavern known for a variety of burgers, the hottest chicken wings and a long list of draft beers. Here are some examples of how you can amplify these key areas of focus in the digital space with quality media content.

Instagram is one of the most powerful and influential marketing tools in existence today. Through a unique blend of captivating photos and videos, short form text content and the right hashtags, your local pub could find itself with a line out the door with people excited to try your new zesty wing sauce. Create a plan to release content hyping up the amazing dishes your pub offers with high quality (and I stress high quality) photos, introduce the chefs behind the magic and showcase their personalities and perhaps a beer of the day post with a recommended food pairing. The bottom line….Get people invested in your people and your products.

Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy to implement into any type of large or small business. Continuing with our example, let's say your tavern that's been serving the hottest wings and best burgers in town has been in business for 30 years. Over that extensive period of time, there’s a good chance that you’ve developed regulars who have become familiar with your beloved staff, bartenders and chefs. By leveraging an influencer marketing strategy in the digital space, you will be able to create a bond that your staff has with its regulars with a much larger reach in your community.

We’ve already mentioned how to get people invested in your people and products through instagram. Now you’ll want to move them from being “aware of your business” into the next stage of the customer journey of being “interested in your business”. This can be accomplished by building an email database to communicate with your customers and share information about your business, special offers, merchandise and more.

There is nothing quite like the anticipation of a competitive contest between rivals. With the power of social media marketing, you use this as a prime opportunity to drive live user engagement on your social media channels, business in your restaurant and post-event engagement with bite-sized content. Continuing with our example of marketing a local restaurant known for having the hottest wings in town, let's say you decide to host a wing eating contest. By using your social media channels and newsletter that you’ve built brand equity with and engaged with dozens of interested customers, you have a prime opportunity to build up interest and anticipation for the event for both participants and their friends to come and watch the competition. For those who are unable to attend live in person, you can live stream the event on all your social media platforms and invite viewers to interact with a dedicated hashtag. In a perfect world, this can open the door for a viral opportunity and a massive amount of organic impressions for your restaurant if done correctly. The secret ingredient is superb social media messaging and great content. At the conclusion of the competition, you can break up the live stream into highlights and create more bite-sized content for your social media channels.

Digital media offers a low-cost entry point for any business to spread the good word about all that makes their brand unique and special to the communities they serve. The upside is so large, businesses almost can’t afford not to take advantage of it. The quality of the content doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be consistent. Simple but powerful pieces of content could include shooting a series of short interviews with the Chef of your restaurant and family, friends and guests telling stories about the food and memories from their time at the restaurant. You can also rip the audio from these videos and create a podcast. With enough time invested in promoting a following, you can also attract local sponsors to support your audio and video content as an additional revenue stream.

Marketing in today’s digital-first universe doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. With some creativity, a relentless focus on building a social media following and consistent content, you have a prime opportunity to elevate your business above your competitors and reach a new generation of customers. Social media is an extremely powerful tool. Have fun and experiment with it. Let your business or brand’s authentic personality passionately shine. The possibilities are endless.

What does your brand’s social media strategy look like? Share your thoughts with us today on social media at @MarketWren.