Be The Drop - Investigating Brand Storytelling

On a daily basis, we are bombarded by social messages, advertising and news - it can be overwhelming. This overwhelm makes it hard for communicators to get cut through with their brand story. With so many great brands in existence, how do we find our unique story that connects us with our audience? Jodie Metaxiotus is a founding partner of The Garden Agency, a place to grow brands and develop communications. From a corporate background to a personal business venture, Jodie has worked for and with a variety of businesses to inspire and craft their stories. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, we cut through the noise and discuss brand story development, looking at the process and inspiration required. Jodie shares her years of wisdom to help you communicate a consistent story to your customers. ---- When I find something useful for my business, I like to share the love! For royalty free music on podcasts and videos, we love Soundstripe; it’s got lots of great tunes and no boring ‘elevator music’. As a Soundstrip

Instagram marketing is one of the many evolving areas of social media platforms, apps, and tools now available for businesses to communicate with their customers. With many regular changes, it can be difficult to keep abreast of how best to use these technologies to expand our business reach and build authentic connections. Jumper Media is an adaptive business, delivering digital marketing expertise, with a focus on Instagram. Ian Ryan has worked with Jumper Media since its humble beginnings as a team of four, to a company with now over sixty employees, all working to help their clients get a handle on their digital content marketing. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Ian and I discuss the digital content landscape, and the expansion of Instagram marketing. Ian also shares some hot tips for creating engaging Instagram content, the current trends of the platform, and how Instagram stories are helping build deeper connections. ---- When I find something useful for my business, I like to share the love! For roy

Australians average five to seven career changes in their lifetime, which builds a diversity of knowledge and experience. Our varied life journeys require adaptation as we develop new skills and abilities. In a similar way, businesses need to change and adapt to evolving market conditions and a key  to this, is improved creative intelligence. Keeva Stratton is the director of Quip Brands, a collection of experienced and inspired storytellers. Keeva has studied and practiced communicating through language, film, and even law studies. Keeva combines this expertise, to help her clients develop bold ideas that capture attention. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Keeva explains how to use your authentic voice to expand your branding. Keeva teaches us to elicit emotion in our stories, to learn from diverse perspectives, and shares her top tips to help businesses build their creative intelligence. ---- When I find something useful for my business, I like to share the love! For royalty free music on podcasts and vi

space series set ambitions to bring together “a community of disruptive leaders to disconnect, collaborate, and create. For unlikely people, to share unexpected conversations." s p a c e 2019 was all these things and more. I returned feeling positively vulnerable and expanded. Many conferences talk about uniting community to drive change but in reality, unlike s p a c e, few truly do.  CJ Holden is one of the creators of space series, an event which defies traditional description; more like a festival of ideas than a conference, it successfully delivered something different. There are no official speakers or themes at  s p a c e, the content is designed and led by the guests. The program is co-created with all guests contributing; there are no passive participants at s p a c e. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, CJ shares his inspiration to disrupt the conference format by curating a truly immersive and results driven experience. We discuss how space series successfully delivered productive and inspiring conv

Stories told through film or television, have the unique ability to help us understand alternative experiences and view points. An important part of the work by Screen Australia, is the focus on helping to share stories from minority or under-represented groups, such as Australia's indigenous stories. Penny Smallacombe is the Head of Indigenous content at Screen Australia. Penny is a Member of the Maramanindji people, from the Northern Territory. She has produced numerous documentaries, produced and directed content for ABC Television and was a a Senior Programmer for NITV at SBS. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, recorded LIVE at the Screen Makers Conference, Penny shares her journey in the film and screen industry. She discusses the critical importance of creating and sharing indigenous stories via the screen and also provides a range of tips, to help people get started in the industry. ---- Do you struggle to find good royalty free music? We use and recommend Soundstripe across podcasts and videos as we l

Storytelling through film captures our visual and auditory senses, it can transport us into other places, other peoples lives and other perspectives. Working in film is a dream many may have, but it is a challenge industry to get into and even harder to have success in. Rebecca Summerton is a producer who works across genres and platforms and is the co-owner/director of the multi-award winning screen production company Closer Productions. Her feature film credits include break out low budget feature 52 Tuesdays through to her most recent project, The Hunting which is currently screening on SBS. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, recorded LIVE at the Screen Makers Conference, Rebecca explains her will and inspiration to create and facilitate enchanting and enlightening storytelling though film. Creating for the screen is a complex and collaborative process, and Rebecca discusses how doing it differently, can help build your career. ---- Do you struggle to find good royalty free music? We use and recommend Soun

If you're a regular listener, you'll know we love podcasts. Not only do we create and release this podcast; we help a range of clients to record, edit and distribute their podcasts. Along our podcasting journey we have learnt a HUGE amount. It can seem like a complicated process to get started, but learning how to make a podcast, with great content and awesome audio quality, is getting easier. Chris Warman is a digital content producer and chief videographer for Narrative Marketing. As the editor for Be The Drop Podcast, which is coming up to four years broadcasting, Chris has lots of practical experience to help you learn, the technical side of telling stories. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Chris and Amelia discuss the equipment, recording and editing required to make a podcast. Chris offers his top tips for producing and making your audio sound polished. This is an informative episode, to help you learn from the podcasting knowledge we've gathered. ---- Do you struggle to find good royalty free music?

