paul andrew skidmore's Blog

as a freelancer, i outsource anything i can to make life simpler. grocery and food delivery comes at an added cost, and of course i have to pay if i want someone to take care of the yard or other chores. but there’s one set of things i’ve been able to outsource to something that doesn’t need to be paid and never complains — robots.

lately i’ve been getting into all the different smart items out there someone can put into their home, particularly the ones that are budget friendly. smart refrigerators and washing machines are cool, but not a good entry point. most people start like i did — with a few smart light bulbs.

having some wifi-enabled colored lightbulbs are fun for parties or setting the mood for studying or conversation. but soon, i found myself automating them for waking up and going to bed, changing with the sunset or the weather, turning off when i leave home and coming back on as i pull into the driveway.

then i ventured out into more gadgets, again staying small and budget-friendly. my bathroom lights are on a motion sensor. walk in the bathroom, and they come right on. they turn off after ten minutes. my bedroom and office lighting scenes can be called up by voice with Alexa or with Siri. i haven’t touched a light bulb or light switch in my house in a long time.

onvis motion sensor

i have robotic curtains in my office for watching movies, a smart plug connected to the space heater in the laundry room to keep the doggies warm on cold winter nights (for safety, it turns off when i leave the house, and, for my budget, it is only on at night!), even a motion control trigger for the rope light under my bed so i can find my way to the bathroom at 3am (being over 40 is awesome).

i’ve tried a few different brands of lights. i’ve tried a few security systems. i’ve sent back plenty of things. i have some smart items that only work okay some times for reasons i can’t figure out. i have some things that just work when you plug them in, and i have some things that require a little more complicated programming with If This Then That. in fact, after setup, the ifttt subscription is the only thing i pay for, and at just a few dollars a month, it’s incredibly worth the power of automation it brings me — not just to my smart home/office gadgets, but a lot of the software i use daily.

i’ve gone through a lot of these headaches to make your on-boarding experience go a lot smoother. if you’re looking at getting some smart lights or switches for your home, reach out. as with all technical advice, the first hour assessment is free, and might be all you need to set you up with your first devices.

smart stuff is here to stay. don’t fear the robots!

after spending time at Journeys in Community Living last year developing their fundraising video, i was delighted to make a new product for this year’s fundraiser. we decided to start sharing stories of JICL individuals past and present, beginning with my good friends Mickey & Dickie Newman.

this story, narrated by their brother Michael Busey, shows how hard working and how much fun to be around Mickey & Dickie truly are.

your organization should be celebrating the win stories and sharing the good news with everyone who will listen. if you need help planning or producing, get in touch. we’d love to help you reach more people than ever with the best you have to offer.

it was my pleasure to produce a new video for the Greenhouse Ministries 2018 Game Day event. this 6-minute video played at the fundraising dinner to show how important the community is to Greenhouse‘s mission.

we started the process with a marketing strategy session, determining the needs for Greenhouse and then intended audience. from there we developed some ideas and language to encourage monthly givers and consistent volunteers. even on a tight schedule, we turned around this high-end video on a budget responsible for a non-profit.

do you need technical advice, marketing strategy, or cinematic production for your organization? get in touch for a free assessment. i want to help you reach more people with the best you have to offer.

my favorite piece i made while at North Boulevard was this spot for our television program — “Peace”:

 

the problem

it may surprise you that i don’t like watching “television”. i put that in quotes, because i love to watch episodic stories, i.e. television shows. but i don’t have cable, and i pay extra each month to avoid commercials on hulu. i don’t mind paying for media, and i do mind being bludgeoned by commercials.

and i don’t mind commercials, in principle. if it’s for something i want or need, i want to see an ad in an appropriate context. and online ads are typically more targeted to my personal tastes. but local TV ads… they can be the worst. it’s not really the fault of the local ad itself. poor Mr. Local Ad doesn’t have a ton of money, probably doesn’t have an expert team of marketers behind him. he often relies on tired or generic tropes, like Crazy Eddie’s used cars, “we’re here to serve you”, etc. but mostly, he’s just loud, cramming in a lot of forgettable info into a small space. and he is non-stop. he never stops coming at you. a cacophony of cheap music and bad narration that rarely endears you to the product or service he’s trying to sell you. even national level commercials — expertly produced ones — are non-stop action, movement, and sound. how is anyone — especially Mr. Local Ad — supposed to stand out in this typhoon of spiel.

