Worktank Enterprises, LLC has been awarded two silver W3 Web Awards in the Visual Effects/Motion Graphics and the Animated Web Video categories. Receiving over 3,000 entries, the W3 Awards honors outstanding Websites, Web Marketing, Web Video, & Mobile Apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide.

“The video production team strives to produce high-quality video content for all of our clients, and we are honored that our Mobile Marketing Solutions videos won amongst all of the talent entered in this year’s W3 Awards” Says Worktank Director of Sales and Marketing, Corey Pilkington, “The excellence of the motion graphics in our winning video is a true testament to the work we do at Worktank – and are proud to show.”

“This year’s W3 Winners demonstrate the out-of-the box thinking and creative execution that exemplifies what the Web is all about” said Linda Day, the Executive Director of the IAVA. “On behalf of the entire Academy, congratulations to this year’s W³ Award entrants and winners for their dedication to pushing the limits and finding new ways to raise the bar in Web Creativity.”

About Worktank

Established in 2001, Worktank is a digital event management company that has built its reputation on delivering technology expertise, bottom-line results, and unforgettable customer service. Worktank is constantly working to redefine the end-to-end digital event experience for its clients and their customers. Worktank’s clients include AT&T, Autodesk, Deloitte, Fluke, HTC, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Pantech, Safeco, Symantec, T-Mobile, and other significant brands. For more information about Worktank, please visit worktankseattle.com or email talktous@worktankseattle.com.

About W3 Awards

The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the Web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning Websites, Web Video and Online Marketing programs. Simply put, the W³ is the first major Web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies.

The W3 Awards is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Alloy, Brandweek, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, and Yahoo!.

Marcy Stringfellow describes her coming to Worktank as an accident, but we think of it as a true blessing! Without Marcy, Worktank would be missing a significant piece of the puzzle – and a big source of quirky humor that emanates throughout the office.

Marcy was working as a video vendor at Microsoft Studios through her own company, WorkWithMePeople Productions, when Worktank scooped her up to join the team as a senior production manager in 2004. Her transition to Worktank was natural, and allowed her to continue working with Microsoft while also honing her technical skills in webcast and video.

With her great expertise and a passion for both webcasting and video solutions, Marcy is our go-to girl. “I am really excited about the convergence of webcast and video, because that’s my background,” Marcy says. “I feel like I’m here to help bring those two mediums closer together and become a key deliverable for the company.

An example of a true team player, Marcy’s favorite part of the day is talking to her co-workers. “Working with John (McDonald) makes my whole day. Craig (Rabin), Brian Snyder. These people are so stinkin’ smart – I just respect the hell out of them. When I hang up the phone, I’m always smiling.” Nourishing these relationships has made Marcy’s team highly successful and definitely a blast to work with.

Her balance of experience and genuine love for people puts our clients at ease when working with Marcy. Leslie Rugaber, CEO of Worktank and Marcy’s colleague for ten years, agrees, acknowledging “Marcy possesses an unlimited ability to connect with people. She’s genuinely curious about what they do and what makes them tick, and our clients love her as a result.”

Outside Worktank, Marcy finds “zen” in knitting, has been getting in to shape by training for a 5k and is lovingly known as “The Crazy Dog Lady” because of her dedication to rescuing Bernese Mountain Dogs.

When creating a successful content marketing initiative, it’s critical that your content rises above all of the noise in the marketplace. Quality is king! Keep in mind, it’s not about you and how great you are; it’s about sharing meaningful information that resonates with your audience. Great content can build credibility and trust, establish industry leadership, and strengthen relationships—all essential components to business success.

While in-depth content such as analyst reports, white papers, and industry profiles are extremely valuable, they can also be timely and costly to produce. Consider some lighter-weight content contenders as a part of your marketing mix:

Sharing Others’ Brilliant Content. Add some value by putting shared information into context for your audience. Prominently attribute credit to the author and publisher—and link to the source.

Top 10 Lists. Made popular by David Letterman, top ten lists are easy for your audience to consume, digest, and put into action.

Your Point of View. Take a timely topic, break it down for your audience, and provide insights from your expert point of view.

Tips & Tricks. Providing quick and useful bits of information on a frequent basis can go a long way toward building credibility and rapport with your audience.

Multimedia.A multi-sensory message is retained at a rate three times greater than single-sensory. Use videos and webcasts to bring your message home.

Looking for more information on getting started with a content marketing initiative? Check out Content Rules by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman. From the back cover of the book: “To market your business, reach new customers, and create long-lasting loyalty, you need one indispensable element: CONTENT.”

