Cleaver Creative

19/03/2024

Stress and creativity don't get along.

Stress pushes us into convergent thinking — focusing on 1 quick solution.

Divergent thinking pursues many possible solutions to 1 problem.

When stressed, our brains want to get to a quick easy fix, hindering our abilities to the infinite possibilities available.

And we've all likely learned it the hard way. Stress hinders creativity! I often tell my team we cannot do great creative work when we're stressed.

But this also pertains now to collaborating with clients on their own content development.

Knowing when you're likely to get your best ideas for vlogs, articles, and content is key to tapping into your creativity. So understand when you're at your lowest stress levels and leverage it for great creative work!

Want to know more from the National Library of Medicine?

- Stress is usually accompanied by a higher negative effect which prompts individuals to apply more analytical strategies to facilitate convergent thinking.
- We all experience it. According to the PubMed database, 75% of doctor visits could be linked to stress.
- There's a difference between feeling challenged (eustress) and feeling overwhelmed (distress). Eustress can be motivating, while distress hinders creativity.

When do you have your best ideas? What helps you overcome creative blocks?



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05/03/2024

Here are some areas where Adobe Express might be considered advantageous over Canva:

1. Generative AI - Create from your imagination.
Adobe Express leverages Adobe Firefly generative AI which can create some incredible results. Canva also offers generative AI but through DALL-E by OpenAI and Imagen by Google Cloud. Each has it’s advantages but if you haven’t tried Adobe Firefly yet, check it out and see how it stacks up for your needs.

2. Stock Photos and Videos:
Wider Selection: Adobe Express offers access to millions of royalty-free photos and videos through Adobe Stock, compared to Canva's smaller library.
Higher Quality: Adobe Stock generally features a higher quality selection of images and videos due to its stricter curation process.

3. Fonts and Typography Tools:
More Font Options: Adobe Express provides access to a significantly larger library of fonts (over 20,000) compared to Canva's (around 2,000).
Advanced Typography Features: Adobe Express offers more advanced typography tools for precise control over font styles, sizes, and spacing, which may appeal to design professionals.

4. Integration with Adobe Ecosystem:
Seamless Integration: Adobe Express integrates seamlessly with other Adobe applications like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, allowing for easy transfer of projects and assets.

5. Specific Features:
Enhanced Video Editing: Adobe Express offers slightly more advanced video editing features like motion graphics and animation tools, which might be appealing for creating more complex videos.

And finally, Content Scheduling! Adobe Express allows scheduling social media content directly to platforms like Facebook and Instagram, while Canva requires linking a third-party tool for this functionality.



Which are you in, team Canva or Express?

20/02/2024

We should still be talking more about this video than Apple’s Vision Pro.

In December, Google released Gemini which was a major upgrade to Google Bard.

It outperformed Chat GPT-4 in almost all the benchmarks but even more impressive was the video Google released showing its multi-modal abilities.

In the video, Gemini recognized a 2d and 3d blue duck, invented a game with a map, and accurately played the cup game, and rock, paper, scissors.

People reacted in a couple of ways.

1. So what? A computer can play the cup game. Big deal.
2. How does this help me?
3. They faked the video by feeding it images and prompts rather than a video feed as it implies!
4. This is really amazing.

While number 3 is true (they disclaim it at the opening of the video) I’m firmly in the the fourth camp on this. The visual input and interactivity that will likely be incorporated shortly will be close to an AI assistant from the movie ‘Her’. This has huge implications for our work and life in general.

That said, I happened to watch this video back to back with a super-cut of all the Boston Dynamics robots which is admittedly pretty creepy.

Regardless of where you stand, AI is changing fast and it’s important to be up to date on the latest advances.

Has AI changed your work already? Do you see it changing in the future?

09/02/2024

I recently had someone in my network ask, should I cut this? ✂️

If the video still ’works’ without a clip or a scene, then yes!

If it still accomplishes the goals you set out for it, to:

Educate, Entertain or Inspire

and the video works just as well, cut that bad boy.

