Content Marketing & Film Resource

MEDIABOSS Wins Seven Telly Awards for Excellence

Erin Hayes June 26, 2017 Video Marketing, Video production, Telly Awards Leave a Comment

Framingham, MA – June, 26 2017 – The Telly Awards has named MEDIABOSS as a winner in seven categories in the 38th Annual Telly Awards. Their winning pieces run the gamut of their services: Branded Content & Entertainment Campaigns, both Business to Business and Business to Consumer; Documentary; Promotional; PSA Animated Commercial; Marketing Commercial; and Social Video.

Their winning pieces are: Framingham Public Works: “Storm Water”; The Town of Framingham: Taste of Downtown Framingham campaign; Jack’s Abby Brewing: “Kiwi Rising”; Joey Kramer’s Rockin’ & Roastin’: Coffee with Kramedog campaign; INFINIDAT’s Data Unknown: “India’s Mobile Generation” episode; Badass Women: “Your Ship Never Sails” documentary episode; and Swing Juice: “Good Morning, Beautiful” commercial. (Watch winning pieces here.)

MEDIABOSS’ mini-documentary “Your Ship Never Sails” (which is part of a their original series Badass Women) was awarded a Silver Telly, the Telly Award’s highest honor. Additionally MEDIABOSS’ Swing Juice commercial, “Good Morning, Beautiful”, was awarded a Silver People’s Telly Award.

“The goal at MEDIABOSS isn’t simply to create video but to inspire,” said Ian Barrett, Creative Director of MEDIABOSS. “We are thankful for the clients who appreciate the passion we have for their businesses and we look forward to the inspiriting projects of 2018.”

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world and include: BET Networks; Bloomberg; CBS Interactive; Comcast; Conde Nast; Discovery Communications; Disney; ESPN; FleishmanHillard; Fox; HBO’ Hearst; HuffPost; Indigo Films; Microsoft; MLB; NBC; PBS’ SapientNitro; The Guardian; The History Channel; Time Warner; Universal; and Viacom.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. "MEDIABOSS’ accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

"In the case of our Downtown [Framingham, MA] development strategy, we needed to proactively communicate some very attractive amenities and destinations, including exciting ethnic food destinations," said Robert Halpin, Framingham Town Manager. "We were fortunate to have MEDIABOSS as a commercial entity right in the heart of Downtown and they did an outstanding job of nailing the message for us."

"The premise of Data Unknown is to show how data is influencing every moment of our lives," said Steve Kenniston, Host and Creator of "Data Unknown". "Working with MEDIABOSS on this project is the single most important decision regarding the show. Their extensive knowledge of and background in the Technology industry was critical in producing the show. Their insight helped bring the series’ goal to life."

About MEDIABOSS

MEDIABOSS is an award-winning full service production and post company creating content for distribution across all media platforms. Our services include content development; live broadcasting; production; design and post for television and digital advertising.

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How to Launch a Video Campaign and Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck

Erin Hayes April 11, 2017 Video Marketing, Content Marketing, video budget, Video production Leave a Comment

Great! You’ve committed to producing video. But now that you’ve got the production piece squared away, what should you do?

Many of our clients know they need video and have a strong idea of what kind of video they need. Significant time and budget goes into the ideation, shooting and post production of these videos.

But often not as much thought gets put into what happens after the screening of the finished piece. Most clients will have a single purpose in mind, like a landing page or a resource page, but many haven’t thought about the video in campaign terms.

We want to make sure your video delivers real business results. Here are some helpful things to consider before launching your video campaign.

1) Where else can I use this video?

Brainstorm alternative places to use the video. If your primary use for the video is a landing page, think about adding it to vendor listing pages as well. Could the video help answer questions on your product page? Upload your video to your social channels, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Now, think outside the Internet-Box. Could the video play at your booth at the upcoming trade show? Remember that speaking engagement you committed to a while back? Well, this video could be perfect to warm up the audience before you start your presentation.

2) How often can I share this video?

A significant amount of your marketing budget went into production this video. Do you think it deserves as much play as the blog your CEO wrote a while back? Yes, it does.

Sit down and write at least ten different ways to frame your video. This is the fun part! Now write a different tag line for each. One, two short sentences, max. Mix sharing your video in with the cadence of other campaigns/content.

The benefit of this exercise is two fold. First, you are getting more use out of your shiny new video. Second, you’ll be able to test subtle differences in your messaging. This will allow you to see which one best resonates with your target audience.

3) How can I make sure more people see my video?

Piggybacking off the previous point, let’s talk hashtags for your social promotion. Take some time and research popular hashtags used in your industry and by your target audience. Is there a strong enough theme in your messaging to warrant finding a hashtag you can brand with this campaign?

If you’re not sure where to start in this research, check out RiteTag. They offer some free options for hashtag research.

Next, take a look at the title of your video. Make sure it’s SEO optimized. Now look at the SEO for the video’s landing page.

Finally, don’t be shy! If you want something, you have to ask for it. Ask for shares and mentions in your social promotions.

