Stop being mean to content creators: Knowing SEO doesn’t make you God
Following on from pointing out the popularity of content doesn’t mean it is useless, I thought I’d tackle the problem of resentment towards content creators by SEO copywriters. It bemuses me a whole heck of a lot to see SEO web copywriters all pooh-poohing content- via their blogs mind you, and their social. “Pssst… wanna hear a secret? Not everyone finds what they want simply by clicking through on the first page on Google.”... Read More
Stop being mean to content creators: We didn’t ask to be popular
There’s a bug in my ear and sand in my swimmers over this whole “content ain’t the new black” flim-flam. Yes, I have a vested interest in putting forward a case for content being all that and a bag of chips- it’s what I do after all! But here is two reasons why I am so very tired of the whole snicker, sneer and carry on associated with content being popular. Content was here first Long before everyone marched onto the SEO train, starting... Read More
What are you doing with that blog?
If you find yourself saying the following things about your blog: “I’ve run out of topics to write about” “How do I know people are reading it?” “I wrote this killer blog, but nobody responded” Put down those hands and step away from the keyboard! It looks like you’ve lost your way or maybe you’ve put in a lot of effort but it’s just not paying off in a way you can see. Either way, we need to fix that. Here’s how: Get yourself... Read More
Yes, you do benefit from social media- PART 2
To social media or not social media- that is the question. Well, at least it is for some companies and I am here to answer that with a big fat YES. There are a lot of benefits to be had by using social media. If you missed the first instalment, please pop through to Yes, you do benefit from social media- PART 1. For those of you who’ve already done the first part of the blog, let’s get into it! Are you ready? Let’s go! Customer Service becomes... Read More
Case Study: La Maison website copy and communications strategy
Background: Working with Second Storey Productions, La Maison Sydney, makers and retailers in eclectic furniture and homewares, was looking for a completely new online solution. Unashamedly Creative was brought in to assist with the voice development, copywriting and social media review and planning. Objective: To create a new website with SEO friendly copy that did not lose the beauty and personality of the La Maison range or the lead designer... Read More
Case Study: Copywriting for PosterCandy
Background: Combining years of printing experience with new technology as an Instagram print creator, PosterCandy were in the market for copywriting and branding advice for their brand new product. Objective: To create a welcoming site with simple, clear and fun instructions on how to use PosterCandy to create wonderful prints and posters from an individual’s Instagram feed. The product is consumer neutral (anyone can use it), so the language... Read More
Is your marketing too clingy?
Don’t be a clingy company. Once you get a customer, it can be hard to let go. But what’s the difference between holding onto a customer and being way too clingy? Read on! Awkward Email Unsubscribe Guess what? Customers (potential and actual) will occasionally sign up for your email newsletter and then decide it isn’t for them. Don’t make their unsubscribe process hard. Don’t ask them to enter passwords when you know full well they... Read More
Ode to a Glasshouse: Losing the plot over work
The Glasshouse, Woolgoolga To say this week has been busy (or a nightmare) would give busy or nightmare new meaning. Coming to the end of a 50 hour week and knowing I will be working tomorrow and Sunday too is a little daunting. Make hay when the sun shines and all that, and I truly do love my job. But sometimes being a freelancer can really suck. Sometimes having any job (even one you adore), is a big pile of poo. But instead of pushing through into... Read More
On the road to a Content eBook
The journey to a fully fledged eBook has certainly been an interesting one. I started off with the usual staring at a blank cursor for way too long before I went “old school” and sat on the couch with a favourite felt tip and an art diary to write down the tangle of thoughts in my head. Post my little jotting session, the writing started pouring like vomit out of a toddler fresh off a rollercoaster. A much better sign, I can tell you. Planning... Read More
That eBook Experiment? I failed
You might remember I set myself the goal of gaining 1000 followers by January 31st 2013 in order to give myself that push towards writing my very first eBook. The idea was to really put the pressure on myself to get the task done, considering it kept popping up sporadically on the TO DO LIST like some kind of goofy Meer Cat but progressing no further. Well, I failed. I got to 990 followers at January 31st. I sat there for a little while considering... Read More
Writing without pants: The life of a creative copywriter
My bum is in the wind, feeling a bit of an early chill as it wisps past. The butterflies in my stomach are playing shuttlecock with my breakfast Berocca and I can’t quite decide if it’s Jimi Hendrix or the Gossip who will get me through the day. Yes folks, I am a modern day adventurer. I’m jacked into the internet tighter than a ‘Snog, Marry, Avoid’ casualty is into her spandex. I wear to great clumping robot arms on each wrist to stop my... Read More
I’m Crowdsourcing an eBook. Am I crazy?
