I’m here writing about the power of video all the time, but hey, I’m in the biz. I love producing videos. You might think I’m just pushing my industry… not the case.

Video is becoming increasingly important for businesses and turning non-believers into believers. Gini Dietrich is a digital marketing expert. I read her blog all the time and today she’s the one writing about the power of video.

Whether you produce it yourself or turn to a professional, video is no longer a luxury… it’s an essential marketing tool.

–Tony Gnau

One of my wife’s friends recently posted a note on her Facebook wall asking if anyone had ever used an aviation child restraint while flying with their kids. She also included a link to the product’s website and guess what you find after clicking… a product video.

It’s the perfect example of why businesses should post videos, especially if they have a unique product. In this case, the video itself is pretty lame and could have been better, but that’s not the point. The website doesn’t “sell” this product, but the video sure does.

Now, my wife’s friend has 185 Facebook friends. How many of those do you think watched the video after seeing her post? How many of them went on to share it with their Facebook friends who have kids? Do you see where this is going?

I think that company just made some sales.

–Tony Gnau

One of the reasons video has become an essential business marketing tool is because of its accessibility. It isn’t just for television anymore. As a matter of fact, you can even find video in your pocket.

The experts at emarketer.com report the number of people watching videos on mobile devices is set to double in the next two years. That would mean more than 45-million people watching video on their phones, iPads, you name it.

That’s millions of potential customers with your video in their pocket… right next to their money.

–Tony Gnau

Marketing guru Seth Godin touched on one of my favorite subjects in his blog over the weekend. In a short post, he argued that the market doesn’t often respond to logic.  What it really prefers are stories.

This is the key ingredient to an effective corporate video. Don’t get hung up on the details involving your product or company… in other words… the logic. Instead, simply tell your company’s story.

Last week, T60 finished a video that serves as a good example. Electri-Flex produces conduit… a lot of conduit. Its leaders could have bogged down viewers with all sorts of statistics regarding their products, but they didn’t.

Electri-Flex’s management decided to highlight one of the aspects about the company that sets it apart… the story behind the company’s history, how it guides their company culture, and why it benefits customers.

A good story will almost always make a better impression on viewers than logic.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Electri-Flex

You can deliver it on Facebook, and now video is headed to Twitter. This is great news for companies investing in social media.

They’ll no longer have to post a link to their video and hope Twitter users leave the site to watch. Instead, the new Twitter will allow users to embed their video within Twitter itself.

This isn’t just another way to deliver video. A recent study shows Twitter has become the 2nd fastest growing discovery of video views.  Now that Twitter is expanding that capability, look out for even more growth.

Now that’s something to Tweet about.

–Tony Gnau

One of the best parts of my job is getting to go places and see things not many people have a chance to visit in person. Sunday was one of those days.

Thanks to a pair of generous New York Port Authority Police officers, T60 was escorted past the public viewing area at Ground Zero and toured around the site of the former World Trade Center. It was a pretty incredible experience.

We were there shooting a video for the charity organization Kids In Need. One of its members walked from Chicago to New York this summer, ending the journey at Ground Zero on September 11th.

The walk raised money for kids who have lost a parent as a result of the war on terror started that day in 2001. We were shooting video around the site when a Port Authority cop spotted me and let me know about the video restrictions surrounding the site. When she found out what we were doing there, she opened the gate and told us to follow her.

She introduced us to her sergeant, and the two of them proceeded to escort us onto the site and give us a tour. While it remains a sad place, there is optimism.  Buildings are going up, the memorial is taking shape, and the city bustles around it all.

It’s certainly a day I’ll never forget, and I’m be anxious to share the video in the coming weeks.

–Tony Gnau

I love it when a company or organization uses its people to connect with audiences. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon gets it and serves as a great example.

Its internet video campaign uses the stories of people running the race to inspire others. T60 didn’t produce this series, but we love it.  The concept may seem like a no-brainer for promoting a marathon, but businesses can do the same thing.

Pick a few of your employees who people love and feature them in your company videos. I don’t care if they’re a vice president or work in the mailroom. If they put smiles on the faces of the people they work with, they’ll do the same with your customers.

–Tony Gnau

Watch how T60 highlights an employee: United Airlines

The second and third most visited websites everyday are Facebook and YouTube. What do they have in common? They’re both platforms for video… your company’s videos.

Social media expert Michael Stelzner says, “One of the hottest ways to just get your business noticed today is to use Facebook, and of course to leverage video marketing in there as well.”

Read more about his 10 reasons to do video marketing on Facebook… courtesy reelseo.com

First day after a long weekend, so I did the thing I enjoy least about my job… logging video. I logged all the sound bites I’ll need to put together a great story, and now I’m feeling energized for the week.

Funny how doing your least favorite thing first can put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

A company video is no longer a luxury… it’s a necessity. Gone are the days where a business might produce a video and send it out to prospective clients. Now it’s the clients surfing for videos themselves.

YouTube recently became the third most visited website on the planet. That’s right, it pushed Yahoo aside and is now ranked right behind Google and Facebook.

What? Facebook? Oh yeah, ANOTHER platform for your company videos. Two of the top three websites out there allow you to reach people using video.

Your customers are surfing… are you riding the wave with them?