#BetterCallPaul: Arts Night Out in REO Town
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Video Basket
When thinking about using video for your organization, I always say think beyond just doing one video. If you include all of the aspects of your business into one video, that video can get watered down and overloaded with information that you actually lose the audience you hope to keep. It becomes bloated and a little long. So what’s the alternative? Make a shorter more focused video on each of the things your business does and build a series around these.
Egg
Why do it this way? Well, there are several reasons:
1. Easily consumable. People who are on the go can easily digest a shorter video while waiting and or researching.
2. There’s more to use. if you create one video that’s long, that’s all you have, but when you create a series, then you can have periodic fresh updates that you can build a campaign around or easily insert into a campaign.
3. Retention. The subject matter is focused so your audience won’t lose track of the message. Not only that, you can title it appropriately to revolve around that one subject.
4. Branding. As an add on to number two, while developing a series you are building a brand. People will get familiar with your logo, choice of music and people involved. There’s trust building going on that one video will just not make.
So, when thinking about adding video to your marketing plan think about what your business does and how you can highlight it by one service at a time. A series of videos is much more effective to have current and potential customers understand exactly what, how, and why you do what you do.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about when talking about a focused subject:
Guest Post: A Tabletop Gamer’s Guide to Greater Lansing
The popularity of tabletop gaming—a broad term that includes everything from board and card games to roleplaying games—has exploded in recent years. Now, you may not think of Lansing as a mecca for gamers, but the Lansing area has been doing a fantastic job keeping pace with hobby gaming. Almost too good a job.
Newcomers to the hobby may be intimidated by the abundance of options to choose from and newcomers to Lansing may simply not know of a good place to start for their particular niche.
When it comes to tabletop gaming, I’m what you might call obsessed. Have been since I got HeroQuest in the early 90s (and am still its proud owner). I’ve even been fortunate enough to write for Geek & Sundry about board games.
More importantly, I’ve curated a list of places in Lansing where gaming addicts and newcomers alike can go to have some fun.
Where to Buy
When you want to find a new board game, miniatures, roleplaying books, or other gaming supplies, the place to go is usually a comic book store. Here are some of the Lansing area’s comic shops that also have a solid selection of games:
- Summit Comics and Games has a huge selection of board games. They have more space dedicated to gaming than to comics even. They also have a sort-of-but-not-really hidden back room where games can be played.
- Fortress Comics and Games sells comics and board games, but where they really shine is wargaming. If painting minis and constructing terrain to hold tiny epic battles, visit this shop.
- Hollow Mountain Comics and Games is the newest shop, but they have an eclectic mix of board games. If you want to pick up a fun, new game that hasn’t received a lot of attention, start here.
- Just 4 Fun Hobbies and Comics probably caters to the widest variety of hobbyist. They’ve got comics, board games, and all sorts of supplies for making terrain, painting, and making hobby trains and models.
There is such a thing as a dedicated game store and Lansing has ’em. If you know you want games and nothing but, check out these friendly local game shops (FLGS):
- Evolution Games has a big selection of pretty much everything. Whether you’re looking for board games, card games, roleplaying, wargaming, or painting/terrain supplies, there’s a good chance you can find something here.
- AFK Games. AFK has a selection of board games, collectible card games, minis, paints, and space to play. If you want to ogle some pre-painted miniatures, you can find do that at AFK, too.
Since board games have become so popular, bookstores have started selling them. Both Schuler Books and Barnes and Noble have pretty good selections of the more popular (and usually beginner-friendly) hobby board games.
Looking for Group
Whether you’re new to Lansing or just looking to expand your horizons, there are a number of gaming groups that are all very welcoming. For starters, practically all of the game shops have groups that meet regularly, organized and unorganized play times, tournaments, and other events.
If that’s not enough or not your cup of tea, there are also a number of groups on Meetup that get together at other venues to play. Lansing Board Gamers is an especially dedicated group and I’ve had a blast anytime I’ve met up with them.
Looking for something more low key or kid-friendly? Check out a nearby school or library. Schuler Books also hosts gaming events in their Chapbook Cafe occasionally.
Conventions
When you’re ready to take your gaming hobby to the next level, I recommend attending a convention. These are large events where hundreds or thousands of people get together to enjoy their hobbies together. Lansing has at least three conventions (‘cons’ for short) where you can enjoy board games.
