NAB 2017: Hot products and trends

NAB 2017

Yesterday marked the end of NAB 2017, the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters. NAB isn't really a consumer-oriented event, but we like to go because it gives us some insight into trends and technology that will trickle down to prosumer and consumer products within a few years, as well as new products designed for these users.

With over 100,000 people in attendance, and almost 2,000 companies exhibiting, it's a safe bet that we can't share everything from NAB with you. (And really, do you want to hear about things like the latest advances in rack-mount news van hardware?) That said, let's take a look at some of the things that did catch our eye at NAB 2017.

Atomos rocks the house

An afternoon trip to the Atomos booth is like the NAB equivalent of trying to get into a U2 concert. Things got so crazy in recent years (thanks in part to daily equipment giveaways), that for 2017 Atomos built a booth where CEO Jeromy Young could hold court and do live demos for the masses from an elevated perch. I almost expected him to start singing 'Don't cry for me, Argentina' as he leaned over the balcony.

But the masses had good reason to be excited, because Atomos showed off a couple very cool products... 

Atomos Ninja Inferno

Although it was announced about a month ago, this was the first chance many people had to get their hands on the new Ninja Inferno off-camera monitor and recorder. The Ninja Inferno is basically a non-SDI version of the company's flagship Shogun Inferno, and Atomos is specifically targeting Panasonic GH5 users with support for 4K/60p recording via HDMI-out. For $995 it seems like a pretty compelling package, and apparently the masses agreed.

We have a Ninja Inferno we've been testing with the GH5, so we'll be bringing you an in-depth look at this combination in the near future.

Atomos Sumo

While Shoguns and Ninjas drew people into the Atomos booth, what really got their attention was the new Sumo. Imagine an oversized, 19" Shogun recorder and you'll have a pretty good mental image of what it is. It can record 4K 12-bit Raw, 10-bit ProRes/NNxHR.

But the Sumo isn't just for on-set monitoring and recording. It's also designed to be an HDR color grading monitor, either in the field or in your edit suite. With a brightness of 1200 nits and a claimed 10+ stops of dynamic range, the Sumo can accept Log, PQ, or HLG signals from your editing software and display color accurate HDR footage with 10-bit quality.

This thing is a beast. If you want a sense of scale, look at the lower right hand corner of the picture above. See that little thing next to it? That's a 7" Shogun recorder. And with a price tag of $2,495, it's surprisingly affordable. I want one of these things!

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro

Blackmagicdesign is another company on fire with useful products for emerging filmmakers and even consumers. At NAB the company showed off its recently released URSA Mini Pro 4.6K camera. It offers a user-swappable lens mount, with support for EF, PL, and B4 mounts, and the company promises a Nikon mount later this year. Its Super 35 sensor captures 15 stops of dynamic range, and the camera includes built-in ND filters for optimal exposure. 

the URSA Mini Pro feels like a very solid piece of equipment, and with a price tag of $5,995 it offers a lot of bang for the buck.

DaVinci Resolve: More features, lower price

Blackmagic also announced upgrades to its industry standard DaVinci Resolve software.

Branded as DaVinci Resolve 14, the new version promises to revolutionize the Resolve experience. In addition to a fully integrated NLE and industry leading color grading tools, Resolve 14 now includes pro-level audio tools, the result of a 2016 acquisition of Fairlight, a manufacturer of audio hardware and software for motion picture production. The addition of Fairlight audio tools means that users have access to professional editing, color correction, and audio tools in a single piece of software. Blackmagic claims that Resolve 14 also improves playback performance by a factor of 10.

What's possibly just as interesting as the new features is the new price. While the basic version of Resolve will remain free, the full DaVinci Resolve Studio 14 will cost $299, a significant decrease from the previous price of $995. This is a shot across the bow of Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X, and should attract a lot more new users to the system. A beta of Resolve 14 is available now.

Blackmagic Mini and Micro Panels

One of the important features of the DaVinci Resolve experience has been integration with the DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel, a $30,000 piece of hardware used by professional colorists, but out of reach to users with smaller budgets.

