AURORA, Colo. — As the owner of his own media company, Travis Hatch has learned quickly that to stay at the forefront of customers' minds, he has to be on the look out for opportunities to produce content.
"We've basically become the greatest television show to ever exist," he said.
While our cameras recorded this interview, his cameras were rolling too. He said this demonstrates how business owners can seize on opportunities to create content for their social platforms — something that has become increasingly important in today's business landscape.
"Everybody has the opportunity to develop their own little niche, their own TV show that people can tune into and develop their own following," he said. "And if you do it correctly, those people could be clients."
The payoff that can be gained from those who tune into your "show" can be huge.
According to data from a brand new study by analytics firm data.ai, in 2022, consumers worldwide spent 4.1 trillion hours online, which boils down to about five hours per person per day. And 642 billion of those hours were spent solely on content from short-form videos. Nearly all growth in both consumer spending and hours spent on video apps has skyrocketed.
"I think that that's kind of a little tough for some business owners to come to terms with that. They kind of need to take part in that," he said.
When short-form videos, like Instagram Reels and ones on TikTok, first started to take off, Hatch says he was reluctant at first to take time away from running his Colorado-based business, Travis Hawkes Media. However, once he went viral for the first time and saw the engagement, he realized he needed a shift to tap into the benefits of creating short-form videos. Now, he coaches his video clients on best marketing and brand strategies as well.
He gives an example of an established real estate agent, who had grown their business over the decades with of word of mouth and traditional advertising but doesn't utilize social media.
"You don't necessarily need to be on social media," said Hatch. "However, you do have to come to terms with the fact that a young, up-and-coming person who is crushing it on social media might start eating food off of your plate."
If you're a business that wants to tap into the short-form video market but have no idea where to start, here are a few pointers that Hatch picked up:
- Find a niche and stick to it, as authenticity and consistency is important.
- Quantity over quality.
- Be OK with not being great at it at first.
"There is no way to figure this out without action, and the best way to create action is just volume," he said.
According to Hatch, being a business owner plus a digital presence can seem daunting, but getting over "analysis paralysis" and taking advantage of the vast amount of potential clients, can make all the difference in our digital world.
"Not participating is gonna hold you back, especially if you're starting out," he said.
