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The Utah DMC Blog

David Locke | DMC 2015

IMG_3815 (1) While David Locke isn't your traditional digital marketer, he offered a lively presentation that was definitely an audience favorite. David is the play-by-play radio reporter for the Utah Jazz, as well as the founder of his own daily podcast, Locked On Jazz. In his presentation, he shared how he produces creative content while ignoring the fears of failure. You can have all the tech in the world, but you need content. David is a professional content person that has gone above and beyond his reporting job to create his own fresh content. His job was to call the radio games for the Utah Jazz 90 times a year. His first contract, that was the only thing he did. But in this day and age, he figured it wasn't enough. The core of his digital marketing is his daily podcast.   He started off his presentation by saying "I try to fail and fail often." As he put it, if he waited until he know how to use every platform, his opportunity will be gone. He said about his presentation, "Everything I’m going to show you is raw, has mistakes, is showing a mistake, or is showing something else that everyone thinks is a mistake."   But in digital marketing, showing up is far more important than a perfectly polished product. In fact, it's the only way to stay relevant. He shared an example of his wife, who enjoys reading food blogs. Every food blog that she reads produces content daily. The ones that don't get left behind. Your content has to be consistent. People need to know what to expect when they go to your site. Here are some of David's insights he shared on creating successful content in a digital age.

Not Everything Can Be Video

Although David's main medium is his video podcasts, he realizes that written content (beyond a 140-character Tweet) is important too. After every Jazz game, David does something he likes to call "Emptyin' the Noggin." This is how David describes his writing: "I have the worst grammar, the worst spelling, I should have not be allowed to write things. I write more typos in 140 characters than any other humans, but I’m willing to fail." While the content isn't perfect, the fans love the coverage and are always excited to read his raw reaction to the game.

On Using Twitter

David uses Twitter to get his news, information, stats, and more. He says this is the work he is doing anyway. The single most popular Tweet that David ever sent was at 9:39 PM in response to a walkoff interview on the radio. He sent out the Tweet one second after the player said it and it went everywhere. In the old days, this audio might be replayed the next morning. But in our digital age, information is out there and it's instant. Anyone in the world can connect with it.

On Using Instagram

Instagram is a way for David to share a more personal side of himself, sharing his lifestyle and his experiences with his followers. David said this about Instagram: "We return to smiles. Smiles make us feel good. You've never smiled any time in your life and not felt good." David sees Instagram as a way to have fun. The photos he shares allow people to see behind the scenes, have fun, and engage with the Jazz. He gets lots of behind-the-scenes access because of his job and he uses it to his advantage by sharing it with fans.

On Using Snapchat

Never afraid to fail, David has decided to try using Snapchat, despite feeling that he became old really fast when he first started using it. He loves the My Story feature and plans to use it during games to share his experience with fans. He added that he's willing to make mistakes, "but not if I'm never good." He's willing to give things a shot, but also willing to move on if they aren't working out.

The Great Radio Rule

David shared that sharing content is the same as it's always been. He related this to what he called the Great Radio Rule: tell your audience what you’re going to do, do it, tell them you did it, tell them you’re going to do it again, and do it again. Again, consistency is key. Your followers will be loyal if you let them know what to expect and then deliver.

Why Passion Matters

David shared these final thoughts with the audience: "In my business, and in a lot of things, everyone wants the big surge. It’s what we’re looking for. You know what happens? If you touch someone at a passion moment, if they smile, if they feel something…the big surge doesn’t last, but when you come back down, you’re a little bit higher. When you look at our site numbers, we’ve gotten to a million page views. That’s the reality. Make people smile, share that passion, win them at that moment and they’re yours." A huge thanks to David Locke for joining us at DMC 2015.    

Topics: Event Recaps