- MittenCon is one of Lansing’s two conventions that are all about board gaming. It’s held over President’s Day weekend and goes for three days. Gaming is a pretty good way to pass the time during Michigan winters!
- DaveCon is the Lansing area’s other board game-exclusive convention and you only have to wait until September to participate. You can join someone else’s game, bring your own, participate in a tournament, or even test out unpublished games by local designers!
- Capital City Comic Con is a comic book convention, but just like you can buy board games in comic shops, there’s typically board gaming at comic cons. This one’s on August 27, so you’ll have to decide quickly about attending.
- Shuto Con is actually all about anime, but they have rooms for video and tabletop gaming nonetheless. Plus you can admire all sorts of amazing cosplay and perhaps pick up yet another hobby!
Where to Give
If you have a heart of gold, you may also wonder about how to put your gaming hobby to better use than purely your own entertainment. One such way is to volunteer at Creating Heroes Stephen’s Way. They are a Lansing nonprofit that uses comics and games to help educate children and provide a safe place for them to play.
Other ways you fuse gaming with philanthropy in Lansing? You could join the Extra Life Lansing Guild to help heal sick and injured kids. Sparrow Hospital Children’s Center and MSU Federal Credit Union also organize toy drives and are happy to accept donated games!
Looking for More?
If you have more questions, are looking for game recommendations, or just want to play or talk about games, reach out to me! Find me on Twitter or Facebook.
#BetterCallPaul – Deucey Award Winner: Preuss Pets
Want Your Video To Look Good? Then You Have To Plan For It.
“I love it when a plan comes together.”
That is a line from one of my favorite TV shows growing up. The A-Team. It’s something that has always resonated with me when a project comes to a close and it looks great. What most may not know is the amount of work ahead of time to get it there.
That is exactly the attitude you need to make a great video. It’s good to have something that is spontaneous, but it’s also even better if you plan for that look. That way you have control of the situation and can handle any variables that get thrown at you. Believe me, when working with video, there are a variety of variables that can throw you for a loop if you aren’t prepared.
Not only that, but to create a substantially entertaining and engaging 2 minute video to showcase your service or product as well as hold your audience’s attention isn’t as easy as just showing up. Here are some things we have to consider:
1. As a business person, you typically are not an on camera professional. So getting you to convey the message accurately can be time consuming. But knowing the material is key.
2. Having a focus. 2 minutes is just enough time to talk about one aspect of your organization. Then having 3 key points to make that fleshes out that subject. Then have it broken up into parts. Introduction to the topic, reinforcing the topic, call to action for more questions. Leave your audience wanting to know more.
3. Being in the right environment. I can’t stress enough how this is a factor. This is where it is decided whether it’s outdoors, a green screen or a living room. You want to dress up the scene correctly so that you can reinforce your message non-verbally.
The biggest thing with this is using a professional video producer. The reason is that they have experience in a wide range of environments in a wide range of situations and can assess something very quickly and can think on the fly. An excellent producer will make you feel at ease as well when things don’t work as planned. Which happens a lot.
For instance, one of my favorite back stories to a video we produced had the entire shoot transformed from one thing to another the day I showed up to set up. It was also a video that was out of town, so no turning back. Watch the video below to see if you can tell if it was a complete disaster. What happened with the shoot? I would love to talk about it over some coffee some time.
Guest Post: Placing Your Business on the First Page of Google
What does that actually mean, “We Can Place Your Business On The First Page Of Google”? As a business owner, we all have had many companies contact us in some shape or form trying to sell this service. It could have been an email, a Facebook message or a phone call.(Most likely automated). These companies are relentless and keep trying to get in touch with business owners to sell this service
Do we as business owners understand what they are talking about? In this post I will give a brief explanation of the 3 different areas of a Google Search Results, questions you should ask, why you should use a local company for this service.
When we do a search on Google, whether it is on a desk top computer or a mobile phone, Google produces 3 different results on the first page Google for the product or service your looking for. The first thing we need to understand is this, when you do a search on Google, the search results are based on where we are when we do the search. If I Google “Plumber” and I am in East Lansing these are my results :
Area 1 is Google Adwords. Will always be at the top of all search results. These are ads that businesses pay for each time the add is clicked. This is the only service that can guarantee your business will show up on the front page of Google. I like to call it Pay to Play. It does have it;s advantages and disadvantages.
