The Evolution of Marketing and Communication: How we've arrived at social media...

Social media didn't just happen. We've evolved into a culture that demands immediate, transparent, and authentic communication. We desire this not only with each other, but with the companies and brands with which we affiliate. Understanding how we arrived at this place, and how marketing and communication has evolved helps us understand the context as we move forward.

Read our brief white paper here.

Splash into social media...

You know how you have these voices in your head sometimes - waging war over what you should or shouldn’t do?  Well, mine have been vacillating between "Jump!" and "Don't Jump!" for over three years.

Why? As the daughter of a political-junkie-turned-judge father I was bred for fundraising. Memories of my first house party reach back to when I was five years old. I remember passing out drinks and holding a candidate for U.S. Senate’s hand as he spun his pitch.  I’ve been stuffing envelopes since earliest memory - either for my Mom’s run for school board, or for her latest favorite cause.  My father’s mantra - ‘you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.’

I’ve lived by that code. I started working for a non-profit at eighteen and haven’t looked back.  Twenty years of fundraising and marketing for some of the best organizations and brightest non-profit visionaries in New England provide me with a wealth of experience of which I’m proud.  I’m passionate about mission-driven work and always will be...

But there’s always been this little voice... ‘Make something of your own.’ For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to ‘do my own thing’... have my own business. I’ve just been too afraid.  What if my idea isn’t good enough? What if I’m not ready?  Do I have enough knowledge?  And, I knew that whatever I wanted to create for a business would have to be intimately tied to the non-profit sector.  I just never knew where to start - and I didn’t know where the ‘sweet spot’ was.  

That is, until my friend Kelley-Sue started AleuroMedia.  A full-service interactive media marketing and development firm, Aleuro focuses on helping start-ups, established businesses, and non-profits leverage online and Web 2.0 tools to create and nurture community, strengthen constituent loyalty, and help make or raise more money.  At the beginning Kelley hinted that I might have something to contribute to this venture, but I was too afraid.  Afraid of the things all potential entrepreneurs are afraid of at one point or another.  The people who evolve into entrepreneurs are the ones who put the fear behind them and forge ahead.

I've decided that sometimes you just have to jump. Take the leap into a world that intuitively or otherwise, you know awaits your presence and participation (heed a calling so to speak). For me this manifested in my recent resignation from my full-time job as the Senior Director for Marketing and Development at New Hampshire Public Radio to 'do my own thing.'  I’ve joined Kelley-Sue as a partner in Aleuro. Yes - now. Yes - in this economy.  

What gives me the confidence to jump into an entrepreneurial endeavor today? I have a vision. I believe in the power of social networking to help non-profits and start-up businesses. And I believe that the time for organizations to truly embrace social media is now.  To succeed you need a community of loyal supporters.  Social media will support you in that work - especially in times like these.  Now I combine my fundraising and marketing background with my passion for social media. It’s a primary focus that allows me to help you acquire new supporters, build loyalty with your current stakeholders, and ultimately raise more money for the work you do.

If you haven’t jumped into the ocean of social media yet - hold your nose and take my hand.  The waves may be a bit choppy, but the water’s really just fine...

PodCamp Boston 2007

Engaging the audience with audio. It's big and it's picking up players everyday. By now you'll know that the Aleuromedia team has an enthusiasm and passion for video as a major communication medium. We believe that video has value in everything from internal corporate messages and corporate culture pieces, to relaying what might have traditionally been a white paper with greater detail and cognition, to dynamic product demos using video, flash and screencasting tools.

That said, our desire to bridge communication gaps and to increase the efficiency with which we share information endears us to audio tools. The goal is to communicate with each other the way we are most inclined to receive it.

Podcasts are great for sharing information because they are so efficient. We can relay lots of material, in small doses, and with great frequency using podcasts. Who could deny that it is faster and easier to tell someone your story than it is to document it? Bigger still, it is more relate able to hear someone share their story. The pace of their words, the inflection, the tenor and diction all have meaning we are already prepared to process and these keys provide us with so much more than our interpretation of the written word. Check out Chris Brogan's blog to hear what I mean.

