I had a chance to visit recently with Guaranteed Rate’s Chief Marketing Officer during shoot we did for ChicagoAMA (American Marketing Association). One thing the visit confirmed… Guaranteed Rate is knocking it out of the park with marketing video production.   Guaranteed Rate is the 10th largest mortgage lender in the country… #1 in Chicago and Illinois. Nearly 7-billion dollars in mortgage is 2011… over 14-billion in 2012. Yes, they’ve more than doubled their business in the last two years.   It’s a company on the rise and they clearly understand the power of video. They produce a ton of them in-house and even have a little room dedicated to recording videos at the corporate headquarters.   I’m not going to over-hype the videos themselves.… Read More

I’m getting ready for an upcoming trip to our nation’s capital, and for the first time in a while I’m flying United Airlines. That prompted me to drop by the company’s YouTube channel and I loved what I saw… marketing video production that didn’t “feel” like marketing videos.   Ultimately, I think that’s the goal for most business leaders producing videos, and it’s a good one, which is why it’s worth exploring here and good examples for you to watch.   UNITED’S VIDEOS   I watched the five videos that were on the home page day I visited. Each of them highlighted a different aspect of United’s operations.… Read More

I can’t believe what happened to me. I just watched a “suggested post” on Facebook… i.e. a paid ad. It was a Lincoln Motor Company marketing video, and it was really good.

I hate the “suggested posts,” but the video title reeled me in… Artisans of Lincoln. The video was all about the artists who help create car designs. Pretty cool! It also reiterated a great point for me to comment on.

PASSION SELLS

People who are passionate about what they do are incredible sales people. We never see the person narrating the Lincoln video, but it sounds like it must be one of the artists or the person in charge of that division.… Read More

Company culture doesn’t have to just be the working environment around your business. If it’s something you take pride in, you can use that aspect of your company in your marketing videos.

Culture is something more and more businesses are focusing on. Happy employees make for productive employees. It also makes a difference while recruiting the right people to get on the bus.

CULTURE AS A SALES TOOL

One of our clients put their culture front and center in their About Us video. The Electri-Flex sales staff uses the video to set themselves apart in an industry where family-owned companies are a rarity.… Read More

A little encouragement today for a business we shot a short video on last summer. It’s called SpotHero and I was recently excited to see they started posting some how-to / marketing videos on YouTube.

We shot a pilot episode of a TV show highlighting Chicago startups, and SpotHero had a short segment.

ABOUT THEM

If you’re looking for parking options and the ability to reserve a spot and pay online, this is the site for you.  Right now they handle Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington, DC.

The service is AWESOME! I’ve used it a couple of times in the last month and have been very impressed.… Read More

Marketing videos are constantly popping up in new and interesting places. Something I was reminded of as I walked the aisles of my local pet store the other day.

There it was… front and center. A big display of designer dog food with a video to show you what’s unique about the product. There was a TV screen attached to the shelves.

This particular brand features different flavors that you can mix and match according to the dog’s taste. The video featured someone demonstrating how it’s done.

I don’t know… good idea… stupid idea? You be the judge. Funny thing is I ended up standing there and watching because I was curious.… Read More

A fun HR video is a great way to boost employee morale, and I recently came across some good examples. Dillanos Coffee Roasters was recently featured on Chris Locurto’s blog and the EntreLeadership podcast. The company produces a bunch of videos, but its YouTube channel is mostly devoted to making the company’s employees laugh. 

What a great idea for HR departments everywhere.

I’m not going to build-up the videos into something they’re not. The production quality leaves a lot to be desired, but that’s what you get producing things in-house without professional help. Here’s the thing though…

Who cares?

The videos aren’t meant for me or you.… Read More

Chances are you and/or your clients are using email marketing to target prospects, and hopefully some sort of video is being integrated into those newsletters. If so, here’s a simple tip. Be honest about the length of your marketing videos.

I recently received an email campaign and was told to watch a short video. No surprise I clicked on it to watch, but what I got shocked me.

The video was nearly 8-minutes long.

VIDEO TIMES VARY

Okay, I have blogged here over and over again about video times. One of the first questions I get from clients is how long should the video run?… Read More

Wrapping up our look at website content this week with a nod to one of my favorite things… the video marketing series.

The idea is simple. Instead of taking a bunch of content and jamming it together into a single video, you break it up into separate videos and make it a series.

GOOD FOR A FEW REASONS

First, producing a series of short videos on various topics puts your audience in control. They can choose to watch the videos that interest them and not sit through information during a longer video that isn’t relevant to their lives.

Second, viewers are more likely to watch a short video than a longer one.… Read More

We’re using the new T60 website this week to highlight some ways businesses can use video content to create terrific user experiences for clients and prospects.

Yesterday, I blogged about the importance of the About Us video. Today, it’s another staple that businesses should consider… marketing testimonials.

BRAGGING WITHOUT BRAGGING

This is a great way to brag about yourself without bragging about yourself because your clients do it for you. It’s not you telling the world how great you are, you’re allowing real people who have used your product or service to testify on your behalf. 

We live in a world of reviews.… Read More