Videos are way too expensive. Videos are where your marketing budget goes to die. There isn’t a way to produce high quality, low cost videos.

Blah. I’ve heard it all before… excuses… and in this case those excuses are hurting your business.

The statistics are in and the evidence is clear. Video is no longer a cool marketing tactic that would be nice to have, but you can live without.

Visual content is critical to PR and marketing, and the top dog is video. It’s no wonder why. Research shows that 76% of marketers and small business owners who have used video marketing say it had a direct impact on their business.

I know what many of you are thinking… great… I get it… but my business still can’t afford it.

Ugg… that’s not true! When you do a little research, you’ll find there are plenty of ways to produce videos on a tight budget. Thankfully, you’ve come to the right spot because I’ll help you navigate some of your choices.

Now, let’s get this straight upfront. These suggestions don’t involve animation or whiteboard videos. That’s a whole separate thing, and there are plenty of low cost online options for those types of videos. The videos I’m talking about here are the types of videos that require a video camera.

Professional Video Production Companies

The first option is surprisingly not as obvious as it might seem. Sure, it makes sense for pros to produce your videos, but if you’re concerned about price many might bypass this group.

Don’t do that. There are plenty of video production companies who will work with your tight budget. Our company has a specific process just for producing high quality, low cost videos for customers all over the country.

Now, it’s true. You will find plenty of production houses that won’t even pick-up their cameras for less than $10,000. You’ll have to do some research here, but I’m going to give you an awesome tip to save yourself a lot of time and frustration.

As you’re researching an contacting local video production companies… share your budget with them.

This can be a tough one for many people to swallow. It’s engrained in us not to share how much we’re willing to spend. Everyone is always hopeful that they’re going to get a great deal. I only have $1000 to spend on the video, but who knows… someone might quote me $500 for my project!

Umm… yeah… that’s probably not going to happen here. Is it possible? Sure, but it’s far more likely you’ll spend all sorts of time talking with a production company about your project, waiting on them to put together a proposal, only to find out it’s more expensive that what you have budgeted.

Sharing your budget in advance solves all of this and saves you time and aggravation.

Hi, Joe Video Production Company. I’d like to produce a short marketing video for my business, but my budget is only $1000 (or $800, $700, $100… whatever). Is that a budget you can work with?

Many of them will say, “No,” but there will be some that’ll work with you. There will probably be restrictions on what you’ll get, but in most cases the skill and ability of working with a pro will outweigh those limitations.

Remember, these are people who produce videos like this everyday. It’s what they do, and they’ll likely do it better and faster than anyone in our next two options… certainly the last option.

Independent Video Producers

Your next best option is to turn to independent video producers. You can find these folks on various websites like SmartShoot and Thumbtack, or you can always look at Craigslist.

This is a close second to hiring a production company. Actually, if video production companies are option 1A, independent video producers might be 1B.

In many cases, you might be getting just as qualified a professional as hiring a production company. They’re also going to be much more willing to work with your limited budget.

The trick is finding the right one. With bigger production companies, they’ll have a nice website. There will be all sorts of video examples for you to watch. There will be content there to help you learn more about the company and the people who work there.

When you go to hire an independent pro… those things might be in short supply, or they might relay on a less polished website or YouTube/Vimeo to share their examples.

Bottomline, it’s possible to find a really good independent video pro. You might just need to look past a lack or marketing refinement on their part.

Do-It-Yourself

Your last low cost video option is to do-it-yourself. I’ll give you a few reasons why I like this option the least, but don’t worry… I’m actually a video pro who advocates producing DIY videos in certain circumstances. I’ll get to those in a minute.

