Newsletter Copy for Notre Dame clubhub
June 2020 Notre Dame Club Newsletter - Social Media Update Column
Notre Dame is committed to teaching, learning, and discovery, and wishes to thoughtfully engage in conversation and debate about topics that are relevant in the world today. These topics can often be sensitive, and it is important to remember that we are representing the University when crafting our messages. While your club or group is ultimately responsible for monitoring and moderating posts and comments on your social media channels, we urge you to read the guidelines provided by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC) and those from the NDAA.
Our followers have the right to disagree with us and express their opinions. Deleting or hiding comments from our alumni, parents, and friends should be done sparingly unless the comments use profanity, include personal attacks, or solicit or endorse third-party services. We also recommend capturing screenshots of comments prior to deleting. Blocking a user from a club page should be done only as a last resort, after multiple violations of the club or University's social media policy.
The University has used the following language in the comments on some of its Facebook posts: "We are committed to free speech and the free sharing of ideas and opinions on our Facebook page, however, we want to remind those commenting that we reserve the right to remove comments unrelated to this conversation and those that include personal attacks and profanity."
If you have questions about the policy or specific examples, please contact Grace Morrison at the NDAA.
Blog Post for Loesch Studio
The Benefits Behind Investing in Authentic Content for your Brand’s Digital Presence
Picture yourself scrolling on your Instagram feed. Your neighbor just posted a picture of her cat, Marshmallow, for the second time today. Your college lab partner just got married. You continue scrolling through your feed and a post pops up from a brand you follow. It’s over-designed and unengaging — it definitely looks like someone trying to sell something. You scroll past the offer so quickly you don’t even realize it’s highlighting a new product that you might actually enjoy.
CATER TO YOUR MARKET.
In today’s world, consumers are inundated with push notifications, #ads, social media posts, emails, you name it. The sheer amount of brand messaging that consumers have available to them daily has trained viewers to tune out the ad noise. But when content truly resonates with your audience, you will captivate your leads and stop the incessant scroll. When content is authentic and relatable, consumers will engage. To know that something will be relatable, you have to know and understand your audience and cater your posting to them. From there, expect to see more clicks, comments, shares, even purchases.
When content is authentic and relatable, consumers will engage.
FIND THE RIGHT CONTENT TO PUBLISH.
Having great content is not a new concept. We’ve all heard the saying “content is king.” Jeffrey Zeldman, one of the leading web designers of our time, comments a lot on this idea. This concept was developed far before we were targeting our markets on social media. In fact, it was more of a reminder to designers to find the message and context behind an industry’s brand before we ever tried to navigate design.
And while this message still stands in design today, now we market through a much more dominating social world. Social being a primary means to an actionable website, the now, secondary response. For social, we need to refine Zeldman’s concept of just content as king to original content is king. Original content on social means ditching stock photos and instead creating highly produced, authentic imagery and copy that captivates your audience. It can be challenging and time-consuming to produce unique concepts, but the benefits of investing in authentic digital publishing far outweigh the challenge. Show up consistently and plan ahead — focus on your desired gain, target market, and message.
FIND THE “LOYAL LIKE.”
Authentic and original content helps to build trust between consumers and brand. With all of the digital noise produced, consumers can tell when something feels too staged or too generic. They want to see real people using real products in real ways. They want to see real-time photos. When they see your brand as someone who can engage them in a way that other brands can’t, they will become “loyal likers” and followers. Have a strong fan-base of engaged loyal likers already? Generate content by sharing their stories and repurposing their content supporting your brand.
CONVERT YOUR FOLLOWERS TO CONSUMERS.
Original and unique content helps to drive intrigue and traffic back to your website for viewers to get to know more about you and your product or service. This safe environment allows viewers to click and convert, transitioning the relationship of potential lead to consumer. Content that can also educate a consumer on a product or service helps to make you an expert in your field which naturally sparks curiosity and trust which can lead to conversion.
FOCUS ON “MICRO-INFLUENCERS.”
Great content goes beyond the “like” and creates opportunity for sharing and engaging. Shareable content gets “DM-ed” to consumers’ friends, diversifying the exposure and audience of your brand to potential customers that previously would not have known about you. Forget about word of mouth, in today’s digital world you really want the word of private digital messaging. In this sense, you can create “micro-influencers” out of your current audience when they share your digital content within their network.
Forget about word of mouth, in today’s digital world you really want the word of private digital messaging.
The more you can cater your brand message to your audience the more engaged your leads will become. Promoting your brand message through real content, informative insights, and shareable messaging leads to viewers that are willing to subscribe, willing to buy, and willing to share. As consumers begin to recognize your brand as a producer of great content, they start to see the undeniable value in the services, products, and resources you have to offer.
