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Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Hi there, welcome to the biz communication show, I’m your host, Bill Lampton the biz communication guy, bringing you tips and strategies on communication that will boost your business. And I don’t do that alone. I do that with a highly accomplished guest, who will share his or her tips and strategies that will give us winning words and ways. Today is my great privilege to host Mike Stewart. Mike Stewart, and I met in 1998, at the Georgia chapter of the National Speakers Association, I can still remember Mike coming up to me and saying, Have you got a website? And I said, Yeah, I’ve got one. I was thinking, I don’t need his services. And he said, okay, but do you have sound on your website, you’re a speaker, you ought to have sound on your website. So that’s when I started relying on Mike Stewart and I have relied on him ever since. Many of us will remember that in 1996, we started having access to the internet and we needed people to help us figure it out. And Mike Stewart is one of those pioneers, who paved the way and brought us along with him. Amazingly, Mike excels in music too. He’s a songwriter, publisher, film composer, played on hit records as a season session musician owned a successful recording studio, and played keyboards, guitars and bass. Additionally, he has written music for all his adult life, I guess, Mike got those notes that I didn’t. So please welcome me and joy, and joining. And please join me in welcoming the internet, audio and video guy who will share his strategies with us today. Hi, there, Mike,
Michael Stewart
a bill to be a guest on your show. I watch all these shows, because we’ll reveal why I see all your shows. But to be a guest is is an honor. And and I hope you got some questions here that will try me a little bit maybe maybe make me think a little harder to this day.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Well, I might try you. But I know I don’t stump the expert. Not at all. Mike, let’s, let’s go back to the pre internet days, because I’m maybe one of the few people who is well aware of the fact that you didn’t learn technology by taking a crash course or a correspondence course or going to a weekend session. You had been involved in technology in the media for quite a while describe to us what that background was that prepared you for what you’re you’ve been doing ever since?
Michael Stewart
Well, obviously, and you can see here behind me is a that side over there. Oh, it was a gold record at you know, in the keyboard behind me. And in fact, I’ll actually do a little camera switch. I have a recording studio, a Nashville recording studio. Because I got into audio and especially Internet audio. years ago, because I wanted to be involved with the music industry. I wanted to be involved with the recording industry. And I started in recording when it was an analog medium, which mean it used tape. I don’t people remember reel to reel tape recorders, cassette tapes, eight tracks. sound was recorded on disk sound was recorded on tape. And digital didn’t exist until the 90s. And so I’ve seen it transform from its primitive days into the amazing power of what we have available today. And I thought well, how can I apply my knowledge and love of music and recording to a business that at least pays the bills? And you know, I love it. You know, what’s my real job? My real job is is helping people understand how to use these tools for their businesses. And that’s if you go back to you mate, you made a comment of like, in 98, which is 30. What 3036 years ago Oh my goodness. Am I doing the math right? I don’t know. But that’s I went to the Georgia speakers associations because I knew I was learning websites back then, in addition to understanding recorded audio, and how the internet would deliver audio, and it was possible in 98, for audio, to do what’s called stream from a website, streaming audio technology was invented in 96. So by 98, the ability to have sound come up with a website was possible and doable and affordable. And I thought, what segment or what vertical of market could really utilize audio on their website. And I knew that public speakers, professional speakers, it’s like, okay, I was looking at the Georgia Speakers Association, that the taunting is what it was called. And I noticed all of the members had websites, such as yourself, but nobody could hear them. And I thought that that was kind of an oxymoron. I’m a speaker, but you can’t hear me. So that became my I don’t want to say my elevator speech or pitch. But, you know, your web guy doesn’t know sound. I do, in fact, the name of my company at the time, and I still own that domain name, sound pages I make webpages with with audio with sound. And I’ve been sound pages for over 35 years. And so I knew that by combining the marketing strategy of going to a niche that could use the service or the solution and explaining to them, don’t you see this as a problem? You’re a speaker, you’re sending prospect clients to your websites, agents, what so forth, and they can’t even hear you speak? Wouldn’t you like your website to be able to be to see a picture and be heard. So that’s where I started making. And I’ve done that strategy, hundreds of times over the years of taking something that I know and, and framing it