Here’s why I don’t like DIY videos:

• They’re terrible: let’s be honest, most DIY marketing videos stink. You’re never going to be able to create a video as good as a pro who has devoted their life to the craft.
• They’re embarrassing: the goal of your video should be to impress your customers and prospects. A DIY video usually looks so bad, it makes your company or organization look bad.
• They don’t save you money: say what?! Yeah, they don’t save you money. Sure, you’re not paying someone to produce the videos for you, but you’ve heard it before… time is money. Producing a video can be very time consuming, especially if you’re a rookie or amateur. You will spend a ton of time working on your project. Time you could be spending servicing your customers or adding new ones. In other words, you’ll lose out on business while you’re making your video.

However, as I mentioned… there are certain circumstances when I’ll give you a pass to DIY:

• You have zero marketing budget: if you’re a micro-business or a solo-preneur, forget having a small budget. You might not have a marketing budget at all! If this is a case and your customers know this about you, by all means DIY.
• If your image is kitschy: does your team wear t-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops to work? Is there a ping pong table in your office? Do your customers think of you as cool and hip? If so, feel free to DIY. An amateur-looking video might play into your image and work well for your audience.
• Short Social Media Videos: if all you’re doing is Facebook Live or posting a short video to Instagram, feel free to DIY. You don’t need a big production for these.

Wrapping-up

Well, there you have it. Three ways to produce low cost videos. It might take a little research on your part, but it’s worth it. Put the power of video to work for your business.

Trying to decide between a DIY video project and hiring a video production company? You’re not alone.

I know there are some who might balk at paying $5,000 for a video… heck… even $800 for a basic video.

What do you get for that money? It may seem like a simple video file, but really you’re purchasing much more.

What your video budget gets you

1. the first thing you get seems simple enough. You get professional video equipment. That might not seem like a big deal considering every smart phone these days can shoot HD video. The difference is you probably don’t have the equipment to truly make it professional… tripods, lights and the often overlooked… professional audio gear.
2. having all the toys is one thing, it’s another thing knowing how to use them. Not all videographers are created equal, and everyone has their own shooting style. The good one’s will make your video shine.
3. your budget also pays for a seasoned storyteller. Someone who knows what to shoot, what questions to ask, how to put it on paper in script form and to translate that script into a finished video.
4. you also get a video editor. Video editing has become far more accessible in recent years, but just like professional videographers… not all editors are created equal. The good ones can save you a lot of time and add polish to your video.
5. you get a manager. Coordinating all of the above can be quite the task. Chances are, if you hired a company to produce your video, all of these things are being handled without you having to lift a finger.

Duh, I almost forgot the most important thing

Oh yeah… not to mention you’re going to get a professional video at the end that you’ll be proud to post at the company website, send out in the company newsletter, and share on your social networks. A video that will create a great first impression for people about your business.

Your video budget will provide a marketing tool to help set your company apart from the competition.

 

Remember the first time you saw a Harry Potter movie and the portraits on the wall talked? Suddenly, a flat, static prop came alive! In that moment, what would have been just part of the set in any other movie, had its own starring role. Video does that. Because pictures that move are infinitely more exciting that those that don’t. That’s why when you’re creating a marketing plan for your business, in-house or through an agency, you should consider devoting part of your budget to video.

Here are seven reasons why using video can increase website traffic and make your brand story more appealing, engaging and attractive to your target audience than ever before.

1. Video can boost your marketing plan SEO by up to 80%

There are many reasons for this, but for now – let’s just consider two. Google owns YouTube and not surprisingly, tends to favor it as the destination of a search. Second, Youtube is, in its own right, the second largest and most popular search engine after Google. So if someone is doing a search, having video on your site will significantly increase the likelihood they’ll find your site through one or both of these online resources.

2. Seeing is believing

Businesses have always depended on marketing to boost sales and profits through advertising and public relations campaigns. Nevertheless, the truth is – no one likes to be “sold.” (That’s why TiVo and guerilla marketing were invented.) Today, the contempt people feel toward traditional advertising is greater than ever, and folks are equally suspicious and distrustful of other forms of communication such as newspapers and TV shows.

