Episode 16
The Checkbox Trap: Why Your Content Isn't Working and What to Do About It
Local businesses often struggle with creating effective content, treating it like just another task to check off the list. We're diving deep into an article by Lorita Marie Kimble, founder of New Media Local, who argues that this approach is not only inefficient but can be harmful to your growth. Instead of random acts of marketing, she suggests building a local content ecosystem that connects and amplifies your messaging, making it more visible to potential customers. This episode unpacks how using AI can streamline the content creation process, allowing you to focus on crafting meaningful stories while the technology handles distribution. We’ll explore practical strategies to transform your content from being a mere checkbox into a powerful tool for community engagement and business growth.
Creating effective content for local businesses is more than just a task on a checklist; it’s about establishing a rich, interconnected local content ecosystem. In this episode, we delve into insights from Lorita Marie Kimble's article on optimizing local media content for small business growth through AI-powered tools. We kick things off by discussing the all-too-familiar experience of posting content and receiving little to no engagement. Many local businesses, from coffee shops to service providers, often treat content creation as a routine obligation, leading to the dreaded 'digital ghost town' effect where their posts go unnoticed. The conversation emphasizes a fundamental shift from sporadic content creation to a strategic ecosystem approach. Instead of merely posting and hoping for the best, we explore how creating a connected web of content can enhance visibility and engagement. This ecosystem model is likened to investing rather than playing the lottery; it’s about ensuring that every piece of content supports others, making the overall presence much stronger and more relevant to the target audience.
A key takeaway is the importance of consistency and relevance in content creation. We discuss how Google rewards businesses that maintain a pattern of active and relevant content, effectively boosting their visibility in local search results. The episode emphasizes that local businesses should focus on becoming trusted sources of information rather than just advertisers. This means getting specific, like a real estate agent addressing local zoning laws rather than generic tips. We also touch on the role of AI as a 'force multiplier,' enabling small teams to produce content at a scale that rivals larger companies. By automating mundane tasks, AI frees up creative energy for businesses to focus on storytelling—an essential element of effective marketing. The conversation wraps up with a powerful question for listeners: What stories about your community are you not telling? This episode is packed with actionable insights that can transform how local businesses approach their content strategy, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their local presence and authority.
Takeaways:
- Creating effective local content requires more than just posting on social media; it's about building a connected ecosystem.
- The checkbox approach to marketing is insufficient and can be detrimental to your local business growth.
- Utilizing AI tools can dramatically streamline content creation, allowing even small teams to operate like larger brands.
- A strong local content ecosystem enhances your visibility by making your business a recognized authority online.
- Shifting your mindset from being a service provider to a media company can redefine your business approach and success.
- Focusing on specific, valuable content rather than generic posts can significantly boost your engagement and relevance in the market.
Links referenced in this episode:
- New Media Local.com
- https://news.newmedialocal.com/optimizing-local-media-content-for-small-business-growth-using-ai-powered-tools
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- New Media Local
- Lorita Marie Kimble
Transcript
Welcome to the Local Content Studio, an AI generated podcast sponsored by New Media Local.com, an AI powered digital media agency. You know that sinking feeling? You spend like two hours writing a blog post for your business, you hit publish and then, yeah, just crickets.
Absolute silence. Yeah, maybe your mom likes it on Facebook, but that's about it.
Speaker B:The digital ghost town effect. It's pretty painful.
Speaker A:It is. And honestly, most local businesses, I'm talking an immigration attorney or, you know, a coffee shop, they're stuck there.
They treat content like a checkbox. Did I post today? Okay, check. Today we're ripping up that checklist. Welcome to the Local Content Studio, brought to you by New Media Local.
Speaker B:We are doing a deep dive into a strategy from Lorita Marie Kimble, who's the founder of New Media Local. And she argues that this checkbox method isn't just inefficient, it's actually kind of dangerous for your business.
Speaker A:Okay, so what's the alternative?
Speaker B:Her solution is to shift from these, well, random acts of marketing to building a local content ecosystem.
Speaker A:Ecosystem. That sounds impressive, but it's also a bit of a buzzword. Let's decode that. What does she actually mean in a practical sense?
Speaker B:Okay, think of the checkbox approach like buying a single lottery ticket and just hoping it wins.
Speaker A:Right, A shot in the dark.
Speaker B:Exactly. An ecosystem is more like investing. Rita points out that four out of five consumers use search engines to find local info.
So if your content is sporadic, Google just. It doesn't see a pattern. You're basically invisible.
