Posts from the ‘Web Video’ Category

Feb 24

One Message Does Not Fit All

One might assume that within one industry, marketing and communications gameplans are all very similar. That’s simply not the case. As a tweet from one of my favorite marketing minds Jay Baer highlighted yesterday: “Context is King”.

As you may or may not know, I’ve been on a slow relocation trip across the west and south as my family and I move back home to Vermont. I’ve been delivering marketing services for RV parks along the way for compensation and trade. What’s interesting is that they all need a different message communicated, but they don’t always know it at first. Sure they are going after similar customers in the same industry, but the more important factor is the current state of their marketing and marketplace. The “context” in which they do business is paramount.

If someone comes to you with the golden goose that’s sweeping the globe, without having listened to your needs, history, resources and expectations, then it’s safe to kick them to the curb. One size fits all is a sure route to disappointment. The best marketers and the best messages orginate from understanding, conversation and teamwork. Listen, think, research, discuss, then go to market. Odds are you’ll do it in a way that is uniquely your own, which is what your audience craves.

RV Parks in Napa, Pismo Beach, Malibu, San Diego and now Tucson have all had very similar operations, with very different communications needs once we pulled back the layers of their marketplace. Tucson is the land of the over age 55 mega park. However, Adventure Bound Cactus Country aims to be (and is) welcoming to all ages and southwestern themed with a laid back atmospthere. This is headed for their website shortly.

Feb 19

Cactus Country RV Resort – Adventure Bound

Prior to departing San Diego our original plan was to hop-skip our way across Arizona with a couple nights at State Parks located near I-10. Laura started to look around on the internet about fun things to do in the Tucson area so I in turn started looking for RV parks that might want to have a video produced for them to get a longer stay in the area. Quickly I realized that this was snowbird territory and most commercial parks were for retirees only. Not exactly what we we’re looking for, but I’ll get back to that.

We get a lot of advice from family and friends to go see this or that, as if Arizona was some small state easy and affodable to traverse in two vehicles with a baby. Haha. Nope. We go in generally straight lines, then poke around the overnight areas in our Subaru. We still hit a State Park – it broke up the drive to Tucson and was quite stunning.

So after one night at Picacho Peak State Park outside of Tucson we headed for the Cactus Country RV Resort, which is now a part of the Adventure Bound family of camping locales and is located on the southeast side of the metro area just off exit 275. It’s one of the few (if not the only) park that actually feels like camping in the desert rather than the concrete jungle. We don’t hear the highway and there’s open space surrounding the entire spot. It’s also frequented by a mix of full timers, snowbirds, weekers (like us), weekenders and some regular working folk with kids.

The production plan is to produce a well rounded piece that features the managers, a few guests, some of the on-site activities, a focus on the western feel, and also touches on the attractions of Tucson. Should be able to wrap it up by the end of the week. Need this crazy windy weather to blow through first.

I’ll update again when the video is done. Until then I threw some new content onto our google map. We plan to scoot across Texas and most of the gulf pretty quickly without long stays in one spot, then return to longer stays in trade for marketing services when we get to Florida sometime in March.

Feb 9

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San Diego Metro KOA – Regional Attractions

San Diego, California saw us settle at the KOA (Kampgrounds of America) site on the south end of the metro area. This family owned and operated park knows a thing or two about marketing and as such took the opportunity to chat and plan out a trade deal. They’d put us up for a while and I’d deliver a leverageble communications piece in video format with their proper logos and themes. One of their primary goals is to influence guests to lengthen stays. A day to a weekend, a weekend to a week and so on. What’ll do that? Showing folks that San Diego is more than a one weekend town! The production process included travelling to all of these locales over a week’s time (cool!) as well as a bit of audio tracking. Here’s San Diego in two and a half minutes – starting from hours of raw footage.

We’re headed to Arizona shortly. Looking at some state parks and possibly the Tucson area, but not planning on being there as long as we were in California.

Jan 23

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Malibu Beach RV Park – Providing Proper Perspective

If you’ve been following along, you know that in each of the RV parks we have stopped at, I have produced specific videos tailored to their individual communications needs – some with local guidance – others first decline my offer – then change their mind once the product exists and is deemed valuable.