4) How can I create momentum for the launch of a new video?

There are many ways to drum up momentum for the launch of a new video.

Write a press release announcing your new video. Tie in your messaging and make sure to embed the video in your press release. Take a look at how to pitch relevant industry magazines (there are resources everywhere for this) and send your release with your note.

If you have the budget, you could produce a behind the scenes video to go with its release. That’s what New England Baptist Hospital did for their recent commercial campaign featuring Avery Bradley. [The commercial filmed at our client, NE Studios, studio.]

Release the BTS video either shortly before or shortly after the primary video’s launch. Make sure to create a link within each video to direct viewers to the other. Most video hosting platforms allow you to do this.

Communicate your launch goals and logistics with your partners and employees. Ask them to take part in sharing the video to their networks.

If you have the budget, ask your production company to include a :15 or :30 version of the video for a teaser campaign leading up to the video’s release. Share the teaser across your social platforms and your website. You could even include a countdown clock for the primary video’s launch.

If you don’t have the budget for a shorter version of your video, take hi res screen grabs from your video’s most compelling frames and share those instead.

Do you have a go-to strategy for launching a video? Did we miss something you feel is important? Leave us a comment!

And if you’re looking for more inspiration, download our 7 Dos and Don’ts of Video Marketing!

Ready to start planning your next production? Check out our current Social Video promotion here.

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Tips For Producing Awesome B2B Video On Time and Within Budget

Erin Hayes April 04, 2017 Video Marketing, marketing strategy Leave a Comment

Staying on top of current trends is an important part of being good at what you do. No matter the industry. While I dedicated some time to researching Top Video Trends this weekend I was struck by one overwhelming fact: as marketers, we are obsessed with B2C video.

Now, I’m not saying that Red Bull and GoPro aren’t incredible content creators, because duh. They are. But what about B2B content creators? Aren’t they creating great content, too?

Since the beginning of time, B2B seems to lag behind B2C when it comes to the shiny new marketing toys.

Case and point: While 96% of B2B companies responded to the 2015 B2B Video Content Marketing Survey that they use video in their content strategy, 32% of respondents said they began using video only in the past 2 years.

Video is versatile. Video makes your marketing better. It makes existing programs like email, SEO and lead generation more successful.

Email open rates with video in the subject line have a 19% higher open rate and click through rate of 65%, reports Syndacast.
According to Forrester Research, one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words.
92 percent of mobile video consumers share videos with others, according to Invodo.

73% of the respondents confirmed that video has positively impacted their marketing results. So, why did it take so long for them to adopt video?

According to the same report, Time and Money were the major barriers to producing video.

And compounding the two is this stat: 24% of respondents reported that getting everyone to agree on what content to produce held them back.

We can understand that. When you are looking to invest marketing resources and budget into one asset, you want make sure it's the right asset.

Analysis Paralysis strikes and no one gets the content they want, whether that's a customer testimonial, product demo, sales piece, etc. (Need some additional ideas? Check out our blog on every business' 7 Must Have Videos.)

83% of marketers polled by Buffer for their State of Social 2016 report said they would produce more video if time or budget was not a concern.

Video isn't an inexpensive asset. We know that. But you don't need to hire Lucas Films to produce your Explainer Video. Here are few ideas to help cut costs:

1) Consider a Voice Over driven video. Capture compelling b-roll of your product or your company culture. Then, write a voice over script to bring your viewers through the experience. Hiring a great Voice Over artist costs less than hiring a great actor. Actors add to the budget both in talent fees and in time. You'll need to go through scenes multiple times to get it right. and that takes time, both on production day and in the editing of the video.

Example:

INFINIDAT

2) Have a well-spoken C-Level or VP level colleague convey your video's message for you. Your customers and / or prospects will appreciate a personal message from a person responsible for your product or service. It's a great opportunity to show your company's culture. And you'll save on talent fees.

Example:

JACK'S ABBY

3) Pare down your concept to the essential. Writing a mini-sitcom episode around your product's ease of use is awesome if you have a genearous budget. But if you don't have a generous budget, keep your script to a single location and try to keep your characters to the bare minimum.

Example:

LTFS CONSTORTIUM

4) Make sure you and your team are on board with the video's concept, message and purpose before you begin production. The last thing anyone wants hear is that the finished product missed its mark. It's a blow to the ego and it will mean additional production and post-production fees.

5) Along the same lines as the previous point, make sure everyone involved (this includes your production partner) understands who is in charge of final approval, If this isn't clear to everyone then you run the risk of incurring additional editing fees. Most production companies include a limited round of edits in their fee. Additional edits incur additional fees.

6) Finally, ask potential production partners if they offer any package pricing. This could mean a cost savings on multiple videos, or it could mean taking advantage of a current promotion. We offer package pricing and are currently promoting a competitively priced package for social video and photography. Interested? Click the Content Marketing Took Kit banner below to check it out!

