Today I am presenting another written interview with Bryan Choo. Bryan is the founder of TheSmartLocal.com, a leading online travel magazine in Singapore. Bryan specializes in growing digital media properties through content marketing.
Checkout the interview:
1. What got you interested in starting an online travel magazine? Share your story.
TSL started as a travel blog but gradually over time, we got so big and kinda became an online travel magazine. It started from doing something we love, sharing our travel stories and guides with people. We’re lucky to be making a living out of it.
2. What are some key tips you can share about building your audience with social media?
Don’t just post your content to your audience. Post relevant and interesting content that your audience will enjoy. No one likes being spammed over and over again but your site.
Another tip is to put a lot of effort into it. People aren’t dumb – they know the times when you make a half-baked post and engagement levels will be low.
3. What’s your favorite social media platform and why?
I like instagram the most. It’s very visual and it’s not cluttered. To me, it’s an upgraded version of Twitter. I also like how there is no edgerank algorithm imposed onto you like in Facebook. You see everything you want to see.
4. Do you have any specific content strategies you could share when it comes to building sites such as TheSmartLocal.com?
Create content that people want to read and share. So many people say content is king and I guess that is half true. The real truth is marketable content is king. It doesn’t matter how good your content is if nobody is going to read or share it.
5. What are your future plans for 2014 and beyond?
We plan to expand to other markets like Singapore and Australia. We also hope to grow our video team and one day have a whole production house under us, producing our own localised content.
