3 Ways to Avoid the WORST MISTAKE in Digital Marketing: Formulaic vs Relationship-Based Marketing

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Forget “shiny objects” and “silver bullet” formulas. Please. There’s a better way. A much better way. And, in the age of coronavirus, it’s time to boil things down to the essentials, don’t you think?

Relationship-based marketing makes your business sustainable for the long haul, allows you to be of service in a way that’s meaningful to you, and creates a process that you can enjoy every step of the way.

In the episode of Video Mojo above, I do my best to will help you avoid the worst mistake in digital marketing (spoiler alert: it’s making your marketing all about the money) while illuminating the path to more satisfying forms of success.

About Video Mojo
Video Mojo is a video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland of https://www.combridges.com. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.

Resource Links from this episode:
– Robin Sharma “5am Club”: https://www.robinsharma.com/book/the-5am-club

I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback, or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):
* YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jonleland​/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joncombridges/
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/joncombridges​/
* Podcast Home: https://anchor.fm/video-mojo​/

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

3 Ways to Avoid the WORST MISTAKE in Digital Marketing: Formulaic vs Relationship-Based Marketing

Hi there and welcome to another edition of Video Mojo. My name is Jon Leland from ComBridges.com. Video Mojo is a podcast and a vlog that connects timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of video marketing and social media marketing.

Today we’re going to explore 3 principles to help you avoid the worst mistake in digital Marketing. In other words, why formulaic marketing hurts your brand and how relationship based marketing builds success.

This is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. It is something that bugs me in the marketplace where, I think, we all, in this day and age, have much more sensitive “bullshit meters” than ever before. We recognize hype, we recognize when people are trying to manipulate us, and now with coronavirus and kind of a reinvention of our entire society (at least I hope in some ways), more and more people are trying to focus on what is essential and important in life. This contrast between what I call relationship-based marketing and manipulative or formulaic marketing is really at the heart of the matter.

I think that the worst mistake that you can make in digital marketing is to make it all about the money. Formulaic marketing taps into this kind of myth that I think a lot of people have, that there can be a silver bullet. That if you just follow this formula A-B-C-, it’s a guaranteed six to seven figures. We all know it’s a myth. It’s just a false promise and people are playing on the entrepreneurial spirit that’s out there, genuine authentic longing to be of service. And they are capitalizing and going – well these are the tips and tricks -. I think we all have a propensity to look for shiny objects, quick fixes, and that kind of thing. But you know, stay away. I think that is the worst mistake not only to buy into that but also to think that that’s a recipe for success.

To be clear, I’m not saying that techniques and strategies such as sales funnels or email sequences are bad per se. There are a lot of very solid techniques but there’s a fuel that powers them. And that’s the things that I’m most passionate about and why I’m involved in online marketing. So I want to offer you 3 key principles that I think really make marketing work in the face of all this bull.

1- Make Authentic Human Connections

So #1 is the fact that we need to make authentic human connections. That’s why this is Video Mojo and why I’m such a big proponent of online video. We need to make human connections. Those human connections need to be fueled by value.

2 – Human Connections are Fueled By Value

I am reading a book right now by Robin Sharma called The 5 am Club. And he talks throughout the book about this goal which is to serve as many people as possible. And I think that’s something that, if not all of us, most of us want to do is have our work, serve as many people as possible.

That is the second principle is if it’s heart oriented, if you’re really coming from service people get that and that builds on the human connection and allows you to really make a difference.

3 – Marketing is a Long-Term Process

The third principle is that you really have to look at marketing as a long-term process. I heard the famous quote recently that you shouldn’t confuse the map with the territory. The map, or the design, or the strategy is really one thing but the territory is the landscape and in marketing, it’s the environment that we’re working within. If you’re going to build authentic long-term relationships, which I do think is a very real definition of success, authentic long-term relationships, it’s a process. No relationship is built in one day or in one event. Basic marketing principle being multiple touches and basics of relationship-building is contribute, contribute, contribute, and always be adding value.

I love the expression “Lead With Value”. You offer your service, you offer value. The people that I know and admire that have been really successful in online marketing have generated tons of free content. And this is my modest effort, Video Mojo. No charge, no sales pitch. I’m out here trying to make a difference, trying to help people do better heart-based, relationship-based marketing, rather than the kind of formulaic stuff that is so prevalent and so hyped.

I think the bottom line is, how do you define success? There are many definitions of success but I can tell you that if you make it all about the money that is very short-sighted and not sustainable. People can smell when what you’re doing is really “I just want sales, I’m just after your money”. On the other hand, if you’re coming from being of service, people can taste that and they can get a real sense that you’re here not for the money necessarily. Although, I believe the money follows and this is what fuels a long-term business that’s sustainable. They get the sense that that’s why you’re here, you’re around and you’re consistent. That’s one of the big things I’ve talked about here over and over again, consistent content and consistent presence. That’s the kind of thing that builds what I think is a definition of success which is sustainable long-term relationships.

Business is about relationships. When you’re present and leading with value then I think that you have kind of marketing that can work and that will feed you all along the way so that you can become part of a learning process and evolve and develop relationships over time. It’s a long game but that’s a game worth playing and a game that you can enjoy every step of the way.