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Video: Why You Need It and How to Get Started

Erin Hayes March 28, 2017 Video Marketing, Video, Content Marketing, video marketing budget, video budget Leave a Comment

You’ve heard it before: You need video to market your business. But the prospect of producing a video can seem like an overwhelming task. Especially if you’ve never gone through the process before.

Moreover, will video really have a positive impact on your business?

In short, yes. Yes, video will have a positive impact on your business. And in the next few paragraphs we’ll tell you how.

(or you could watch our short Facebook Live video we produced to go with this blog:)

First, look where the money is for proof. Every social media platform out there has invested in video features. This would not be the case if videos were a passing fad. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat all have their own video features and favor video in their algorithms. Video on social media generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

What’s more, YouTube sees 5 billion views daily and Snapchat and Facebook each see more than 8 billion views per day.

In the most recent earnings call, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described video as a “megatrend on the same order as mobile.”

In fact, according to the KPCB Partners report, 74% of all Internet traffic will be video this year. And Cisco projects that global internet traffic from videos will make up 80% of all Internet traffic in 2019, just a year a half from now.

These statistics point to two crucial take-aways:

1) Your potential customers are watching more video than ever before. Millennials are not the only group devouring video (though it’s crucial not to ignore this audience because by 2020 they will make up 50% of the U.S. workforce). Video resonates across all age groups. Facebook is the most popular social network across generations and YouTube is a close second. Did you know that Baby Boomers actually consume more content than Gen X or Millenials? More than 25% of Baby Boomers consume 20 or more hours of content a week.

What's more is Livestream’s 2016 survey found that 80% of their respondents would rather watch a live video from a brand than read their blog. According to Forbes, 59% of executives would rather watch a video than read text. And 75% of executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.

And then there’s this: A 2016 survey by the Web Marketing Video Council found that 61% of business are using video as a marketing tool.

But here’s the real kicker:

In the previous year, 66% of those businesses were not using video at all.

That leads us to the second crucial take-away:

2) Your competitors are already using video to reach your potential customers. Now is the moment you need to decide if you will jump on board or get left behind.

Here are some quick stats that show the benefits of using video:

Companies using video enjoy 41% more web traffic from search then non-users.
Retail sites with video increase conversion by 30%.
Including a video on your homepage can increase conversion rates by 20 percent or more, according to Unbound.
Businesses using video grow company revenue 49 percent faster year-over-year than organizations without video.
72% of businesses who use video believe it has improved that conversion rate of their website. ‘
An introductory email that includes a video improves an increased click-through rate by 96%.
Email open rates with video in the subject line have a 19% higher open rate and click through rate of 65%.
According to Forrester Research, One minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words
92 percent of mobile video consumers share videos with others, according to Invodo

OK, so how do you get started?

First, decide on the goal for you video. Is the goal to drive awareness? Drive leads? Reduce consumer confusion or reduce support queries?

Second, decide on a look and feel. e.i. interview driven; b-roll driven with a voice over; a mix of both; etc.

Third, decide on a video production partner to produce your video for you.

"Well, wait a second," you say. “I could easily get Jennifer from marketing to film a video using her iPhone / prosumer camera and it wouldn’t cost us anything.”

Before you go down that route, let us tell you why you should hire a professional to produce your video.

First, these statistics:

23% of people who have been presented with a poor quality video experience would hesitate to buy from that brand.

62% of consumers are more likely to have a negative perception of a brand that publishes poor-quality video.

And then there’s this: Filming a video may seem easy (it isn't, btw). But editing a video is decidedly not an easy task. The time it takes to edit a video versus filming a video is 5-to-1, and that’s if you are a pro. While you may feel that you’ve saved money by having an internal employee produce your video, in reality, you have not.

You’ve taken them away from their regular tasks - the tasks you hired them to complete for you. And you’ve put them on a project that could take months to finish. In the end, you may not be satisfied with the video and need to re-film it anyway.

Trust us. We’ve received calls with this exact scenario.

We strongly suggest hiring a production partner. If budget is a major concern, consider starting small.

Consider having the business owner or someone from the C-Level suite speak to camera rather than hiring an actor or actress. Or decide on a b-roll package of your product with a voice over. Talk to your potential production partners about what it may cost to have single camera coverage rather than multi-camera coverage. And make sure you and your team are prepared for the production day to avoid extra charges, like additional filming days / editing days.

Good luck! And if you're currently shopping for a video partner, check out our Spring Offer below. We call it the Content Marketing Tool Kit. It includes a video and limited photography.

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Trending: "Come Together" Music Video

Erin Hayes February 28, 2017 Video, Filmmaking, Video production, music video, godsmack Leave a Comment

Five years ago we produced a music video for Godsmack’s cover of The Beatles "Come Together." At the time, they were in Boston recording their release, "Live and Inspired".

MEDIABOSS Creative Director Ian Barrett was tapped to direct the video. Ian has along history with the band, having worked with them from their early days in and around New England. Ian had the unique experience of watching the band record multiple times and felt strongly that Godsmack’s fans would enjoy an intimate look into this unique process. He pitched capturing the music video for Come Together while the band recorded the song, during the actual live album takes.

