Education

Debunking Work-Life Balance, The Healing Power of Poetry, And How Creativity Is Not Just About Being An Artist

Next on our podcast is James Nguyen! He is a serial entrepreneur and poet who has been a contributing writer on Forbes since 2016 and has been featured on global networks such as ABC, CNBC, and Sky News. He is currently the CEO of Inflexion Media, which scales companies, brands, and individuals by building media brands.

In this podcast, he talks to us about how important it is to do a job you love so that it doesn’t feel like work. Listen in and you’ll not only learn about improving your life, you’ll also get to hear one of James’s original poems.

Listen to the full episode here: Debunking Work-Life Balance, The Healing Power of Poetry, And How Creativity Is Not Just About Being An Artist

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) Behind The Scenes

How smooth are those transitions? Want to learn more about how to make videos like these that will help boost your brand? A good-quality video can be simple. We’ll teach you how to get started. 🎬

Amazing video by The Blink Fish!

Watch below!

Creatives Need To Get Out Of Isolation

“Action is the antidote to despair” a quote by Joan Baez, helps remind our podcast guest Albert Baez how to promote creativity.

Albert is the co-founder and President of Blended Sense, a media technology company in Austin, TX. They match the right creatives with small businesses to produce digital content to help them grow their companies.

You need to go out and experience the world in order to be inspired by it. Creativity doesn’t just come to you if you will it to, it’s something that needs to be nourished by the world around you. Listen in to find out how your experiences can inspire your creativity. Maybe you’ll find the piece you’ve been missing to propel your brand forward.

Find episode 71 on Spotify: Baseball Player to Sales Expert, Using Data And Tech To Find Creative Work, How Isolation Can Kill Creativity

Video Marketing Is A Good Investment

Have you found your engagement has slowed down lately? Or maybe it’s not growing as fast as you planned. You may have already heard that video content is the future. With TikTok’s popularity and now Instagram moving towards video content, it’s becoming more and more obvious that videos are the way most people want to consume content and information.

Invest in videos if you see your conversion rate drop. If you sell products, include videos highlighting what you sell. Customers, according to research, are more likely to purchase when they see one.

Invest in videos if you want to increase your brand loyalty. Create ones that are heartbreaking, educational, or even funny. Create ones that engage your customers' emotions, ones that will leave positive impacts on them.

Invest in videos if you don't see your brand on the first page of Google after two or three keyword searches. People love videos so they are a good way to improve SEO!

Invest in videos if onboarding is a challenge for your business. They can be effective in training and motivating your employees.

Invest in videos if people do not understand your products. Videos are the best engaging way to introduce and educate people about what you sell. Create how-to videos or demonstration videos if you must.

Lastly, invest in videos if you want to increase social interaction. Since people spend most of their time on social media, why not post videos that would stand out enough to stop them from scrolling?

You may have already heard that video content is the future. With TikTok’s popularity and now Instagram moving towards video content, it’s becoming more and more obvious that videos are the way most people want to consume content and information.

Credit: Convince&Convert 6 UNDENIABLE SIGNS YOU NEED TO INVEST IN VIDEO

How To Create Video Ideas Easily 2021

Do you need ideas for your content?

As an online creator, you know first-hand how much work goes into finding ideas for your next posts. Some creators make it look easy. They post multiple times a day and their content is flawless. How do they do it? You probably already know consistent posting is key to growing online. If you’re stuck in a bit of a content rut or you just want to learn easy ways to generate more ideas, watch for my three easy tips to finding content ideas. Your creativity will be flowing again before you know it!

Running A Creative Family Business in LA, Importance of Print In The Digital Age, And Finding Creative Fulfillment Outside of Your Craft

Our next podcast guest is Nicole Katz. She is the CEO of Paper Chase Press, a second-generation, family-run press in Los Angeles, providing clients cutting-edge printed media since 1976.

In this episode, we talk about creativity and how important it is for success. When designing a book, for example, creativity isn’t limited to the cover or the pictures inside. It is part of the entire design process of the printed work. Listen in to find out how Nicole expanded the limits of her creativity and how it helped her in business and in life.

Listen to the full episode here: Running A Creative Family Business in LA, Importance of Print In The Digital Age, And Finding Creative Fulfillment Outside of Your Craft

Don't Define Success By $$$

"If you had a dream or have a dream, and you've actually achieved it, don't necessarily put a dollar sign next to it then call it success."

Ivan "Flipz" Velez is a 3-Time World Champion B-boy, artist, choreographer, manager, producer, and dancer. He has been a leader and influential figure in the breaking scene. He also danced his way into 28 feature films, 84 TV shows, and even performed in the 2004 Olympics.

