Masterclass: Crafting a Compelling Media-First Strategy

ProfitWell was one of the first companies to implement the media-first approach to their marketing strategy in the B2B world (circa 2018-19). An application that provides users with a single view of their subscription and financial data. It was a bootstrapped company.

For a company that was fully bootstrapped, Paddle's acquisition of ProfitWell in 2022 was an excellent result. Isn’t it?

They decided to double down on their media-first approach in 2020 and built a separate media arm to attract larger audiences.

By that time, ProfitWell was already running several podcasts and web series. A number of these shows involved episodic content with a focus on building brand affinity and made use of media distribution channels such as podcast networks, and video over social platforms, including Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

What made them decide to double down on their efforts?

It was primarily driven by the explosion of content distribution via media networks and video formats in order to build big audiences. As a bootstrapped business, ProfitWell viewed media content as a way to stand out and win the distribution game.

“The best products alone don't win, the ones with the best distribution do.”

In every marketing deck I have worked on, I have put this quote.

And I live by it.

In today's B2B landscape, short-form videos and podcasts have flourished. Among the most popular channels for distributing content, they have taken center stage.

Before, driving organic traffic was all about text and SEO. However, that is no longer the case.

But Media Content is Just Fluff!

At the moment, very few companies have transformed their marketing strategies into media marketing strategies.

In a true sense, we are at the beginning of the bell curve phase. Therefore, modern marketers have to fight an internal battle with traditional marketing philosophies.

There are many of you who are fighting this battle! Let me let you know that you are not alone!

So the question is -

How to Make a Case for a Media-First Content Strategy?

Let me help you and break it down.

1. Strategy

Why should you pursue media content?

Strategically, short-form videos and podcasts have a much better distribution today than blog posts.

All social media platforms want people to stay on their platforms, so they don't like links that take people away from them.

On the company's social media pages, you can display video views versus blog links clicked. That should be enough to get the strategic buy-in.

2. Type of content

Brands today are not just about selling their solution, they're about educating the market on the problems (not the solution yet), and then briefly explaining how your product solves the problem.

The second part of the question is - how can this education be made engaging?

Here is where the sky is the limit, think creatively and come up with concepts that will deliver true EDUTAINMENT (Education + Entertainment) because your audience wants to be engaged.

Media is the format that engages the audience. This is why you should build media content.

3. Episodic Content Boosts Brand Affinity

The most important part of the media-first strategy is building shows. You attract an audience then you entertain and educate them about that topic or outcome episodically.

Episodic content drives brand affinity, which gives audiences a predictable reason to return.

Consider it like "Late Night Talk Shows", which follow a fixed format and air on a set schedule.

The audience knows when and what to expect from the new episode. This is what brand affinity means - a reason to come back every night!

4. Build Media Content By Personas

When it comes to media content, it isn't just about top-of-funnel content. There is a misconception that media-first content is only about awareness.

That’s incorrect!

A complete media strategy requires mapping and building media content similar to traditional content marketing for each part of the sales funnel: top, middle, and bottom.

The next most important part is to build media content as per your buyer personas.

Here is an example of a company's target segments - they serve three specific industries and have three different target personas.

Following are some examples of media content you can create based on your target personas.

Top-of-the-funnel media content:

A podcast in audio and video format, covering thought leadership content where the target audience and guests are Persona B.

Middle-of-the-funnel media content:

A bi-weekly talk show that discusses industry expertise-related topics for Persona A and Persona C separately. Imagine you are involved in the airplane manufacturing industry, and you want to bring in Persona A to discuss topics related to the industry.

The theme will be Persona B on broader category discussion, in a monthly panel discussion series. Suppose you are a Sales Automation Software, and you want to bring in Persona B (assuming they are Sales Managers).

Bottom-of-the-funnel media content:

You want to create a monthly talk show where you bring your customers and have them share their playbooks for success along with how your product or services helped them.

You will generally create more content at the top and middle of the funnel since that plays a larger role in building an audience.

"Ultimately, it's about delivering value, not selling hard."

5. Demand Creation > Demand Generation

Inbound marketing is still amazing, and we'll keep doing it, but don't expect huge results. We should instead focus on something that has a higher leverage.

Media is that system.

Rather than chasing spikes and long tails of leads, you want to move your audience count up and to the right. It is also extremely effective.

In marketing, it is probably the biggest shift in mindset.

Think beyond Demand Generation, and don't just focus on capturing the 5% of people who are in the market to buy your product.

The goal is to provide Edutainment (Education + Entertainment) on a large scale, which will reach further into the 95% who aren't ready to buy yet but have a strong affinity for your brand.

In this way, you're securing a spot in the buyer's mind, so when they're ready, they're compelled to contact you.

Play the long game. Always!

Interesting Thing That I Read This Week

Tweet That I Noticed This Week

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What Do You Think?

This concludes this edition of Fresh Salmon.

I would like to hear what you thought of today's newsletter.

Also, let’s connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Cheers,

Vivek

PS. I love you ❤️