Video is becoming more and more popular with marketers and PR pros. Done the right way, research tells us how affective it can be. Done the wrong way, it can waste time and money so let’s look at some common mistakes to avoid when producing a corporate video.

Video Length

Outside of video production cost, this is the number one question I get from clients. How long should our video run?

The first mistake here is thinking there’s a perfect length for your video… there isn’t. The quality of your storytelling is more important than the video’s length. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 runs an hour and a half. Braveheart runs three hours. ‘Nough said.

Video length is less about a golden rule and more about the audience. Who is your audience and where are they going to watch the video?

Is your audience the general public? Are you going to use this video in a social media campaign? If so, the video should be shorter (about 1-minute or less) because you’re pushing it at viewers who probably have a short attention span.

Is your video intended for professionals seeking out information about your business at your website? If that’s the case you have more leeway. I typically shoot for 2-minutes or less, but I’m even okay with stretching it to 3-4 minutes if the story is good.

If the video is for a captive audience at an event of some sort you could go even longer, but remember it’s all about the quality of your storytelling. You shouldn’t make a longer video just because you can. Tell the best story possible.

An audience can tune-out a boring message no matter where they’re watching the video.

Bad Audio

This one falls under the DIY category or “boy, did we hire the wrong video ‘pro.'” Many people think of video in terms of visuals… as they should. But really, audio is equally as important.

Just about everyone has an HD video camera (aka your smartphone) capable of shooting beautiful images. Audio takes more skill and some better equipment, and it separates the pros from the amateurs.

At best, poor audio holds back a good video from being great. At worst, people immediately tune-out. Think about all the bad videos you’ve watched and clicked away from almost immediately. In many cases, I’m sure it’s because it sounded bad.

Bad audio is a barometer for a bad video.

If the person shooting your video is interviewing people with nothing but the microphone attached to the camera, it’s a pretty good sign your audio is going to be lacking.

Too Many Details

This is the most important message I talk with clients about. Video isn’t about facts and figures. Video is about emotion.

I get it. You’re producing a corporate video and you have all sorts of information you want to share with people.

Stop right there. While video is certainly for communicating, it isn’t the right medium for tons of information. That’s what your website is for.

With video, we’re more interested in how people feel after having seen it than we are what they learned.

Think about how valuable that can be for your organization. It’s one thing to provide people with information about a product, service, or company. It’s something else entirely if you can get them to feel good about those things.

When people feel good about something, they’re more likely to buy. That’s why storytelling is so important. Don’t just pack your video with facts and figures. Tell a story that your audience can connect with.

BONUS Mistake… Making a DIY Corporate Video

This should go without saying, but I’ve had too many people ask about it not to mention it. Producing a corporate video is not a do-it-yourself endeavor.

Yes… I’m a video pro, so it only makes sense that I would give this advice. But believe it or not, there are times I advocate DIY videos. However, in most cases, hiring a professional is the way to go.

There’s one main reason to do this: your reputation is on the line. You are producing a video and sending it out into the world to be watched. Everyone who sees it is going to form an opinion about you. It’s crucial you put your best foot forward.

Your video could very well be someone’s first impression of you. Do you want to trust that opportunity to Ted in HR or Susan in accounting because they like editing their home movies?

Nobody at your company is going to be able to produce a video as effective as one created by a professional. Even if someone in-house has a decent background in shooting and editing… are they a good storyteller?

Video production is more than HD video and knowing your way around Final Cut Pro. It’s about knowing how to use stories to tap emotion. That’s why it’s better to put corporate videos into the hands of someone who has devoted their professional life to honing that skill.

Wrapping it up

The bad news… these are all mistakes people fall prey to when producing their corporate videos. The good news… they’re all avoidable.

Make sure the video pro you pick to work with is thinking about these things during the project.

–Tony Gnau

Scott Davis
Chief Growth Officer
Prophet (client)

BrandSmart is one of my favorite marketing events every year. The Chicago chapter of the American Marketing Association brings in some real heavyweights to talk about their branding success stories, and it’s a day that inspires all sorts of ideas. However, my BrandSmart 2015 takeaway is a little different.

As a ChicagoAMA sponsor, I get to attend and take in everything the speakers have to offer just like everyone attending. Not surprising, many of my past takeaways have centered on how brands are using video. This year was a little different though.

