Build Brand Fandom Like Netflix (On a Small Budget)

Netflix doesn’t grade its marketing teams primarily on ROI dashboards. It grades them on whether people talk—whether a show becomes a cultural moment and whether fans keep the conversation alive between releases.

That’s a useful jolt for UK small businesses. Most local marketing plans still obsess over immediate conversions (and then get discouraged when the numbers don’t pop). But in 2026’s attention economy, the brands that win are the ones that build repeat attention—the kind that turns customers into advocates, and advocates into a predictable pipeline.

In the Technology, Innovation & Digital Economy series, we often talk about tools, platforms, and productivity. This post is about something more fundamental: how to create demand through community and conversation, using the same principles Netflix’s EMEA VP of marketing June Sauvaget describes—just adapted to a small business budget.

Netflix’s real metric: conversation, not clicks

Netflix’s approach is simple to describe and hard to execute: marketing is responsible for generating fandom and driving conversation. June Sauvaget explains that this creates “healthy competition” across markets and an environment where teams can take creative risks.

For a small business, “fandom” can sound too big—like something reserved for global entertainment brands. But fandom isn’t about celebrity scale. It’s about identity and belonging.

Here’s the translation that actually matters for local businesses:

• A “fan” is someone who buys more than once and brings others.
• Conversation is free reach. When customers post, share, comment, or bring you up in WhatsApp groups and community Facebook pages, you’re getting distribution you didn’t pay for.
• Cultural impact can be local. Your goal isn’t global virality; it’s becoming the café, salon, gym, accountant, bakery, or trades business people mention without thinking.

What to measure instead of “likes”

Netflix tracks the volume and type of conversation, and whether it travels beyond its country of origin. Your version should be lighter but still structured.

A practical small business “conversation dashboard” you can update weekly in 15 minutes:

1. Branded search: did searches for your business name increase week-on-week? (Google Business Profile and Search Console help here.)
2. Direct traffic: are more people typing your URL directly? (A strong signal of mental availability.)
3. Share of local mentions: how often are you mentioned in local groups compared with competitors? (Manual count is fine.)
4. Repeat engagement rate: are the same people commenting/DM’ing again? (This matters more than reach.)
5. Referral prompts: how many customers say “a friend told me”? Track it at checkout.

If you’re in a tight-margin business, I’d argue this is the smarter leading indicator than obsessing over cost-per-click every week.

Risk isn’t a budget line—it's a habit

Sauvaget points out that Netflix teams are encouraged to “lean into risk.” Small businesses often do the opposite: they copy what competitors do because it feels safe.

The problem: safe marketing is invisible marketing.

In January, there’s a seasonal opportunity here. People are setting routines (health, finance, home projects). If your marketing looks like everyone else’s “New Year, New You” banner, you’ll blend in. If you take a clear stance—funny, specific, slightly contrarian—you get remembered.

The “one-up” loop a small business can actually run

Netflix teams try to “one-up the last best thing.” You can do that without stunts.

Run a 4-week creative loop:

• Week 1: Create one signature content series (same format every week)
• Week 2: Add a community hook (polls, local shout-outs, customer features)
• Week 3: Add a collaboration (another local business, supplier, or creator)
• Week 4: Add a live moment (in-store demo, livestream, pop-up, mini-event)

Then repeat, keeping the format but improving the idea.

Consistency is what builds recognisable “IP” for small brands—your own mini franchise that people expect and look forward to.

Fandom is built between “seasons”: stay present when you’re not selling

Netflix’s fandom marketing is especially visible in Stranger Things: experiences, partnerships, merchandising, and ongoing activity that keeps fans engaged between seasons.

Your business has “seasons” too:

• A restaurant between menu launches
• A PT between intake waves
• A solicitor between campaigns
• A retailer between promotions

The mistake is going quiet when you’re not actively pushing an offer.

What “between seasons” marketing looks like for SMEs

Your goal is to create familiar touchpoints that keep you top of mind without sounding salesy.

Examples that work in the UK market:

• Behind-the-scenes: Monday morning prep, sourcing, quality checks, day-in-the-life.
• Customer rituals: “Friday regulars” wall, “Client of the month”, community spotlight.
• Micro-education: 30–60 second tips that reduce customer anxiety (pricing, timelines, what to expect).
• Proof content: before/after, case studies, testimonials—but framed as stories.