Revisit our podcast as we discuss how being prepared and constantly training on your craft allows you to take on challenging projects and use that mindset to evolve into more demanding roles. We talked about why paying it forward and helping your friends succeed is the best way to grow as a leader and creative professional. We also talked about the reason why artists should consider developing other streams of income in case their main skill gets jeopardized, and that success, in his eyes, is completing a lifelong dream regardless of how much money is given for compensation because actualizing a dream into reality is a success no matter how much you get paid.

The full episode is available to listen here: How Being Prepared Helps You Take On New Challenges, Importance of Multiple Income Streams For Artists, and The Best Way to Grow As A Leader

Brand Advertising Made Effective Using Animated Characters

What first comes into your mind when you hear brands like M&M's, Kool-Aid, and Pillsbury? What do these brands have in common? These are just among popular brands that have hopped on using iconic characters to boost their businesses.

Brands spend lots of time and effort coming up with ideas to create their characters. Some represent their values, some target to appeal to their demographics, and some are both.

Using animated characters provides benefits to brands. Since these are intellectual properties, brands can save up on expenses in their campaigns. They could use these characters in promotions and not worry about fees for celebrity endorsers and the like. Another is memorability. When consumers see these, they immediately know the brand and the products. Successful animated characters are even imprinted in merchandise, replicated as toys, and used for entertainment.

With the development of software and culture, animated characters have evolved over the years, but most have remained very iconic and nostalgic. It is crucial to carefully design your characters, making sure that it is not only visually appealing, but it also is something that your target audience would be able to relate and connect.

Credit: DigitalArts Why Animated Characters in Brand Advertising Are Grrrreat

The Best Apps for Video Editing

Curious about what software should you use in editing your videos? We have the answers for you! Choose a software that is suitable for your device and one that you would find easy to use. In this clip from our video content course, we teach you the best apps for video editing, giving you pros and cons for you to better decide.

Baseball Player to Sales Expert, Using Data And Tech To Find Creative Work, How Isolation Can Kill Creativity

Our next podcast guest is Albert Baez. He is the co-founder and President of Blended Sense, a media technology company in Austin, TX. They match the right creatives with small businesses to produce digital content to help them grow their companies.

Join us discuss his journey as a baseball player to becoming a B2B tech sales expert helping him build his business. We'll talk about how Blended Sense uses data to match the correct creative with the proper company to create a safe work environment that produces effective content. We also chat about why content is important for all parts of the business from marketing to sales to internal training, and why creatives need to get out of isolation and interact with other creatives to expand their opportunities and stay passionate.

You can now listen to the full episode here: Baseball Player to Sales Expert, Using Data And Tech To Find Creative Work, How Isolation Can Kill Creativity

Ancient Cosmetics body oil behind the scenes shot

Feel the fruity nourishment through the screen of this behind the scenes Ancient Cosmetics body oil commercial shot and edit by Sebastian Breuninger. 🥭 Watch below!

Work with people you want to work with

“So when we are in a situation where we are in a working relationship, we are invested. We are deep in it and we want this project to be a success!”

Ken Beasley shares the desire he and the team at Aid&Abet have for client success as it creates a lasting relationship to further grow business with that client.

Ken is the managing director of Aid&Abet, a strategic branding design agency specializing in elevating food and beverage brands.

Listen again as we discuss how he transitioned from working at non-profits to agencies because of his passion and energy to work in that world and to lean on your experience and ability to learn when dealing with imposter syndrome to take on challenges that seem out of reach. We also talk about how sustainability has been a key trending attribute for brand positioning for food and beverage brands.

The full episode is available to listen here: Marketing & Branding Trends In The Food Industry, Transitioning from Non-Profits to Agencies, And Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

How using cartoon characters are bound to boost your marketing strategy

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How would you like to create content that is understandable and engaging to your target audience? Adding cartoon characters as part of your post can be a viable tool to boost your marketing strategy. Boost your brand recognition, customer connection, and creative freedom when you use characters as part of your brand. Here’s why using cartoon characters is an excellent option to increase the engagement of your social media posts.

The content you post on the blog, email newsletter, or social media is for sharing information or news with your target audience. Your content has to be attention-grabbing for your viewers to read, view, or interact with your content. If you need more customers to interact with your content, using cartoon characters will help make your content more engaging and entertaining. A cartoon character is a useful marketing tool that will grab your audience’s attention first; they will continue reading your piece since it’s related to their pain points. According to research done by 3M Corporation, the brain processes visual media 60,000 times faster than text. Cartoon characters are helpful in this regard because they can keep viewers entertained as they view the content.

Content characters are a beneficial engagement tool in your marketing strategy because your target audience will have someone to relate to, connect with, and introduce your topics in a less complicated, visually stimulating way. Also, depending on your topic cartoon characters can address sensitive topics without it disturbing any viewers. A character made to represent your brand solely will help increase your brand recognition and help share your brand values because viewers will be able to point out your brand and products from the character and understand your values better. Feel free to place your characters in your ads, videos, and presentations. The more you include your character in your posts, the more of a positive impression and association it will have on your audience and further stand out from the competition.