However, one form of marketing – product demonstration – has always enjoyed a high degree of credibility, no matter the product or the audience. Just check out this classic Cheer commercial demonstrating the power of pre-treating clothes to remove stains. Or this contemporary spot for Flex-seal showing how effectively it repairs leaks. And this brilliant Youtube video from Purple Feather, an agency in Glasgow, proving just how effective a good copywriter can be.

The message is obvious. To overcome your target market’s skepticism about your brand’s value, create a video clip that shows how your product works in real time. With just a little effort and imagination, you can make your marketing so engaging, memorable and impressive that customers will beat a path to your door.

3. People like to do business with people they know

In today’s global economy, few business owners or their sales people can personally introduce themselves to every customer. Fortunately, having video clips on your website is a great way to show your staff in action. Site visitors can not only learn about your staff’s experience, but see how they move, what they sound like and the little quirks in their body language that add a dimension of authenticity to their persona. No question about it: video is infinitely better at conveying someone’s personality, sense of humor and ability to connect with others than a studio head shot and a written biography could ever be.

4. Video interviews make viewers feel like they know you – and can trust you

Building long term, mutually beneficial business relationships always comes down to whom do you trust. Seeing someone in a video – especially if it’s shot simply and on the job – gives a sense of reality and integrity to their brand message that copy content and static images can’t possibly match.

5. Video has a greater impact on our emotions than any other communications format

Why does this matter? Because every buying decision is ultimately made based on our emotional response to the product. Although we gather and analyze information with the rational, left side of our brains, only the right side, the side that governs our emotions, is capable of making a decision. This is why marketers are always looking for the emotional hook when constructing a sales approach for a product. It’s our emotional reaction to a sales message that not only helps us remember the product’s name and promise, but also provides the impetus to complete the purchase.

Furthermore, emotions are provoked and enhanced by many things – images, sounds, words and music. Only video lets you combine all four of these elements to increase the emotional impact and the appeal of your message. This video on open adoption for Lutheran Social Services is a great example of what we mean.

6. Video is the sales tool of today and tomorrow. Using it in your marketing plan puts you ahead of the crowd

How you present your marketing story reveals as much about your company’s culture as the information you share. For example, are you still using images, typefaces and a copy style that Don Draper might have used? Using video immediately marks you as being on the cutting edge of your industry and that could be a major point of difference between you and your competition.

7.   Now almost every business can afford to use video

In the old Mad Men days, using moving images to sell a product was a major expense. For one thing, commercials were usually shot on film and needed not only an expert behind the camera, but a sound engineer and a lighting crew as well Editing was a whole other expense that could take days to accomplish and cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Today, highly professional videographers can shoot and edit everything from a 30-second TV spot to an hour-long documentary at very reasonable rates in a very short timeframe. Some videographers, including T60 Productions, will teach you the basics of creating your own videos for an affordable consultation fee. With just a little help, you can produce credible videos on your own that can be used on your site, posted on social media and shown at new business presentations.

So – what are you waiting for? To paraphrase an old song, “your business ought to be in pictures for everyone to see.” Why not call T60 Productions and find out how you can become your own movie star.

–Wendy Lalli

Wendy Lalli is an award-winning writer and creative director who has been writing TV spots and sales videos for over 20 years. She is CD of Crux Creative in Milwaukee and strongly encourages the agency’s clients to make video part of their marketing plan for digital and experiential marketing communications.

Marketing videos can be a fantastic way to promote your company, product or service. Here are a few statistics in case you need convincing:

• Video shared on social media generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined
• 74% of millennials find video helpful when comparison shopping
• 4 times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it

So we’re in agreement – video can be an awesome part of a marketing strategy. However, it has to be executed effectively. Now, I’m not talking about the actual creation of the video. We’ll leave that to experts like Tony Gnau. I’m talking about what happens after you create the video. You upload it to YouTube, maybe put it on your website—and then what?