the plan

so, when i went to make this ad, i didn’t want to do any of those things. we had gone to great lengths in developing our website to be a place deeply-rooted in calm amidst a chaotic storm of an Internet — a house built on the rock. i wanted this ad to have that same voice — something that fought against the noisy onslaught of sales pitches.

something peaceful.

i remembered an ad campaign from some NPR story about a PSA targeted to drug dealers, who frequently cut and pack their product with a TV blaring in the background. the PSA has no sound track other than silence. the idea was the TV would go silent, and everyone in the room would look at the TV, which had white text on a black screen: “7 years minimum sentence for drug crimes with a gun”. it proved to be an effective campaign.

the peace

since our ad spots were late at night, amidst other mostly local ads on CW and Fox, “Peace” really cut through the noise by being quiet. while i didn’t watch “TV”, i was able to DVR “King of the Hill” for a short while when i did have TV as part of a promotional deal. i’d fall asleep watching the show, only to suddenly wake up. why was i awake? the room was silent. then after a few seconds, i’d hear David Young in my bedroom! our spot aired during these late night showings of “King of the Hill”. and if it worked on me, then i know it worked on others. another friend told me she was working out with the TV on, not really paying attention to it. suddenly the TV went quiet, and she looked to see what the problem was. no problem, only “Peace”.

we used it as a television ad and on social media for a while. if you’ve seen the ad, i’d love to know if it was effective in getting your attention, in compelling you with its simple beauty, in comforting you with its message of peace.

January is over. did you use video last month?

did you show people what youâ€re working on? what youâ€re building? who youâ€re working with?

did you increase your reach by clearly communicating who you serve? what you sell? the change you hope to bring to the world?

when someone needed your services, were you the first person they thought of? when someone came into a little extra cash, did they immediately think to donate it to your cause? when someone wanted to help, did they call you to sign up?

hey, donâ€t sweat it, 2018 is just getting started. i can help you answer yes to all of these questions with a Video Playbook.

the Video Playbook

a Video Playbook helps you clarify your message, focus your audience, and plan your communication. a two-day workshop will walk you through the right questions to get the right message for the right audience. get in touch today to get started.

many modern organizations and businesses can benefit from low-cost video they can produce themselves, but few have a plan to do so. this leads to few videos, old videos, unconnected videos. instead, you could have a plan for easy-to-produce regular content, staying in front of your best audience, and building interest leading up to key events or product launches.

if you donâ€t have a video playbook, youâ€re losing money. make one yourself, or get in touch with me and let me help you leap the learning-curve hurdles by asking the right questions to get you going.

itâ€s not a “new year” any more. if youâ€re not bringing in leads and closing deals, itâ€s time to make a plan.

January is over. did you use video last month?

did you show people what you’re working on? what you’re building? who you’re working with?

did you increase your reach by clearly communicating who you serve? what you sell? the change you hope to bring to the world?

when someone needed your services, were you the first person they thought of? when someone came into a little extra cash, did they immediately think to donate it to your cause? when someone wanted to help, did they call you to sign up?

hey, don’t sweat it, 2018 is just getting started. i can help you answer yes to all of these questions with a Video Playbook.

the Video Playbook

a Video Playbook helps you clarify your message, focus your audience, and plan your communication. a two-day workshop will walk you through the right questions to get the right message for the right audience. get in touch today to get started.

many modern organizations and businesses can benefit from low-cost video they can produce themselves, but few have a plan to do so. this leads to few videos, old videos, unconnected videos. instead, you could have a plan for easy-to-produce regular content, staying in front of your best audience, and building interest leading up to key events or product launches.