Ask yourself:

1. Does the story still make sense without it?

2. Does the video still flow without it?

3. Do I have the same feeling 😱😄😲 after I finish watching it?

If the answer to all 3 is yes, cut it!

The average watch time for online videos are:

47 seconds for an online video ad

and around 2.5 minutes for native videos.

For reference, here’s the average run time for a video on each platform next to the maximum run times available.

TikTok 7-15 seconds av. 3 minutes max

Instagram Reels 15-60 seconds av. 60 seconds max

Snapchat 7-10 seconds av. 10 seconds max

Twitter 44 seconds av. 2 minutes max

Instagram Feed 30-60 seconds av. 60 seconds max

Facebook Feed 1-2 minutes av. 1 hour max

YouTube 2-12 minutes av. 12 hours max

LinkedIn 30 seconds av. 10 minutes max

What's your rule of thumb for video length in a world of ever-shrinking attention spans?



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07/02/2024

Businesses go wrong creating generic avatars for their video content.

They’ll say, "Our customer avatar is 30-45 year old, makes $60k-$120k a year." and then wonder why their content doesn’t connect.

Vague descriptions lead to vague messaging, and ineffective results.

But here's the shortcut:

Think of a real person in your network.

Someone you know well.

It can be a current client or someone you’d like to work with.

Think about their job, their personality, their needs and motivations.

Talk directly to them in your video content.

Why does this work?

Even when the words are the same, your tone will change and people who are similar to that ‘avatar’ will connect more with your content.

But will we eliminate people unnecessarily?

No! HubSpot reports companies using buyer personas see 50% higher conversion rates. SmartBug says content aligned with customer avatars generated 70% more leads and Demand Gen Report says 90% of B2B buyers expect content tailored to their specific needs.

What’s your niche? Do you niche down more to sell more?



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16/01/2024

New Year, New Me

Well... kind of ~

The video below is not really me.

It's an avatar created with HeyGen.

Yes, it’s a little creepy but it also allows me to speak up to 49 languages!

Is it perfect? No.

But it's inevitable that technology will get better and better.

And in 6 months to a year, it will be harder to discern from a real recording.

In 5 years it will be nearly impossible to tell the difference.

But creativity and authenticity will be the hardest part for AI to imitate.

Before there was Photoshop, there was airbrushing and before that, with the advent of photography, capturing our images on film seemed like dark magic.

Innovation that feels a little scary now will be common-place before you know it, so try it for yourself and see what you think.

We’re currently testing intros for outgoing video messages and getting some great results with this. Now if it could help me brush up on my Italian :D

Are you ready to become fully digital?

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29/12/2023

Wishing you all a Happy Holidays! 🎄

BIG thanks to my team for their incredible work.

Jho, Archimedes, and our newest team member, Louie Mozar.

Thanks to our partners Walker Walmus, Shafay Arif, and Michael Luchies.

And a big shoutout to our amazing clients for all your work this year:

Kevin Peranio
Chalmers St. Consulting
Straza Consulting
Media InSite Caribbean
Rockstar Bingo, and
Krista Aders

2023 was wild. I settled in North Carolina after 14 months of traveling and working around the world.

We grew one of our client's revenue by 50% ARR.

We started a marketing partnership with another client to integrate their inbound/outbound messaging and started their online community.
We also did a LOT of tests this year in Google ads, Facebook ads, and LinkedIn messaging and there's a bunch more planned for next year.

Until then, I'm wishing everyone in my network safe and joyful holidays with your family and friends.

Please check out our website to learn more: https://www.cleavercreates.com

05/12/2023

Why don't we document our case studies?

Because sometimes we can't use them.

The problem we solve is potentially embarassing to the client or they just need to keep that story internal.

So we don't document it.

We invoice, take the win and move on.

If this sounds like you, STOP.

Put pen to paper and document the case study anyway! Even if you have nowhere to publish it yet.

With time, their opinion will likely change. And they may be comfortable with you sharing your case study at least as 1-on-1's. And, if you don't document it, you'll forget how powerful that work was.

What's your case study documentation process? Enquiring minds want to know!

