Okay… yesterday we celebrated our 500th blog post and promised some insight into our content marketing strategy moving forward.

We’re happy with the blogging… I mean, 500 posts… that’s a lot of content! Thing is… we need to do better and in one specific way.

Basically, it comes down to walking the walk.

For the last few years, I’ve been blogging a lot about how video can help PR and marketing strategies. While we post our fair share of videos, they typically feature the work we’ve done for clients. We’re still going to do that, but we’re also going to produce more original content of our own.

We dipped our toes into this last year with our video series, “How Video Helps Us.” Each one featured a T60 client talking a little bit about why and how they’re using video… their video strategy. When we produced it, we basically blocked a week and went out to shoot all three in the series. Moving forward, we’re going to talk with clients about including them in the series during the process of producing their video.

I’ve never been hesitant about asking. It just always seems to slip my mind. Not anymore though, I’m going to make it a priority.

Once we start producing those videos, we’ll roll them out using the blog, our social networks and probably through email campaigns.

It’s a great way to show-off our clients and provide viewers with some fresh perspectives on how they can use video.

–Tony Gnau

Well, this is it. Blog post #500. We started blogging in October 2009. No need to do the math, it’s just under three-and-a-half years. It started slowly at first, but for the most part I’ve been blogging four days a week during most of that stretch.

Yesterday, I promised some insights on what I’ve learned about content marketing during that time. Today, I’ll focus on my motivation for starting and how it has changed.

Most people get  into content marketing with a similar mindset. We’ll provide helpful content, over time people will get to know and trust us and that process will eventually lead to added business.

T60’s Motivation for blogging

Yeah… that wasn’t me. While I knew all that going in, none of that really factored into my motivation. For me, it was all about SEO.

Three years ago, I looked at the T60 website and knew it needed a change. I had built it myself, and while I think it looked fine, it needed a professional’s touch and above all else it needed a lot of SEO help.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the cash to upgrade, but once I had enough to move forward I wanted to be ready.

Knowing that the number of pages at a site and frequency of updates factors in to SEO, I thought I’d start writing a blog. I’ve always been a writer, so why not?

Here I am 500 posts later, and the new T60 site is a week or two from going live. We’ll roll the blog into it, so I’m hoping all the hard work will pay off.

Who’s going to read this?

What’s interesting though is the blog has provided me with so much more.

One of the main reasons I wasn’t really into the typical motivation behind content media is that I honestly didn’t know how much interest there would be in my subject matter. Who the heck is going to read a daily blog on video production!?

Well, the simple answer to that is at least 275 people. That’s the current number of followers we have. Not a huge number by any means, but it’s more than I thought we’d have. We don’t get a ton of comments, but we do get a fair share of “likes” everyday. That’s a nice feeling, but it’s only part of our new motivation.

Now… it’s about ‘cred.  Being a consistent blogger has given me/T60 added credibility, and it’s starting to pay-off. I know that’s a big reason why a lot of people get into content marketing, but it has slowly grown on me and I’m here to say it works… only I’ve found it in a different way.

clients love it

I don’t know how much online ‘cred I have, but T60’s clients always seem impressed by the blog. Over the 500 posts, I’ve blogged about a lot of FAQs we get from prospects, so one of the things we now do is occasionally work the blog into our proposals.

For example, if a prospect asks me a question about storytelling, I follow it up with a proposal that includes links to blog posts on that subject… and they eat it up! Not only do they appreciate the actual information, they’re impressed by my commitment to blogging.

Anyway, I’m here to tell you… content marketing works. It isn’t a quick strategy. I’m three-and-a-half years in and it’s just now starting to pay-off, but I’m glad I got into it.

–Tony Gnau

It’s a fine line. You want to brag about yourself, but you don’t want to come off like you’re bragging about yourself. That’s the line we walk producing videos for every client, and it’s a lesson we’re learning ourselves as we build a new website.

Some business owners want to throw every accolade into their videos. Others are somewhat afraid to include any. I’d like to say split the difference, but the truth is every situation is different.

go with your gut

The best advice I can give is let the content and your instincts guide your decision-making. If it doesn’t feel right to include some self-praise, it probably isn’t. Remember, video isn’t about facts and figures, it’s about emotion. That’s why it’s good to go with your gut in situations like this.

But by all means, if it feels okay to brag on yourself a little… go for it. Just don’t over-do it.

–Tony Gnau

You need to focus your marketing videos to what you do best. I know, Captain Obvious reporting for duty!… but I’ve seen plenty of business leaders get sidetracked.

Here’s the thing… you start producing a video and all of sudden everyone has an opinion. We should add this… we should add that… next thing you know you have a 7-minute video nobody will want to watch.

Questions to keep you focused

You really need to focus. What do we want to communicate? Who’s our audience? How do we serve them?

These are the questions you want to ask regardless of the type of video you’re producing. And About Us video… an event video… marketing a brand… you name it. What do we want to communicate? Who’s our audience? How do we serve them?

Staying focused will keep those outside voices at bay.

–Tony Gnau

You’re interested in a particular company so you head to its website. You hit the home page… maybe you move on to the About Us page.