Meeting expectations is something that can often cause people anxiety or stress. Some of the worst expectations are the unrealistic ones we place on ourselves in an attempt to 'be successful'. However, there is no universal determination of success and therefore many of these expectations become unattainable. The challenge is therefore how to create our own definition of self worth and value.   Milly Toovey has battled with expectations throughout her life. Through her work for SACARE and side hustle MILCO, Milly is driven to help others who may also face these challenges. Having travelled and worked around the world, Milly has developed brand identities for a diverse range of businesses while also finding her own identity and setting her own expectations. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Milly shares how her personal experiences feed into her professional life as she developed from follower to leader, to determine her own unique self worth. Milly's story shows how we can do good while we do well, and how t

Digital marketing is no longer an optional channel for businesses who want to build their profile, however many businesses are confused about how to effectively utilise the different platforms and channels. Email marketing for example, while not as 'sexy' as some of the newer forms of digital marketing, it is still a highly effective communication tool, that is often overlooked or underestimated. Fiona Blinco is an experienced digital and email marketing consultant. Through her business, DIY Digital, Fiona loves helping her clients to build their businesses by creating a savvy online presence. Fiona also delivers a range of DIY packages, to help small businesses manage their own digital marketing. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Fiona breaks down some of the stigmas of digital and email marketing. Whether you want to build on your communication with clients, industry peers or need to develop your brand profile, Fiona shares her top tips to help you achieve your communication goals. ---- Considering startin

June is a significant time for business, preparing from end of financial year, may seem tedious and difficult, however, this pales in comparison to the challenges faced by our homeless population on cold and wet winter nights. This year was my fourth year participating in the CEO Sleepout, which to me is an opportunity to be a part of something that raises both funds and awareness for the vulnerable in our community. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society, often referred to as Vinnies, is an organisation giving the Australian homeless population a hand up, not a hand out. With 60,000 members and volunteers in Australia, Vinnies has helped change lives of those in need since 1854. In today’s episode, I speak to a number of participants and volunteers at the CEO Sleepout. I share the stories and motivations from some of the people who are passionately and actively working to help reduce homelessness; to help us consider what other things we can do to help support this worthy cause. Recorded LIVE from the Adelaide CE

The pressure to maintain the status quo and deliver to pre-existing market expectations is felt by many small businesses. There is serious financial risk associated with forging a new way of doing business, and whilst business disruptor are fast becoming a popular buzz words, the reality of potentially alienating customers through disruptive business practice, can be daunting. Avanti Care, is an excellent example of forging a new path and leading by example. Lidia Conci, the Managing Director of Avanti Care, is focused on creating a movement within aged health care, to help elderly people lead more independent, healthy, and fulfilling lives. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Lidia shares how trusting herself has improved her business and also helped her to win the SA Small Business category in the Telstra Business Women's award. By embracing her purpose in her approach to client and business relationships, Lidia has opened herself to a range of previously inconceivable successes. ---- Considering starting yo

Understanding business publishing within content marketing is one of the most critical of marketing's key elements. "Marketing" in the digital world is really a function more than a role now, given the remit is so broad. Seeing one aspect of this function as a 'publishing capability' provides SMEs with a powerful tool to help them grow their business. Leticia Mooney is a publisher and content specialist, and Queen Pixie at her business, Brutal Pixie. Leticia has published three books, written boundless blogs, and directed content departments for many businesses, giving her the expertise to train others, consult, and publish great content herself. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, we delve into the hearts and minds of audiences, exploring the practice of creating content, and discuss the many facets of marketing in today’s digital world. Leticia explains her approach to content marketing, and the value of business publishing for SME's. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we de

Increasing evidence demonstrates that diversity in the workplace leads to better innovation and improved financial performance. Accepting people of all backgrounds, gender and varying physical capacity, is not just a nice idea, but when it comes to business, adopting an altruistic approach is also good business strategy. Sarah Gun is an inspiring social entrepreneur, disruptor, and founder of GOGO events. Sarah is an activator for SheEO, Founder of Social Change Headquarters, and Director of GOGO Labour Hire. She is well versed in dealing with people from all walks of life, and is passionate about helping others do good. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Sarah shares her mechanisms for achieving positive business outcomes, and how changing your structures, presumptions of business, and approaches to hiring can improve business performance and at the same time, provide positive community outcomes. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production

