Tag Archives: social media

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Mining Content

HARD HAT

Content Mining

It’s like a gold rush initially.  Everywhere you turn there’s a yet-unpublished nugget in full view to pick up and post.  Eventually though, you’re going to have to dig.  And just like mining, you’ll need structure.  By the way, social media platforms are simply the vehicles that bring materials out of the mine.  What content will you put in these vehicles and why?  Separating substance from slag is key; if you don’t do it, your readers will.  That… won’t last long.

There is a method to finding, producing and distributing content about your company.

Don’t let your posts turn into the company newsletter.  Nobody wants to hear about the new computers in the engineering department.  We want to know what you’re going to do with them.  We want to hear about the new alloy that you’ve considered using for a part that you might make.  It doesn’t matter whether you use it or not.  It doesn’t even matter if you win the contract for said part…  The information is shiny and it’s in demand.

We can help.  Call (or click) before you dig.

 

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Digital Media Strategy. Do You Have One?

Web Site, Facebook Page, Blog, Twitter Account, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest…yadda yadda… Check, Check, and Check.  By now, most companies have decided to which social media platforms they will be committed.  They’ve  decided how analytics might be the measurement of success, and have staffed the marketing team with someone who focuses solely on social media, right?  Right?  Let’s play a game…

STRATEGOAt some point, your next VP of Marketing will probably have been a Director of Social Media someplace.  End of story.  The biggest measurable change in a company’s inside marketing operation over the next few years, will have come from social site management.   Most CEO’s have held the VP of Marketing title at one time.  Do the math.  Sooner or later your boss will most likely have been “That college kid who played around on Facebook for two years.”

Here are four things you might consider when implementing a Digital Media Strategy for your organization.

  1. Platform.  Sites used to distribute information and link potential clients/supporters.
  2. Content.  The information being presented at these sites.
  3. Frequency.  How often the message is posted.
  4. Organizational Guidelines.  Who has the responsibility for creating content?  Who has approval and accountability?  When interaction is encourgaed with people outside the organization, who determines appropriate dialog?

Mud-Hut Studios can help you with all of the above.  However, eventually the biggest concerns we hear from clients are regarding content.  What stories should we tell?  What format should we use to tell these stories?  How do we visualize the content? (see Developing a Marketing Script)

We have much experience with content production, and we believe that consistent, branded messages are the key to your marketing plan.  What do your clients need to hear?  What do your potential clients want to hear?  What do you want to say?

Let’s talk about how our inexpensive Impact Media might help you.

 

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Ripping the Phone Book in Half

PHONE BOOKSo many changes in just a few years!  I have to shake my head in wonder at some of this.  I know businesses that were paying over $1000 a month for yellow page ads.  Now let’s be clear, people traditionally USED yellow page ads and this expenditure was probably justified.  Ironically, some of the last consistent advertisers were pizza shops… many people still used the phone book to order pizza… now we can basically text and pay for orders from our phone.  So, how does a company reach people that no longer use phone books?  Is there a way to spend money on marketing that has a chance on reaching an audience?  What does $12k buy you these days?

As I stated in my article, Digital Dog Years, the world is split into two categories; things you can do on your handheld device and then… everything else.  Are there things that your firm can put online that could provide consistent information to your potential clients/partners?  After all, normal business hours don’t apply if we’re all connected to each other all the time.  Website FAQ’s, Articles, and YouTube videos can answer most of the same questions your staff normally answers during the day.  We might even argue that it can be more effective.  People are used to media telling them why they should buy from the advertiser.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s on TV or YouTube.  It takes pressure off your sales rep too.

And, by the way, $12k buys you alot of media production these days.  I have clients who’ve committed to putting their entire product line in short Impact Media clips on YouTube.  Not only will they save money this year, they won’t have to update the media for some time.  AND instead of a marketing expense, these clips become company assets.

RIP!

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Can You Afford Paper?

LITTLE KIDThere was a time in our history when paper was too expensive for the average writer.  Paints and canvas were an indulgance for the rich; materials were simply too costly.  It’s crazy to think that these items were for the elite, not the everyday artist.

Prior to the 1990’s, the equipment used in recording studios was so expensive that musicians were paying more than $100/hour to get the use of a facility that owned some of it.  In fact, time was so expensive in the early days that only well capitalized record companies could afford to rent the studios for the musicians.  The rate included the studio engineer who, by the way, most likely had a college degree in electrical engineering.

Video equipment followed the same plot line.  Before the early 2000’s, Only TV stations and high-end independents with rates to match could afford the equipment necessary to produce professional looking videos.

Today, with a credit card and stops at a big box electronics retailer and a music store, you can take home enough equipment to do both jobs.  Hey, pick up some paint and paper and you can be a writer and an artist too!  I’m being facetious.  The point is this; if you think that media communication is important enough to do it regularly, than you need to consider doing it yourself.

Ian Kanski from IMR Digital and I have discussed this many times.  He believes that once technology can be placed directly into the hands of creative people, everything changes.  The story teller, the artist, and the musician need no go-between.  Once they understand the tools, they can begin presenting their vision.

