This is why I like video content marketing

December 12, 2013VideoMartin Duncan

OK, there are a number of styles you could adopt when creating sharable, viewable videos for video content marketing. It’s going to depend on its purpose and of course its audicence. Depending on what you are trying to achive yours might be serious, informative, instructional, irreverant or just plain funny. Me? I’m always going to lean towards funny which is why liked this ad by Carlsberg. it reinforces their tongue in cheek approach to marketing and creates a very watchable ad.

I get the impression that someone in the marketing team has been following Sons of Anarchy. Strange how and when inspiration can hit us.

Anyhow, watch the video and ask yourself the question “What would I do”?

The future of innner city deliveries?

December 11, 2013Digital news and viewsMartin Duncan

I really like this product I read about on Tech Crunch, OK it’s not a digital business but it’s being promoted through a Kickstarter campaign, so that’s close enough for me!

Kubo is a delivery scooter, developed specifically for city work. I can really see this being useful in that einviroment where van deliveries are impractical or too expensive to use. I could even see them being adapted for the pizza delivery chains with a small warming unit on board – one for the future, perhaps.

If you want to find out more have a look at the video and if you like it enough to invest then head over to Kickstarter.

This kubo needs a home!

Adressing the Digital Skills Shortage

November 25, 2013Digital news and viewsMartin Duncan

I saw an advert in Marketing Week headed “What are Google doing about the Digital Skills shortage?” That led me to read on and sign up for the squared online digital marketing course. But it seems Google are not the only company looking to address digital development.

Some of you may have seen this article already. It has been covered on the media including the BBC and USA Today and numerous tech sites. If not, meet Bo and Yana, delightful little robots that fuse play with programming for kids of all ages.

Delightful robots that fuse play with programming for kids of all ages.

A US start-up has developed a robot which can be programmed to walk and talk. The company hopes the Play-i robot will encourage children to try coding by introducing it through play. Talk about addressing the skills shortage early. These are aimed at kids from 5 years upwards.

It was launched as a crowdsourcing project it has (over) acheived its target but is now offering people the chance to get in early on the first products out the door.

Module 1 – The assignment

November 24, 2013AssignmentsMartin Duncan

OK, so that’s it. My first assignment has been submitted. Not horrendous but the hardest part was probably getting back into the whole study and homework thing. There were 3 elements to this assignment.

Challenge 1
Was to create a blog, no prizes for guessing I used wordpress. An off the shelf theme with the addition of socail media links and a Twitter feed. I just need to keep updating it

Challenge 2
To create a youtube video. I used the free trial of Videoscribe. Videscribe takes what you’ve written and animates it with a hand drawing your words with a Sharpie. I like the effect but didn’t know how it was done until today. I am fairly pleased with the end result although I chose not to add music. It wasn’t the easiest thing to edit though. Having written a script for the voiceover and then put my key messages on screen I had to adjust the timings so they (more or less) matched. It was a bit fiddly and I think they could make this a lot simpler, particualry if i could have talked and adusted my screen timings as I went along. So took longer than it needed to but it pretty much worked ‘out of the box’ like most men, I dont’ do instructions. I would rather soldier on blindly than look for advice or instructions so the fact that I was able to figure it out pretty easily is a big thumbs up from me.

If you would like to see the end result, you can see it here.

Challenge 3
WE have to design a single slide that summarises our current average daily interaction and use of digital platforms. I showed the applications I use most often at work and home and how long I tend to use them for. You can see this here

Video is the future and It’s not just for SEO

November 18, 2013Digital news and viewsMartin Duncan

I have thought for a long while that video should be part of my marketing repetoire but I have been put off by the simple fact I know nothing about video editing. Yes I know there is lots of simple editing software available now and yes I know it’s good for SEO but there has to be more than video making than free software.

I have a camera but that doesn’t make me a photographer! I think it’s worth paying a professional. So when I need photography for my clients, I bring in a photographer. So the same goes for videography. I have been asked to quote for 3 video jobs this month. We can build the storyboard. Write a script and create the graphics but I need a professionals touch to bring it to life.

I attended Brighton SEO back in September and it really made me think about video again. It is a great way to get your message across. It can be fun, informative, hell you can class it as CPD and people will watch it simply so they can tick the “CPD qualifying” box on the career develpment plan. So my goal for 2014 is to do more video.

For video to work though it really has to have meaningful content. Whether that is accurate information or good advice. I like the idea of making it fun. I often see videos on Youtube that make me smile (although I’m not a great one for sharing, something I need to address) and in the age of the internet good content will get passed around.

I found this old video promoting Maxell audio tapes, cassettes. The message was sound quality, the premise very simple – mishearing the lyrics of a well known song. I am very aware that there are people on this course who will never have seen an audio tape (or even know what the soundrack from this ad is :o ) but had Youtube been around in the 80′s I think it would have been shared. Let me know what you think. Bear in mind its old and poor quality but I think the message still works.

Here’s the video

I’m a square.. I’m on the Squared Online Digital Marketing course

November 14, 2013Uncategorizeddigital marketing, we are squared, wearesqaredadam

This is my first post on my personal blog which is a requirement for the Squared Online Digital Marketing course that I am currently completing.

“We are the digital marketing course and qualification for tomorrow’s connected leaders. Developed by Google, built by the best practitioners and delivered collaboratively online, we are a new movement in career learning. We Are Squared.”