PPAI Pyramid Award Winners: Tops in Tech

Tina Berres Filipski - September 16, 2019

Superior use of technology enhances and enriches every interaction between a company and its customers. From blogs and podcasts to websites and apps, companies that excel where technology is concerned meet customers where they live and gain a considerable edge over the competition.

Earlier this year, PPAI awarded 11 Gold and 20 Silver Pyramid Awards for technology to 21 industry companies and one regional association to recognize excellence in blogs, podcasts, websites, mobile apps, video content and social media. Who Will Win In 2020?

If you are planning to be at The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas in January (and who isn’t?), plan to attend the Association Update on Wednesday, January 15 from 12-1:30 pm where the 2020 winners in technology will be announced. Register for the luncheon when you register for the show at expo.ppai.org.

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The Dunstan Group, a distributor based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has produced a 20-minute BrandBuilders Podcast (http://dunstangroup.blubrry.net) every Friday since August 2017. Brian Young, director of business development, who co-hosts the podcast with company Owner/President Scott Dunstan, says, “It’s been an amazing experience and it has been a big boost for our business. We just recently built our own BrandBuilders Studio in our office—a converted conference room—and it has been amazing for our business. The podcast is booming, and we are booked until 2020.”

PPB talked with Young about some of the ways companies can excel at producing podcasts.

PPB What is your primary reason for doing the podcast?

Young We understand that we have a unique following and a one-of-a-kind platform to tell a story, elevate a brand and promote a worthwhile cause. For The Dunstan Group, we view the platform of the BrandBuilders Podcast as being trusted with an incredible superpower. When we educate, inform, entertain and connect our community, we know we’ve used that superpower for the greater good. Ultimately, the BrandBuilders Podcast is not about transactions, products or advances in our particular profession, but about making connections.

PPB Who is the audience for your podcasts?

Young Our audience consist of friends, clients, prospects and new listeners who are attracted to hearing brand-building stories from community leaders, CEOs, directors, athletes, celebrities and more. We bring in guests who are making a difference and provide a platform to tell their story. Our city and community have a lot of good to bring to this world and we hope to shed some light on those making a difference!

PPB How do you distribute the podcasts to listeners?

Young Our podcast is distributed every Friday morning across multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs and is sent weekly through our BrandBuilders email blast. You can find our podcast on Apple, Android, Google or our website. We also pay to promote the podcast each week to increase the reach for our guest and hopefully connect the dots that will create a positive engagement after our podcast.

PPB What are some of the most important elements of a great podcast?

Young Be authentic. With thousands of podcasts starting all the time, you are not going to create a “unique” podcast. However, no one can be as authentic as you. Stay true to who you are, be unique to the community you serve and create a podcast that highlights what you are passionate about. You will not only have more fun, you will have more people listen in. Second, be consistent. Instant gratification is not the name of the game if you want to start a podcast in 2019/2020. You are going to have to grind and continue to produce consistent content on a weekly or monthly basis. As the BrandBuilders Podcast moves towards our 106th episode we are obsessed with making sure a new episode is launched every single Friday. We have never missed a week and never will. Third, have a purpose. What is the purpose of your podcast? Are you using this platform to help or give back? If you are starting a podcast for the viewers or the likes, then you are going to waste your time. Create a platform that can share stories, help others and give back. Once you get over the “InstaLike” and “InstaFame,” you will create something that truly makes a difference.

PPB How do you generate content and what are some sources for good content?

Young We have created the BrandBuilders Podcast to promote the brands and leaders in our community. Our entire podcast is an authentic non-scripted interview that captures the emotion and rawness of the people who make a difference in and around our city. Simply put, we want to tell stories of good and have created a platform to make that happen. Other sources of good content are not as far out as they seem. We have interviewed over 18 nonprofits in two years and each of these podcasts give us an opportunity to give back and to tell a story. The bottom line is our guests produce our best content, because our guests are the ones creating the content.

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In 1997 the term “weblog” was first coined, spreading the popularity of this efficient and far-reaching communication tool that’s available to anyone with an idea, a computer and internet. But creating a blog, as it’s now called, that attracts and captivates readers requires certain skill and practice. Among those who do it best are the folks at Red Tomato Promotions, a Sydney, Australia-based promotional marketing agency, which took home a Gold Pyramid this year for its blog, The Tomato Scoop (https://redtomato.com.au/blog). PPB spoke with Managing Director Justin Reynolds to learn how they make it happen.

PPB Why is a blog important and how does your company use it?

Reynolds Our company blog, The Tomato Scoop, is a great way for us to help connect with our clients and prospects with relevant and useful information. This goes a long way in assisting them with their day-to-day working challenges. The Tomato Scoop also helps us to position ourselves as industry experts. By combining promotional products and marketing tactics, our clients see the benefits of using these mediums hand in hand. Plus, the more relevant content that we produce for our clients and prospects, the bigger the tribe that we form.

PPB What are the elements of a great blog?

Reynolds The marketing team at Red Tomato spends a considerable amount of time researching trends and listening to our clients on their marketing challenges. Once we have an idea of topics that we would like to write about, the marketing team starts to create their killer content. We follow a formula each time to wordsmith our articles. Yes, there is a formula to create the most effective articles. Here are the steps we take:

Craft a compelling headline
Conduct keyword research
Compile our meta description
Create a feature image
Write an introduction that will hook the reader into reading further
Add the body of the article
Use data where possible to support our position
Add any multimedia, if possible
Recap through the conclusion
Create a meaningful call to action

PPB What do you typically write about and who does the writing?

Reynolds At Red Tomato we are writing about topics that interest our buyers. This could be anything from product trends, marketing challenges and event planning to employee on-boarding. Our topic selection is also delivered at the most relevant times of the year when our readers are looking for that information.

It’s a team effort to construct our blog content. We have a copywriter, digital marketing coordinator and graphic designer that all play an instrumental role in our content creation. The team comes together to make sure that we are producing the most educational content that will benefit our clients.

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Tina Berres Filipski is editor of PPB.

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