In today’s digital world where consumers are smarter and busier than ever, how are you engaging your customers from behind the screen?
Social Media Guidelines Written for Volunteer Leaders
Managing Club/Class/Group Pages
Social media is a great tool for Notre Dame clubs, classes, and groups to promote events, gain membership, share event photos, etc.The most important branding element of a social media presence is a common profile image. This piece of content should be uniform across all social platforms to reinforce brand awareness and allow users to immediately recognize that social network accounts on different platforms represent the same entity.
Facebook is the most recommended social platform for Notre Dame clubs, classes, and groups, and the ideal setup is a public page (not a group or profile). Events can be made and shared with the masses, and small ad campaigns can be executed with target geographic audiences. This approach helps to publicly represent your club/class/group and showcase your activities and community involvement to potential members.
Branding elements for Facebook should be chosen mindful of the fact that a growing number of users access the platform from mobile devices only.
Profile pictures: Facebook profile pictures should be sized at 180x180 pixels, but will scale down to 160x160 and be seen much smaller on mobile devices.
Cover photos: The Facebook cover photo is a great way to engage audiences with gorgeous photos of campus or your club's location. These should be high-resolution images (300 DPI) that are sized at 851x315 pixels.
Twitter is a great place to share news and updates. For a Twitter account to be successful, it has to be active regularly and be responsive to mentions and messages. A club/class/group Twitter account is only recommended if the club/class/group has a dedicated social media manager able to devote the requisite time to manage a Twitter account on top of Facebook.
Branding elements for Twitter should be chosen while being mindful of the fact that 80 percent of Twitter users view the platform from a mobile device. Simplicity will not only more closely align with overall University brand standards, it will ensure readability and recognition of the visuals in your profile.
Profile Picture: Twitter profile pictures are 400x400 pixels, but will scale down and appear much smaller next to your tweets in users’ feeds.
Header Image: Twitter’s header image is 1500 x 500 pixels as viewed on a desktop. Again, it is much smaller on mobile and is built to be responsive, meaning it will change sizes depending on the size of the screen on which a user views it. Normally, Twitter will crop from the top and the bottom, so the safest part of the image is the center.
Because other identifying symbols and information are in extremely close proximity, avoid placement of logos in the header image. Also, be aware of where the profile image overlaps with the header image. As with all imagery of the Golden Dome, be mindful and respectful of the Virgin Mary and be certain that it is not obscured by cropping.
Clubs, classes, and groups can use Instagram to share photos of events and meetings. Instagram is particularly popular with students and young alumni. Recommended to be used with Facebook.
Profile pictures: Instagram profile pictures should be sized at 110x110 pixels.
General Social Media Guidelines
As volunteer leaders, you help represent Notre Dame to our alumni, parents, and friends -- and the public at large. To the outside world, you are what you share, so it’s critically important to be mindful of what you post on social media.
With that in mind, here are a few common-sense guidelines you can use to ensure you help represent Notre Dame and your club in the best possible light.
Do
Be positive
Share things you find interesting/exciting about Notre Dame and about your club/class/group
For your personal account, feel free to share about your professional field/ hobbies/family/interests/local community etc.
Don't
Please note: These guidelines apply to your personal accounts as well as official club/class/group accounts.
Post anything negative about Notre Dame
Criticize students (including student-athletes)
Criticize coaches
Criticize University officials or employees
Take issue with a stance adopted by the University
Attack other people
Use profanity or coarse language
Get involved in heated disagreements or arguments
Reshare content that does any of this
Post confidential University information
Post discriminatory, retaliatory, defamatory, libelous or slanderous, threatening or sexually explicit comments about the University, its employees, students, customers or competitors
Post confidential personal information about students, faculty, staff, or others
Post about recruiting in general, or information and rumors regarding recruits of our athletics teams. Do not interact with recruits or prospects in any sport
For club/class/group pages, avoid using the Golden Dome in profile pictures as this landmark is reserved for use of the official Notre Dame accounts ONLY
Takeaways
Clubs, classes, and groups stand as role models and thought leaders for students, student-athletes, fans, alumni, and others. Critical, negative, or disparaging comments about the University, a sports opponent university, or either’s students, coaches, administration, conference, or fans can cause serious reputational harm to Notre Dame and can damage relationships both within the University and external to the University.Notre Dame has exclusive rights to its name, trademark, songs, mottos, and mascots, and prohibits their unauthorized use. Because registered trademarks and service marks are valuable assets, they must be used correctly to avoid loss or dilution in the marketplace. Please refrain from using registered trademarks on your personal social media profiles in unauthorized ways or in ways that imply you are an official representative or spokesperson for the University.