A few weeks ago, Blackmagic introduced two smaller panels, the Resolve Mini Panel ($2,995) and the Resolve Micro panel ($995). These smaller panels would be useful for a pro to use in the field, or in a smaller home studio, however they also represent a very affordable way for smaller production companies, or even enthusiasts, to access pro-level editing equipment at an affordable cost. I found both panels to be very easy to use: the trackballs and dials are very smooth and well-weighted, and the panels actually feel a lot more solid than they appear in pictures (at least to me). I think this is a great addition to the Resolve family of products, and I hope to do an extended test at some point.

Blackmagic Web Presenter

I know, I've covered a lot of Blackmagic products already, but I'm going to throw in one more. The Blackmagic Web Presenter is a box that does one basic thing, but does it really well. It takes output from any camera via HDMI or SDI, and converts the signal to a high quality 720p stream that gets sent to a computer through USB so that it appears as a standard webcam.

What that means is that you an use virtually any camera as a high quality webcam for applications like Skype, YouTube Live, or anything else that uses a webcam as a video source. So, if you're tired of using your cheap built-in camera or mobile phone for your guest appearances on CNN, plug your GH5, 5D IV, or E-M1 II into the Web Presenter and Anderson Cooper will have no idea you're coming to him live from your living room.

DJI meets Hasselblad: 100MP aerial photos ensue

Remember that time when DJI took an ownership stake in Hasselblad? Remember how we all joked that DJI would put a medium format camera on a drone? We all got some good laughs out of that, didn't we?

Well, they went and did it, pairing a DJI M600 Pro hexacopter and a Hasselblad H6D-100c 100MP camera mounted on a Ronin-MX gimbal. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the good news is that you can get the M600 Pro for only $5,000. Of course, you'll still need a $30,000 H6D-100c to complete the package. (Though I hear free shipping is common...)

Curiously, there were a couple Hasselblad X1Ds sitting next to the drone as well, a camera whose size and weight might be more amenable to flight. I asked a Hasselblad representative if there were plans to release a similar combination using the X1D instead, but he wouldn't confirm if that were the case. Of course, he didn't deny it either.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality, or VR, has been trying to get traction in the market for several years. Although it has gained some success in the gaming community, adoption of VR technology for photos and video has been slower. However, that certainly isn't keeping people from trying to find the magic formula, and there's a lot of investment from companies trying to do just that. Let's take a look at a few VR products that grabbed our attention.

New Ricoh Theta

By now, everyone has probably heard of the Ricoh Theta. In fact, it's one of the few VR cameras that has seen fairly wide adoption, thanks to its compact size and ease of use. However, the current Theta S still suffers from relatively low 1080p video quality and a lack of spatial audio.

The new Theta prototype on display at NAB addresses both of those issues, with 4K capture, four microphones, and also live 4K streaming capability. What really stands out to me here is the directional audio. Even at 4K, your VR viewing experience is still somewhat limited by the relatively low resolution of most viewing hardware, however in a demo the spatial audio was immediately noticeable. Instead of guessing where sound is coming from and trying to correlate it with what's in front of your eyes, directional sound allows you to tell where the sound is coming from, providing a more immersive experience. No word on when the next Theta will be released.

Ricoh R Development Kit

We first saw the Ricoh R development kit at CES, but it was on full working display at NAB. The Ricoh R is based on the same overall design as the Theta, but has a very different purpose: it's designed to provide 24-hour 360º live streaming. As such, there are a few differences in the product.

The most obvious one is a ribbed surface on the camera, which we're guessing is to assist with heat dissipation. Also, unlike the upcoming version of the Theta, the Ricoh R still uses 1080p resolution, which should reduce data usage while streaming 24/7. Additionally, all image stitching is done in-camera, which makes it easy to feed out VR video for streaming. There's no internal battery either, which probably makes sense for a device designed to run 24 hours a day.

What will the Ricoh R be used for? Well, pretty much anything you want, ranging from a security camera to placing it in the middle of a falcon's nest. Ricoh wants you to develop unique applications. It will be available in June, and you can pre-order it now for $499.

