E-book: Podcasts, the new way to communicate at a distance

Podcasts, essencial para a comunicação

Podcasts (E-book) are audio content, made available through a file, which allows the listener to hear when, where and on the device they prefer. When was the last time you heard a Podcast? The likelihood that anyone in your close contacts has recently listened to a podcast is high. According to a 2019 study by Business Insider, more than three-quarters of Internet users in the United States heard content in digital audio format such as music (streaming) and podcasts, at least once a month last year. Additionally, 51% of the population has heard a podcast at least once and 26.9% are regular listeners of at least seven podcasts.

In the current context, with requires social distance for the benefit of all, and based on thisese data, there has never been a better time to start developing a podcast. The explosion of this format has attracted the attention of the public, which is increasingly receptive to listening to content this way. Companies like Apple, Google and Spotify are investing a lot in new tools for podcasters which addings value forto companies, which already looked at podcasts as something attractive and differentiating to incorporate in their strategies. If, on one hand, the podcast allows you to reach a new audience and create an individual experience,  thus providing greater proximity to all listeners, on the other hand, its portability allows it to be heard in any location, something that values the time of its listeners.

Still, developing a podcast is a complex process that involves more than putting ideas on paper and speaking into the microphone. Therefore, in order to create this content, it is important to consider certain details, such as: its purpose and format, the tone of communication and even the distribution platforms to be used.

In reality, this process is easier than most consider, since with the right indications, betting on the creation of podcasts can reveal a great return since it is still a little explored tool, when compared to other content channels, with only 900,000 active podcasts ( versus 500 million active blogs).

In this sense, we have outlined a guide with the best practices to adopt to develop podcasts of excellence. These indicators must be followed, transversally, when it is 21intended to proceed with the creation of the concept of the podcast itself.

The Podcast Guidebook, which is part of the BloomCast Content Series, is developed by BloomCast Consulting with the aim of providing useful and easily actionable information to define the communication line that should be used in the creation of podcasts. In it you can find the best practices for creating a podcast as well as some statistics and facts relevant to the format.

Download Here!

Ordem da Trindade will invest more than 10 million in the back of the Oporto Town Hall

Vista aérea da Ordem da Trindade

Throughout these centuries of existence, the Ordem da Trindade has faced wars and pandemics, invasions and crisis, lived through different political regimes and performed different missions, always relevant to the city of Porto and its citizens” says Francisco Miranda Duarte, general director of this private, non-profit social solidarity institution.

It’s one of the oldest and most emblematic institutions in Oporto, which this year, 2020, when it celebrated its 265th anniversary, decided to proceed with a deep project to rehabilitate its infrastructure, increase capacity and improve the quality of the services that provides.

As Fate would have it, the works started at the beginning of a world pandemic: “They started on February 3rd and were expected to be completed by the end of May next year”, revealed an official source of the Ordem da Trindade to Negócios.

At stake is the rehabilitation of the entire rectangular block the institution occupies, located between the building of the Oporto Townhall and the Trindade metropolitan station.

The objective of the project is to rehabilitate the built complex of the Ordem da Trindade, with a particular focus on the profound remodeling of the hospital, providing it with better structural conditions and cutting-edge technical means, which allow it to increase the quality of the services provided and the capacity of response to citizens”, detailed the same responsible.

Its unit of continuous care “which is a reference unit of the National Network of Integrated Continuous Care (RNCCI) and the only one inserted in the municipality of Oporto”, will see its capacity increased by an additional 30 beds “making available to Oporto residents an innovative Convalescence Care Unite” to be allocated on floors 5, 6 and 7 of the North Wing, facing the Trindade Metro Station.

Sacred art with 265 years of history and digital solutions in the future museum

The Trindade Church, which is part of the institution’s block, will also undergo works of improvement and structural consolidation “and will integrate, together with a museum path to be defined and built, the future Museum of the Trindade Church”, revealed the same source to Negócios.

It will be a relevant cultural space for the city and for citizens in general, using digital technological solutions, but it will also include the extraordinary collection of sacred art with 265 years of history”, he stressed.

As a matter of fact, he summarized “all the facade covers and cloths will still be recovered, but also an impactful intervention in the rehabilitation of outdoor spaces, with an increased concern in terms of mobility and accessibility for citizens”.

