If you are looking for a business idea, you have come to the right place. This is a curated list of some of the best business ideas from mass media.
Top 10 Business Ideas from Mass Media: If you love to watch movies and read books, then this list of business ideas will be right up your alley. The entertainment industry has been one of the largest money-makers in the world since its inception.
Top 10 Business Ideas from Mass Media
So these ideas are proven moneymakers you can model your new venture after today. Keep reading to learn about each idea, how to validate it, and how much money you can expect to make.
1) Brands as characters
It’s hard to imagine today, but brands didn’t always have personalities—and even when they did, their voices weren’t nearly as loud. For instance, take Nike: During most of its early years, it was mostly a sports gear company with big billboards and expensive ads in professional magazines (which probably sounded something like Buy our product if you’re a serious athlete or Check out these shoes for serious runners).
It wasn’t until Nike hired an advertising agency to work on a higher-profile campaign that it began developing its brand voice. And we all know how that story ended up—Nike has managed to become an icon for athleticism and rebellion, not to mention producing some of pop culture’s coolest commercials along the way. The lesson? Brands can be more than just companies; they can be characters. And by creating interesting stories around them, your business can find success too.
2) Cross-media Marketing
One of your core goals as a company is to reach new customers, but it’s important to think about how those customers are engaging with you in different ways. Cross-media marketing takes advantage of that fact by integrating an advertisement across multiple media platforms—typically social media and traditional print or broadcast media.
For example, a movie studio might create a Facebook campaign, Twitter hashtag, and billboard ad all-around one product launch in order to better engage existing and potential consumers across multiple channels. Cross-media marketing can be very effective when used correctly; however, there are some caveats: If you want to market successfully across channels, you must have content available on those platforms already! If you don’t have content on a platform yet, how do you expect anyone else to find it?
Make sure you have accounts set up for your business on every major social network and make sure you’re sharing valuable information regularly. Don’t just post ads for your products—be interesting! Engage with other users and start conversations. And remember, cross-media marketing isn’t just about what’s happening online; if you’re launching a new TV show or sponsoring a sporting event, make sure to integrate that information into your digital campaigns as well.
3) Corporate Integration
You’ve probably heard of companies producing shows, movies, and videos that promote their products. Branded entertainment can take a variety of forms, from videos on YouTube to product placement in popular TV series. In any case, such strategies are typically aimed at influencing consumer behavior and creating awareness for a company’s products or services.
The experience of watching branded entertainment can range from entertaining to annoying (usually depending on how successfully it manages to avoid being perceived as an ad). But does it work? Well, according to one study, individuals who had been exposed to branded entertainment were twice as likely to buy a brand than those who had not been exposed.
4) Branded Entertainment
In film, television, and other forms of content, brands can team up with filmmakers to incorporate their products into a storyline or product placement. In essence, branded entertainment is marketing in a creative setting. If you’re thinking about starting your own business but want to learn more about branding firsthand, take on a few gigs as an assistant on set—the hours are long and you don’t get paid much (if at all), but you can learn how to work with different brands so you know what works best.
Once you have some experience under your belt, try partnering with local business owners who have a need for branding assistance. Even better? Offer them a package deal where you help them create social media posts and design ads that they can use across platforms. You might even be able to offer them your services for free in exchange for using their brand name when promoting your business later down the road.
5) Rethinking Advertising Formats
A lot of very successful businesses were founded thanks to a corporate sponsor. Think FedEx, Apple, and Google. Corporate sponsorship can be a difficult sell, but if you approach it in an original way—by presenting your idea as something that aligns with your company’s mission—you might just be able to convince a higher-up that your product is worth supporting.
After all, there are more companies that are more supportive of creativity than not. Just look at Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. He may have built his empire on music and airlines but he’s also invested in everything from health care to money transfers. Don’t know where to start? Check out our guide to starting a business with the support of corporate sponsors for tips on how to get started!
6) Doing good, doing well
Whether you want to make money or change lives, being altruistic can be a valuable part of your business plan. In fact, many successful businesses sell goods and services that solve problems and help people. Just look at books like Chicken Soup for the Soul, which is filled with inspirational stories that have helped launch numerous other businesses.
Try starting a not-for-profit charity or setting up an online community where people who share a common passion can come together to learn, teach, volunteer, or find professional opportunities. You might even consider using your business as a way to give back by donating some of its profits.
7) Product placement in reality TV
Product placement is big business. While some may be put off by what they perceive as a crass commercial intrusion, product placement can actually play to your advantage—if you approach it with strategy in mind. That’s because there are hundreds of reality shows that air each year, meaning countless opportunities for both established and up-and-coming brands to get their name out there.
If you have a good idea for how your brand could get integrated into an existing reality show or make its own mark on a new one, start brainstorming! Here are 10 ideas for getting started:
1. Pitch yourself as a guest star: This is probably easier said than done, but if you think your brand would fit well within a particular series (maybe you sell home goods and want to appear on Property Brothers), reach out to producers directly. You never know—they might just take notice! But remember: Don’t try to force your way onto a show; if they don’t see potential value in bringing you on board, it’s time to move on.
8) Print Goes Online
The New York Times announced in November of 2009 that they are going to start charging users for their online content. Rather than a metered model, where you have a certain number of articles before you have to pay, they plan on using a pay-per-article model. This new service will cost $15 per month and provide unlimited access to all premium content. Although there are concerns that this kind of subscription model won’t work in journalism as well as other industries, it seems likely that more newspapers will adopt similar models for online content in 2010.
So how can you take advantage of changing media trends? If you want to get into business news or any niche area where traditional media is struggling, now might be a good time to launch your own website. That way when major publications start charging for their content, you can use your free site as an alternative. You may even find some advertisers willing to give your site a try since it’s not competing with them directly (at least not yet).
So if print goes online in 2010, what does that mean for business owners? It means that anyone with an idea and some technical skills could launch a successful news site—and if we see more websites go under because of dwindling ad revenue (like we did with magazines), then sites like yours could become even more valuable.
9) Corporate sponsorship
In addition to selling products, many businesses need to raise money for research and development. Corporate sponsorship is one of these ways. There are a number of ways companies can sponsor businesses, including matching donations and in-kind donations. Many large corporations have matching gift programs where they will donate a certain amount for every dollar you donate, up to a limit (usually somewhere between $1,000-and $4,000). In-kind donations occur when an organization provides non-cash goods or services instead of cash.
For example, some companies will provide equipment or supplies to small businesses that cannot afford it otherwise. These contributions are tax-deductible by both parties. To find out if your company has a corporate sponsorship program, contact your human resources department or check their website. If they don’t offer any kind of donation program, ask them why not!
Remember to be polite; most likely there’s nothing preventing them from offering such a program but they just haven’t thought about it yet. You might even be able to help them develop such a program if they allow you to take part in developing their policy and procedures around how corporate sponsorships work within their company.
Social media allows you to create and connect with your customer base more effectively. This doesn’t just improve customer satisfaction, it can also affect your profits. A 2014 study by social media monitoring company Syncapse found that companies that offer customer service on social media have 23 percent lower costs than those that don’t.
The report also showed that a 10 percent increase in responsiveness was associated with a 5 percent increase in revenue. If you aren’t already leveraging social media for business, now is a great time to start. Here are some ideas for getting started.
Also Read: Business Names for Massage Company
Conclusion
One of these ideas should be just right for you. If one doesn’t suit you, try another one. Although all 10 business ideas are interrelated to a certain extent, each has its own niche, so choose carefully.
Remember that your choice will have a direct impact on how successful your business is and what kind of income stream it can generate for you. Good luck!