to a market to where when they don’t understand they need it, they go, Aha, I can use that and look at look at it’s there. Our relationship has, has lasted all these years. And I’ve got quite a few relationships from those those years ago, that they all began, if I had gone up to you and said, Hey, do you want me to fix and clean up your website? You’d have said, No, thank you. And we were probably never spoken again. Yeah, there were hundreds of people who could do that. Well, and it was hot at the time. I mean, people who could make a website could find work. That was not not the issue. But the issue. The issue from a marketing standpoint, I thought was every web designers not an audio engineer, every web designer is not a composer. So I brought music. In fact, the music that did you’ve been using for years, yes, composed and recorded years ago. And so I just took my passion of music and recording, and applied it to what I consider to be the new broadcast technology. I mean, we had radio, we had television, and now the internet is both radio and television. And in fact, that’s what we’re doing right now we’re doing television. Well, there’s,
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
there’s, there’s several marketing strategies that you use, that could very well be a model for the rest of us one, as the saying goes, you identified a need. And there were people as you say, who hadn’t recognized the need, we also had a target audience. And third, which is great, you had the solution that they needed. And so you have helped hundreds of clients because of that start, and you’ve certainly expanded your services and your skills. So let’s think we’ve talked now about audio. Let’s think about video where you also Excel, Mike, if someone were to hire you for marketing now, and they would say, Well, you know, my guy just don’t don’t see much reason and getting into video, why would people want to see me or hear me on video on my website or a podcast or something? Talk to us please about the power of video what what it can do and identifying our mission, our personality and attracting people in a way that we couldn’t in any other way.
Michael Stewart
Well, we all know that that you know, audio is theater of the mind. So the audio has to convey all of the information just in an auditory format. But with video, you have the visual and the audio to convey the message and there’s things that video can convey when it comes to marketing. People can see you they can they can see your sincerity they can you can convey emotions. You know, it’s all about the communicating strategies that you teach. When people know like and trust a person that they can see and hear, and you know, feel like they know if you think about television, and film celebrities. I’ve never met Jay Leno. But I feel like I know him. I’ve never met Jimmy Fallon. But I feel like I know him. That’s not because I met him. It’s because I’ve watched so much of his video. I know, his mannerisms. I know his inflections I know His voice, I know what he looks like from, you know, in every angle. And this, if I liking your building this know, like and trust factor that audio alone could never do. I mean, back in the days of radio, people were stars, but nobody knew what they looked like. Because all they could do was hear them and great. Radio actors of the day, could really build a connection with their audience with just their voice alone. But everybody can’t do that. That’s why when I hear people say, I don’t want to do video, because I don’t like how I look, well, I don’t like how I look, I think I have a face for radio. But that’s not the point. I want people I’m not scared to get in front of this camera lens, and, and talk to people and convince them that I’m the authority that I know what I’m doing. And that my information and my strategies and my techniques can make a difference in your business. I mean, you said the three things that still apply today, you know, if you have a business, you have to have a target market, who is your target market, you have to have something that makes them immediately be curious to know more information that and have a call to action. And then of course, what you want to do is once you start building that relationship with know like and trust factor that you can do with video, then, then a percentage of those people, statistically will become your customer and it increases your profits. So why is video important? Well, I tell you, if Google does it, it’s probably important. And I remember in 2007 That video was very primitive on the internet. It was it was very choppy. All the Video Experts all the video producers who did television set Oh, it’s laughable. It looks horrible. It’s the size of a postage stamp. It’s it’s jerky, it’s fuzzy. I mean, they they just poo pooed on it. Because they just said it’s it’s well, the internet speeds were too slow. And the technologies were too primitive. But you fast forward. Nowadays, you can have high definition movies, and symphonic sound delivered over the Internet because the internet speeds are up there. And the technologies, what are called compression technologies have made it to where even if the theater, you know, nobody’s running on film anymore. Those are internet delivered digital files from Hollywood go into that movie theater. Oh, when you watch a new movie, that’s