I recently watched a webcast titled “Survival of the Prettiest: Using Aesthetics to Produce Outstanding Virtual Presentations,” produced by the AMA in a series called “Create • Engage • Convert: Achieving Success with Online Events.” (Register to watch it here.) In the presentation, Dr. Carmen Tara discusses the merit of considering aesthetics to help you retain your audience and move them from like to love (for your presentation).

Tara’s own presentation trots out some textbook examples as design defense—yet another reference to Apple as proof of a higher design consciousness in our culture, for example—and she walks viewers through some design principles that are part of the canon. That viewers are attracted to simplicity, alignment, and good proportions is nothing new. And that an audience positively responds to white space and a visual “flow” through a presentation slide is hardly a revelation. Oh, and use wit and surprise to engage your audience. Sorry for the snark, but no duh.

What’s refreshingly new in her presentation, however, are the points she makes about imagery. Tara addresses a couple of aspects of stock photography that I think are terribly unobserved in the realm of business presentations: Avoid fake-looking stock photography and provide close-ups that draw upon sensory perception. I’m talking about macro shots that reveal texture, moisture content, or even temperature.

On the topic of sidestepping cliché stock photographs is the subject of Wabi-Sabi. This is the Japanese philosophy that life is imperfect and impermanent, and therefore our mutable environment has an inherent beauty all its own. Here, Tara makes the case for avoiding highly sterile or overly organized environments—which read as static—and instead using those that read as more human, or in her terms “authentic,” and evoke potential. This is a particularly compelling approach to use when illustrating overused concepts, such as teamwork, or leadership, or innovation.

In sum, I found Tara’s webcast to present some old and some new truths about aesthetics in presentations. The lesser-recognized design guidelines were compelling in that they are easy to implement and may actually have a significant impact on attracting and retaining an audience. Tara was thin on making a business case for applying aesthetic guidelines to presentations, although her claim (which I think can be easily substantiated) is that strong aesthetics lead to a product being used more often, enjoying a longer life span, and functioning as a silent salesperson.

How could stronger aesthetics affect the results of your next on-demand webcast?

Do you remember the last time somebody told you that you just knocked it out of the park? That you’re on your “A” game? Or that you are radiating a kind of energy that makes people take notice? For those of us in the communications business, we try to bottle this up for our clients every time we do what we do best.

At Worktank, we’ve been producing and delivering webcasts, video, and microsites for over a decade. What’s so exciting about digital asset creation is that clients have a chance to capture their most shining moments and record them for perpetuity. Imagine the best you’ve ever looked, captured and played back everywhere you show up. Kind of attractive.

Six months ago, I wanted to capture this concept in a sign-off to accompany our Worktank logomark. We landed on the signature “you’re on.” That it’s a loaded expression is completely intentional. Double, triple, quadruple entendre—more, please. Here’s what we were thinking:

You’re On the Air. This “read” suggests that webcasts, video, and microsites give you the reach of broadcasting with the power of targeting, reaching more people and reaching them when and where they want.

You’re On Stage. Bigger audiences mean the performance has to be perfect. Behind the scenes, Worktank is there, supporting the technology that becomes your world stage.

You’re On Your Game. Worktank helps you get the extra polish that makes you look great to your audience (not to mention your manager).

You’re On! As in, “let’s do it”: Great digital communication is risky, difficult, and exhilarating. Where do we sign?

The gradient color in the tagline uses our brand color palette in a range that evokes a process or flow that terminates in orange—my subtle allusion to the heat of attraction from a head-turning performance, as well as the heat generated by positive results. And I suppose it’s honest to admit that there’s a little nostalgia we’re trying to invoke with the gradient. We’re a seasoned team of people who know the look of an old ON AIR light.

We hope that when you see our new sign-off, it signals anticipation for a superb performance. Behind the scenes, we produce many types of digital communications for our clients. What’s universal in the end, however, is that when you’re on—you’re on.

When selling a high-consideration product or service, keeping your prospects engaged is a challenge. With the proliferation of digital communication channels such as social media and blogs, using informative content as a means to close sales and build customer loyalty is a smart investment. According to Marketo, 51% of B2B marketers plan to increase their spend in content marketing over the next 12 months.

If you are new to content marketing, or if your current efforts are not generating the results you’d like, hopefully this series covering tips on planning, content development, and distribution will be helpful. I’m inspired by how companies such as Tiffany & Co. and Kinaxis are using content as a marketing strategy.

