by Jacqueline Koch | Aug 21, 2015 |
The journalism category on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter offers unique insight into the new ideas in journalism readers are willing to put their own hard earned money behind. It also reveals a new class of journalist entrepreneurs who are stepping outside the confines of mainstream publications to create their own content businesses focusing on the topics they care about most. It is not entirely clear which will survive in our attention deficit age, but it is illuminating to see which ideas readers are rooting for.
Here is a quick tour of successful past projects and a few new projects that are hoping to get your attention and your money.
Top funded journalism projects
In late 2012, 2,566 backers pledged $140,201 to bring Matter to life, the most ever pledged to a Kickstarter journalism campaign. People responded to the promise by founders Bobbie Johnson and Jim Giles to bring them ‘the story you’ve been missing’. Matter specializes in long-form articles about science, technology, medicine and the environment and was acquired in April 2013 by Medium, a new publishing platform established by Twitter founder Ev Williams.
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by Jacqueline Koch | Aug 17, 2015 |
By Gretchen McLaurin
Twenty-two years ago, in 1993, Bill Clinton was beginning his first term as President of the USA, 60 Minutes was still the in-depth television show we turned to for news and politics, and the first “smartphone” was born (the IBM Simon).
By 2002, the BlackBerry had displaced pagers to become the most essential business tool for ensuring ready availability and access to people and information. However, it wasn’t until the release of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 that most of us truly began to understand the potential for mobile information and the untethering of our electronic lives.
Those who are still wondering whether the mobile revolution is worth fighting for should consider that this year, 70 per cent of the US population actively uses the internet and 70 per cent of them do it via mobile devices. While the first smartphone is now a museum relic, smartphones are more essential than ever in delivering information and facilitating engagement.
What does that have to do with politics? Today, there are 23 candidates hoping to compete in the USA’s 2016 Presidential Election, all of whom are trying to find new ways to connect with and convince ever-distracted voters.
Learn more
by Jacqueline Koch | Jul 16, 2015 |
By Steven Wise, Technology Writer
Virtual reality (VR) has taken decades to make the leap from science fiction to consumer fact, but a convergence of factors suggest widespread adoption–for consumer and commercial applications—is growing near.
For many, the term ‘virtual reality’ conjures memories of the holodeck on Star Trek: The Next Generation or of the immersive imaginary worlds created in movies like The Matrix. Here on earth, we have a lot farther to go before virtual reality is indistinguishable from the real world. Recent progress, however, suggests it won’t be long before VR is a common way for us to connect with each other or with businesses and their brands.
A brief history of virtual reality
Computer-generated video was applied to industrial applications as far back as 40 years ago and by the mid 1970s, flight simulators were using rudimentary 3D graphics. More recent advancements in hardware and software have enabled far more complex experiences, including immersive online environments, head mounted displays (HMD), and augmented reality (AR).
by Jacqueline Koch | May 12, 2015 |
A baby boomer, a Gen-Xer and a Millennial walk into an incubator.
Sounds like a joke,right? Nope, in fact it was the scene unfolding at a recent B2B Startup Weekend event hosted by 9MileLabs in Seattle where all three age groups ended up on the same team. The goal: Listen to one minute product pitches, pick one, join a team, develop a minimum viable product concept, validate it with potential customers, build a business case and present it to a panel of judges including entrepreneurs and VCs on Sunday afternoon. Whew!!
Now it’s starting to sound as though there could be some humor involved.
Why? I was there and I was the Gen-Xer. And I’ll be frank: Millennials make me nervous for a lot of reasons, many of which are outlined in this Marketwatch article. The bottom line is that we’re being upstaged by the kids we baby-sat and our salaries are starting to look like baby-sitting money. So, hey Millennials, yes you, I’m trying to figure you out.
Want to Connect? Got Content? Get talking
A recent Forbes article shines a reassuring light on the effort to market to Millennials: It’s not business as usual. Millennials don’t want to be talked at. They want to engage, to be engaged, and they want rich, original content.
