late night comedy meets b2b content

@TimWasher

Creating Engaging ContentSocial Brand Forum 2013

To gain attention and affinity on social

channels such as Facebook and

YouTube, a portion of our content mix

needs to be more engaging and

entertaining. Consumer brands have

been successful and creating

entertaining content.

But many corporate brands think

because our selling cycle is more

complex, all of our content needs to

be complex. We think because we sell

to committees, we must communicate

with committees on Facebook. But

look at the data:

“73% of people who read corporate blogs are people”

@timwasher

Storytelling Approaches

Slideshow

An easy way to produce video for

YouTube is by creating a slideshow

with still photos. Narrate a voice-

over track in Windows MovieMaker or

iMovie / iPhoto on Mac. Suggest a

story concept to employees

The storylines don’t need to be

connected to a company initiative.

Rather, ask employees to share

personal interest stories, e.g. “My top

10 Favorite BBQ Places.” This helps to

humanize the brand, and builds trust.

Source for free photos: Photo Pin

Documentary

Research the history of your industry.

Find the stories of pioneers, invention,

failure. Interview interesting and

influential thought leaders, authors,

professors. At Cisco, instead of telling

the story about our company, we

produced a documentary about the

impact of the telecom network.

Reporting ROI

Cinematography-based Stories

If you don’t have a compelling story to tell, show pictures of sharks.

When I’m struggling to come up with

story ideas, I’ll seek inspiration by

thinking of scenes that are interesting to

watch, and try to find a relevant story.

We filmed a story about how the Norwalk

Aquarium uses the mobile internet to

create a better experience for it’s

members.

Customer Visit Meets The Travel Channel

Edutainment

For IBM’s Smarter Planet campaign, we

shared small pieces of knowledge, along

with some humor. And if that didn’t work,

we blew up a trash can.

Smartphone Studio

http://amzn.com/B00683M35S

iPhone 5 External Mic $28

http://amzn.com/B002HJ9PTO

Lav Mic $20

Joby Mini Stand for Smartphones JB01279-BWW http://ow.ly/qcEED

WonTube Free Video Converter - CNETConverts iPhone video to MP4, WMV formats http://ow.ly/qcENI

$300 will buy an HD camcorder with external audio port for a lav mic

Search online for refurbished, gently-used gear.

Use a 60 Watt soft light bulb. Hang a piece of translucent shower curtain liner to reduce harsh shadows. http://amzn.com/B007RKKEHA

Vidpro K-120 On-Camera LED Video Light Kit http://ow.ly/qcFzH

$10 buys a portable monopod. Removing the shakes from your videos make them much easier to watch. http://ow.ly/qcGI2

Humor

Evokes positive emotion

Demonstrates authenticity

Redeems

Cuts through the noise

Humanizing with Humor

Prepared for a Zombie Pandemic? CDC Can Help

If you think humor isn’t appropriate for

your industry, consider the CDC’s Zombie

Pandemic Preparedness Kit case. Results:

1.2 million Twitter follows, 150K Facebook

fans, and 2.8 million people/month

visiting the CDC website. If a Federal

agency in the healthcare vertical can use

humor, just about any brand can.

Focus on Pain, not Product

Partner: film school / improv theater

Start internal, go external

How to Be Hilarious

Two weeks after a very visible, depressing

YouTube failure, I ended up in Estes Park, CO.

During the Ghost Tour at the Stanley Hotel, I

learned how a failure led Stephen King to

write one of his most successful stories, The

Shining. It was a reminder that failure is a

necessary part of the creative process. Every

time I find myself being insecure about a

project, I think of this story.

bit.ly/hauntedcheeseburgers

Thank You!

TimWasher.com