MAIN CONFERENCE
Thursday, June 21
Racking up ‘likes’: How to navigate Facebook Live and beyond
Video is the new form of social media currency, but just shooting something from inside your office and throwing it on Facebook won’t guarantee you increased engagement and a brand boost. Instead, communicators of all stripes must learn how to navigate Facebook’s ever-changing algorithms—along with trends, best practices and successful strategies across all social media platforms. With an eye on production value and a mind focused on what your audience wants, savvy communicators who can tell awesome stories from behind the lens of a camera or smartphone stand to advance in today’s fast-paced visual world. Jordan Allen, former senior vice president of POPSUGAR Studios, will outline the questions you should ask before you start shooting—as well as takeaways and insights to make sure your next video is a hit online as well as with the top brass.
Using video as a powerful storytelling tool
Does being on camera scare you? Have you avoided pushing the “record” button on your iPhone’s or Android’s camera app? Do you know that video is an essential tool, but you’ve been scared to employ it? You’re not alone—and you’ve come to the right place. Amir Bibawy, a multimedia journalist and editor, has worked as a TV producer for many years, and he’ll give you the fundamentals of shooting excellent video that tells compelling stories about yourself and your organization(s) in this hands-on training session. Not only will you learn proper techniques and strategies—you’ll also realize that video is fun.
You’ll learn:
- Best practices for shooting video on a tight budget—and what you should look for and do
- The ins and outs of using a smartphone to record content
- How to get over your fear of appearing in videos
- How to use video to complement your other communications tools
Through storytelling’s lens: How videos can boost your content strategies
You have a product or service to sell, but that doesn’t mean you have to come off like a used-car salesman on camera. Marianne Ostrogorski, marketing content manager for Medline Industries, uses her experience as a former broadcaster, producer and anchor to help co-workers create polished videos that cater to audiences’ growing preference for visual content. In this session, she’ll show you how to put stories and the people at the heart of them first—and how doing so can help you better reach your organization’s goals while quickly creating emotional and strong videos that can make a huge impact.
You’ll learn:
- Ideas for implementing video into your current internal and external content efforts
- How to tell your compelling organization’s tales with video
- Strategies for repurposing your video content to stretch your budget
- Tips for focusing on storytelling, not sales pitches
- Crucial writing and editing elements to make your videos more polished
Lunch (off-site)
We will provide gift cards to nearby restaurants.
Stretch video efforts to accomplish your PR and marketing goals
How can you capture eyeballs and attention spans without breaking the bank? PR and marketing pros can take advantage of the rising trend of video content while also boosting their organizations’ bottom lines regardless of their budgets. The key to success lies in strategic content planning and finding ways to repurpose your videos for multiple campaigns and channels. Lee Gordon, director of global PR for Mercury Marine, will show you how to think like journalists and producers to craft videos that tell your organization’s stories in an engaging, effective way.
You’ll learn:
- How to shoot video for multiple goals and content types
- Editing secrets to maximize your budget
- Tips to repurpose and distribute your videos across social media platforms and other channels
- How to get employees involved with your video efforts
- Strategies for setting and achieving brand goals with video content
How smartphone footage can get you on network news—and beyond
As video content continues to become an all-important type of content for communicators across industries, you might wonder how scrappy shooting techniques and videos shot without a professional production team can help your PR and marketing efforts. However, that video you captured on your iPhone or Android device could help you grab a media coverage win for your organization—and boost your presence in both traditional and digital communications channels. Yusila Ramirez, public relations manager for Nemours Children’s Health System, will show you how to effectively capture moments and use them to emphasize your media relations, social media and other PR efforts.
You’ll learn:
- How to shoot video without breaking the bank
- Tips to maximize your videos’ reach across communications channels
- How you can turn data and even wonky scientific research into compelling video content
- Ways to package and present your videos to reporters and editors to land you coverage
Networking Break
Secrets to cut to the heart of any video—and make people want to watch
The internet is jammed with noise. As multitudes of content creators, brand managers and other social media users upload and share videos, it’s getting harder to stand out. The secret to success isn’t creating more and bigger content or trying to produce then next viral video. Instead, communicators should strive to create “essential content”—the videos and social media posts that make consumers stop scrolling, and fans continually coming back for more. Matt Silverman, director of social video at The Daily Dot, will share case studies and crucial strategic takeaways to help you get your organization’s important messages in front of viewers in an interesting, sincere way—whether producing original videos or working with influencers across channels. Doing so can help you increase views, foster loyalty and ultimately convert viewers into clients and customers.
You’ll learn:
- How to make the perfectly optimized video—no matter what budget you have
- Three crucial elements—the video “trifecta”—that should drive all of your content decisions
- Why working with influencers and their loyal communities can power your PR and marketing efforts
- To question the intent behind what consumers do when they use different online platforms, such as scrolling Facebook’s news feed or searching on Google
- How to create your next video gem that entices people to watch and share
Humanizing and connecting your brand through videos
Telling stories through video content can be a compelling way to snag your audience’s attention and better foster loyalty and engagement. In today’s increasingly visual—and cluttered—online media landscape, more and more communicators are turning to videos to boost their storytelling efforts and entice both internal and external stakeholders into listening and engaging.
However, not all stories are created equal—and the art of this communications method is more complex than pressing the “record” button. In this closing keynote, Kim Clark, director of culture & communications for GoDaddy, will share production takeaways from her documentary and other filmmaking experience to help you best use videos to achieve your communications goals. Glean insights on how you can prepare for and distribute your video stories, along with mistakes to avoid. Learn how to ask the right questions to get to the story that must be told—and which strategies can help you align your storytelling masterpiece with other crucial communications goals.