YI Halo VR camera

YI Technology arrived in town with the new YI Halo, a VR camera built around Google's Jump platform. The Halo utilizes 17 synchronized 4K YI cameras to record 8K stereoscopic video. At first glance, it appears that the cameras in the Halo are just standard YI 4K action cameras, but that's not the case. While similar in size and shape, YI has actually made special cameras optimized for easy swapping and improved heat management.

After watching some sample videos from the Halo I have to admit I was pretty impressed. It's some of the better VR footage I've seen. What particularly stood out were outdoor scenes with bright clouds. Clouds tend to be blown out on most VR cameras due to limited dynamic range, but on the Halo footage you could still see quite a bit of detail without darker areas on the ground being crushed to black. 

The Halo is expected to be available this summer for a cool price of $17,000.

Insta360 Pro

The new Insta360 Pro is an impressive VR camera that captures 8K video, or 6K stereoscopic video, in a small, spherical package. It emphasizes the ability to get very high quality footage straight out of camera that can be streamed or posted online quickly, for example by a reporter in the field. In addition to six fish eye lenses, the Insta360 Pro includes four integrated microphones for spatial audio, but also supports external audio and power for extended use. All stitching is done in-camera, making it easy to stream out content live during an event.

Video quality was surprisingly good, though I still noticed obvious stitching artifacts in places. Also, whenever I looked at the camera, I couldn't get over the feeling that it was smiling and staring back at me. Kind of like an evil clown. But if you can get past that, it's possible to order one now for $3,500, with units expected to ship in mid-May.

The VR camera we all want

Of course, if you really want to do VR right, you build a spherical rig for 10 Arri Alexas. It's the perfect solution if you have ten Alexas sitting around. 

Just sayin'.

Sony still makes video tapes

Yes, Sony still makes video tapes. And yes, there's still a market for them.

Fujinon MK50-135mm T2.9 cine lens

In the past year we've seen a lot of new cine lenses aimed at emerging filmmakers who want the quality of cine lenses without spending $20,000 and up for the privilege. In fact, just a couple months ago, Fujifilm announced its new MK series of cine lenses aimed at this market. We tested the first of these, the Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9, and found it too be an outstanding lens, both in terms of image quality and build.

At NAB, Fujifilm displayed the second lens in the series, the MK 50-135mm T2.9 lens. It shares the same weight and dimensions as the 18-55mm lens, as well as its parfocal design and E-mount for use on Sony cameras. The lens is expected to be available in July, and while pricing has not been announced, we expect it to be in the same ballpark as the 18-55mm model, or around $3,799.

Fujifilm MK lenses in X-mount

When Fujifilm announced the MK series of Fujinon lenses, there was initially some confusion about the fact that Fujifilm was releasing them for Sony E-mount. This actually made a lot of sense, considering how many Sony Super 35 cameras are in use professionally. However, the company made clear it would eventually release the MK lenses in Fujifilm's own X-mount as well.

At NAB, we got our first look at one of these X-mount lenses, the MK18-55mm T2.9, attached to a Fujifilm X-T2 body. Pricing and release date remain unannounced, but earlier this year Fujifilm told us the X-mount versions would be available 'near the end' of 2017.

Zeiss CP.2 Primes get artsy

Zeiss says that its Compact Prime CP.2 series of lenses are the most popular cine lenses it has ever produced. To commemorate this success, the company was busy creating a series of 'art' lenses (pardon me if that sounds a bit familiar...) by artist Joseph Ari Aloi. In fact, Aloi was in the Zeiss booth painting lenses in all shapes, colors and patterns.

C'mon. You know you want it.

Sigma Cine lenses

Not to be left out of the cine lens game, Sigma was showing off the newest members of its Cine Prime line of lenses, the Cine FF High Speed 14mm T2 and the  Cine FF High Speed 135mm T2, which join five existing prime lenses in Sigma's Cine Prime product line.

The Sigma Cine Primes are based on existing Sigma lens designs, but are redesigned into cinema-friendly hardware, including high quality mechanical barrels with integrated gearing. In use, the new lenses feel very solid and should produce beautiful video. If you don't like seeing your distances in feet, you can opt for a metric version. The lens markings even glow in the dark for low light use.

