StoryTeller Media & Communications
StoryTeller is a public relations agency specializing in media relations, social media and video production and web video
fundraising videos
Social Media Conversation - More of You, Less of Me
The phrase “less of me, more of you” has some “faith” relevance and it also has tremendous relevance in our relationships with other people especially in social media. When you’re online in the social media portal of choice, how much time are you spending “talking” rather than “listening?” How often do you try to help others rather than try to attract more attention to yourself?
When Talking is Better Than Texting
One of the longest running and biggest challenges of emails and text messages is inflection and expression. Sure, you can write in ALL CAPS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE A POINT and you can smile 
or wink;), but so much is still lost in translation. Then there are those who hide behind e-mail in communication. You know the people who do it, in fact, maybe you even do it. But why?
Does this hat look good on me?
Working in a small public relations agency, I fully expected that I would be asked to wear many hats - help out where I’m needed, even if the task doesn’t exactly fall within my job description of Public Relations Strategist. This often involves stepping a little bit outside one’s comfort zone in the name of pitching in and being a team player.
While the thought of being asked to do an unfamiliar task is a little daunting, this is an aspect I have always enjoyed about working in a small agency environment; the chance to see how the office operates at all levels, in all departments while also having the opportunity to push myself and learn new things.
These last few weeks have been especially challenging, in a good way, as I’ve gotten to wear the hat of “video producer.” Now when I say “video producer” I am by no means referring to the fantastic gala and company videos that our video production team is capable of, I simply mean I’m the person behind the camera.
Brian Solis on Video StoryTelling
Most mornings, I wake up and have my coffee and scour through the myriad of social media articles to find out what new and relevant content that might benefit our clients. It also serves as my daily dose of social media inspiration. Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to hear some first hand inspiration when I attended Jennifer Kane’s ( Kane Consulting) “An Evening with Brian Solis” event. Brian is on the PR circuit of promoting his most recent book, “Engage,” which I can’t wait to read!
Brian spoke so eloquently on topics ranging from community, engagement and trust to understanding the importance of being curators of content with context. He went on to say that all companies are media companies because every company publishes to its customers, its staff, its neighbors, its communities and they need to know how to use all media technologies at its disposal, especially video.
With YouTube positioned as the second most popular Search Engine, second to Google, and over 24 hours of video uploaded every minute, brands have a unique opportunity to put video storytelling into work. Ideally, video is part of your overall content strategy and used when you want to build a connection that may not be made through other mediums.
Brian was gracious enough to share his insights on the importance of having a video strategy. Here is part one of our conversation with Brian Solis.
Catalogers Getting Social
I recently had the opportunity to step back in time to my “old life” for a brief moment while connecting with a group of Direct Marketers. The group was interested in our perspective of social media and how it can benefit the traditional cataloger.
What seems apparent after our meeting, is this is an industry that I would categorize as somewhat “late adopters” in the social media frontier. Understandably, they have spent years refining the art of direct mail and have it down to a pretty concise science but they are having a difficult time connecting the dots to know how social media can really impact their business.
How Does Social Media Effect Traditional Media?
Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo recently proclaimed his “lifer” status with the Spartans after considering a job opportunity with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As Izzo deliberated this life changing decision, the rumor mill was cranking away with reporters tapping sources, staking out near the basketball complex in East Lansing and outside Izzo’s offices. There were even some reporters contacting Izzo’s mother to see if she had any insight into what was going on inside her son’s mind.
Why Social Media?
As a technologically capable high school senior, I have been in contact with social media for years, and I lived through the social media revolution firsthand. I created my first Facebook account and watched my first YouTube video almost five years ago, and since then, both of these have been integral parts of my life. Because of this experience and my naivety, I thought that during my week with StoryTeller I would have little to learn. What was I thinking?!
For many of the younger generation, businesses are intruding into their domain by joining these networks, but with membership on Facebook exceeding 400 million and YouTube being home to a greater viewership than that of network television, it is no surprise that more and more businesses are striving to join and increase their presence in social media.
In my daily use of these networks I have come across business-related pages, but I, like many of my contemporaries, overlooked the effect that social media plays in marketing. Before starting my work with StoryTeller, I saw social media as simply another means of communication, where people who are already plugged-in at every hour of the day can share tidbits of information about what comes to mind or what is on their personal agenda for the day. With this opinion, I was surprised to hear my dad tell me that social media is one of the industries experiencing the most rapid growth in the world!
After the initial discussions of StoryTeller’s role in marketing, I must admit I was skeptical about the actual effect their strategies could have on a business. After all, I incorrectly saw it as simply a means of personal expression. Within minutes of seeing their ideas and strategies applied to real clients and the active participation they receive from followers my opinion changed and every ounce of doubt was cast aside.
The business application is much more formally constructed than that of the daily user. I was fascinated by the time it took to plan the strategies for each client, because in my experience every post was simply created off of a passing fancy. The large question that permeates every aspect of the business applications, and that I failed to realize before, is, “How can we create discussion with our followers, and eventually sell products without force-feeding our customers contrived ad campaigns?” By incorporating this question behind every post, StoryTeller has successfully developed followings for each of their clients.
Social media is all about what you want to get out of it. The average social media user can connect to friends, but so many of its applications are ignored. Although it is still a blossoming industry, it has already attracted the attention of many large companies who are spending millions of dollars with ad campaigns. While many people seek to update their friends on their daily activities, companies are trying to lead discussions, inspire thought, and most importantly sell their product. With time, strategy, and creativity, the social media resources that exist and those that are in production will only increase social media’s grip on the entire population, and its effects will undoubtedly be studied for years to come.
Getting Creative With Your Flip Camera
It’s interesting. I had a meeting today with what I hope will become a future StoryTeller client. The subject: online video. It seems to be the topic most gravitated to in our meetings with business’ and organizations today. It appears to be what’s on everyone’s mind. YouTube…specifically. There was a revelation that I had during this meeting. I initially met this future client about (5) months ago, and the discussion albeit very similar (defining what makes a solid video strategy) the method of implementing the strategy was completely different!
The Couple That Plays Together Stays Together
My wife and I will be married 20 years this year and videos like this are what inspires me as a married adult. Hats off to this wonderful couple who have been married 62 years. Enjoy this wonderful video.
The Changing Ways of Public Relations
I recently had a discussion with a principal of a successful Twin Cities public relations agency regarding PR and the internet. Words like “Search Engine Optimization” and “online video content,” seemed to confuse this highly successful executive leading this person to immediately confess that they doesn’t get involved with those things. Technology was not an area in which this person felt comfortable and language such as this were not part of the agency’s lexicon. I left the conversation feeling that if we, public/media relations professionals, are not actively trying to help our clients reach their customers on the world wide web we are doing them a tremendous disservice. › Continue reading
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