Big Teeth Productions Blog

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Can You Pitch New Business in Flip Flops?

It's pitch time. Quick put on your suit and tie, hook up the powerpoint and memorize those talking points.... Not for us.

We love our direct clients in need of intriguing videos, but also recognize the benefit of working with agencies who have built-in client rosters and could use our production skills. These agencies don't just come to you, so a-pitchin' we shall go. But I think the nature of the pitch has changed. Is it still necessary to button yourself up when new business hunting.

We had a recent meeting at a mid-sized B2B Ad Agency in Chicago. Rather than deliver a "talk at you" Powerpoint presentation, we decided to just go in and chat. This way we could ask them questions about their business practices and what video needs they may have, and they could grill us on what our shooting methods were, editing style, how we do estimates, past experiences etc. We did no slick pitch, just chatted about our respective companies, and then pulled up our website so they could look at some samples of our work and let us walk them through the choices we made.

Some might think this way of doing it appears too casual and shows a lack of preparation (and in some cases with larger companies it might not be the best approach) but I argue that after an hour-plus of this type of meeting, we walked away thinking this is the type of company we would be happy to do work with because the people we met, who would be our direct contacts, all seemed nice and approachable and appreciate the type of work we do. It appeared that they felt the same about us, and will very likely come calling next time a video project comes up.

After all, isn't that what makes for successful working situations; the relationships? As unique as all businesses think they are, there are usually others who can do similar work, so wouldn't you rather work with someone you know you can talk to and trust... even if they wear flip flops instead of loafers?

note: Any flip flops referred to in above post were strictly metaphorical. All toes were concealed, but nice jeans may have been worn.

 

MLB, NFL Need to Get out of the Babe Ruth era

"Any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account of this blog, without the express written consent of Major League Baseball, is prohibited."

Why are professional sports so slow to adapt to modern technology and social media? First the NFL employs a draconian Twitter policy  that the Don Quijote of unnecessary PR, Chad Ochocinco, vows to stab with his sword of justice. Next comes a story via SM superstore Mashable about a missed opportunity by Major League Baseball to launch a viral video from a genuine moment by a Philadelphia Phillies fan, that amazingly did not involve throwing batteries at the opposing team.

America's professional sports leagues are extremely blessed with the ability to have essentially 30 (give or take) brands under their umbrella with which to market. Think about all the Cubs, or Cowboys, or Redwings merch that gets sold every year, and imagine the Don Fannuci-like commissioner of each league wetting their beaks from every sale. Isn't that enough for them to be happy - and moreso, shouldn't they embrace the fact that the millions of fans are essentially marketing their product for FREE!

Its not bad enough that the average hard-working fan has to fork over a small fortune to take his family to a game and fill them up with nachos the price of an SUV; but they are treated to a bunch of athletic savants complaining about how underpaid they are (If I hear about one more "hometown discount" contract that involves $200 million I may lose it altogether).

What's so irritating about this is, what are they trying to protect? I get it when the military has to ban tweeting, or when a politician's wife needs to keep some details to herself, but come on, this is a GAME we're talking about. Unless @CC_Sabathia is tweeting signs to @davidortiz I think we can feel safe with Twitter on the sidelines and in the dugouts. For all the commissioners know they might make a few extra bucks - and we KNOW they like that.

Facebook Fan Page: A Beginners Guide

I talk with a lot of local, independent businesses about their marketing efforts, and it’s clear most feel it’s time to explore social media, but they don’t know how or even why. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge but have little to no time or money to do it, I have one word for you: Facebook.

In fact, forget the social media part of the equation. If you have little to no time or money to spend on marketing – period – the first place you should turn is Facebook.

Here’s why. While consumers must seek out your website, which usually remains static, a Facebook fan page allows you to communicate with current and future customers on their home turf. It’s essentially a soft sell – an interactive, ever-changing gateway to your website that allows consumers to get to know you in a casual environment. If they know you, they’ll turn to you when needs inevitably arise. 

So, for you social media beginners, here are a few quick and easy steps to Facebook success.

1. Set up your fan page. Add contact information, a link to your website, photos (at least one profile photo is vital), video if you have access to it – make it as vibrant, engaging and rich with information as possible. It’s free and it doesn’t take long.

2. Build up your base. Start inviting people you know who already appreciate you and your business – friends, family, customers, co-workers – to become fans. Also seek out other businesses that you support or have worked with in the past and add them to your “favorite pages” list and ask them to do the same for you in return. The more fans and other businesses that add you to their network, the more new fans you can reach. 

3. Post items to your wall. Good ideas for posts include links to relevant news articles, brief updates about you and your business, promotional offers, contests, polls or even just random thoughts. Remember, you’re trying to show some personality here. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun; it doesn’t all have to be directly related to your business.

