The social media strategy behind Bangor's Lord of the Rings mural
You might know Robinson Goldsmiths; they’ve been a fixture on Prospect Road in Bangor for over 40 years. Family-run, really well-established, and far more creative than you’d expect from a jeweller. They’re a long-term client of mine, so when they told me they were planning something a bit different for their gable wall, I was already excited.
That something different was Jossie Pops. If you’re from the area, you’ll likely recognise his work – he’s the artist behind a lot of the portraits you see around Bangor and beyond, with that distinctive black-and-white style. They’d brought him in to paint a full mural, and I was tasked with documenting the whole thing for social media.
It was such a good project. A lot of research and planning went into it before a single can of spray paint was cracked open, but it came together beautifully in the end. You’ll have to visit and see it for yourself.
Why this kind of project matters for local businesses’ social media
Before I picked up a camera, I want to be honest about something: too many local businesses treat social media content as an afterthought, something to sort on the day, a few photos grabbed on a phone. What this project proved, again, is that a clear content strategy from the very beginning is what separates content that performs from content that disappears.
Robinson Goldsmiths didn’t just commission a mural. They invested in a story. And stories, told well, are what make local business social media actually work in Northern Ireland or anywhere, for that matter.
“In today’s era of AI-generated content, the way to stand out is to document your process and tell your story with real humanity behind it.”
– Jossie Pops
Step one: research before a single photo is taken
I started by revisiting key scenes from the Lord of the Rings films, particularly the first and identifying which moments had made their way onto social platforms as viral audio.
I began mapping out how I could pull those into our content across the week. The meme practically wrote itself, but the strategy behind it took real thought.
I also mapped out three distinct content threads to run throughout the project: content for Robinson Goldsmiths as the client, content for Jossie Pops to document his creative process, and (to be honest, I’d been neglecting) content for myself as a content creator working in Northern Ireland. By the time you’ve spent four years prioritising everyone else’s story, you forget your own is worth telling too.
- Lyn's tip for local businesses
Whenever something is happening in your business, a delivery, a project launch, a collaboration: hand your phone to someone nearby and ask them to film you. You could be unboxing stock, asking a question at a networking event, or simply arriving at a job. It’s all content. You just have to start capturing it. Your story is worth telling.
Day one: the reveal
23 March
Johnny (Jossie Pops) wanted to tease his audience first, a selfie in front of a freshly painted black wall, a quiet hint of what was coming, without tagging Robinson Goldsmiths directly just yet. Robinson Goldsmiths then published their own version of events.
For the jeweller’s reveal Reel, I had an idea: film the CCTV footage of Johnny arriving and play it back on screen. People are curious (see nosey at times), and a mysterious figure mooching about a Bangor jewellery shop is exactly the kind of hook that stops a scroll.
Paired with on-screen text and tight editing, it trod the line between intrigue and “please don’t think this man is robbing the place.” It worked beautifully. Once I’d recorded that, we followed it up with future friend content creation.
That looked like photos of Johnny holding Robinson Goldsmiths’ pieces on a chain: Frodo carrying the One Ring, essentially.
Scissor lift day and a new piece of content creation kit
24 March
The scissor lift arrived on a drizzly Bangor morning, because of course it did – It’s N.Ireland! But the drizzle doesn’t stop content. Johnny needed both hands free, one for spray cans, one for the lift controls: so for his POV footage above the North Down rooftops, I used my Ray-Ban Meta glasses
The result was genuinely stunning: immersive, hands-free, and completely authentic.
My former assistant Paige captured behind-the-scenes of me capturing behind-the-scenes. That layered documentation is something I actively encourage.
It shows the work behind the work, and for a content creator in Northern Ireland trying to show potential clients what’s possible, that visibility matters enormously.
Jennifer, meanwhile, was on holiday. So I did what any reasonable social media consultant would do: I asked her to film a fake mission briefing video from her sun lounger and send it to me.
I added cutaways, built it into a mini spy-film narrative, and it became one of my favourite pieces of content from the whole project.
The magic trick: creative content for the big finish
Throughout the week, I kept returning to Prospect Road. Each visit, Johnny was deep in it, iPad in one hand, spray can in the other, the mural evolving day by day. It was really something to watch.
From my initial research, we’d planned something special for the final content: Johnny puts on the One Ring, magically transporting from the shop floor to the top of the scissor lift and then back inside, dropping his branded hoodie before melting the ring down into liquid gold in the crucible.
Again, my extensive research into the film helped guide the idea. To save time, I had previous footage of a blowtorch hitting gold in the workshop, so with a bit of editing trickery, we pulled it off. Johnny stitched it together.
At this point, Jennifer was back from her hols and got behind the scenes while I was filming Johnny. I have trained her very well throughout our working relationship!
To round it all out, I mic’d up both Johnny and Jennifer for a two-person interview about the experience. Once people get talking, the content takes care of itself.
The point is variety: a single project can generate a reveal reel, a behind-the-scenes series, a narrative short, a talking-head interview, and a how-to guide.
You just have to plan for it.
Taking a punt on Reddit - and it paying off
I hadn’t posted on Reddit in about six years. But I found the Lord of the Rings subreddit, posted a group photo of us all in front of the finished mural, and watched it reach over 102,000 views.
I cautiously cross-posted to the Northern Ireland subreddit, a risky click, if you know Reddit, and people were genuinely pretty kind. Some of the comments were brilliant.
The lesson here for local businesses across Northern Ireland is straightforward: don’t dismiss platforms you haven’t used in a while. The audience is there. A good story travels further than you expect.
The BBC, the wet morning, and the final flourish
Word spread further than even I’d anticipated. The BBC came to interview both Johnny and Jillian Robinson about the project, a brilliant outcome for Robinson Goldsmiths and real recognition for Jossie Pops’ work in Northern Ireland.
I headed back down to Prospect Road to gather more footage and help Jillian prepare her key talking points. She was brilliant on camera.
For the final piece of content, Jennifer and I filmed a “how to find the mural” video, walking from Hamilton Road. We picked the wettest morning of the week to do it. My “drowned-rat” hair had opinions.
But that realness, the willingness to just get on with it regardless of the weather, reflects the spirit of the content I create with Robinson Goldsmiths. We keep it real, fun, and lively. It’s what works.
- Quick Tip
I also created a quick “how to photograph the mural” reel for my own channels: lower the exposure on your phone camera, and the paint colours absolutely sing. Simple tip, useful content, easy share.
What this project taught me and what it means for your business
Key takeaways for local businesses thinking about social media:
Research before you shoot
Knowing your viral audio, your visual hooks, and your narrative arc before day one changes everything.
Plan content for multiple audiences from the start.
Client, collaborator, and yourself, each deserves their own thread.
Document the process, not just the outcome.
The making of is often more compelling than the finished result.
One project, many formats.
A reel, a photo set, an interview, a how-to, a Reddit post: a single story has many angles.
Don't ignore platforms that feel outdated.
Reddit delivered 130k+ views across various communities. Be open to where your story can travel.
This article was written on a five-hour flight, armed with a pen and a new notebook. No distractions, no screen, just the notes, the memories, and a story I kept putting off telling. Social media never stops. Neither should you.
