Be The Drop - Investigating Brand Storytelling

The Adelaide Fringe Festival is a hugely successful example of an open access arts festival, that is recognised Internationally as one of the best. Adelaide Fringe not only supports the local arts industry but also attracts both National and Internal artists and visitors. A proud South Australian organisation, the team will coordinate 1300 shows in 2019 and are looking to beat the tickets sales of 700,000 tickets in 2018! Heather Croall is the Director and CEO of the Adelaide Fringe, and has over 20 years experience in the creative industries, making films, running workshops, and directing festivals. She has a wealth of expertise in the arts industry and understands the in and outs of how to build a successful festival. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Heather recounts some history of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, she shares her insights on why it has succeeded to become the world's second largest fringe festival and we also discuss how to approach website design and communications, to not only engage but

Embracing positive risk is not only liberating, it can also deliver positive gains or benefits to your business in areas you may normally avoid due to risk of potential failure. Vanessa Jones is an expert copywriter who helps others to listen to their unconscious mind, helping them to successfully navigate the marketing world by teaching them to listen to their gut feelings. A freelance copywriter, Vanessa has also studied positive psychology, philosophy and she is a qualified yoga teacher. Vanessa believes in the connection between mind and soul, and has used her writing to effectively communicate between her unconscious mind, and her conscious self; skills she teaches in her new book "Thirty Days to Conscious Success". In today's episode of Be The Drop, Vanessa tells us her story about taking positive risks, to fulfil life long dreams in creative writing, and the methods she's used to overcome challenges of small business. Vanessa also discusses how she has integrated her writing skills into her life philo

Moving from the academic to commercial sector is daunting, as the transition from research and testing, to selling in a competitive market, involves a steep learning curve. Michelle Perugini, is one example who has made the transition from academic science, to successful startup business. Combining a background as a stem cell biologist with the rising power of artificial intelligence, has seen Michelle become a leading technology innovator. She sold her first startup business to Ernst & Young in 2015, and then went on to Co-Found, Life Whisperer, a technology company that uses AI to better select healthy embryos for IVF. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Michelle talks us through the challenges of startup business, she shares her experiences as an entrepreneur creating products in international markets and we discuss how she finds happiness and meaning in working hard. --- This episode was produced in support of SouthStart Conference - an event that celebrates the collision of people, ideas and technolo

Emotions can seem detrimental on our path to professional success, especially when decisions are driven by irrational responses. However there is a place for emotion in our professional lives and according to my guest this week, understanding this, helps improve human durability - or what is often referred to, as resilience. Derrick McManus is a survivor, to say the least, and he has incredible stories to tell. Derrick was in the South Australian Police Force for over 40 years, where he became a member of the Special Task And Rescue Group.  During his time in the STAR Group, he learned how to sustain optimum performance under pressure which was put to the ultimate test, when he was shot 14 times with a high-powered rifle. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Derrick describes his rich history with risk and consequence, using examples from his life to explain human durability, he reveals how this concept is key in both business and personal success, and we also discuss how sharing stories can inspire and empowe

Creating appealing and readable content is a complex process; there is tension between what the author is explaining, and what your audience wants to read. Changing your perspective as a content writer can make your material more desirable and consumable. Cas McCullough is the founder and CEO of tech startup, Writally, which provides content recipes to help you write powerful marketing and blog content in less time. Cas has worked in content strategy for 8 years. As well as running Writally, she is a writer, mentor and content marketing consultant. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Cas tells us about the importance of having an engaged community, how to best market content to your audiences, and we also discuss useful resources for effective content writing. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes! We release

Sharing your passion with others is confronting, especially in age where there are so many competing voices on the internet. With a plethora of communication channels at our fingertips, it is difficult to know where to start your journey, in order to be heard. Jade Lee Wright is a book lover, who’s turned her love of literature into a multiplatform blog. Since 2010, Jade’s blog has blossomed through using Instagram, YouTube, and now podcasting. Books have had a deep and influential impact on Jade’s life, helping her through tough times and she feels it’s important to share these stories. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Jade explains her history with writing and content creation, she describes why Instagram was her first platform of choice and Jade also discusses how the different platforms have worked for her, plus how to engage meaningfully across different mediums. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. T

Interior design has been linked to business success with a connection to improved sales and staff productivity.  It considers the overall look and atheistic of a space, and the feeling they create, to ultimately shape the story that these feelings convey. With a career spanning over 19 years, Jacqui Dunn has become a trusted name for interior design projects in Adelaide. A Co-Founder of The Travelling Stylist - an Interior Design and Styling firm, Jacqui is also  a presenter on the Channel 9 TV Show, Outdoors Indoors. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Jacqui talks about how to use interior design to tell your business story, she discusses why the journey is most important when styling homes and Jacqui shares lessons learnt in building her business.  --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes! We release new conten

