Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category



Social Media Business Cards

Some people are surprised to find out T60 doesn’t own a bunch of expensive equipment. We have the essentials… a couple of cameras, lights, microphones, and a computer for editing… but that’s about it.

We occasionally take on projects where we need more than we have, and when we do we turn to AV Chicago.

I recently returned some gear to them, and they surprised me. The guy helping handed me a business card highlighting the company’s social media. He said if I had a good experience with the rental, he hoped I would “like” them on Facebook and write a review on Yelp.

Nicely done. I was really impressed. I’m a big fan of there’s, so guess what… I just “liked” them and now I plan on writing a glowing review on Yelp. Chances are I wouldn’t have done either without the classy suggestion.

A good lesson for us all.

–Tony Gnau

Why Scripted Videos Miss The Mark

Here’s a big reason why I prefer non-scripted videos over scripted… they’re authentic. I know, I know… that’s a term getting overused these days, but I have a different take on it today.

Authentic videos are good for a lot of reasons, but one that’s often overlooked gets right to the heart of why they’re better than scripted videos.

It’s hard to mess-up authenticity. I recently saw a video promoting Chicago’s Ribfest. Now, I LOVE Ribfest. The event is in T60’s neighborhood, and the date is marked on my calendar every year. The video though… I don’t love.

In truth, there’s a lot to like about it. It’s professionally produced, has a clear story, and accomplishes the goal of promoting the event. The problem is it’s a mock movie trailer that’s supposed to be funny… and it isn’t. Mildly amusing… maybe. Funny… no.

I don’t fault Ribfest or the video’s produces. They had an amusing concept and they went for it. The thing is that scripting something great is HARD. Some of the most talented people in Hollywood get paid millions of dollars to produce “funny” and even they fail more than they succeed.

Authenticity… when you have it… it just works.

–Tony Gnau

Social Media Seminar Takeaway

Packed house for yesterday’s American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter seminar on social media. Adam Lilly from Goose Island Beer Company talked about their social strategy and Nader Ali-Hassan from Razorfish talk about social’s future and how to measure its impact.

One of the big takeaways I hope everyone got was the importance of storytelling. Adam talked a lot about what the Goose is doing to tell its story and how it’s building a following using social media.

He also talked about how the company gets everyone involved. Marketing works with all departments to find stories that might interest their followers. They also use those people in the videos. Gone are the days of a single company spokesperson. If an employee has an interesting story… they’re in!

This is how you serve an audience. Focus on content that they will be interested in and feature real people.

–Tony Gnau

Social Media Tips / Networking

Big event today for the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter. They’re bringing together social media experts from Razorfish and Goose Island Beer Company to talk about where the medium is headed.

Here’s a tease straight from the AMA…

Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Google +. Pinterest.  Just when you master one platform another pops up. Where do savvy marketers invest their companies’ time, money and resources?  What strategies are used to engage customers and build loyal, active followers?  How does a company handle social media during a crisis to create an interactive dialogue that generates positive results and reviews?

The program starts at 3:00 p.m. today and there will be a networking opportunity afterwards. If you want to learn more/register, check out their website and by all means… watch the video!

–Tony Gnau

Razorfish Social Expert On Shareable Content

Social media isn’t going anywhere, and video is going to continue to play an increasingly important role.

That’s the cliff notes on a conversation I recently had with Nader Ali-Hassan, Associate Director of Social Media at Razorfish.

Nader and I chatted about social media and video after wrapping up an interview. T60 produces videos for the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter to preview upcoming events. Nader is going to be a guest speaker along with Adam Lilly from Goose Island Beer Company.

Anyway, Nader is a big believer in social media video. A written post is good, but add video and now you have something really “shareable.”

He also talked with me a little about length. To sum up, shorter is better. Again, it’s all about posting things that people will be willing to share. Start producing videos over 2-minutes long, and your shareability factor starts to drop.

Both Nader and Adam have lots of good ideas and advice regarding marketing and social media. I encourage you to check out the AMA-Chicago event (sign-up here) which is open to members and non-members alike.