Illuminati light and color meter

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Livestream's Mevo camera can broadcast to YouTube Live

Last year, Livestream's Mevo became the first camera with integrated Facebook Live streaming. Now the video streaming platform is giving its device a few more major upgrades, including support for Android and YouTube Live. The camera can now broadcas...

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Trends to watch at NAB 2017

Trends to watch at NAB 2017

Next week is the annual National Association of Broadcasters show, or NAB, in Las Vegas, Nevada. NAB is primarily an industry conference, and isn't generally focused on consumer products, but we go to NAB because it often gives us a window into the future. Tools and technologies created for Hollywood or the broadcast industry have a funny way of tricking down to everyman products over the next few years, and that's usually a good thing (3D television being a notable exception, in my opinion).

So, let's take a look at a few of the product categories we'll be watching at NAB next week that have the potential to impact us not-named-Spielberg types in the coming years.

Tools for Emerging Filmmakers

The filmmaking industry has changed a lot in the past few years: technology has become better, costs have come down, and tools suitable for serious content creation are now accessible to anyone with a dream of producing films and the passion to make it happen. This transformation has ushered in an explosion of what are often referred to as 'emerging filmmakers.'

These are people who often started making films with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, but have grown their skills or businesses to the point where they need better, dedicated tools. They include independent filmmakers, small businesses working for commercial clients, or any number of other filmmaking roles. Some things they have in common are that they care about creating high quality content, have high expectations for production value, and they don't have upwards of $20,000 to buy a single cinema lens.

This category has grown large enough that we're seeing more companies which have historically catered to the high end cinema market now looking to meet emerging filmmakers' needs. Whether it's to drive revenue or create brand loyalists, we're seeing more tools designed and priced for these users. By way of example, in the past year we've seen cinema lenses such as Cookes and Fujinons with sub-$5,000 price points. We expect to see even more products aimed at emerging filmmakers at NAB. 

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual reality is a technology that everyone, from manufacturers to content creators, seems to want to succeed, but which hasn't quite managed to do so. There's clearly a lot of unrealized promise, and even Hollywood executives will tell you they're spending a lot of money trying to figure out how to make it work. Will this be the year VR makes the leap?

NAB will once again feature a dedicated Virtual and Augmented Reality Pavillion where the VR community can show off its latest technology. And there are clearly a lot of businesses betting big money on it, ranging from consumer-focused companies like Yi Technologies, which plans to announce VR capture devices at the show, to the likes of 360 Designs, whose Flying EYE drone system will livestream 360º 6K content from miles away for a cool $75,000. 

The big question is whether any of the VR products or technologies we see at NAB this year will be enough to get significant traction in the market, or collectively move the needle toward wider adoption of VR by consumers, but the industry isn't giving up on this one yet.

8K Technology

We actually saw 8K display technology for the first time at NAB a couple years ago. And yes, it's good bleeping amazing. Last year, Canon had an 8K reference display in its booth with a magnifying glass next to it, teasing you to try to see the pixels. After all, with 8K you're collecting about the same number of pixels as a Nikon D810. In bursts of 24 or 30 frames. Every second. Think of the memory cards you're going to need... but I digress...

What does 8K mean for photographers, videographers, and emerging filmmakers? Right now, not a lot. In fact, it's unlikely we'll even see 8K TVs being widely marketed to consumers for a number of years. But on the content creation side, there's a lot to be said for 8K. With 4K quickly moving in the direction of becoming a standard for viewing content, 8K will give content creators the same advantages that 4K acquisition has for creating 1080p content. Right now we're still talking about very expensive, high end pro cinema and broadcast equipment, but what we see at NAB is often a preview to what we'll see in less expensive gear a few years down the road.

And 8K technology may come faster than we expect. We've seen 4K gain fairly wide adoption very quickly, and most of the industry seems hell-bent on a collision course between full 8K broadcast and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (having already demonstrated it at London 2012 and run test broadcasts from Rio 2016). Some of this 8K goodness (or massive data storage overhead, if you're the glass-half-empty type) may start filtering its way into our cameras in the next few years.

