In this week’s Ad Age article entitled, “YouTube’s Video Views Are Falling — By Design” it talks about the fact that YouTube is now more focused on increasing user engagement with videos instead of total clicks by users.  YouTube is now also going in a new direction with its search functionality from directing viewers to brief, often entertaining videos to longer, more engaging videos.   The benefit to YouTube with the longer video format is that they have more leverage when speaking with advertisers as there will be more time to loop in sponsors etc. 

Does this change the way you think about your current or planned video campaign? If so, you can read more within the article here: http://tinyurl.com/8yulwyp.

When it’s your time to shine on camera, are you ready?  Here are some helpful tips to make sure you look like a star!

ATTIRE

Recommended – Professional Client

Shirt and tie

1. Light colored shirt (not white) and a conservative (solid colored) tie – stripes are okay
2. White shirts are okay if you are wearing a jacket.  If you are not wearing a jacket, wear a light colored shirt (IE: light blue)
3. Suit colors: Solid colors look best on camera – Dark Blue, Gray, or Brown (solids)

Things to Avoid

Colors to Avoid (or wear carefully)

1. Bright reds, oranges, blacks, and whites (white reflects light and can make you, the subject, appear dull)

Patterns to Avoid (IE: suites and shirts)

1. Heavy pinstripe
2. Herringbone
3. Houndstooth

Avoid Wearing Shiny/Moving Objects

1. Lapel pins
2. Tie clips
3. Pens in shirt or jacket pockets
4. Bulky and shiny jewelry

BODY LANGUAGE

Movements to Avoid

Arms folded or hands in pockets

1. Hands should be clasped in front or behind you (stand naturally)

Excessive hand gestures

1. Excessive hand movements tend to distract the viewer from the intended message
2. If using a hand gesture keep the hands below the neck

Movements to Embrace

TV is a ‘cool medium,’ it cools you down, so you need to emphasize everything.

Utilize a relaxed posture (but not too relaxed)

1. If sitting, lean forward approximately 15 degrees – you’ll look interested, alert and thinner
2. If standing, move naturally

Natural movements

1. Move your head as you naturally would in conversation
2. Move your hands as you naturally would in conversation (hand movement helps make you look relaxed)

Smile

1. A smiling face is more likable and trusting
2. Smile with the eyes

Eye Contact

1. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer, not the camera
2. Diverting your eyes around the room projects uneasiness (a slight glance elsewhere is highly noticeable on camera)
3. Ignore distractions in the room
4. Embrace the ‘conversation’ and talk as though you are having one

Speaking

1. Speak clearly and slowly
2. Embrace inflection
3. Say company name instead of ‘we,’ or ‘our.’  It sounds obvious, but it’s one of the most common mistakes in interviews.

Eliminate Verbal Ticks

Avoid using sound fillers

1. Silence is okay (and sometimes it’s even a way to emphasize a point)
2. Verbal ticks include:

- Uh

- Um

- Like

- “You know?”

Remember, have fun and don’t be afraid to show your personality!!

With more than 82.2 million smartphone users, it’s time to join the mobile revolution

Premium content from Sacramento Business Journal by Debi Hammond, Contributing Writer

Businesses large and small dedicate significant marketing dollars to drive customers to their websites. Increasingly it is becoming a consumer’s first step in their buying decisions.

However, as consumer behavior continues to evolve, and more and more consumers transition from desktop and laptop computers to mobile devices, many companies are losing out on the opportunity to capture customers and promote their brands because their websites are not optimized for mobile devices — in fact their websites might not be visible to mobile devices at all.

According to the latest report from comScore, there are 82.2 million smartphone owners in the United States. In fact, there is a 70 percent chance you’re carrying around either an iPhone or an Android-powered phone right now.

Although Google’s Android platform can view websites built in Adobe Flash, Apple’s operating system, or iOS, cannot. That means that if your website is built in Flash or you use Flash components, your website is invisible on devices using iOS.

Given Apple’s success and growing influence in the marketplace, this is an audience you do not want to ignore.

Not only are consumers increasingly using the Internet as a research tool to make informed purchases, actual online shopping has grown exponentially over the last decade. Online retail sales continue to grow each year, and a five-year forecast released by Forrester Research projects e-commerce sales will represent 8 percent of all retail sales (amounting to $248.7 billion of market share) in the U.S. by 2014.

Given that company websites are such an important part of the sales process, here are two basic questions you should ask yourself to ensure your website is visible to the growing population using mobile technology.

A screen capture of our website taken from an iPad.

First, is your website built with Flash?

Chances are, if you were seeking a visually appealing website and your site was built more than five years ago, it’s likely built in Flash.

Flash technology was commonly utilized because it is a great program allowing for visual and branding control. It provides smooth transitions of imagery and a seamless and beautiful presentation of Web content, i.e. imagery, fonts, movement, etc.

However, a site built with Flash is not visible to Apple’s operating system — meaning anyone using an iPhone or iPad cannot see your website —they will simply see a blank page.

Second, is your website built with any Flash components?

If any part of your site is built with Flash, then that particular component will not be visible via Apple’s mobile devices.

