The mission of Hunger Free Heartland is to be a catalyst for change, leveraging existing strengths within the community and focusing on systemic solutions to end childhood hunger through connecting and collaborating.

At the head of this effort is Sue Arment, an Omaha resident for more than 10 years. Arment took the position of director in June of 2010, as a result of her long-held desire for community involvement.   

“I’ve been intrigued with finding creative solutions to problems and the problem of childhood hunger was especially interesting,” Arment said. “After I was blessed with being able to do a mission trip to Haiti, it cemented my passion to get involved with organizations focused on childhood hunger.”

Arment’s duties include directing the collaborative efforts of the organization and implementing their strategies by establishing numerous networks and partnerships throughout the community. These efforts include focusing on accurate assessments of community needs, as well as allocating the appropriate resources to meet those needs.

Strategies include improvement of families’ knowledge about available programs, healthy food choices and how to get the most from limited resources. Strengthening the community’s role in finding solutions to food insecurity, hunger and obesity is also a key strategy.

Efforts have also been made to educate, inform and involve communities in supporting legislative action that supports the mission of Hunger Free Heartland, as well as improving access to federal nutrition programs that provide food to families and their children who qualify but are not receiving it.       

The organization also hosts numerous events, bringing together the various partnerships as they discuss the progress Hunger Free Heartland has made in their communities. Past attendees included Senator Heath Mello and Dr. Mariana Chilton from Drexel University.

“My favorite part of the job is working with so many different entities and organizations and always being impressed by what they bring to the community.  It’s really exciting when we are able to find great partnerships and better ways to leverage resources that will make a positive impact in our community.”

In the end, Arment stresses the importance of cooperation for the benefit of hunger-stricken children in the Heartland.      

“We can only succeed by connecting and collaborating with the community,” Arment said. “We can be a platform to try new, innovative solutions to addressing the childhood hunger issue.”

Despite just starting a full time schedule this week, Greg had already hit the ground running with a full head of steam. In the short amount of time Greg has been here, he has already produced numerous projects for clients. His work includes filming an event video in Fremont, the completion of production and editing on numerous motion graphics as well as three marketing videos.

In addition to his video production duties, a passion he’s had since he was a child dubbing tapes from one VCR to another, Greg also enjoys photography. His creativity and technical know-how lead to his self-published book on photography called “Controlled Chaos – Photography at Random”.

Originally born in Monroe, Michigan, Greg has been living in Omaha for the past seven years. Prior to moving down to the Heartland, Greg lived in South Carolina. The change of scenery has taken some time to get used to, as Greg still misses the beaches and hanging out at the docks after midnight. He also has a strong preference to waffles over corndogs.

We are thrilled to welcome Greg onto our team. His skill set and creativity will assist V180 in producing the best possible content for our many clients.

At V180 Media our goal for you is to Be Found, Be Heard, and Matter. According to Content Rules, “Everyone is empowered to share, link to, and comment on every piece of content that sparks his or her interest.” Making your content interesting can be as easy as just getting started and sharing what you know!

Be Found

Your content will not be relevant if it is not seen by your audience! Being found involves a wide array of search engine optimization (SEO) practices. At V180 Media, we believe in organic link-building. This involves creating links to create genuine rise in the rankings on search engines to make it easier for people to find you. Automated link-building sites are frowned upon in Google’s eyes and it could result in punishment of getting pushed down in the ranks even further.

Creating profiles on multiple sites can also increase your chances of being found. The world of Social Media is growing everyday but we always recommend being visible on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Creating great content on these sites can result in positive responses from followers. Now that your audience has found you, make sure they hear you.

Be Heard

To be heard you must engage your audience and find your voice. Being heard on a digital platform requires creating a personality for your business or organization. This will interest followers to engage in conversation. Interaction is a great way to be heard. People love sharing their opinions and stories and hearing yours also. The approach to New Media is not a straightforward single campaign but more of a compilation of knowledge you want to share with others.

Matter

Bringing people to your content is a start but then they will ask themselves, “So what?” This is the point where you want to engage and compell your followers. We help you become the expert in your industry so that people will want to use your content and share it with others. Content must strike the interest of your audience but the best results of your efforts will be gained from them sharing it with others and spreading the reach of your content.

At V180 Media, its our goal to share your story so that you can be found, be heard, and matter in our New Media world.

Start Small

Tackling the entire realm of content from the beginning of your New Media adventure will overwhelm you. First you need to figure out what type of content you want to put out. This can be related to choosing the foundation for the campfire. Blogs and sites from related businesses or organizations are great tools for finding your path. Use these sites to decide what you like and don’t like and move in that desired direction.

People will not automatically respond to long posts filled with industry jargon. You need to catch their interest. The interest of your follows is the foundation to the fire. Once they see you have relevent content they are more likely to return. The small stuff matters in your New Media adventure. The best way to interest followers is to engage conversation. Ask opinions or post current events going on around you. Once you are on their radar, you can filter in information to “ignite the fire” of knowledge.

