Engaging Conversations | Inspiring Dialogue, Empowering Communities

#11 - Driving Regional Prosperity Through Targeted Strategies with Robert Scotto

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Unlock the secrets of regional marketing success with Robert Scotto, the mastermind behind Retail Media Hub. Discover how targeted marketing can be a game-changer for regional businesses, boosting visibility, sales, and job creation in areas like the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, and Newcastle.

Robert shares an inspiring story of how one furniture retailer used strategic marketing to expand from Sydney to the Central Coast, illustrating the transformative power of effective advertising. Gain insights into how Retail Media Hub is helping local economies thrive and get ready to be inspired by the competitive edge these strategies offer.

In this episode, we also explore practical community marketing strategies that regional businesses can use to enhance their local presence. From leveraging social media to sponsoring local sports teams, learn how to engage with your community effectively. Understand the importance of hyper-targeting and avoiding common marketing missteps, such as not knowing your audience. We emphasise the value of community engagement and highlight how supporting local causes can drive revenue growth.

Plus, don't miss the preview of next week's guest, Wendi Czislowski, a powerhouse advocate for disability empowerment whose journey promises to leave a lasting impact. Tune in and transform how you think about regional business marketing!

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Organisations & Charities Supported by Rob and the Team at Retail Media Hub

Rob and his team at Retail Media Hub proudly support these organisations, reflecting their commitment to giving back to the community and empowering local initiatives.

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Leon Goltsman:

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you are, and welcome back to another episode of Engaging Conversations. This is where we don't just talk about. We dive into meaningful dialogues with inspiring people who are making a real difference. I'm your host, leon Goltsman, and today's episode is proudly brought to you by Lake Mac Business Focus, celebrating businesses that redefine customer service and elevate communities through impactful work. Now let me share a quick story with you. We don't often say I'll give back once I've made it, but what if it is the act of helping others that brings success? That's the question that's been on my mind lately, and it's exactly the kind of philosophy that is driving today's guest.

Leon Goltsman:

Today I'm thrilled to introduce Robert Scotto, the founder of Retail Media Hub, an advertising media company that's been transforming businesses across Sydney and, increasingly, throughout regional New South Wales. And in just seven years, retail Media Hub has become one of the most trusted names in the media industry, serving clients Australia-wide and proving that successful businesses don't just grow alone. They empower the communities they serve. Rob's journey is a testament to the idea that helping others can be the foundation for a thriving business. In today's episode, we'll explore the insights, values and powerful strategies behind Retail Media Hub's growth. We'll discuss the challenges, the wins and what it truly means to create a business that not only grows but gives back. So, without further ado, let's dive into the inspiring conversation with Robert Scotto of Retail Media Hub. Let's discover together how success and community go hand in hand.

Robert Scotto:

Hi, I'm Rob Scotto. I grew up in southwest Sydney. I've been in media for almost 20 odd years now across three different companies, one being Salmat, a second being Franklin Web Printing. Then I went back to Salmat. Then I started up Retail Media Hub in 2017. So since 2017 till 2024, which is now seven years. A couple months ago, we've just opened up our Gosford office, because we do see potential for growth on the Central Coast, especially across the Gosford region and Newcastle regions, and also Targrove, because you've got those three major hubs north of Sydney, and that's why we're focusing on these particular regions now.

Leon Goltsman:

So, rob, what are some of the unique benefits that marketing and advertising bring to regional businesses, particularly in the Central Coast, lake Macquarie and Newcastle areas?

Robert Scotto:

Benefits that marketing and advertising bring to regional businesses, particularly in the Central Coast Newcastle areas and, say, lake Macquarie region. Also, targeted marketing increases visibility and supports regional growth by attracting local customers, driving sales and eventually creating more jobs for locals. And that's our goal.

Leon Goltsman:

Because in regional areas, unfortunately, a lot of people are falling through the gaps. We've got a rising senior population. We've also got, in fact, one of the fastest growing population in all of Australia, so we really do need employment. So you're actually helping the economy, you're helping the community here just by being here.

Robert Scotto:

Absolutely, and what we're seeing is those clients who are based in Sydney are slowly, slowly moving up to the Central Coast, Tuggera and Newcastle regions. To rent a premise is way, way cheaper. The population growth within the Central Coast areas and Newcastle is going up. We can see all the demographics slightly changing from every four years. The census data that comes through. Disposable income on the Central Coast is also going up because you've got a lot of tradies moving up here to build new homes. So with new tradies coming up here to build new homes, bringing their families they need to go source new furniture, so they would go, to, say, a homemaker centre nearby. All of that contributes to the economy, essentially for this particular region.

