In this episode, we talk to Jay Martin, the President and CEO of Cambridge House International.
With his team, Jay Martin has produced some of the largest small-cap investor conferences in Canada. His business then came to an abrupt standstill when COVID-19 struck. Fortunately, he was able to pivot on a dime. In our conversation, he explains how he did it and what he sees other outstanding public companies are doing to keep moving forward.
A key part of their successful transition was their previous work on content creation and building up an audience of investors through their YouTube channel and newsletter. Given the nature of engagement with investors has done a 180, this new direction has proved invaluable.
“Fortuitously, we had invested significantly in our digital products in the year and a half leading up to this. Mainly our YouTube channel and newsletter, which we distribute to about 50 000 people and investors in this space.” — @JayMartinBC [0:07:30]
He shares how notable public companies are becoming small media organizations. These companies are actively building their investor audiences and producing their own content to keep investors and interested parties informed and updated. He also gets into the strategies that are working for him and what other public companies are doing to boost their investor engagement programs. With travel restriction and social distancing regulations still firmly in place, another Zoom call is not going to cut it!
“One lesson a lot of small businesses and large companies are learning right now is that no matter what line of work they are in, they also need to be a media company.” — @JayMartinBC [0:09:31]
Tune in to learn all the reasons why public companies should become their own media companies in 2020, and Jay’s philosophy and approach to content creation and its distribution.
KEY POINTS FROM THIS EPISODE:
An introduction to Jay and what Cambridge House International is all about.
Transitioning from being a conference company to having multiple digital channels.
Starting the YouTube channel as a means of sharing the content from their events.
How focusing on their digital products prior to COVID-19 positioned them favorably.
Why it is an absolute requirement for companies to become content producers themselves.
Rick Rule: Someone who understands the value of communicating with and updating interested parties and shareholders.
Jay talks about his philosophy and approach to content creation and its distribution.
The need for entrepreneurs to speak authentically and honestly about their businesses.
Why it is advisable even for public companies in the early-stages to be truly authentic.
Jay’s take on the retail landscape and his observations about the market environment.
The idea of reducing your cost of capital because you have invested in your personal brand.
Hear about their new platform that will showcase a small selection of companies and deals.
The value of involving seasoned experts in the deals and engaging them on this platform.
Suggestions for how companies can up their content marketing game and get the desired engagement of investors.