Since every wall post you make will show up on each of your fans’ homepages, the idea is to post stuff they would not only want to read themselves but would be compelled to comment on. When a fan comments on one of your posts, every Facebook friend of theirs will be exposed to that comment and potentially click on it and arrive at your page. And that’s how you gain new fans, who will, in turn, attract more fans.

Once your page is up and running, it’s pretty much all about keeping people involved by consistently posting new items to your wall. Try to post at a minimum of once a week and as much as once a day. This will keep you in your fans’ minds but not annoyingly so.

And there you have the basic formula. There are always new lessons for advanced students, but this should suffice for you beginners. A Facebook fan page costs zero money to start, and upkeep is quick and painless.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and get started. And, as always, if you have any questions, feel free to write me at dan@bigteeth.tv. Also, if you want to see how we practice this, check out the Big Teeth Fan Page.

Meet the new teeth, same as the old teeth?

Welcome friends to the newly remodeled Big Teeth Productions website. We are excited to launch the site new in form AND function. This redesign is an indication that while the ol' teeth personality remains, we're keen on showing how and why we've changed, and will continue to evolve.

Rather than blather on about all the features, here are a few highlights before you go on your way navigating through our pages like Magellan with a mouse.

THE "GUTS" OF THE SITE
The Big Teeth Productions site has been organized to illustrate the main services we provide [Online Marketing, Fundraising & Special Event Video, and Web & TV series] along with a constantly updated portfolio of our video work samples, a list of clients we've worked with, and of course this here blog y'all are reading. [ed. note: my country accent is much more believable in writing than speaking, hence the "y'all"].

SOCIAL MEDIA
Another section you'll see is "Social Media." This is one of the bigger changes at Big Teeth Productions. Our take on social media is that it isn't a passing fad, it is something that is useful both to promote Big Teeth Productions, but also as a tool to help our clients better market their own brands or products. Look to that section to see both how it relates to video, and how we can help you use Social Media beyond video.

We've made a strong effort not to be one of the army of thousands trying to dupe you into thinking there are social media secrets, rather we've embraced the tweeting and facebooking and linkedin-ing (oh my) as ways of building relationships and helping spread the right message to the right audience.

THERE YOU HAVE IT
That's us in a nutshell. I could go on and on about our philosophies and practices, but really thats why the site exists. We, as a team, have vowed to more frequently update this blog than in the past, including how and why we go about things the way we do.

So, thanks for being a friend, a fan, a jealous competitor, a blog groupie, what have you, and all of us at Big Teeth Productions hope that you'll find our site (and our company) interesting and useful for all of your video and marketing needs. I also welcome any feedback on how you feel about the site, both good and bad, so that we can continue to make this a happy little home on the web. Feel free to drop some comments on this post, or you can email me as well.

Lastly, this site would not have been possible without the incredible insight and ethic of our developer Tristan Blease. Tristan looks at the web not in just how to make things look pretty, but how to make things work for you. If you have any needs for a well thought out, and sexy looking website, please visit Tristan on the web.

Old Media & New Media Sittin’ in a Tree…

Stop looking at social media as a scary new world – or even as a separate world from the one your marketing campaign is already living in.

A big mistake I’ve noticed companies making as they test the waters of marketing online is to think of social media marketing as a separate category from traditional marketing. This approach doesn’t make any sense to me.

Of course we all have budgets to stick to, but by taking advantage of the power of social media, you’re not subtracting from your marketing plan, you’re adding to it. No, wait…make that multiplying.

Anyone who’s ever had success in marketing will tell you the best approach is an integrated approach. Your work within one medium should complement your work in another medium. So when deciding to add social media to the mix, why treat it differently? Don’t you want your radio spot to gel with your TV spot? Same thing.

If you have an existing TV spot, put it on the web. If you have a website, create a microsite for an interactive twist. While you’re at it, Facebook is a great venue to bring your existing brand identity to life. Twitter can be an excellent gateway to your website. A blog can help create more personal relationships with the public and gain their trust.

To sweeten the pot, content created through your traditional marketing efforts can usually be transferred to online venues for little or no additional cost. (Don’t you love “synergy”?) Sprinkle in a few expertly executed videos (hint, hint), and you’re good to go.

It’s just common sense. Why not get more bang for your buck while also making your message more relevant to today’s more sophisticated consumer? It’s that simple.

But if it still doesn’t seem that simple, it’s okay, don’t throw up your hands in frustration. Write me at dan@bigteeth.tv, or follow more of my amazing insights on twitter, and I’ll be happy to walk you through some of the basics.