In Central Florida, if there’s one thing we all understand, it’s IP. Surrounded by the Mouse and the Minions, synthetic Hollywood and Halloween Horror, we know our theme parks and intrinsically know the flavor profile of both Universal Studios and Walt Disney World. They are central to the area, so we all know them (and the importance of their branding) at an innate level. So why don’t we focus on our own business branding when it comes to content marketing for Central Florida small businesses?
While it’s true that small-business marketing in Clermont, FL, doesn’t have the same budget (or well-known history) as the theme parks that make Orlando a world-renowned tourist destination, we can still apply the concepts we’ve internalized in our content strategy for Orlando-area businesses.
What does that even mean? Allow your friendly neighborhood marketers to explain!
Let the Mouse House Serve as an Example
When you hear Disney, certain things spring to mind – Main Street USA, Mickey Mouse, perhaps the geodesic dome of Spaceship Earth that’s become the symbol for Epcot.
But locals, and anyone who’s been to WDW more than once, know that there’s more to their brand than their logo or slogan, “the most magical place on Earth.” When it comes to theme parks, Disney stands for friendly service and an amazingly immersive customer experience.
Conversely, though the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Epic Universe have made major inroads in the immersive theming department, Universal is synonymous with thrills and, for anyone who’s been there, an almost gratuitous commitment to getting its guests’ hearts pounding.
Universal is making a bid for Disney’s audience. Still, despite some amazing leaps forward in their technology and genuinely solid theming, Disney’s years of content are hard to make a dent in.
Why? Because Disney has been doing it for so long and so consistently, outside of locals, Potterheads, and theme park stalwarts, few know that the two rivals are now true contemporaries on equal footing.
What does that have to do with you, dear business owner?
Bringing It Home
While the budgets of our theme park neighbors would make any local Orlando business salivate, Disney has one quality you can and should emulate: consistency.
This family-friendly destination sends every one of its “cast members” through a rigorous training program to ensure that the guest experience is superior to almost anything they can experience in the real world. The immersion is second to none, and their service is the envy of the corporate world to the point that a cottage industry has emerged in Disneyfying your company!
While Disney and every corporation are focused on the bottom line, it gets there by sticking consistently to the values its customers hold dear – family-friendly fun and immersive experiences.
Your brand should be the same way.
Values and Value
How do you ensure your value is consistent?
You begin by understanding your values and your value.
Contrasting Disney and Universal can be beneficial here.
While both are family-friendly theme parks, Disney leans on nostalgia, while Universal, depending on its park, doesn’t mind leaning into snark. Combined with its thrill rides and new technology, Universal can come off as a hip new kid on the block or an upstart, despite its billions spent in the last decade and its three decades in Orlando.
As a small business, you don’t need to appeal to everyone; you need to appeal to your ideal customers. And your ideal customers may not be the same as your competitors’!
Case in point – a second-generation family landscaping business that made its reputation with consistent service and creative installations doesn’t need to compete as the cheapest in town. And the cheapest landscaper in town doesn’t need to be as creative.
When planning content marketing for your Central Florida small business, start by understanding who you are, what makes you unique, and what your best customers appreciate. If you don’t know that yet, don’t start your content until you do.
Not sure where to start? We can help!
Content Marketing for Central Florida Small Business
So you’ve gotten to the point that you know who you are, what customers love about you, and what customers you’d love. What next?
Now it’s time to reach those customers! Small business marketing in Clermont, FL, is all about matchmaking, and the best way to meet your match is to create content that speaks to them.
On the dating apps, that’s an appealing profile. For your business, it’s a high-quality website that publishes consistent blog posts to update it.
Why do we recommend blogging for local businesses in Florida? It’s simple.
Every business blog you release is another doorway to your website that your potential clients can use to find you. So how do you design doorways they’ll want to walk through?
For that, you need experience and care.
Your blogs should be:
- Well written
- Consistent with your brand voice
- Published on a regular and predictable basis
- Have the right keywords and phrases that your best audience will be searching for (The process of making your site work well for Google and its ilk is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO.)
Blogs are meant to give a deep dive into something about your business that might interest your customers. However, their secret primary purpose is to entice search engines and, these days, AI to mention you to people who want to find you.
It’s a complex but worthy process. Done right, it can be the difference between whether content marketing for your Central Florida small business is successful or not.
A Fast Pass to Content Marketing Proficiency
If all this sounds like hard work, that’s because it is. You can’t fake good content, and if you try (AI, ahem), it shows.
Listen, you’re good at what you do. It’s why you got into your business. But that doesn’t mean you’re good at telling people that you’re good at what you do.
That’s what POP is good at. We love helping our neighbors to reach their perfect customers, and through our simple but effective 2QC formula: Quality, Quantity, and Consistency – good work done often and regularly.
You can learn a whole new skill set and become a proficient marketer for your business, but why? Give POP’s band of marketing heroes a chance to make you shine. Give us a call today to learn about how we can help you find exactly who you’re looking for.