Whatever you think Podcast are, prepare yourself to learn how much more energy they conduct, check out PodCamp Boston 2007.

Screencasts to social networks and fundraising.

I LOVE the internet!

Kenny ran into this great article on the Non-Profit Times about screencasting. The author Beth Kantor did a great job of going "101" on the topic. It was very cool timing because I've been working with some non-profits and non-profit solution providers to give them insight about New Media and Social Networking. Helping these organization understand what social technologies can mean to fundraising, event, and constituent management, for example using Facebook to work a community based event, or using Inner Circle to connect and stay abreast of what your donors are doing.

Well I liked Beth writing enough that I went to her blog and found that she is infact managing a fundraising campaign for Leng Sopharath. Beth is using Facebook, flickr, ChipIn and her blog, among many other social technologies to coordinate and communicate her fundraising efforts and mission. Kudos Beth! The name of Beth's blog is "How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media", you should check it out.

Cool Facebook toy

Do you use Facebook? I found this great little, very useful, app called "Inner Circle". It lets you group your friends into - groups. The simple ideas are usually the best. Check it out.

Art imitating life imitating art, or Internet imitating TV, as TV?

For the past couple of weeks I've been on vacation and pulled myself away from Internet and Video business. Well last week I found myself doing something I hadn't had time for most of this summer...flipping through the TV channels. Now call it Law of Attraction, or serendipity, or coincidence, but whatever it was I'm still smiling. Flipping through the channels I stumbled into a new series, i-CAUGHT on ABC.

I was surprised and captivated by the premise...but then again maybe not really surprised because I knew this was coming (is coming). I'd say the feeling was more like "impressed" the by speed and agility of those who brought the show to fruition. It is exactly the evolution I've been telling so many of you about; warning that times are changing, and if you don't recognize this progression of Video-Internet-Television, it may cost your business.

In it's own description of the program ABC claims "...we all know there's a video revolution swirling around us all - 24/7". Interesting. Powerful. Did you know about this revolution? Check out the link above, there is a video introduction of the program that is very compelling.

Its a great time to get involved, and to rethink the ways we do, what it is we do. This is just the beginning, but hold on tight, it could be a very fast ride.

Communication vs. Connection Part Duh!

So previously I talked about the difference between communicating and connecting. Everyday I find myself being asked; "why video?" , "why does it make that much of a difference?"...ok so here's an example or two.

I can tell you that there is this really cool ad that uses shadow puppets to create forms of bunnies, birds, branches, and a moose. It's set to music and kinda surreal.

We all know what shadow puppets are and you should be able to imagine them being used in an artistic way...so then, I have communicated that concept to you.

I could be more descriptive, but with all the elegant writing in the world, I still do not believe that it would have the same effect. Nor do I believe that all the adjectives and adverbs I might use to articulate the imagery could hold your attention span or be recalled in conversation weeks later.

I do believe the following will engage you in just these ways.




BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...

If your not worrying about artistic impression or want something a little more "real". I can tell you about this guy, Xin. He's an immigrant kid who studied martial arts to get by in a gang ridden neighborhood. He got really good at it and felt confident until he came up against a kick boxer who schooled him some more. Long story short, this young man wanted to be the next Jackie Chan stunt man. He could be found leaping through malls and doing acrobatics as he learned to perfect his skills. This young man, not only is an amazing aerialist, but he is the subject and the producer of an online video that has seen more than 15 million viewers. The video serves him better than any picture or text article could, and it has enabled him to reach a larger audience than he imagined.

You've got to watch this...



Still not satisfied look at these...

http://www.time.com/time/topten/2006/webvideos/01.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/215472/urban_ninja_takes_youtube_by_storm.html