Area 2 is Local Search results. If there are any local business near where I am searching from, then Google will show me these businesses here. Google found that over 85% of all search were local. Over the years this has been called Google Places, Google Local and is now called Google My Business. A local business is not guaranteed to show in this area. I highly recommend that all local businesses claim or add their business. There are a lot of benefits to this that I will get into in a future post.
Area 3 is what I call website results or SEO. This is the area that Google will start listing websites that they feel is relevant to your search query. This is decided about a lot of different factors. Some of those factors are based on your websites structure and keywords, the content on your website and content publish else where online and what authoritative websites have a link going back to your website. These are just a few things that going into getting your website on the First Page Of Google.
If your looking for this type of service to help your Business get more online exposure these are some questions that you should be asking of the company.
Where are you located? (Do you want to work to with a company that isn’t local? I always recommend working with a local company whenever possible. If you get a referral to a company from someone you trust then go with the referral.)
Ask if the company is working with any other businesses in your area that provide the same product or service you do? (Remember, we are talking the First Page of Google. Do you want to work with a company that is also working with your competitors. That is way my company has a exclusive clause with our clients when it comes to search. Two businesses can’t occupy the top post)
Ask the caller if they will be doing the work? (This is where it gets tricking. A lot of companies farm out this type of work overseas and hire a bunch of people in a call center. If they aren’t doing the actually work, would you want to spend your marketing dollars with this company. Always choose a local company that does the work in house, if your able too)
How long have you been in business?
What other businesses are you working with in my area? (I know you already asked question #2, but you want to be able to call these businesses they are working with.)
What are the terms if I do work with your company and what are your cancellation policy? (You want to how long your committed for contractually. You also want to know about cancelling service. There are some companies that require a 30 or 60 day notice to cancel. You will want to know all this upfront.)
A lot of these companies will offer call tracking. I always recommend against call tracking. These can be fudged. I always recommend putting a system in place at your business to track calls and walks in.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I understand you may have questions and I am always here to answer them for you. Our next post will get into more detail about Area 2, Local Search Results and what you can do to stand out.
Ken Whitinger is a media manager and local business owner, known for his commitment to helping businesses grow and thrive. Ken is the owner and operator of Mid Michigan Interactive and Shop Local Lansing, a media marketing company that uses new media to help local businesses expand their customer base. Through the use of innovative internet outreach, Ken has helped over 150 businesses in the Lansing area to maximize their advertising dollars and expand their reach.
Guest Post: The Map to Communication Success Involves a Look in the Rear View
Last month, I introduced you to the four-step process of PR – research, planning, implementation and evaluation – and the importance research plays in developing winning communications strategies.
Research, paid or unpaid, formal or informal, is as important to a successful PR project as Google Maps is to a cross-country journey. It provides the road map to planning and implementation.
As organizations begin to see the ROI from the no-or-low cost methods discussed in my last blog, it will become easier to sell the C-suite on building research into timelines and budgets for future projects.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for! While free and informal research can provide important highlights, some paid, formal options allow for a deeper dive and a greater level of accuracy in targeting your message to its audience.
Looking in the Rear View: A common step in strategic planning is the “communication audit,” a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s communication efforts and materials. Taking this time to look in the rearview mirror often reveals the good, bad and the ugly. The same is true for project audits.
Evaluate the overall process used for similar past projects. The audience selected, messages developed, tactics used to communicate the message, and so on. While project and communication audits can be conducted by internal communication teams, the addition of an outside perspective can be invaluable. As they say, things often look very different from the outside in.
Narrowing the Focus: Focus groups are an excellent way to ensure the right message is matched to the most appropriate audience. They provide qualitative data needed to make decisions that will deliver more bulls-eyes and ultimately the biggest bang for the buck. While you can gain good information by buying pizza for a group of friends, those results could have bias. An independent voice will result in hearing the sometimes uncomfortable truth that can bring about positive change.
The Survey Says: Surveys are cost effective and relatively easy to implement, making them one of the most common ways to obtain quantitative data. While tools like Survey Monkey allow internal staff to conduct surveys of customers and other key audiences, the anonymity of independent surveys can increase honesty. It’s all about getting trusted results.
Whatever strategies are used, there are benefits from looking in the rear view before moving forward with new projects. Research is always worth the time and investment!
