In this week's episode of "Inside the Mind", we're going to DESTROY IMAGES- BWAHAHAHAHA!
Hey What's Up Guys, Welcome to Inside The Mind Where We Talk About Online Marketing Strategy, What It is, Why It's important And Why You Should Care.
This week we're going to talk about standing out using new media formats which means we're going to destroy all images.
In order to delve deeper into my own mind and really get this information laid out for you, I'm going to take you to meet someone, kind of special to me.
As much as I am the creative side, he is data-oriented. As casually as I try to handle my business, he's all about order and, well - he's agreed to talk to us, so let's go meet him.
(cut to You walking in to greet Thomas Walker.)
Welcome to the inner sanctum. This is where the "magic" (finger quotes/wry dork-smile) happens. Learning. Mind expansion. (touches fingertips together and bows slightly) Namaste.
(Tommy) Now you have some interesting theories on how the internet works, before we get into moving beyond text and images, share with us your thoughts on that.
(Thomas) Man could not fathom the vastness of the universe, so he created his own. The internetiverse is really just a representation of the human subconscious. And we have only just begun to scratch the surface on how we can tap into it.
Just like the internet disrupted traditional media, the internet has started to disrupt itself.
It is no longer sufficient to just have words on pre-made themes.
Fonts. Images. Quality. All of these things matter. But, it's only the beginning.
Let me say two words to you: Youtube. Pinterest. 60 hours of video per day, plus 4 billion page views, all to the credit of YouTube.
Meanwhile, Pinterest, is a virtual collection of all the weird things that each of its users likes. You may be shocked to realize that since it's inception in 2010, Pinterest has already become the third largest social network in existence. It is also invite only.
(Close up shot, straight on)
Clearly, you are all enjoying the visual stimulation.
It is time to seek however, beyond the obvious, beyond the popular. To gain soshequity, you must be keenly aware of your surroundings like a digital ninja.
Cue: slideshows. Mashable. com uses slide shows on a regular basis. Weeks worth of imagery can now be viewed in seconds. Faster, even, for those who can click rhythmically (mimics rapidly clicking a mouse.)
Or, consider Gifs. A long-abused and discarded digital art form, now enjoying a Phoenix-like rebirth in the form of *cinemagraphs* .
These beautiful images are more than a photo, yet not quite a movie.
Ms. Jamie Beck and Mr. Kevin Burg are the mad geniuses who introduced these cinemagraphs in 2009, and I believe they are sorely underutilized by the citizens of the internet.
Moving. Pictures. Imagine it. Use it. Make. It. Happen.
Another way gifs being used are in subtle animated calls to actions. Buy Now, Follow Me... these terms were once like stickers on a flat wall, unmoving and cold, but now... with just the slightest glint, these calls to action are no longer dependent solely on location and color.
I suppose you need motivation? Well.
Marketing Sherpa shared a case study in which Lake Champlain Chocolates Christmas Campaign experienced a sales increase of 49% over the previous year. The only major change? They used animated gifs in the emails.
I realize you may be intimidated. A new form of digital wizardry. However, instead of constantly fighting for your market's attention, why not add something they likely haven't seen yet?
Try this for yourself. Be bold. Be daring. See what happens. Perhaps an animated call to action or a slideshow. Maybe gifified social sharing icons or cinemagraphs. Make it your own, just be sure to remain subtle.
There are resources for all of these in the description.
(Tommy) Wow man, it seems like there's a lot of stuff going on out there that people aren't taking advantage of.
TW
Merely the tip of the iceberg. They say old fashions always come back around? Well. Podcasting is making a comeback.
Yes, like my favorite green pants and (touches chin) personal facial hair stylings, their true value is being uncovered once again.
It's amazing to me how often I hear people say, I want to do the online thing, but am a terrible writer.
Podcasting, in my opinion, is a viable alternative and has a lot more freedom, and you can connect on so many more levels. The truth of the matter is, audio is a lot more portable than text, and talking to people when it's convenient for them never really goes out of style.
(Tommy) Isn't podcasting kind of expensive?
TW Is $25 - 50 expensive?
Of course, if you're going top of the line you will pay more. But in the beginning you can make it work for far less than you may anticipate.
I would even consider broadcasting live. Clearly that won't work for some, but it's as simple as setting up a webcam and signing up for a a stickam or a livestream account.
Once I saw an independent artist do a live stream of a piece he was working on. I was even more surprised that I was one of 300 other people in the room.
Bands have gone so far to live stream their practices, and many businesses are now holding Live Q&A events.
People have a real need to be connected to each other, and it's increasingly more difficult to keep people captivated by flat text and static images.
Technology and broadband saturation has made it possible to go beyond the superficial level. It sounds simple, but most people are still only using text and image and formats on the web.
When you break free of the expectations of the typical website, how much more likely are you to become a part of peoples twitonomy?
Now, if you will excuse me. I have a cosplay event coming up and have to sew some feathers into my headpiece.
(cut back to Tommy in studio)
Well there you have it, new media formats is really where it's at if you're looking to really connect with people. And I'm curious, have you tried any of the stuff we talked about here? If so what were your results?
(Tommy) Please be sure to leave your responses in the comments below, or onFacebook Twitter or Google Plus!
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