For a Gen-Xer like me who has a journalism background, this sends a pleasing tingle up my spine. It’s my “I-told-you-so” moment. Here’s why. I’ve always been perplexed when corporations feel they need to bludgeon their audience with their brand. Instead of pelting us with logos and branding, let’s embark on a “conversation.” It’s been a long time coming and I’m finding myself grateful to Facebook. Intended or not, the power of 1.3 billion active users will ensure the shift will happen through a revised newsfeed algorithm: According to a recent article in Social Media Today: “This change further underlines the need for brands to move from a broadcast focus to making themselves part of the conversation.”
Strength In Diversity
Anyway, back at the incubator. A collaboration is underway and the process has gone a long way toward defanging the Millennials working by my side. A remarkable age-span, from senior in college to pre-retirement, has infused a powerful mix of varied experiences and perspectives in a complex project. Yet it’s gotten us over the finish line—from “I have no idea if this is a good idea”— to a compelling pitch. I’ve always been a proponent of strength in diversity, cross-culture, cross sector and now, more then ever, cross-generational.
by Jacqueline Koch | May 7, 2015 |
Our friends at 9MileLabs hosted a fascinating talk on b2b content marketing last night. The speaker, Rich Stillman from Altus Alliance, did a great job demystifying the basics.
First, let’s be clear on the definition of this popular buzz-phrase. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) describes b2b content marketing as, “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
And for those who may have been under a rock for the past few years, a recent CMI study reveals that 86% of b2b marketers are ‘doing’ content marketing.
If you haven’t dipped your toe in the b2b content marketing pool yet, Rich suggests there may be a few reasons why you’re a bit gun shy:
- You think it’s too labor intensive
- You won’t be able to get customers to talk
- You can’t generate enough content for all use cases
- You don’t want to waste money because you can’t get specific stats or metrics
Rich thinks this is all just whining and that you have no option but to jump in head first because content marketing is the way b2b companies connect with customers today.
Ok then, let’s head up to the diving board and get ready to drive in. But wait, what do you need to think about before you get started so that you execute an elegant swan dive rather than a messy cannon ball?
Develop, document and actually stick to a marketing strategy
Whether you are a startup without a marketing budget or a more established company, you must have discipline around developing your marketing strategy. You must understand what your value proposition is and who your customers are and your content should flow out of that in a disciplined way.
Be fanatically market driven
A winning b2b content marketing strategy must be built on a deep understanding of what your customers need. For startups, identifying this is usually part of developing the business plan. But understanding what customer characteristics are more broadly is critical to informing your content strategy. It is also important to be informed what is happening in your competitive landscape.
Convert website analytics into funnel mathematics
Rich suggests that if you think about b2b content marketing as leading someone through the decision making funnel, you realize that it’s about understanding what information you need to provide your customers along the way. There is a natural progression from “I don’t know who you are” to “I can’t wait to open up my wallet and give you money” and content marketing should pave the way.
Execute content around bigger ideas
Your customers are busier than ever and are constantly being interrupted by people trying to show them content that may be valuable to them.
In the social media-centric world we operate in today, we have to work with a small headline and a small amount of copy and an image. To rise above the noise and find your audience, there should be a big idea behind your 140 characters. A campaign theme that is connected to something deeply held by your target audience. And, your content should be consistent with your mission and your message. You can always create a thematic connection with a powerful visual.
Measure leads not traffic
Website traffic is not leads – but traffic can become leads. In the world of B2B marketing, the goal is to create leads that become customers – not awareness.
Rich suggests that we learn a thing or two from Lean manufacturing and keep iterating:
Try something, measure it, optimize. The task at hand is to keep trying different keys until we can open the door. Don’t stay loyal to an idea that isn’t working.
Tactical ideas to get you started
In closing, Rich shared some tactical ideas for creating and sourcing content:
- Enlist outsiders to create content for you
- Customers, industry experts, college students
- Record interviews with people and transcribe them
- Learn from the best – or at least those better than you and copy with impunity
Ok, I think you’re ready to take the plunge. If you need help, contact us!
The journalism category on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter offers unique insight into the new ideas in journalism readers are willing to put their own hard earned money behind. It also reveals a new class of journalist entrepreneurs who are stepping outside the confines of mainstream publications to create their own content businesses focusing on the topics they care about most. It is not entirely clear which will survive in our attention deficit age, but it is illuminating to see which ideas readers are rooting for.
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