Earlier this month, I popped up a little post about the Spunky Little Marketing eBook. If you missed the story, basically it’s about inspiring myself to write an eBook by using Deadline Party Theory. I’ve promised myself I would write an eBook most of 2012 and have failed to shuffle that bad boy up from TO DO LIST to the magical place where red pen is applied as a sign of completion. As important as I think it is (especially being a copywriter,... Read More
Case Study: Infinity Professional ChangeMakers relaunch
Background: Educator and personal coach, Karen Lambert, was looking for a way to cut above the noise and clutter within the personal coaching industry and develop a strong presence online. Her coaching service was failing to attract the clientele who would most benefit from her services. Objective: Establish a niche market within the highly competitive field within performance coaching Create a strong, SEO friendly presence through website copy Identify... Read More
Case Study: eXpertLocal Launch
Background: Collaborative consumption startup, eXpertLocal, was looking at launching at the beginning of 213. CEO Jervis Bharucha engaged Unashamedly Creative to help with the initial marketing and planning, main website copy, and to generally support marketing, content and social media initiatives for the new business. Objective: To create a strong, SEO friendly presence through website copy To create content to help customers learn about experienced... Read More
Case Study: TaskRunners Launch
Background: Collaborative consumption startup, TaskRunners, was looking at launching at the end of 2012. CEO Cheryl Leong engaged Unashamedly Creative to help with the initial marketing and planning, main website copy, and to generally support marketing, content and social media initiatives for the new business. Objective: To create a strong, SEO friendly presence through website copy To create content to help customers learn about collaborative... Read More
A to Z of Hosting Ideas on eXpertLocal
A to Z After spending a little time in a hammock in Hawaii and being up close and personal with a little too much cheese and cider, the team of eXpertLocal have come up with an A to Z of suggested tours you could host! A is for art gallery tours. With a huge number of small, pop up and interesting art installations in Sydney, a locals guide to all things art is totally a must! B is for beer tasting. Between the Red Oak Brewery, the Mac and several... Read More
Thanks to this lasagne, I can now surf. The MamaBake story
The wave of collaborative consumption. Just the tonic needed for an Australia that keeps being told its poor, in environmental crisis and disconnected! The original Mamabakers Thanks to this lasagne, I can now surf. The MamaBake story Michelle Shearer lives in the beautiful Mid North Coast of New South Wales. One afternoon a friend had made too much food and rang up to ask if Michelle and her family would like some lasagne. The act of sharing dinner... Read More
Spunky little free marketing eBook
Must be all the festive season stuff happening but I have decided that I’d like to write my very first eBook and give it away. I need your help! To be honest, eBooks have been high on the priority of 2012 and I simply haven’t made the time to do one. So I am calling on the crowd to help me kick that nasty habit of simply looking at the idea on the TO DO LIST and adding a bit of deadline party theory to it. You need to inspire me to get it off... Read More
Obnoxious Social Media Boils My Potato
Today appears to be rant day for most of my Facebook friends so I figure why the hell not join in? Here is my rant on why obnoxious social media boils my potato. First of all, what is obnoxious social media? Well, it’s the kind that hasn’t quite come to grips with the word “social” being in the title and is still standing up and screaming like traditional advertising, only worse. It’s trying to cajole you into bending to its will on a social... Read More
Why Tweet Regularly on Twitter?
To say I tweet a lot is an understatement. At current count I was tweeting under 4 active accounts with two others currently having a nap. Anyone who follows any of my accounts such as my Unashamedly Creative Tweeter @noshamecreative or my side project for women @discordia_Zine knows I usually schedule a fair whack of content in there too. So why do I do it? Because it’s super beneficial to what I do. Here’s why: Your imagination goes wild Snuffling... Read More
Climb out of my ear please- I’m doing stuff!
“It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic, is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.” Theodore Roosevelt Everyone’s a critic Apart from a terribly delicious word such as ‘behooves’ getting airplay, good old Teddie is bang on the money. It never ceases to amaze me how many people feel it necessary to hack at the shins of the people who are just... Read More
The Dumbest Mistakes a Startup Can Make
Having worked with the likes of successful startups Space Heroes Universe, Pozible and Open Shed, as well as keeping my finger on the Australian and overseas startup scenes, I’ve noticed a couple of really (and I mean face palm central here) mistakes startups can make. Want to know what the dumbest mistakes startups can make so you can avoid them? Great! Let’s do this thing. 1. Not Taking Content Seriously This is pretty much the... Read More
Why is Creativity Important in Marketing?
Admittedly, there are self indulgent idiots within the marketing industry who have given creativity a bad name by making campaigns that are heavy on the abstract and light on the message. However I do believe most customers, clients and people can spot the difference between ‘wanktivity’ and ‘creativity’. Therefore I make it my mission to prise the word ‘creativity’ back out of their cocaine encrusted, award clutching hands and explain... Read More
What is copywriting?
