Shawn Amos is a seasoned curator of content. He has lived through the trends of the last 20+ years, and approaches content is a whole new way - with mindfulness...

1. Today,
I’d
like
to
give
you
a
bit
of
my
own
history,
my
take
on
where
we
stand
at
this
moment
in
:me,
and
where
I
think
we’re
going.
I
then
want
to
share
a
few
pieces
of
Colorado
content
I
think
are
cool
and
give
you
a
few
things
to
think
about
as
you
move
forward
in
your
own
content
journey.
This
is
more
of
heart
conversa:on
than
a
head
conversa:on.
I
know
we’re
addicted
to
data
and
devotees
of
numbers
which
I
dig
too.
But
this
social
media
space
is
a
game
of
science
and
art
and
in
my
experience
with
clients
I
oBen
see
them
using
science
as
an
excuse
to
avoid
the
art.
Don’t
be
afraid
of
art.
I’m
sure
you’ll
get
lots
of
people
giving
you
valuable
pieces
of
hard
data
over
the
next
day.
I
encourage
you
to
pair
it
with
the
soBer
side
of
storytelling
and
together
find
a
path
forward
for
you.
Throughout
this
conversa:on,
I’m
going
to
ask
you
to
alternately
think
of
yourselves
as
users
of
social
media,
consumers,
and
marketers/business
owners.
1

2. I
grew
up
making
content
before
it
was
called
content.
I
made
things
with
my
hands
likes
cookies
with
my
dad,
movies
in
film
school
and
records
in
what
used
to
be
called
the
music
business.
Everything
started
with
a
story
I
was
excited
to
tell.
And
that’s
s:ll
the
case.
What
excites
you?
Excitement
is
contagious.
What
is
your
story?
What
are
you
excited
to
share?
So
the
leap
from
making
stuff
to
marke:ng
stuff
is
not
that
far.
It’s
all
storytelling.
The
fundamentals
of
storytelling
have
gone
unchanged
for
thousands
of
year.
We
want
to
be
inspired,
see
something
of
our
best
selves
—
a
glimpse
of
who
we
might
become.
However,
the
way
we
tell
stories
has
changed
drama:cally.
2

3. Think
about
the
fact
that
the
way
we
reached
large
audiences
went
largely
unchanged
for
over
200
years.
The
most
effec:ve
way
to
reach
people
at
scale
was
through
print
—
newspapers,
magazines.
We
had
a
long
:me
to
master
print
communica:on.
Then
radio
came
along,
then
TV,
changing
the
form
factor.
But
we
had
50+
years
to
master
it.
Now,
in
the
past
16
we’ve
had
more
media
changes
than
the
past
300.
In
2012
Google
sold
more
ads
than
all
newspapers
and
magazines
combined.
And
this
doesn’t
even
address
more
recent
plaYorms
social
apps
like
Tumblr,
Vine,
Pinterest,
Snapchat
These
plaYorms
have
demanded
changes
in
the
way
we
tell
stories.
This
stuff
is
really,
really
new.
No
one
has
mastered
it.
How
could
we?
It’s
s:ll
s:ll
changing.
It’s
the
wild
west.
3

4. When
I
started
Freshwire
in
2009,
the
phrase
‘content
marke:ng’
had
not
entered
the
lexicon.
In
fact,
in
2009,
most
of
my
:me
in
2009
was
spent
explaining
what
‘content’
meant.
What
a
difference
a
few
years
makes.
Content
marke:ng
has
become
seriously
ubiquitous
and
seriously
overexposed.
4