That’s this episode of VIdeo Mojo. If you’re looking for more episodes, there’s a youtube channel or also on my website ComBridges.com/blog. On the blog is where you can find all the episodes including transcripts. I look forward to your feedback as always I’m very grateful for your time and attention and we’ll see you next time.

Zoom Meetings: Learn the #1 Thing That Can Make Your Virtual Gatherings More Powerful & Productive

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In the age of coronavirus, Zoom Meetings have become an essential way for groups to connect; but making these virtual gatherings powerful and productive is not so easy. Many people are still learning what it takes to be present without causing distractions. In other words, for groups larger than a half dozen, technical facilitation is required. In fact, having a dedicated technical support person to guide everyone in how to participate without detracting from the group’s energy can make a huge difference. Please watch the video below to learn more.

About Video Mojo
Video Mojo is a video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland of ComBridges. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.

Resource Links from this episode:

I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Zoom Meetings: Learn the #1 Thing That Can Make Your Virtual Gatherings More Powerful & Productive

Hi and welcome to Video Mojo.

My name is Jon Leland and Video Mojo is a combination of timeless marketing principles and a playful exploration of the bleeding edge of social media and digital video.

Today we’re talking about digital video and the number one thing that you can do to make your Zoom meetings more powerful and productive.

You know, as I’ve been talking about digital video literally for decades. One of the original concepts that came to me was something I call the media proverb which is,
“It’s always more complicated than you think it is.”

Just because everybody is doing Zoom meetings now doesn’t mean that we’re doing them right. In fact, we’re seeing so many issues that even Saturday Night Live chose to make fun of all the ways that people do Zoom meetings wrong.

In this world that we have now where connecting via video has become so much more important, I think it’s really valuable to be conscious about the way we create a container for communities and get-togethers. To be clear, I’m not talking about two or three or even four or five people having a social gathering on Zoom. I’m talking about meetings where there can be 30 to 50 people and more.

Brene Brown offered some emotionally intelligent ideas that she uses with her Zoom meetings of 30 people on her team in order to get people into a more conscious space and to allow for all the intensity of emotions that are going on these days.
https://www.inc.com/betsy-mikel/how-brene-brown-runs-emotionally-intelligent-zoom-meetings.html

What’s clear is that we’re moving into a new world. So these kinds of online meetings and virtual connections, particularly the bigger ones where you’re talking about dozens or even hundreds of people, become more and more important. We want to create the container in a safe way, we want to create it in a conscious way, and we don’t want all of these distractions.

So the thing that I think is missing actually harks back to all the conversations about digital video, just because one person can run a whole meeting doesn’t mean that they should. I’ve been facilitating webinars for a client and we have two people managing the technology backend, making sure that things run in a smooth and professional way. In smaller meetings, such as meetings I have recently attended with 30 to 50 people, just having one person dedicated to managing the technology and giving people guidance and support makes a huge difference. If you don’t have that then you will have all these rough edges and distractions. People don’t understand that they really have to take responsibility for their audio and mute and unmute appropriately. I think having a technological project manager is the number one thing that we should to have to in order to have foundation and support in your large scale Zoom meetings.​ And when we conduct Zoom meetings in a professional way then they become a more solid, more productive container, and as a result generates a more powerful community..

I really want to encourage anyone that’s doing anything more than just a casual or small meeting with less than a half a dozen people, make sure that you have someone holding the space technologically, giving people coaching, providing real-time tech support, so that everybody can be on the same page and understand kind of the technological etiquette of making sure you muted or unmute and knowing where those controls are.
Knowing how the chat works so that if you want to chat to the whole group, you chat to the whole group. If you want to chat to an individual, you do it that way. Little things like that make a difference and help us build a stronger community through more productive and powerful Zoom meetings.

Please let me know what else you want to know about Zoom, about digital video and online. I’m here to help and thank you again as always for your kind attention. I look forward to seeing you next time.

Go Beyond Best Practices: Email Is Your #1 Marketing Tool (but not the way you think)

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Now, more than ever, it’s essential to do what works. Why would you want to do anything else!?

​This episode of Video Mojo explains why email works so well in today’s digital marketing mix. This video will also help you avoid a couple of fundamental yet common mistakes:

  1. Don’t be distracted by formulaic solutions like ‘best practices” or “quick tips” that some huckster says is a “silver bullet.”
  2. Don’t be fooled by “shiny objects” like the latest and greatest social media networks (or Facebook Ads) with the result that you overlook the power of email to deliver the kind of consistent value that truly connects you with the people (real human beings) that are most important to you.

If making meaningful and authentic connections that lead to sustainable, long-term relationships matters to you, then please check out this episode and let me know what you think. Thanks!

About Video Mojo

​Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.

Resource Links mentioned in this episode:

I’d love to hear if you find this vlog post useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):

VIDEO TRAnSCRIPT:

Go Beyond Best Practices: Email Is Your #1 Marketing Tool (but not the way you think)

Hi and welcome to Video Mojo! 

This is a weekly video blog and podcast that combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of the bleeding edge of video communications, online marketing, and all kinds of good stuff like that. 

This week I’m talking about:

Beyond Best Practices: Email is your number one marketing platform, but not the way you think. And how to make your emails massively more effective.

So let’s start with fundamental principles. Digital marketing is about relationships. Really all marketing and business are about relationships. And not only is marketing and business about relationships but when you build them online it HAS to be recurring. 