HDR Video

HDR video is pretty much what it sounds like: high dynamic range video that lets us see brighter brights, darker darks, and more shades in between. It's like HDR photos, but with motion, and done well it can look pretty amazing. From a consumer perspective, most talk about HDR video these days relates to TVs, but the market is still sorting itself out. As the old adage goes, 'The great thing about standards is that we have so many to choose from.' Between HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma, there's plenty of room for the marketers to fight it out and educate consumers on the jargon.

But what we're most interested in is content creation, or HDR video capture. Admittedly, there's not a lot here for the enthusiast or prosumer at the moment. But... (and you know there's always a 'but') Panasonic has already told us to expect Hybrid Log-Gamma to be included in the mother of all firmware updates – or, as we affectionately know it, MOAFU (really rolls off your tongue, doesn't it) – that's coming for the Panasonic GH5 in summer 2017. We look forward to testing it. Once we figure out how to test it.

Drones

Love 'em or hate 'em, people are going to use drones for all kinds of things. (At least until Skynet, and we all know how that ends.) Of course, what we care about at DPReview is aerial imaging, whether it's still photography or video. The drone industry has exploded in the past few years, with tools ranging from octocopters that nonchalantly ferry around RED and Arri cameras to consumer products you can buy off the shelf and use to make your own movies.

As with other video categories, what started out as technology available only to well-funded production studios has quickly started to filter down to the emerging filmmaker or prosumer level. In fact, less than six months ago DJI introduced the Inspire 2 drone and Zenmuse X5S camera. That combo uses a Micro Four Thirds camera to shoot 5.2K CinemaDNG Raw video with a bit rate of 4.2Gbps. All for the price of a Canon 1D X II. This is Hollywood-level stuff. They even got cinematographer Claudio Miranda, ASC (Life of Pi) to make a film with it, though he had to carry it around in his hands for some shots.

Why do I bring up a product that was announced a few months ago? First, because it's an indication of where the technology is going, and competitors will need to find a way to respond. We'll be watching to see if that happens at NAB. And second, because for the love of God, DJI, can you please put this combination of tech into a regular camera? I don't care if it's a Micro Four Thirds camera the size of a Canon 1D X II, I will write you a check tomorrow.

Such is my plea.

Live Streaming

It used to be that we recorded home movies which we then forced our friends and family to watch over Thanksgiving. Later came the internet, so we could just send aunt Mabel a Vimeo link, or start a YouTube channel about cats with millions of followers.

Today that's no longer adequate. Things must be on the internet, and they must be on now! Whether it's Vloggers broadcasting live from a tradeshow floor using their iPhones, or sites like DPReview doing live webcasts from a studio, live streaming has gained a lot of momentum, and viewers are demanding higher quality live streams as time goes on.

We've already seen products to meet this need at a consumer level, whether it's a DJI Osmo that uses your phone to broadcast on Facebook Live, or the Blackmagic Web Presenter, which allows you to turn virtually any high quality camera into a streaming broadcast camera. We'll be on the watch for other products and technologies that will fuel our live streaming future. Though we can't promise to stream them to you live.

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NFL COO, League of Legends founder highlight second annual GeekWire Sports Tech Summit

GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, left, and Taylor Soper interview Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit in July. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

There continues to be more and more activity at the intersection of sports and technology, from athletic training, to live streaming, to fan engagement, to stadium advancements, and so much more.

That’s why we’re excited to announce that GeekWire is hosting our second annual Sports Tech Summit event on June 21-22 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Co-hosted with the Seattle Sounders FC and Eiger Marketing, this event brings together dozens of leading thinkers in data science, sports marketing, virtual reality, eSports, wearables and more for an informative and action-packed event that includes evening cocktail receptions, fireside chats, interactive panels, live demos, a Sounders match and much more.

We’re expecting a bigger event this year with more room for attendees at CenturyLink Field and another group of sports tech leaders joining us on stage.

The action begins on Wednesday, June 21, with a pre-party leading up to the 7:30 p.m. Sounders FC match against Orlando City.