The style of the video was meant to emulate Ian's older style of capturing bands on film.

A lot of work into producing this video because every single frame of video is a genuine recording of the song. The final video showcases these takes and behind the scenes footage of the recording process, including playback, effects and overdubs.

Months later, the band decided to release “Rocky Mountain Way” as the first single and the “Come Together” was temporarily shelved and later on July 30, 2012 saw its debut on YouTube and Vevo . The video racked up about a million views shortly after.

Fast forward to this weekend - nearly 5 years after the video’s release date - and our iPhones were sounding off with alerts that our video was trending nationwide again. We were getting excited tweets as fans began to discover the music video for the first time. Ian and I were a little floored. How did this happen? Why now?

Well it turns out Society of Rock decided to write a nice article about the music video late last week and the blogger’s active followers promptly started to share it.

The video’s now seen 3.7 million views on Youtube (and 7K on our Vimeo page which we only use for client review).

Whether Godsmack’s style of music is your jam or not, we think you’ll enjoy watching the intimacy of their recording process. Let us know what you think of the video in the comments below!

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4 Smart Tactics to Get the Most out of Your Live Video

Erin Hayes September 27, 2016 Content Marketing, facebook live, live video production, live streaming, live event video Leave a Comment

All of your pre-production paid off; you’ve just aired a live event video and it went off without a hitch! Congrats!

Now that the high-fives have subsided and your Live viewers have signed off, what should you do with this perfect piece of content? It’d be a shame to just close the door on it, wouldn’t it? Yes, it would.

Producing a professional live video, whether through Facebook Live or a different platform, is no small investment. It’s time consuming and costly. Don’t make it a one-off. Take these 4 tactics and make it an asset that continues to work with you long after it’s Live Air date.

1) Craft a Blog Series

Transcribe your live video and and write a series of blogs around the event. Was it a product launch? Then we’re sure you touched on a series of benefits your customers and prospects could look forward to. Create a Why series and embed the video in to each blog post. If you don’t have video editing skills, then use your hosting platform’s tools to make the video start at the relevant point in the video.

2) Upload to YouTube

Upload your Live Event to YouTube and start a discussion around the topic with your subscribers in the comments. Ask for feedback and link back to relevant pages on your website.

3) Create a Landing Page

We’re sure a few people weren’t able to tune into your live event. And we’re sure there are some prospects that may not have heard about the event. Build a landing page with your video and create some premium content around its subject. Maybe an eBook that provides a deeper look into the video’s announcement, or a white paper further solidifying your company as a thought leader.

4) Produce a Teaser

If you have the budget or the means, edit a :30 teaser video for the longer event video (that you’ve uploaded to one of your channels or hosted on your website) and share that teaser across your social channels to promote views of the longer piece.

Use one of these approaches, or go for all four, and you’ll see the return on investment of your live video skyrocket. Have other ideas or suggestions? We’d love to hear them! Leave us a comment below!

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Badass Women: Your Ship Never Sails - Ep 1 Laura Raposa

Erin Hayes August 18, 2016 webseries, branded content, badass women Leave a Comment

“You can't be what you can't see.”

― Marian Wright Edelman

Today is the birthday of a friend of mine and this week is the birthday week of one larger-than-life hero of mine, Julia Child.

To honor both my friend and Ms. Child, I'd like to share the first episode in a new series of ours called Badass Women.

The show celebrates women who have inspired and continue to inspire other women to do great things with their lives.

This first episode features a former colleague and friend of mine, Laura Raposa. I'd love if you took some time to check out the episode - and please, let me know what you think!

A big special thanks to my team at MEDIABOSS for making this show happen. Ian Barrett; Paul Bouley; Monica Duque; Nick Clarke and our amazing team of interns.

Transcript:

Erin: No one works harder than Boston Herald Inside Track columnist turned foods with proprietress Laura Raposa. She throws herself into her work with a tenacious passion some find intimidating. Personally, I find it inspiring. I met Laura in 2005 when I became her and her long time Inside Track partner, Gayle Fee's, assistant. She and Gayle were my bosses from 2005 until 2008, when I came on as a producer for their TV show, "Track Gals." The show ran through 2011 and we still keep in touch. I recently visited Laura at her Duxbury Massachusetts bakery, the Foodsmith. I wanted to ask her about her two passions, writing and cooking, and how she transitioned from one to another.

But first, I wanted to ask how she got into the whole writing thing to begin with.

Erin: "Tell me about how you started at the Boston Herald."

Laura: "When I first started out at the Herald, I was in college. And I came in at 6 o'clock in the morning. And I kind of ran the desk until the city editor came in. I would assign people. I'd assign photographers. And in fact, Andy Gully, who was the managing editor of the Herald, when he first started as a reporter said he thought I was the boss."

Erin: "Oh, really?"

Laura: "He had no idea I was just the editorial assistant. So when I graduated in '83, I had a job. And I was at the Herald for 30 years."