I’m going to be interviewing Jay Acunzo on Video Mojo and his Marketing Showrunners company has this line.

“Great marketing isn’t about who arrives, it’s about who stays.” 

That really is what I’m talking about. That is how you can use email to be your #1 tool. You can keep people coming back and stay engaged with the people who care about the value that you are offering. 

How do you build relationships using all of these latest greatest online marketing tools? Well, email is often overlooked. It’s interesting, when people are starting out and building an online presence, they know they need a website but they don’t often think about the email list as a primary way that they connect. People don’t always go to your website, for example, but they do always go to their inbox. If you’re leading with value, as I like to say, then you’re visiting them and having the opportunity for multiple touches. And that really is one of the main reasons that email is the #1 marketing tool. You get to go back again and again as long as you build a relationship, lead with value, and give some meaning for you to be there. 

Seth Godin defines “permission marketing as the privilege (not the right) to deliver anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them” 

So how do you do that? How do you deliver email messages that people actually want to read? Well, the first thing is the  #1 principle, keep it simple! The biggest and most common mistake that I see is complicated, convoluted, long newsletter-style emails. That’s not really something that has much appeal. But a personal meaningful message that really is designed to give your most important followers the value that they’re looking for, on message with the way that you contribute, that is something valuable. 

How do you get them to understand that? It actually starts with the subject line. At last year’s Crafts + Commerce, the Convertkit conference – that I’ll be going to again this June – I heard Karen X talk about viral videos. She emphasized that it all starts with the headline. So when you’re doing videos and you want people to find them, the subject matter actually begins with the title. And with an email, equally important if not more so is your subject line. Because obviously if people don’t open the email then it doesn’t matter how good it is and how much valuable content it is. That subject line is how you let people know the value that you’re trying to deliver. 

What is the fundamental game-changer? Being intimate and personal, rather than the more conventional approach to digital marketing – a shotgun blasted out, see what comes back. You really want to make an intimate personal connection rather than some kind of manipulative selling. 

Keep it simple, keep it focused. It doesn’t have to be glitzy. Definitely don’t make too many notes, too long, or too complicated. But keep it valuable and let people know with the subject line how you are going to help them. That simplicity of focus on being valuable and being of service is what will keep people engaged with you and deliver the holy grail of building relationships, online meaningful, authentic, sustainable relationships with what you’re doing online and email is your best channel to do that because it has that conversational recurring basis. 

One final tip: A lot of people tell me that they’re worried about a weekly frequency, that people will turn them off. Well, if you’re being valuable on a consistent weekly basis, that actually is the real secret sauce of building relationships and keeping it going. The unsubscribers, don’t worry about them. They’re not your people. The people who engage and read on a regular basis and appreciate what you’re doing, that’s the real gold. 

That’s video mojo for this week. Thank you so much for your kind attention. 

I look forward to your feedback questions and suggestions and I’ll see you next time!

3 Types of Ad-Free Social Media Engagement: The Building Blocks of a More Attractive Online Presence

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Social media networks are a whole new kind of communication opportunity; but too many people and organizations are either confused, over-whelmed or just “don’t get it.”

In only four minutes, this episode of Video Mojo describes and illustrates three types of social media posts that have no advertising expense required. Each type of post is used by my company, ComBridges, in order to help our clients and ourselves. By using all three types of posts, we more present on social media; and, we “lead with value” to build authentic, sustainable long-term relationships. Please check it out and let me know what you think:

Click above to watch this week’s Video Mojo video blog & podcast episode.

About Video Mojo
​Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.

If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please let me know (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever ;-):
​
* Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/joncombridges/
* YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jonleland​/​
* Vlog Home: https://www.combridges.com/blog​/​
* Podcast Home: https://anchor.fm/video-mojo​/​
* On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/video-mojo-jon-leland-tips-strategies-for-better-world/id1489867374?uo=4​​
* On Spotify Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ORM2qja8iMWM9ykwvhaXk​
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/joncombridges​/​
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/combridges.fb/​
* LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jonleland/​

Thanks!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

3 Types of Ad-Free Social Media Engagement: The Building Blocks of a More Attractive Online Presence

Hi and welcome! My name is Jon Leland and this is Video Mojo. 

Video Mojo is both a video blog and a podcast that combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of, what I call, the “bleeding edge” of both digital video and social media. 

Today we’re going to dig into social media a little bit. 

There are 3 types of ad-free social media posts. They’re kind of the online building blocks of a vibrant authentic social media presence. They exist within, what I would call, the social media ecosystem. I’m not going to get into social media content marketing campaigns today, which are really kind of fundamental. With whatever we do in social media we want to lead with value. We always want to contribute and make a difference before we ask for a sale. Relationships are built over time through multiple touches so you want to show up in the marketplace as a valuable contributor. What this post is about is the 3 types of social media posts. Once you have done your content marketing and developed your own original and valuable content there are other things that you can do, the building blocks, that will help you stay present and build relationships. I’ve broken that down into 3 distinct types of social media posts. 

Type 1:

Social media posts type 1 are original visual designs that are linked to your own content. We see those all the time as quote graphics or quote memes. They come out of our own content or creations. We develop original graphics so that they reflect the brand of our client as well as the message of our client and they’re our core value messages. They may reflect values literally or they may reflect the communication mission, if you will, of what that clients work is about and what their niche is about. 

