Further SmibsTV coverage highlights young entrepreneurs and community leaders who were in attendance at the artsScene event launch. Episode includes interviews with Alana Williams (artsScene organization committee), Kristi Sainchuk (owner of Ginger Apparel), Cam Linke (organizer of BarCamp/DemoCamp), Denise Lefebvre (visual artist), Amedeo Pagliuso (owner 29 Armstrong), and Kris Harvey (The Collective).

Check out Amadeo, 29 Armstrong and other businesses this Saturday June 13th as they host the “Al Fresco Block Party,” which begins at 4:00 pm and is located at 104th street and 102nd avenue. Expect to find a variety of food, beverages, and entertainment as the businesses on 104th street showcase themselves in a block party style event that will be a night to remember.

Also look for Cam Linke as he hosts BarCamp this Saturday June 13th from 10:00am to 5:00pm on the 6th floor of the Edmonton World Trade Centre. If you’re interested in the tech community this is definitely an event you dont want to miss. In the spirit of the Smibs Network, it’s also a great forum to meet creative professionals, share ideas, experiences and potentially collaborate on current and upcoming ventures.

Peter Urban talks to the Chair, Ken Bautista and Co-Chair, Michael Brechtel of artsScene, they discuss how artsScene came to Edmonton and why the arts is such an important element of society. artsScene is all about bringing the arts and business together and providing support to local artists. They organize many events throughout the year, with this event at Planet Z, their launch event, they had a huge success with over 100 people in attendance.

This is the first post in a 5 part series of articles I will be sharing discussing how audio and video blogging are changing the landscape of the Internet and how you can use these tools in business and in your personal life.

How we share information online is transforming. A decade ago, simply having a website made you more innovative than your competitors. In the beginning, online communication was completely controlled by the author allowing the reader little control over the content they were exposed to. Today, several innovations have changed the way in which we share information online. For example, the ability to hyperlink to content within a site/blog or to a completely different site provides more flexibility for the user by letting them finish the blog post or follow a suggested link.

More and more information sharing has become vertically integrated and hyper-specialized. Conventional, generic text-based websites are growing obsolete. Now, websites are being constantly upgraded and integrated to include images that act as links to  audio, video and themed music. Your online content must provide a specific service, or solve a specific problem. Users are searching for exact solutions to solve defined needs. Generally, if the user is not satisfied with the content on the page he/she will link out to a site better suited for their query. Using audio and video to support your online content will help satisfy a users specialized needs.

Greater network bandwidth, the use of standardized formats, and the overall commercialization of the Internet has changed both the geography and how we communicate online. A newer medium of communicating online is via video blogging and podcasting.  Podcasting emerged into the mainstream in 2005 after Apple added Podcasts into its Itunes platform. Immediately exposing podcasting to 40 million people. Within one week there were over a million new users. When implemented properly it can help you to gain exposure, market, and gain an edge over your competition.

Podcasting supports your desired message to the user by providing an easy and effective way to distribute audio and video files.  Previously, if I was having problems figuring out the sum function in Microsoft Excel I would have to look for an online forum, or find step by step textual instructions to help me out. Today, I simply go to websites like youtube.com or mrexel.com and watch step by step instructions on how to effectively use excel via video.  In this way, video blogging increases the efficiency by which we share information.

Not only do podcasts and video blogs help you to share information to a targeted  audience but they are an excellent way to give voice to your business. Video blogging enables you to tell an online story about your business. Who you are, what you do, and what your product is. Over the next couple weeks, I want to discuss ways to instigate, develop, and market video casts into an effective tool for your business.

Check Digg’s founder Kevin Rose’s video blogs on his vimeo page . Through his videos Kevin demonstrates new applications he has implemented into his websites and educates users on how to integrate them into his existing platform. What’s really awesome is that besides marketing his product, he essentially grants the viewer a window into his personal life, sharing his interests and experiences with them through his video blogs. Another great place to visit for video blogs is right here at SmibsTV .

My next topic will deal with the steps around planning an effective video blog.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

A talk by Robert Scoble – Peter Urban

P.S. After the talk we also recorded a SmibsTV episode with Robert, talking about the current economic development, his experience at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, what’s currently hot in Silicon Valley and how to survive the credit crunch as a blogger, freelancer and creative professional. The episode will be up early next week.

Writing non-profit copy is hardly straight-forward. It must carefully walk the line between polish and formality while setting itself apart from the doldrums of repetitive, tiresome catchphrases like “invaluable contribution” and “excellence in leadership” that seem endlessly interchangeable from organization to organization. It must celebrate the values of its organization without alienating the greater cause to which it is part. Good non-profit copy is the difference between an organization with goals and one who demonstrates unique ambition and drive towards achieving such goals.

