Digital marketing can be tricky to figure out. Just when you think you’re doing something right, Google, Facebook or Amazon can release a new update and throw your whole game out of whack. So, it helps to have some guidance when figuring out the digital marketing landscape. Obviously, you should stay tuned to this blog right here, but you should also seek expertise from other people who specialize in the digital marketing realm. Experts like:
Ann Handley
Twitter: @MarketingProfsTopRank Marketing/FlickrAnn’s BlogYou’ve likely heard of MarketingProfs. It’s a pretty big deal in the marketing world. Ann founded it. She’s also a bestselling author and a proficient blogger whose posts carry the weight of authority with them. Ann digs deep into marketing, telling you not only how to do things and why you should do them, but also giving you a glimpse into where marketing is headed and how you can get a head start. It’s the perfect blend of marketing advice and context.
Barry Schwartz
Twitter: @rustybrickBarry’s BlogBarry founded web design company RustyBrick, but he’s also a regular contributor to Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. He often writes about SEO practices and he’s always on top of the latest algorithm changes that affect SEO. Best of all, he has a sense of humor with his writing, which is always welcome in the sometimes dry marketing industry.
Gene Marks
Twitter: @genermarksGene’s BlogRather than a marketer, Gene is a journalist who covers small business and the economy for renowned outlets like the Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. and many others. He’s also made appearances on Fox News and MSNBC. Following Gene will give you a heads up on trends affecting small businesses along with an analysis of those trends.
Heidi Cohen
Twitter: @heidicohenTopRank Marketing/FlickrHeidi’s BlogCohen runs the Actionable Marketing Guide, which is meant to provide readers with marketing advice they can immediately put to use. She’s also contributed regularly to marketing blogs like Business 2 Community, ClickZ and Social Media Examiner. Heidi is adept at breaking big concepts down into small pieces so you can digest them easier and use her advice right after you read it.
Jay Baer
Twitter: @jaybaerJay’s BlogJay performs some pretty deep research for his posts to give you a thorough understanding of what he’s talking about. He backs his writing up with experimentation so he has lots of first-hand data to share. In addition to that, he occasionally dissects marketing concepts and tells you how they accomplish what they do.
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Twitter: @kurtincKurt’s BlogKurt gives clarity to digital marketing strategies by stripping them down to their core components. Heavily involved with Shopify, Kurt largely focuses on ecommerce, particularly on his Unofficial Shopify Podcast. He doesn’t just stick to ecommerce, though. He also writes about lead generation, marketing funnels, website design, advertising and a whole lot more.
Melinda Emerson
Twitter: @SmallBizLadyMelinda’s BlogWith high energy and a scrappy, can-do attitude, Melinda the Small Biz Lady can energize you and give you the must-do attitude that all entrepreneurs and marketers have to possess to succeed. She’s also an avid Twitter user, so give her a follow for regular updates.
Neil Patel
Twitter: @neilpatelNeil’s BlogThe co-founder of KISSmetrics, Hello Bar, Crazy Egg, Quick Sprout and a bevy of other companies, Neil Patel is a … hmm, since guru and ninja are played out, let’s go with marketing wizard. Learning through the old fashioned way of trial and error, Patel mastered the fickle art of marketing and now passes his expertise along to others through his blog, which provides deep insights into marketing tactics. Readers will especially love his step-by-step instructions to using the top marketing tools.
Nick Loper
Twitter: @nloperNick’s BlogFounder of Side Hustle Nation, Nick wants to help his readers harness all of their available energy and potential to make money. Specializing in helping people to develop new income streams for their businesses, Nick also helps business owners identify great new resources to save them time while increasing their earnings. Freelancers, ecommerce retailers, investors and passionate self-starters should all tune into Nick’s blog to help raise their income.Collision Conf/Flickr
Rand Fishkin
Twitter: @randfishRand’s BlogWe have a special affinity for Rand here at WizMotions because Rand loves him some whiteboard drawing, so he’s a marketer after our own hearts. Founder of the influential Moz, his Whiteboard Friday series illustrates various marketing techniques and insights so they are easy to follow and take advantage of. If you need a little help in the marketing department (and who doesn’t) follow the advice of these 10 marketing wizards … no, wait … marketing GODS!!! … A little too much? Okay, fine. Follow the advice of these 10 marketing experts and see your business soar. Speaking of seeing your business soar, how about making your own whiteboard animation video? It’ll help you at least as much as these 10 experts. Click here to get started on planning and pricing your very own whiteboard animation video.