Some people think it’s the art of connecting words together until they make sense to a cranky Creative Director or bamboozle a little search bot in the wonders of cyberspace. But what is it really? And why is it so damn important? When you’re a word weaving ninja like me (she says blowing her knuckles and rubbing them on her chest), copywriting is the be all and end all. It has to be in order to keep the tofu in the fridge and the obscure... Read More
Roadtesting: A Whack on the Side of the Head
It’s super hard to believe ‘A Whack on the Side of the Head’ has been kicking sand into the face of boring approaches for 25 years or more. Why? Because for stuff that makes perfect sense it’s surprising more people and companies haven’t taken it on board yet! This is my little bouillabaisse summary of what the book gave me – I’m pretty sure it will give you something else, so if you can, please get your mitts on a copy. Anyway, let’s... Read More
Using Twitter as Your Blog’s Loud Hailer
So you’ve planned out your blog, checked a few blogging lessons and you’ve got a hankering to get it out into the world. Great! Meet your new best friend, Twitter. Look, Facebook is OK but if you want more than your mates reading your stuff, Twitter should be your main social media. With Twitter, you end up with the following reach: Your followers, Under specific topic headings via tags, The followers of your followers, Via trending topics, As... Read More
4 little blogging lessons I’ve learnt
I have pretty much bootstrapped my way to being a creative Sydney copywriter and strategic freelance marketer via studying, reading and experimenting. I wouldn’t have clients or make money if my approach didn’t work and for a long time there, it didn’t. I also cocked up on more than a few occasions. So I’d like to fast forward you past the crap bits and get you to the heart of what it takes to make a good blog with the 4 little blogging... Read More
Sneaky Tips to Help You Create Blog Posts
It isn’t boring to plan out your content or create short cuts- it’s a way of making sure you have more time to write and to do other things. Consider this your planning guide to making your blog easy to manage! Voice: Blogs are genuine, in your own voice and fun. But how can you find your own voice? Stop pretending to be what people expect and just write as you. Seriously, it’s that simple. Write to be read, don’t write like a sales pitch... Read More
6 Roadblocks That Cost You Customers
Imagine if you had a long deserved holiday planned and you had to travel in the car for a couple of hours to get there. Now imagine if little things beyond your control started making the drive longer, unpredictable and stressful. You’d end up starting your holiday with a poor first impression that may even affect the whole vacation. The same applies to your online experience. Customers are travelling to your site to enjoy your product. That journey... Read More
Copywriting No-No List
Being a creative Sydney copywriter, I do dig around in cyberspace a lot checking out how people go about their writing. Sometimes I stumble across things that make me cringe, wonder what the heck the person was thinking or shake my head in bemusement. If you don’t want someone like me or your customers having the same reaction to what you write, avoid the copywriting no-no list! 1. Writing to ‘match’ your competitors. Find your own... Read More
The Results of the TaskRunners Survey
Thank you to everyone who who took the time to respond to the very first survey by new collaborative consumption business, TaskRunners. For those of you who don’t know, TaskRunners aims to carve out opportunities for free time and extra cash by sharing tasks across neighbourhoods and communities. This exciting little client of mine is run by soon-to-be-mumma on a mission Cheryl Leong who is throwing her all behind hooking up people with assistance... Read More
Rockin’ The Freelance Jungle
Put on your party pants and join us for a coconut of jungle juice- it’s time to get all Rockin’ with the October Social Club meeting for the Freelance Jungle! Welcome to spring time and the narrow end of the pointy stick we’ve called 2012. Perfect timing really if you want to have a couple of beverages, share a laugh and generally talk to current, past and future freelancers about what it’s like to put your bum in the wind and squeal “Yeee-ha”... Read More
Clients in the News
It’s always super rewarding to see Unashamedly Creative clients kick goals but September has been especially awesome for TaskRunners, Open Shed and Space Heroes. Cheryl from TaskRunners at the Breakfast Point Fair TaskRunners First Public Appearance I met Cheryl from TaskRunners 3 months ago when she was still working her full time job and just about ready to make the leap into the dizzying world of startup. Since then, Cheryl and I have... Read More
Not everyone can write
Back in the 90’s when I left school and started studying creative writing, the amount of weather worm adults who gasped in horror at the idea of throwing away time, energy and brains on writing was astounding. I am sincerely glad I didn’t become a psychologist now, which was the second choice. With the rise of social media and blogging, it’s truly a great time to be a creative copywriter. Writing is the popular kid on the block. More popular... Read More
Screw Blogging Rules
There is something slightly obnoxious about blogging rules. They get this little creative Sydney copywriter in a tizzy. Usually because some poor client I’ve inherited has been frightened off blogging because of some nincompoop and their mystical set of rules. Balderdash! The reality is SEO, guest blogging, frequency of posting, post timing and so on are all trumped by one thing- the quality. Join me in screwing blogging rules and be prepared the... Read More
Be your own strategic freelance marketer
It’s easy for me to stand up on the roof and shout “look at me, I’m a creative Sydney copywriter and strategic freelance marketer!” but what would be the point if I didn’t take my own medicine and try to write a lot and market myself? When you become a freelancer your clients don’t just turn up at your door asking to hire you. Even the super popular ones are rocking it through making themselves known to people on a regular basis. You... Read More
Discordia is Live!
