Great Leap Studios is a New York branding company and content writing firm. Even though most of our clients come from other places in the world, we also work with local New York businesses to ensure that they’re able to compete in what has become an intensely competitive environment.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about branding in New York is that there is a culture to marketing within each Borough. For example:
- Manhattan – Vigorously markets online, although some companies rely on word of mouth.
- Brooklyn – Markets online, doesn’t rely on storefronts.
- Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island – Almost no online marketing or branding.
In Staten Island, especially, there is almost no culture of online branding at all. Any local search will yield you only a few results, if any, and the vast majority of local business do not even have a website. Compare that to Manhattan, where almost every single company – even coffee shops and street venders – has a website, and you see this incredible disparity in New York branding.
How This Affects Content and Budget
This vast difference affects brand marketing a great deal. For the sake of comparison, let’s compare what a company in Manhattan would need to consider before engaging in content marketing versus a company in Staten Island:
Manhattan:
- Large initial investment to ensure every core page is on the site.
- Multiple blog posts, ideally two per week or more.
- Guest posts to create buzz and ensure backlinks.
- Active social media account.
- Small online advertising budget to generate some short term business.
- Long term investment – online branding would take time due to competition.
Staten Island:
- Medium initial investment (it’s still a good idea to invest in more up front to ensure your core pages are populated.
- One blog post per week.
- Only a few guest posts, if any.
- Barely/moderately active social media account.
- May not need online advertising budget, depending on competition.
- May not need a long term investment, depending on competition or goals.
Now, we still advise more than one blog post per week and a larger monthly investment simply because it not only helps you compete – it also prevents your competitors from beating you, but Staten Island business can compete for considerably less investment than a Manhattan business, and it’s not even that close.
What This Means
Now, obviously there are some key differences between the Boroughs that affect your New York branding efforts. For one, Staten Island generates less revenue than Manhattan by a considerable margin, which means less investment money. In addition, quality content and smart marketing can help even Manhattan businesses compete with less investment in a short amount of time.
Everything is taken on a case by case basis, and none of this is written in stone. You can work with almost any sized budget, and your success depends on the company you choose, the content that’s written, your competition, your industry, and more.
But it’s interesting to see the stark differences between the boroughs, and for companies in New York that are looking into online brand marketing, keep in mind that your location really does affect the “ideal” investment.
Contact Great Leap Studios
Because we work with the internet, our clients span the globe, and we can assist those anywhere in the world. But if you’re in New York, especially, make sure you contact Great Leap Studios today. Let’s talk about your local brand marketing and how content marketing can help you compete.