All non-profit sectors come with a corresponding vernacular. If we consider environmentally conscious non-profits, words like “sustainability”,”preservation” and “quality” immediately come to mind. But are these words really different from say, a youth-focused group, with phrases like “happier, healthy futures”? All non-profits are united in the celebration of community and an improved global landscape for generations to come. Good non-profit copy highlights the key concerns of its organization whilst emphasizing the greater initiative shared among those who care about improving our world.

Indeed, marketing one’s organization whilst embracing the values of philanthropy requires a particular subtlety and balance. Be certain of your organization’s belief and value systems. If the Mission of your organization seems unclear, ask. Understand the assumptions that your organization makes in its understanding of the world, what the important factors are when your organization forms opinions, and what is at stake when they take action.

It goes without saying that the passion a writer has for their cause comes out in the felicity of their prose. Be clear, succinct, while graceful. Be persuasive, certain, while humble. This subtlety and balance comes with much trial and error, but it also comes with intuition, what do you expect from the writing that surrounds your life? Would you expect any less of your own writing? Hold it to a higher standard. Though deceivingly undervalued, your writing says much about what you, or your organization, are all about.

I think a lot of what I said applies directly to corporate copy. This notion of “knowing your business” is fundamental to marketing strategy, and building a vocabulary that fits your business model can be key to communicating the refined points of your mission to clients.

This equation works the other way around. Non-profits also have a lot to learn from marketing experts in the corporate sector. Check out these two websites, the first (obviously) corporate, the second non-profit.

http://www.apple.com/

http://www.housingworks.org/

(Thanks to Justin, a commenter on our blog, for pointing me in the direction of Housing Works!)

Aside from the obvious scheme differences, both of these sites are attractive, polished, and display information in a concise and orderly manner. Their design beckons further exploration. This type of design strategy has origins in the corporate sector, where the impetus is on selling commodities or services, and where the capability to attract the consumer’s eye and to fulfill their needs is the first necessary step in doing business with them. The non-profit site in this example, “Housing Works”, has clearly taken a cue from how the corporate sector effectively appeals to its target audience, it maximizes on visual appeal.

The non-profit site has also taken a corporate-cue in terms of copy. The tabs on the front page come with short and sweet descriptions of what the user can find through each link. Unlike many non-profit or government related sites where the copy is dense and hard to get through, “Housing Works” maximizes their user interface for friendly navigation. They optimize on fitting graphics and minimize on frustrating, jargon-filled language. In this way, the site appeals to users that might not yet be familiar with their mission and values, encouraging them to click around and become accustomed to the activist sentiments of the organization.

It would seem that the two sectors have a lot in common. Although they are selling different products to perhaps different target audiences, they are both selling in a fundamental way, and each can learn a lot from the other’s approach.

Image source: http://www.housingworks.org/services/

Great Web Copy is a Product of Teamwork

In the comment thread from my last post, Justin mentioned 37 Signals as a model for great web copy. I couldn’t agree more. For those of us looking to write smart, sharp marketing copy for the online software market, I think 37 Signals sets a high standard.

Consider this quote from their homepage:

Execution is everything.

We believe most software is too complex. Too many features, too many buttons, too much confusion. We build easy to use web-based products with elegant interfaces and thoughtful features. We’re focused on executing on the basics beautifully.

Source: http://www.37signals.com

Without getting too technical, I’d like to point out the consistent structural features of this snippet. The use of short sentences helps the copy pack a punch: each statement comes and says only what it needs to. Conventional grammar is abandoned in favour of information-stuffed fragments. The tone of the copy matches the mission of the company. Just like they want to simplify online software, 37 Signals accordingly communicates in a simple, no-nonsense fashion. Their software is friendly, so their copy is friendly.

Which brings me to what I believe to be the most important maxim of writing web copy: match your voice with your company. Short and sweet is nothing if your copy doesn’t have something more, its own unique voice. There is nothing that can improve your marketing better than a thorough understanding of your business’s mission and value system that goes for marketing in person, of course, as much as it does on the web.

My suggestion to web writers is to take the time to accustom yourself with the look and feel of your company, and this ranges from its webpage, to its physical office space, to the people who make the magic happen on a daily basis. Have a conversation with your coworkers about what your company means, what its ambitions are and what its core values boil down to. Write that stuff down, and highlight key words that come to mind. Here at Plainpeak, our philosophy always links back to “Grow Smart”. I find those two words surprisingly helpful when I’m struggling with marketing copy.