Don’t make this mistake

Here’s where the mistake commonly happens. Companies will invest money into creating a great marketing video, upload it to YouTube, and expect the magic to happen from there. However, just like any marketing strategy, it’s simply not enough just to create the video itself. You also need to make sure your target audience (your customers and prospective customers) see it. You need to promote it. There are so many ways you can do this, so I’ll share just a few ideas below.

Place it prominently on your website

Depending on your video content, you may want to put it on your Home page, About Us page, Testimonials page, Services/Products page, etc. It may make sense to go on more than one page as well, and that’s okay too.

Announce your new video

If you send out a periodic newsletter or other email updates, include your new video in your next email message. This email could go to current customers, prospective customers, or both. Make sure when you send your email, you don’t just say “Check out our cool new video!” but instead give the recipient a reason to watch it. Here are a few examples:

• “Get a behind-the-scenes peek at our company in our latest video!”
• “Based on your past purchases, I thought our newest product would interest you. Check out this short video to learn more.”

Use your social media channels

Again, you shouldn’t just share it once on your Facebook page and be done. Make a plan to share your new video multiple times across your social networks when it’s new, and also remember to periodically share it when it’s not new anymore for those who didn’t see it the first time. Consider opportunities to put your video on a social page longer term, such as the ability to add media to your LinkedIn profile or the option to pin posts to the top of your Facebook page.

Incorporate your video into other marketing initiatives

Once you have a corporate marketing video, it’s a great opportunity to use within other marketing initiatives and campaigns. You could include in a prospecting email campaign, use as part of a digital advertising campaign, include in your latest blog, put a link in your email signature or many other possibilities to make it a part of your company’s overall marketing plan.

Alicia Olsen is the owner of Olsen Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing firm offering marketing strategy and planning, web design, copywriting, social media management and more.

We’re honored that another T60 video has been selected for a Telly Award, and in this case we’re even more excited because the video provides a great lesson for anyone creating a business video. It’s a case study for creating an emotional marketing video.

About Awards

The main reason we enter videos for awards is to provide our clients and prospects with proof that we do good work. It’s one thing for us to be proud of our work, it’s another thing when someone else in your industry gives you their stamp of approval.

Beyond all of that… I love telling the clients when it’s their video that has won. Their reaction is priceless.

Normally, it happens via email or a phone call, and they immediately post it on social media. This year… I got to share the good news in-person.

We had a shoot scheduled at LSS of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, and it happened to coincide with finding out one of the videos we produced for them last year won a Telly Award.

Their reaction: surprise… raised eyebrows… open mouths… big smiles… then a question: “What’s a Telly Award?”

What Are The Telly Awards?

The Telly Awards are basically the Emmy Awards for the non-broadcast/online video world. They do have broadcast categories as well, but for us corporate video producers the Telly is our big award. It’s the one we’re all hoping to win.

T60 has now won 13 Telly Awards… but who’s counting? The latest winning video promotes one of LSS’s adoption programs. I’m excited it took home a trophy because it’s actually a video I blogged about as a good example of how-to do better testimonial videos, but it also provides another lesson.

Emotional Marketing Videos

One of the big messages I try to drive home with clients revolves around a simple premise. Video isn’t about facts and figures. Video is about emotion.

Our goal for virtually all the videos we produce is to help the audience connect with the business emotionally. In most cases, the emotional or feeling we’re going for is confidence. We want viewers to finish watching the video feeling confident in that company’s ability to deliver.

Every once in a while though… we get to tap big emotions. Emotions that will make people laugh or cry. If you can manage to get people to laugh while watching a marketing video, you’ve hit a home run. Get them to cry… it’s a grand slam.

Tears Inspire Tears

One of the ways to inspire tears is by getting the video’s participants to cry themselves. Tears tend to be contagious. Viewers who watch people get emotional, share those same emotions. It’s an incredible way to build a connection with an audience.