I truly love marketing. Being a creative copywriter and freelance strategic marketer is something I love doing. I live helping people. Putting truth and creativity back into marketing isn’t just a tagline for me, it’s the reality. And I really enjoy working with my clients. Yet sometimes I have felt recently that I’ve been letting the writer in me down a little. Writing to me is a deeply personal thing. I don’t expect everyone to agree with... Read More
Pinterest 201: Pinning to Get Noticed
There’s content flying all around Pinterest at the moment and there is a lot of talk about how it can benefit your creative pursuits or marketing. But how can you make that happen? Well, check the Pinterest basics first and then jump on board for this edition, Pinning to Get Noticed. Think about how it can work for you Planning any kind of social media is a better way to go than to just dive right in and Pinterest is no exception. For some businesses... Read More
Case Study: Space Heroes Universe- In Game News
Background: Space Heroes Universe is a virtual world for kids aged 6 to 12. The virtual world itself is continually running member orientated events, parties and adding both educational and fun content. The newsletter is produced monthly to allow kids in the game to keep abreast of the changes. Objective: The mandate for the newsletter is to: a) Create fresh and interesting content each month that informs the members and players about changes and... Read More
Case Study: Opportunity Knox
Background: As a business to business site servicing the import/export market between Australia and China, Opportunity Knox needed to improve their online presence and cater for the two markets appropriately. Unashamedly Creative was brought in to work on the copy. Objective: To draw on knowledge of the Asian market to create copy that set the Sydney based company ahead of other choices in the Chinese market for entrepreneurs seeking design, manufacturing,... Read More
TaskRunners becomes Unashamedly Creative!
The latest startup as part of the Australian collaborative consumption movement, TaskRunners Australia, has joined the Unashamedly Creative portfolio! Since the collaborative consumption (or collcon as it is affectionately known) hit Australian shores in earnest, over 60 new businesses have sprouted around the country. The latest, TaskRunners, is about bringing people together to lighten the domestic burden, help small business operators and give... Read More
The A to Z of Aussie Freelance Resources
If you freelance and you are in Australia, here are a few things that’ll probably make your life easier. If you have any to suggest, by all means send them through! Couple of notes: I have tried to be accurate with URL and description, however if I have got something wrong somewhere, do let me know this too! Any mistakes are not intentional. This list has been done voluntarily. I’ve tried to keep it relevant and helpful to Australia but not include... Read More
Call Out: Discordia Zine
Discordia Zine is on the hunt for women bloggers, writers, artists and illustrators who can be a part of new online content portal. We’re tired of feeling like outsiders in the female web world and women’s media. We feel that labels like ‘crafty mummy’, ‘lipstick lesbian’ or ‘suited up business woman’ just don’t apply. For us, the slew of women’s magazines and ‘believe in yourself’ online communities are irrelevant. And the... Read More
Freelance Jungle Rides Again!
We’re back in the saddle Sydney for our 2nd FREELANCE JUNGLE! It won’t be this awkward, trust me. Excited? Oh you better be- there’s people and beer and conversation, oh my! Think of this as a social club for those of us who freelance and those who are thinking about jumping into the freelance pond. It brings us all together so we can have a drink, have a chat and just have a bit of FREElancer fun on a Thursday night. You... Read More
Open Shed gets a makeover!
The gang held a wee bit of a working bee and spruced up some of the Open Shed features recently. The aim is to make your Open Shed experience a member friendly and community orientated one, so they’ve done a lot of work around making things easier to use and more flexible for your needs. Here are the major changes in no particular order. Makeover Time Whilst Open Shed is still the collaborative consumption site you know and love, it’s had... Read More
Always Start From Scratch
When you are invited to do some else’s marketing or copywriting, it can be tempting to take a look at what has gone before and go from there. But the trouble with this approach is you don’t give yourself or the product in question the opportunity to take advantage of a fresh eye. Here are the top 4 reasons why you should always start from scratch. 1) Fresh Eyes Are Invaluable When a group of people have been working on something for a while,... Read More
Guest Post: Taking Care of the Basics
For this blog in our freelancer series Tony Keen from TK Proofreading is Taking Care of the Basics. Oh, and if you need a proofer and you mention this blog Tony is giving a generous 20% off his services! Take it away Tony! TAKING CARE OF THE BASICS You may be great at expressing yourself in the written form, but if you can’t get the basics right nobody will take what you have to say seriously. As a writer it really frustrates me to see the most... Read More
CASE STUDY: Space Heroes Universe Character Refinement and Development
Background: A start-up in the virtual world space Space Heroes Universe prides itself on story driven elements intermingled with online community building and game play amongst children. Geared at the 6 to 12 year old market, creating believable, fun and appealing storyline characters together with appeal to the Gen X parental market is extremely important. Unashamedly Creative was engaged to work with the Marketing Director to flesh out some of... Read More
Stop breaking your children!