Adding the Bigger Sticks

“So the kindling is ignited.” This is the point where Content Rules says to add the bigger content. Now that you have the interest of your followers, you need to give them something to take from visiting your sites. This is where we want them to value your expertise.

At V180 Media, our goal is to make you the industry expert. Creating content to keep your followers engaged will make you the ‘go-to’ for information on your business or organization.We help you share your story! This is where we create a New Media Guide. The NMG creates a schedule of content so that each day is relevant and engaging to your follows. Your business or organization is built on a wealth of information. Share what you know and what you want others to know and you will soon have an impact in New Media.

The Fire is Ablaze

Now that the content campfire is burning strong you must maintain it. Continue to Be Found, Be Heard, and Matter. This will allow you to take advantage of the many benefits of New Media.

At V180 Media, we come across many businesses and organizations with great content that they never thought to utilize. Great content doesn’t always have to mean new content. We use what you already have and bring it back to life to fit into the realm of New Media through our New Media Guide. Within your business or organization, you have already created the “Big Idea.” Many are unaware of how to break this down to be relevant on Social Media.

Here are our 3 best platforms to repurpose your existing content.

Blogs

As a business or organization, you have already defined your mission and industry goals. Share it! Blogs are a great way to share industry knowledge and advice. Inform followers of what you already know and what they should be aware of. Become the expert! The best way to keep people coming back for more is to create a weekly series. Be consistent with your big idea while adding life to your business or organization. No one likes to read about business all the time. Adding voice to your existing content can add personality while retaining reliability.

Facebook

Content Rules also focuses on the idea to “Share, Not Shill”. This means to avoid focusing your contents purpose solely on selling your product or service. Highlighting a local business or a important person in your business or organzation can easily be created as content. Facebook is a important platform for getting noticed. Sharing personal stories of success catches interest of followers and brings them back to your page and eventually to other sites. Bringing people to your site allows them to connect with your business or organization on a personal level and this could result in positive reponse because of the connection they have created.

Twitter:

The world of Twitter has immense impact on businesses and organizations. When used properly, it can create conversation and new clients solely through a daily topic. Content on this platform is directly related to what is going on RIGHT NOW. This platform does not require extensive research on a topic. The best way to share your content on Twitter is to be relevant. Share your story! Sharing where you are, what you are doing, and how it relates to your business or organization is a great way to showcase involvement and success in the industry. Twitter also provides your business or organization a libarary of information from industry experts that can be repurposed to fit your needs.

You see, creating content is not as scary as it sounds. Content Rules focuses on the idea of not “re-inventing the wheel” when creating content. Use what you already have and know! You come across content everyday while interacting with the industry and clients of your business or organization. At V180 Media, we provide you with the tools to be heard, be found, and matter through utilization of your best content.

One of the biggest obstacles facing small businesses and nonprofits getting started with Social Media is time.  It is not uncommon for Social Media responsibilities to have fallen on the shoulders of those who already have a full plate.  These days, it is not enough to just be on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn…engaging, entertaining, and interesting content creates return visitors.  Instagram is an iPhone app that is great for capturing, editing, and sharing photos across all your Social Media networks.  This app is more than just a camera, and I really believe that nonprofits and businesses can benefit from adding Instagram to their New Media Strategy.

Let’s start with the basics.  Instagram is currently only available on the iPhone, but there’s rumors of an Android app in the near future.  Users create profiles and can link up to their other Social Media accounts to find people to follow.  Once you follow a user, their images appear in your photo stream, and users can comment or like other people’s images.  Instagram is free, which is always nice.

Users can snap images with their iPhones and instantly have the ability to add a number of filters or change the area of focus.  This offers users the ability to create some pretty fantastic and creative photos with a couple clicks.  Another cool feature about Instagram is that you can import images into the program, so users have the ability to add just about any photo to their photo feed, not just images taken from their smart phones.  Organizations can add photos to their feed that help shape and define their brand identity.

Once users get their images looking just right, they are a couple clicks away from posting the photos their choice of Social Media networks including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Flickr, and others.  Instagram also allows for use of the hashtag (#) symbol to categorize and tag posts, which is great for users who link their account to Twitter.  Recently Mashable posted an article highlighting how Ford used an Instagram contest to promote its new high-tech vehicle, the Fiesta.  Each week during the contest, Ford choose a word that described the Fiesta and challenged users to submit photos defining that word in some way.  The company had an enormous response from the supportive, engaged community of users and is a great example to others looking to expand their reach on this growing platform.

Organizations can post photos of day to day activities around the office and to show followers the people behind the business.  Charity:Water does a good job of keeping their account ‘human’ yet mission-related, so be sure to check them out to get an idea of one nonprofit that is using Instagram successfully.  No one will want to see what you are eating for lunch on a daily basis, but they will want to see photos from the annual gala, a picture of the new brochures that just arrived from the printers, or the remodel of your office space.  Use Instagram to post to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr with a single effort, snapping a photo of the building or a business card when you get to your next meeting.

It is important to have a strategy for your New Media efforts, and Instagram may be able to help make that strategy play out effectively.  If you’re committed to increasing your presence on the networks, then you have to share something that people will want to look at, something that will interest them.  It is not enough to just be on the networks, you have to create great content.