Type 2:

The second type of posts are content curation posts. Next week I think I’m going to get into a tool to help enable content creation. But within the niche, again following the same focus, there are other contributors. There are other people publishing valuable content. So for example, my client The Soul of Money Institute likes gratefulness.org. They are very aligned with their values and so we might repost a blog post from that site. 

Type 3:

The third type of social media posts are retweets or repost, usually on Instagram or Twitter, where you are using other posts or other kinds of content that are being posted and are relevant to what you’re doing. A good example of this in our business is we represent the Marin Airporter, the local airport bus service. People will post pictures of their experience with Marin Airporter and their joy of travel using #MarinAirporter. 

**Bonus**

And then finally, not really a kind of post but, is being involved and monitoring what is going on and responding to comments. I call it conversational engagement. It is a really important piece of the service. If you are going to have a social media presence you certainly want to be responsive and engaged with the people that are liking, retweeting, commenting, and answering questions. 

I’m always looking for your feedback, because I would love to do more of the kind of posts that you want to hear. So please let me know. And again, I am very very grateful for your presence. 

Thank you so much for watching or listening and I’ll see you next week!

50 Years Connecting People Who Care: Lessons from 1970 That Still Matter

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I’m feeling vulnerable as I step into owning my history as a media innovator. Can it really be 50 years?!

In doing this week’s Video Mojo, I discovered that “Connecting People Who Care” is more than just words for me. It’s a thread that somehow flows through all of my work.

Click above to watch this week’s Video Mojo video blog & podcast episode.

The meaning of this phrase is also important because it is an invitation to take action, to make a difference with what we do, to step into the spotlight and in front of the camera. As Scoop Nisker used to say, “If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own!”

​This week’s episode unpacks all of this in less than 5 minutes and also has some pretty interesting photos from back in the day. 🙂 Click above to watch now.
​​
​About Video Mojo
​Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland (that’s me!). It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & marketing.

Resource Link from this episode:
​“The Revolutionary Resonances of Dancing Bear”:
Another essential story connecting 1970 with today
​https://medium.com/@jonleland/the-revolutionary-resonances-of-dancing-bear-cd887eced90c ​

I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):

* Video Launch Pad: https://go.combridges.com/video-launch-pad​
* YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jonleland​
​* Video Blog Home: https://www.combridges.com/blog​
* Podcast Home: https://anchor.fm/video-mojo​
* On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/video-mojo-jon-leland-tips-strategies-for-better-world/id1489867374?uo=4​
* On Spotify Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ORM2qja8iMWM9ykwvhaXk​
* Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/joncombridges/
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/joncombridges​
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/combridges.fb​
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonleland​

Thanks!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

50 Years Connecting People Who Care: Lessons from 1970 That Still Matter

Hi there and welcome to another edition of Video Mojo, my video blog and podcast that combines timeless marketing principles with state-of-the-art technologies, tools and tips. 

I usually say that I’ve been a media innovator for decades, but the truth is that it’s been 50 years! And that’s kind of a vulnerable thing for me to say because people can figure out that, hey, I’m more than 70 years old. The innovation and the process also is what fuels today’s podcast and this episode and why am I doing this in the first place. So that’s a thread I want to make. What is 1970 and the network that I started, a radio network that I started in 1970, have to do with what I am doing here in 2020 And there really is a solid connection. 

So, yes, I have been a media innovator for 50 years. In 1970 I planted the seeds of the first narrowcast network. It was a radio network that was targeted to a specific audience and that wasn’t being done back in those days. I was up in Seattle, there was a trial called the “Seattle 8” and I started doing the new feeds to the Pacifica stations. This led me to doing news feeds to Pacifica stations, other lister supported stations, FM rock stations like KSan in San Francisco, WBCN in Boston, WNEW in New York. There’s a whole bunch of them and dozens of college stations around the anti-war movement. 

So what does that have to do with today? Well, the reality is that I’m really looking—and still exploring and still learning—how does it work to enable people? I mean I am into empowering people to use the power of new media and these amazing tools. The fact is that the iPhone that I am shooting this video on is shooting a quality of video that wasn’t even imaginable in those days. And we all have this kind of capability in our pocket. How does that democratization of media help people to tell better stories? Help people to make better connections in communities of people who care? 

So that’s what I am exploring. 

I call this program sometimes a “joyful exploration” because I’m still learning: how do we connect people? 

Back in 1970, I was connecting people who cared about the anti-war movement, who wanted to spread news about other people who were demonstrating. And today I’m doing this video blog and podcast in order to see what happens. How do people connect when they have the courage to take action? And when they have the courage to express their voice, to let their voice come forward and to use these amazing, powerful new tools. 

So there really is a thread that I really wasn’t even aware of until (#1) I had the courage to say you know, I have been doing this for 50 years and, yes, I am more than 70 years old and (#2) There is a power to communication. There is a power to authentic connection and there is, in particular, a power to people who want to take action and are willing to express themselves and get themselves out there… whether it’s in the streets, on YouTube, wherever. 

So, I want your feedback. But even more than that, I want your participation. 

Let me know what is working for you and what is not. 

Back in the day when I was doing media, in the ’70s and ’80s, I had a guy named Scoop Nisker on a TV show that we did. And Scoop used to always close is radio shows with this line, he would say:

“If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.”