basically a big television set with a streaming video coming to it. So streaming what I was getting back to Google, they paid $1.7 billion in 2007 for a little startup called YouTube. And everybody says, What are they doing? Have they just got more money than they know what to do with? Well, they were visionary. They knew that someday that people be going around and I’m holding this up for those people that are just listening. I’m holding up the cell phone. Well, that cell phone has now become the radio, the television set. And there are more the biggest television network in the world is YouTube. And YouTube makes money by building audiences to the content that they don’t even have to create their users create the content, what a concept. They have zero production costs. And they’re making a large share of the advertising revenue through their systems.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
That’s a good arrangement. Very good arrangement, very
Michael Stewart
good arrangement. So they knew and when I saw in 2007, that that Google would spend that kind of money to own they can just start it themselves. I don’t know why they bought, but evidently the guys who did in fact, it was some Pay Pal guys, who had who had sold that bought out from PayPal, took some of their PayPal, money, and started YouTube and everything. Like everybody says, who’s going to do this? Wow, this is crazy. And then of course, nowadays, we know that YouTube is the law. In fact, there’s more video watched every day on YouTube than the audiences of 40 to 50 Super Bowls. So you’re tough talking about video is powerful, and people shouldn’t. My question is So don’t ask why you shouldn’t do it. And I’m asking why don’t you do it. Because when you create what Google wants, which is content, fresh, relevant content, you have the chance of people finding you liking you, trusting you and doing business with you. And that’s, that’s the, you know, the way I’ve got you to know, like, and trust me and do business with me is I had to get in the car, drive to the meeting, have a business card in my pocket, walk up to you and interrupt your conversation, to say, You don’t know me. But I’d like you to know, like, and trust me and hear what I have to say. And it worked. It worked. And for every person that worked for I had 10 That said, Get lost kid, you know now, and that’s okay. You just know that you have to just do it over? Well, when you do video, and you start building that information, you only have to say it once and it gets it could get watched over and over again. And it lives forever. That meeting I had with you that day was only that day, and I’d have to go back to another meeting to repeat it. And I did you know that was that was all we had 98 But nowadays, content marketing, with video, LinkedIn, Facebook, tik, Tok, YouTube, podcasts, your blog, all of those things are ways that people can find you and consume your information. And know if you’re an expert or not. To answer,
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
y’all, yes, yes, indeed. And two quick comments. One is, and you and I have talked about this before, is that video production now, versus 15 to 20 years ago, video production now is very simplified, and it’s very cost effective. And then the other point I’d like to make is that the power of video for our marketing, and our professional relationships is only limited by our imagination. I’ll tell you a very simple example. And then we’re going to get to another question. But a very simple example is many people when they meet with a prospective client, they use the standard ways of follow up, they send them an email, they send them a letter, maybe a phone call. But one of the ways that I have set my marketing apart from somebody else, after a meeting with a potential client, I send them a thank you video, I summarize what we’ve talked about, I suggest a next step. And that’s two or three minutes in that video, but that’s much more powerful and sending them books or text our phone calls or emails because it it personalize it might we’re going to come back in just a few seconds. And we’re going to talk about podcasting. Because that along with video, of course, is the rage be back with you shortly.
Michael Stewart
Do you wish you felt confident about giving speeches? Do you want to deal with difficult people constructively? And what about becoming more persuasive in sales? Then keep listening now to Dr. Bill Lampton, he spent 20 years in management, so he knows the communication skills you need for success. I urge you to call the biz communication guide today for a no call. But very valuable. 30 minute discussion about your communication challenges. Call now. 678-316-4300 Again, that’s 678-316-4300.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Somehow recognize that voice? Yeah, whoever
Michael Stewart
your announcer is I think he’s wonderful. Yeah,
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
you would you would, Mike, you. You probably have people who come to you and say, I’ve heard of the millions and millions of podcasts that are being listened to worldwide and that is accelerating. They’re more people getting into that. And gee, Mike, I would like to do podcasting. But I’ve got a message but I really don’t know what the steps are. How do you work with that person? Mike, how do you serve them?
