Being interviewed by the media for the first time can be nerve wracking. Whether it is a print interview or a broadcast interview, you are being asked very specific questions that you need to answer is a way that reflects well on your organization and you as a representative of that organization. Both print and broadcast have their own unique challenges but overall there are similarities to any media interview. Experts and beginners alike can benefit by keeping the following tips for media interviews in mind. 

This is my second year attending Inbound, the annual HubSpot extravaganza (also known as a conference). The workshops I attended last year focused on the importance of storytelling and really connecting on a deeper level with your audience. This year is a good reminder that, content marketing is all about audience, personas, and community.

I just returned from a trip to Italy. (A little envy is understandable.) Travel can be a great way to see another country’s view of design and imagery. As I talk to my friends about my time away, I notice that I have been framing my story and the pictures that I share according to who I’m speaking to. It occurred to me that with some of my friends I spent more time talking about art and museums while other conversations focused on food and drink. As I thought about my trip as a story I realized I could take it in many narrative directions, which is similar to what we do everyday as marketers. You can use this same concept of varied narractive directions for communication with your community.

Visuals Matter

Yes words matter but does visual content matter more? Science tells us 65% of the world’s population are visual learners. By connecting and using certain images my trip can take on many different stories and focuses. The same can be said for your brand. Make sure the visuals that you use reflect the message that you are trying to communicate. It all depends on the image you choose to show and the message you choose to share.

One trip = 3 stories

I’m rather food focused so I’m often enjoying, reading, researching, and taking pictures of food. If I wanted to tell the story of my trip through food, I can. Art also played a large role in my trip. Using certain pictures, I can share a story about my trip about food or art.  

For a lot of us, back-to-school means change. Change of schedule, change of traffic patterns, but I like to think of September as an opportunity to start over and assess. I last wrote about the back-to-school season in B is for Blog. With every new year, it can be nice to step back, review and then move forward with intention and planning.  It is time for you to level up to the next grade and update or change the way your team has been thinking about the company blog. Over the last year, I’m sure you have all been taking the advice of B is for Blog, right?

If you think about the time and resources needed to develop and produce a fantastic video for your nonprofit, it makes sense to repurpose and leverage your video content through other content channels. By recycling your raw footage into other types of content, you can extend the value of what you thought might have been an investment in a one-time project.

You’ve been planning your next event for a while now — finding a location, building a schedule and making sure your speakers are ready to go. A lot of preparation goes into making an event go smoothly, but don't forget to record it. Part of your pre-planning should include an event visual checklist. At any fundraiser, product launch, or forum there is great opportunity for event visuals that can tell a story.

Summer is the perfect season to plan an event or fundraiser for your mission-driven organization. Who wouldn't want to spend time outdoors for a good cause, right? In honor of the Fourth of July when many of us are enjoying community events like parades, 5k races and family parties, here are our top five blog posts that celebrate mission-driven marketing and the joys of event planning done well.

Email marketing is a a great way to engage and to nurture your community and contacts. But you need to take care of a very important anchor that is the foundation of any email marketing program — your contact list.  This is important because it is likely you will lose one third of your contacts every year through attrition or “churn.”

Video seems to be everywhere these days, but not all of it is great quality. Look out for these five myths that can sabatoge your next video before you succumb to the pressure to "just add some video" to your content marketing mix.

We all can agree that social media marketing can sometimes seem like a beast that is always hungry. Sure it can be a lot of fun and it is always great to put an image out there that instantly connects. We all looooove the likes, the shares, and especially the comments. But even with a solid editorial calendar and extensive rss feeds, regularly providing thoughtful information and visually rich content can be a challenge. So what do you do? Easy - be prepared and plan. Stock your content library like a squirrel grabbing acorns and getting ready for winter.

Video storytelling can be incorporated into your nonprofit's marketing strategy in many ways. Testimonial videos and case studies are based on the simple idea that word-of-mouth storytelling can be quite powerful. 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about using digital storytelling for change and how we think about connecting and promoting behavior change using storytelling techniques. In the digital world, storytelling is informed by audience, tool, and style.  You always start with audience.  And then decide on the best tool for communication. Once you know your tool, you can decide on a style.