Planning Ahead

• Goal: Be clear about the ONE primary goal of your content marketing program and create a strategic plan that properly aligns.
• Topics: Prepare an editorial calendar that looks months in advance. Talk to your audience and observe them in social media to gather input on what topics are meaningful and valuable to them.
• Frequency: Determine a frequency that you are able to maintain as well as one that is not too intrusive to your audience.
• Format: What format is going to make the biggest impact on your audience? For building trust and credibility, consider formats such as webcasting and video that allow you to add in the human factor.
• Quality: Plan the quality of your content by matching it to your brand, your audience, and the circumstances of your communication. Poor quality will quickly erode the relationships you are striving to build.
• Distribution: Develop a distribution map that includes all direct and indirect communication channels such as partners or associations/organizations to which you have an affiliation.
• Response: Develop a response plan that is complementary to your distribution channels to ensure timely and thoughtful follow up to responses that you receive.
• Results: Create a measurement plan that defines the metrics you are going to track. The metrics are critical for lead scoring as well as for tracking the success of your program overall.

A true artist both inside and outside the office, Aurora Queen brings a fresh feel to the world of webcasting. As a DJ spinning breakbeat and dubstep, and a graffiti-inspired painter, Aurora understands how to bring a creative approach to her job as Worktank’s webcast production manager. Her excitement and choice of video as a medium for communication have greatly benefited the Worktank team and clients. Aurora explains: “It’s a great way to tell stories, teach people, and connect with your audience.”

Video has become such an integral component of the webcasting world, and because webcasting is one of Worktank’s primary specialties, having a production manager with Aurora’s dedication and passion for video is crucial.

“Aurora’s role in project management and production of complex webcasts and video projects is essential,” said Toby Holmes, Worktank’s VP of online events. “She’s good at articulating expectations so everyone is clear on the production process, the deliverables, and responsibilities.”

“It allows for everyone around her to do our jobs with confidence, and that’s what makes the difference for our customers,” adds Phil Smith, one of Aurora’s team members.

Aurora began her tenure at Worktank in 2004 as a freelance video producer from Microsoft Studios. She was eventually hired as a webcast coordinator for the Microsoft Business and Marketing Office (BMO) webcasting program. Her innate interest in technology led her to become more involved with webcast production, and she began helping to create process efficiencies and manage webcast events. Eventually she moved into her current role, managing the entire BMO webcasting program—a program that consists of hundreds of webcasts per year.

Prior to working at Worktank, Aurora graduated from Seattle Central Community College with a degree in video communication. She tested the waters in a few different industries from office management to audio tech support before moving into video producing at Microsoft Studios.

Every event needs planning, whether it’s a five-year-old’s birthday party, a corporate event, or an internal business meeting. This includes webcasts. A quality webcast that has any chance of showing a positive ROI needs thorough planning with a detail-oriented manager. This is why Worktank came up with the Event Life Cycle.

Planning

Before anything can happen, you need a plan. We have dedicated webcast managers who take each client through a 15-minute needs assessment to find the right solution for them. This involves determining everything from the number of attendees expected all the way to the location of the event—physical, virtual or both.  After figuring out the finer details, we make a recommendation about which webcasting platform best suits the client’s needs: Live Meeting, Lync, Media Platform, or a custom platform.

Promotion/Demand Generation

Great! You’ve planned an event.  Now how do you get people to attend? There are a ton of options to promote your webcast. Once you know your target audience, be it internal or external, you can begin to narrow down your promoting options. Some of the most common and effective ways are online banner ads and email blasts.  With the right website placement for banner ads, and a targeted email list, your reach can grow tremendously in the weeks building up to your event.

Registration

Now that you have people interested in your webcast, give them a place to make their attendance official. Your registration tool works hand in hand with your promotion efforts. Using a series registration engine, you can give each user the option to sign up for multiple webcasts in one go while only entering their information once. They can return to the registration site and select more events without having to enter all their information again. Not only are you promoting more than one event this way, but you’re gathering valuable information about those who are interested in attending your webcasts live or on demand. The registration tool triggers a confirmation email with a calendar attachment and reminder emails to drive audience attendance. These registration details will assist you later down the road when looking at analytics and the ROI of your event.

It’s Showtime!
It’s the big day of the live webcast and you’re ready for your presentation, which you’ve had plenty of time to perfect since your webcast producer has been taking care of all the planning for you! Before the meeting goes live, all of the technical issues have been tested and any kinks have been ironed out. Your event moderator will supervise the audience as they begin to arrive, introduce the team, and make sure your event goes off without a hitch. Depending on the tools you chose for your event, the event moderator may also be managing the Q&A tool, polls or social media streams to keep everything in line.

