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Other Podcasts We Love

January 18, 2019 By Zach Moore

While we’re talking about podcasts, here are some of our staff favorites:

Carrie Huckeby
Director of Strategy & Training
Chris Jarvis Live Show
I like the podcast because it’s a wide range of subjects, although they do mainly focus on career and life. Chris is well-known in his creative field, so he talks to some big players. But he also talks to entrepreneurs, writers and musicians who have been chasing the dream for a long time.

Melissa Gaines
Photographer
My Favorite Murder
I’m obsessed with this one, and I don’t care who knows it. It’s not exactly a PG rating, but those ladies can tell a story.

Andy Johns
Director of Marketing and Business Development
Effectively Wild
As a rabid baseball fan, I appreciate how this podcast goes deeper than the box scores and shares fun quirks, stories and unique ideas from the national pastime. I do appreciate the efforts they take to build a community of baseball nerds out of their listeners.

Zach Moore
Digital Media Manager
WDW Radio
WDW Radio is fantastic at scratching my insatiable Disney Parks itch. Even aside from that, its creator, Lou Mongello, is a case study in content marketing and creation, as well as knowing what your audience wants and needs to hear.

Stephen Smith
CEO
The Entreleadership Podcast
The Entreleadership Podcast, from the Dave Ramsey organization, features interviews with some of today’s top leadership and business thinkers. The show is a powerful personal development tool, no matter what line of work or place in life you find yourself.

Sarah Lancaster
Account Manager
Criminal
This podcast takes you on a behind-the-scenes look of murderers and interviews victims, historians, etc. The host, Phoebe Judge, has a great voice that I find relaxing, even though the material discussed isn’t.

Will Gaines
Account Manager
Glass Case of Emotion
NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney has become one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers because of this podcast. He talks very little about racing and focuses more on topics like “Star Wars,” Marvel movies and trending topics on social media. Very funny stuff.

Jen Calhoun
Writer
Conan Needs a Friend
I’m really loving “Conan Needs a Friend” with Conan O’Brien. It just reminds me that he’s a super-funny, incredibly intelligent guy.

Jared Dovers
Chief Operating Officer
Pints with Aquinas
You don’t have to be a theologian or a drinker to enjoy this podcast. Host and touring speaker Matt Fradd takes time each week to tackle modern dilemmas by using the wisdom of one of the Church’s greatest thinkers.

Filed Under: Journal, Resources Tagged With: Digital Content, podcast, Social Media, Storytelling

S3 E26 Rural Broadband Is The Flavor Of The Year”, With Shirley Bloomfield

June 5, 2018 By Andy Johns

Rural broadband is a hot topic in Washington and state capitals around the country. Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association, explains how telco marketing teams can help advocate for their customers online and in person.

Website: http://ceoblog.ntca.org/

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Fiber, Regulation, Social Media, Storytelling, Telco

Where The Eyeballs Are

May 15, 2018 By Zach Moore

You have a story to tell, information to pass along, important news and updates to share. But you’re not communicating if no one sees your message. You need to be talking where most of your people are listening.

I love this old adage: “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.” The same can be said for communicating in general. If no one is seeing your communication efforts, you’re just making noise.

Utilities can fall into the trap of one-dimensional thinking. It’s easy to post a message on your website or add a line of text to the bill and say, “OK, I have communicated.” This is especially true when your marketing/PR/advertising/et cetera staff (often a staff of one) has many other things to mark off the to-do list.

By choosing one channel and ignoring the rest, however, you miss the opportunity to reach those who could benefit from what you have to share.

That’s why you need a cross-channel (sometimes called multichannel) approach. Consider the following:

Print Newsletter
Whether it’s sent direct mail or delivered in the monthly bill, this is the cornerstone of your communications program. No, not every customer will read it every month. Many will never read it. But many will, at least some of the time. And the consistency of a regular publication keeps your message in front of customers throughout the year, creating continual opportunities for them to engage with you when your message and their interests or needs align.

Email Newsletter
This is the one digital platform that you own. Building your email list can be one of the best investments of time and effort you make for your communications program. Unlike social media channels, no one can change the rules and suddenly take away your platform. Mirror in email the message you are sending in your printed newsletter and you’ll greatly increase the opportunity for customers to see your information.

Facebook
Speaking of rule changes taking away your platform, Facebook announced earlier this year that it was changing its algorithms to make sure users see more of what their friends are posting — and less of what businesses are posting. But that doesn’t mean the platform is now broken for companies, especially utilities. As a company providing a vital service to the community, you can share good content that people will engage with, and it will be seen more. You also have the opportunity to boost your posts for very little money, increasing your reach. Despite all its recent problems, Facebook is still where you’ll find most of the eyeballs online. You can’t afford not to be there.

Twitter
“I don’t use Twitter, and I don’t know anyone who does,” you say. That’s fine; people used to say that about Facebook, too. You may not be familiar with it, but millions of people use it every day. And it’s a great platform for quickly reaching your followers with important messages, not to mention links to stories that are part of your standard communications plan. Include Twitter in all your messages and you’ll steadily grow a following that appreciates these brief, instant communications.

Instagram
You might think this is just where people post selfies and pets and sunsets and DIY projects. That’s only partially true. Instagram continues to grow in popularity as the best platform for visual stories. Take advantage of it to post images of your employees, improvement projects, service updates and community involvement. You will steadily grow a community that appreciates the quick peek into your operation, as well as information about your services.

Your Website
Utilities, like many types of companies, sometimes fail to view their websites as dynamic communications tools. As a company that serves the general population, you should tap this valuable resource. Avoid the “one and done” mentality that leaves you with a static site. Updating it with fresh information can be as simple as posting your newsletter content to a blog-type page. In fact, every piece of content you share through all of the channels mentioned above should also find a home on your website — with links that drive traffic back to your site.

This may sound like an involved process, but when coupled with a well thought-out, comprehensive communications program, this cross-channel approach will ensure that your message finds the most eyeballs possible to engage with your message.

Filed Under: Journal, Uncategorized Tagged With: Digital Content, Public Relations, Social Media, Storytelling, Traditional Content

S3 E24 Episode No. 100! Wrapping up the NTCA PR and Marketing Conference, With Laura Withers

May 9, 2018 By Andy Johns

For Episode No. 100, we brought back our guest from episode No. 1: Laura Withers of NTCA. Laura shares what she learned at last weeks NTCA PR and Marketing Conference.

Website: https://www.ntca.org/

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Campaigns, Data, Events, Public Affairs, Public Relations, Social Media, Telco

S3 E20 Hot Topics at the NTCA PR and Marketing Conferene, With Derek Barr

May 8, 2018 By Andy Johns

Derek Barr moderated a telco marketing roundtable at the NTCA PR and Marketing Conference in Nashville. After the session, he discussed the highlights including Facebook reviews, customer service incentives and explaining broadband.

Website: http://www.hardynet.net/

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Customer Service, Events, Sales, Social Media, Telco

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A resource for communicators at rural & independent electric & telecommunications companies

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StoryConnect is a production of WordSouth — A Content Marketing Company. We work with electric utilities and telecommunications companies who serve rural and small-town America. Their mission becomes our mission as our hard work and big ideas earn their trust in us as a true communications partner.

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