Social media platforms provide huge opportunities to communicate with your audience.  However, understanding which channel to use and how to successfully engage people to know, like and trust your organisation on social media can be overwhelming. Mel Kettle is a communication and social media expert, helping organisations communicate effectively so they build and maintain relationships with their staff, customers and stakeholders. Mel is particularly passionate about encouraging her clients to embrace social media. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Mel tells us what to consider in your social media strategy, we talk about why memorable stories create such engaging and shareable content and she shares some fantastic tools that will help improve your social media marketing. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes

Your corporate identity is about so much more than just your logo and brand colours. Your identity or brand is the essence of your business that distinguishes your organisation or product from your competitors, in the eyes of your customers. Sipros Giannos is the Design Director of DesignLab, the business he started to answer a marketplace need for a more flexible, targeted and collaborative approach to design. His focus is to deliver creativity that visually connects your business with your clients. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Spiros tells us why consistency is key for corporate and brand identity,  we talk about how brand perception extends right through to customer service and he shares his top tips to help you improve your visual branding and corporate identity. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes

The art of copywriting is an important skill. With more diverse audiences accessing information from multiple sources, the ability to write your business story to suit specific platforms and attract your target audience, could be the difference between obscurity or success. Kylee Bristow is a corporate communications specialist and trainer, and the Director of Lexi Communications. Kylee recently invited me to present at the Business Writers Conference in Brisbane, and whilst there, we sat down to talk about our shared passion for communications that drive human connection. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Kylee shares her formula to help you write human-centered content, we talk about how to write with impact and she shares the lessons she's learned about the importance of building a business that matches the lifestyle you want. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to yo

Podcasting popularity continues to grow, and exciting things are predicted for podcast numbers in 2019. In the lead up to International Podcasting Day, I sat down with fellow Adelaide podcast enthusiast, Rory Noke to hear his thoughts on world of podcasting. Rory is PodBooth’s Co-owner, as well as their audio and video producer. He has over 10 years broadcast experience, previously working with ABC, Network Ten and Channel 7. Rory is a podcaster himself and was selected as a Host of the Year finalist for the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Rory talks about podcasting as an exciting and accessible way to tell stories, we look at why businesses should consider podcasts in their communication mix and he shares some top advice to help you start and distribute your podcast. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, th

Donny Walford is the founder of DW Bottom Line Transition Strategists™ and DW Behind Closed Doors®. She has an enviable record of success working with boards, executive, senior management and business owners across industry, government and the not-for-profit sector.  According to Donny, "it's lonely at the top for men, but it's even lonelier for women as there's just not enough of us". In today's episode of Be The Drop, Donny discusses the critical importance for women to invest in themselves, we talk about the value of networking to achieve career advancement, plus Donny shares her top tips on how to leverage the best results from networking.  --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes! We release new content each week! SUBSCRIBE to the blog here or by using the 'storytelling superpowers' form on the right. SUBSC

Understanding and delivering successful Web Marketing has become increasingly important in business. To find out more about how businesses are extending their leadership in this area, I sat down with Alex Counsell, the Web Marketing Manager at Le Cordon Bleu. Alex is an advertising and marketing professional with over 20 years experience in agencies and big-brand corporate marketing teams. After a career in London, he moved to Australia and has since helped some of Australia’s biggest brands optimise their digital sales & marketing strategies including  SeaLink Travel Group, Le Cordon Bleu and Bunnings. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Alex discusses how digital advertising has evolved and the critical importance of integrating your advertising messages into your organic content. Alex also shares a truckload of valuable advice and tips on how to be successful in marketing. --- Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling c

AmieDD is a maker of things. With a background in Game Programming and Simulation, Amie Danielle Dansby is a Software Engineer with a passion for code and cosplay. Whilst at Hybrid World Adelaide recently, I managed a quick interview to discuss the wonder of technology with AmieDD. Starting her career at Marvel Studios, working on Captain America and X-Men Destiny, she transitioned to Research and Development, working on the Xbox and Playstation. AmieDD is currently one of the Co-Founders of ATAT Tech, working on a Robotics, Augmented Reality Video Game code-named: Project EvE. In today's episode of Be The Drop, AmieDD discusses why it's important to make technology fun and hands on. Amie also talks about the importance of sharing ideas through open source code and she reveals how she tackles her biggest challenge in programming. Want more? Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by N