Credit: UpCounsel Using Cartoon Characters for Business: What You Need to Know

How To Make Video Content For Your Business 2021 (Tips & Equipment Recs)

In this video, you'll learn how to make videos for your business without spending tons of money on equipment or an agency.

If you want to shoot videos on your own and in-house, so you can save money and have more control, you will learn everything you need to shoot, light, capture sound, and edit your content in this video. This is from 15+ years of production experience, film school, and videography gigs, so I know a thing or two about creating professional videos on a tight budget.

You'll learn how to light, capture sound, frame your subject, edit your content, and use screen recording software so you can create videos easily to save money.

Watch the whole video, and you'll learn everything you need to create video content without hiring a videographer or agency.

How Being Prepared Helps You Take On New Challenges, Importance of Multiple Income Streams For Artists, and The Best Way to Grow As A Leader

Let’s welcome our next guest, 3-Time World Champion B-boy, artist, choreographer, manager, producer dancer, Ivan “Flipz” Velez! Ivan has been a leader and influential figure in the breaking scene. He has also danced his way into 28 feature films, 84 TV shows, and even performed in the 2004 Olympics.

Join us for this discussion on the benefits of constant preparation and practicing your craft to tackle challenging projects and why artists should develop multiple income streams. We also dive into his view of the success of completing a lifelong dream regardless of compensation.

Listen to the full episode now on Spotify: How Being Prepared Helps You Take On New Challenges, Importance of Multiple Income Streams For Artists, and The Best Way to Grow As A Leader

Connect with your Superfans

“Make it up, send it to them, see what they think. And then start growing that, and using the data that you’re getting from the sales and across the board, and always bringing that to new buyers.”

In this clip from episode 68 of our podcast, NewPoint Marketing president Patrick Nycz shares how to use focus groups for your loyal customers or superfans to gain more insight into your target audience and increase sales.

Listen to this episode again as we talk about how a 360 review in his early career forced him to become a better leader and marketer and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can mentor and assist you in growing your brand. We also discuss why you should invite loyal customers to a focus group for needed insight into what consumers want to buy to increase future sales.

Find episode 68 on Apple Podcasts Career-changing 360 Review, Benefits Of A Focus Group, And The Importance Of Surrounding Yourself With The Right People

The secrets to creating engaging videos

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How do you keep your viewers glued to your video? What tools or strategies should your business implement to increase the engagement of your video? An engaging video is one of the key reasons why viewers stay focused on a video that has grabbed their attention. It’s one of the reasons why metrics such as click-through rate increase because something about that video persuades them to learn more about the company’s products or services. If you’re wondering why you need engaging videos and how to implement them into your strategy, stay tuned for some tips.

If you want your video watched, your video has to be relevant to your audience. The topic has to be relatable, solve your audience’s problem, and be interesting to your audience. If the content is not relatable, then it is less likely to be watched by your target audience. Even if the content is relatable, make sure it is told with a storyline, eye-catching thumbnails and graphics, titles, and descriptions to show your audience your video is relatable to them. It’s good to know your audience and diversify the type of videos you’re creating so that they are a mix of informative and entertaining videos. 

There are two strategies to making engaging videos. The first strategy is the active strategy. This strategy gives your audience a task to interact with your video. Some active strategies are to plan how they’re going to engage, interact, connect, and follow through with the article. This type of strategy works well when you’re educating your audience on a certain topic. For example, you’ll need to plan how you’ll teach them the material, how they’ll interact with the video through a survey or quiz, how they’ll continue to learn about this topic, and ask them to show you their results.

The next strategy is the passive strategy. This strategy relies on storytelling to grab the audience and share a message about your products, brand story, or business. For this strategy, talk with your audience in a conversational tone; as if they were your friend. This further increases the relationship and trust with your audience. You also have the opportunity to evoke emotion by being humorous, and energetic. Include jokes, B-roll, music, animation, heartfelt messages, and any emotion that will help push your message through. However, know when to include certain emotions and humor into your videos. Implement any of these strategies, passive or active, to create engaging videos for your business. 

Credit by: Matt Pierce Making Engaging Video

Best 5 Videos For Business & Brands 2021

In this video, you'll learn the top and best 5 videos that brands, businesses, and companies should make to grow.

Brands and businesses need video content these days to grow online. It doesn't necessarily mean just social media videos either. I discuss other types of videos you can use internally to train your employees, delight your customers, and convince prospects. I know this after working with multiple brands and companies, and it always comes down to these 5 types of videos that we always create.

These are basically the 5 essential videos you need as a business to grow your brand online and offline.

Watch the whole video and you'll learn everything you need to create the most crucial videos for any business.