If company leaders have some marketing moxie, you should have run into their video by now. If not, you’re probably trying to decide whether or not it’s worth your time to read all that text.

This is what people are faced with everyday when they visit your company website, so why haven’t you produced a video?

Expense

I don’t buy it. Our prices start at less than $1,000, and you can find some who’ll do it for even less. Still too expensive? Fire up your iPhone and produce your own.

Nobody will watch

Seriously? You know it in your gut… people are more likely to watch a video than read text. Your gut’s not good enough? Google the countless studies that back up that feeling. While you’re at it, look at study after study demonstrating how many people are watching online videos.

I’m not good on-camera

Put a talented storyteller to work and they’ll figure out a way to make you look and sound good. Still not convinced? Who says you have to be on-camera? There are plenty of creative ways to produce a video where you never appear in the video.

Why Video makes sense

An About Us video is a great way to make a good first impression. It gives you an opportunity to talk directly to people who are interested in your company. You can show them what it is you do and what makes your business so good.

An About Us video brings your company to life.

–Tony Gnau

We’ve all heard it before, but it’s true. Content is becoming a more and more valuable tool for businesses, and the better they do it the better it makes the company look.

It’s one of the biggest reasons to make sure you’re picking a good storyteller to produce your videos. You want to create content that’s going to appeal to your clients and prospects. I’m sure Ted in accounting puts together some terrific home movies, but we’re talking a higher degree of storytelling sophistication here.

A quality storyteller will be able to take what you want to communicate and deliver it in a way that draws in an audience. There’s no point in creating content for content’s sake. You want something that will connect with people.

I guess the point is that content isn’t king… quality content is king.

–Tony Gnau

Last week I was blogging about when it’s okay for a business to produce its own videos. Basically, it boils down to budget and size. If you’re a small business owner with zero budget for marketing, please feel free to produce your own stuff. Everyone else… you should look for a video pro.

What I didn’t get into was WHY everyone else should get professional help. So… here it is…

You want people to take you seriously. You want clients and prospects to look at your company and have a sense of confidence. You want them to look at you as professional.

Your reputation is on the line

So why would you entrust your company videos to non-professionals? Video has never been more accessible to the masses. Anyone with a smart phone can shoot, edit and post videos to the web. The problem is most of what they post is garbage. Not exactly the image you’d like to give people about your company.

If you’re a small shop and people know and understand this, an amateur video is kitschy. It can work to your advantage.

If you’re a solid business with an earned reputation, an amateur video is cheap… and it makes you look that way.

Show some pride and find a video pro to tell your stories. They get paid to make your business look like it deserves that reputation.

–Tony Gnau

If you hadn’t noticed, American Airlines recently changed its logo. I was pretty surprised when it popped up in my Facebook feed.  I like it.

A logo change is usually a big deal for a company. All new stationary, business cards, all sorts of stuff needs updating. Now imagine you have a fleet of passenger jets. Yikes!

American Airlines produces good Videos

American is pretty good about using video to inform its passengers. They produced one of my all-time favorite corporate videos, and the latest one involves giving their planes an all new look (VIDEO). While it’s not exactly award-winning storytelling, I enjoyed it and learned some interesting things.

That’s what video can do for you as a business. American picked a subject they thought would interest people (painting a plane) and delivered content to satisfy that interest.

What’s something you’re doing at your business that might peak someone’s interest?

–Tony Gnau

Mrs. G and I are terrible dancers, and yet on our wedding day we chose to do a choreographed dance in front of all our guests. I blame my in-laws for providing the dance lessons gift certificate prior to the big day.

We took lessons at Ballroom Dance Chicago. Our teacher was very good and very patient. She needed to be, but what it earned her is recommendations like this. It’s a great place to take lessons.

where am i going with this?

Ever since then I’ve been following the business on Facebook, and over the last three months they’ve been posting more and more videos.

The videos… aren’t great. Some are better than others, but you know what I like? They’re trying.

Someone they know clearly has a little editing ability, and they create their own videos. Like many business owners, I’m sure they’d love to have professionally produced videos, but this is what they can manage.

worth doing an amateur video?

There are some video pros who would tell you, if this is all you can manage… you’re better off doing nothing. If we were talking about a good-sized company, I’d agree. But what we’re talking about is a very small business, so to them I say go for it.

The lesson here is if you have a marketing budget, pay a pro to produce your videos. If you’re a small business owner with no budget (and I mean NO budget), go forth and produce your own videos.

There’s room for us all.

–Tony Gnau

Okay… what do you think of Vine?

Not up on the new social video platform? Well, you can read more about it at Twitter’s blog. Basically, it’s a new Twitter app that allows people to capture and share 6-second videos.

What can you share in 6-seconds? I think that’s the idea. Like the 140 character limit, they’re looking for some creativity from users.

business applications

I have no idea how businesses will start to use the service, but if it catches on I’m sure business leaders will be working overtime to capitalize. I take that back, they’ll have their creative teams working overtime.

6-second storytelling… I’m choosing not to be irked and to simply look at this as a challenge.

–Tony Gnau