It’s a fact: companies who actively market during this recession can come out of it ahead. As the recovery happens, do you want to lead the pack or get left behind, struggling to keep up? Your communications plan now will make the difference.

Whether you need to reduce your internal load or want an inexpensive way to ramp up your efforts, I’m now available as a freelance communicator. For a low hourly or project rate, I will:

• Write and edit press releases, blog articles, newsletters, and other content.

• Develop multimedia materials, such as podcasts, DVDs and web videos.

• Implement social media campaigns on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

• Craft a communications strategy to help you take full advantage of your opportunities.

To discuss how to get the most out of your limited resources, just give me a call.

There’s no obligation: I’m happy to discuss your goals and ideas at no charge. If there’s a good match, we’ll strike a deal. If I can’t do your project, I’ll help you find someone who can.

I look forward to talking with you!

So you’ve decided that you’re ready to start using video in a campaign, on your homepage, or in your blog. Exciting! Video is a fun way to communicate, and you finally have the resources and ambition. Maybe it will even go viral.

So you:

1. Decide what you want your video to show.
2. Buy some equipment.
3. Figure out how to record and edit.
4. Pick out some places to post it.
5. Wait to see what happens.

Stop.

It’s easy to approach the project this way. It makes sense, after all, to proceed from beginning to end. Usually, that’s good advice. But for your video (or any communications campaign, for that matter), you’ll get better results if you begin at the end.

Instead of the first example, approach it this way:

1. Purpose. First, decide what you want to accomplish. Are you driving sales? Increasing loyalty? Building trust? Solving a customer support complaint? After you’ve made this decision, then consider if video is really the best way to accomplish your goal. If it is, proceed to step two:
2. Distribution. How and where will this video be used? DVD? Blog? Corporate website? YouTube? TV? This will determine your format(s).
3. Process. Now that you know what you want to end up with, decide how you’ll record and edit in order to get the desired end result. How will you tell the story?
4. Equipment. Will you need one camera or two (or more)? Do you want broadcast-quality HD or just YouTube quality? If you addressed the first three issues, choosing equipment will simply be a matter of getting the most bang for your budget.
5. Content. Now you can develop your video content with confidence because you know what you’re hoping to accomplish and how you’ll get there.

In conclusion (and with apologies to Mr. Carroll):

Begin at the end and work back till you come to the beginning; then go.

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What else would you like to learn in this “Tools & Tech” series? I’m open to suggestions.