New Media is about sharing your message, not being a star

Douglas E. Welch, Founder, New Media Interchange

When I talk to people about the opportunities of New Media, especially here in Los Angeles, their thoughts often turn to the stereotypical image of television or radio shows. They see elaborate sets, expensive lighting and sound equipment and maybe even a live audience. This is NOT what New Media is about. Sure, New Media shows often take on some of the forms of radio or television shows since these are our most familiar examples of media. That said, New Media can have a higher goal than simply entertainment. New Media is about sharing your message with the world, not about being a star.

Sure, there are pure entertainment shows out there in the New Media world. That is the message that those people have decided they want to share. That doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to that framework. Television isn’t made up of only scripted drama series. There are a variety of show types. New Media takes that variety and adds countless new concepts.

For the first time in the history of media, you now have the ability to take your message, about anything, directly to your audience. This is a great power which almost anyone can use. Do you have a real estate company? Use New Media to communicate directly with the buyers and sellers who are most interested. Run a restaurant? Communicate directly with both your biggest fans and people who know nothing about you. Have a freelance business? Develop your own show to share the best of your knowledge and skills with those that need it most — and are therefore more willing to pay for it!

“For me, New Media isn’t about the show as a property unto itself. It is about the message.”

For me, New Media isn’t about the show as a property unto itself. It is about the message. In most cases, you will not make money on your New Media show alone, you will make it on the customers that it brings to your business, the side products that you sell and the attention and authority the show and the quality information you offer bring to you as an individual.

Since New Media is not about being a star, we don’t have to worry about huge budgets, fancy lighting, costumes, actors and more. Your show is about you, at a very personal level. People will come to you looking for great information and, in many cases, to know you better as a person. There is an intimacy to coming into someone’s computer and home on a regular basis. You will learn more about your viewers, your customers, your fellow hobbyists as they learn more about you.

Don’t let your long experience with mainstream media limit your view of what New Media can be or what it can do for you. We are still at the very beginning of New Media, still finding its power and its limits. This is the time for innovation and play. Let’s see how far we can stretch the bounds of this new tool. Let’s see how it can change our work, our businesses, our lives for the better.

It has been said that complete freedom can be one of the most frightening things in our lives. It paralyzes us with the possibilities. New Media Interchange is dedicated to breaking through this paralysis and helping you find a way to make New Media work for you, regardless of what message you are trying to share with the world.

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Filed under: New Media, Opinion, Arts, Audio, Business, Los Angeles, Marketing and Advertising, Mass media, message, New Media, newmedia, podcasting, Television, Video

Open up your company, store, and life to the world

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I posted this tip today on the NewMediaTips Twitter feed today, but I wanted to expand on it here.

“Stores have viewing windows and open kitchens for a reason. New media opens your viewing window to the world, not just those nearby”

Nearly everyone likes to see behind the scenes. Cake stores have viewing windows into the decorating area and more and more restaurants are designed with open kitchens where diners can take in the entire process of preparing their meal. Krispy Kreme Donuts exposed their entire production line, making it a show unto itself. Factory tours are everywhere and their are entire television shows dedicated to showing “How it’s made”

Considering the public’s love for behind the scenes information, why not use new media tools to expose your business, your work, your life, to those who might be interested. New Media is like opening your viewing window, your backstage, to the world instead of just the few people who happen to walk by your storefront. Increasingly, the Internet is your storefront and you should be using New Media to give people a look, a taste, of what is happening.

You can do this by putting photos on your web site, recording audio interview with your staff, or taking video of a particular process. All of these types of media can be easily captured and shared using inexpensive equipment and cheap or free Internet services.

What’s stopping you? Leave our questions and comments on this post and I will give your some great ideas for getting started today.

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Filed under: New Media, New Media Tips, Opinion, Business, Marketing and Advertising

Noted:

Image by stevegarfield via Flickr

“Noted” items are quick finds from my daily reading. You can see a complete list of Noted Items here.

Make Media Work for You- Elements of Good Online Content

from [chrisbrogan.com] by chrisbrogan

If I’m going to tell companies that content marketing is important, I should probably give my thoughts on how to make it useful. I’m thinking about blogging, podcasting, shooting photos, making video, and all the other tools social media allows us to use to tell stories (not market). In my ideas, I give you nuggets of what matters to me in media making, and what I believe will matter to your prospective audience.

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Filed under: Elsewhere, Business, Chris Brogan

Case Study: Blogs Influence Consumer Purchases More than Social Networks

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This is the first in a series where I will highlight New Media case studies which seek to bring a deeper understanding of how blogs, povdcasting, ideo sharing and more are changing business today.

Thanks to Social Media Expert, Chris Brogan, for sharing his excellent collection of Delicious bookmarks to get this series started.

Blogs Influence Consumer Purchases More than Social Networks

The number of those who read blogs at least once a month has grown 300% in the past four years, and what they read strongly influences their purchase decisions, playing a key role in ushering them to the point of actual purchase, according to a BuzzLogic-sponsored study, reports Retailer Daily.

Continue Reading this Case Study

Filed under: Case Study, New Media, News, Blog, Business, New Media, Social Media, Social network, web, Weblogs