NG Farrell Marketing

We at NG Farrell don't generally offer free advertising for big global coporations. Nor do we think there's a cheque with our name on it coming for the plug we're about to give.

But we know what we like when we see it, and we like Google Sites - a lot!

Our team uses many, if not most, of the free services, products and platforms in the Google family.

At last count, everyone in our office uses:

• Gmail - to manage a wide range of email accounts
• Chrome - a great browser with intuitive keyword search right in your browser navigation window (and a ton of super cool extensions)
• Calendar
• Documents
• Google+ -   a profile and networking tool that helps you enhance your online presence
• Voice - convenienty make free calls to any telephone number in North America - right from your Gmail window (holding a phone to your ear feels so 20th century once you start making telephone calls from your computer)
• Chat
• Hangouts - a really fun way to run way to host and run multi-party video conferencing, with the added convenience of being able to simultaneously take notes, access Google docs,  and, if you're bored, watch a YouTube video, all within one browser window.
• Fusion Tables - still in BETA this tool allows you to visualize data in a few simple steps

But the Google product we're most excited about lately is Sites. With a free Google Apps account, you can start building and sharing a group website in minutes. With a wide range of easy- to-use templates, and some uber-fun plugins such as chat, forums, news etc, Google Sites are a great way to help run projects, especially for project teams that are multi-organizational or have members working from various locations. Not only can you easily add your Google Calendars and Docs, you can use Sites as a central, private repository for those very important project-related files that normally end up as cumbersome email attachments, desktop clutter, and trashbin fillers.

We have been using Sites to help manage projects with our clients for the past half year. They are a great way to keep everyone on the same page, in real time, and (this is big) we have found that they really help mobilize a team and provide an additional level of inspiration and creativity. So many of our client-side users have indicated to us that they learn so much from the experience of using a Google Site with our projects. The site can also be a great, low-pressure training ground for people who are interested in improving their skills and confidence in the area of website management.  Most of the templates are very light on design. We tend to use the most basic templates for our group project sites, so that people don't have to worry about "breaking" the site when they are adding content or making updates. Again, the point of these intranet sites is to provide an easy-to-use, central repository of information, news, documents and communications. Accessibility is key for a team that may include users with diverse levels of experience in web publishing.

So check out Google Sites - or - contact us for some free tips and advice on how you can integrate a Google Site into your own marketing or communications project.

These days it can be a challenge to get your members and target audiences out to events. People are busy, travel is increasingly a nuisance, and everyone is looking for ways to cut back on budgets for hosting or travelling to events. The solution? Broadcast your event sessions live online!

To do so, all you need is a camera and a live connection to the Internet. There are a number of superb hosted solutions that allow you to easily make the connection between your live event and your audiences. Moreover, if you have an easy-to-use web publishing system powering your website (e.g. WordPress, Drupal etc.) you can also easily embed your webcast right on your site. If you know how to embed video from YouTube, then you already know what to do!

Two well-known streaming services are UStream.com and Justin.tv. Now, if you don’t mind having the occasional commercial broadcast along with your event, then you can use these services for free. If that isn’t your taste, or you have sponsorship commitments, there are services with inexpensive pay-as-you-go, or subscription packages that are based on viewer hours. Most services now also have amazing Social Media plug-ins that will easily allow you to promote your broadcast on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Here is a quick list of what you’ll need, and what you’ll need to watch for, as you prepare for your live streaming webcast:

1. Know your audience. Will they watch an event online or not?

2. Choose your date and time, and consider those people who might be in different time zones.

3. Understand what technology services your venue has or can offer you. You’ll want to have a dedicated hardwire Internet for your webcast. We suggest you do a test before you go live to make sure you’re not sharing your Internet connection with 100 hotel guests!

4. Make sure your video camera is the right kind. Read up on it to make sure it can handle streaming video. There are lots of online forums that describe the camera models that support streaming video. If you don’t have one, don’t despair, most cities have camera rental shops and for around $50 you can rent a camera for a day.

5. Decide if you are going to be broadcasting solely on your streaming provider, or also on your website. You will need to know in advance the URL of your show, in order to promote it to your audience and members. If you are going to embed your broadcast on your website, get your page set up in advance, so that you can properly test it. We suggest also creating a test page, in addition to the webpage you will be promoting for the event, so that you can play around with your test broadcast, without worrying that people will be watching and listening (and laughing) while you experiment!

6.  Do a full test in your venue. Like any kind of event, you’ll want to decide on your production values for the event, like the stage setup, lighting, sound etc. So just include your webcast on your main checklist of things to take care in your room or venue, and then you won’t have to worry about it as an afterthought.