So, that’s what this is about. 

And then also, I wanted to share another quote with you because one of my clients, The Soul of Money Institute, we shared this quote from Daniel Berrigan.

Daniel Berrigan said,

“The difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything” 

So get out there and make the news, make your own news, and I look forward to working with you. I look forward to collaborating with you, and I look forward to hearing about what works and what doesn’t work. 

Next week I’m going to get more specific about some video tools so we will try a whole other kind of episode, but I look forward to your feedback and as always I’m really grateful for your kind attention. 

I’ll see you next week!

Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog – A Content Marketing Distribution Innovation

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What?!? You turned your video blog into a podcast? Yes, I did! ????

If you want to know how and why I did this, please watch this video:

This Weeks Power Briefing, Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.

What I did is: To get started, I stripped the audio off of a few of my video blog episodes, successfully put the Anchor.fm online app to work, and my video blog—now named “Video Mojo”—is now available via all of the major podcast distribution platforms. Here are a few links, in case you’d like to listen:

Join Us for a Free “Beyond Storytelling” Video Session

I’ve added a new service: Free Video Sessions. This is new way for us to connect as a virtual community, and for me and my friends to offer you complimentary support. You might think of these as a kind of “enhanced” Ask Us Anything experience. Basically, there will be a short interview followed by open Q&A so we can interact and be as helpful as possible. There’s no telling what might happen.

The first Free Video Session will be next Tuesday, December 17th at 11am PT / 2pm ET via Zoom Video. My guest will be my soul-full friend, the inspiring and empowering, Michael Kass, who takes storytelling to a more meaningful level. We are calling this session, “Beyond Storytelling” and it’s a chance to truly enliven your online communcations… well, all of your communications!

Yes, I will record this session and distribute via the podcast, video blog channels, and these emails; but if you have a question, problem or challenge that you think Michael or I might help with, think of this as an opportunity to get free coaching in a virtual group setting. Register Now for Free Here

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.

Hi there, and welcome. Welcome to Video Mojo which is my short-form podcast and video blog about making more meaningful online connections for a better world. 

Today’s subject is “Hello Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.”

Connecting Vlogging & Podcasting

As some of you know if you watched earlier episodes, one of my axioms is “It’s Not HOW to Distribute the Content that you Create, It’s HOW ELSE to Distribute the Content that you Create.” And I’m reporting success in walking my talk in that regard, because the video blog that I’ve been doing on YouTube, I’ve also been putting on Instagram TV, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so forth. It is now also a podcast; and it’s available on Apple Podcasts (the iPhone app), available on Spotify, and on all the major podcasting applications.

I had this idea: I know that there are a lot of people distributing podcasts on YouTube, and I decided to follow the example of some people I admire. Derek Sivers is a great author and entrepreneur who founded CD Baby. He does a short-form podcast that’s just a couple minutes. Likewise, Naval Ravikant, who’s a VC financial guy, also does a short-form podcast and puts it on YouTube. They both do the very short form kind of podcast like this one. 

One difference is that they don’t do video. I originate with a video, do the video distribution, and have made the bridge the other way from YouTube and video into podcasting. I think that’s kind of innovative. I’d love to know your point of view about it. But the point is that it makes this content more accessible. As long as I’m producing content, it makes sense to have it out there. 

A Great App for Podcast Distribution

I do have an application tip that I want to share with you. I’ve made the podcast happen through a free application called anchor.fm. They did a great job! All you need is a title, a description, and some cover art. They’ll let you do some very simple cover art (within their app), but we created a custom graphic for Video Mojo. They literally took care of the rest at no charge. So I really recommend this app. It is a big time-saver. 

Free Video Sessions

I also want to tell you about an exception because occasionally I will do long-form episodes of this podcast and video blog. Those (longer episodes) will come out of some free public open group sessions. I’m calling them “Free Video Sessions.” The first free live video session is going to be with my good friend Michael Kass, who is an amazing storytelling expert. In fact, he takes storytelling to a deeper level of authenticity that I find inspiring and valuable. We’re calling the session “Beyond Storytelling” because we’re really going to talk about how to approach storytelling in a way that is not about transactions or selling stuff, just like I’m not selling anything here. It’s a free conversation and we’re not going to be selling anything in that free session either. 

It’s going to be Tuesday, December 17th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific and 2:00 p.m. Eastern. The link is here on the screen for you. And please join us by registering. You’ll get the recording if you register or it’ll be available via the podcast a little bit later. 

So, thanks so much for your kind attention. I love sharing this information with you. Questions are welcome. Comments and feedback at any time. Thanks again we’ll see you next week!

3 Reasons Why a Website Is NOT a “Web Presence” & What It Takes to Be EFFECTIVE with Digital Marketing

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Fact: Websites are totally over-rated as marketing tools. 

Websites aren’t even an “online presence” anymore. If you’re living in the past and think all you need is a website in order to be “present” online, then this video is for you:

This Weeks Power Briefing, 3 Reasons Why A Website Is No Longer An “Online Presence”

Online marketing or digital marketing is constantly changing, especially if you are interested in (or committed to) making authentic, meaningful connections with your prospects, customers, clients, or community.