Michael Stewart
Well, there’s there’s literally hundreds to 1000s of ways to deliver a podcast to the internet. All a podcast is a recorded audio file. It’s its content in an auditory format. Podcasting is traditionally not video videos is more in the platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram and Tiktok and those kinds of places. But podcasting is is primarily Apple, Spotify. Now YouTube is including podcasts in their platform, and then Amazon and AWS Trouble are the, that’s the four big ones we pay attention to. But the first, you know, years ago, the equipment was difficult. The editing, could it be overwhelming the licensing of music elements, you know, creating a compelling, as professional sounding interview show or a show that you’re by yourself. You know, finding an audience for that show, that’s those are all the challenges that have always been along there. But the equipment has gotten cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. And, you know, for my belief system is, is try to do interviews and don’t do any editing. Because you when you when you try to make it perfect, it slows you down. And it’s, it’s better to have more episodes, even with the US and arms and maybe some hiccups. You know, if there’s something offensive or something wrong, you’ll want to edit that out. But for the most part, you can start a show and into show and be done. And so it boils down to a microphone, a computer internet connection and a webcam. There’s so many solutions. And that’s one of the things that I do with businesses. You know, the first objection is, why should I do a podcast? Well, a podcast is the fastest way to get Video, Audio Blog, and social media content. You do it once and then you you can repurpose that content and all the platforms. And people don’t think of YouTube or Facebook or LinkedIn as podcast platforms, but they are video platforms. So like that’s what we’re doing today is we’re creating a podcast and video content in real time with no editing. And you know, that’s one of the strategies I taught you using the software here called stream yard. You know, the only thing you need, once again, is a $40 webcam, and a decent microphone. Now the microphone that I’m using right here, that is the popular podcast microphone, that’s called the SM H. They’re a little more expensive, but I figured if I was going to be a podcast consultant, I should at least say okay, this is this is the Cadillac. But you can you can do great work with the, in fact, the microphone built into the Logitech webcam, which is the Logitech High Definition webcam, which you get for about $40 on Amazon, the microphone built into it, it’s almost acceptable. It’s not the best, but it’s acceptable. So a lot of laptops already had amazing microphones and webcams built into it. So the equipment’s not a roadblock. The internet connections are not a roadblock, the only roadblock is you not making determining a target market. And being consistent. You know what a lot of people do, when they get to the point of making a podcast, they do two or three shows. And they give up you you have to continue even if nobody’s listening, because you’re populating a library with great content that lives forever. And, and so if you’re not content marketing, with your business, no matter what your business is, it’s a missed opportunity. Because most people don’t spend time creating good content that can be found online. And you never know who will find it who will be watching. And as you as as I’ve taught you, we did it here. The only advertiser on this content of yours is you. And maybe you allow your guests to share their contact information, but but the point of your content is to let people know what you have to offer and how to get back with you. And so we listen to great programming, not for the commercials. But that’s the that’s what supports the great content, if the any, you know, it’s better than not advertising yourself at all. And it’s really difficult to get big enough numbers to to sell advertising to others. So everybody should do content marketing or a podcast and a blog to create their expertise online and advertise and promote themselves. Well
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
said as a communication coach and a speech coach. There’s something I would add to your conversation about both YouTube videos and podcast and that is give up your quest to be perfect on it. Trying to be perfect is not necessary. And if you if you go back to my introduction of of Mike on this show today, I blooper. A couple of words did that keep you from continuing to listen to that destroy my credibility entirely? Did it say I was not a professional? We should talk on podcast and on videos and con recession. One of the things I constantly say, Mike to my speech coaching clients is, let’s leave delivery to FedEx, the post office. Ups, those people aren’t in the delivery business. We are in the conversation business. And that’s you and I have had a conversation today. It was possibly planned, but it’s not canned. And that’s something else that, that I advise all of my clients we don’t want. Perfect, because if you want perfect, just get a mannequin and teach it how to talk.