Justin also drew my attention to an incredible non-profit site called Housing Works. Next week I want to consider the differences and resonances between non-profit and corporate marketing copy: what can each of them learn from the other?

In the meantime, I am interested in more examples of great web copy. What are your favourites?

Image Source: http://www.avision2market.com/index.html

I figure, though, that there must be some basic know-how for web marketing copy that don’t come simply from practice and meticulous revision. Over the next few weeks I’d like to explore the web in search of online marketing copy dos and don’ts to share with you.

To begin, simply Google-ing “how to write web marketing copy” (yeah, I’m original) comes up with tons of great hits, both from blogs and from actual web-writing sites. One that caught my attention was the article “The Disgustingly Simple Rule for Web Writing That’s Awfully Hard to Swallow” that I found at www.copyblogger.com.

The point of the article is that web content needs to be “simple, succinct, and scannable,” because web browsers have high standards for use-ability and interface, and very little patience for clunky web design. The author encourages simplicity, arguing that web copywriters should economize on every word and phrase. No space or time can be wasted!

I completely agree, but part of the article’s reasoning for this emphasis on minimalism I take issue with: that online copy is somehow anti-intellectual. When it comes to web 2.0 marketing, I think “anti-intellectual” is an incredibly out-dated and unfitting sentiment. Many web 2.0 browsers are clever professionals with fast-paced jobs and, accordingly, fast-paced demands. I maintain that the “keep it simple” maxim stands for web copy, but this new body of online professionals demand something more from web copy. Its the something more I find difficult to describe, whether its a particularly well-tailored message, or perhaps even the voice of the copy (by which I mean, its personalized sound and feel).

So, I don’t think “clear and concise” is the whole story, nor would I agree that web copy is in any way “anti-intellectual.” Next week, I want to look at some successful web copy and try to pin down some more precise “dos.”

In the meantime, do you have any ideas about what the “magic formula” entails?

If you are a graphic designer looking for some spare cash or you are a small business with a limited marketing budget, crowdSPRING may be the site for you. Sure, the name is a little unclear and the capitalizing the last word may annoy you a little bit but this website is a great graphic orientated marketplace. Essentially, how it works is that businesses post a project with a specific request for some creative work (logos, website, etc.), add a monetary value and post it. Graphic designers can then search the projects and submit a corresponding design in an attempt to win the account. 

While no one is going to get rich winning these accounts (varying in the range of $150-$1000 generally), it is a great way for graphic designers to both add to their portfolio and earn a little additional income at the same time. The real benefit is for the small business owners that may have an extremely limited marketing budget but still want a professional result. The traditional approach would involve hiring an ad agency or design firm, which could cost thousands.

People concerned with security of their intellectual property have nothing to worry about as crowdSPRING has intergraded several measures designed to protect both the buyer and the seller. The site even has integrated a ‘Pro Project’ feature for clients who required a high degree of discretion, even as far as to implement non-disclosure agreements with the graphic designers. The result is a completely secure site that serves as a valuable service to independent graphic designers and small businesses.

(Editors note: crowdSPRING is currently competing in the Wired Small Business Program, check out their online video and if you like you can give them your vote.)

Recently, GOOD magazines’ daily newscast (with tiny newscaster Roger Numbers) covered a story about communities developing hometown currencies to spark the local economy.  These local currencies can be bought at a discounted rate (i.e.: 90 cents on the dollar) but then are accepted by local area businesses at full value. In this way, consumers are encouraged to buy local products. Apparently, many communities have been producing this type of local money for years with some currencies (the Massachusetts BerkShare) having issued as much as 1.5 million dollars.

In Canada we have two national currencies. Officially, we only have the Canadian dollar. It is well known for its colorful designs that emphasize nature, hockey and beavers. Our second (unofficial) currency is Canadian Tire Money, noteworthy for its pitifully low and awkward denominations and its resemblance to Monopoly money. Canadian Tire, it should be explained, is one of Canada’s largest retail and automotive outlets. Initially, Canadian Tire Money originated as a customer loyalty program in 1958 and remains arguably the most successful and well-known marketing campaigns in Canadian history. 

These secondary currencies encourage spending in the local economy and provide a boost to the businesses that accept the unique money. The alternative currencies also provide incentive for loyal and repeat customers (a highly coveted marketing demographic). It may not be the solution to the current economic problems but local currencies (if successful) can prove to be a powerful and enduring promotional tool.