Erin: "I mean, you did come up to be one of the most powerful columnists in Boston. I mean, you went from being an editorial assistant and then-- "

Laura: "And then I wrote for consumer problem column, called "Sound Off," which I really loved. And then I was a business reporter. And Norman Nathan died. And Norman Nathan was-- talk about a powerful columnist. I mean, Norman was the pinnacle. And so Gayle and I took over. And we had the biggest smiles in the newsroom. And they put us together, Ken Chandler, smartest man. And we were together for 21 years. We were very powerful at one time. "

Erin: "If I remember correctly, one of my favorite headlines of all time, "Those Boston Bitches Will Totally Cut You." "

Laura: "That was something, if you Googled me, prior to the Foodsmith, that's the first thing that came up. I was horrified at one time, but now I was quite proud of it. Now I'm quite proud of it.

Erin: Laura's self-deprecating, but her and Gayle's Inside Track column was so popular sometimes even sports news had to take a back seat. And they did that all by coming up in the ranks in a male dominated industry. Their success was inspiring. And trust me, nothing was more impressive than watching the two of them flesh out a story. They were absolutely fearless.

Video Clip:

Being here at Fenway Park was--

Talking to me at Fenway Park.

Talking to you. You're part of it. I wouldn't say you're the biggest part of this story, but you're one part.

Erin: Although Laura loved her job, her first passion was cooking. She comes from a long line of determined, passionate, culinary entrepreneurs. And she shared her story with me.

Laura: "My family is in the baking business. My grandfather started my family's company, which is a bakery supply house, out of the garage. And now it's this huge company and it's still run by my father. It's run by my mother and my brother. So I've always been in bakeries. My grandparents owned a bakery. My grandmother, during the Depression, they owned a bakery in Fall River. And I had a Suzy Homemaker, the complete Suzy Homemaker kitchen. And I made those little light bulb cakes and frosted them in that neon pink disgusting thing. And my father-- God love him-- would come home after calling on the best bakeries in Rhode Island, and come home and eat my light bulb cake. And that was really the start of my career."

Laura: "But then when I was at the Herald, my outlet was cooking and baking. And I went to the Culinary Institute of America. And I'd go up to King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont for weekends. I wanted to know the right way of doing everything. I didn't know what the hell I was going to do with all this knowledge, except feed my husband. It was fun. I really enjoyed it, but then there was that other thing that got in the way. And then when my real job was starting to affect me, I decided, you know what? What makes me happy? I'm 52 years old. What makes me happy is feeding people. And I fed my family and I fed my friends for so many years. I'm going to open up my own place. "

Erin: And now, we've come to the part of Laura's story that truly makes her bad ass. She had the courage to walk away from her successful career and completely changed her life course in her 50s. Laura had an inspiration of her own. The late, great, culinary genius, Julia Child. Child made a similar late decision that changed the direction of her own life. I'm a big fan of Julia Child myself, so we had a lot to talk about.

Erin: "I think you're quite badass. And I think what you've done is quite bad ass. But I can't think of you without thinking of another woman I find quite bad ass-- Julia Child."

Laura: "Oh, Julia Child."

Erin: "How did she inspire you?"

Laura: "Well, I always watched Julia. I mean as a kid, I would watch Julia on PBS. And anyway, I got to go to her house. And she had an event at the house on Irving street in Cambridge. And I was invited. And I went to the powder room and she had these French posters. And they were very interesting, very Toulouse Lautrec. And so I do my business and wash my hands and go back out through the dining room, into the pantry. And the caterer said to me, Miss Raposa, I don't think your skirt should be up like that. And so I began-- well, actually, she did because I was so horrified. She began taking my skirt out of my pantyhose. And so I had gone through the dining room, past Julia Child by the way, Jasper White, Lydia Shire, with my ass-- and that's bad ass, my friend-- into the pantry. And so I thought, well, do I stay here the rest of my life? Or do I grab champagne and walk out like nothing else happened? And that's what I did. "

Erin: The strongest comparison, aside from passion, that I make between Laura and the French Chef is their shared drive for what Child called self-education.

Erin: "Going back to her starting, quote unquote, late in life, I mean, so many people in their 30s are like, oh, I wish I could have done this, but I can't because my ship has sailed."

Laura: "No. Your ship has never sailed. "

Erin: "I agree. I don't understand that mentality, that OK, well, I'm 37, so therefore I'm not in my 20s, so I just have to be miserable for the rest of my life and not do what I want to do. And it's just an impractical approach. And that's the opposite of Julia. "

Laura: "It's opposite of me. Yeah. I was always a fan of hers, because she started late in life. When you're 54 years old, you're pretty much winding down of your career or whatever. And I started a whole new one. I started a whole new one. And I, like Julia, for instance, I went and interned at Flour. And I worked there. And I was the oldest person there. And I did the most menial of jobs, which you do. But I learned so much. You just soak up. And whatever we did that day was very important. It was very important. It was the foundation of what I do."

Erin: Like Julia, Laura made her own dream come true. Both women heard a lot of no's from people and responded by saying yes to themselves.