Please check out our website to learn more: https://www.cleavercreates.com

21/11/2023

Early in 2020 I realized this new form of video production — coaching clients on how to create their own video content

- also had had big value for my personal life.

Specifically, interviewing my parents.

Since then, we meet monthly and record our calls and I’ve been asking them tons of questions about their lives.

With advances in transcription and AI clipping, we’ll turn this footage into a searchable library where future generations can ask their great-grandparents questions about their lives ala Christopher Reeves and Marlon Brando in Superman. (Shoutout to my fellow nerds)

You don’t have to go this far, but I highly recommend this exercise for at least one Zoom recording with your parents.

Get them on Zoom, ask them the important questions, and you will be amazed at the results.

Have you ever recorded an interview with your parents?

Please check out our website to learn more: https://www.cleavercreates.com

07/11/2023

Is there a more self absorbed act than Googling yourself?

Yes! Try Chat GPT’ing yourself

And if ChatGPT recognizes you, ask it to write a post in your own voice and see how close it emulates your style.

We knew things would get weird.

We just didn’t know it’d be this soon.

But this is a worthy experiment.

AI tools are great at helping us brainstorm and get ideas for content and style but if everyone’s writing using the 'same' AI assistant, all that content is going to sound the same.

A lesser known benefit of creating your own content is that AI tools like ChatGPT can leverage it when helping you brainstorm in the future.

It’s far from perfect but as you create more unique content, it will have more to work with and collaborate from.

Now for the big question, how much of this post did ChatGPT write? The answer may not surprise you. If I’m being generous, ~2%

But I want to hear your results!

Have you ChatGPT'd yourself? What were the results?

?

24/10/2023

Where my frolfers at?!

Part 2: Let’s talk more about the value of AI vs. the value of scaling your personal brand through video.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google stated he believes AI will be "...more profound than fire, electricity, or anything that we have done in the past."

A bold statement that's hard to wrap our minds around.

What does this have to do with video?

For small and medium size companies, the most valuable resources are their humans resources.

And video scales your human resources.

Whether it's the CEO or employees, building your company's brand through video allows us to choose you based on the values of your company IN ADDITION to the technology you offer.

AI will change business A LOT in the next few years and you don't want to be left behind, but ensuring customers know you for who you are will help build trust when it comes to choosing your company's values over a 'faceless' AI powered competitor.

23/10/2023

Everything is a remix!

We know this

- but are you taking the time to leverage your content to its full value?

Most of us probably aren’t. (You know who you are 😜)

The hardest part about creating content for your business is getting started.

The second hardest part is staying with it! 💪

But as we near the fourth quarter of 2023, it’s time for a content audit.

Look at all your content from the past year and see which posts have high value.

Mark these babies for repurposing!

"But Chris! How the heck am I supposed to repurpose them?!"

Let’s ask our good friend, ChatGPT:

Transcribe and Create Blog Posts: Transcribe your vlog and turn it into a written blog post. Add images, headings, and optimize it for SEO to drive traffic to your website.

Short Video Clips for Social Media: Extract short, engaging video clips from a vlog and share them on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to attract a bigger audience.

Podcast Episodes: Combine your vlogs into a podcast episode. Distribute through podcast platforms to reach a wider audio-centric audience. (Like Kevin Peranio) https://www.facebook.com/kptalksdollarsandsense

Infographics: Create visually appealing infographics summarizing key points from the vlog. Share them on Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn to convey information in a visually appealing way.

Guides: Compile a series of related vlogs into a downloadable guide. Offer it as a lead magnet to capture email addresses and generate leads.

Email Newsletter: Summarize the vlog content in a newsletter, along with links to the full vlog and other related resources, to engage your email subscribers.

Presentation Slides: Extract key points and visuals from the vlog to create a presentation. Share it on SlideShare or other platforms to reach a professional audience.

21/10/2023

Let’s talk web software!

