Game of Thrones: Claim Your Empire for Local Brand Dominance

Game of Thrones has recently ended after captivating our attention for eight seasons. It made us think, how can small businesses claim their empire for local brand dominance? How can you claim the Iron Throne of dominance in your local market?

Fortunately, there are a lot of lessons we can learn about marketing from the Game of Thrones. (And no, they don’t involve torching your competition with dragons). The battles you fight are just as epic, even if they take place on social media and through digital marketing.

Here’s what you need to know to win.

It’s Time to Wake Up to Digital Marketing

Bran woke up from weeks in a coma and was able to move forward despite many attempts on his life. If you’ve been asleep to the possibilities of digital marketing, it’s time for you to wake up as well. Just like Bran, your competitors want to take you out while you’re helpless.

Understanding the many benefits of digital marketing for small businesses will help you be successful as you move forward with your company. From building your SEO to creating a blog to engaging customers on social media, you’ll be able to grow your brand in new ways.

Don’t fall asleep on digital marketing. It’s time to wake up, get your direwolf, and charge forward. Don’t have a direwolf? No problem. Get help with a premium digital marketing campaign for local businesses instead.

Plan for the Long Term

One thing we can learn from House Stark in Game of Thrones is the importance of looking ahead. Jon knew about his connection to the Targaryen line and his true claim to the throne. However, he didn’t immediately advance his cause.

Instead, he played a long game, letting things play out until his allegiance to Daenerys becomes impossible.

In the same way, plan your digital marketing strategy as a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t start a blog and immediately try to put out five high-quality posts a day. Instead, focus on how you can put out excellent blog posts on a regular basis along while carrying out other important digital strategies.

If you go too hard too fast, you can flame out and not accomplish anything. Patience and persistence win the day.

Rely on Your Allies

One thing Game of Thrones featured again and again was alliances that were essential to winning battles. Of course, in GoT these alliances were notoriously brittle, but it doesn’t have to be that way in your digital marketing.

What allies do you have? Think about companies that serve audiences similar to yours, but they do so in different ways than you offer. For instance, if you serve mothers of toddlers, you can connect with other companies with the same audience who are not competitors.

Once you have these allies, think about ways you can work together in mutually beneficial ways. Can you provide content in return for backlinks, and they do the same on your blog? That can help both companies grow.

Spend Your Budget Wisely

The House Lannister ran into problems when their gold mines stopped producing. Unfortunately, they were still spending lavishly, so they ended up owing significant money to the Iron Bank. They hoped their marriages would eventually allow them to repay it.

What’s the lesson for your small business? Spend wisely! You want to set a digital marketing budget and stick to it. The best way to do this is to take small steps forward. See what works, and commit more resources in those directions. You also need to prune away strategies that don’t help build your bottom line.

No matter how “cool” it is, there’s no need to waste money on strategies that don’t work!

Know Your Objectives

If there’s one thing we knew about Daenerys is that she knew exactly what she wanted and put all of her effort into moving toward it. From the training of her dragons to her final stand, she did everything she could to achieve her goal of claiming the Iron Throne.

You need to be just as focused – although much less violent – in your own approach. Know exactly what you’re aiming for and put your full resources in that direction. Have a written plan for your digital marketing that covers everything from your social media strategy to email to your website.

When you are very clear on your objectives, you can move toward them fearlessly, just as Daenerys did.

Ride the Dragons

Dragons seem scary, but Daenerys tamed them and learned to ride them. Instead of powerful enemies, they became powerful tools. Perhaps social media, SEO, blogging, or email marketing seem like dragons to you now.

Trust us, you can learn to ride them! When you do, they’ll become powerful vehicles to help you succeed. Harness the dragons, don’t fear them.

When you take these Game of Throne inspired steps, you’re sure to establish your kingdom in the realm of brand dominance.