We have a fabulous team here at WizMotions. From project managers to script writers to animators and everyone in between, they all work hard at what they do and they’ve all honed their craft over years of delivering stellar animated videos for businesses.
We wanted to give you a chance to meet some of these amazing people and let you know about the work they do for us and a bit about their process and also their tips for getting an animated video created for your business.
Traci Shoblom
First up is scriptwriter Traci Shoblom, who has been working with WizMotions since 2015. Although she’s a full-time scriptwriter for WizMotions now, Traci’s educational background is actually in Organizational Psychology and she intended to become a management consultant. Motherhood changed those plans because Traci wanted something she could do from home so she could be close to her children. She started writing marketing material and scripts for clients on a freelance basis, which eventually lead to scriptwriting for WizMotions.
Scriptwriting Process
The reason Traci calls scriptwriting the best job on the planet is because it offers a wide variety of subject matter to research and write about. Over the course of her time at WizMotions, Traci has written about subjects as diverse as:
medical devices,
IT platforms,
supply chain management for global companies,
pet adoption agencies,
mom and pop hardware stores, and more.
But, even though each project is different, she has a process she likes to follow.
“I get the assignment, and then read the collateral materials,” Traci says. “The Creative Brief is really helpful. I look at the client website, check out the videos they like. And, if I don’t understand the industry, I’ll do a little research so I can write about it authoritatively. Once I’m familiar with the subject and have read the client’s wishes for the project (or had a phone meeting if necessary), then I open a Word document and start the script.
“My process is that I wait for the ‘hook’ or the first line to come to me. If I’m blocked, I’ll go do the dishes or go for a walk. Then, the first line will come to me. After that, the script just flows. I write it, put it in our template, and then the visual illustration ideas just come from that. The whole video plays in my head like a movie. I give it to the project manager, who gives it to the client. After the client reviews it, I’ll make the changes they want, back and forth, until they are happy with it. Then, it goes on to the artist.”
Traci says it’s a strange feeling to see the end product and compare it to how it looked in her mind, but WizMotions talented artists do a great job at bringing her words to life.
Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr
Best Practices for Scripting
There is no one best way to connect with an audience via animated video, Traci says. Rather, all the variables have to be taken into account to decide the best way to approach the script. Those variables include:
the complexity of the message,
the length of the video,
the target audience (and their language level),
the goals of the video, and
where it’s going to be shown.
“If you have a complicated process, only have one minute, and the video is being shown at a trade show, you’re not going to have time to go into an in-depth story based scenario that walks through all 14 steps of your process,” Traci says. “But if it’s an internal training video, you do. Our project managers are fantastic at advising clients on what is the best type of video for the project. That said, what matters most is that the viewer can connect with the message both aurally and visually.”
For inspiration when it comes to writing scripts for WizMotions clients, Traci says, she looks to television ads, particularly ones that run during the most coveted of times.
“I love commercials!” she says. “When I was at the University of Southern California I took an Attitudes and Persuasion class that got me hooked on advertising. So, now, when I watch the Superbowl, for example, I take notes on the ads so I can use them as inspiration for my writing.”
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Although she calls it the best job on the planet, scriptwriting does come with its challenges. For Traci, the biggest challenge is when she comes up with a great, creative idea for a script, but the client company quashes the idea and insists on toning things down.
“I just have to remember that this is their video and put my ego aside and make it the way the client wants it to be,” Traci says.
Excessive revisions can also be a challenge, she notes, adding that it’s much better if a client can identify all the changes they want at one time rather than going back and forth multiple times.
However, despite these challenges, Traci still considers what she does as the best job on the planet and encourages anyone who is interested in scriptwriting to pursue it because you get to be creative, learn new things and make great money doing it.
“It does take a lot of self-discipline, and the willingness to write in a way that is different than you’d like sometimes,” she says, “but with persistence, and a great attitude, you can do it.”