The global value of the investment will be “greater than 10 million Euros”.

More information here.

In Jornal de Negócios.

E-book: social media, a crucial element for organizations

Social Media Ebook

The presence of a company in Social Media (E-book) has the main purpose of positioning it with an audience that seeks relevant information about its business, which is a “must” for all businesses regardless of their size. Every day, approximately one million users join the world of Social Media and currently 3.81 billion people, that is, 49% of the world population is already present on social networks and the trend is to continue growing.

However, it is not enough to have just one page on a social media network, it is also important that some good practices are followed and implemented, so that the organization can achieve the desired impact.

Thus, before moving on to implementing a strategy it is necessary to define it. Hence, in the first phase it is essential that the active social network accounts are identified, the objectives of the company for online presence need to be defined, as well as the audience that it intends to address.

On the other hand, nowadays, there are several platforms that exist that can make the choice more difficult. In this sense, we demystified the four networks that we believe to be the ones with the greatest potential for return on investment and the respective good usage practices to assist in the decision-making process: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

While it may initially make sense to be present in all of them, this may not be true. And there may be platforms that do not make sense of the company’s presence, everything will depend on the objectives established.

After defining which platforms are most suitable, it’s necessary to define how to establish online communication, both textually and visually. And, for that, it’s essential to develop a market analysis, before starting to create and publish content, since it allows to understand if the produced content and what is being planned is of interest to the target audience.

However, it is crucial that companies when defining this strategy always bear in mind that, although each social network is intended for a specific target audience, communication should not be the same or exposed in the same way for all.

Creating content to feed social media can sometimes seem like a complex task, but to facilitate this process it’s important to define and take into account some good practices that end up being transversal to practically all networks, namely: the issue of tone of communication to be used, formatting, terminology, or even how links, hashtags or even emojis should be placed. In addition to the textual style, the visual part must always maintain the colour style and the same logos, regardless of the social network.

Being present in social media is more than having an account created, it requires care and attention in the way the brand/ company communicated, since it heavily impacts the public. For example, if the experience on social media is positive, 71% of customers are more likely to recommend the company to others.

Given this context and with these insights in mind, we have identified a set of tools that can be used to structured what you really want to communicate on your digital platforms.

The Social Media Guide, which is part of the BloomCast Content Series, is a document developed by BloomCast Consulting with the aim of providing useful and easily actionable information to define the communication line that should be used in the company’s social Media. In it you can find the best practices for managing the various social media accounts, as well as some relevant statistics and facts in relation to the format of each one.

Download Here! 

Good practices to avoid Coronavirus in co-work office centres and spaces

Avila Spaces

Avila Spaces, a business center located in Lisbon and profusely distinguished in innovation in the flexible workspaces market, created the WORK SAFE initiative, a set of measures to guarantee the protection of customers in their return to their shared workspaces. In this context, it adopted seven security measures that are already being applied by international hotel and aviation companies and that can serve as an example or other national companies. These measures are:

  1. Check-in Safety: upon arriving at Avila Spaces, a temperature test (optional) will be carried out and customers will be asked to disinfect their hands with alcohol. If necessary, a protective mask will also be provided. Each client will need to bring a paper placemat to use on their worktables, to avoid contact with surfaced. In the end, this placemat will be put in recycling.
  2. Distance and protection of desks: the tables in the business lounge area and individual desks in the coworking area have an acrylic partition that separates the workplaces, to maintain the recommended distance.
  3. Hygiene protocol: a protective mask should be used in the space and in the common areas there are several alcohol dispensers to clean your hands when entering and leaving Avila Spaces. The cleaning of all surfaces will be enhanced and there will be dedicated employees for this procedure.
  4. Air renovation: meetings in the Avila Spaces terrace will be privileged; the cleaning and maintenance of the AC will be done more regularly. Priority will also be given to opening windows to circulate the air in the business lounge area.
  5. Meeting rooms: meeting rooms will have a reduced capacity to guarantee the distance between users, being immediately cleaned and disinfected as soon as a meeting ends.
  6. Commons spaces: the Avila Spaces reception will be protected by an acrylic wall and the circulation in the business lounge is regulated with arrows, to guarantee the distance.
  7. Cup: the cutlery is placed in disposable paper bags and the garbage will be closed and placed in the proper containers with greater regularity by the Avila Spaces team.