A good rule: post what customers would repeat to a friend. If it doesn’t travel in conversation, it won’t build fandom.

Partnerships that don’t feel like ads (and don’t cost the earth)

Netflix uses brand partnerships to amplify conversation around its IP. The point isn’t just reach; it’s shared meaning. Done well, partnerships make both brands feel more relevant.

Small businesses can copy this without licensing deals or huge budgets.

The “audience swap” partnership model

Pick a partner where:

• you share a similar audience,
• you don’t compete directly,
• you can create something tangible together.

A few low-cost examples:

• Gym + café: “post-workout protein pick” with a joint stamp card
• Hair salon + wedding photographer: “prep checklist” reel series + referral bundle
• Accountant + local co-working space: monthly “tax clinic” drop-in hour
• Independent retailer + local maker: limited-run product drop with a launch night

Keep it simple: one co-created offer, one co-created story, one shared distribution plan.

A partnership checklist (so it drives leads)

If your campaign goal is leads, the partnership needs a clear action.

Use this checklist:

• One landing action: book a call, reserve a table, request a quote, join a waitlist
• One shared deadline: 7–14 days is enough
• One trackable token: code word at checkout, unique booking link, or QR
• One content pack: 3 posts + 3 stories each, scheduled in advance

Partnerships fail when everyone says “let’s collaborate” and nobody agrees what success looks like.

Immersive experiences: you don’t need a West End budget

Netflix invests in immersive experiences because they drive organic amplification—people share them, media covers them, fans create content.

You can recreate the mechanism in a small business setting: give people something they want to photograph and talk about.

What counts as “immersive” for a local business?

Immersive doesn’t mean expensive. It means felt.

• A bakery doing a limited Saturday “behind-the-counter” tasting for 12 people
• A florist running a 1-hour bouquet bar with a takeaway photo corner
• A bike shop hosting a winter maintenance mini-class with a checklist handout
• A home services business running a “diagnose your damp” clinic at a local venue

One Netflix anecdote in the source stands out: an Istanbul event expected 2,000 attendees and saw more than 20,000 show up. The lesson isn’t “go bigger.” The lesson is: when the experience is genuinely share-worthy, distribution follows.

Turn one event into four weeks of content

If you run an event (even tiny), squeeze it properly:

1. Announcement (why it’s happening, limited seats)
2. Build-up (prep, behind-the-scenes)
3. The moment (photos, short clips, customer reactions)
4. After (FAQ answers, highlights, testimonials, next date)

This is how you make a finite event produce ongoing digital marketing value.

Local-first marketing with global tools: the 2026 advantage

Netflix balances global scale with local relevance by investing in local teams and tailoring execution by market. Small UK businesses have the opposite situation: you’re naturally local, but you now have access to global-grade tools.

That’s the upside of the digital economy: you can act like a modern media brand without needing a media budget.

A practical “local for local” content system

If you want fandom, your content has to feel like it couldn’t have been made by anyone else.

Try this simple system:

• 60% local proof: your customers, your streets, your staff, your suppliers
• 30% expertise: answers to the questions people ask before buying
• 10% opinion: the stance that makes you memorable (pricing transparency, quality standards, what you refuse to do)

That final 10% is where most brands chicken out. It’s also where differentiation lives.

“People also ask” questions you should answer publicly

These are lead-generators because they reduce friction:

• “How much does it cost?” (Give ranges and explain what changes the price.)
• “How long does it take?” (Give realistic timelines.)
• “What should I prepare before booking?”
• “What can go wrong, and how do you handle it?”

Answer those on your site and in short-form video. Customers trust the business that tells the truth upfront.

A small business fandom plan you can start this month

Netflix’s north star—conversation—can be a north star for local brands too. The point isn’t to chase vanity metrics. The point is to build a base of customers who remember you, talk about you, and come back.

If you want a tight, realistic plan for January into February:

1. Pick one repeatable content series (weekly, same format)
2. Design one shareable moment in-store or online (photo-worthy, story-worthy)
3. Partner with one adjacent local brand for an “audience swap”
4. Track five conversation metrics weekly (branded search, direct traffic, mentions, repeat engagement, referrals)

The businesses that grow in the UK’s innovation-led economy won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest ad budgets. They’ll be the ones that act like community-first media brands—building trust, attention, and advocacy over time.

What would your customers post about this week if you gave them something worth talking about?