Yes… working in video production might be one of the few jobs where you get excited about making someone else cry. That’s what we went after with the LSS video.

Speaking with the participants on the day of the shoot, I knew we had a chance. It’s an emotional story. It tugs heart strings. As the person who was going to conduct the interviews, I was prepared to do my best to ask questions and engage people in a way that would get them to cry.

It took some effort, but I cracked them… and that’s a good thing. They opened their hearts, and in doing so the audience connects with them. For a not-for-profit organization like LSS that relies on donations, a story like this is crucial.

Winning Harts and Minds

The video has been shared on social media. It’s been shown in churches. It’s been used in meetings. Tears all around. The video has become a source of inspiration for struggling, pregnant women to consider adoption. It’s helping LSS raise money.

That’s the power of video. Forget your facts and figures. Logic will not build a connection with your audience. Emotion is the way to win hearts and minds.

–Tony Gnau

Unless your head has been buried in the Tatooine sand, you’re probably aware that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is opening this month. As someone who works in PR and marketing, the movie’s promotion a case study on how to execute a smart marketing video strategy.

Yup, I’m a Nerd

Okay, let’s get this out of the way… full disclosure… I’m a big Star Wars geek. As I told my wife when we first started dating, I don’t have a storm trooper costume in my closet… but I’m still a big nerd.

I can quote the original movie (A New Hope) word-for-word. Want to know the ID number for the storm trooper guarding the Millennium Falcon? TK-421. It should also be noted that I could have chosen any number of schools for college. I picked USC, George Lucas’ alma mater. I have big time Star Wars geek cred.

Case Study: marketing video strategy

Now that I’ve come clean, let’s get to it because the folks at LucasFilm and Disney have provided everyone with a terrific example of how to launch something. In this case, they’re launching a movie. However, this can work just as well for anyone launching a new company, brand, product, service… you name it.

The trap many people fall into when creating their launch strategy is including a video. You read that right. They include a video… and they shouldn’t.

Instead, the plan should include multiple videos!

Don’t get me wrong, if there’s only enough money in the marketing budget for a single video, go for it. But before you do, check with a video pro. You might be able to stretch that budget and create more than one, and here’s why you want to do that.

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More videos, more connected

It’s a T60 video truth… the more videos people watch, the more connected they become. If you create multiple videos for your launch, you’re giving people an opportunity to connect with whatever you’re launching before it’s even out.

The videos are also a great way to build anticipation. The Force Awakens is a perfect example. Just look at the trailers.

Star Wars Video Breakdown

The first teaser was released a year ago and was about a minute and half long. Basically, all it did was give us a glimpse at a few of the characters involved and some of the iconic Star Wars imagery.

The second Star Wars teaser was released a few months later and revealed a little more. This one is about two minutes long. Again, we got some character introductions, and we also received a few hints about the plot.

Finally, the official trailer was released just a couple of months ago. It expanded on the plot, but it didn’t give anything away.

See what they’re doing? How they’re revealing things little by little? A slow trickle of information, allowing anticipation to rise.

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You can do it too

Think about your own launch strategy. Surely you want to build anticipation. Whether you produce a few videos  or just a couple, it can work the same way.

Your first launch video can be short, 30-45 seconds, simply giving people a snap shot of what’s to come. The next one should be a little longer and more in-depth, giving people a better look.

It works because video is the medium that allows people to see and hear about what’s new. Text can’t do that. Photos can’t do it either. Video is the next best thing to experiencing something in-person.

More, please

The Star Wars video launch campaign goes well beyond the trailers. Along the way they’ve released a video taking people behind-the-scenes of the film’s making, as well as videos promoting a contest to be at the official movie premiere.

It’s all good… wetting the pallet of every Star Wars geek like me.

That’s how you launch something. Your new company, brand, product, service… using multiple videos to build anticipation will lead to a successful launch.