Laura: "It's very difficult to get production experience when you're in your 50s. So I decided, well, I'll open my own bakery. But I knew nothing about business. And what really helped us was the winter of our discontent. Remember? We got 900 inches of snow. It kept us inside on the weekends doing our business plan and looking and pricing things and checking out prices and sitting out here, counting cars that were going around the rotary. And I mean, we did-- talk about due diligence. I mean, we counted every car that went around the rotary on a Saturday between noon and 2:00."

Erin: "And so now that you're open, what is your approach to this now? "

Laura: "It's very customer service oriented. I don't want to disappoint anybody. I want them to come in. I want them to be happy and leave happy. That's my goal. When we started out, I thought it was really going to be more of a traditional bakery that served sandwiches. And it became the exact opposite, where lunch business has surpassed the breakfast. And plus our menu changes every day, just trying to every day come up with a new menu of lunch items and a fresh soup is very difficult."

Erin: "Wow"

Laura: "But I didn't think about that. It was like, hey, we'll change the menu every day. It'll be so cool. Like what? It's really been an education. And I've got to say, I love it. It is so un-glamorous. Well, first of all, I get up at 3 o'clock in the morning. And I start right in. I start right in on my baking. And then we're off and running. And then we close at 2:00. But what happens at 2:00? I don't leave. I have to plan for the next day and wash the floor, wash the dishes. "

Erin: "So that's why you have to have the passion, otherwise--"

Laura: "That's passion, my friend. I was passionate when I worked at the Herald. I mean, I was a loyal, devoted employee and very passionate about our column and beating the competition. I was very passionate."

Erin: "I know. I worked for you.

I know how passionate you were. "

Laura: "But now, I'm my own boss. And if you don't have passion, forget it."

Erin: Laura's bakery is a big success, collecting awards and accolades from virtually everywhere. The ingredients to Laura's success aren't on her shelves. They're a part of her-- passion, dedication, courage, tenacity, and a great sense of humor. Put them together and you get a whole lot of delicious, along with a smile, because you know she loves what she does. And so do I.

Erin: I'm Erin Hayes, and this has been Badass Woman.

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Secret to (Marketing) Success: Do the Hard Thing First

Erin Hayes June 21, 2016 Marketing, marketing plan, marketing strategy Leave a Comment

Every Top 5 of every productivity / hack blog post ever written offers the advice: Do the Hard Thing First.

Ok. So, which hard thing am I referring to, you ask? The big one. The hardest thing. GET ORGANIZED.

This ubiquitous gem is inescapable. And yet, we always seem to try and avoid this tried and true approach of doing the hard thing first.

Why? Because our desire for results makes us tend toward instant gratification. It takes hours, days or weeks to get organized and work toward something.

A good parallel would be a fitness plan. 73% of people who set fitness goals as a new years resolution give them up before reaching their goal. Why?

Because it’s difficult to follow a new regimen; because it’s hard to find the time in our over scheduled lives to work out; and because getting back on track takes time.

You need to approach getting fit in an organized fashion. You need to make time to work out in your schedule. You need to plan your meals ahead of time. You have to make time to cook, etc.

We find our clients struggle with a similar issue when it comes to their marketing plans. Instead of focusing on organizing a plan for the future, they'd rather look back and point out that what didn’t work. And then they waste spend more time wondering why their disorganized approach didn't work.

We get it.Trust us. It’s much easier to look backward at what already happened than it is to look to the future and wonder 'what will happen if...'

The past is tangible; the future is not.

But here’s the deal: When you spend your time looking backwards you are bound to step off a cliff. A giant, “Oh crap, we’re gonna fail” cliff.

Those who are serious about getting healthy and fit will often hire a personal trainer to help them organize a plan and hold them accountable. A personal trainer will help you to visualize a plan. They'll build a tailored program for you to follow. They'll give you tips on finding time to eat well and work out. They will hold you accountable.

A personal trainer may also get your out of your comfort zone. They'll have you try exercises that are uncomfortable for you in the beginning, but yield better results in the long term.

A marketing personal trainer [like us!] can do the same for you.

We can help you organize a plan. We build tailored programs; we break your efforts down in a manageable chunks; we hold you accountable. And we'll probably suggest you try things that you haven't thought of trying before that seem scary at first.

But back to that first Hard Thing on the list: Organization.

Here's our 9-Step plan to get you started on the road to a better organized marketing plan:

1) Pick a Target

This is different than setting a goal. This is the first step – and one of the most frequently skipped steps – to a better organized plan.

Let’s get back to the fitness metaphor again for a second. When you decide you want to improve your physique you have something in mind, don’t you?

You want to be able to keep up with your kids. Or you want to lose a few inches. You tell your personal trainer your ideal endgame and he or she sets you up with a program that will target that goal. Then, when you start to work toward your goal, you'll start to see benefits in other areas. Not only will your stamina improve, but you’ll notice your skin looks better. You’ll lose a few inches and find you’re less tired at the end of the day.