Then the following day we’ll have several fireside chats and panel discussions on stage as we hear from folks like NFL COO Tod Leiweke, League of Legends co-founder Brandon Beck, SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza, ESPN senior writer John Clayton, and others soon to be announced.

Early bird tickets are available now, so head here to reserve your spot at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit. And don’t forget to subscribe to our sports tech newsletter for updates and the latest sports tech news.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin speaks at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit in July. (Kevin Lisota / GeekWire)

Our inaugural event last year drew more than 300 attendees and featured fascinating talks from folks like L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, as well as valuable networking between attendees who worked in a variety of fields and traveled near and far to experience a day full of sports tech innovation in one of country’s top technology cities.

The GeekWire Sports Tech Summit 2016 at Safeco Field.

For sponsorship opportunities at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, contact Daniel Rossi Daniel@GeekWire.com; Chris Savio at Chriss@soundersfc.com; or Tom Michel at tmichel@eigermarketing.com.

NOTE: GeekWire members do not receive automatic access to the Sports Tech Summit, but if you are interested in attending please email John Cook at john@geekwire.com for a special discount.

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Former NBA commissioner, Syracuse hoops head coach invest in SportsCastr live streaming platform

Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis hosts a Sportscastr stream. Photo via Sportscastr.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a sports broadcaster, there’s a new startup that is making it possible with technology.

Sportscastr CEO Kevin April with investor and former NBA commissioner David Stern. Photo via Sportscastr.

SportsCastr.live launched today out of New York City and offers a live video streaming platform that lets anyone become a color commentator.

The company’s app and web product gives users a way to stream themselves with on-air graphics like live scoreboards, chat boxes, and picture-in-picture layouts as they talk about a given game going on, making it appear that they are live on TV. The real-time scoreboards are available for NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, men’s college basketball, men’s college football, WNBA, and English Premier Soccer games.

Viewers, meanwhile, have a chance to find broadcasters from around the world and interact with the stream via clickable graphics.

“Sports are more fun when they’re social,” the website reads. “Connect with other viewers who are tuned in and live chat with the broadcaster. Regardless of where you are, you no longer have to be in the same room to enjoy the game with fans just like you.”

The stream doesn’t actually show live games and it remains to be seen if and how SportsCastr can work with broadcasters to integrate actual games into its product. It gives fans another option for commentary that differs from what is aired on the professional broadcast.

SportsCastr is backed by former NBA commissioner David Stern; famed Syracuse head men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim; Washington Redskins Tight End Vernon Davis; and others.

“This platform will redefine what it means to ‘call a game,'” Stern, who has been an active investor since retiring, said in a statement. “Think about it: you can stream the game, watch it in VR, get real-time stats and info, etc. Now you can choose your broadcaster and that person has access to all the bells and whistles necessary to deliver a ‘network quality’ broadcast.”

SportsCastr is a joint venture between SGI Pixel, SGI MB, and IdeaQuest. The company is led by CEO Kevin April, who previously co-founded SportsBlog, according to Ozy.

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3 Little-Known Ways to Use Content Marketing for Client Education

By Brooke B. Sellas, {grow} Contributing Columnist

Working in marketing means there are lots of moments for client education.

“What does ‘CPC’ mean? I want 10,000 new followers this month! Why aren’t people seeing or interacting with my Facebook posts? We should delete that negative review!”

Exasperated yet?

I’m here to challenge you to be irked with yourself rather than the client. We get so caught up in using content marketing for educating prospects and leads that we’ve forgotten how powerful it can be for client education. Mark Schaefer recently wrote about leveraging content marketing for leads versus loyalty.

This is about loyalty. Use these three little-known ways to use content marketing for your client education pieces, and focus on the long game.

First, What Is Client Education?

Client education is the process by which professionals (in our case marketing professionals) disseminate information to clients and their team members that will change their marketing behaviors or improve their marketing knowledge.

Your client education pieces should also

• Be evergreen. Unlike campaign or advertising content, your educational material doesn’t expire. It may need to be updated it from time to time, but once it’s created, it remains in your library.
• Be prepped for SEO. The more pages of keyword rich and helpful content you have on your website, the more search terms you can rank for. Using your educational content for posts on your blog is a great way to help new customers find you.