–Tony Gnau

Building a brand isn’t easy. As a matter of fact it’s flat-out difficult, but one of the things I find interesting is how the biggest and best companies are using video to build their brands.

We’re lucky to have a brand building expert like Prophet as a client, and I’ve learned a lot from them. Every shoot is like a mini-session on the subject. It has allowed me to look at top companies and get a better understanding of how they’re using video.

The first thing I’ve learned, and the one I’d like to focus on here, is the simple fact that top brands use video. Whether it’s a name brand everyone knows, or a small brand in a niche market. They’re using video to better their brands, and you can too.

Video is amazing because it works for three important things you need to establish a quality brand.

Building Awareness

A brand can’t stay in business much less become a household name if customers don’t know about it. Video shines a light on a brand.

Video can be used to launch a new business, product, or service. Video gets people’s attention. And in today’s social world, video becomes something they can share with their friends, family, and colleagues.

It’s one thing to write about a brand or talk about a brand. It’s something altogether more powerful to be able to show someone something about a brand.

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Building Credibility

One of the best attributes of video is how it can help build trust. Trust in people, trust in brands, the more videos a person watches about a business, the more they’ll begin to trust it.

Why? Because video is personal. These aren’t words on a page, video provides thoughts and ideas expresses by real people. Viewers are able to build a connection with those people, helping them feel good about the company.

Couple that with a good customer experience and you have trust.

Building Loyalty

Once people are aware and trust the brand, video is a great way to keep them feeling good about the brand. Video reassures their feelings.

New products, new services, community outreach… they’re all ripe areas for videos that keep customers interested and feeling loyal to the brand.

Apple does this. They use videos to perfection. Videos that make customers aware of new products. Videos that build trust in those products and ultimately maintain the brand and build loyalty.

But it’s not just mega brands like Apple. DollarShaveClub.com started with a single video to create awareness. It was so successful it launched the company into a real competition with industry giants like Gillette and Schick.

That’s what we can all learn from top brands. Video works, no matter how big the brand.

–Tony Gnau

Testimonial videos are one of your best marketing tools… when you do them right!

Testimonials are a time-tested way to inspire trust and creditability in a company, brand, product, or service.

It’s the reason why I encourage our clients to create testimonial videos, and I am on a quest to help organizations do them better.

That’s because many companies do them on the cheap, without any creativity behind them. They’re uninspired.

How not to do testimonial videos

The videos I’m referring to are the simple kind you’ve seen on websites everywhere.

They feature someone on-camera singing the praises of a company.

That’s it… just them on-camera.

A head-and-shoulders shot with no other video to support them. The testimonial typically runs for several minutes.

Who wants to watch that?

Ugg… what a wasted opportunity. Some businesses run shorter versions, maybe about a minute long. That’s not bad, but even these testimonials could be so much better.

What they need… desperately need… is a story.

It’s not enough to stick someone on-camera and have them give a testimonial. There has to be a story.

Sometimes businesses will have the person giving the testimonial tell a story about their experience with the company.

Okay… that’s a start, but even in these cases the videos lack appeal. They’re boring.

The reason why is not everyone is a natural storyteller. Beyond that… someone simply telling a story on-camera is leaving out other things video can provide to enhance their story.

Producing a video means you can add additional video or images to bolster what the person is saying. You can use editing to make the story more succinct and create pacing. And maybe best of all, you can add music to set the mood. Most of the testimonials I watch online are missing all of these things.

If it sounds complicated, it isn’t.

Orbit Media Studios is a web design and development firm in Chicago. They are also some of the best content marketers around, and even their basic testimonials feature these exact techniques.

It can be done.

Will producing a quality video like this that tells a good story increase your video production cost? Probably, but I’ll add probably not as much as you might expect.

Ask yourself this question, is it better to spend less on a video nobody will pay attention to or to pay more for a video they’ll watch and influence them to take action?