Many companies have rotating images and other critical branding elements built in Flash and should be converted to other technologies — such as CSS or JavaScript — that are both searchable via the Web and visible via mobile iOS users.

If your site uses Flash in any way, the next question to ask yourself is when are you planning to convert or optimize your website for today’s mobile environment?

More companies are investing significant marketing dollars to drive traffic to their websites, and more than 183 million iPhones and 55 million iPads have sold in the U.S. alone. Make sure that massive segment of mobile users can browse and buy from your site.

Copyright Sacramento Business Journal

A few weeks back our client, River City Bank, was featured in the Sacramento Business Journal for the “New Yorker Campaign” that I’m proud to say, Merlot Marketing developed. Melanie Turner, of the Sacramento Business Journal, took an interest into our marketing campaign that has been running in Comstock’s magazine, the Wall Street Journal online, in addition to the Sacramento Business Journal. Our client was quoted stating “’Our [River City Bank] CEO gets comments all the time,’ Wendy Duer, Senior VP of Marketing said. ’People really like it. They think it’s fun and they get it. They’re talking about it. As a marketer you can’t ask for more.’”

Of course, we need to brag a little. We are thrilled to announce that Merlot Marketing has been recognized by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) regionally with an ADDY and recently received an ADDY for the district, which includes Northern California and Northern Nevada. The campaign is now on its way to the National ADDY awards in Washington D.C.!

Check out the entire print and radio campaign on the River City Bank microsite and let us know which ad is your favorite. Personally, the “Pony” ad makes me laugh every time!

For the full article from the Sacramento Business Journal, please click HERE.

Event planning can be one of the most fun and exciting elements of a PR pro’s responsibilities.  As soon as I’m charged with an event, I immediately start visualizing all of the great menus we can create, music to be played, etc.  But, what a fantastic event planner knows is that it’s the less glamorous details of planning an event that make the day a success! So, I thought I would share three key tips on planning wonderful events for guests that also keep you calm throughout.

Parking

It’s easy to get so caught up in what’s going to happen during the actual event.  You don’t want to forget about how your guests are going to get there.  Before choosing an event venue, you must consider where guests will park and how they’ll get to the event site from that location.  Also, consider how they’ll know where to park.  Here, signage is key! Ask yourself what type of event you’re planning and how your guests will be dressed.  If it’s a formal affair, you don’t want women trekking through a gravel path in their stilettos.  Just remember, parking is part of the overall event experience and truly sets a first impression. 

Signage

Again, something that can be forgotten is making sure you have ample signage.  When your guests arrive you’ll want to make sure that it’s almost impossible for them to become confused about where to go.  Think about signage for check-in tables, restrooms, event activities, media tables, first-aid (if it’s a large public event), etc.  Signage at an event is just great communication.  You can almost never over-communicate.

Rain

If you’ve planned many events you’ve probably come across planning for the dreaded rain (rain is great, just not when you’re hosting an outdoor event).  When planning an outdoor event, you’ll want to put equal effort into planning a plan b option for the occurrence of rain.  Does the venue have a location on-site that the event can be moved indoors? If not, you’ll want to make sure to order a tent or some sort of temporary solution.  If you do have to go to plan b, are all of your vendors prepared? How will that affect your event timeline?

There are many other areas to think about when planning your next event but, these tips will hopefully help you avoid chaos at your next soiree.

 The award-winning work includes:

CATEGORY:New Media (Viral Video)

CLIENT: River City Bank

PROJECT: “Ask Steve” Video Series

AWARD: Bronze

CATEGORY: Media Kit

CLIENT: River City Bank

PROJECT: Unique and playful tin

AWARD: Bronze

CATEGORY:New Media (Social Media Press Release)

CLIENT: IndusParquet

PROJECT: Social Media Press Release

AWARD: Silver 

CATEGORY: Continuing Public Relations Program

CLIENT: True Professional Series

PROJECT: PR Program

AWARD: Bronze

Last week, I spent a few days in New York conducting a media tour with one of our clients, meeting with publications such as Elle Décor, This Old House and Luxe magazine.  Back in the day, before the internet, emails and social media, you would communicate with the media using snail mail, phone, fax or personal visits.  In today’s technology-driven world and with everything available at our fingertips, it’s easy to lose sight of the power of personal relationships and that’s where a New York media tour comes in.     

Why New York?  For this particular client, it’s because all of the major publishing houses are headquartered in New York, i.e., Hearst, Time Inc., Conde Nast.  A media tour consists of setting up one-on-one meetings with editors and producers at their offices to talk to them about new products, brands and key industry trends.  It’s a great way to build a personal relationship with the media so that they understand and can appreciate the people behind the brand and the people on the other end of the email, pitching them.

A media tour isn’t a fit for every company, but if it makes sense strategically, it can be very impactful.  Here are just a few reasons why you would want to conduct a media tour:

Your company/brand is new to the industry: With many industries saturated in competition, a media tour is a great way to cut through the clutter and build a meaningful relationship with the media.

You are introducing a new product/technology: A media tour is a great way for the media to “touch and feel” the product which is a lot more impactful than a press release.

