Maxys Max Media and Entertainment

 

Ok, 1st base - user (YOU in this case) "Interest" generated

Now any content must be relevant to your user - what's the key message you want to get across?

Some questions - the who, what, when, where, how (much/ works) and why?

You can't say everything so of the questions and replies which are most important right now for your visitor?

 

This is where customer profiling, marketing, buying behavior and psychology comes in.

Why do your customers buy from you?

There are only ever three parameters - price, product, service.

Everything else - reputations, sales, operations etc are inter-related.

We've all been subjected to "death by Powerpoint" - presentations that steal your valuable time so I started looking for great presentations - ones that left the audience inspired and wanting more. 

Steve Jobs from Apple always delivers great presentations.  Like everything, what appears simple and natural usually means highly crafted.

So, I spent the last month looking at what makes highly effective presentations.  The sources ranged from a whole lot of different things - from advertising, to public speaking, from emails to articles and blogs.  They also included script writing to internet videos.

 The initial driver being three separate events -

1. Our first CLIVE ALIVE event at the beginning of the month
2. Another client who is presenting to a group of builders this Wednesday night.
3. Constantly improving our CLIVEvideo script writing and presentation skills

It wasn't hard to find some good presentations - you only have to look at the TED conferences and read up on some thoughts of marketing guru Seth Godin.

Four books filtered to the top and were consumed -

1. Seths Godins Purple Cow
2. On the back of a napkin
3. Ignore Everybody
4. Presentation Zen

The end result is some good basic guidelines for presentations (too numerous to try and write all down here)

BUT the key, break those sacred cows of presentations process.

When putting your presentation together

1. Get away from the computer and use Postit notes to storyboard and title header first
2. Focus on the audience and What's In It For Them - tell a story, keep it real and human.
3. Focus on the core message then break slides into topic headings.
4. Use high quality relevant images to support headings.
5. Reduce all clutter - Maximum seven words on a slide - remove logos etc
6. Leave the detailed information for handouts after the event.
7. No one every got shot for a slightly shorter presentation

Everyone has a core message in them, find it and express - your audience is waiting.

In business today if you don't add value or have a unique offering or experience then you risk becoming either commoditised, disintermediated or both.  That equals either reduced margins or lost sales.

Every business needs customers and sales.  In the old days of strong conventional media influence (TV, radio, print) there was a direct relationship between advertising spend and sales.  This benefited big brands and advertising industry "wizardry" model.  Brands were at the centre of the circle. In todays increasingly fragmented media landscape that model no longer stands true.  

The Customer is at the centre of the Universe - smarter, with rapid access to information, sharing and a click away.

From an advertising point of view todays consumer is less influenced by interrupt and repeat  forms of irrelevant advertising messages but increasingly influenced by trusted friend word of mouth.

Think restaurants - you've been searching for a good local Yum Cha - one day you're talking "Yum Cha" with a trusted "foodie" (note relevance) friend and they recommend a place you haven't heard of where the food is great.  Note: A point on "trusted relevance" - if my Aunt Mable who's idea of a great meal is Fast Charlies down the road then her opinion does not hold much credibility, weight or "influence".

Word of Mouth is increasingly the most important element to new buyer decision making.

Think of McDonalds and how they've effectively implemented "cradle to grave" targeted and engaged kids who influence their parents decision making - the paths of least resistance.

It is easier to market to friends then strangers.

Herein lies the challenge for all businesses to become customer centric, engaged, marketing to influence the influencers, creating tribes and a groundswell.

Five Elements of a Social Media Approach

In terms of social media then in my opinion it's very much like running a pub.

1. you need to create or meet a unique need (overall Digital Media Strategy),
2. people need to know about you (Marketing),
3. their first experience has to be great (Experience) - worth sharing,
4. you need to provide a range of tools (the technology) and content for them ("sneezers") to share
5. and then you need constantly engage with the market, service existing customers and innovate.

The 5 Elements Digital Success

1. Fast – news, ideas information spreads like wildfire
2. Easy – technology – share, implement, create
3. Personal - conversation, engagement, trust
4. Creative – be remarkable, step out side the box
5. Return on Investment

Social media questions to begin?