The park in Napa had no visual representation on their website and a simple message, so a broad visual documentation of the park, while also giving it some ownership as the location of choice in Napa was in order. This will be their prime online calling card for prospective guests.

Next we stopped in Pismo Beach and produced two videos in trade for two weeks of RV camping at the lovely Pismo Coast Village. The park decided to contract me for a third too! They had just launched a new website and needed content for the testimonials section, a highlight reel of their amenities and something to explain/link them to the local butterfly attraction. Done.

Now we are in Malibu at the Malibu Beach RV Park. It is one of the most unique spots to camp we have ever seen. I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a bummer that the park suffers from an overwhelming amount of negative online reviews, which can dissuade many travellers. Most of these reviews focus on distaste for the local rules. This park is in a highly desirable (close to LA) spot, has limited land on which to host guests, and has challenges with erosion on the steep slopes which can impact the entire camping equation. There are good reasons for the rules and the enforcement of them in this popular spot. As a reasonably experienced RVer now, they are not out of the question.

Rather than try to refute a flood of online negativity, the better bet is to put it into perspective and explain the situation on your own turf. With that scenario in mind, I produced this video for the Malibu Beach RV Park. Hopefully they elect to own it to help rebuild their online reputation and better set guest expectations for years to come. Once it resides on their website, potential guests will put much less weight onto the folks moaning about rules. I produced a first draft of the video and showed it to onsite management, got their tips and then added other topics before rendering the final. I have been unable to meet with ownership (onsite management passed along – thanks) to discuss our typical trade deal (which was a lock in prior locales), but I am hopeful that we’ll get together in some way (by Monday). Our “working trip” will carry on and they’ll start turning the electronic tide. It will equal more visitors and better educated visitors. Check it out.

Jan 19

Additional Projects From Pismo, California

We’re headed to SoCal on Friday. Here’s a look at a couple of the other projects I completed while here in Pismo.

The first is a “no obligation” video I produced that tells the story of Pismo’s premiere winery in an info-tainment format featuring the owners, staff and event guests. I offered to produce the video without a purchase arrangement or production plan (since the scope was unknown ahead of time) and we’d talk afterward about whether or not they’d like to own it based on the results.

It was a lot of production and audio adjustment, but I like the final product. Hopefully they will too. We’ll see. (Update – just sold/delivered it to them this evening) It should be quite effective in telling the Pismo Beach Winery story to customers, potential partners, the wine industry, and the media for years to come.

The second video is an interview with one of Pismo State Beach’s Monarch Grove Attendants. Pismo Coast Village decided they wanted an additional video beyond the two I delivered in trade for RV space, so we worked it out.

Jan 10

Pismo Coast Village – Pismo Beach, California

After departing Napa earlier in the week, we headed for San Luis Obispo with plans to stay in a State Park near the coast. When we arrived in Pismo and learned that Park was closed due to recent flooding, we quickly noticed the Pismo Coast Village like a shining beacon of light and amenities.

After perusing the PCV website I noticed that the “testimonials” page was in need of content, which is always fun to address with video.

The wide array of amenities also lended itself well to documentation and no single webpage featured all of them, so a central communications piece would be helpful. Check out the two videos I completed over the weekend for our host. These will be on their website shortly. We’ll be in the Pismo Beach area for a few more days and will be out on the town looking for a couple more small businesses to help out.

Jan 7

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Napa California Quick Stop (RV Park and Wine/Beer Supplier)

On our way to warmer climes we made a brief stop in Napa to test out the water system in the RV (finally out of freezing temps), clean up a bit and stretch our legs. We also wanted to get the ball rolling in the work department and I quickly located two local businesses for whom I could deliver to their needs.

It took some persistence to break the ice (as usual) but once they got a clear picture of what I was offering and the benefits that would result, they bought in. Fresh, on message and affordable homepage video tends to be an easy cost/benefit analysis – once the initial “wait I don’t know you” concerns are dealt with. Laura, the baby and pup tend to help with that. Hopefully, as will posts like this.

Here are the vids – that will shortly be live on their respective websites.

Next stop is the San Luis Obispo area. Should be there by the weekend.