Case Studies

These things have been on my mind lately because we recently produced a terrific testimonial for one of our customers. It turned out so well they immediately signed-up to produce another one.

Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan wanted a video to promote its open adoption program. They decided a testimonial from people who have used the program would be the best way to do it.

LSS could have taken the easy path… put the people on-camera… have them talk about how wonder LSS is, have them explain the process, talk about how helpful and encouraging everyone was… blah.

Don’t get me wrong… that’ all true… but LSS’s leaders had a better vision. They wanted to share the emotional experience of adoption, and video is all about tapping emotions.

Instead of simple praise for LSS and details on how the program works, they wanted viewers to feel how LSS is changing lives.

I won’t go into details on the story itself, you should just watch it. Instead, what I’d like to point out is how many times LSS is mentioned in the video. The organization is mentioned twice… that’s it.

There are different ways to do testimonial videos. One can focus squarely on your business. I’ve produced this type myself for T60. But the other way to create a testimonial is to center the attention on the person or organization providing the testimonial, which is exactly what we helped LSS do.

The entire video centers on the birth mother and the mother and father who adopted the baby. It’s a terrific story, and while LSS is barely mentioned the message is clear: LSS made this wonderful union happen. It’s the organization that brought these people together. It’s a powerful testimonial without at all feeling sales-y.

Testimonial Balancing Act

Maybe you’re a bit nervous about this whole approach. I mean… you might be thinking… the company receiving the testimonial only gets mentioned twice?! My boss would never go for that!

Trust me… I get it. Even if your company leaders won’t be on-board with that method, it is possible to balance telling the customer’s story with how your company helped them.

In a video we produced for Cayan, we start and end the video by focusing on Cayan’s customer, but the middle is all about Cayan and how they solved a problem.

The important thing is to at least start the story focused on the customer. You want to establish a connection between the customer being featured and the person watching the video. You want the viewer empathizing with that customer’s pain point.

Then, when your company jumps in to help, the viewer will be open to your solution… and your company.

Tough to demonstrate products

Sometimes there’s just no substitute for demonstrating a product in-person.

As awesome as video is, it can be difficult to compare one product to its competitor. The human eye can see more than video can display.

One of our customers presented this type of challenge for us. TruLife™ Acrylic is a high-end product used for displaying photography.

It’s creators wanted to show everyone how much better it is than your standard acrylic print.

I’m telling you… if you stand two identical prints right next to one another, one TruLife™ and the other a competitor… there’s no comparison. The TruLife™ print looks better.

The problem is when you shoot that on video… the camera makes the prints look exactly the same.

Our idea for them was to produce a testimonial video. We suggested they have some photographers send in images, print them on TruLife™, and then shoot video of the photographers reactions when they get to see the prints for the first time.

It’s a non-traditional product video… and a non-traditional testimonial video… but it provides a traditional result.

Viewers get an unbiased, third-party perspective on the product.

Putting the videos to use

Testimonial videos are pretty versatile, and you can use them across just about any channel.

• website
• social media
• email campaigns

You can also justify adding them almost anywhere in your marketing funnel or flywheel.

Having said that, the natural fit is probably toward the bottom of the funnel.

Think about it this way…

A customer discovers you.

They like what they see and consider buying from you.

You then close the deal by providing a testimonial video from one of your fans. It confirms their feelings that you’re worthy of their business.

New Testimonial Videos for T60

I believe in this type of testimonial so much, I’m in the process of putting it to work for my own business. I really like our current testimonial. I think it does a great job of showing people what it’s like working with T60, but the next series of testimonials I’m working on take the other approach.

They won’t be emotional in the same way as the LSS video… nobody is going to breakdown crying or anything. Instead, the emotion I’m going for is confidence. I want people to watch our testimonials and feel confident in our ability to tell great stories and provide value to their organization.

Each of the testimonials will feature one of our customers. They’ll talk a little about what they do and how they value video. There will be a brief mention of how we’re their video partners, but we want the focus to be on them. In a way, we hope it turns out to be just as good a promotion for them and their business as it is for us.