1. Where are you now and where do you want to be?
2. List all your current customer touch points - is it fragmented and departmentalised?  What communications channels are most used and effective? 
3. Do you have a centralised CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System - are your customers on Twitter and Facebook? How often do you talk?
4. Who are the influencers in your customers sales process and external industry experts in your market - how well do you know them? Do you read and comment on their blogs.
5. Why do your customers REALLY buy from you and what can you do to improve?

Footnote:  From "Sneezers" to "Flamers".  The local Yum Cha we'd become customer advocates "Sneezers" (about a 1/2 dozen visits in the last month) dumped us in a terrible corridor table yesterday (ie should never offer this to any customer) - a matter of being too greedy for the $$$.  We walked out, to be offerred a better table.  We ate becuase we were hungry but will never return.

CLIVE ALIVE MEETUP

Funny how sometimes ideas come together so quickly it's like it was just meant to happen, one element the piece that makes the puzzle come together.

We had Gerry Gannon, one of Australia's leading MC's in the studio the other day and the conversation over lunch moved to CLIVE marketing strategy - how we are going to develop demonstrations around vertical market applications and start holding events.

Less than ten minutes later we had a video focused on event registrations.

Event Management 101

Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes.

From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients and potential clients

BUT getting people to know about your event and register can be hard work.  Customer Attention is scarce.  You need to create something that they must attend - that's in their interest.  That your audience leaves with something special and then tells their friends.  In a lot of ways it's no different than a band, a film or any other product.

This article(s) are my personal notes in putting together our first CLIVE ALIVE event and the process we go through.

Intro/ Background

On the 29th July our CLIVE will be one year old - that's given us time to get familiar the latest edition to the family - from a strategy point of view it's now time to go offline and get face to face.

Purpose

Bring together a mix of film and video, technology, media people around our solutions and case studies - create social interaction and foundation for Australian Internet Video Production.

The idea here is that people who come to events are

1. Interested and
2. Likely to talk and share their experience

Putting an event together

Any event is essentially a combination of project management and creative concepts. Elements to consider.

• Purpose of event?
• Target Audience - number, reaching, engaging, registering, servicing.
• Format - date, time, style (theater, boardroom etc)
• Speakers
• Venue
• Logistics
• Marketing - target engagement, registrations.

Purpose

From a business strategy and time management point of view it makes sense to try and talk to effectively to 20 or more people at once then many 1:1's.

Prior we'd experimented with just developing videos online BUT that only goes so far. The fact is people buy from people and everything is about trust and building relationships.

Also, it's socially important to get out from behind our computer screens.

Target Audience

Film, television, media, advertising, marketing, corporates, technologists.

Content

I already know our subject matter "Internet Video" is a hot topic. Most important, what does the audience leave with? The call to action, the message.

Speakers

The first gig I'd like to get Chris in to talk from a Video Directors creative perspective and Nathan in from a client results. I'd like to add one other senior presenter to take a helicopter view and offer their perspective

We have a wide network of potential guests in the pipeline. I love to get Naomi Simson, Trevor Sykes, Holly Kramer, Len Rust, Paul Budde, Iggy Pintado and others to hear their experience of digital media convergence.

Chris to get his film mates, Martin to talk about the Red camera, Hugh, etc the list of potential speakers is endless.

Other elements

One of the key pieces I'm going to use is the number "5" - "CLIVE, ALIVE, FIVE" through everything we do - 5PM, 5 minute presentations, 5th day etc. People remember patterns.

Timing - after work before dinner- 5PM (for 5.30PM) - 7PM

The Format - theatre and network layout. People are time poor, adopt the same process we're using with all our communications, short and sharp, from the broad down to specific (inverted pyramid). Tight time schedule. Intro, 5 min presentation, 5 min Q&A, next guest. 6.00/6.30 Netowrk, 7.00 End.

From a continuity point of view make it once a month, either the 5th Day or the 1st Tuesday.

Venue - the City is most important etc - I search the web, Twitter a question, Nathan suggests NSW DSRD (Event the previous night) - I've presented their before - great location and facilities. In terms of overall strategy could benefit - build government support. My good event management mate Monique suggests a new night club she's doing the marketing for - will look at that for next time - locations can change.

Marketing the event

Usual approach is to target audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. Also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event.

For our marketing - the check list

• Create the event details online
• Create this web blog (search engine optimised)
• Develop database of potential partners, influencers, clients
• Prepare a press release and distribute through online PR and other online distribution.
• Promote through Twitter through Facebook.
• Email marketing to existing subscriber database.

Til later.