My career as a journalist spanned nearly a decade. When I left to launch online video startup, BizBOXTV, I quickly discovered storytelling was part of my DNA, evident in the process and style of my new media company and how it approached its first productions.
It wasn’t about story-boarding or scripting, it was about asking questions, getting answers, and weaving content together to produce an interesting and useful story. The benefits of combining the approaches of traditional journalism and brand storytelling seemed obvious. It’s something we’ve called “brand journalism” since day one, and it’s picking up speed as the new-media world continues to evolve, along with consumers’ habits.
Businesses are using social media, web video, and digital publishing to speak directly to consumers. It’s a way for brands, big and small, to use the approach of professional journalists to create, curate and share expert content in the form of blogs, articles and video. Brand journalism is obviously not as impartial as journalism, but it’s a way for a brand to engage an audience with relevant and interesting material. The content must be factual, and keep “relevance to... Read more
Tags: bizboxtv, blogging, boeing, brand journalism, calgary, canada, cisco, content creation, content marketing, corporate video, customer engagement, digital media, home depot, journalism, lisa ostrikoff, online video, online video production, PR, public relations, social engagement, Social Media, Storytelling, toronto, usa, video marketing, vlogs
Posted in Ad Serving, Creative Best Practices, Media Planning & Buying, Opinions, Social Media, Targeting, Uncategorized, Video | No Comments »
From annoying pop-up ads to often completely irrelevant video pre-rolls, the clutter is causing consumers’ “BS meters,” as digital rock star Gary Vaynerchuk has called them, to become more sensitive and accurate than ever before.
So while the speed of technology is increasing, it’s interesting to note that one of the hottest trends in online marketing might just be the age-old art of story-telling.
What does this mean? To cut through the clutter, businesses need to stop annoying, and start telling stories.
Story-telling has evolved from ancient rock markings to the current age, where brands are able to effectively tell their stories via Web video, blog posts and social media platforms. Despite technology’s effect on the methods we’re using to tell stories, the basics remain.
If you ask the experts, they’ll tell you the same story they’ve been telling for years.
“Marketing is storytelling,” says author, entrepreneur and expert Seth Godin. Writing on “ How to tell a great story,” Mr. Godin says that “first impressions are far more powerful than we give them credit for,” making it important to ensure your story does what you need it to do the first time... Read more
Tags: bizboxtv, blogging, brand journalism, branded video, lisa ostrikoff, online video, social media marketing, Storytelling, video marketing, vlogs, web video
Posted in Creative Best Practices, Opinions, Social Media, Targeting, Video | No Comments »
Today, during my hourly crawl of the world’s content marketing blogs, I spotted an absolute gem of a headline and just had to write about it. It was the title of the latest post on the Content Marketing Institute’s site, written by Heidi Cohen – who is a steadfast member of the content marketing industry and a really great writer.
It read: ‘How to solve your biggest content marketing problem in 7 easy steps’. Sounds simple, huh? It’s actually very well thought through and if you want to replicate it, here are the three things you need to take from Heidi’s headline.
Number 1: ‘How to solve...’
As most B2B marketers will know, content needs to offer value in some way – be it making a person laugh or, in this case, teaching them something. The word ‘solve’ instantly jumps out at us, as we know straight away that this blog is going to educate us. Reading it will be a valuable use of our time. Using this word has instantly decreased the chance that we’ll dismiss the blog and move onto something else – first gold star for Heidi.
Number 2: ‘...your biggest content marketing problem’
This part of the title instantly... Read more
Tags: blogging, content marketing
Posted in Creative Best Practices | 1 Comment »
The voice of a consumer has proved to be the most powerful tool for the success of any business. The evolution of the internet has made several marketing solutions as simple as clicking a mouse; so let’s deck the halls with ten ways to integrate age old word of mouth marketing with modern social outlets!
1. On average, one of five customers will say something about your business just by asking them to. “Would you tell your friends and family about our service?” The trick? Just ask, every time!
2. Optimize the search engine effect; a product cannot be shared virtually if it cannot be found online. Optimize your website and online content with multi-word tag lines that can avoid vast competitions with companies shelling out the dollars for one key word.
3. If you choose to advertise on multiple social media sites, allocate time to update and engage with readers and followers daily. Consistency with posting ads and follower engagement is crucial for brand recognition.
4. Everyone wants to be heard; whether positive or constructive feedback is flowing in, always respond. Take time to address concerns and thank all customers for positive feedback, reviewers will be talking about the brand just by feeling... Read more
Tags: 12 days of christmas, advertising, blogging, Social Media
Posted in Creative Best Practices, Emerging Platforms, Entertainment, Opinions, Search, Social Media, Targeting, Websites | No Comments »
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