Dec 22

How Many Hats Do You Wear?

Getting attention for your product or service used to be simple. There were customers you could reach and some you could not, based mostly on geography. You had a sign out front and maybe bought some ads in the mainstream media. If your business model was sound, that system worked out. Now that consumers have been empowered by ease of research via the internet, wearing the two hats of operator and advertiser is nowhere near enough to remain viable among your competitors.

Geography is much less of a barrier, costumer reviews and content driven business websites are paramount, and the business toolbox requires a nimble plan and diverse skill set. Sure – Nike, Pepsi, Kleenex and Carl’s Jr, etc can pay huge marketing shops or multiple boutiques gobbs of money to drive their SEO, SEM, social, display ads, print, tv, radio, merchadising, and outdoor.

But what about the local hardware store, hairdresser, B&B, golf course, vineyard, RV park, bike shop and the like? They need to wear many hats or work with a someone who does to assess their needs, solve some challenges, teach some tricks and not break the bank.

In our upcoming trip I look forward to taking my experience in SEO, PR, digital marketing, social media, video production, advertising, promotions, tourism, and events to folks who need a little help, without all the hype and overhead of large marketing firms that require large commitments or time and resources.

Speaking of many hats – check out Baby Kaylin wearing many hats a few nights ago as we pack for the trip. We hit the road Jan 4thish. Napa Valley, CA region is first destination. If the weather is decent, we’ll stay a few weeks.

Dec 19

Making the Most of Celebrity Visits

With the time restraints of new fatherhood and preparing to relocate, there has not been a lot of time for hitting the mountains this year. I did get up once thanks to some friends, but in general the focus is elsewhere.

Last season Glen Plake arrived uunannounced (which is his MO). This is often the case with any sort of celebrities. You often don’t have a lot of notice as to when they will arrive at your business. Your time is short, but make sure to snap some photos, get a signed poster endorsing your business, or if you have time, put on your media hat and interview them. Do your best to ask them questions that are not what they always hear. The best interviews are always ones that cover new ground or areas that are not already well worn. The better the interview, the larger an audience will be interested in it, and thus exposed to your business.

I was able to secure a chairlift ride with Glen Plake (rad!) while he was in Oregon last year. Kept the questions light yet on topic and allowed the Glen Plake character to lead the fun. Ended with a chance for him to promote his tour.

Dec 13

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MediawithAK.com 2.0 (Going Mobile)

It’s time to re-purpose.

This website/blog will be shifting to more of a travelogue with occasional posts focused on the odd ball marketing tasks I can secure along the way. We’re currently slated to head south during the first week of January for a trip of undetermined duration, which will end in New England sometime in the spring. Our mode of transport is a used Class C RV (traded my truck) that will tow our Subaru behind it.

How will I be finding contract work along the way? Good question. I have been thinking a lot about that lately. I am enthused and maybe slightly goofy. I have a mobile office and it generally fits in my backpack. It consists of an HD video camera, monopod, boom microphone, laptop computer, external hard drive and various USB tools. From this setup I can walk into a business district and pitch any number of quick turn communications services. I can even do them on spec and then negotiate a price afterward (they’ll want it once it’s made), in the space of a few hours.

I’ll research a businesses web resources on my phone and then walk in and offer specifically what they do not currently have. It can be done that day and for a few hundred bucks. As with any sales process – it’s about getting 9 nos to get a yes. Of course having a backstory of travelling the country with my family in an RV and paying for it by making videos, writing copy, establishing social media plans, or anything else in need might be helpful in the pitch. Sure, most of big business has all of this covered, but the locally owned shops in the business district are waiting on such an offer without a bunch of strings attached.

Simple intro video example. People who do not have these, want these.

We plan to get a lot of miles in before our first stop, likely to be in California wine country if the weather cooperates. There I’ll find an RV park that wants a promo video for their website (in trade) and local business that I can assist otherwise. When I get some work – I’ll post it here.

All the while I am also in discussions with New England based businesses about a permanent role following our trip. These discussions have the potential to shorten or change our outing, but we’ll have to worry about that when it happens. Right now life is all about packing boxes and getting prepped for takeoff.