You know what really boils my potato? Hearing from friends and people I come across that in this day and age, there are still parents out there who treat creative endeavours, start-ups and small business adventures and/or major changes to career and way of life by their adult children as “things to grow out of”. That parents are vocally objecting to their adult kids chasing dreams or at the very minimum quietly stressing enough in the corner for... Read More
Put the Fishing Pole Away
It’s great to get advice on your creative endeavours and your business ideas. In fact, working with people and collaborating is a great way to get a fresh insight on what you are doing. But sometimes asking for advice really does come down to one simple question: Do you want opinions or do you just want validation? We are all guilty at some point or another of wanting to hear what we want to hear, but when it crosses over into the business world... Read More
The Australian Freelance Market
As an Australian freelancer who is passionate about the local landscape, Rebekah Lambert, a creative Sydney copywriter and freelance strategic marketer, undertook a survey of the Australian Freelance Market. The main aim of the survey was to understand the issue facing freelancers as well as gather contacts within the industry. After searching for a good six months prior to launching the survey, despite inclusion of freelancing in Census data, articles... Read More
Acing Email Marketing Campaigns
As a creative copywriter, I have been asked to make suggestions and generally improve overall performance of email marketing campaigns for more than a decade. Consider these tips your guide to help make your email newsletters and/or campaigns sparkle! Choose Responses over Clicks One of the most common dilemmas my client’s come to me with is that their click through rate has gone down. This is worrying sure, because one of the metrics we are trained... Read More
2 Million Reasons to Smile
A mere five months on from achieving $1million in pledges, Pozible has hit 2012 running by reaching the $2million pledge mark in March. And the goal kicking for the original home-grown crowdfunding platform for Australian creative and socially innovative projects looks set to continue. Fast becoming one of the most popular and effective funding options available Pozible has seen tremendous growth in exposure and audience participation since... Read More
Case Study: Barossa Real Estate
Background: Situated in the heart of Australia’s leading wine region at Tanunda, Barossa Real Estate was an established business within the Barossa Valley, South Australia. Surviving on a placeholder web page and working in the highly competitive and ever changing game of real estate, Barossa Real Estate (BRE) needed both copy and web solutions to differentiate their business from others in the area. Objective: • Go beyond providing information... Read More
Leap, leap?!…Ah Why not Leap?
Today is the day after the Leap year day. The time when I remember my sister’s friend Kris who only gets an “actual” birthday every four years and takes it in her stride by following the ‘less is more’ motto, the time where traditional marketers push people towards making a change in life (“leap into my sale otherwise my boss will beat me, please!” ) and where I think of frogs doing extraordinary feats, whether they be cartoon or carbonated... Read More
A Fab Feb eMuse from brainmates!
Welcome to the Fabulous February edition of eMuse! We’ve got exciting news about a new partnership, we look at the minimum viable product with Adrienne, Nick dons his spacesuit for some sci-fi inspired innovation, Nat implores us not to forget the buyer and the brainmates get set to get conversational in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with Product Talks. Read on to find out more!In this issue: brainmates and Ryma: Delivering Product Management... Read More
Sydney, now it’s your turn…. Let’s Talk Crowdfunding!
After a successful Melbourne event in late 2011, Pozible now brings “Let’s Talk Crowdfunding!” to Sydney. This free event is for anyone who wants to learn more on crowdfunding for creative projects or simply for people interested in self funding through platforms like Pozible. Join us for a helpful, informative and passionate discussion on crowdfunding your dreams and ideas with like minded individuals. The evening is aimed at giving anyone... Read More
So simple it has to work…
I recently finished reading The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing by George Silverman (have put up some pieces from it previously and still have another 5 pages of notes I may share, depending). Each time I pick up a book of this kind, it’s great to find some kernel of wisdom that really rings the bell. Here is that bell ringer for me. I wrote down a heading (like the studious little freak I am) of “Six Steps to Harnessing Word of Mouth” with... Read More
Your Project on the Operating Table
Make no bones about it, it really sucks when an idea or project doesn’t work out the way you want it to. But how do you tell the difference between natural causes and misadventure? And what should you do to avoid another untimely demise of a beloved project? Consider this your autopsy and next steps guide to the projects that go belly up! Nurse, I need 10cc’s of Ego, stat! First and foremost, when a project fails to achieve a benchmark, please... Read More
How to Stay Afloat in a Competitive Retail World
As brainmates continue our exploration of the discussion coming from Product Bash 2011, our panel of Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style Tread, Andrew Rechtman, Product Director of PayPal Australia and Daniel Roberts, Head of Online for the Woolworths non-food businesses Dan Murphy’s, Big W and Dick Smith, shared their thoughts on “The Internet Super Mall and the Future of Retail” in relation to how to stay afloat in... Read More
Road Testing
If it is at all possible to claim you can “collaboratively consume” an idea, this is what I am kicking off now with my book, DVD and whatever the heck floats past road tests. After being an avid follower of the journey of Lisa from Open Shed and Co-founder Lisa’s blog I realised just how important it is to share the finds you make as you traverse the Internet. Reading Lisa’s overview of books, videos and ideas has helped inspire me basically... Read More
December eMuse
Welcome to the December eMuse for 2011! This edition we wrap up our remainder of Product Bash 2011 articles, uncover the results of a retail survey in our latest whitepaper, check out the Agile Conference, think about the year that was 2011 and push forward to training in 2012. Hold onto your pencils Product Managers, it’s a big one! In this issue: Product Bash 2011 – Continued Retail Survey: A fresh perspective from brainmates Agile... Read More
Tried and Tested Ways to Kill Freelancer Enthusiasm
So you’ve just hired a freelancer with the right attitude and skill set for a job and they are passionate and keen on the tasks ahead. Not happy with their go-getter attitude? Then you need to follow these Tried and Tested Ways to Kill Freelancer Enthusiasm! Hire them based on their experience then systematically devalue it Nothing says “cop that ya freelancer!” like a good old fashion devaluation of a freelancer’s experience. The best way... Read More
Why a freelancer community?
