late night comedy meets b2b content
DESCRIPTION
Simple and inexpensive approaches to creating more engaging content for inbound marketing http://www.timwasher.com/TRANSCRIPT
@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.
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