It’s off-season for tradeshows: Many of the media attend tradeshows but if you do not plan on attending or if a key tradeshow isn’t taking place for another six months, a media tour is a great way to get in front of the media and stay top-of-mind.

By the time a graduate is ready for job interviews, they’ve probably gotten more than their share of advice.  Professors at their university, their parents and anyone they come in contact with is probably asking, “Do you have a great resume?” “Are you prepared to answer about your biggest weakness?” Quite interestingly, the applicants I meet with that are right out of college are some of the most prepared candidates.  They are typically dressed to impress, have many copies of their resume on great paper and maintain a smile throughout the interview.  Not a forced smile (which is a major pet peeve) but, a genuine look of excitement about the job.

Interestingly enough, it’s most often the applicants with more experience that forget some of the basics of great interviewing.  Most of the “do’s” to creating a great interview are not rocket science and don’t even take that much effort but, when done right, make a lasting impression.  Here are a few interview recommendations.  I hope these notes help with the hunt for your dream job.  After all, if you don’t love what you do or the particulars of your potential job, why are you applying?

Dress for Success

As cheesy as it sounds, dressing the part is a big deal.  Especially in a creative industry and in one in which you’ll be the face of the agency or corporation you represent.  When you look great you typically sound polished and exude a great amount of confidence.  If money’s tight, invest in one suit that you love and look great in.  Then purchase some great shoes that you can wear over and over with that suit and your other business attire.  Get creative with the colors and textures of your shirt/blouse so that you can mix it up for each interview and keep it fun (the interviewer won’t know, but you will and variety is after all the spice of life).

Do Your Homework

You must truly prepare for your interview.  Before you even apply, research the company in-depth. Review their website.  What does the company stand for? What industries do they represent? What is the culture like? These are all things that you’ll want to speak to in your interview.  At the very least, when they ask why you want to work there, you’ll have a solid answer.

Be Comfortable – Have a Conversation

The applicants that I meet with that I can tell are fully confident in their ability speak with a calm, cool approach.  They are the ones I want on my team.  They are the team members that I know will be comfortable in front of any client.  I’m not looking for the candidate to say all the right things.  Instead, I want to know that they’re genuinely taking in my questions and answering authentically.

Smile and Engage

I can’t tell you how many candidates I meet with that don’t smile once in the interview.  Really? Are you not excited for this opportunity? Why then are you here? I expect those I interview to make me so excited about them at the end of the interview that I absolutely have to hire them.  So, give me a smile.  Act excited and engaged.  It goes a long way.

Old School Thank You

For me, one test is whether or not you follow through after the interview.  Email is great and is a good way to reach out immediately.  But, I always recommend following up with a hand written thank you note.  It may seem antiquated, but for me it shows you really want it and you care.  It also shows me how you’re going to interact with our clients.  Are you going to go the extra mile or just do the minimum?

I hope this helps with your search.  I would love to connect with you for any questions you have on Twitter at @julie_fraga or LinkedIn.  Happy Hunting!

Personal Profile

• If you do not have a LinkedIn account, you’re really missing out. It’s like having a business but no website. Without LinkedIn, you immediately lose credibility and relevance.

• Fill out your profile completely. If you have an account, be sure to use it by selling yourself, your experience and your business.

• When making connections, be sure to maintain business etiquette. For example, I would never walk up to someone at a business networking event, hand them my business card, say nothing at all and then simply walk away. Yet that is how many business professionals approach connecting on LinkedIn.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received this kind of introduction: “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” They didn’t address me by name, and they didn’t take the time to type in a personal message.

It’s bad enough when someone you know doesn’t take the time to write a personal message, but it’s even worse when I get LinkedIn connection requests from people whom I’ve never even met.

If birds of a feather flock together, I want to know who I’m flying with, and you should too. You should have a personal and/or professional relationship with all of your connections because after all, in business, your connections matter.

Business Profile

• Once again, your first step is to create a profile for your business.

• Like your personal profile, make sure your business profile is filled out thoroughly. One area far too many companies forget to fill out is the products and services sections. It’s free advertising, so be sure to use it. List your products and services and provide well-thought-out descriptions. By doing this, you better promote your business, and it helps with search engine optimization.

• Connect with your employees and review your employee’s profiles. Help them create the most positive and professional profiles so that they are a positive reflection on you and your business.

So, while it’s true that how we connect with one another has forever changed, our approach to connecting with one another shouldn’t.

Yes, the human connection and courtesy still matter!

You need to take the same personal approach to LinkedIn connections as you would connecting with someone face-to-face. Don’t throw your business card at them and run away. Introduce yourself. Address them by name.

Tony Hsieh, founder and chief executive officer of Zappos    — a company and culture he built in no small part with social media — has said that he uses social media to create more personal connections with his employees and his customers. You should too.

Debi Hammond is founder and CEO of Merlot Marketing Inc., a full-service national marketing agency based in Sacramento. Email her at debi@merlotmarketing.com.

Premium content from Sacramento Business Journal by Debi Hammond

We look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime, feel free to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  We can’t wait to connect!