StoryTeller Media & Communications
Minneapolis/St. Paul Marketing and PR agency and video production company|StoryTeller
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2011 StoryTeller Highlight Video
It has to be said… 2011 has been an amazing year! We have had the pleasure of sharing so many of our client’s stories both through video and other avenues. So for our annual holiday video this year, instead of sharing stories of our own, we decided to share with you a taste of what we’ve been so fortunate to work on this past year. Happy Holidays from all of us here at StoryTeller Media & Communications.
What Television News Personalities Can Learn from Toy Story
While watching the news on television this morning it occurred to me - television news personalities are like the toys in Toy Story. There are main anchors (Woody), lead reporters and weather people (Buzz Lightyear), general assignment reporters, producers, shooters and editors (Bullseye, Rex, Slinky, Bo Peep and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head).
Like Toy Story, a news team is built around the top selling product because that product can potentially help make the most money for the shop. The lesser toys can come and go, because they’re not quite as important since they aren’t generating as much revenue, but the top seller is critical - advertising, marketing and PR budgets are all directed to promote the best seller. That is, until the top seller isn’t the best anymore, in which case, they too can be replaced. Ideally, the new “best seller” that is discovered has even better profit margins than its predecessor. Hey, it nearly happened to Woody!
It’s a tough business when YOU are the product. You come to work every day, give it your all, but in the end you don’t have a lot of say or control and you certainly don’t get to set your own price.
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
6 Reasons Why Twitter Will Outlast Facebook
I’m not really one for prognostication, especially where it concerns this frenetic digital world, but I made a prediction the other day that raised the eyebrow of a friend and it’s this: Twitter will outlast Facebook. Now, for all of you who are Facebook addicts who find it impossible to unplug from your “FB” network of friends, fans and likes, not to fear. I’m not necessarily saying Twitter is better than Facebook. in my opinion there will always be a Facebook-like app out there that connects people, it’s just that it may be called something else like, oh say, Google Plus.
The Value of Media Producers in Digital PR
There have been some terrific posts written about the significance of video in online conversation and the value of former media people in the PR world. Respected blogger and thought leader, Arik Hanson wrote a great piece on tomorrow’s PR professional being media producers. Check it out here. While the idea of media person turning PR pro is not a new concept, what is new is the value now placed on the technical skills possessed by the media producer. In other words, the media producer mind is still critical, but becoming equally important are the hard skills - editing and shooting.
Creating an editorial calendar for your blog
Having a blog is a pretty important aspect of any social media plan. Your blog serves as the hub for all of your other social media platforms and helps develop your online authority and reputation. Most importantly, your blog helps build search engine optimization (SEO), allowing your customers to find you online before they find your competitors. But in order for your blog to achieve any of these things, it needs to be updated consistently.
This is where editorial calendars come in. By planning ahead each month and developing an editorial calendar of topics, you won’t be left scrambling for ideas to write about each week. But is there such a thing as planning too far ahead? Is planning even a relevant term when it comes to social media? This was a question posted on social media expert Mari Smith’s Facebook page a couple of days ago:
I’m curious if you use an Editorial Calendar for your blog, tweets, Facebook fan page, (and Google+!). If you’re in an industry where there’s always something fresh and new happening each day (social media!), it can be challenging to pre-plan. Let me know in the comments below…
Mediocre Writing Standards in the U.S.
Mediocre writing is creeping into our lives in such an insidious manner and I think the digital medium is part of the problem. Maybe it started with texting and the use of “LOL, ROFL, BRB,” etc. In the beginning, many of us laughed at this communication and pointed at the kids, throwing up our hands and saying, “that’s just how they do it these days!” My concern is that somehow, it has seeped into our mainstream communications and we as Americans have forgotten the fundamentals of the English language.
What’s the Next Facebook?
We are in the early stages of understanding Google Plus, the company’s newest creation and the latest social application that is supposed to be the “next Facebook.” Not to say that it won’t, because Google certainly has the horsepower to pull off such a thing, but it makes me pause to consider the long range future of online communities.
If you think about the start of Facebook, or go back even further to AOL, people came together in these communities to connect with friends and relatives or to get to know people. I don’t believe that people joined these communities so they could receive advertisements or “like” businesses. Rather, the marketing was a by-product of the communities - all these people in one “place” hanging out - surely they want to buy things. Right? In some cases, yes, in others, no. After all, what do Ford Motor Company, Skittles or Coca-Cola have anything to do with me reconnecting with high school classmates?
The flip side of this is the company perspective. Why should your business have to share valuable customer information with Facebook, which is what you do today if you’ve got a “Fan” page on Facebook. The answer is simple, they have the captive audience and you don’t, but will that always be the case? I see the day that businesses create their own social communities - away from Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and perhaps Google Plus. Sure, it might be costly, but what if your business could create its own community on, what is today, your web site? You could promote whatever you want, talk to your customers directly and best of all, you’d never need to worry about someone outside your company changing the online “rules.”
Rather than sit around and wait for the “next Facebook,” perhaps we should ask ourselves how we can create the communities for ourselves and most importantly for our customers?
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.
Make-A-Wish Minnesota Wish Ball 2011
For a child battling a life-threatening medical condition, it can sometimes be hard to find a “positive” to focus on - something to look forward to while they endure tests and screenings and surgeries. This is where Make-A-Wish comes in. The Make-A-Wish foundation is the nation’s largest wish-granting organization and grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
These wishes give kids something to focus on besides their medical condition. I was lucky enough to experience the power of a wish at the Make-A-Wish Wish Ball last weekend. The Wish Ball celebrates the children who have been selected to receive a wish and also raises money to continue the organization’s mission of granting wishes.
Helping Paws Hosts 13th annual Wag, Walk and Run
Whether you prefer to run on two legs or four, you’re invited to participate in the 13th annual Wag, Walk & Run, hosted by Helping Paws. The event, which is open to all well-mannered dogs, will take place on Saturday, May 21 at Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie. All donations raised will be put towards the organization’s mission of helping people with physical disabilities live more independent lives through the use of service dogs.
Check out Southwest Metro Magazine’s blog about the event for more information!
Redstone stops by KARE 11
Chef Kevin from Redstone American Grill stopped by KARE 11 to demonstrate how to prepare their Simple Scottish Salmon dish. This is a nice, light dish perfect for warmer spring weather. You can grill it at home, or stop into Redstone and enjoy your meal on their patio!
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- PRSA Re-Defines PR and It’s About Time January 2, 2012
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