Video sharing and advertising are ironically lacking from the audio, video and lighting (AVL) industry while the growth of this format and medium continues to become the defacto standard for consumption. The stats are in and they’re staggering. Sometimes the writing is on the wall so clearly that you have to look at another wall […]

Are you a new company selling a new product? Well, this blog’s for you! Listen, don’t let people fool you — this industry is NOT that complicated. You don’t need a fancy marketing campaign and you certainly don’t need to waste your money with banner ads on on-line publications to make it BIG in AV. […]

There’s always a trade-off between using professionals (like Travis Chambers and Jamestown Films who killed it with their 10 annoying people at the gym video for Nordic Track… I loved it) and doing things in-house. If you’re a bootstrapper like me, it’s usually a question of budget. Start-up funds are sacred so I try to […]

Reaching the house of worship market with your marketing message requires a new set of marketing skills and tools that have been widely adopted by software technology companies, but relatively few that I’m aware of in the Audio, Video, Lighting (AVL) manufacturing and distribution firms. To take full advantage of the combination of social, search, […]

I think we can all agree that, in principle, it’s a great idea for vendors and manufacturers to maintain a “FIND A DEALER” database on their website. It’s a splendid idea — in principle. It will pre-qualify interested prospective customers who’ve been doing their research and funnel them towards resellers or installing dealers in their […]

As I continue to discuss social media and application in the industry, when talking about social media and marketing, there’s a blending of the two that eventually takes place as conventional marketing methods eventually include social media reach and engagement. However, when I say engagement, I not only mean that you are engaging, but how […]

Today, some well-known (and even some lesser known) systems integrators have made their mark in marketing and social media, however many are still looking for the proper strategies as well as the more enhanced ways to build the industry profile – especially to gain new customers. It seems that for any company to compete and advance […]

I suppose if the Cobbler’s kids had no shoes, then I shouldn’t be surprised that the Audio, Video, and Lighting (AVL) industry doesn’t use video well to reach potential customers. And yet, here in the 21st century, I am surprised and disappointed in the spotty to non-existent use of video as a content marketing medium […]

Well another InfoComm has come and gone, and another Las Vegas record was set this year with over 38,000 attendees at the 2016 show. By attendance alone, you’d have to agree that the show is as healthy as ever. The InfoComm show is an amazing place to connect with industry peers, showcase new products to […]

I am not sure there is a better example for how to design and market products right now in the ProAV market than how Milestone AV Technologies – parent company for Chief Manufacturing, Da-Lite, Vaddio, Sanus and Projecta — is doing it. I won’t bore you by going through each and every product case over […]

If you look at the world of AV today, one thing is clear.  People are going big.  Whether it’s direct view LED, a large video wall, new Sony LED modules, Prysm walls, Christie Microtiles, or good old fashioned large format projection, bigger is better if you want to get someone’s attention. Look around the audio […]

There has not been a time in history when it has been simultaneously easier for any brand to reach far larger audiences than ever before and exceedingly more difficult to cut through the noise to share your message. The democratization of the Internet has been the single greatest advancement of the 21st century, but with […]

If the products you sell are well suited for the church market, how are you using content marketing to close the distance between product awareness and a product purchase? Targeted content goes beyond the typical product features and benefits and instead identifies with the church buyer. Content is the currency companies use to communicate stories […]

Shop local, eat local, holiday local — it’s an ethos that lots of your customers probably try to follow. They will also have their trusted tradesman that they turn to for car repairs, decorating or plumbing. This local ecosystem ensures that the local economy remains healthy, encouraging investment, creating jobs and building community spirit. With […]

The writer inside of me knows that people want helpful insight and good advice. It also knows that ticking off potential advertisers for rAVe isn’t a good idea. Sometimes, the two are at odds. I also believe that telling the truth, kindly, is possible. And it is with this good intention that I focus this […]

Each year, I look for the most effective ads of A/V/L gear targeting the House of Worship (HOW) market. I can tell you that, once again, the vast majority (greater than 99 percent – I’ve looked through hundreds of terrible examples) of the current ads for the HOW technology market are either A) too niche […]