Some people have been asking me lately what the whole freelance survey is about (for your reference, here is the original post http://unashamedlycreative.com.au/2011/10/calling-all-freelancers/) or where it might lead. Here it is in nuts and bolts… Hello- is anybody out there? I started doing a full time freelance gig in 2009 whilst still employed because I wanted to see if it worked. I had some mates who had varying degrees of success across... Read More
No Sparkly Vamps Here
Oh how everyone loves the idea of a vampire right now. But how funny is each take on how the vampires are indentified, what is unique about them and the kinds of creatures they are. Of course we too have taken our own version of vampire and weaved it within the Varity Vampire story. We have made a more “turn of the screw” approach to our vampires in our writing because we really dig the idea of how undetectable actual true predators are to their... Read More
Simple Tips to Help Your Writing
Writing driving you up the spout? Finding you get needlessly tangled? Years of doing this for people in all kinds of industries have taught me a few simple things anyone can look at to improve your writing. Everyone has a buzz word Each of us has a word we love over using in our writing. For many Australians, it is “that” or “then” – but it can vary from person to person. You can make your writing tighter by looking for a common word... Read More
brainmates October eMuse
Welcome to October in Product Management! This month, we get ready to take on our second annual Product Bash, get up close and personal with our own Natalie Yan-Chatonsky, and revisit the brainmates contribution to the 42 Rules of Product Management. We ask you to go past product differentiation, find problems worth solving, carve out some think time and get all creative! Are you ready passionate Product Managers? Product Bash #11 – The Internet... Read More
Calling all freelancers!
Are you tired of auction sites trying to get you to work for $2 a 500 word article or deploy a whole website for $200? Have you had to mop up after countless el cheapie projects for your clients after things have gone drastically south? Do you sometimes wonder why employment agencies or digital/ad agencies pay you 30% of what they bill you out for? Are you working at places that don’t allow you to stretch yourself as much as you would like? Do you... Read More
Seriously sales girl, calm the $X#@ down!
I am completely and utterly allergic to “in ya face” sales techniques. In order not to increase my own blood pressure or worse still, be court ordered to pay for some poor unsuspecting retail shop assist’s counselling for Post Meeting-Angry-Bek Syndrome, I have given myself the following limitations: I have completely abandoned shopping at major department stores due to an overwhelming desire to head butt staff who seem to not watch what I... Read More
Sisters are doin’ it for themselves!
You have to love the sexy, sassy and super cool way a heroine lights up the film screen. The same applies (we hope!) to the Varity Vampire story. Like most female vampires, both Ruth and Varity are reluctant heroes- thrown into circumstances not of their choosing, that they have to not only make do with, but also conquer for what they believe in to be maintained. So in honour of the sexy, sassy, super cool reluctant heroines everywhere that have... Read More
What is WOM [Word-of-Mouth] worth?
Crowdfunding is a pretty amazing thing. Watching one dollar add to another dollar and another until a target is reached just shows how much every little bit counts. But what most people may not realise is that even when you don’t have any money to spare, you can still manage to support a project and create a positive outcome. And there is a group of these people already that have made a huge in-direct impact to projects. Pozible has always been... Read More
When in doubt, K.I.S.S.
Days at Lavalife taught me two things I will carry with me forever. One is if you are sure about something, sink your teeth into it, build a business case and don’t be afraid of the whole hierarchy thing if you really believe in what you are saying. Number two is something that helps pretty much everything you do, including number one- the K.I.S.S. Theory- “keep it simple, stupid”. Probably the most underrated and simply thing you could learn,... Read More
Varity has Arrived!
Varity Vampire went live last night, just after midnight! She is, she always was and now she says it in cyberspace- Varity Vampire. Bit different to my usual stuff eh? We have set up a main site http://www.varity-vampire.com/ where you can catch all things related to the production, vampires, why we did this and all that jazz. If you have topics for me, let me know. Each week we will be releasing an episode to youtube until Halloween, when we release... Read More
Varity Vampire is Coming!
