New White Paper: Repurposing, Reusing, Rethinking – How to Get the Most Out of Your Content (and Budget)

Date: June 26, 2020 Category: Marketing Strategy Tags: , , , , Comments: 0

New White Paper: Repurposing, Reusing, Rethinking How to Get the Most Out of Your Content (and Budget) We don’t always get to control whether budgets get cut, sometimes we just need to find the best way to make those cuts work for the business. This is certainly the case when the economy takes a dip and many businesses instinctually cut their marketing and advertising budgets. In Outlier's latest white paper, we'll explore the value of content marketing during a downturn and discuss tactics to help you get the most out of your content AND your marketing budget. What's Included The 3 Stages of Content Marketing…

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What’s a Sizzle Reel? Do I Need One for My Business?

Date: June 16, 2020 Category: Video Production Tags: , , , , , , Comments: 0

Ever been asked if your company has a sizzle reel?  And you thought, uh… isn’t that a type of candy? (Spoiler: nope, that’s a Twizzler.)  A sizzle reel, on the other hand, is a short (three minutes or less) promotional video that highlights your business, product, or service. Known alternatively as highlight video, demo reel, or pitch video, the sizzle reel shows potential clients or investors what it will be like to work with your company or use your product or service. https://vimeo.com/335279894 Our clients at MarketCraft use their sizzle reel or "showcase" video to get audiences excited about the amazing displays they can create…

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Reopening Retail: Using Video for Customer and Employee Safety

Date: June 2, 2020 Category: Internal Communications, Video Production Tags: , , , , , , , , Comments: 0

Reopening Retail: Video for Customer & Employee Safety Outlier is keeping a close eye on the retail industry. Today, we released a new report looking at consumer and employee health, creating an engaging in-store experience, and using video to improve the return to retail as stores begin to reopen. What's included: Current State of the Industry3-Step Approach to Training, Driving in-Store Traffic, and Engaging with CustomersInspiration for Providing Your Own One-of-a-Kind in-Store Experience View the report, "Reopening Retail: Video for Customer & Employee Safety," online or download a copy at the link below. Get the Full ReportThe full report is now available for download. Get…

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How ‘SNL At Home’ Round 2 Showed Us Video Production Matters

Date: April 27, 2020 Category: Video Production Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

Like the rest of us, the cast and crew of Saturday Night Live was thrown a major curveball by the COVID-19 virus. Though the show was scheduled to return from hiatus March 28, New York’s March 24 executive order completely shut down production for several weeks.  And, much like the rest of us, SNL was forced to adapt to this new ‘normal’ as quickly as possible, resulting in the heroic, if comedically uneven, “SNL At Home” episode that aired April 11th. Shot primarily using Zoom video conferencing software, the episode turned cast members into their own ‘one man band’, the results of which could only…

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Core Values: Why We Define Them, How They Define Us

Date: March 17, 2020 Category: Internal Communications Tags: , Comments: 0

Outlier’s strength lies in knowing how to capture everyday moments that uncover what’s special about the people behind your brand. We use video to capture and share the emotion of people and their stories. We use animation and design to create visual beauty that captures the hearts and minds of audiences. Defining Your Core Values Core values are something we’ve talked about a lot internally at Outlier in recent months. After changing our business model a little over a year ago to focus more exclusively on video and content marketing, it was time to do some serious soul searching around the “why” of Outlier. So…

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Should You Include Volunteer Work in Your Marketing?

Category: Marketing Strategy Tags: Comments: 0

Last week, Outlier joined several other downtown Portland businesses for an evening of volunteering. We enjoyed Hawaiian BBQ and a few brief introductions from event organizers before getting down to the task at hand for the evening: assembling cold weather kits for Street Roots vendors.  Business for a Better Portland spearheaded several of these events across Portland this holiday season. This particular evening was hosted by Noah Oken-Berg and his team at Above the Fray Design. Street Roots creates income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty. The paper is sold by members of the local homeless community, who receive 75 cents for every $1…

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How to Gain Traction & Get Cultural Initiatives Rolling

Category: Internal Communications Tags: , , Comments: 0

Have you noticed things around the office are a bit stagnant lately? How about your employees, do they seem a little less satisfied? Maybe your latest report about employee productivity showed the business could be a little more… productive? If these sound familiar, you might consider launching a new cultural initiative, one that can help transform your culture and get your employees engaged again. Unfortunately, your big initiative idea can go exactly nowhere if you don’t get the buy-in you need. And you will need a lot, from the employees you’re looking to inspire, the managers who will reinforce and guide the initiative day-to-day, and…

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Looking to Grow Your Business? Don’t Forget Internal Marketing

Category: Internal Communications Tags: , , , , Comments: 0

As business leaders, we’re accustomed to funneling dollars into our marketing. That's how we identify and gather new leads that sales convert into customers, right? But what if I told you internal marketing is just as important when it comes to meeting your company goals? Would you think I was crazy? Well, crazy I may be but the fact is internal marketing is crucial to driving lasting business growth. Your Employees and Your Brand Many businesses pay lip service to employees as important ambassadors of the brand. But when it comes to investing time and budget into internal marketing, that kind of talk can dry…

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Hell Yes I’m Ready to Write a Video Script!

Category: Video Production Tags: Comments: 0

Great news, video newbies! You’re almost ready to start writing that script for your new video project.  And we’ve saved up some of our very best advice for those just getting started with video to prove script writing doesn’t have to be an exercise in self-immolation. We all know video is an increasingly crucial component of today’s marketing campaigns, but not everyone realizes just how essential a well-planned script is for a successful video project. And I’ll be completely honest and tell you it’s often one of the most overwrought as well. While there’s no doubt the dreaded blank page is a fearful sight for…

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How to Create a Customer Loyalty Program that’s Worth the Trouble

Category: Marketing Strategy Tags: Comments: 0

"Customer loyalty programs--do they really work?" That’s a question we often get from businesses looking to find ways to maximize the relationship they have with their current customer base or considering a new program to  entice a flurry of new customers. But beyond a generally common sense approach that says “Well yes, certainly I’d like to have more repeat customers,” there is plenty of research to back up the idea that keeping your current customers is worth the effort. A recent blog article from Kissmetrics cites research from Invesp Consulting that shows existing customers are 50% more likely to try new products and spend about…

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