There are three ways a business or organization can execute social media and new media efforts. At V180 Media, we want to break from tradition and share with you the old ways of executing social media and what we have found is the best way.

Do It Yourself: This is the independent approach to social media. This is where you employ members of your staff, volunteers, or take it on alone. The results of your efforts are driven on how successfully you can train your staff and how experienced they are with new media. This requires a high amount of testing and researching social media. We relate this strategy to being stranded on an island.

Outsourcing: On the other end of the spectrum, you can hire out your social media efforts. This involves hiring and agency or allowing another agency to do it for you. This strategy is a very dependent relationship. You have to be dependent on the organization for success and have confidence in their knowledge of your business or organization. Success relies solely on the quality of their updates and reactions, you are at their mercy. This is the traditional approach.

In the world of new media, this doesn’t work. We believe in working as a team.

V180’s Interdependent Model: We believe the best way to execute your new media efforts is to build a solid relationship. This model requires engagement between organizations making us better and more effective with each other. We do the dirty work, the things you don’t want to do or don’t have time for. We are able to best execute this by using the content you provide because we combine your expertise and voice with our expertise of new media. With you leading the way and communicating with us on strategy, your content will be authentic and sincere while still being relevant and interesting to your followers.

This strategy is the core of our social media coaching programs and our social assistant programs. It is what works best in the world of new media and can be offered at different levels and price-points.

Social Media Coaching is the most cost effective. We provide you with a guide on how to share your story and educate you on how to use new media in the best way.

The Social Assistant Program is very cost effective and the best way to execute your social media efforts. Your social assistant handles and executes your entire social media plan from start to finish each day. This requires engagement and communication on a minimum basis of once a week.

The Content Plus Social Assistant Program is the full package. From this program you receive tons of great content from us. This content can range from a book, a documentary, blogs, to a series of videos. You name it, we can create it. This provides you with great content on a constant basis that truly represents you and your story. With all of this great content, you are building a library at the same time executing Social Media.

You have options! Don’t do it yourself and don’t let someone else do it, do it WITH us. That is the core of our philosophy. We help you be heard, be found, and matter.

We started our own book club at V180 Media! We are starting this off by reading Content Rules by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman. This book has been great in helping us perfect our New Media strategies. Each week we will share with you what we learned and how we are going to apply it to our business.

Chapter 1-4 focuses on content and finding your own voice. Content can be described as anything  “uploaded to a web site: the words, images, tools, or other things that reside there”.

At v180 Media we stress great content because it keeps people coming back to your sites looking for advice. We want you to be the industry expert. To do this, you must provide relevant and interesting information to reach a variety of markets. Content Rules stresses the idea of quality over quantity. Posting ten articles a day is not productive unless they grab people attention. One great post outweighs multiple meaningless ones.

Not only have great content, but make sure you engage the audience in your content. Find your voice. This involves posting pictures, videos, appropriate opinions, and asking for input. Giving your business or organization a personality is the best way to ignite interest. We learned from chapter one to  also make sure your audience knows you care. Encourage dialogue and thank your audience for their engagement.

At V180 Media, we plan to use these tips to expand upon and improve our own New Media efforts. We plan to improve upon the way we share our story and yours. The biggest thing we took away from these chapters is to find a balance between industry and engagement. No one wants to engage in conversation about strictly business all the time. We want our content to have a shock factor to keep you coming back. Our goal is to engage, entertain, and inform.

Check back next week for an update on our progress on the book!

Charles Thomas Homes is one of Omaha’s premier home builders. They don’t just build houses, they create your home! Charles Thomas Homes provides clients with an innovative design philosophy. Craftmanship and quality really sets them apart from other home builders. The best options for you and your family is the main focus at Charles Thomas Homes. Joe Kidder is part of the Charles Thomas Homes team. As a team member, he helps with the construction of new homes and coordination of subcontracting. On the job, Joe treats your home as if it will be his home.

Team videos are the perfect way to showcase members of your team. This video provides your team member the ability to share their story about what they do and why they do it. This form of video is helpful to an organization because it provides people with a more personal form of introduction. At V180 Media, we encourage team videos on your website to provide people the ability to see who and what makes your organization so special!

The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands is a member services organization for Nebraska and Western Iowa. The association provides a social network for its members to collaborate and share ideas. NAM focuses on nonprofits dedicated to strengthening, connecting, and promoting their sector. This unique network of organizations provides one another with collective influence.

On November 9th through the 11th, NAM held a gathering of nonprofit leaders, business members, and foundation leaders from around the area that they called the NAMathon. The goal of this event was encourage planing outside of the boardroom. NAMathon gave these leaders the oppurtunity to interact with people that haven’t had the chance to before. This interaction encouraged creativity and new ideas. With a larger collective, NAM could identify the needs of the nonprofit sector in the next three to five years.

Event videos are an awesome way to highlight your organization. At V180 Media, we create a short video displaying footage, testimonials, and important people from the event. This gives people the oppurtunity to gain an insight of what your organization is all about and how it brings the community together.