The video above summarizes three key reasons why a website alone is no longer an effective strategy for online marketing. It also offers a fresh approach that can help you build more meaningful connections online. Enjoy!

Resource Link, an earlier Video Blog Post that was mentioned:
“Why SEO is so YESTERDAY for Online Marketing.”

If you are so inclined, please share, comment and all that good stuff. It really helps!

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all (US & otherwise).

NOTE: By this time next week, in addition to being on my ComBridges blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, this video blog will also become a podcast. And it will be known as Video Mojo! It’s already on Spotify here. Whoo-hooo! ☺️

VIDEO Transcript:

3 Reasons Why a Website Is No Longer an “Online Presence”

Hi there, my name is Jon Leland and this is Video Mojo, where we talk about making meaningful marketing connections for a better you, a better me and a better world. 

Today’s subject is “3 Reasons Why a Website is No Longer a Web Presence.”

Reason #1: Marketing Is About Relationships

When people think about being present on the web and doing any kind of marketing online, the first thing they want to do is create a website; and then maybe they think about search engine optimization or SEO. That’s another video I did earlier about “Why SEO is so Yesterday.” 

It’s even more fundamental than that. A website is not a web presence because number one, marketing is about relationships. And that’s a theme here on Video Mojo, we’re always talking about how we build better relationships and make better connections for meaningful marketing. So, if you want to make better marketing and you have to make better relationships. And, at the end of the day, a website is just a brochure. 

So, the number one reason that a website is not a web presence is because it really doesn’t create relationships. There may be a need for you to have an online brochure. That’s perfectly valid. But if you want to reach out and you want to create new relationships, then a website is not sufficient at all. 

Reason #2: Relationships Require Multiple Touches

The second reason is that if you want to build relationships it requires time. It requires multiple touches and that doesn’t happen on a website. 

People visit your website and they’re there and gone very quickly. If you want to have multiple touches and create a conversation—which is what it takes to have a meaningful relationship—then you have to be consistent. You have to be putting out what we call in marketing “multiple touches.” So, that happens via email, that happens via social media, that’s where the real interactivity or engagement happens. 

It happens on social media. It happens on email because you’re reaching people where they spend time every day. They don’t spend time on your website or looking for your website, but they do spend time scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. They do spend time in their email inbox… God knows. 

So, those are the places where you need to show up on a consistent basis. 

Reason #3: You Must Be Consistently Valuable

The third reason that a website is not an online presence is that it takes that kind of consistent value, being consistently valuable in order to build a relationship. So, you have to offer things on an ongoing basis. I am an advocate of a weekly minimum frequency, just like we’re doing here on Video Mojo. I’m doing my darndest to create a weekly video blog post and podcast in order to be consistently valuable. 

I’m walking my talk in that regard, and I think that’s what it takes to build a new kind of engagement with a conversation. 

So, just having a website is not sufficient if you want to create engagement, if you want to create meaningful connections. 

A Website is Not a Web Presence!

Being consistently valuable online via social media and email, that’s where you can create a conversation. That’s where you can have multiple touches, and that’s how you create a meaningful connection. 

Thank you so much for watching. I’m really grateful for your kind attention.

Happy Thanksgiving if you’re watching in that kind of timeframe and Happy Holidays. I look forward to seeing you next week!

With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”

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Greetings and Happy Almost Thanksgiving.

I’m grateful for you. No joke.

This week, I’m excited to share a video about the power of getting your message OUT. We all want more people to see, hear and appreciate what we offer, right?

If you do, please remember that producing your marketing videos (and great content in general) is JUST A START!

A very common mistake is to think that once you’ve posted whatever you’ve created on YouTube or Facebook, then you’re done. Not true!

Getting creative with distribution—or what Jay Baer calls the “amplification layer”—across multiple social media networks, in a variety of forms helps to leverage the power of what you’ve produced and gives your content much greater reach and impact.

That’s why I’m exploring new kinds of distribution, from “videos as podcasts” to IGTV (Instagram TV). This video explains why:

Video blog post: With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”

This video blog post is designed to help you get more out of your marketing videos, blog posts, or other kinds of content. It offers both encouragement and video marketing tips.

​This video blog post is designed to help you get more out of your marketing videos, blog posts, and/or all of the other kinds of content that you create.

It offers both encouragement and video marketing tips. Please let me know what you think.

LINKS

And, if you want to get yourself or your company/organization on an empowering fast-track to creating and distributing social video posts successfully, please check out our Video Launch Pad.

And here’s the link to the Jay Baer video blog post on “Content is Fire. Social Media is Gasoline” that’s referenced in the video above.

Edited Transcript:

With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”

Hi and welcome. My name is Jon Leland and I’m a Video Explorer who loves exploring all the different ways that video can be used online to create meaningful connections. 

“Great Content Creates Audience”

One of my favorite subjects on the topic of today’s video is when you’re doing video marketing, the question is not “how to distribute” the question is “how else to distribute”, and this is near and dear to my heart because it’s part of the fun that I have. Part of the reason why I call myself a Video Explorer, is that I’m exploring all the ways that video can create meaningful connections and that involves so many different forms. 

It’s almost like video has a different language. On Instagram TV, certainly, it does in a new platform like TikTok and obviously YouTube is different, LinkedIn is different. So when we create content, which is the fuel of content marketing that’s what happens. Jay Baer, a famous author famously has said that “content is fire, social media is the gasoline.” So there’s this amplification layer as he calls it. I will link to a video of him talking about this in the show notes of this video blog post. 

