Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sean Whitmore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sean , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

In my opinion, a vast majority of companies still don’t feel like creating content be it video or written, is a suitable marketing strategy.

I see an emerging trend that is in an early adoption phase. That is the rise of the creator economy.

Historically, advertising was linear in the sense of a message being crafted by a company and distributed to the masses, these blasting the same message of what the company wanted you to think, hear and do. This has all shifted. Today, buyers are curious and want to know the intricacies of a product or service before they buy.

What does this mean? It means a different type of approach to how we advertise and market, especially in the digital realm.

This is how I see it shifting. People buy from other people that they know, like, and trust. Especially in the SMB Sector. That being said, I see marketing efforts shifting in a few ways.

1. Companies leveraging thought-leading creators’ or brand ambassadors’ audiences to create keyword-optimized content. Sea-Doo does a really good job of this. They use brand ambassadors to create keyword-optimized video content that represents the brand well, educates the customer, and pulls an ongoing result by leveraging YouTube and Google.

2. Companies leverage the creators’ content across an omnichannel strategy to get the full benefit of search and social platforms.

3. I see fewer and fewer high-budget singular commercials and more sectored approaches across digital channels that are targeted to demographics (I.E. Sunscreen for kids)

Sean , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well for starters, my name is Sean Whitmore, and am going on my 11th year in the video production/ content marketing industry.

I got my start in this field through YouTube University after deciding college just wasn’t quite a fit for me. All of that to say, I’ve hit 3 key points in my career thus far.

The first was filming electronic shows and creating video recaps which lead to directing music festival recap teams and tours with the likes of Illenium, Odesza, The Chain Smokers, and more.

The second was transitioning more into the commercial world where I ran the video production department for a digital marketing agency.

The third was a transition to my own business, Lucid Media, which helps SMBs (Small & Medium-sized Businesses) solve their content creation bottleneck through strategic communication and optimized content creation & distribution.

Looking forward to the future… something that I’m really passionate about is our ability to help bridge the gap between our client’s business vision and translating that into thoughtful, and engaging communication in the form of content. Thus, influencing buyers and positioning them as thought leaders that generate tangible results in audience & revenue growth.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This prompt definitely hits home and is something that I’m always thinking about in business.

I’ve always been in the video production world. However, the business is tough as cash flow is continually up and down from project to project. I always found myself feeling more so like a contractor that would help people who needed video work than a real business.

All of that to say, I feel like there was something bigger for me, more meaningful, and would leave a dent in the universe, which has led to a recent pivot to a full-service content marketing agency.

It’s always been a passion of mine to help people and feel like a superpower of mine is helping people… be people and helping simplify their communication into a digestible form.

Pivots are hard, and imposter syndrome is always there. But, I always tell myself- “Somewhere out there, someone needs what you have, why not share it with them?”

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Bootstrap, bootstrap, bootstrap. :)

Nothing too crazy here, just working with people and reinvesting. Probably not the most glorified way in 2023, but I like to think we’re playing the infinite game and not in a rush to raise capital to scale.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lucidmedia.io
• Instagram: instagram.com/seanwhitmore
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwhitmore11/

Image Credits
David Wells, Travis Perkins