Analytics and Reporting

Now is the time to measure your success. After each event, Worktank pulls all of the data from the registration tool as well as the live event to enable you to measure your ROI. Some, but not all, of the things this data can show: who registered versus who actually attended; when people joined and left the presentation; survey and poll results; social media streams; and even the location of those who attended. This data is invaluable when analyzing certain demand-generation tactics, presentation styles, and reach, plus a whole lot more.

Archiving and On-Demand

Want even further reach? Many clients are surprised by the number of attendees that attend the live event—it’s typically a lot lower than they expected—but shocked at the turnout when it is posted for on-demand viewing. The viewership is exponentially higher for on-demand video, because viewers can watch on their own time. And with registration, you can continue to gather critical demographic information. It’s smart to host the on-demand content on a nicely branded website with video players that are mobile friendly.

At the end of the day, this Event Life Cycle may seem self-explanatory. But people continually underestimate the time that is put toward planning just one webcast, and that’s what we’re here for. Go ahead and concentrate on the content of your presentation—we will take care of the rest.

Download a PDF version of the Event Life Cycle.

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As a project manager, Jillian works to keep all internal projects moving forward on schedule and on budget. Beyond her love for everything advertising and digital marketing, she is on the communications board of Ad 2 Seattle and a member of NWIAG.

With an endless stream of content bombarding us every minute of every day, there are few proven ways to capture and hold our time-starved attention like videos. Are you reading this blog post or are you just skimming it?

Videos have evolved well beyond marketing tools posted on your corporate website. When leveraged properly they become a catalyst for engagement, extending conversations with your brand when and where they are most influential. Their integration into both traditional campaigns and emerging marketing continues to grow. Here are a few examples:

* Augmenting an offline campaign like broadcasting with an online video gives your customers a way to interact with your brand and the community.

* By adding a barcode to a print or out-of-home campaign, you can direct consumers to a dedicated video that frames your brand in a more dynamic presentation.

* Mobile campaigns open more opportunities for online videos hosted on your mobile site or delivered through a mobile application.

* Incorporating video text messages into your geo/location SMS campaign allows you to showcase your offer with video.

* A video link verses a simple status update on Facebook gets your post rated higher in the news feed. (Source: DailyBeast)

So if you are going to partner with an agency or video production company, first evaluate their strategic thinking and ability to tell a compelling story. But what is becoming equally important is that they understand how your video integrates into the advertising ecosystem.

-Mike Johnston
Boss Creative

Mike Johnston’s background includes creating nationally recognized advertising for both traditional and digital agencies and is the owner of Boss Creative.  He has been published on emerging technologies, created some of the earliest examples of mobile advertising campaigns and coaches social media marketing strategies. He is graded as a key influencer by social media rating agencies because his techniques build well-targeted communities through strong interaction and a unique voice.

Each quarter, Tektronix, a leading supplier of testing and measurement instruments, hosts a large internal video webcast. The president of the company presents business-critical and timely information to employees located around the globe. The presentation format demands a high-quality live video stream of the presenter synchronized with slides, as well as the ability to show pre-recorded video, manage virtual Q&A with high-security access and deliver post-event reporting. Tektronix partners with Worktank to make all this happen.

Tektronix’s president, Amir Aghdaei, is a dynamic and motivating speaker. Providing a high-quality live video stream of his presentation improves the virtual audience experience and fosters a sense of connection with the entire enterprise.

Tektronix teams gather in regional locations to watch the webcast in groups—and then follow it with their own local meetings. Within a short period of time, everyone is operating with the same information.

Live video webcasting provides the scalability to reach all employees. If they aren’t able to attend the live event, an on-demand recording is available within 24 hours. Worktank’s on-site video crew and webcast producers capture the video, encode and stream it, and manage the user interface. Historically, this level of production would have required a satellite truck and remote encoding. We can now provide a stable, robust solution that is both portable and inexpensive.

With a globally distributed workforce, Tektronix increases the velocity of employee communication while keeping costs in check. This enterprise-sized company has improved employee communication and reduced travel and phone conferencing costs through the thoughtful implementation of quarterly live video webcasting.

With over 15 years of professional strategic marketing and business development experience, Toby provides strong leadership and product experience as the vice president of online event services at Worktank. Toby’s dedication to leveraging rich media technology to make digital communication more effective and engaging supports the growth strategy of the company.