Content Creators’ Strategies in Marketing Food-Based SMES Through Short Videos in Surabaya

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the processes undertaken by content creators in designing digital marketing strategies for culinary MSMEs in Surabaya through short-form videos based on the planning-organizing-controlling (POC) framework. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach involving six culinary content creators in Surabaya as research informants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews to explore the stages of content planning, production and collaboration management, as well as the control mechanisms applied in digital communication strategies. The findings indicated that content creators implemented the planning function through audience research, location observation, concept development, storytelling, and content adaptation based on account characteristics and MSME needs. In the organizing stage, content creators managed content production through the use of digital tools, task distribution, client communication, and the management of content revisions and approvals. Meanwhile, the controlling function was carried out through evaluations of social media insights, engagement quality, audience responses, and strategic adjustments based on changes in platform algorithms and audience behavior. The study concluded that digital marketing strategies for MSMEs through content creators were not solely oriented toward virality but also emphasized trust, authenticity, and sustainable collaborative relationships. The findings revealed a tendency toward a collaborative authenticity strategy, a digital communication approach that balanced clients’ promotional needs, creators’ personal identities, audience trust, review ethics, and MSME sustainability through long-term collaborative relationships.