Conversation Starter

My biggest takeaway came from a conversation I had with ChicagoAMA board member, Tom Jacobs. Tom will be the board president next year, and he runs the Jacobs Agency in Chicago. We were talking about how video has exploded over the last few years, and how my job of marketing T60 has changed with it. The conversation included an important message for PR and marketing professionals.

See… when I first started out, the biggest marketing job I had was simply convincing business leaders they should be producing videos. Ten years ago… that was a tough sell as they listened to their dial-up modems. My pitch was that online video was going to grow as internet speeds increase, and you (the business leader) need to be on the ground floor producing videos as this takes place.

In a lot of cases… crickets. Not many people bought it.

Flash forward to now and barely a day goes by without all of us watching some sort of online video.

Hence… my pitch has changed. I no longer have to convince business leaders they should be producing videos. They all want to do it, they just don’t want to pay for them.

Let me rephrase that… they think producing videos will be too expensive.

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

The Truth About Video Production Cost

One of my biggest hurdle is helping them understand the value of video. In most cases there’s no need to sped $20-grand on a production.

Our typical video costs about $6,000, and we work hard to ensure that, whatever the price point, we’re delivering a video that’s going to connect with viewers. Something that’s going to provide a great first impression for that business. A video that has the potential to touch several prospects and make them more open to doing business with that company.

Here’s where PR and marketing pros come in. A big reason many of these business leaders don’t produce video is that video is never planned for in their marketing strategy. What I have found is that video tends to be an add-on once the marketing plan is well underway.

In other words, the marketing budget has been spent and now they’re trying to figure out a way to add video. Throw-in the misperception of how much video production costs, and many people just chuck the idea at that point.

Plan When Paying For Video

My message here for PR and marketing pros is that video should be a part of your strategy for businesses from the get-go. If it’s included as part of the plan from the start, the cost doesn’t tend to be as big of an issue. Instead, it’s a line item in the greater marketing budget.

This is key because, again, business leaders typically no longer need to be sold on video. Many of them would love to produce videos for their business, so don’t let it get lost in the shuffle as you’re preparing your marketing strategy pitch.

If you’re putting together a plan and don’t know how much a series of videos will cost, get a few producers to give you a ballpark estimate. We do them all the time and are happy to explain how-to figure out video production cost. That way you can simply incorporate the cost into the budget you’re either given or are proposing.

Videos is no longer a luxury item. It should be a standard part of just about any marketing plan.

–Tony Gnau

Originally Posted: May 29th, 2012

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

That’s right… commercial. A one-minute spot created by Budweiser that ran only once. It’s the 2003 Super Bowl ad titled, “Welcome Home.”

Here’s a few reasons why it’s a great example to learn from for anyone who’s producing videos…

• there’s a surprise. The spot starts in an airport. It’s a familiar setting, but just when we the audience settle in to this “normal” scene we get hit with something completely out of the norm.
• there’s no dialog. I come from a TV news background, so I’m all about sound bites and dialog. This spot is a great reminder that you don’t need either to create a video with impact. Sometimes images, natural sound, and music are all you need.
• finally, this spot puts on display what video does better than any other medium. It stirs emotion. Video allows you to tap emotion and capture the viewer’s heart.

Not every video is going to be as powerful as this one. Heck, there are very few videos that will be as powerful as this one. However, the lessons learned from it can put you on a path to creating better videos… and that’s a benefit for us all.

–Tony Gnau

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

We’re pretty fortunate to have some amazing clients who work in PR and marketing. They are communications experts, and one of them asked us to produce two sets of videos. One on public speaking techniques and another that’s all about… trumpets, please… storytelling! Hard to pass-up that project, and it turned out to be a perfect case study business leaders can learn from.

Meet the client

Rob Biesenbach has turned his passion for communications and acting into a whole new career for himself. He provides creative ways to engage employees and customers, and turn boring presentations into something an audience will remember. When it came to promoting himself, he knew he needed video support.

“For professional speakers, it’s absolutely essential to have video so potential clients can see you in action,” said Biesenbach. “My ultimate goal for the videos is get more business. On the path to that, the goals are to get people engaged with my website, provide some education on how to be a better communicator, and give people a glimpse into who I am — my personality and style. Other than appearing in person, video is the #1 way to do that.”