Speaker A:So an ecosystem is a connected web.
Speaker B:It's a web of content where every single piece supports the others.
Speaker A:So instead of one off posts that just die in the feed after a day, you're building something permanent.
Speaker B:Right. It's all about asset leverage. Let's take this conversation we're having right now. In the old model, this is just one audio file. Done.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:In the ecosystem model, this recording is a core asset.
Speaker A:Walk me through the lifecycle of that asset. What happens next?
Speaker B:You record it once, but then you extract the transcript for a blog post that boosts your website's SEO. You pull say, three 30 second video clips for Instagram reels.
Speaker A:Okay, I'm with you.
Speaker B:You grab the best quotes for LinkedIn graphics, you summarize it for an email newsletter. You aren't creating five new things. You're just repackaging one high value idea five different ways.
Speaker A:I get the efficiency, but the source material mentioned syndication across 300 plus platforms. That number, I mean, that stops me in my tracks. Why 300. I can barely name five.
Speaker B:It's not about human eyes on all 300. This is the key insight. It's about algorithmic signals.
Speaker A:Signals for Google.
Speaker B:Exactly. When Google sees your business mention on, you know, regional news sites, niche forums, all these diverse directories, it acts as a citation. It's.
It tells the algorithm, hey, this business is active, it's relevant, it's an authority. And that boosts your ranking where it really matters.
Speaker A:On the search results page.
Speaker B:That's the one.
Speaker A:Okay, that makes sense. It's a signal boost. But here's the skeptic in me. I'm picturing a local bakery owner.
She's waking up at 4am she does not have time to format content for 300 platforms. Is this just for big companies?
Speaker B:That's what it used to be. But this is where Laurita introduces the force multiplier.
Speaker A:A military term getting more output from the same amount of effort.
Speaker B:Precisely. And in this context, the force multiplier is AI. This is the game changer. And we aren't talking about using ChatGPT to write some generic blog posts.
That's rookie stuff.
Speaker A:So what are we talking about?
Speaker B:We're talking about using AI to automate the friction.
Speaker A:Define friction here.
Speaker B:The boring stuff. Resizing images for 10 different social networks, finding the right local keywords, scheduling posts.
Lorita argues that AI lets a tiny two person team operate with the publishing power of a big brand.
Speaker A:Because the AI handles the logistics the whole cycle.
Speaker B:Time drops from weeks to just hours.
Speaker A:I think there's a valid fear though, that if you let AI handle this, you end up sounding like a robot. You know, greetings, fellow humans. Buy my bread, Right?
Speaker B:But the argument here is the opposite. By automating all that grunt work, the tagging, the formatting, you free up your brain space to be more human.
Speaker A:So you focus on the story.
Speaker B:Focus on the story. The AI focuses on distribution.
Speaker A:The AI is the delivery truck, but you still bake the bread.
Speaker B:Perfect analogy. And that leads to the final pillar, hyperlocal authority. Because if you distribute garbage to 300 platforms, well, it's still garbage.
Speaker A:This is the local in new media. Local. The source material uses Baltimore as an example. That's a very competitive market.
Speaker B:Oh, highly competitive. 85% of discovery there happens online. Laurita's point is that being good enough just doesn't cut it anymore.
You have to move from generic content to specific utility.
Speaker A:So a real estate agent shouldn't write five tips for buying a Home?
Speaker B:No, no, that's way too generic. They should be writing how the new zoning laws in the Inner harbor will affect your property tax.
Speaker A:Ah, I see. One is just content, the other is a genuine resource.
Speaker B:Exactly. You map your audience by zip code and by interest.
And when you answer the specific questions your actual neighbors are asking, you stop being an advertiser. You. You become the default expert. You own that conversation.
Speaker A:It's a real shift in identity. Then you stop thinking of yourself as a service provider and start acting like a media company that just happens to sell a service.
Speaker B:That is the synthesis and the barrier to entry for becoming that media company has. Well, it's basically vanished because of these tools.
Speaker A:It's a massive opportunity, but it definitely requires a mindset shift. We're out of time, but I want to leave you with a thought to chew on. From what we've read today.
If the tools are no longer the barrier, if the how is solved, then the only variable left is the what. So what story about your community are you failing to tell right now?
Speaker B:That's the question.
Speaker A:If you want to stop being invisible, take a hard look at your content footprint. And if you need help building that architecture, new Media Local is the place to start. Thanks for listening to the local content studio. It.