It’s taken over ten years and tens of thousands of dollars, too many hours to count of meetings, directing, recording and drawing and more rewrites than you could possibly imagine- but Varity Vampire is mere hours from being released! Varity Vampire is the brainchild of Jack Black who thought of an original piece about what it would be like to be trying to be an ordinary teenager when you are both human and vampire. Varity is about what happens... Read More
Green film making? By accident, maybe
Making a film is hard work; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But with the Crackheads, the way the story is designed, there is a little bit of “wriggle” room re: getting things absolutely perfect. In essence, I have actually designed around having no to low budget. Admittedly, it is hip to be a recycling, reusing greenie scrounging up materials to a certain extent I am using this to my advantage. But it is also about meeting budget, making... Read More
The Dinosaur’s Guide to Dance: Sydney style
Shaking your tail feather in Sydney can be a little bit of a problem, especially at live gigs. It appears it just isn’t cool to shimmy around and let your inner funkasaurus out. This is even worse when you are well past the hipster expiration date. However if you are in your 30’s or beyond and want to dance about, you do have some places you can go. So never fear, here is the Dinosaur’s Guide to Dance! Tone Yes, she is leaving us at her current... Read More
The Crackhead’s Get Rocked
As you know, Richard Berndt has donated his time and talent to creation of the musical score for the Crackheads. I can now share with you a sample of that hard work. With the Crackheads film, we toyed with the idea of taking off two well known songs- namely the “Home and Away” theme (changing it to “Homo and Away”) and “Fishheads” (changing that to “Crackheads”) ala Weird Al Yankovic. But unfortunately,... Read More
From the Puppeteers Pencil
Fear not, the puppet project is still alive and kicking, well as much as their stumpy little footsies will allow anyway! It’s just been a little hectic of late on both the commercial and creative levels. The potted history of puppet events are as such: Paul has pretty much finished building our stage, with the exception of a hinge or two. Next comes the backgrounds and how to deal with them Rich has been composing for the background ads and music,... Read More
brainmates August eMuse!
brainmates – product management people After 7 years of brainmates, we’ve celebrated with a new look eMuse! Let us know what you think via brainmates on Twitter. This month sees brainmates Natalie add a splash and a dash to the Product Management cocktail shaker, we examine Turning Ideas into Business Cases in depth and Adrienne reminds us there is a little bit of Product Manager in us all. Cocktail Recipe for Happy Product Professionals After... Read More
Why crowd funding?
Any creative or socially innovative person will tell you that there is often a tremendous support for their idea from friends, family and like minded people within their networks. That same person may talk of the struggle they have faced to raise the funds needed to make their dreams a reality and how hard it is to market and continually run fundraising initiatives to fund their projects. Through crowd funding, we aim to bring those passionate people... Read More
Case Study: The East Village Hotel Website Build
Background: In an ever increasing environment of competition in the functions, hotel and restaurant arenas, The East Village Hotel were seeking low cost devices to showcase their hotel to the general public and offer a way for each market to obtain the information they needed in a timely fashion. The website was hard to navigate, unable to be updated easily and had no way of capturing who was requesting information. Objective: To provide the hotel... Read More
Puppet on a Shoestring: The Story of Birthing a Puppet Film
From moving to script to actually getting things done is a pretty hard process. It is rewarding though. Time consuming, at times very overwhelming, and punishing because you finish on task and several more sprout up like snakeheads on Cerberus. I am learning as I go along. Music and Sound Anyone who has ever done anything remotely linked to sound will tell you if you screw up the volume or the mix, it just won’t work in your favour. Thankfully,... Read More
brainmates- 7th anniversary eMuse!
Oh how we’ve grown! In this edition of brainmates’ eMuse we celebrate our 7th birthday as product managment consulting and training organisation. That’s right, brainmates has been providing Product Management solutions to outstanding clients from media, financial services, bio-medical, education, government and retailer for 7 fantastic years. During that time we’ve been collaborating with the Australian and global Product Management community... Read More
7 Years of brainmates with Nick Coster
What led you to first get into Product Management? I didn’t initially think of it as Product Management at the time. This first Product Manager role was for a dial up Internet Service Provider and the objective was to try and remove any barriers for customers to engage with the product in an attempt to reduce call centre costs. It began as a cost rationalisation role but then evolved into a Product Development role. I was tasked with looking at... Read More
7 Years of brainmates with Adrienne Tan
What led you to first get into Product Management? My first role after University was at On Australia. On Australia was a joint venture between Microsoft and Telstra, one of the first Internet Service Providers in Australia. On Australia was essentially in start up mode and I was fortunate to be able to help define the (now BigPond) product. It seemed natural to move into Product Management. After my role at On Australia as the Billing and Credit... Read More
Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me?)
Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me)? Australia certainly has seen a boom in growth for the online group buying schemes in the last 12 to 24 months. Along with it, the mixed reviews of just how much of a bargain the group coupon experience can be. So why is group buying so appealing and what can we do to make sure what we buy is the value item we are looking for? Let’s pick up the group buying phase and gives... Read More
The Crackheads: Profiles!
Maybe I spent way too much time in the dating industry to truly shake it off, but when it comes to getting to know my characters, there is nothing I like to do better than prop them up on the singles couch and ask them what they think their answer would be to common dating profile questions. Original Crackhead Age: What’s it to ya? Location: Sunny fuckin’ Redfern Height: Does it matter when ya on ya knees?! Body Type:... Read More
Socialising with Crackheads? Ewww!