Photo courtesy: Twitter (@RobBiesenbach)

Know your audience

Understanding the need for video is one thing, I also love the way he wanted to cater to his audience.

For example, knowing his viewers want to see him at work, he decided on a style that comes off  with an almost “live on video” feel. In other words, he wanted some editing but he didn’t want the finished video to feel like it was edited… just professional. He wanted the videos to be something that represents what he’s truly like presenting in front of a group.

Next, he didn’t want to present himself in a sales-y way. Each clip simply has his take on various subjects relating to his field. They do a great job of promoting him as a speaker and the content you’ll find in his books, but it doesn’t hit viewers over the head with it.

“I use video on my (web) site to illustrate lessons from my books,” said Biesenbach. “Many authors actually do ‘book trailers’ like you see for movies to promote their books. Since I’m a speaker, I do quick snapshot lessons from my speeches for that purpose.”

 SIDE NOTE: to see the book trailer approach, check out another client… Gini Dietrich. VIDEO: Spin Sucks the Book

Video storytelling across multiple platforms

Now that the series is complete, Rob is doing something else I advocate with many clients, getting multiple uses out of their video.

His original motivation for the series may have been to allow potential clients to see him in action at his website, but Rob is also using the videos in his content marketing campaign. I was happy to see one of the videos pop-up in a recent blog posts.

DIY vs. Pro

On top of everything, Rob gets kudos for an easily overlooked aspect of the videos. He asked for help. Rob previously had students help him, but he finally reached a point where that wasn’t good enough.

Proof is in the prospects

The best part of all of this… the videos are working.

“I know they have. People who have never seen me speak hire me partly on the basis of what they see in the videos,” said Biesenbach.

I guess that’s the bottom line, right? Marketing is all about helping bring in new business, so it’s great to see when a marketing tactic really makes a difference.

–Tony Gnau

One of the great things about a PR or marketing video is that it can serve so many purposes, and in some cases it can even surprise those who produce it… providing multiple marketing video benefits.

This is the first in new series of blog posts. I’m going to start sharing case studies featuring our clients. I’m consistently impressed with their marketing strategies, and I think getting some behind-the-scenes insights will help others as well.

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

General Manager Connie Chambers asked us to produce a video highlighting some of the company’s green efforts regarding sustainable foods, trash disposal, and cleaning supplies.

“We thought it would be a great thing for employees to use as an orientation and for customers to see what we’re doing,” said Chambers.

I love that they knew in advance that this video could be used both internally and externally. A lot of business leaders get tunnel vision. Someone has an idea to produce a marketing video, so the assumption is only prospects and customers will watch.

The reality is once a business produces a PR or marketing video, it’s going to find its way in front of team members. In many cases, they’ll seek it out purely because they’re curious.

Savor’s leaders decided early on that both customers and their own employees could benefit from watching the video. As a matter of fact, they’re showing it not only to existing employees, but new people joining the team as well. It’s a culture thing. They want everyone to feel pride around what the company is doing and the role each of them are playing. There’s also an added advantage.

Courtesy: Savor…Chicago

“(Video is) a great way to educate employees and to help generate ideas,” said Chambers. “They become our sales people.”

Did you catch that? They become your sales people. Think of video as a way to turn each and every team member into a sales person.

RELATED CONTENT: How-To Use Videos To Inspire Team Members

Once you show them the video and they’ll start doing something magical. They’ll share the video online with their friends and family. When asked about what they do for a living, they’ll talk about working for your company and share tidbits from the video.

Your videos become an educational tool for your “sales force.”

That’s tends to be an unexpected benefit when business leaders produce their first video. In Savor’s case, they planned for it all along. What they didn’t expect was some of the feedback they received from both audiences.

Savor uses the video to highlight cutting-edge technology used to produce their own green cleaning chemicals, and there’s also a rooftop garden to provide farm to table fresh food. Some of their current customers and team members were unaware of these things.

Company leaders knew the video would be a great way to educate people new to Savor, but they had no idea how valuable it could be to people who already knew about them.

“They’re still learning about us by watching the video,” said Chambers. “Business is always changing, and it’s a great way to keep people up to date on what we’re doing.”