Michael Stewart
Well, you know, one thing I’ll interject here that really exemplifies it, is go to YouTube and watch interviews of all the way from Johnny Carson, all the way up to the popular late night house today. I mean, Johnny flubbed all the time. And they, they made it, you know, it was just part of his person. Nobody cared if he did, and he made the most of it, he made the most of it. And you got to do that, too. They didn’t edit any of that stuff out. I mean, it none of this what we’re doing interviews for podcasts and interviews for YouTube. Interview videos should be like late night television, that’s why you can you can borrow their concepts, you know, the opening theme, the station break. You know, you can you can have your segments. I mean, it’s pretty fascinating. There’s no scripting there. In fact, a member Letterman used to have blue cards. And, and he looked at his cards, and he’d be looking down on his card that he didn’t have a teleprompter, he just had blue cards in his hand. And he used to throw him behind his head and made a joke out of his cards. And Craig Ferguson used to have the blue cards and he goes, I’m not read this, and he just stood the cards to just wing it. And there was all kinds of imperfections. But that became the you knew him, you liked him, you trusted him. And that became part of his personality and character. And, and it works. So podcasting, if the information is helpful and informative, and puts you in a light of being an authority. Mission accomplished.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Yes. And another thing about the perfection part of it, if you really want your talk about the television host, even the best ones, if you want an evening of entertainment, just go to YouTube and type in TV bloopers. You’ll have a lot of fun watching that. And of course, anybody who watches movies, if you think that got that all in one take no. And there outtakes from that that are very funny, Mike, this has been as I predicted, it would be highly informative, enjoyable. And so I know that our guests will want to get in touch with you please give us your contact information? Well,
Michael Stewart
there’s a couple of things I want to share with your audience. When I work with small businesses, I have a concept called the local big three. So if you go to local big three.com, that includes everything I can do. You know, I work with all kinds of businesses, I work with you, a professional consultant, I work with a theater effect this afternoon. I’m working with Valleydale ballroom, it’s a music event venue in Columbus, Ohio. We do a lot in the pest control industry, we do a lot in we’ve done it in dentistry, we’ve done all kinds of businesses, the local big three.com is talking about the three things that most businesses don’t pay attention to. And and and that’s why if you want to know more of what how I can help your business, it doesn’t matter what your business is, whether you’re a home based business, or you’re a brick and mortar local business. The local big three can be also the worldwide big three. But it’s talking about optimizing your listing and Google, it talks about content marketing, which covers you know, most people think that social media is just Facebook, or maybe Instagram, or social media is any content that gets shared. So podcasts or social media, blogs or social media, and you can’t leave any stone unturned. So content marketing is social media. And then if you want to really boost your presence, you can give money to all the platforms and they will, they will introduce your content to audiences that weren’t looking for you. That’s how the advertising works. So if you have an add in, especially with a local business, local YouTube Advertising really pays off for local businesses. So I’d love to chat with you. And then of course, my other passion here is the music business. I’m in an oldies band called the boxtops. Let me see here if I can get this picture
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
multitalented Mike.
Michael Stewart
Yeah. So here you go. This is a love you check out the boxtops.com. That’s, that’s my passion is playing music, your national touring with these guys, we have a blast playing all over the country. In fact, we’re playing down your neck of the woods in August. But you can go to boxtops.com and see where we’re playing. So between the local big three.com and boxtops.com, you can find out a whole lot about me and you can get in touch with me and I love talking to people, even if we don’t do business, if I can answer a question, I enjoy doing that as well.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Mike is absolutely approachable, he’s a great resource. And I can tell you from practically three decades of relying on Mike Stewart, you will benefit tremendously. And now that Mike has given his contact information. I’m happy to give mine my YouTube channel. This video appears on YouTube and I started doing with Mike Stewart’s guidance, I started doing YouTube videos in 2007. There are more than 450 instructional videos on there. Many of them are solo productions. And in recent years, the biz communication show is on there. So you don’t have to just listen to my instructions. You can also hear experts, Mike Stewart and many others that I’ve had the opportunity to interview and will continue to. So on YouTube, when you’re there, be sure to hit that subscribe button, and then you’ll have access to what’s there. And what will be there. My website. Since I’m the biz communication guy, quite logically, my website is biz bi Z biz communication guy.com. And when you’re on the website, notice that there, you can punch and subscribe to the podcast. There are several options there for that. And as Mike says he likes to hear from people, so do I. So give me a call to talk about your communication challenges and your problems. And we will discuss potential strategies and solutions that I can help you in working with you. We’d love to hear from you, Mike Stewart, what would you say and 30 seconds to sort of pull together what we’ve talked about?
Michael Stewart
Well, there’s never been a better time in the history of technology to capture your voice and your and your face, to build relationships with new customers and make new friends in any place in the world imaginable. So having a fear of technology and a fear of doing something you’re not comfortable doing is something that most people need to consider. So join the podcasting and audio and video world of today is I’ve seen it go from nothing to better than it’s ever been and who knows where it’s going to be in the next few years. So we welcome everybody. There’s room for every creative person in the world. And if you’re not creative, there’s artificial intelligence to help you with that creativity.
Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Yes, and Mike has some of that on his websites. You can take a look at that as well. Mike Stewart, my hero, thank you for being with us today. Thanks to those of you who joined us on the podcast portion and those on the video portion. Be with us again for the next edition of the biz communication show.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai – Please forgive typos or incorrect grammer