if you don’t have a video playbook, you’re losing money. make one yourself, or get in touch with me and let me help you leap the learning-curve hurdles by asking the right questions to get you going.

it’s not a “new year” any more. if you’re not bringing in leads and closing deals, it’s time to make a plan.

i know. i see that look in your eyes.

i see it all the time. even with business owners, but especially in the eyes of non-profits and ministries. you know a video would very much increase your reach, help clearly explain what your organization does, and keep your services in the minds of the people you hope to serve.

but good video comes with a price tag that seems out of reach for the tight budgets with which non-profits and churches often deal. it brings a mix of financial anxiety and wishful thinking all at once.

“if only… but alas…”

let me set your eyes at ease by giving you two things to think about.

you’re losing money if you don’t have video.

without something that quickly and clearly communicates your heart into this media-saturated world, you are potentially leaving thousands of dollars on the table in donations, ignoring hundreds of hours from eager volunteers, and (worst of all) closing the door on people who may desperately need your services. the first of these is actual cash, while the latter two show donors your effectiveness. most people are willing to give to great causes, but only if they can see for certain that their money is going to work as hard as it can. even when you work as hard as you can, donors can’t see it unless you have a video to show it.

time and time again, i’ve seen that fear-tinged, hope-filled glimmer in the eyes of a new client when reviewing the quote, only to come back after the fundraising event to say they easily made back what they spent on the video and more. that new look of confidence and gratitude always makes it worth it for us to work our hardest.

see what we’ve done, and feel free to ask our clients for yourselves. we want you to have the utmost confidence in our endeavor together.

so by now you’re thinking, “sounds good, but how will we pay for it in the first place?”

maybe it doesn’t have to come out of your budget.

i don’t want you to spend your time nail biting and penny pinching. i want you to do what you do best, serve your clients and customers. if you’re a non-profit or ministry and you want some video advertising strategy or some high-end cinematic production, i’m offering this to you: introduce me to your three largest donors. let me make a case on your behalf.

so get in touch with us.

initial assessments are free to you, so even if you’re not sure if you’re ready, let’s go ahead and talk. it will give us both some new ideas to think about for a while. and if you are ready, it’s the first step to a bigger reach, and it’s risk-free.

can you afford to have video? you can’t afford not to.

my team and i have helped several non-profits and ministries tell their story over the years, many of whom have been active for decades. being around for that many years can lead to a few things. first and most important, it means these organizations have helped a ton of people. so praise God for that!

but for many organizations with longevity, it can also mean that necessary services and essential programs can sprawl in scope, leaving outsiders confused about an organization’s core mission. furthermore, popular and promoted events can give the public an impression that this particular aspect is the most important (or perhaps only!) thing an org does. this can end up harming the image of an organization if those events aren’t deeply connected to the core mission.

this can be frustrating for the staff, and it can hinder fundraising and volunteer recruiting. more importantly, it can keep people from getting help they need, not knowing the services are there for them to take advantage of.

reasons like this begin to create a gap between public perception and an organization’s actual work.

bridging the gap

all companies struggle with this “clarity gap”, but non-profits and ministries especially can find it difficult to communicate on their own, for some very good and understandable reasons.

communicating with the outside world takes a back seat to day-to-day helping people, as it should in any organization serious about their mission.
org staff spend all day in the intricate peculiarities of their work, but outsiders can get quickly confused about in-house lingo and details about specifics — a gap that can be difficult to bridge. (these terms and details can be important & helpful later on, but can hurt initially when advertising, raising money, or recruiting volunteers.)
in many cases, even when there’s good in-house PR and marketing, most people at non-profits are there because they have a heart for the mission, not necessarily because they’re expertly trained & experienced.
and in my experience, even talented, veteran PR & marketing folk are rarely familiar with strategies for using high-quality video, much less how to create it.

to combat this, an organization can do three things:

1. get some technical advice

some orgs would benefit from just a little help with purchasing recommendations, guidance with setup, and basic technique training.

while many non-profits or churches don’t have in-house media departments, the good news is the expectations of their audience are not exceedingly high when it comes to a catalog of content (advertising materials are a different story). there’s lots of ways orgs can engage with people through video, reminding the world they’re out there. video blogs of events, facebook live, and instagram stories are just a few of the low-cost catalogs of content an org can produce throughout the year to stay at the front of people’s minds.

the things people think about most rise in importance in their minds. this is crucial to remember when they have some extra cash they’re wanting to donate or looking for volunteer opportunities. staying engaged with them can be inexpensive and easy with a little professional advice on the front end.

