Founded in 2006 in Melbourne by Simon Goodrich and Andrew Apostola, Portable now has offices in Sydney and New York. In addition to his duties as managing director, Goodrich is also the National President of the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) and is the Australian Ambassador for the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

Portable is a digital studio which creates and curates online content across a number of platforms. Portable Studios designs websites and mobile content for brands, Portable Shops allows businesses to manage their online presence and Portable TV is an online channel which presentes a curated colleciton of videos from around the globe.

Goodrich talks to SMK about starting Portable and the way he sees social media and brands heading in 2012.

From radio and film to online

Goodrich studied engineering at RMIT and was Station Manager at student radio station SYN FM. Here he met Andrew Apostola, a fellow student. Goodrich explains “We decided we wanted to work on something that was interesting, so we came up with the idea of the Portable Film Festival.”

The two launched the Portable Film Festival in 2005, a short film festival which screened movies shot on mobile phones. While the annual festival was a success, Goodrich and Apostola decided to expand. “We saw an opportunity to be a more consistent voice. Especially with online you need to be consistent and around all the time. Instead of doing it once a year, we decided on a continuous format, which grew into Portable TV.”

Portable TV

Portable TV is an online channel which presents curated video content based around fashion, culture and art. Goodrich says the site, “provides context to the thousands of videos that are uploaded online everyday. We discover and present those videos to audiences around the world.”

Portable TV uploads between 25 – 30 pieces of content daily, and over a year its audience has grown from 13,000 views per month to 80,000 views per month. Goodrich attributes much of this growth to leveraging social media, with 50% of the site’s traffic coming from social media referrals, 30% from search and 20% direct.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and Vimeo are Portable TV’s most popular social media channels, it currently boasts 6,300 Facebook fans and 12,500 Twitter followers.

Brands can advertise on Portable TV through banner advertising and tailored campaigns.

Expanding the platform

In addition to Portable TV, Portable also runs Portable Studios and Portable Shops. Portable Studios is a B2B platform which creates websites, mobile content and video and provides other services for clients including Red Cross, AMP Capital and Macqaurie Global Investment.

Portable Shops is an online tool which allows designers and store owners in the fashion industry to easily establish websites. Customers can choose from an online template or custom design their own site.

Goodrich has seen a sharp growth in the demand for online stores in the past year, and sees Portable Shops expanding beyond the fashion industry as increasing numbers of Australians shop online.

CRM and social media

Goodrich believes it is quickly becoming essential for brands to have a social media strategy. “Social media is important because it’s now measurable. There’s a range of ways you can use it and I think it’s the most important tool companies will have in the coming decade.”

He says social media is can be used as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool. “It’s a great way for customers to get your feeds, and you can talk about what they’re doing. Having a conversation is important, if it’s blatant advertising people are going to see through it. You have to have a backstory. As a company you need to think about what that backstory will be.”

Social Media trends for 2012

As the platforms for engaging with social media mature, Goodrich sees businesses shifting from skills to strategy. “Traditionally the industry has been 'we'll just build it'.  But now the platforms are built and measurable, I see businesses looking into how they can use these new tools, discovering all the things that can be done with them. This is the really interesting bit.”

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