When you create content, you have to think about how best to leverage it

When you’re creating content, you have to amplify it, you have to distribute it. So that’s part of what I’ve been exploring is all the different ways to take these video blog posts and not just put them on YouTube, but for example not just put them on LinkedIn either. 

LinkedIn is really important, I do business with other businesses called b2b marketing so LinkedIn is a primary distribution method for me. Do I just post a link to the YouTube video on LinkedIn? No, I upload the video directly to LinkedIn; it’s called a native video on LinkedIn, so that it appears within the feed as moving video with the lower-third subtitles. Do I stop there? No. I create LinkedIn articles so that the video also appears within a LinkedIn article and that gets more distribution and more visibility. 

So one of the things that’s come up recently is we’ve rolled out a whole system that we help other people also to distribute their videos across multiple platforms, is this relationship between podcasting and video blogs. 

You may or may not know that there are a lot of people who actually treat YouTube as a radio and they listen to podcasts on YouTube. We’re now moving towards using these video blog posts in order to create a podcast and short form podcasts are a thing now so you’ll soon see this video blog as a podcast. 

Do It Yourself or Get Help?

That’s something that I’m excited about and that’s another example of this really important principle, which is not how to distribute but how else to distribute. It’s a very common error that businesses make when they start up, they want to create the content, but they don’t think about marketing the content. Or they want to create a product, but they don’t think about how are they going to market the product, what’s the right budget, what are the right avenues, how do you do that. Same thing with content marketing and video marketing. 

It’s not just about creating the content, it’s about distributing it, building that audience, building that community, and ultimately building meaningful relationships and connections. So that’s today’s video blog post. 

If you want to know more about how we help companies and people to do video marketing and to distribute social media and video blog posts, please check out combridges.com or go to go go.combridges.com/video-launch-pad. Our video launch pad offer is specifically where we help people to distribute video across multiple platforms and to get started in the whole game of video marketing. 

Thanks again so much for watching. I really appreciate it and look forward to your comments and suggestions. See you next week!

3 Ways Video Can Build Trust & Meaningful Digital Connections

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Trust matters!

In today’s online, social media environment, trust matters more than ever before. Here’s why.

Everyone wants to filter out the BS, the hype, the sales pitches, and the get rich quick schemes. How do you do that? While browsing, you gather “data”—usually very quickly—in order to figure out whether or not you can trust someone. You want to know if they are really going to be of service and whether or not they actually care about offering something (whether service or product) that will truly be valuable to YOU.

This Weeks Power Briefing, 3 Ways Video Can Build Trust & Meaningful Digital Connections

In other words, trust is the “currency” of online/digital engagement. It matters enormously and it is extremely valuable. That’s why I think video is so important as a primary component of your online and social media presence. Nothing builds trust like video. Period.

So, if you are marketing in any way via social media or a website, building trust is crucial. In order to help with that, I made this video to illuminate three ways that you can use video to build trust and meaningful digital connections.

I hope it helps you to market with authenticity and to build meaningful, human relationship via digital media. Or, to be more specific, I’d love to help you build more valuable relationships via online video.

New Service Offer:

​The Video Launch Pad ​
​This is a new service where I help you to learn about how to do video effectively while we create three videos together, and then our ComBridges Digital Engagement Team also helps you distribute your videos on YouTube and the major social media networks. We are trying to make the whole process as easy and powerful as possible for you. Please click here to learn more.

Edited Transcript:

3 Ways Video Can Build Trust & Meaningful Digital Connections

Hi there and welcome. My name is Jon Leland and I’m a Video Marketing Explorer. I really like to get involved with what’s going on with video and how video can enhance our human connections. 

Yes, I play a Digital Marketing Strategist by day but really, what I’m here doing is playing,  experimenting and exploring the dimensions of online video that matter. 

The ones that matter have to do with human connection and build trust. So, that’s why this video is about 3 Ways to Build Trust in Digital Video & online communications. 

Make Marketing Communications More Human

One of them is the most important and that’s making marketing communications (or just communications in general), more human. We do that with this kind of virtual eye contact. Once you make virtual eye contact, someone can experience who you are and what it is you have to offer in a way that print or even photographs can’t do. And because we’re dealing with filtering out the hucksters and the salespeople and the profit-oriented whatever’s, we want to make connection, and we want to give real value. 

Making a “human presence” is number one in terms of building trust.  

Be Consistent

Number two is being consistent, showing up regularly, and I think weekly is probably a minimum requirement. That’s what I’ve been really striving for with these video blog posts, because when you show up consistently, you build trust by being present, by people knowing that they can count on you. 

Cultivate Connection

The third way is really cultivating connection. So, showing up consistently, being human, and authentic are making a real connection. That enables you to build a real community, tribe, client base, or whatever your goal is. That is something I know that shifts the equilibrium of the world – when we make real human connections, cultivate community, especially in ways where we can relate to each other as we do on video… Then something changes. 

That’s what I’m about and that’s why I’m doing all this. I want a better world with more human connections, with real communities, and people who support each other. 

So there’s the three reasons how online video can cultivate trust, and I hope you will consider them as you decide to do your own outreach.