And how do you know what types of educational pieces are worth spending time on?

You listen for pain points. You jot down every. single. FAQ (frequently asked questions). You genuinely care about educating your clients and (let’s be honest) saving yourself from repeating long-winded explanations over and over again.

Here are three (plus) ideas for your client education arsenal.

The Pitch Deck

Okay, arguably this isn’t “client” education. Although I will say that once we added a pitch deck to the process in which we close leads, our close ratio went from 50% to closer to 60%.

And truthfully, our pitch deck talks to prospects as though they are going to become our clients … the information we include can truly be considered basic client education.

Here’s what we include

• About B Squared Media
• About Us (myself and our team — plus our part-time and project freelancers)
• Our Services
• A sampling of clients
• Case Studies
• How we work (process for social media clients and process for ad clients)

This piece of client education helps with (besides the obvious) questions qualified leads will inevitably ask about our processes, the clients we work with, and results.

Here are 10 pitch decks to inspire you.

But just in case you don’t count the pitch deck as client education, I’ve got three more below.

Onboarding

Onboarding is probably the best and most transparent place to educate your new client. We like to take this chance to underscore certain finer points (like terms and conditions from their already signed agreement) and add in education that hits those FAQs.

Here’s what we include with onboarding

• Welcome Packet. Includes more in-depth information on our team, how to get in touch with each of them, how we work (since we work 7 days a week for our social media clients), and sets them up for us to be asking about feedback.
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting. We have two of these packets — one for social media clients and one for advertising clients. This is where we really cover FAQs and explain that reports take 30 days to fully bake. We also give our expectations for the client, because setting boundaries is never a bad idea!
• Definitions. Again, we have two of these (SMM or ads) and this is where we cover every possible definition of marketing or advertising terms, including the metrics that are listed in the client reporting. They can always ask us, of course, but this allows for a quick-glance guide when they can’t remember what CPC means for the fifth time.

Sure, some clients may not care to take the time to read your carefully planned client education pieces. But I can tell you from my own experiences the good clients love this stuff and are very involved. They want to learn.

Cheat Sheets

Some of our FAQs aren’t easily answered in a few sentences. Perhaps your clients are unsure of how to create behind-the-scenes content or how to tackle live streaming.

That’s where cheat sheets come in handy.

Our cheat sheets are one-page “how to’s” for doing a specific task. We include step-by-step examples, pro-tips, and tools that may help with the completing their project.

These easy-to-create client education pieces not only save you from repeating yourself over and over, if they offer a smart design and super helpful tips, they help you look like a legit superstar.

Not a savvy designer? Hire one or learn from free sites like Canva to get the job done.

Off-Boarding

This is probably the most-missed place to use content marketing to educate your clients. Yes, they’re leaving you. But if they’re not leaving based on something you did, chances are you can win them back the next time they need help.

Here are some things to include when off-boarding clients

• Your process for off-boarding client accounts. Take them step-by-step so there are no questions or confusion about how things go down.
• Privacy and security tips. If you’ve had access to their accounts or login information, remind them to change their passwords and tell them how your team removes sensitive information.
• Next steps. Give them a boost by telling them what your suggestions are for “flying on their own.” Include a campaign plan or media schedule — go the extra step in wowing your client before they leave the nest.

Other Ideas

Recently, our team got together and thought of ways to pep up our client education material. We’re playing with the idea of doing some of the pieces with humorous videos.

We think this will help clients bond with team members and see us “in real life” since most of our meetings are held by phone or computer.

Educating your customers through content marketing and client education can help you

• Bolster expectations
• Position yourself as a leader
• Retain good clients

And possibly even beckon new clients by using some of your content on your blog or website.

How about you? Are you using content marketing to educate and hold on to clients? I’d love to know how — leave me a comment below.

Brooke B. Sellas is an in-the-trenches digital marketer & owner at B Squared Media, blossoming blogger, and a purveyor of psychographics. Her mantra is “Think Conversation, Not Campaign” so be sure to give her a shout on Twitter.

The post 3 Little-Known Ways to Use Content Marketing for Client Education appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

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