Leon Goltsman:

And this is exactly what we need, because our heroes are local business owners and people don't realise that when people have jobs they're able to. Well, it gives them dignity, first of all. When people have money and capacity to earn money, but they also give it back to the community and they can volunteer, they have a little bit more time to strengthen community. So really what you're doing is facilitating that Absolutely. You mentioned that effective marketing does give local businesses a competitive edge. Rob, can you share an example of a local business success story that showcases this?

Robert Scotto:

A great example would be, say, a furniture retailer that I dealt with in Sydney, that I currently deal with in Sydney. They've got around three locations. We ran online and offline campaigns. They had tight budgets and we kept to those budgets. But it's always on strategy, even if you're drip feeding. But what that presents is that shows us that marketing does work, because we've seen an increase in sales in store and now they're expanding. In the central coast they've just opened up a furniture store in west gosford. I think there might be even expansion into newcastle. But when they're running their marketing campaigns say, for example, a newspaper insert they wouldn't constrain or restrain it to purely Sydney only, because online is driving quite strong. We're running campaigns across all of New South Wales, including Newcastle and beyond, driving those click-throughs, bringing people online, driving online traffic, online sales, to the point where once we build up a database strong enough to warrant a store in Newcastle, then the client will go in there and open up a store.

Leon Goltsman:

What are some practical steps that regional businesses can take to boost their awareness and visibility in the community?

Robert Scotto:

In order to boost awareness and visibility, you definitely need to use strategies like utilising parts of social media. Social media is very cost effective. That's if done properly, of course. Absolutely Participating in local events absolutely imperative. Sponsoring local sporting teams participating in local events absolutely imperative. Sponsoring local sports sporting teams. I love that because that's what I do in sydney constantly and that's what we're going to be looking at doing on the central coast. Being part of the community is a major, major thing and it's only baby steps, but those baby steps will get you somewhere.

Leon Goltsman:

So many regional business owners face specific challenges. Rob what?

Robert Scotto:

advice would you give them to navigate these obstacles? No-transcript when breaking it down. Metro areas and regional areas are very, very similar, but with regional areas you have obviously less density of population, so you have to be hyper-targeted. With regional areas, obviously, you've got limited resources. Okay, there is. When I look at traditional media within regional, say, central Coast, newcastle, lake, mac there's not as many bus shelters or not as many billboards. Radio networks you've probably got two or three. What we've also seen is the diminish of local papers. With the diminish of local papers, the community actually doesn't have a voice anymore. So, leon, what you're doing with the podcasting is perfect because you're giving a voice to the local community once again. So, leon, when was the last time you had a local paper dropped at your front door?

Leon Goltsman:

Wow, I can't, at least three or four years ago. This is the thing. We don't know what's going on. We don't know what's opening up. The only way really is now Facebook or word of mouth.

Robert Scotto:

And that's pretty sad. I find that extremely sad because having a physical material in front of you, you've got your retailers advertising within that, you've got your local voices being presented within that. And don't forget, the people that are delivering the local papers are locals. So it's bringing income back into the local community and it's exercising too. I love watching the walkers walk past and dropping off catalogs in people's houses.

Leon Goltsman:

So we're kind of losing that community feel. We've seen some of the specific challenges in local businesses around the region. I mean I suppose some of those challenges are shared all across the country. What are the common marketing missteps you see with regional businesses, or for any business for that matter, and how could they avoid it?

Robert Scotto:

So the common marketing missteps that I'm seeing within regional businesses. Some of them actually don't know their audiences, setting clear brand messaging or even stretching their budgets too thin. I had a client based in newcastle yesterday. She called me because she wanted one shopping center screen and that was it. I'm thinking to myself why do you want to spend 600 for one fortnight when you can take that money, save it, reinvest it and do a larger campaign later on down the track? Because when you're doing one shopping center screen only, you're only capturing a handful of people that are walking through that shopping center and accidentally seeing that screen, and if it's's digital, it'll be one of six share we know that in advertising and marketing it's all about frequency.

Leon Goltsman:

So they may see you once and they probably don't even pay attention, because these days people are bombarded with thousands and thousands of ads and messages every day. But the key is to have, obviously and I'm speaking now for myself is if I see something that's of interest to me, I'll pay attention to it, and then for some reason, it keeps popping up everywhere. It's ubiquitous everywhere I go and it's almost like it's following me, and I suppose that's very strategic, isn't it?