I’m going to follow up next week with more information. I’m going to The Patreon headquarters in San Francisco this weekend. They’re having a gathering about building community online. For those of you who may not know Patreon, Patreon is a crowdfunding way to do subscription support of your content. And I’ll be reporting back on that kind of video community building next week. 

So thanks again for watching. I really appreciate you being here and I’ll see you next week!

The Power of a Creative Practice: Video Blogging Inspiration & Mini-Book Review

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For me, Video Blogging is more about the power of a “creative practice,” rather than a profit-driven marketing strategy.

Yes, “by day,” I am a marketing strategist, but more importantly, I’m also an explorer and adventurer who loves (OK, THRIVES!) by discovering new dimensions of the “online video spaces.” In other words, I like to play and expand my creative capacity via social media video in all forms.

Through this new practice, I’m also learning by doing and discovering new dimensions of who I am in the world. If that approach resonates with you at all, then this ​week’s video may be a joyful “kick in the pants.” I hope so!

This Week’s Power Briefing, The Power of A Creative Practice: Video Blogging Inspiration & Mini-Book Review

If you are a creator of any kind, you know the power of sticking to the structure of a creative practice. At Representative Elijah Cummings funeral, I heard his wife Maya say that he often said, “80% of life is just showing up.”

For me, before about 3 months ago, video blogging was a dream of mine, a healthy ambition. Now that I’m doing it and showing up (almost) weekly, my life has changed! This video shares about that process in a way that I hope is inspiring to you.

Are you ready to take action on your creative dreams and put yourself out there in a new way? If so, I’d love to hear more about that from you.

​This video also includes recommendations of two inspirational books that I have found useful (and my offer of support). Here are links to those for your convenience:

Edited Transcript:

The Power of a Creative Practice: Video Blogging Inspiration & Mini-Book Review

Hi and welcome to another video blog post. My name is Jon Leland and I am a Digital Marketing Strategist. I’ve realized something in the process of being creative and that’s what this video blog post is about. It’s about the sheer power of a creative practice and I hope to provide inspiration for anybody in particular that wants to be creative and in particular wants to be creative with video blogging. I also have a mini book review (for you.)

Digital Marketing Strategy is Only My Day Job!

The first thing I want to do is correct myself. I said I’m a Digital Marketing Strategist and that is true, you could call it my day job. I play one here on YouTube, but I also am really more truly an adventurer, somebody who is exploring the digital space around being creative and using in particular video to be creative. Also, I explore communication channels, networking and the power of this thing called the creative practice. 

“Creative Calling” & The Power of Daily/Weekly Practice

The book that I want to recommend to you is called Creative Calling. I think I can even bring it up here on my iPad for you. So this is the cover. It’s by Chase Jarvis. The (sub)title is “Establish a Daily practice, infuse your world with meaning, and succeed and work + life.” 

Chase Jarvis is really quite a remarkable guy and his focus—and my focus in terms of doing these video blogs—is around the practice and the power of what happens when you keep showing up. So the reason that I said that I’m an explorer, an adventurer, even more than what I do for a living, is that that’s where “the juice” is for me. 

I’ve always loved the opportunities and this evolution of digital video. I’ve been talking about it, writing about it, and doing videos about it for many years. But it’s only as I’ve dug in and made it a weekly practice that I found this whole other kind of dimension of myself. And it comes from showing up and it comes from not necessarily knowing what the results are going to be, not necessarily knowing what’s going to happen, and in particular, being willing to move through regardless. 

The Crazy Presumption That We Should “Have It Right,” Be “Perfect,” or Even Know What We Should Say 

Another book I recommend is by Steven Pressfield, who talks about Resistance in the book called The War of Art. (This is) another amazing and important book for the creative professionals or people that want to play creatively.  

By showing up, by being here, by being willing to hear all the voices in my head, resist the “imposter syndrome,” and doing this video blog post anyway, I discover new dimensions of myself. I also get myself out there. There are lots of business benefits but that’s not why I’m doing it. 

I’m doing it because at heart I love learning all the time, I’m learning by doing and by experimenting.

The qualities that you don’t necessarily think about when you think about being online and doing a video blog are things like courage and humility. Because the “impostor syndrome” which is the “crazy uncle in my head” says “You’re not good enough,” “Do you really have anything worthwhile to say?” 

All of that kind of self doubt and self talk, I’m allowing that to be there but not listening to it!

Sharing A Journey of Discovery

I’m showing up, no matter what, to do something every week. That’s a lot of what Chase Jarvis talks about (in his book) and he’s had a lot of success from doing the work. It’s the same thing Steven Pressfield says in The War of Art: Do the work. The professional shows up. Seth Godin talks about the same thing. 

So, here I am showing up, doing the work and recognizing that there is a remarkable power in the creativity of just doing it. By doing these kind of video blog posts and inviting creatives like you (if you’re one of those) to connect with me, I hope to help you to be supported and be inspired. I’ve got all kinds of programs if you’re interested and if would like to be on my email list here’s the URL: go.combridges.com/video-launch-pad. 

The Video Launch Pad is a new offer that I’m experimenting with; but again, I’m doing this to learn and to see what kind of feedback I get, and to put it out there and engage in this kind of creative process. 

So let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your comments and thank you so much for your kind attention. I really appreciate you watching and see you next week!