By Cheval John

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The companies or organizations who are more successful have this one thing in common.

They always innovate.

They look at ways to make the customer experience more rewarding.

We see that with small businesses because they do not have the resources like the larger companies to advertise their products or services.

The larger companies will buy space at major events like the super bowl and this year’s major league baseball playoffs to advertise to a large audience.

The small businesses will be more creative with content marketing because of a much smaller marketing budget.

They also know that if you can build an audience slowly through content marketing strategies (blogs, podcasts, live streaming, etc.), they will win all the time because they have earned their trust.

An example of innovation comes from mid-sized college sports conferences like the Southland Conference (SLC).

They basically formed their own television network, the Southland Conference Television Network, in 2008 and have brought many sporting matchups to their member colleges fan base.

Two of the fan bases within the SLC are Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU).

Their annual rivalry, “The Battle of The Piney Woods” moved to NRG Stadium in 2010 and has become a fixture in the Houston sports scene.

This year’s event drew an attendance of 26,792, who saw SHSU defeated SFA 27-16 for their seventh consecutive win against their rivals.

Post game press conference from #botpw from @NRGParkFan #VallanoMedia #smsports https://t.co/7LPC9o4QP0

— Cheval John (@chevd80) October 7, 2017

The rivalry has continued to draw crowds since they moved to NRG Stadium in 2010 with no signs of slowing down.

And the SLC dissolved their network in 2015 due to television deals with ESPN3 and other regional networks while at the same time focus their resources on their digital network.

Another example of innovation comes from the company, Paper.Li.

Under then community manager of Kelly Hungerford, who is now the owner of Community Works, Paper.Li built their company through their twitter chat #bizheroes and have increased their customer base.

The lessons here are as follows:

1. You must create your own media company.

Brands can’t rely on press releases anymore because they are considered spam.

They also can not depend on ads because people do not want to be interrupted with commercials that will take them out of rhythm in consuming content.

The brands must have a place where they can put out quality content that will help the consumer make smart decisions which can make their lives better.

And when the consumers believe they are being helped by the brand through their content, they will tell their friends about the brand.

Soon enough, the press will find out about them.

Look at examples from organizations and sports teams like the Houston Texans who created their own networks to provide content to media outlets.

2. You have to go where the audience are at.

If your ideal customers are located on a particular social platform, you have to be there as well.

When you meet them where they are at, you show them you care.

In the same way, both SFA and SHSU decided to move their rivalry to NRG Stadium after being approached by Lone Star Sports and Entertainment because the majority of their fan base lives in the Houston area.

Plus, they get exposure from the 8th largest media market in the nation.

More press leads to more recruitment for future Bearkats and Lumberjacks.

In conclusion, you have to be where your audience are at and you have to create your very own opportunities because the right people will always notice.