Here’s my top three picks so far for this year:

1️⃣ Descript: We tested Descript vs. SubMachine this year and are loving it. It’s intuitive for editing captions, and you can edit video by simply editing the text. And of course, Descript offers transcription, screen recording, and seamless collaboration. And they recently acquired Squadcast which puts them in competition for my #2 pick…

2️⃣ Riverside: is my recommendation right now for remote recording. You get great looking and sounding footage from multiple sources, recorded locally up to 4k. Plus, it's incredibly user-friendly, even for guests who aren't tech-savvy. They also recently incorporated an AI editing function. It’s not quite where it needs to be but this is the future of editing!

3️⃣ Adobe Podcast Enhance: If you’re working with sub-optimal audio, drop it in and hear the difference. It’s one button that includes noise reduction, auto-ducking, and equalization. It’s pretty magical :D

05/09/2023

Let's get personal

about celebrating my parents' 50th anniversary! 💑

Dave and Marilyn Weiher have rocked five decades together and don't they look amazing?

Earlier this month I traveled home to Chicago with Natasha, my girlfriend to celebrate with my immediate family at the Signature Room at the John Hancock building.

For me, they're the original entrepreneurs and my inspiration for starting my business.

My dad took over my grandfather's butcher shop back in the 70's and when I started my video production company 10 years ago, I gave a nod to the family trade :) 🔪 🥩

In the 80's they bought the building the butcher shop was in which led them on their own collaborative journey buying and managing commercial real estate.

And seeing them work so well together in their business yet was another inspiration.

So, please help me wish my folks a happy 50th anniversary!

And if you have any important milestones coming up, let's hear it!

22/08/2023

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Here's what I love about what I do :D

#1: Teamwork 💪 – I have the best video making team in the world. 🤩

#2: Being Strategic 🎯 – This year we're diving into clients' broader marketing plans wth video, boosting SEO, ads, and vlogs to drive their results.

#3: Making Great Things Happen 🌟 – This time last year I realized my true north star was not video at all, but helping great people do great things.

Staying true to these just makes me happy 😀

All this preamble is just to ask what do you love about your work?

15/08/2023

Are we having fun yet? 😄

Creating content can feel like a roller coaster ride. Some days you're riding the high of likes, impressions, congratulatory comments, and the excitement is rocking you like hurricane! (My apologies to the Scorpions.)

And some days you're not.

So how do you get out of a content slump?

Have more FUN 🎉

Get creative, get silly, get out of your comfort zone, and make something that scares you.

Not only will focusing on fun relieve the stress of worrying about your post's performance, it will inspire you to create more content that you never considered before.

An added benefit?

Having fun has numerous positive effects on physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The beauty of content creation is creativity itself.

Share your creative content hacks in the comments below!

25/07/2023

"You brought me full circle!"

Is there any better phrase to hear in a sales call?

Today, I'm ‘in’ Myrtle Beach, swapping shoes for flip-flops,

So let's talk Consulting vs. Selling 💼 🆚 💰

Recently with a client, we explored options A, B, and C for a long-term video strategy. At the end of the call he said 'Well, I’m sold.'

I said, ok 'Option C is going to be a lot of work.' He said ‘I want the first thing you pitched, you brought me full circle!’

Don’t you just love it when sales don’t feel like sales?

12/07/2023

Why do I keep talking about Whys?

Partially because I’m recently out of the closet as a process improvement nerd 🤓 , but also just because this is a really cool tool.

If you missed it, our client, Chalmers Street Consulting in collaboration with Cognati Ventures just released a digital tool for the 5 Whys process and more.

If you're in manufacturing or just interested in solving company problems.
👉 Check out the 5 Whys tool here: https://chalmersst.cognati.io

Five Whys is deceptively simple but fascinating once you start analyzing the root causes of a problem.

We used it last week internally and discovered over 15 ways to tackle one of our goals.

By using 5 Whys, you uncover hidden connections, reveal system issues, and develop targeted solutions to prevent future occurrences.

If you're serious about boosting your company's processes, I recommend giving it a spin :)

24/03/2022

18/03/2022

Did you know, Cleaver Creative has a weekly blog where you can find tips on video marketing, social media, the latest online trends, and more? You can read this last week's post and subscribe today at: http://bit.ly/2BL6vPm

16/03/2022