Want to set yourself apart from your competitors? Produce high-quality video testimonials.

They’re effective and not many businesses create them.

Why not? What customers tell me is it’s awkward asking people to brag about them.

Well, I think I can help make that conversation a little easier.

Ask the right people

It starts with who you ask. It should go without saying, but the only people you want to ask are people you have a great relationship with.

The clients who love you and what you do.

It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a one-time client or someone you do ongoing business with.… Read More

Big businesses have it easy. They’re big companies with big marketing budgets. They can use that money for all sorts of things, including… marketing videos. Small businesses… not so lucky. Every dollar spent on marketing materials is closely considered.

Which is why small business owners and marketing pros need to be more savvy. They need to know how to maximize the money spent on their marketing tactics. Tough to do when it comes to video. Video can be expensive, but there are bargains to be had… if you know where to look.

Video Production Companies

Believe it or not, there are plenty of video production companies that will take on low-budget projects.… Read More

Video is like a lot of things that might be unfamiliar to you. Taking the first step is always the hardest, so if you’re a marketing video newbie… don’t worry. I have some tips to get you started on your first project.

What’s Your Budget?

The BIG question you might have going in… how much does a video cost?

I wish I had an easy answer for you. In many cases, it’s a “you get what you pay for situation.”

A quality video probably starts at $1000 and goes up to… well… how much are you willing to spend?! 😉

Corporate videos can run well into the tens of thousands of dollars, but you can get a really good one for $5000-$8000.… Read More

Another Content Jam has come and gone, and again I’m left with so many great insights. I was really impressed with the diversity of the speakers this year.

The morning and afternoon keynotes spoke to some big picture issues we should all consider, and the other sessions were filled with action items we can get started on right away.

Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from this year’s event.

Gini Dietrich | How To Shape Shift Into Your Ideal Self

I have seen Gini Dietrich speak on a number of occasions. Both her PR firm (Arment Dietrich) and blog (Spin Sucks) are T60 customers, and more importantly, she’s become a good friend.… Read More

You know you want a new marketing video. Heck, you know you NEED a new marketing video. But knowing you need a video and creating a video strategy are two different things, and trust me, planning ahead will make things much easier on you.

I know, I know… as a communications professional you already have a ton of work to do. Now, a video producer, is giving you one more thing to get done.

Ugh.

Don’t worry. I’m actually going to help you on strategy. While we do produce corporate videos, we are also provide video strategy consulting. We help companies and organizations with this stuff all the time.… Read More

If you’re a marketer who hasn’t embraced video and everything it can do for a company or brand, what’s the hang-up? Cost? Sure, video does have the potential to break the budget, but there are also plenty of ways to create low cost videos including DIY marketing videos.

Will wonders never cease?! A video producer advocating DIY videos?! Yup, although, I do have some special criteria before I grant you permission to create your own videos:

• If you have zero marketing budget or you’re a start-up
• If you are a kitschy company and your customers/clients know this about you
• If you’re producing short videos for social media like Facebook Live or Instagram

Let’s break down and then I’ll give you some solid tips on how to improve the look and feel of your DIY videos.… Read More

Experience Inbound… what a great conference! For those of you who attended, I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. For those of you who are, like, what’s Experience Inbound? It was a two-day, two-city marketing conference in Wisconsin (at Lambeau Field and Miller Park, cool, right?!) that I had the pleasure of speaking at last week.

I did put together a little video (below). Sam Mallikarjunan from HubSpot inspired it when he talked about scaring us with the first half of his presentation and then giving us hope in the second half.

I’m a half-full type of guy, so the second half rang true for me.… Read More

Marketing is crucial to survival as an entrepreneur, and these days an important part of any marketing strategy is video.

Now, you might think video marketing is for big companies with big budgets. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to create low cost videos, and there are different types you need to consider producing right now.

About Us

The About Us video is the one video every company needs to produce. There are plenty of others that can help your business, but this is the one everybody should start with.

A good About Us video tells viewers who you are, what you do, and how you can help them.… Read More

There’s just no way around it.

The way many businesses handle website videos… it’s wrong.

A website video is an awesome tool, so let’s do our best to clear-up how they should be used and provide a helpful case study as well.

First Things First

The first thing you need to understand is that if you put a video on any webpage… it’s an eye magnet. 

People are drawn to videos. Whether it’s a video that’s already playing, or simply an image with a play button on it. The promise of video catches people’s eye, and in many cases entices them to click.… Read More

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.… Read More