5. A
flood
of
companies
and
services
have
come
into
the
marketplace
—
some
run
by
really
smart
and
talented
people.
All
of
them
carving
up
this
social
media
maze
into
a
million
slices.
Some
are
one
size
fits
all
companies
promising
to
scale
content
overnight,
some
promise
to
make
videos
that
will
go
viral,
all
are
products
of
a
world
we’ve
created
where
we
need
to
be
always
on,
always
plugged
in.
All
of
them
are
selling
a
24/7
real-­‐:me
rush
to
be
always
relevant.
And
to
be
fair,
they
—
we
—
are
only
selling
what
we
see
mirrored
around
us.
Marketers
are
mimicking
the
“always
plugged
in”
behavior
we
exhibit
as
users
of
this
technology.
The
myriad
of
offerings
and
catchphrases
has
created
confusion
amongst
our
clients.
I'm
sure
you’re
confused
about
what
the
hell
to
buy
or
who
the
hell
to
hire.
Content
marke:ng
has
not
only
become
over-­‐saturated
as
a
term,
it
has
perverted
the
very
essence
of
marke:ng
—
what
is
noble
about
marke:ng.
The
art
of
marke:ng.
There
is
a
a
bit
of
madness
in
this
content
marke:ng
rush.
One
that
is
wholly
unsustainable
and
oBen
crumbles
under
its
own
weight.
We
are
in
a
bubble
that
is
close
to
popping.
So,
as
an
early
entrant
into
this
field,
it
may
seem
counter-­‐intui:ve
or
suicidal
to
say
what
I’m
about
to
say
but
here
it
is.
5

6. It
isn’t
just
marketers
who
killed
content
marke:ng,
it’s
consumers
as
well.
We’ve
reached
a
:pping
point
as
marketers
and
consumers
—
as
humans.
Let’s
look
at
some
stats.
A
bit
of
data.
I
know
you
guys
dig
data.
6

7. Forget
marketers
vs.
consumers
for
a
second.
Let’s
just
think
about
ourselves
as
people
all
sharing
this
same
moment
in
:me.
We
are
all
addicts.
We
share
and
we
share
and
we
share.
Maniacally.
OBen
mindlessly.
But
this
is
the
way
we
communicate
now.
It
is
not
going
to
change.
It
will
level
off.
Standards
and
prac:ces
will
emerge
but
this
fundamental
shiB
is
wriien
in
stone.
7

8. And
as
consumers
we
have
more
control
than
ever
over
what
content
we
consume
and
how
we
consume
it.
The
formerly
cap:ve
audience
now
directs
our
own
media
experience.
We’re
:me-­‐shiBing,
we’re
ad-­‐blocking,
and
we’re
focusing
more
and
more
on
niche
social
plaYorms
and
communi:es
-­‐-­‐
basically
doing
everything
we
can
to
get
away
from
tradi:onal
adver:sing.
8

9. And
we
are
turning
to
one
another
for
consumer
reviews.
We
want
the
real
story,
not
a
slick,
packaged
marke:ng
campaign.
Brand
control
has
shiBed
to
us
—
the
consumer.
And
we
are
more
than
happy
to
talk
brands
up
or
down
all
over
the
Internet.
9

10. In
fact,
brands
wading
into
social
media
was
a
defensive
move
at
first.
An
aiempt
to
control
the
message
as
they
did
in
newspapers,
radio
and
TV.
10

11. But
lo
and
behold,
social
media
turned
out
to
have
a
business
upside.
11

12. And
in
par:cular,
gekng
users
to
ac:vely
engage
with
content
suddenly
became
every
brand’s
goal.
12

13. Along
with
the
growth
of
social
media
networks,
the
idea
of
“content”
began
to
expand.
Why
wait
for
a
consumer
to
upload
a
video
of
your
product
if
you
can
create
one
yourself?
Why
wait
for
a
consumer
to
write
a
how-­‐to
guide
if
you
can
write
one
yourself?
13

14. So
by
2010,
about
a
year
aBer
Freshwire
opened
its
doors,
many
companies
were
realizing
that
maintaining
sustained,
regular
communica:on
with
customers
was
either
too
:me-­‐consuming
or
beyond
their
capabili:es.
14

15. Brands
are
not
dissimilar
to
consumers
in
that
they
are
oBen
crea:ng
and
sharing
content
without
knowing
exactly
why.
We
are
mindlessly
crea:ng,
publishing,
consuming
content
with
liile
to
no
strategic
underpinnings.
15