The same thing will happen when you choose a marketing target. Like your body, marketing involves many interconnected parts. When you boost one area, the rest can see the benefit, too.

Example:

Let’s say your target is your social media engagement. Well, what do you need to improve your social media engagement? Among other things, you'll need a strong content marketing strategy and a clear idea about your branding.

But before you get too far down that rabbit hole, second:

2) Look at the Data:

What have you tried to improve your social media engagement in the past?

Document the efforts and share them with your marketing coach. You may say, 'Of course our past efforts are already documented! But go through the documentation and make a second copy to share.

We find the act of revisiting past efforts in detail is invaluable. Things that were not obvious at the time become obvious after-the-fact. It's important to understand what didn't work in order to find what could work. Now, you'll want to:

3) Commit to a Program Launch

Sound obvious enough for an eye roll? You might be surprised how many of our clients struggle with this bit.

In fact, we struggle with it ourselves. Everyone has the best intentions. But too often the planning begins before a start date is commited to.

That's dangerous. Because mid-way through a great plan, you and your team can start to feel overwhelmed. And once we start feeling overwhelmed, we start making excuses.

There's too much to do;
This is too complicated to plan for right now;
We'll need a bigger budget;
We should wait until Q4; Q1; Q2; Q3, etc.

If we begin with a start date, then we can set a realistic plan in motion for what can get accomplished.

If your start date is next week then there’s a short plan we can put into place. If it’s next quarter or next year, then we’ve got some clean air and can get more creative.

Now that you have a start date:

4) Establish an EndGame

Your endgame can be a date or it can be an accomplishment. Getting back to your fitness goals, your end game may be to play tag with your kids for 20 minutes. Or it could be a date, like the beginning of summer.

No quitting half way through!

How long will you target this trouble area before you expect to reach your goal?

60 days?
6 months?
Forever?

There isn’t a wrong answer. Just choose one. Because that will help you:

5) Set A Realistic Goal

You know your target. You know your start date. Now, by how much did you want to improve? Be realistic. Please. Nothing is more demotivating than the sense of impending failure (though, we recommend not thinking of missing your goal as a failure. More on that in a bit).

If you wanted to increase your social media engagement by 80% then you need to set guideposts toward this goal. You want to see an increase of 5% per month over the next 16 months.

6) Do a Content Audit

What repurposable content do you have in your arsenal? Most of clients excellent material under utilized or has become newsworthy again, these can include:

Blogs
Videos
Slideshares
Webinars

Take a look at your published content and see if there’s a repackage opportunity there. Is there are common thread between some pieces of content? Then, maybe there’s a campaign in there that you hadn’t noticed before.

7) Plan for Production

Now you can create your execution plan. You know your target. You know your lead time to the start date. You know what realistic goal you are working towards. You know what content you already have in your back pocket.

It’s time to start planning what assets you need to produce.

Make a reasonable list of product you'd like to see complete for your start date. Vary the content. It doesn't all have to be big-ticket items like data sheets and videos.

What will your social media content look like? Will you need graphics to help promote certain pieces of premium content?

Make your wish list and assign roles to your team. Re-evaluate that wish list and tweak it until it's a reasonable, doable list for you and your team to tackle.

Now it's time to:

8) Implement Your Plan

It's go-time! Kick off your plan and stick to it! Make it into an event so everyone in your company is aware. When you operate in the shadows of an organization, don’t be surprised if people don’t participate. One of our clients launched a marketing plan by decorating the office with balloons.

9) Analyze Effectively and Tweak

Now that you have a plan and are executing said plan, plan time to analyze your efforts at regular intervals.

It’s important to strike a balance between ignorant bliss and analysis paralysis.

Don’t wait until the end of a campaign to check on the overall success. Personal trainers suggest regular weigh-ins and measurements. This is helps them understand whether the fitness plan they laid out for you is working the way it should. If the results aren’t what they expect, then they can tweak exercises and make nutrition suggestions.

Don’t check your campaign results too often. If you weigh or measure yourself everyday you’ll miss the pay off of seeing results. You may feel defeated if the numbers aren’t where you want them to be yet. You may be tempted to start making arbitrary changes to your plan to try and see a bigger improvement. If you work out for twice the amount of time one day, then you may not be able to work out the next day. You get the idea.

If you chose a target and your plan isn't moving toward your goal, tweak your plan. You didn’t etch your plan into stone. You laid out the best course of action with the information you had at the time. Now you have new information.

If you ignore the new information in favor the old, then there isn’t any point to your plan in the first place, is there?

Remain flexible. Be realistic. Move forward in an organized, thoughtful fashion. And you’ll see positive results. Promise.

Marketing marketing plan marketing strategy

Video: What the Oxford Dictionary Doesn't Tell You

Erin Hayes May 19, 2016 Video Leave a Comment

According to the Oxford Dictionary the definition of Video is:

The recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images.

While technically accurate, this definition is void of any nuance. Video is indeed the recording, reproducing or broadcasting of moving visual images. Yet, anyone familiar with video – from a creator to a viewer – knows there’s much more to it than that.