Social media makes life so much bloody easier for creative people. It really does because you can share your ideas, have a platform to publish, and have a way of reaching a much wider audience than what you would usually do. For The Crackheads, I have spent a lot of time wrestling with the idea of character driven versus marketing driven content and what is best for the promotion, and also what is best for me as a creative person. I could be all “marketing... Read More
My inner child is actually a dirty, filthy bunch of puppets
As a kid, I was the one with the bowl haircuts of fine brown hair, gauche decorated strings hanging from my glasses, pencil in hand writing stories as Miss Piggy or Kermit was tucked under the free arm. I made ball-gowns for my felt tips out of tissue and cello tape and had them dance all night with eye toting socks whilst Barbie stayed dusty on the toy shelf. I preferred wood and wool to plastic and metal. I spent a lot of time willingly inside cardboard... Read More
Kinds Of Blue Interview
Successful Project Kinds of BluePozible was recently honoured with supporting a unique artistic and writing project, Kinds of Blue, which deals with what it is like for people living with depression. This amazing book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand, who loves someone with depression, or struggles with depression themselves. We would like to thank Karen (the creator) for taking time out of her schedule to talk to Pozible about... Read More
The feverish dizzy of knowing another’s lie
I recently had the misfortune of being caught up in someone else’s lies. On a physical level, I find such sensation akin to fever, akin to the horrid pale sweat and lightness of mind that accompanies a newly acquired fever. On the emotional side, it was quite hurtful to be caught in such a situation and feel manipulated, fooled and just plain annoyed the deception split over into my little world. But by far the worst result was seeing the complete... Read More
Welcome to the June edition of brainmates eMuse!
In this edition we want to share the highlights of ProductCamp Sydney 2011 that the brainmates team and other volunteers helped organise earlier this month. Here we saw over 50 passionate Product Manager’s shoulder to shoulder at the third product ‘unconference‘ of its kind in Australia. Many well designed and helpful explorations of key Product Management topics were tabled and considering the inspiring nature of the event, this... Read More
We’re making things Pozible!
You may have noticed some changes in the wonderful world of crowd funding recently, the most notable being FundBreak’s name change to Pozible. Rest assured loyal fans, followers and friends, your favourite crowd funding platform is still at heart the one you know and love. It’s just that we have decided to up the ante a little at our HQ and made a decision to make things Pozible! Confused? Let’s take some time out to demystify our new identity. We... Read More
No excuses, no, none
It’s really easy to make things overly complicated so you don’t have the chance to succeed. In my time, I have heard from band members who wouldn’t set up a MySpace because the lead singer wanted to “consult with a MySpace employee first”, worked with a film maker who spend so much time on researching a project and carrying on with self indulgent fantasies they only have journals of plans and no films to show for it and gotten in my own... Read More
ProductCamp Sydney 2011 Wrap-Up!
What a shift in conversation between Product Camp Sydney 2011 and 2010! It’s great to see changes in our professional domain, a domain that is largely misunderstood by companies both large and small. Product Managers are starting to speak the same language. The impact of which will be the creation and growth of a baseline of understanding for the Product Management industry. This is exciting news as we can use this foundation as a spring board... Read More
How to…Reward your supporters
Issuing rewards for support of your project is part and parcel of having a successful project on Pozible. But it can also be one of the hardest things to work out for you and your project group prior to launch. In this “How to…” the Pozible team share a few tips and tricks that will make setting your rewards a hassle free process! Every little bit counts One of the most common mistakes made on Pozible is setting the rewards limits beyond... Read More
How to… Inspire Contributors in Crowdfunding
How to…inspire contributors on Pozible So you have your wonderful idea bubbling away in the back of your mind, and now you need the funds for it to reach the next stage of its development. You stumble across Pozible and know this is the right place to gain your funding. So, how do you make the most of your time on Pozible? By inspiring contributors! Here are a couple of tips and tricks on how to help make that inspiration flow! FIRST and FOREMOST:... Read More
Street Dreams: A documentary of hope
This is not a usual working day, even for Pozible. I am staring into the abyss of a computer screen, with Skype pouring out the story of Mike and Jason, two Adelaide based film makers, and their latest project, Street Dreams. Mike has been kind enough to offer Pozible an interview before he and Jason leave for Asia, where their journey of truly capturing the stories of young Asian sex workers begins. Is there a little bit of admiration and awe... Read More
We’re going to ProductCamp!
In this special edition of brainmates eMuse, we take a look at ProductCamp Sydney – the annual unconference for Product Managers next Saturday the 4th June 2011! Jam packed with input from Product Managers just like you, this unconference caters to all Product Management professionals and invites discussion, debate, presentation and shared learning as part of the unconference format. The Details What: ProductCamp Sydney Where:News limited,... Read More
All you can ever be is yourself
I recently had an incredibly delightful client of mine during a persona discussion lay something on me that a lot of us here in marketing land forget- all you can ever be is yourself and if you are trying to be something else, people can spot it. So what do we risk when we are caught up in our own concepts and perceptions? A lot… and here’s why. My firm belief is every single product ever created has a market, an audience. The reason it exists... Read More