Mutual run organisations is a business model that not all people understand - even people who are actually members of a Cooperative or Mutual. In this model, customers earn their right to influence the organisation, not for direct investment, but with their custom. It's a model that is becoming more popular along with the rise of social enterprises. The Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals is an organisation that promotes, advocates, and represents Cooperative and Mutual Enterprise (CME). 8 in 10 Australians are involved or are customers of a cooperative or mutual, and Melina Morrison the CEO at BCCM is agitating legislators and regulators to raise awareness of the value of this business model. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Melina explains the benefits to both consumers and our economy. She share stories of communities who are uniting and through Cooperatives and Mutuals, to increase accessibility of renewables, health services, housing, and many other significant functions. ---- Considering star

As modern life becomes more complex, and work pressures increase, stress and burnout are becoming increasingly common complaints. Quality of life isn't in the standard business vocabulary, but time management is, and according to this week's guest, this is one key element to achieving a manageable balance in your life. Alexandra Laws is a leading Human Performance coach who moved from optimal performance in athletics, to teaching optimal performance in the corporate sector. Having won world championship medals, and assisted olympic medal winning athletes, Alex has proven her method with some of the world's highest achievers. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Alex demystifies Optimal Performance and she explains how mindfulness, discipline, and time management, are critical elements to achieve optimal performance and reduce stress. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production options. Or if you’d like help getting started to produce your own

Women make up 51% of the Australian population however, there is not 51% representation of female leaders in business. We know that many women, and men, want equality, so it's now time to move beyond talking and to actually make headway in bringing about gender equality. The Edge PR is run by two female leaders who are on a mission to celebrate women in their professional lives, with media and leadership training, and by revolutionising female representation in mainstream media coverage. Tamsin Simounds and Amy Chandler are entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals in leadership and public relations. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Tamsin and Amy explore the next steps for female leaders in business who want to get their voice heard and become effective leaders. The dynamic duo also discuss their approaches to business and reflect on how they came to form, The Edge PR. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production options. Or if you’d like

Accounting for creative business is not a statement you often hear, or two groups of people you'd normally associate. However, finance is the basis of any business, and the creative arts experience sales, tax, and accounting in the same way any other business does. Lauren Thiel, Director at The Real Thiel is changing how we see accounting and business for creative minds. Lauren is a performer, an entrepreneur, and most importantly, an accountant who is focused on teaching and helping creative people achieve financial success. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Lauren demonstrates her passion as she reflects on her business journey. Lauren shares her top accounting solutions for creatively minded business owners, she also talks us through her branding development and sales funnel considerations. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production options. Or if you’d like help getting started to produce your own content, I also deliver podcast train

The rise of electric cars is happening across the globe, although Australia is currently lagging behind when it comes to cleaner, greener transport options. However, a recent report funded by Jaguar claims two thirds of Australians will have an electric car within the next 10 years. Mark Harrington is a pioneer in eco-friendly business, recognising the potential and untapped market of green transport, by delivering chauffeured or leased hybrid and fully electric cars. In an age of ride sharing and Uber, myCar is a door-to-door, on demand, individually tailored service that is set to shake up Adelaide's approach to transport. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Mark describes the challenges of being the first to market. Mark discusses why he implements a collaborative approach, and how his adaptability has been critical to allow for future expansion. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production options. Or if you’d like help getting started to

On-demand content is now the preferred option for many consumers. Like Netflix is slowly strangling free to air TV, podcasts are slowly taking over space previously controlled by the commercial radio market. The difference - podcast, as on-demand content, allow listeners to chose when, where and what they listen to. Tim Whiffen is a producer for the Auscast Network, and the co-host of three podcasts, Blind Insights, That Wall Street Guy, and STRATEGIKON. After learning interviewing skills through a media degree, combined with 5 years of radio work, Tim has a passion for sharing knowledge and discussing ideas. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Tim shares his podcast experiences, from how to distribute, to predictions of where the platform is going, as well as the qualities required for making good podcasts. ---- Considering starting your own podcast? At Narrative Marketing, we deliver a full range of podcast production options. Or if you’d like help getting started to produce your own content, I also deliver

Across the globe, organisations known as a 'social enterprise' are on the rise. According to Social Traders, these are businesses that trade to intentionally tackle social problems, improve communities, provide access to employment and training, or help the environment. Forage Supply Co, established by two friends, Justin Westhoff and Scott Rogasch, is a social enterprise focused on environmental sustainability, building opportunities to help people live sustainably, and with a driving goal to deliver services that help reduce homelessness. They deliver a range of sustainable products including Barossa Valley wines, vegan food trucks and ethical clothing. Their latest project is focused on building off-the-grid housing to help reduce homelessness. In today’s episode of Be The Drop, Justin and Scott share how they brought together their passion for environmental sustainability and a desire to provide meaningful support to the Hutt Street Centre, to create their social enterprise. They also discuss how they bal