There’s nothing wrong with focusing the testimonial on your business, but it’s not the only way to do it either. If you’re worried about your testimonial coming of too sales-y, give this customer-centered approach a try.

–Tony Gnau

FOLLOW-UP!

Well… we took our own advice. We’ve produced a pair of testimonials so far, and we already have another in the can and ready to edit. Feel free to check them out on our Home page as well as our About Us page.

One features Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich PR agency and founder of SpinSucks.com. The other is from Andy Crestodina, CMO of Orbit Media Studios.

If you’re in PR and/or marketing, these are people you should be following. They’re frequently keynotes at communications conferences all over the nation and their content is awesome!

Popularity

Emotion

Loyalty

Shareable

Business leaders who want to produce a video often have grand plans. They want the video to contain a lot of this and that. We need “this” to be in the video. “That’s” something else that needs to be in the video. “This and that” frequently adds up to too much information. Not to mention it can add to the cost of video production. This is why I usually tell clients they don’t need “a” video. Instead, they need a “series” of videos.

Learning From Pros

Let’s take a lesson from one of our clients. A big perk of being a video producer is you get to work with some amazing companies and learn from the people who make them great. I’ve been behind the scenes at United Airlines, I’ve seen how Goose Island brews its beers, and I have the Batphone number for the world’s busiest PR/marketing/digital communications expert Gini Dietrich.

Over the past year, I’ve been doing a lot of work for Prophet. The company is all about business growth strategy. We’ve produced a lot of thought leadership content for them, but our most recent project was a series of straight-up marketing videos and they serve as a great example of video marking done right.

What Not To Do

As I mentioned at the start, business leaders tend to have big plans for their marketing video. They want to include goods and services, the company’s history, feature employees, et cetera… and that’s all great.

In many cases, it’s just too much information, which is a good way to ruin a corporate video. Sure, we could churn out a 5-minute video that includes everything, but in my experience viewers aren’t going to watch it all unless you have one amazing story to tell.

Which is why I recommend breaking-up all of that content in shorter videos and packaging them as a series. Audiences are far more likely to watch if they can select a topic that interests them, and watch a short video instead of clicking on one giant video and waiting for the material they’re most interested in.

It also happens to be a great way to get additional value for the cost of video production. If you were planning to pay for a 5-minute video, you can produce two or three shorter videos for the same cost.

Breaking down a long video idea into a series of short videos provides more value for your marketing budget. Click To Tweet

How You Can Profit From Prophet’s Plan

Now, it’s one thing to hear that from me… your friendly neighborhood video producer. It’s another thing entirely to see it put into practice by a world-class business consultancy packed with marketing experts.

Enter Prophet. The company’s client list is a who’s who of the Fortune 500. They know how to grow businesses, including their own company.

The video series we just finished for them is a classic example. It takes “too much” information for a single video, and divides it up into an effective series.

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Let’s break it down. What Prophet does is help grow businesses, and they do this in three core areas:

• customer experience strategy
• brand strategy
• digital strategy

If they were like a lot of companies, that would be their marketing video. They would create a single video highlighting each of those pillars.

The problem is they have a lot to say about each of those things. A single video could run 6-8 minutes. That’s too long.

Instead, Prophet’s team decided to make each one of those components its own video, creating a series about what they do. Each is also paired with online written content as well.

Remember, video isn’t about information. Video is about emotion.  So… you get to feel Prophet’s passion through the videos, and get the detailed information from the written content (links to all three in the bullets above).

Makes Sense?

This is how it’s done. You hook people with the emotion… the passion… and back it up with the facts.

Again, I get to work with/for some pretty amazing people, and this is one we can all learn from. Turning a long video into a series provides better value for the cost of video production, and it gives you additional content to boot.

Take it from the pros at Prophet.

–Tony Gnau