As a marketer, you don’t want to just blast your audience with content. You want it to resonate in a way that connects them with your brand. When this happens, you’re getting more than just a following. You’re growing a group of loyal fans who will potentially turn into long-term customers.
If you look at the patterns and behaviors of your audience, you’ll better understand what they want. And how to deliver it to them.
That’s what Misfit Media did when it incorporated multimedia content into its content campaigns. Here’s a look at how they used it to connect with their audience.
Adding Podcasting to Their Video Marketing
Video was at the forefront of Misfit Media’s content strategy. And for a while, it worked well. But as time went on, the company saw that an omnichannel approach better suited their audience.
“So when I started, we were in our second season, and I needed to determine how our podcast was going to fit into our overall marketing strategy to increase brand equity and ultimately grow our business, obviously. So our podcast acts as a way for us to connect with restaurant owners and thought leaders in the space, which was really important for our business, with everything that has happened this past year,” said Camberlyn Sparks, Marketing Coordinator at Misfit Media.
When the pandemic hit, their restaurant-owning audience struggled to find ways to pivot their business models. They couldn’t go online, like many of the big box retailers did. One option was offering takeout and delivery services to the homebound. But how could they do it while still offering a unique customer experience? So they had to get creative.
Misfit Media saw this as an opportunity to be a helpful resource for their audience.
“Our podcast has changed and our marketing to what Brett does, having guests that are thought leaders in the industry and can provide that information and valuable solutions in 40 minutes or less, and then cutting down those pieces to then be repurposed across channels.
“And where we can reach ultimately all those customers and create a community online because there’s not a big restaurant podcast community when ultimately the restaurant industry is very inclusive and very community-esque, and they do want to be bouncing ideas off of each other. So we’re repurposing that content to then reach ultimately more customers and help provide solutions during these quote-unquote, unprecedented times,” continued Sparks.
Reusing Audio Content to Reach New Leads
It’s easy to reshare videos across the web — you shoot it, edit it, and then distribute it on YouTube, Instagram, and wherever else you have an audience. But Misfit Media wanted to take a different approach with its audio content.
“So it’s not just taking that one episode, posting it, and then saying, see you later, it’s having it on our blog, on our YouTube channel. That’s why we love our audiograms because our audiograms allow us to snip that little piece of content, send it out in an email blast.
“And our email blast is getting 45% open rates on these emails and then repurposing that on social. And it kind of becomes this whole ecosystem of the podcast where our potential prospects see us everywhere and see all these bite-size little content pieces that then they’re able to come back around and be like, ‘This is the company that I need to work for. I didn’t think about it this way,’” stated Sparks.
Boosting Brand Equity Using an Omnichannel Ecosystem
Your content is your assets. So treating it as an investment is key to growing your empire as a thought leader. But it’s not about the quantity — it’s the quality that’ll grow credibility, trust, and loyalty. For example, creating high-value content and then repurposing it into numerous formats to share across various channels.
The more you do this, the higher the odds of reaching audiences you wouldn’t have otherwise. In other words, you’re growing your brand equity. Here’s a look at how Misfit Media created an omnichannel ecosystem to do just that.
“I handle all of the video content and repurposing of the content. So for us, a big part of our audience lives on YouTube. They come there for a lot of our information on how to market their restaurant, simple tips, and tricks, whatnot. So having that presence at our podcast on YouTube is really important for us. So Brett is producing content three or four times a week for our YouTube channel. That’s in compliments to the podcast.
“So I’m going in there and clipping these little pieces of content. I probably will get 15 pieces of content from one episode that it brings so much value, that it would be a waste to just throw it away. So I’m clipping that content, and then I’m editing it. I’m figuring out the best spots in the episode that I think will hit home the most and then posting that on YouTube, on social, in our blog, and whatnot, and having that whole ecosystem work together.
“And honestly, video has been huge for us. It’s been a way for us to reach a lot of customers and create that brand equity gives a face to the name and ultimately helps Brett when he is on these calls to then already have them warmed up and buttered up. And they know what Misfit Media is, and video has been huge for us in that way. It’s how we run ads and whatnot. So it all works together and compliments one another,” Sparks explained.
With this omnichannel approach, Misfit Media created a steadily growing community. Someone may hear about their brand via a Facebook ad. Although they don’t click on it or book a call, the ad may spark interest. This leads to the person looking them up online, checking out their website, listening to a podcast, or even downloading their book.
“And then six months later, they book a phone call, but it is the combination of all this. Like you said, being a thought leader in the space. Having a book, having a podcast, doing all these things, they make us look so much better than our competition, it’s stupid. I mean, if you’re a restaurant and you’re going to work with some agency, and you’re looking at the agency that has a published book, a podcast with 28 episodes plus, with some really cool people, and all this content coming out consistently, or you have this other agency, that’s like, ‘Eh, we do restaurant marketing.’ I mean, who are you going to work with? So it helps a ton,” Brett Linkletter, CEO of Misfit Media, added.
Pairing Video with Audio
What makes omnichannel work is it caters to multiple audiences. Some prefer visuals, while others enjoy audio. So it makes sense to use a combination of audio and visual (especially since these two are pretty popular right now).
But you have to be careful in choosing which format to use and when. For instance, you don’t want to create a half-hour video because this audience wants bite-sized content. In this case, audio is a better option because folks can listen while they do other things.
“Here’s something I would think about for anyone in general has a podcast and wants to do video also, for me, if I’m listening to a podcast, I’m just listening, right? I don’t see anything. So I’m just listening, I’m on the go, I’m whatever. And I’m just hearing, and I’m judging based off the quality of the conversation. And that’s about it. Maybe the quality of the audio the second you introduce the video, there’s other aspects to it. You want to hope actually that the person you’re interviewing is presentable. There’s a good backdrop. It looks good because otherwise it kills your episode, I think.
“I mean, I don’t want to say names, but I’ve interviewed some of our clients that they’ve showed up to a testimonial for us, and it’s not the best presentation. And I think that can hurt the audio. I think at the end of the day, if you can do video, go for it because it’s a great way to connect and really be personal with someone, right? But audio is great because, especially in our industry, a lot of these guys don’t have time to watch a YouTube video for 30, 40, 50 minutes.
“I think having both is huge if you can do it correctly; again, you don’t want to be the person on video that if you have a bad backdrop, things look weird, it’s not worth it. Don’t even touch it. But if you can make it look good, you should do it for sure because they’re both great,” advised Linkletter.
In other words, stick to what you know. And take time to learn what you don’t. This way, you can ensure your content quality isn’t subpar or, worse, repulsive.
By focusing on an omnichannel, visual/audio strategy, you too can connect with your audience like Misfit Media. Just focus on delivering value in the formats your audience wants, on the channels they love — and the rest will fall into place.
