I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Everyone is now in the media business.
Every business is now by default a content creator and every business also has an audience – clients, customers, suppliers, international partners and their competitors. The content you serve them can be specific, targeted and relevant (and it should be, to make an impact) and doesn’t need to be mainstream. If you’re an engineering firm, you can get down and dirty in a series about cantilevers and load-bearing, without worrying about pedestrians who don’t know about engineering getting bored. Know thy audience, the first rule of broadcasting, is so much easier to do when you’re narrowcasting.
In podcasting, we’re doing some really interesting stuff with some unexpected clients. Fluxmans, one of South Africa’s leading law firms are producing a series of interviews featuring their experienced and expert partners for publication on their website, on social media and on other platforms (including CliffCentral.com). This will do the job of providing an online prospectus, marketing individual lawyers and their specific skills, enhancing internal communications and providing a source of PR for external media. It ticks a lot of boxes.
Just like Discovery (with their series on Oncology I wrote about last week), Fluxmans see the bigger picture – that marketing and advertising are giving way to content – and that if you don’t take control of creating the most relevant, exciting, positive content yourself – and sharing it, all the social media attention in the world won’t matter.
If you’re looking for a solution, send me an email (no matter how crazy the idea).