Robert Scotto:

Yeah, definitely Leon. And you know what? I love how you mentioned that if you see an ad, you click on it. It follows you everywhere. Okay, that's what we can do for you. So we run a targeted digital campaign. We have a pixel firing on your website, we capture people's ips and we retarget those particular people.

Leon Goltsman:

So if people are thinking of buying something. Uh, the chances are they probably will at the end. So it's good for the company Because, look, at the end of the day, if they don't buy from you, they're going to buy from someone else, and we want to support local economy, we want to support local businesses. If they don't buy from the local businesses, then they're very likely going to buy it and the money's going to go somewhere else, isn't it?

Robert Scotto:

Absolutely, it is Absolutely.

Leon Goltsman:

So, rob, you mentioned the importance of knowing your audience and competitors, and we've had a few conversations before we came here today. How can regional businesses effectively research and understand these factors?

Robert Scotto:

So understanding your audience and competitors extremely important within regional areas. But it's all a test and learn, so you might not know your customer right now, what kind of demographic they belong to right now. Let's do a database analysis. Find out what the main characteristics are of those people that reside within your territories. Let's read your marketing campaigns. Let's target your right audience group and look-alike audience groups to to grow your presence across a larger group of potential cups customers. What you can then do is then you can kind of strategize when it comes to your marketing campaigns to target these customers and lookalike customers to grow revenue essentially.

Leon Goltsman:

Because it's those little setbacks that pave the way to something much greater. Absolutely, it is so, rob. How can local businesses leverage community values? I know, look, obviously we've heard that your um, your company, and I know you've done a lot of wonderful things over the past because you've supported children with special needs organizations, the homelessness, I mean, all those things that people talk about, uh, but rarely really do. Uh, you, you guys actually live it, you breathe it, and I know that you have and I'm not going to go and plug every single person, but the people that are listening will agree, especially if they're the ones that have been supported by you. But for other people who want to get involved and leverage those community values, like sustainability or craftsmanship, helping great causes, how can local businesses leverage community values in their marketing to resonate with regional audiences, local values not only brings loyalty, but also differentiates small businesses from larger competitors, creating a compelling local brand story.

Robert Scotto:

So, when you think about that comment that I've just made, it's the larger organizations. It's all about branding, branding, branding okay with the local businesses. It's all about building rapport, building loyalty, growing local presence. It's all about the local community. So there's a massive difference between the two streams. Um, yeah, as you mentioned, we love supporting local businesses, we love supporting people who are less fortunate than us, because it's always giving back to the community and you have to, and that's the way we see it. We're not one of those organisations just take, take, take.

Leon Goltsman:

I'd rather give, give, give first and there's a pattern with everyone I've spoken to on this program is that those who give are usually the ones that succeed, and it's usually done in that order. So it's interesting that you said that, because I'm seeing it again and again and again. Isn't that what a company does? It's there to serve the community, but serve their customers and serve the people that are dealing with them.

Robert Scotto:

Absolutely. It is so obviously having a business, you're trying to generate revenue for the company because you're servicing those particular clients First and foremost. Because you need to service those clients, you obviously need to pay wages and everything else.

Leon Goltsman:

So, rob, what is your vision for how Retail Media Hub can influence the growth and resilience of the communities you serve?

Robert Scotto:

Well, leon, we're here for the long term, so it's all about serving the community, serving our clients, growing jobs within the Central Coast Hopefully soon. We'll maybe even open up an office in Newcastle in the next couple of years and we just want to empower the local businesses. What differentiates us is we're a mediary. We sit in the middle. We will work with what's best for your organisation, based on any particular budget. We will be honest and transparent in telling you okay, well, you've got too much money to spend here, or you don't have enough money to spend here. This is what you can do and this is how you can execute it. Yeah, and we're definitely growing, so we're doing something right.

Leon Goltsman:

How does your work with various organizations like those supporting homelessness Because I did touch on that earlier and I just wanted to ask you, how does your work with various organizations like supporting homelessness and children with special needs align with your mission at Retail Media Hub?

Robert Scotto:

Yeah, over the last 12 months, leon, we've supported children with special needs. Essentially, we were a major sponsor at a local walk. We also assist and donate to homeless organisations. Giving back is what's imperative to us, so why shouldn't we help people that are less fortunate than us? And giving back? It's not about you feeling good about giving someone assistance. It's helping them on their journey, especially in regional areas like it is so, so tough, like the homeless people in sydney. You'll see them on every corner and people are obviously giving you money, but when, when it comes to Central Coast Newcastle, especially in Lake Mac, if you're homeless and struggling, there's less people to actually help you.

