Trafcom News

Using new media to make the most of your event

I’m looking forward to be presenting this Webinar again: How to use new media tools to make the most of your event. I put this online seminar together last year to answer many of the questions I was hearing about conference podcasting, event promotion/marketing and so on. It’s designed for people who organize not only big conferences, but all-employee meetings, sales meetings and customer events too.
 
In this 45-minute Webinar on Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 2 p.m. Eastern time, we'll talk about:

• How to attract more attendees
• How to maximize the value of presentations, speeches and interviews at your meeting
• How to create audio and video content at your event so as to market your next event
• Using social networks to build a community around your event
• Gaining maximum communications value with minimal hassle

If you’re interested in this free Webinar, please send an email to Donna AT Trafcom DOT com and I will forward the registration instructions.

Using YouTube for good and evil

OK, evil is an overstatement. Within an hour today, I spotted two amazing uses of video to communicate. In the first case, some very smart people used cleverly made YouTube videos to help preserve funding for zoos, aquaria and botanical gardens in New York. Well done! (Thanks to B.L. Ochman for highlighting this on her blog.) Are you hungry? You won’t be after the second example. Here we have two not-so-bright Domino’s employees showing us one disgusting way to make a sandwich. (And I always thought the white dough was the part that would kill you.) Video, used right, can be a powerful medium. Unfortunately, video – and distribution via YouTube – in the hands of people incapable of seeing consequences beyond the next five minutes can lead to trouble. I wouldn’t want to be the PR person for Domino’s right now. UPDATE:More on the Domino's case from Consumerist.
ANOTHER UPDATE: I really like Shel Holtz's blog post on this topic.
Final UPDATE: Nice post from Neville Hobson.

Are you easy?

A few weeks ago, a client and I were working feverishly to finish a high-priority multimedia project when she remarked: “You make it so easy to work with you.” Later, when we were able to take a break, we talked about why she made this statement. You see, she had been working with several suppliers on this project, and a few of them were NOT making the job easy. For example:

• One guy didn’t know how to “get his email to work” while using the wireless network at the  client’s location. The whole team needed to work quickly and efficiently, and he was failing on both counts.
• Another supplier wanted to burn DVDs of multimedia content rather than FTP these large files. Truth be told, he didn’t know how to use FTP. I’m not sure he’d ever heard those three letters strung together.

I’m sure you can pick examples from your own experience: the person who truly doesn’t know how to search with Google (my friends on Twitter were joking about this recently, but believe me, I know people like this!); the supposed professional who types URLs in a search box;  the guy who looks quizzical when you say “RSS,” and the nice lady in the next cubicle who has no idea how to transfer photos from camera to PC.

And you know what? This is not an age thing. One of the most technically savvy people I know is 60 years old, and one of the most technically challenged is just 25.

Getting back to making it easy to work with  your clients… may I share a few tips from my two decades (and counting) of experience?

1. Ask how your client prefers to communicate. Some hate email; others abhor the phone. Find out what they like and then use that method whenever possible.
2. Set up your office so that you can easily transfer files, whether it’s via FTP or a service like YouSendIt. Put your fax machine in mothballs, unless you have a client who clings to fax transmissions.
3. Learn how to exploit the power of your computer, whether it’s  PC, Mac or Linux box (although chances are, if you’re running Linux, you’re pretty geeky, right?). Mac users can sign up for very inexpensive private tutorials at their local Apple store. For people on any platform, there are loads of free resources online.
4. Try to keep up with new software and technical developments so that you’re not mired in a time warp. If you feel stuck in 2002, start by reading David Pogue’s Circuits column in the New York Times. If you work in PR and communications, listen to For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report.
5. Always be clear about deliverables and timelines. Most problems occur because of misunderstandings about what’s due when.
6. Be easy to reach. This does not mean that you need to be accessible 24/7. I don’t give out my mobile phone number, but my clients know they can send an email or leave a message on my office line at any time, and I’ll get back to them quickly.

What tips would YOU add?