16. So
we
are
all
having
the
same
experience
—
brands
and
consumers
alike.
Itching
this
compulsive
itch
to
share,
like,
retweet,
favorite.
We
are
all
hooked
on
content.
We’re
hurling
forward
at
breakneck
pace
at
an
unprecedented
volume.
We’re
all
“marke:ng.”
It’s
important
to
understand
these
plaYorms,
how
they
differ
from
one
another,
how
they
can
be
leveraged.
It’s
important
to
learn
how
to
tell
stories
on
each
of
them
and
it
can
be
complicated.
But
the
manic
speed
and
incessant
pace
is
not
needed.
Moreover,
it
cannot
be
absorbed
and
bring
any
real
value
to
us.
16

17. And
this
is
the
:pping
point
we
have
reached.
We
are
leaving
content
marke:ng
and
entering
an
era
of
content
mindfulness.
17

18. The
emerging
realiza:on
that
we
do
not
have
to
be
always
on.
We
do
not
have
to
be
half
present
everywhere
but
rather
fully
present
in
the
places
that
maier.
18

19. And
this
IS
science.
There
is
data
to
back
this
up.
Major
educa:onal
ins:tu:ons
are
studying
this.
19

20. 20

21. This
could
be
called
the
social
media
overload
mind.
21

22. And
it’s
becoming
mainstream.
22

23. We
are
realizing
that
our
content
crack
addic:on
needs
to
be
broken.
23

24. Anyone
know
what
this
means?
Last
weekend
[14
Feb
2014],
the
Verge
published
an
ar:cle
:tled
“You're
not
going
to
read
this
But
you'll
probably
share
it
anyway
“
It
detailed
a
study
by
web
analy:cs
firm
Chartbeat
who
studied
the
sharing
habits
around
Upworthy
content.
24

25. This
is
what
they
found.
It’s
the
very
defini:on
of
mindlessness.
25

26. As
a
result,
Upworthy
has
begun
a
using
a
new
metric
to
gauge
the
effec:veness
of
their
content.
They
are
gekng
away
from
the
no:on
of
“more”
and
replacing
it
with
the
no:on
of
“mindfulness.”
26

27. Aien:on
=
mindfulness.
If
we
come
in
contact
with
stories
that
maier
to
us
—
that
reflect
our
inner
life
—
we
will
share
them.
And
the
creators
of
those
stories
will
maier
to
us.
The
brands
that
maier
to
us
do
so
because
of
their
ability
to
represent
the
way
we
feel.
We
express
consumer
loyalty
because
of
the
values
of
company
as
much
as
the
perhaps.
More
so,
perhaps.
27

28. We
are
slowly
leveling
off
and
returning
to
storytelling.
Stories
that
are
meaningful
enough
to
share.
28

29. Now
this
is
where
art
and
science
meet.
Or
really
where
planning,
strategy,
and
art
meet.
We
host
storytelling
workshops
for
our
clients
as
a
way
to
get
them
comfortable
living
in
these
new
social
media
waters.
These
are
ques:ons
we
ask
at
the
top
of
those
workshops.
Being
in
the
moment
allows
real-­‐:me
to
happen.
Real-­‐:me
maiers
but
not
everything
needs
to
be
real
:me.
29

30. Let’s
take
a
look
at
some
Colorado
companies
and
what
they’re
doing
to
create
their
own
space
online
30

31. Denver
recrui:ng
company
BWBacon
not
only
has
"bacon"
right
in
their
name,
they
do
a
fantas:c
job
of
demonstra:ng
their
brand
story
online.
They
are
not
here
to
sell.
This
is
the
thing.
The
brand
—
your
product
—
is
not
always
the
hero
of
your
story.
That's
the
challenge
to
meet:
how
can
you
tell
your
story
without
your
products
being
in
the
center
of
it?
Their
Facebook
page
on
any
given
day
could
be
men:on
an
employee
ski
party
or
a
Broncos
game
or
an
ar:cle
about
how
Colorado
is
a
great
place
to
work.
31

