“Print is dead.” – Dr. Egon Spengler, Ghostbusters, 1984 Yes, we’ve been hearing that a lot these days as technology shifts more and more to the digital world. The rise of eReaders, tablets, and mobile devices have definitely put a dent in traditional print media. Publishers have been scrambling to get more technologically savvy and the rush of eBooks to the market has been staggering. One of my personal favorite forms of storytelling is the comic book or graphic novel. Sure, I can download comics to my tablet or mobile device, but I’m not experiencing anything new, mostly I get to read a comic in a pseudo-PDF format the same way I would if I drove over to my local comic store and bought a hardcopy. We haven’t seen the reading experience transform or innovate like we’ve had in other forms of entertainment such as gaming, movies, and television. Well, graphic novel storytelling changed its paradigm on June 21st when the Madefire App debuted on Apple’s App Store and iTunes. Madefire is the brainchild of Moving Brands co-founder Ben Wolstenholme, comic book writer Dave Gibbons, and comic book artist Liam Sharp that seeks to redefine the way comic stories are created, read, and shared by creating a digital publishing platform which will allow anyone to create Motion Books. Each of these “motion books” offer their own individual interactive immersive experience to take full advantage of the iPad’s features and functionality including the gyroscope, accelerometer, pinch and zoom, and Retina display. With the initial launch, I feel Madefire is just scratching the surface of its potential, but I have to say, it is an impressive debut and could be the key to the evolution of the graphic storytelling medium. Madefire is also launching a set of free tools shortly to download so that you can create your own Madefire comics, if you want to become a beta user, simply sign up on their website. You can download the Madefire app for free in Apple’s App Store in the iPad or on iTunes. ...read more
By Makibie Media June 25, 2012
People always ask me what the right type of video would be for their product, service or strategy. I could sit here and list out 25 video types that fill nearly every niche of their project. The truth is, it first starts with what they are looking to accomplish as well as where they currently are with the project. Below are my top four uses for video which will help clients decide on a direction. “Raising Funds Videos” Raising funds for a new business venture or product can be a daunting task. The process of securing funds will take careful research, good negotiating skills, and, above all, a precise way to show investors how and why your business or product is worthy of funding. Sharing your ideas with potential investors by using standard graphs or PowerPoint slides may not grab their attention as intended. Start your capital search with a detailed use case video or product demo video that shows investors and lenders your products and company’s true potential. With a vibrant detailed video you will keep their interests and spark discussions around your pitch. “Promoting Products and Services with Video” Promoting products and services to attract interest and dollars requires strategies and tactics. Ideally, your offerings should be promoted in a way that serves wider strategic goals and builds the brand and relationships. Video can do this in a way that traditional methods cannot. Video presentations help focus your customers and investors on knowing your products and services, as well as visually helping them to understand your target market. “Education&Tutorial; Videos” Educate your clients and the markets your products and services are in by offering step-by-step tutorial videos, webinars or testimonials on how to use what you sell. Videos may also be used to answer questions asked frequently by users, clients or investors. This keeps a personal touch to your brand, giving clients a feel for who you are, as well as generating leads or referrals. “Marketing Videos” As bandwidth increases and mobile and tablet devices flood the market, more and more videos get passed back and forth between friends and colleagues. This creates an opportunity for your video to go viral and explode into the market. When script writing and storyboarding a marketing video for development, always focus on a clear message and call to actions to promote your business or product. Not only can these videos be placed on your website, but also on many different searchable channels such as YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo which helps with organic SEO. What would you add to this list to make your top uses for video? ...read more
By Makibie Media June 25, 2012
Collection calls in any business are to collect money that is owed to the business. In the case of business to business collection, it's one business calling another to collect debt owed to them. Some businesses make the calls themselves while others outsource that task or eventually sell the uncollec... ...read more
Flyers can help you generate business leads by getting the word out to potential customers about your products. Once you create your flyers you can distribute them through the mail, place them on cars and even walk around to hand them out to home owners. You'll want to bring together the elements of d... ...read more