Another unexpected benefit? “We sent (the video) to corporate and they loved it. They thanked us for putting it together,” said Chambers.

Video is a great way to show a parent company what you’re up to and get corporate leaders and other stakeholders excited. It’s one thing going over reports and reading a balance sheet. It’s something else getting to see how teams are operating and what they’re proud of.

On top of everything, you still get the marketing video benefits you were planning for all along. Educating your intended audience… tapping their emotions… leaving them feeling good about your business.

That’s the power of video.

–Tony Gnau

If you’re going to produce a marketing video this year, there’s an important fact to keep in mind. You aren’t buying a widget. You’re buying art.

Don’t worry… I’m not going to get all self-important on you, but it’s true. You might be buying a product that fulfills a marketing tactic, but a good marketing video has far more in common with a piece of art than something like a CRM app. Important to note since there’s more to hiring a video producer than looking at the price.

Video vs. widget purchasing difference

Not distinguishing between the two is a mistake I see a lot of business people, marketers, and PR experts fall into. Video, to them, is just another widget they need to complete their overall business strategy. They forget to look at it as a creative endeavor designed to capture hearts and minds.

That’s what a great piece of art can do… and so can a good marketing video.

The Art behind Your marketing video

The obvious part of the “art” can be seen on-screen. Someone behind the camera has squeezed their creative juices to provide a pleasurable viewing experience. From composing beautiful shots to creating an interesting story to editing it all together seamlessly.

It should be easy to grasp how that can be art, but there’s more to the art of video than what’s on the screen.

There are all sorts of behind-the-scenes things that require artists as well. In some cases, coordinating a shoot can be an art. Managing the resources needed is another. However, maybe one of the most important arts to video creation is getting non-actors to feel comfortable on-camera and drawing out their story.

I don’t know how else to describe this ability besides “art.” It takes a real talent to get people to relax. It takes a lot of skill to talk with people in a way that encourages them to share their thoughts. Doing both in a way that produces an authentic and genuine-sounding marketing video? Like I said… it’s an art.

Balance your price-to-art ratio

So… if you plan on hiring a video producer this year, of course consider your budget, but also consider the artist. Some are worth more than others when purchasing marketing videos. Watch their videos. Listen for passion in their voice. They’re worth a little more in the long run.

–Tony Gnau

It’s the conversation I have with virtually every client. I say the same line over and over, and I’ve written it time and time again here at our blog. It’s maybe the toughest concept for business leaders to accept about their marketing videos.

The fact about facts

“Video isn’t about facts and figures. Video is about emotion.”

It’s a crucial thing to understand about video. Too often, executives want to pack their videos with all sorts of information. Those videos often run like a visual version of the company’s website or a marketing brochure or worse… a text book.

When someone packs too much information into a video, they aren’t taking advantage of it’s best atributes. Video can tap into people’s emotions. If you use video to tell a good story, you can build a bond with your audience. Vlog: How-to Help Tell Your Company’s Story

That’s a big deal

Connecting with viewers is a powerful asset. The stronger the connection, the more they trust you. The more they trust you, the more willing they’ll be to buy from you… or donate to your cause… or attend your event… it can help you achieve whatever your goal might be.

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

Case Study: how to ruin a marketing video

I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to purposely ruin one of my favorite videos… one of our Telly Award winners. Okay, not literally… just theoretically.

It’s a video we produced for Goose Island Beer Company. Goose Island leaders wanted a video to demonstrate to wholesalers the company’s commitment to marketing the 312 brand (Goose Island’s most popular beer)… which would in-turn encourage the wholesalers to push the beer to their retail clients because the marketing should make it easier to sell.

The plan was to shoot various events throughout the summer where 312 was a sponsor. We named a few of the events in the video, but the video wasn’t about those specific events. The story was about 312’s commitment to sponsorship and getting out into the community.

Now… how would we go about ruining this video? If I were to fall prey to the classic mistake of adding too much information, here’s what I would add:

• listing all of the events 312 sponsors
• give stats on how many beers were served at the events
• the number of banners hung
• how many ads were taken out

I could go on, but you get the point.

Oh… I almost forgot! Not only would I include that information, I would create graphics for them and put them on the screen. Excess graphics are a great way to ruin a video!