A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t want something reshared on social media, saved in a screenshot, quoted by media, or read aloud in public, your best bet is to not post it in the first place. After all, there are so many good things you could be sharing instead.
Additional Resources
Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC) Guidelines
June 2020 Clubs Newsletter: Social Media Article
Social Media Webinar: During this webinar in 2018, our Social Media Expert, Grace Morrison, explored social media growth, how to prioritize and establish your presence, building your audience, utilizing paid advertising, how to take great photos, and ideas for your club's social media campaign. We were joined by the ND Club of Chicago (AA) to discuss promotion via Facebook Events and the ND Club of Wichita (D) to learn about their successful Instagram engagement. Click here to view the webinar recording and the slide deck.
2018 Alumni Association Leadership Conference - Social Media Workshop slide deck for additional tips and tricks
For further consultation, please contact Grace Morrison '16 SMC.
Case study for Video production company
How To Combine Drone & Ground-Level 4K Cameras To Make Great- Looking Auto Commercials
A Case Study On Producing TV Advertisements For Jayco RV
Jayco is an Indiana-Based Manufacturer who builds High-Quality RVs, Camping Trailers, Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels, Motorhomes And Toy Haulers. We love collaborating on their projects because we share these same values: Always make product excellence your number one priority, and treat everyone the way you'd like to be treated.
Every year, Jayco sends out commercial footage of their latest models to all of the members of their worldwide dealer network. They came to our production company with the following directive: How can we make footage of our RV Autos look different than years past? With a limited production schedule we knew we couldn't travel to a beautiful mountain location for three days, and our budget didn't allow for a helicopter gyro rig like the one used in this Auto Commercial for Red Bull.
Our Solution? We decided to combine Aerial shots from a 4K Drone Camera with our beautiful Sony a7s 4K images from the ground level. When shooting this "Running Footage" for commercials, we had 5 guidelines we followed that made the shoot a success. Keep reading to find out how we accomplished this.
5 TIPS ON SHOOTING WITH AERIAL & GROUND CREWS
Dress Up Your Location
As the ideal mountain location was not available to us, we had to work within the area and shoot locations we had accessible to us. It's a wide open world out there, and there's beauty to be found no matter where you are shooting. To the practiced Director's eye, shooting on country roads in Northern Indiana carries a particular aesthetic, and one that we could make work. We combined these road locations with a historic 1900s mill, allowing us to capture the aesthetic of not only Jayco's products but also the lifestyle beckoning to their clients.Shoot on the Perfect Day (Or Close)
Making sure to shoot on a prime, sunny autumn day was the key to our success. Although we only shot in one day, we had planned a three day window to be able to select the perfect day at a time of year where sun is not guaranteed. While the day turned our to be bitter cold, as you can see the sun was shining in all of her lens-flared glory, giving us exactly the type of shots you'd expect from a clear, sunny fall day.Use the Right Equipment
Another factor to making this shoot unique and creatively effective for Jayco was our ability to utilize the right equipment for the creative. We wanted to capitalize on the fall season's rich, vibrant colors on the trees, we definitely wanted to use 4K HD Video Capture for both the ground-level shots and the aerials, and we needed to be efficient and shoot both aerials and ground-level at the same time. To meet these criteria, we used an Sony A7S camera combined with a Shogun touch-screen recorder. Our lens system used Canon L-series glass. The Aerial Shots were captured using a DJI Inspire Quadcopter with 4K Camera & 3-Axis Gimbal. This mobile 4K camera allowed us to achieve a high-end lens solution while still capturing the essence of the products on a beautiful sunny fall day.Add 4K High Definition Aerial Footage
Why did we decide to mix in drone footage? Aerial footage gives a filmmaker another tool to add more variety and creativity to their work, and professional Drones give the option of aerial footage for clients operating within a more modest budget. For a Director to be able to be more creative within a reasonable price range is always a beautiful thing! Aerial videographer adds a completely different creative storytelling device to a project. A dolly track can allow viewers to glide from side to side or forward to back. A jib gives filmmakers (and subsequently viewers) the ability to see high up in trees and move down 20 feet to a ground level shot on a road. Aerial footage is another tool providing a way for us to see things from a unique vantage point. A large part of why film captivates us is that it can be shot from a different perspective then that which we see with our eyes. Viewing the world around us from a new angle, an angle we can’t experience ourselves on a daily basis, creates visual excitement. Anytime where you are looking to extend art and push boundaries you want to see things from a different angle. A unique perspective. A distinctive voice. This is the essence of visual storytelling.Looking at aerial footage was a logical move for us because big name automotive marketing already uses it. As an RV company, our client didn't have the budget that other auto makers like Lexus, Audi or BMW have to spend, but the professional 4K Drone option we were able to capture beautiful aerials for our client's tv commercials.