2. strategize a video marketing playbook

what’s the video plan for the year? most orgs don’t do any kind of video, so when they start heading in that direction, they’re not even sure what questions to ask or how to make a plan. having a professional walk the team through the basics here can help them develop their own plan for using video that adheres to their values, speaks in their voice, and captures the attention of their clients.

having these thoughts and goals put into the form of a “playbook” helps everyone in the org understand the plan at hand. when other choices need to be made down the road, there’s a playbook to guide decision making. and with a detailed playbook, what to make and when to publish it is predetermined, freeing the staff from an on-going burden. staff that’s constantly having to re-invent this wheel with no plan can lead to three things: a staff member who’s burned out, a staff member who isn’t doing the work they were hired to do, or video marketing that starts off strong and then gets forgotten about.

3. high-quality cinematic production

even orgs that can produce their own on-going content can really be helped by at least one high-quality film that rises above everything else, makes a timeless statement about who they are, and captivates their network of friends with its bite-sized beauty. beyond that, many organizations would do well to have these productions done for major services and important events as well.

the ongoing channel chatter of in-house video and social media is good for people in the know, but people who aren’t already familiar with a company or non-profit can be left out. you can’t talk to new people and old friends at the same time in the same way. a high-quality spot can bring the new people in, quickly giving them the foundational understanding they need to become part of the in-crowd with your group.

i mentioned earlier the expectation for non-profit and ministry content is low EXCEPT in the case of advertising materials. this isn’t a double standard. this is about clarity. well-done, attractive marketing will be clear. poor design is less about something being ugly and more about it being confusing. clarity requires a design simplicity that is extremely difficult for the average person to achieve. professionals, on the other hand, work in this world a lot. what you may spend on the front end for a professional to create for you, you stand to make back — and then some — in having a wider audience and spending less time trying to hack it out for yourself.

guess what — we do all three of these

you’ve no doubt noticed that the three things i’m suggesting are the exact three things from our “what we do” page. i’m not recommending these solutions because it’s what we do; we do these things because they are the solution.

 

get clarity

clarity is critical for connection. if people can’t grasp what you do or what you’re selling, they (and their dollars) will smile and move on. let us help you grab a larger audience with clear, inviting stories. that way, you can get back to doing what you do best.

if we can give you advice, help you develop a strategic video playbook, or create a beautiful spot for you, get in touch.

my team and i have helped several non-profits and ministries tell their story over the years. back in 2015, we worked with Greenhouse Ministries in Murfreesboro, TN.

we found that Greenhouse assists people in times of great need, equips them to deal with their adversity in a way that generates their own forward progress, and refers them to other people that can help them keep that forward momentum going — help, educate, connect.

with these three words, we helped Greenhouse tell people about their mission with great clarity.

 

help. educate. connect.

 

if you’d like to learn more about Greenhouse, visit greenhousemin.org.

if you’re struggling with communicating with clarity, get in touch. let us make something like this for you.

one of the best aspects of freelance is meeting so many great people who make a difference for others. creating something for them is a blessing to us because we get to participate in their mission.

back in 2015, we helped Barnabas Vision tell their story. named after the biblical character who gave Paul a chance to re-invent himself, this holistic ministry helps and connects people, giving them a new chance at a higher life.

to learn more about Barnabas Vision, go to thebarnabasvision.org.

if you’d like us to help you share the heart of your mission, ministry, or non-profit with the world, get in touch.