Leon Goltsman:

And there's also a lot of other issues as well. But, yeah, look, you're absolutely right. A lot of people are falling through the cracks and we really do need companies and individuals to help out. Some of the other podcasts that I've done, especially with Survivors R Us helping people with domestic violence and all these issues you get to, it doesn't just help the people who are in need. It brings out the volunteers, the people coming together and really that is heartwarming.

Robert Scotto:

Yeah, it is, and, mate, just really earning what you just said. Regarding domestic violence, there's a charity event that we've just also donated to, coming up in November, and this organisation is building a refuge to house approximately 50 women that have been affected by domestic violence and their children. So another massive project that this organisation is entailing.

Leon Goltsman:

I've always Look, I'm very fortunate that I that I also work with quite a few organizations and I'm even a patron at some of them, some of the big ones and I've always said that what's worse than bad people doing bad things is good people not doing anything about it. So, Rob, you're a good person and thank you for all the wonderful things that you do, not just in business, but it's the other stuff that is less recognized or known and that says a lot about your character and your ethics in the way you run your organization. Thanks, Leo. So, Rob, getting back into marketing and we're almost at the end of this interview what advice would you give to business owners who may be hesitant or uncertain about investing in marketing?

Robert Scotto:

for those, for those business owners who may be hesitant or uncertain about investing in marketing. Marketing is imperative. Okay, don't worry about your budgets. We can always talk about your budgets, no matter how small, no matter how large they are. We will always work with you and we will guide you down the right path. Okay, and once again, like I said before, it all comes down to baby steps. So we will suggest ways to start off, small measure results and eventually scale your marketing campaigns. Okay, because we see long-term gains, and that's it. Okay, so never shy away from advertising. Always speak to a marketing agency. Okay, a good marketing agency. Let it be retail media hub, and we will help you, step by step, throughout the entire journey if people did want to contact you, what would be the best way to do that?

Robert Scotto:

Yeah, easy, Through our website, retailmediahubcomau. Scroll down to the bottom of our website page and you'll see my email address, my phone number and our office details.

Leon Goltsman:

Look, I will put some of that info in the show notes Just before I let you go. I mean, you and I could probably talk for a long time, as we have in the past. If people can take anything away from this program, what's the one thing you would like our listeners to remember about Retail Media Hub's approach to supporting local business?

Robert Scotto:

growth. Like our listeners to remember about Retail Media Hub is it's all about community focus. Community focus, the power of collaboration and the impact of thoughtful marketing campaigns to drive revenue to you guys. If we can drive a successful marketing campaign, in turn driving sales either in-store or online, obviously you're going to reinvest that money into local communities, you're going to hire more staff, you're going to be buying local supplies. It's all about giving back to the community.

Leon Goltsman:

And the convenience and the fact that it's better for the environment as well. Absolutely, rob. Thank you very much, mate. I've always loved chatting to you, always inspiring, and I really appreciate you taking the time to come in and speak to me.

Robert Scotto:

Thanks, leon, this is great.

Leon Goltsman:

Well, that's a wrap. What a powerful conversation we've just had with Rob Scotto from Retail Media Hub. Rob is a true advocate for community-driven business, and it's inspiring to hear how his thoughtful marketing campaigns aren't just driving business growth, but also channeling resources and support directly into the communities that need it most. Through Retail Media Hub, rob and his team are creating real, measurable impact by enabling businesses to give back in a way that uplifts everyone. For those interested in the causes that Rob and his team are passionate about, please check out the show notes, where we've included a list of organizations and charities they currently support Each link and resources there for you if you'd like to get involved and be part of this important work.

Leon Goltsman:

And now let me introduce our guest for next week's episode, someone I'm genuinely excited about. Wendi Czislowski is a champion in the disability sector, an advocate who brings her wealth of knowledge and unwavering commitment to Lake Macquarie. She's dedicated to empowering those who sometimes can't advocate for themselves, and I can tell you firsthand that her impact is nothing short of incredible. Wendy has certainly left a strong impression on me, and I know that she will make one on you too, as always, if you have questions for Rob or any of our past guests. Check out our show notes for details on how to connect. I'm Leon Goltsman and I can't wait to have you join us again next week. Until then, stay engaged, stay connected and let's keep making a difference together.

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Leon Goltsman

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Robert Scotto

Guest