–Tony Gnau

Huntsman’s Daughters Hit YouTube

Good stuff yesterday from David Meerman Scott. His blog focused on Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, and how Huntsman isn’t too interested in social media.

He might not be focused on it, but Huntsman or his staff actually came up with a really good idea. They’re letting his daughters have some fun on YouTube.

Jon2012Girls only have a couple of posts, but they’re far from your standard political fare. One is a parody song and the other mimics an infamous Herman Cain ad.

Huntsman might not be too interested in social media, but I’ll bet his girls are. That’s why I’m glad to see him letting them run with this role. I’m sure it’s still being orchestrated by his campaign, but at least the first two videos show a little spunk.

Think about all the business leaders out there who are in the same spot. They don’t really care about social media, but probably know enough that they need to do something. It’s smart to turn it over to people who a) care about it and b) will bring some creative ideas to the table.

I don’t know how far Huntsman is going to go in the presidential race, but I hope we get a few more videos from Jon2012Girls along the way.

–Tony Gnau

Video Series Natural Fit For Social Media

What works for the web doesn’t always work in a TV commercial. That’s my conclusion after viewing a series of videos produced by the NCAA.

The series is called, the Buick Human Highlight Reel. The videos feature former NCAA athletes who are now making a difference in their communities off the field.

I came across the series while watching last weekend’s Big 10 Football Championship game. There was a commercial promoting the series and encouraging people to go to the website to watch the videos.

I jumped right on it, but here’s the thing… there’s a bunch of videos… all of them about 5-minutes long. It was overwhelming. I didn’t know where to start, and I found myself only watching pieces of the videos.

Then I “liked” the NCAA on Facebook, which is ironic since I pretty much can’t stand the NCAA, but that’s another blog post. Once I started getting the NCAA on my Facebook Wall, the series started making sense.

I still think the videos are a tad too long.  Okay, way too long, but getting them sent to me in small doses via social media made the series much more manageable to watch.

TV sent me to the series, but it didn’t hold my attention. It took social media to really grab me and reel me in.

–Tony Gnau

Fear Not, Trust In Video

PR maestro Gini Dietrich recently blogged about the reasons she’s heard why some executives refuse to buy-in to the social media scene. Frankly, many of the reasons are legit, but that doesn’t give these business leaders a free pass.

The truth is many of them are simply afraid, but if they could fight through their fears there are now opportunities to do great things… connect with clients and prospects… market in ways companies couldn’t do in the past.

Hello? Video! Companies can now deliver video on their own terms.

Video allows companies to take clients and prospects behind-the scenes, introduce them to great people at the business, and show how the company is solving clients’ problems.

YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, email campaigns… they’re all in play. Any company that embraces social media can harness the power of video.

–Tony Gnau

Social Media Success Story

We all know that social media is a great way for a company to engage customers, and when it’s done right it works. Seriously, it works.

My wife posted a note this week on simplehuman’s Facebook page about our squeaky trashcan lid. She got a personalized return message with how we can get a new one at no charge.

That’s the way social media is supposed to work. That’s why your PR/marketing videos need to be focused on the audience’s needs… not your company’s.

When you’re producing your social media videos, keep asking yourself the question… how does this serve my audience?

–Tony Gnau

PR/Marketing Videos Aren’t A One-Time Post

One of our clients did something note-worthy yesterday, so I’m happy to point it out.

We have produced a few videos for DuPage Habitat for Humanity, and one of them happens to be the “About Us” video. We’re very proud of that particular video. It turned out so well that it earned a Telly Award.

Anyway, the video was produced last year, but it popped-up yesterday on the organization’s Facebook page. Bravo!

If you go through the time and expense of producing a quality video… don’t be afraid to show it multiple times. Your video doesn’t have to be a one-time social media post.

Now, I’m not saying you should post it ten times a day, but develop a strategy. Maybe the first week you’re posting it you do it Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning… et cetera.

Also, don’t just limit it to the first week your video comes out. Post it periodically every few months. People aren’t monitoring your social media posts at all times, not to mention you’re hopefully continuing to pick up new followers.

Not everyone has seen your video, so why not continue to share it?

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: DuPage Habitat for Humanity