7. Most hosted streaming services also provide a live chat feature, which is a great way to get people engaged with your event or presenter. But you’ll want a trusted person to act as moderator, in case the chat starts going in an unwanted direction.

8. If you pay or subscribe to your streaming service, you’ll also be able to record live to that service, and later download your broadcasted event as video. This is great way to kill two birds with one stone, and you’ll have top quality video and audio to repurpose and possibly resell after the event!

We hope you find these tips helpful, and we would love to hear from you if you have any other streaming webcast tips to share, or if you would like to know more about how you can get your event into the offices, homes or mobile devices of people you need to reach.

Since earlier in the summer, the entire NG Farrell team has had the pleasure of working with Vancouver's newest professional ballet company, the Vancouver City Dance Theatre in preparing for its formal launch this September. After undergoing a number of strategic planning, branding and collateral design initiatives, our attention then turned to developing an intensive, fully-integrated promotional campaign for the company's launch performances of their original, full-length ballet "The Dali Universe."

After developing the look and feel of the campaign (and certainly looking to the great master Dali himself for visual inspiration)  we have now launched a full advertising, PR and social media campaign for the show's run at the Vancouver Playhouse on September 16th-18th.

So keep your eyes and ears tuned to Vancouver media outlets - in addition to a city-wide outdoor campaign - for posters, ads and lots of news articles and interviews (plus a few impromptu public performances) as we gear up for opening night.

Custom-designed and personalized invitations are now in the mail to a lucky group of individuals who will be attending an opening night gala reception. Who knows - you might just be getting a surprise in the mail soon!

We have a limited number of complimentary tickets to the shows at our disposal - so feel free to drop us a line to see about getting a ticket to what is probably going to be one of the most visually spectacular, home-grown, ballets ever produced here in BC!

Now in its 11th year, BC Arts and Culture Week, April 18-24, shines a spotlight on the vital impact that arts and culture make on our society, our communities and our individual lives.  Arts and culture in all forms - music, film, dance, publishing, theatre and visual arts  - are part of daily life, and have a lasting influence.

Arts and culture also fuel our economies and bring positive attention to our province. This in turn helps attract tourists, educated and skilled new residents, investment and trade.

Paying attention to the work of our artists and performers makes sense. For all the right reasons.

That’s why NG Farrell is keen to help promote BC Arts and Culture Week and the awesome array of events that are occurring throughout the province next week. We encourage readers to visit the event website to see what is happening in your local community.

And showing your support does not necessarily mean that you have to buy tickets to an expensive show or concert. We understand that for some, the price of those types of events can at times be prohibitive. But it doesn’t cost much to do things such as buy BC-published magazines in your local convenience store, or visit a local art gallery on your lunch break to become acquainted with emerging new artists. Vancouver has some great and innovative film festivals that present internationally-acclaimed films, for really reasonable admission fees. And it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life to volunteer on the board of an arts organization or even just help out at performances of your local theatre or symphony orchestra. And for those who like to dine, dance and mingle, there are themed-fundraising events that provide both entertainment and the satisfaction of giving.

Of course, what would make BC Arts and Culture Week 2010 all the more special would be some good news regarding funding. We have heard from a reliable source that information regarding the new 2010 Legacies Fund will be released next week. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open, and invite you to give us a call or send us an email, so we can then help disseminate information on the fund as soon as it becomes available.

In the meanwhile – enjoy BC’s fabulous arts and culture scene. It’s vibrant, it’s exciting and it needs you!

The West Coast Chocolate Festival is an exciting organization lead by a group of creative and caring Lower Mainland individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of youth and young adults.  Launched in 2002, the Festival’s initial goal was to raise funds for youth arts projects in the TriCities, however since that time the mission evolved to create mentored work experiences for youth, in addition to raising the profile of chocolate and showcasing emerging artists and performers.

Recently, NG Farrell was engaged to assist the volunteer Board of Directors, by facilitating a strategic planning session, and synthesizing the results into a strategic plan - including a much needed fund raising component -  to re-launch for the 2010 season.

NG Farrell created a fun and engaging workshop that took the Board through a series of brainstorming and envisioning exercises that resulted in a new mission and vision for the Festival, in addition to the forming of new action groups and related tasks.

NG Farrell is honoured to have been further engaged by the Festival to lead the organization’s new fundraising and marketing teams.

We look forward to helping this vibrant and unique festival provide a wonderful and imaginative new series of festival events in 2010. So keep your eyes open for further announcements regarding the 2010 West Coast Chocolate Festival!