Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is never going to build your brand. One effective way to build your brand and brand audience is to show up in unexpected ways and unexpected places.
LinkedIn Branding. It Takes Time and Consistency
"LinkedIn? Oh yeah, we tried that. It didn't work."
Did you really? Did you really try or give up because it's not easy?
Breaking the Short Video MYTH
It's time to break the Short Video Myth. Audiences ARE watching branded videos and stories that are longer than 60 seconds.
During the workday, 30 to 60-second videos rule. When relaxing and especially in the evenings, audiences use their mobile devices and connected TVs to engage in 30, 60, 90-minute video programming. Not just the big streamers, but YouTube, Vimeo and more.
Grow Fanatics, Not Followers
Growing your 'followers' by 1 can be incredibly powerful once you understand why.
If your entire focus, your entire strategy is predicated on followers, then you're chasing popularity, or as its better known 'vanity metrics.'
Getting Started with Personal Branding.
"What IS Personal Branding and how do I even get started?” Personal branding is essentially marketing yourself from a personal or professional perspective, and sometimes both. You have value, you have knowledge to share, your input is welcome in conversations. Whether you're brand new to an industry or a seasoned veteran, you bring value to others. Both in the written word and through videos.
What IS Branded Storytelling?
A recurring question I receive is "What IS Branded Storytelling?" Is it just a commercial but more cinematic? Does it mean I don't talk about my brand directly?
Branded storytelling is all about making a connection to your potential customer. It's usually a long game, you don't make one video, tell one story and magically you've connected to an entirely new audience. One story might get that initial interest, but a body of stories can form an emotional connection to your brand and your product. Multiple storylines can attract multiple demographics.
Branding Videos - Start with Audio.
Almost every time someone asks me for advice on getting started with video they always lead with 'what camera should I use?' or 'how do I make my smartphone camera look better.' Not one person has ever asked me how to make their audio sound better and that's honestly the most important aspect of creating good videos.
Branded Storytelling: Build Your Destination
Now that you’ve got their attention and they’ve stopped the car, the last thing you want to do is set up a tourist trap. Lots of color and flash, but no substance. Cheap, chintzy trinkets are fun for a few minutes and maybe some selfies to post to your friends, but not someplace you want to visit again. That’s going for the quick buck, not long-term audience engagement. You’ll need to continually lure a new audience to make the tourist trap work. To do that you need a connection.
Branded Storytelling: Social Media Is Like A Billboard.
“Selling” today and for the foreseeable future is about building a story. Actually many stories. Stories that entertain, stories that inform, stories that educate, stories that connect with the audience you are trying to reach.
Going Airborne for new Georgia-Pacific Image Campaign
Drone approaching a GP employee in Brunswick, GA
Last week I traveled to Brunswick, GA to oversee aerial filming for a new Georgia-Pacific image campaign focused on sustainability. There are many steps and actions GP does every day to ensure the land and water in their communities is protected and will be here for future generations. Trying to explain those ways can be complicated and long-winded. So I developed a campaign that involves just one, maybe two shots in a series of 10 - 15 seconds spots. Each spot is a single message, simplifying the storytelling to help encourage audience retention and social sharing.
New Georgia-Pacific Storytelling launches with "We Are: Brewton, Alabama"
My new storytelling initiative for Georgia-Pacific was rolled out externally this week, "We Are: Brewton, Alabama." It's a few months later than originally planned, but forces beyond my control delayed the external release. But Episode 1 of the series featuring the incredible Glen Freeman is now live.
Filming a new "Video Producing" Course for Lynda.com
Nope not me, the DP checking the shot.
This past weekend I got to film a new Lynda.com course on Video Producing. This time Rose and the crew came to Atlanta to do the filming. This time the course is all about Video Producing, or what exactly DOES a Producer do in the modern production world?
Telling a New Story for Georgia-Pacific
Glen Freeman at the wheel of his Candy Apple Red Ford hot rod.
When I was brought on as the first Creative Director for Georgia-Pacific, the main thing I was tasked with was bringing a new storytelling focus to GP's external communications and branding. In particular, transforming GP from a big corporate brand to people. With over 33,000 people working in over 200 locations across the United States, there are many stories just waiting to be told.
Taking Control of Your Phone for Better Videography
iPhone 6s on the iOgrapher with a Wide Angle Lens and Shure LensHopper VP83 Shotgun Mic with Rode SC-4 Adapter. Mounted on a JOBY GorillaPod SLR-Zoom
Prior to a recent cruise I picked up the iOgrapher for my iPhone 6. Having seen the product at NAB a few times, I knew it created a stable camera platform for the iPhone making the camera much more useable. I was more than impressed with the stability and ease of use of the system. In fact I shot a LOT more video than I originally intended on the cruise. While I was really happy with the with overall results, I felt that camera control and audio quality were lacking. The iPhone camera auto irises too much and the color temperature changes, sometimes at random. When the phone is mounted into the iOgrapher, the microphone is essentially blocked by the unit. So before my next trip, I knew I wanted to improve both areas.
Sailing and Filming a Cruise with an iPhone and iOgrapher
The view looking forward from our cabin balcony.
While on vacation recently, I was able to combine two of his passions. Video production and cruising. Just before sailing on the Celebrity Cruises “Silhouette,” to the Caribbean, I picked up an iOgrapher which makes a very useful camera platform for the iPhone and iPad. Featuring interchangeable lenses, cold shoe mounts and tripod mounting points the iOgrapher essentially turns the iPhone into a professional camera giving the videographer great camera stability.
The cruise was the perfect testing platform as I'm looking for new ways to work with video, especially in social media. We’re also testing some new ideas for the upcoming Contemporary Living Network and we can see the benefits of creating original content with this setup.
The one thing I didn’t have on this trip was a shotgun microphone. Since the phone is mounted sideways on the iOgrapher, the microphone on the phone is not great for picking up natural sound and spoken word. Before the next vacation, I’ll be adding a shotgun mic.
I also didn’t know about some additional apps for the iPhone that allow for manual Iris and Color Balance controls on the phone. You’ll see the auto-iris kick in quick in quite a bit with all the bright / dark areas. And the color balance does change from time to time. I'll add those apps before the next vacation as well.
All in all, very impressive to see the picture quality and especially the stability of the images. This entire project was filmed with the iPhone 6. Absolutely NO camera stabilization was added to any of these images in the video below.
Also VERY impressed with Celebrity Cruises and their Silhouette. This was our first time on Celebrity and we were so impressed with the ship, the crew and of course, the food that we booked another cruise on the Celebrity Reflection. Celebrity is just top notch, white glove treatment but without the stuffy attitude. Beautiful ship, wonderful people and a great time.
To read more on the iOgrapher: http://www.iographer.com
To read more on Celebrity Cruises: http://www.celebritycruises.com/
To find those light leaks and many other effects: http://rampantdesigntools.com
If you like the music, that's from The License Lab: https://licenselab.com/