Chloe Jane is a kindred spirit, who shares my passion for the incredible power of storytelling. Taking her love of creative writing and combining it with her skills in visual storytelling, Chloe Jane now helps a range of clients to answer questions such as > how to build your Instagram profile? Chloe Jane loves creating beautiful social content and teaching people tips and techniques, to curate an authentic online presence. She describes herself a driven and dreamy 'ideas girl', with a passion for helping small businesses. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Chloe Jane talks about the importance of consistent visual branding, she share her top tips to build your Instagram profile and we discuss how to authentically tell your business truth in order to stand-out online. -- Join our FREE Facebook Group where we provide tools and resources to help you supercharge your digital storytelling content. -- Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes! Want more busi

Elliott Watkins, better known online as Muselk, is a 22 year old Australian YouTuber based in Sydney. With over 6.3 Million subscribers to his YouTube Channel and nearly 1.8 Billion total video views since launching, Muselk has established international credibility as a YouTube content creator.  But what does it take to build a successful YouTube Channel? How do you create initial momentum to attract subscribers and grow your channel? Muselk's channel grows by an average of 18,000 subscribers daily and averages 4 million views per day (stats from Social Blade), so I was thrilled to sit down with him at Hybrid World Adelaide to get his thoughts on how to crack YouTube success. In today's episode of Be The Drop, Muselk shares his journey as a YouTuber, including his biggest challenges along the way and his top advice on how to grow an internationally recognised YouTube Channel.  -- The Be The Drop podcast is brought to you by Narrative Marketing, the Brand Storytelling Superheroes! Want more business tips and b

Social media seems to be evolving at a rate that makes my head spin. It can get confusing and it's certainly a challenge to keep up. That's why events like Social Media Day Adelaide, packed full of the latest industry insights and real business applications, are so incredibly valuable.   Established in 2015 by three passionate marketers, Jennifer Evison, Rubina Carlson and Ryan Jones, wanted to create an opportunity to share social media knowledge, with the aim of making it accessible to everyone. The event has seen rapid growth, both in attendance numbers and content, building from it's first year comprised of a handful of presentations and developing into a full day conference. In today's episode of Be The Drop, speakers from Social Media Day Adelaide share some latest marketing insights. We hear from Lucy Cornes on audience hunger for video content, Erin Williamson from Yellow shares tips on how to connect with your customers via social media, plus Alex Counsell tells us why the focus at Cordon Blu is on f

What does is take to be a good interviewer? How do you capture content in order to create a story that will take your audience on a journey - and keep them with you until the end? As a content creator and storyteller, these are questions I search to answer as I work to continually improve my interview techniques.  Sitting down at Hybrid World Adelaide with Marc Fennell, renowned Australian radio, tv and podcast interviewer and presenter was therefore a huge honour (and also slightly intimidating!) As the anchor of SBS VICELAND's news show The Feed, Marc has interviewed high profile people from Al Gore to Tom Cruise. Marc also created and presents ABC Radio National's award-winning podcast Download This Show, so he has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share on the topics of interview techniques and storytelling.  In today's episode of Be The Drop, Marc talks about how to take people on a journey through storytelling, why story is critical to all forms of communication, especially in today's digital worl

What does it mean to live and communicate in Hybrid World? Technology advancements are increasingly making our lives easier as machine learning, ai + robots improve process delivery. However at the same time, humans need to decide how we want to shape our digital life. As more of our data is captured in order to deliver these efficiencies, what are the boundaries we believe are necessary, in order to protect individuals privacy and what are the ethical parameters we want to implement on how much we allow machines to do? These questions are at the heart of what was discussed at Hybrid World Adelaide, a digital entertainment and technology event that explores the future of a ‘hybrid world’, where the real and digital worlds collide and ultimately evolve. In today's episode of Be The Drop, I interview Dr Phillip Alvelda, Rae Johnston and Amanda Duthie who discuss the convergence of technology and humanity in a hybrid world and I share my top takeaways from the leaders in this field on the opportunities that it

This podcast episode is packed with pure gold SEO tips from someone who's worked in the field for 18 years. Chaz McGregor's SEO journey began around the turn of the millennium, working for one of the early search engine marketing businesses in Adelaide. Fast forward to now and his business New Order Digital manages the complex digital advertising requirements of multiple brands. On his journey, Chaz has been captivated by the power of bringing people to a website and turning them into customers. Though it's often described as "the dark arts", Chaz describes SEO as "the foundation to your website that will pay off over time." In today's episode of Be The Drop, we chat all things SEO, including tools to make it easier for small businesses. Plus, Chaz reveals his top SEO tips and future predictions. This is Chaz’s version of Be The Drop. Want more? We’re currently running a FREE Online Storytelling That Generates Leads [SEO Basics] program – where we provide tools and resources in our Facebook Group to help you