Why? Graphics force your audience to work. They’re no longer sitting back, letting the story come to them. You interrupt the flow and force them to read. That little bit of effort is an emotion killer.

Wrapping Up

I’m fine with facts and figures, as long as you put them in their proper place. That’s what a company website is for. As a matter of fact, you can insert a call to action at the end of a video directing viewers to a website to see those facts and figures.

But when it comes to video… stick to good, emotional stories that connect with audiences.

–Tony Gnau

Savor…Chicago 28th St. Cafe
Click on any text to Tweet or share on Facebook.

This might be the biggest corporate video mistake business leaders make when they produce a corporate video. They create a video that’s all about the things they want to hear without giving any regard for their audience. Executives who don’t hesitate to preach “put the customer first” often fail to put their viewers first.

Why Should Viewers Care?

Which is why it’s worth a little reminder here. The viewer has to be top of mind as you work on different video projects. Anytime I’m faced with including something in a video, I ask myself… why would viewers care? If I can’t come up with a good answer, that material ends-up on the cutting room floor.

It’s a hard process for some to go through. I get it. People are passionate about their companies. They want to shout from the rooftop about all the great things they’re doing. Many times they want to include all of it in their videos… whether it makes any difference to the audience or not.

Click… there go your viewers

This is a critical mistake. Why? Because as soon as you start pounding your chest about something the audience doesn’t care about… CLICK!… they’re gone. They move on to another video.

It doesn’t have anything to do with attention spans. It’s all about relevance. If a video is going on about something that doesn’t effect them, they’ll just watch something else. Or if they’re a captive audience… for example, at an event… they’ll just mentally tune it out, which is just as bad.

Corporate Video Case Study

I’m actually working on a current project for Savor… Chicago that serves as a good example. We’re producing a video for them that’s highlighting many of the green efforts the company is making as the catering company at Chicago’s convention center, McCormick Place.

The list of things they’re doing goes on and on, and it’s all pretty impressive. During our interviews, they also highlighted some programs that are off-shoots to their sustainable practices. However, I didn’t include any of them in the script we presented before the video editing began.

I would have loved to put in the information, but I asked myself that question… why would viewers care? The audience has tuned in to watch a video about sustainability and environmentally-friendly procedures. The other programs they highlighted didn’t deal with those things. They weren’t on topic. That’s enough for me… the information doesn’t make the cut.

To their general manager’s credit, she didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. I was expecting to have to explain myself, but she didn’t question it at all. She gets it. Focus on the audience and its needs.

Putting viewers first is an essential mindset for any video project.

–Tony Gnau

Highlight any text or image to share on Twitter or Facebook.

‘Tis the season to plan next year’s marketing budget, and if you want to create the best content possible you better include video.

It’s not just me… your friendly-neighborhood video producer.. saying that. A growing number of PR and marketing professionals say if you aren’t producing video content… you’re committing a social media crime (see #2).

Now that you’re on board, what are your next steps?

• Talk to a video pro: this might sound a little self-serving, but in this case it isn’t. At this stage of the game you can use most video professionals as a free idea bank. What? Did I just say free? Yup. Most of us are more than happy to brainstorm video ideas and talk about budgets… and it won’t cost you a thing.
• Pick your video producer(s): this is a natural progression from step one. There are many benefits to hiring a video pro, especially if you’re interested in quality content. So as you talk with producers for ideas… who catches your attention? Listen to their suggestions. Watch their sample videos. Evaluate how helpful they are and consider other tips for picking a video company. Doing so now will speed-up the process next year when you’re ready to start your video projects.
• Decide on your video budget now: the cardinal sin of video content creation might be deciding to create a video during the middle of a marketing campaign. Why? Cost becomes a limiting factor. Since you didn’t plan for it in the original budget, you might not have enough left over to create what you’re hoping for. That’s why as you’re talking with video professionals, make sure to ask each one about ballpark budget estimates. It will help you in planning for next year.

Not ready to talk with a video pro but want to get some sense of what they charge? How-to figure out video production cost. 

Planning a video budget is… well… just smart planning at this point. Video has moved from a luxury item to something just about every campaign needs to include. And here’s the thing, if you or your client decides you don’t want a video… you’ll simply come in under budget.

Better to be in that position than to realize you left something out.

–Tony Gnau