Use Experienced Crew & Support
Put simply, you can shoot great-looking footage with a number of different cameras, and everyone gets lucky once in a while, but in planning a video production combining a large number of vehicles, two different footage capturing systems (aerial and ground-level) you need not only the best equipment, you have to assemble a great team.The types of shots we wanted with the drone involved shooting Nine RVs simultaneously on the same winding road loop. Coordination and communication was key with this shoot as we had to keep track of 9 RVs, each with a different, inexperienced production driver in order to know when we could send the next RV on the loop. We had to be sure the drone had time and space to cross in front of the vehicles at the perfect time in order to showcase each one from left to right, from the front, and the money shot: getting that “winding road shot” of a vehicle traveling from above. Making sure you can get simultaneous shots of vehicles boils down to one factor: using experienced people.
Drone Media Chicago had the experience, professional 4K equipment, and knowledge to pull off the aerial shots under pressure. Cinematographer Jamieson Mulholland used the sun and beautiful autumn foliage to make the ground-level shots look amazing. And working with Assistant Director Quinn Wilson and Assistant Drone Operator Garret Brubaker made all the difference in our ability to communicate, manage vehicles, and combine Drone & Ground-Level 4K Cameras for these RV Auto TV Spots.
We know that mixing drone footage and running footage made Jayco’s RV Auto TV Commercials more dynamic, more visually interesting, and more effective to our client’s viewers. We hope you enjoyed this look into how to you can mix drone footage with running footage when shooting automotive commercials, are you ready to watch the commercial yet?
Blog Post for Yoga Studio
10 Ways Yoga Heals
It is no secret that yoga facilitates better health. But how exactly does it improve health? It’s simple, yoga heals. Yoga has many benefits, below are the top 10 ways in which yoga helps heal the body!
Increases Flexibility
Flexibility is often the first benefit people think of when they think of yoga. It is true that yoga increases the flexibility of muscles and helps to widen the range of movement in joints. Overtime, yoga can significantly improve one’s flexibility. Yogis who once had shortened and tight muscles joyfully find their yoga practice helps to stretch and lengthen these muscles.Strengthens Muscles
Yoga is a full body workout. It works every muscle from head to toe contributing to an accumulation of stronger muscles. Yoga creates lean muscles through its combination of strengthening poses that work to also stretch the muscles as they strengthen.Improves Balance
Balance is an important daily skill to improve in order to safely go about your daily life, especially when aging. As we age, our balance naturally decreases and makes us more susceptible to hip fractures, broken bones, and a loss of independence. Yoga helps give us the tools to increase our balance at any age. Regularly practicing asanas such as tree pose and dancer allow yogi’s to build up their balance and become comfortable in situations when the body can not completely be firmly stabilized.Improves Posture
Yoga promotes a stabilized core, the powerhouse of the body. A strong core helps to achieve a proper upright position in the body and the spine. Throughout yoga classes, instructors queue for proper posture and alignment. These reminders to sit and stand straight while lifting from the crown of the head promotes memory for yogis to take this posture off the mat and into their daily life.Strengthens Bones
Weight bearing poses help to strengthen the bodies bones. This wards off osteoporosis. The wonderful thing about yoga, compared to other weight bearing forms of exercise, is that it puts weight on areas of the bodies that often fall victim to osteoporosis, such as the wrists in downward facing dog.Relaxes Nervous System
Yoga can be very stress relieving in many ways. Yoga can help train the body to minimize its need to active the sympathetic nervous system responsible for our flight or fight method. A regular practice can teach you how to consciously quiet your mind whenever you feel overwhelmed.Lowers Blood Sugar
For yogis with diabetes, yoga has been found to reduce fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin. Some studies even show a link between yoga and an improved sensitivity to the effects of insulin.
Improves Psychological Health
Increasing your mood and self-esteem might be as easy as creating a daily practice on your mat! Feel-good endorphins that are produced in exercise help this process. In addition to increasing your mood, yoga helps to alleviate anger that is harbored. Yogi’s are able to form strong friendships from this increase in self-esteem and happiness!Relieves Pain
Asana and meditation have been shown to reduce pain. In fact, meditation that occurs during savasana has been shown to reduce the amount of pain messages that are transmitted and signaled between the thalamus and the cereal cortex. Health conditions such as arthritis and back pain can be managed through a healing yoga practice.Encourages Self-Care
A strong yoga practice promotes self-care. Yoga is all about listening to your own body, doing what feels good for you, and building up your mind-body connection. Asana, the poses encompassing the physical practice of yoga, gives yogis a tangible act they can do daily to improve health, foster confidence, stay active, and build hope.