Carlos Gonçalves, chief executive officer (CEO) of Avila Spaces, highlights the importance of this initiative noting: «At a time when a phased and controlled return to face-to-face work is beginning, companies need to start taking the necessary precautions and preparing the spaces for the new normal. At Avila Spaces, in addition to the implementation of indispensable security measures, we created the new position of Safety and Wellbeing Advisor, something we think is crucial for the task of returning to the office to be thought of in the most embracing and comprehensive way».

More Information here.

In Revista Human

Technology and communication: Brief story of a (mutually) convenient marriage

Rodolfo Oliveira Managing Partner at BloomCast Consulting_ communication

Between the financial crisis of 2008 and the current crisis, caused by the Coronavirus, there was a profound transformation of the communication processes and its underlying technologies. In 2008, e-mail reigned (although it still has an indispensable role), internet pages were not very dynamic and mostly searched through the computer, the desk phone was still an essential work tool and SMS the natural way to communicate in mobility. Many of the social networks were still emerging and business communication was mainly done through these more traditional and formal channels. But, while still in its infancy, digital transformation and mobility were spreading across all domains.

Let’s see: in 2001, Wikipedia was born, which revolutionized the access to credible information on a multitude of topics, opening the door to a world of knowledge available to everyone; in 2003 LinkedIn was born; in 2006 Facebook became a network open to any user; in 2007 the mobile phone experience was redefined with the iPhone and Apple Online store appears in mid-2008 with the surprisingly high number of 500 applications, starting the explosion of apps. The iPad was launched in 2010 as a reliable computing alternative and can be used anywhere comfortably and without the limitations of size and autonomy of notebooks. Uber and WhatsApp appeared in 2009 and, on the content side, the Ricky Gervais Show became in 2006 an instant success also in the podcast format, having broken several download records.

From then to the present moment, there has been an exponential growth of digital channels, with Facebook being the social network of choice, initially for younger generations. But they too have started to abandon it to move to Instagram, and more recently, to the TikTok video platform. On the other hand, Internet browsing is also done, mostly, on mobile devices and voice calls have been increasingly made in applications such as WhatsApp.

The moment of profound change that we are going through now will also have a significant impact in terms of customer expectations and the adoption of new technologies. On the other hand, it forced a reset, a potentially healthier redefinition of expectations, in which costumers and citizens, as a result of the feeling of insecurity and uncertainty that afflicts us all, started to give greater relevance to values such as credibility, trust and reputation. Furthermore, brands have recovered the theme of purpose, but now redefined and putting employees and society ahead of their shareholders.

This change also led to the acceleration of the digital transformation and the adoption and use of tools that allow to be closer to the customer in a easier format, closer to what would be a face-to-face reality. The fundamental theme is to provide a better experience for everyone, costumers and consumers. Online presence had the potential to allow much more than just knowing the brand. It also makes it possible to manage the relationship with costumers and, at the same time, create a more interactive and enriching relationship with each of them. Clearly, the organizations that can execute in this strategy, given the lengthy time expected under the current rules of relationship and social distance, will be the ones that will win.

In turn, the interaction models, powered by video tools, changed the way we managed to keep in touch, being now commonplace when, in the recent past, they were only possible with expensive videoconferencing equipment. The current online learning processes will also be overcome by models of much greater complexity and interaction, immersive and in which it is possible to recreate the face-to-face experience and stimulate the connection between students in a more dynamic way.

More importantly, it is important to remember that this transformation in still in its infancy, the result of technological developments that are promoting new scenarios and interaction models. Virtual augmented reality will transform our day-to-day lives, as many of these technologies become the norm in mobile phones, and as 5G networks become pervasive, creating what can be guessed an infinite bandwidth space for applications that take advantage of these technologies. Traditional mobility with mobile phones, smartwatches and wearable tech will create new experience models.

In other words, technology allows new approaches to communication and communication will have an impact on how it will be used. The creativity in using these new technologies to create better and more enriching experiences will surely surprise us and, when we look back at the reality prior to this crisis, the world will have changed.

 

Initially published in Executive Digest, online version. Opinion article by Rodolfo Oliveira, Managing Partner at BloomCast Consulting.

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