Video is the fastest growing content market. Video is the go-to marketing strategy. It’s the go-to advertising strategy. It’s the go-to communication strategy.

Don’t believe me? Just last month Mashable laid off 30 staff as part of a Strategic shift toward video.That’s a considerable number of writers to let go to focus on the shift to visual storytelling. And they aren't alone in making this strategic shift.

In short, video is a big deal. And I think the Oxford Dictionary definition could use some updating to reflect this change.

Here are three aspects of Video that I'd like to see included in the definition.

1. Creativity:

Today, anyone can take a smartphone and record moving visual images. My three-year-old is quite adept at touching the record button.

While the threshold to press record is low, the threshold to employ creativity is not. And in order to create compelling video content you've got to access creativity.

2. Sweat:

Hold any device stationary for a period of time and it becomes heavy. Even an iPhone becomes cumbersome after several hours. I’m being a smart-ass, but really, production equipment is heavy and being on set is a physical job.

If a video is good, you can guarantee that behind the lens was a sweaty camera operator, accompanied by a sweaty director, producers, gaffers, audio technicians, DPs, etc.

3. Investment:

Yes, professional production equipment is pricey so I am – in part – referring to the monetary investment of owning/renting and operating.

But I’m also talking about a personal investment. The investment of your most precious commodity – time.

Like any craft, producing/creating video is something at which one must work – really work – to become great.

Every great director, producer, DP, camera operator, etc., has given a tremendous investment of their time. There are years of 20+ hour work days. There are decades of missed dinners and sleepless nights.

And if they truly are great, there’s never a point at which they'll stop investing in their craft. There are equipment upgrades to pick up and software upgrades to learn.

But for most creatives the biggest motivator for continuing to invest in their craft is that nagging drive of never wanting their last piece of work to be their best.

Video

6 Mile Moment: Boston Marathon in Downtown Framingham

Erin Hayes April 27, 2016 Video production, live stream, boston marathon, 6 mile moment Leave a Comment

Downtown Framingham came alive with Boston Marathon spectators last Monday. Hundreds of fans, families and friends flocked to The 6 Mile Moment to cheer on the participants of the 120th Boston Marathon.

It was hard to imagine that just three years ago this event didn’t exist.

This year marked the third annual 6 Mile Moment - an event we created with our partners, Framingham Downtown Renaissance and the Town of Framingham, to encourage urban revitalization and community involvement in Downtown Framingham.

“The idea of the The 6 Mile Moment was born of inspiration,” said Erin Hayes, CEO of MediaBoss Television. “MediaBoss had hosted its own informal events with live music and live video along the Marathon route for years. One day, Holli, Director of FDR, swung by our studios and asked us what we could do to bring a sense of community and pride to Downtown Framingham in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. And thus, The 6 Mile Moment was born.”

Holli made the magic happen. She coordinated with the Town of Framingham; she found sponsors (like Middlesex Savings Bank); she secured meetings for us with the Framingham Police Department for proper permitting and she coordinated with local vendors to provide family-friendly activities for spectators.

We got to work doing one of the things we do best: Producing a live show, complete with live entertainment for the spectators and the runners. We live stream the event with our Blackmagic Design ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and send a signal to Access Framingham. Access Framingham broadcasts our stream over their channel.

That first year was a big win for us. And The 6 Mile Moment has evolved and will continue to evolve year after year.

“This year we had more people join us in Downtown Framingham than I've ever seen, and they went full throttle to support their heroes running through the 6 mile mark,” said Holli Andrews, Director of Framingham Downtown Renaissance. "Dancing and singing for the runners, making beautiful signs -- lots of energy and tons of goodwill. Made for a very special 6 Mile Moment! It was awesome and I think the runners loved it, too!"

The Deluxe Depot Diner donates their entire parking lot to the 6 Mile Moment every year.

This year the entertainment was spread across both sides of their lot. DJ Haze was spinning high energy music for the runners and spectators on one side while Marcus Santos & Anova Brazil Live gave a dramatic percussion performance on the other. There was also face painting, games, free ice cream, music demonstrations, graffiti lessons and sign making for families and fans to take part in.

We already have some fun ideas about how we can improve upon and evolve the event for next year. But while we wait for next year to come around, here are some of our highlights from the 2016 Boston Marathon:

120th Boston Marthon Runners 6 Mile Moment National Guard 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Framingham Police Before the Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Team Middlesex Savings Bank Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Sign

Spectators Boston Marathon

Rachel Seeker Holli Andrews Erin Hayes

Monica Duque Camera OP 6 Mile Moment

Fans holding signs Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Live Stream Production

This is our incredible @mediaboss team after a long day streaming the #bostonmarathon #6milemoment - I could not be more proud to come to work with these people everyday. They are talented, passionate, creative and dedicated and they are my family. The work isn't always easy (rarely easy) but our dynamic and our trust in one another always makes it rewarding. #gratitude #team #creativeteam #video #filmmaking

A photo posted by @erinehayes on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:31pm PDT