32. This
is
the
opposite.
These
are
a
bunch
of
magazine
ads.
32

33. Remember
magazines?
33

34. Quick
LeB
in
Boulder
is
a
great
example
of
a
company
that
promotes
itself
by
promo:ng
its
knowledge
of
the
industry.
Quick
LeB
is
a
web
and
mobile
app
development
company,
and
they
do
a
great
job
of
promo:ng
themselves
as
credible,
relevant
and
community-­‐oriented.
They
blog
regularly
with
:ps
for
programmers.
They’re
a
big
supporter
of
STEM
so
they
sponsor
school
programs
and
hold
hackfests,
which
provides
even
more
content
for
them.
Something
else
we
really
liked
is
that
they
have
a
presence
on
GitHub,
the
popular
online
hub
for
programming
projects.
It’s
a
great
example
of
knowing
where
you
should
be
online,
which
is
becoming
increasingly
important
as
social
networks
con:nue
to
appear.
34

35. Cura:on
is
not
a
dirty
word.
Many
brands
need
to
get
comfortable
with
the
fact
that
other
voices
exist
on
the
internet.
Sharing/cura:ng
other
people’s
content
helps
achieve
scale
with
limited
resources,
creates
community
and
is
old-­‐fashioned
networking.
All
brands
and
people
want
their
stuff
shared.
It’s
okay
to
share
others’
relevant
content
just
as
you
wish
others
to
share
yours.
W.J.
Bradley
Mortgage
Capital
sees
its
Facebook
page
to
aggregate
important
news
and
informa:on
like
mortgage
rates
and
housing
values.
They’re
inser:ng
themselves
into
their
fans’
days
in
a
way
that
helps
establish
them
as
up-­‐to-­‐date
and
knowledgeable
about
the
industry.
35

36. MarkeYorce
in
Louisville
is
a
consumer
analy:cs
company
–
they
take
customer
and
industry
intelligence
and
deliver
it
to
clients.
So
you
can
imagine
they’re
sikng
on
a
lot
of
data.
To
promote
their
own
exper:se,
they
take
their
informa:on
and
turn
out
whitepapers,
infographics
and
webinars,
available
to
anyone.
They’re
establishing
themselves
as
thought
leaders
with
a
wealth
of
valuable
content.
If
a
company
was
looking
for
a
consumer
analy:cs
solu:on,
MarkeYorce
would
stand
out.
36

37. Before
we
get
into
a
mini
storytelling
workshop,
a
few
ques:ons
to
ask
yourself:
What
value
am
I
providing
my
customers?
Do
I
want
to
be
in
charge,
or
part
of
the
community?
Am
I
a
social
media
user?
How
will
I
involve
my
customers?
Do
I
have
the
in-­‐house
resources
to
maintain
a
long-­‐term
strategy?
Please
remember,
storytelling
is
equal
parts:
• soul
searching
• strategic
• opera:onal
37

38. Okay,
let’s
do
a
bit
of
the
soul
searching
part.
The
goal
here
is
to
get
you
thinking
about
stories
beyond
your
products.
Thinking
about
the
common
space
you
share
with
your
customers
and
how
you
can
meet
in
that
shared
area.
We’ll
do
part
of
this
privately
and
part
of
it
collabora:vely.
38

39. 39

40. 40

41. 41

42. Hopefully,
you’ve
begun
to
find
your
storytelling
voice
and
you’re
beginning
to
see
how
it
can
be
sustained.
These
exercises
are
essen:al
to
build
a
sustainable
and
meaningful
content
strategy.
They
should
involve
a
cross
sec:on
of
stakeholders
from
your
company.
In
a
full
workshop,
we
would
dig
into
strategy
—
dissec:ng
the
right
plaYorms
for
different
parts
of
your
story,
developing
an
editorial
calendar,
iden:fying
resources,
defining
objec:ves
for
content.
Then,
we’d
get
into
coordina:on
between
departments
so
workflows
can
be
defined
and
everyone
is
on
same
page
with
requirements.
The
end
product
is
guide
that
defines
your
voice,
your
values
and
your
master
story
narra:ve
but
also
a
playbook
that
gets
everyone
aligned
on
how,
why,
and
where
you
tell
the
stories
you
have
chosen
to
tell.
42

43. 43

44. 44