Sometimes technology learning curves require patience and practice.  Just because we can go buy a Fender Stratocaster at any music store doesn’t mean we’ll be Jimi Hendrix.  So before we set up media production in that empty bedroom/cubicle by HR, there are a few questions that I usually ask my clients;

  1. Do you have a creative person on your staff that would be interested in this type of role part time?  Maybe they have media experience.  Maybe they think it would be fun.
  2. Do you have a digital media strategy that includes the need for professional final products?  Hey, smart phones do a great job of taking pictures and capturing video.  Audio is another story, but if short, regular FB posts are your objective, then good audio may not be necessary.
  3.  Is there a way that Mud-Hut Studios can help you set up your studio cube, train personnel, or even provide on-site production/examples for you?  I am happy to work myself out of a job… I’m used to it!
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Digital Dog Years

The processor in the IPhone 4s is 100 times more powerful than the Intel 8088 CPU in the original IBM PC.

Yawn…  Well of course it is.  We’re old farm hands at technology change and that farm’s been bringin’ in a personal computing crop for 30 years.  I get it.

The reason we should stop right where we stand in the middle of the field during harvest time is this:  When was the last time you burst through the front door with a new piece of technology and exclaimed, “It’s twice as fast as my old machine, and only cost half as much!”  Has it been two years?  Five years?  More?  We don’t BEAUTIFUL NESSIE FINALtalk about hardware technology advancement any more.  We talk about applications.  We’re concerned about what we DO with our new toys.  This represents a MAJOR shift in focus.  Think about what first time users (aren’t many around any more) say when they show you their new smart phone…  “I can do email, Facebook, Twitter, text, watch video, TAKE video, scan bar codes, get recipes, Skype, and… I can even make phone calls.”

We don’t mention “the Internet” anymore.  We can do ANYTHING we want to with music.  Well… you get the picture (and don’t forget to take that picture and share it with your phone).  Our lives are now broken down into to two categories…Things that CAN be done on our smart phone, and things that CANNOT be done on our smart phone.

Here’s the thing.  The introduction of the original IPhone (which arguably ushered in this era) was a minute ago in 2007.  What makes this so important is that it’s more than good ol’ advancing technology; we are witnessing CULTURAL change.  The way in which we consume information has changed.  Has your business kept pace?

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Media for Non-Profit Organizations

Traditionally Non-Profit organizations produced media (video) for one-time events like galas, fundraisers, TV campaigns, or other  similar situations.  These “movies” were expensive,  Video firms set up booths at Non-Con (I just made that up) and quoted some pretty hefty five figure numbers.  There was an entire sub-industry of production companies that traveled around making these films.   Unfortunately, the productions generally didn’t have an ROI that made them popular.  They were often shown only at a single event or a few other fundraising meetings.  The last time most Non-Profit organizations updated their media was when the director said, “Our VHS machine broke, so we need a new video on DVD”.  Whether the organization sent home a VHS or DVD is irrelevant, the only machine it probably saw was the crusher inside of a garbage truck.

Ironically, the stories of hope that these agencies can tell are boundless.  I simply can’t think of another industry that offers so many opportunities to document improvements in people’s lives.

Here are a few thoughts…

  1. Predictable funding to Non-Profits is dangerously low.
  2. The need for alternative capital sources is undeniable.
  3. The complexity and needs of clients are at an all time high.
  4. Delivery Platforms are abundant and free.

It’s never been more important for Non-Profits to market themselves and it’s never been cheaper.  The Non-Profit agencies should be producing regular content for two very important reasons.

  1. It validates their importance in the community.
  2. It offers evidence to the ever-more-important independent revenue source, that funding this organization offers more benefit (See?  We even document our impact).

Whenever I present these concepts to my clients, I say, “Don’t run back to the office and put social media on the agenda for the staff meeting next week.  Put it on the agenda and never take it off.”  At a minimum, do short web-cam updates once a month…or simple depictions of industry statistics.

 

 

 

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Developing a Marketing Script

HARD HAT

Mining Content

Mud-Hut Studios is often called upon to help describe an organization’s competitive advantage (See our other articles about Content Mining).  Script writing is important, but delivering the message in an accessible manner is often challenging.  Over the years, I’ve come to utilize the following concepts 

Begin by listing one or two features of your product(s) that sets you apart from your competition.  Define what advantage(s) the audience should see as a result.  Ex.  “Our product’s simple design makes your busy day less complicated”

If you feel that your organization has special advantages for your customers, list these as well.  Many companies have large and diverse product lines.  Features like “manufacturing quality” apply to the entire catalog.  Maybe your company’s organization and structure translates into better customer service for your clients.

These cross product advantages are called distinctive competence and should probably be broken into their own chapter(s).

The entire script is written around these feature/advantage points.  Of course, you may feel that your product(s) have many strong suits, but your target audience will appreciate your brevity.  Break your script outline into chapters like the following.

Concepts for the Introduction

Who is the spokesperson, and why are they qualified to speak?

Acknowledge your audience and thank them for taking the time to listen.

Who are you and what do you produce?

What are you planning to present to the audience?

Body

Our product features and advantages are…

Our company’s distinctive competence is…

Keep the information simple, and clear.  Could graphics help?  Could a customer testimonial help?  How about photos or other visuals?

Closing

What has the client learned today?

What can they do to take immediate advantage of your offerings?

Other

Consider maintaining consistent branding throughout the campaign.

Some companies like to keep their logo or a message in the lower third.

Intro and/or outro graphics or slogan splash can be used as book ends to your message.

Rather than a long production, do three or four short messages, put them on YouTube and link them to another platform like Facebook or your website.

By the way, it is my experience that asking subjects to recite a script is often counter productive.  It sounds too rehearsed and comes off as forced.  Let your speakers ad lib the high points of an outline.  The more natural the read seems; the more honesty it portrays.

Check out examples of our work on our YouTube Channel.