I’ve been teaching a Marketing 101 class at InfoComm for a few years now. And, ADVICE #1 to my students is: Publish case studies. But, I continue to be amazed at how few AV dealers market their services this way. They’ll spend thousands developing a cool logo, hire interns to use social media, place ads […]

The perfect product has not yet been built, but that doesn’t stop today’s audio, video and lighting manufacturer’s engineers from trying to build it. If they did, they’d end up building the product they wanted to use, right down to the subtle minutiae of every killer feature and ergonomic design. And it would be a […]

The church bought all of your gear and are fully equipped to leverage the best of your technology. While this sounds like a sales dream, the natural progression will now turn downhill unless you continue to provide the church with what they really need most: your expertise. Interestingly, the Second Law of Thermodynamics provides us […]

Almost 3 years ago I wrote a piece asking AV professionals “Why are we talking to IT guys?”  Given my recent arguments for video over IP and the potential eclipse of AV Integration firms by large IT managed services providers, you may think that a very strange question indeed.  However, even in today’s world of […]

A few months ago, I spoke at an event sponsored by the Technology Association of Oregon on the alignment of sales and marketing. In the course of that conversation, the idea of marketing marketing (promoting the idea of and need for marketing in the company) was raised. Many companies de-value marketing, considering it the department […]

Is selling into the house of worship market about more and better leads or about better follow-up to existing clients? The answer is ‘yes;’ the better question is ‘How?’ to get both. Content marketing automation is not new, but it has grown up. The digital sales pipeline represents a huge opportunity for getting more leads, […]

As a house of worship consultant to manufacturers and systems integrators, I’ve seen and heard from a wide array of companies in the Audio/Video/Lighting (AVL) space about their experience with the church market. I think your experience at a manufacturer or dealer will likely follow one of these patterns of thought and leadership. All the […]

There’s a blight that affects every last segment and channel in the industry. It’s so prevalent, so part of the background that, like the sky, you take it for granted and stop really noticing it unless you step back and refocus your perception. It’s a blight that’s holding the entire industry back, regardless of which […]

As we wind down 2014 and get geared up for the year ahead, it is a time for reflection and resolutions.  For many integrators and manufacturers alike, that may mean thinking of ways to help promote and grow our businesses.  One way that many businesses are generating buzz is through blogging. Some companies have hesitated […]

2014 has been a banner year in the A/V/L tech world. We’ve seen more innovations — deep, significant changes that are still reverberating. It’s certainly exciting, but as much as there’s been change, some things never change, including the need for better training for the operators of all this marvelous technology. With a new year […]

At the end of 2014, I rounded up half a dozen ads of A/V/L gear targeting the house of worship HOW market. I chose ads that were placed in more than one publication and published through at least two different publishing companies. All ads were scored in three categories, on a one-to-five scale where one […]

What’s more important: building a better mousetrap or simply solving the problem of mice in the house? Your answer depends on your perspective. The people living in the house simply want to not have mice in their home. The people selling the mousetrap want you to buy their newer, better mousetrap. So, who’s correct? If […]

I’ve gone to quite a few movies in my day.  I love films, especially some of the more thought provoking ones like Kassovitz’s Hate or Nolan’s Following. Nothing ruins a film more for me however than noticing that every time the shot goes to the kitchen there is a Pepsi can on the table or somehow […]

How important is your brand name? Is your brand not merely well known, but well liked? In the House of Worship market, your brand is who the churches say you are. It is vital that you as manufacturers, systems integrators, consultants, rep firms, and dealers provide this unique vertical space with who you are, not […]

All these articles about AV news, new product announcements and acquisitions in the AV industry being released before InfoComm got me to thinking about company recognition. Then at a meeting the other day, one of our reps stood up and told us a story about his contact in a K-12 school who went up to […]

When it comes to content marketing — the hot new world of social media, blogging and whatnot — there are basically two steps. Create content Distribute content Within those steps, you have a dozen other things going on, to be sure. Planning, design, measurement, etc. But at its heart, you have these two steps. As […]