Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category



Numbers That Back Video Content

You know why video makes for great social media content? It works. People love videos and they love to share the good ones.

According to emarketer.com, the number of internet users who are watching online videos every month is on the rise. By 2015, it could surpass the 195-million mark.

If you’re a business owner, those are numbers that can’t be ignored. If you’re a PR or marketing pro, those are numbers you need to share with your clients.

–Tony Gnau

Online Video Meets Social Media Gaming

Public relations maestro Gini Dietrich occasionally blogs at spinsucks.com about gaming and how it can be used in a PR/marketing setting. I’ve been thinking about various ways to incorporate video into social media games, and apparently I’m not the only one.

I love the promotion Dodge is running via YouTube. It’s basically an online video scavenger hunt for three of the company’s new SUVs, and the winners who find the vehicles get to keep them. Dodge is posting a series of videos at its YouTube channel providing hints.

Most of the videos are pretty simple, but it’s clear they’ve been well-produced. We’re not talking video shot by some amateur in the company’s marketing department on a FlipCam. It’s clear that pros shot and edited these segments. They actually look and feel more like TV ads than online videos.

Regardless, the game is fun, the videos look great, and it has my creativity synapses working overtime.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Dodge YouTube Channel

Content For Content’s Sake

If you’re going to produce video content… and you should… do it right. Put some effort into it. Don’t just produce something for the sake of having video content. It’s lazy, the video will likely be boring, and it could make your business look bad.

Yes, it would be great to share professionally produced material, but that’s not what this is about. Even if you’re producing video on a budget, at the very least approach your project with some passion and focus.

Why is this material important? Why is it relevant to my audience? Why should they care to watch?

Ask yourself all these questions, answer them, then move forward.

–Tony Gnau

Throw Out The Titles For Your Video Content

CEOs, COOs, CMOs… no matter the letters, one of the toughest calls you may have to make if you want a great PR/marketing video is to exclude those people.

A key to producing a great video is selecting the right people to participate. Now, if you have a charismatic CEO, maybe he/she is the right choice. If they’re not, it may be time for a heart-to-heart to let them know they didn’t get the part.

Who should you pick? I don’t know. Who’s the person at your company everyone loves to be around? Who’s the person who puts a smile on everyone’s face? That’s the type of person you need.

If it’s the CFO, great. Maybe it’s the receptionist. It could be the janitor for all I care. Happy, likable people are infectious. Those are the people you want representing you company.

–Tony Gnau

Southwest Airlines PR Video Strikes Out

Southwest Airlines clearly understands social media. I found their latest YouTube video when it popped up in my Facebook feed… only to watch and leave unfulfilled. A shame because they missed a real opportunity to educate their customers, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Rangers Trading Place is about some members of the Texas Rangers baseball team trying out different Southwest jobs at Dallas Love Field. As a producer, this has all sorts of great storytelling options.

The only problem… they really didn’t tell much of a story. I mean, you get the gist of what’s going on, but there’s no real storytelling technique here. The result as an audience member is leaving the video apathetic. Some baseball players scanned some tickets. Big deal. How does this impact me as a traveler? It doesn’t.

Or does it? Here’s one quick idea. Really feature the Southwest employees teaching the players their jobs. Make sure the employees emphasize why they do things certain ways and how that benefits travelers.

Apply just a little storytelling technique like this and you have an entirely different experience for the audience.

Having the technical ability to put together a video isn’t enough. Businesses need real storytelling to make their videos relevant so the audience has the opportunity to connect with what they’re watching.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Rangers Trading Places

PR/Marketing Stats Business Leaders Need To See

I was cheering-on Gini Dietrich yesterday as I read her post at Spin Sucks. In short, she wrote about how difficult it is selling change-resistant business leaders on the ongoing digital revolution.

It’s something we often face as well since the majority of our videos are bound for the web. One of the consistent arguments Gini hears is one I’ve heard a time or two myself. Company leaders say they don’t need online videos because their clients aren’t 20-somethings surfing the web.

Oh yeah? Right after reading Gini’s blog I came across this little ditty at eMarketer.com. A recent study shows Gen-Xers (34-45 year-olds) are watching more online videos than any other age group. More than 74% will watch online video at least monthly this year.

After I got over the fact that my fellow Gen-Xers and I are now in our 30’s and 40’s, I realized how important that information is for business executives. This notion that only 20-somethings are surfing the web, using social media, and watching online video isn’t based in reality.

If Joe or Jane CEO isn’t willing to accept it, maybe their competition will be interested.

–Tony Gnau

Careful Where You Send Your Content

Know your target audience. Don’t buy email lists. Do your best to practice permission-based marketing.

Why? So you don’t send your mass marketing email to your competitors.

Yes, I just got a mass email at my work email address (tgnau@t60productions.com) from a video production company telling me about how high-quality video can help my business. It’s even a Chicago-based company.

I love my fellow video producers. We’re competitors, but we also network with one another. I’m happy to recommend others if I feel like they’re a better fit for a project, but this really irked me.

No, I’m not going to tell you the company. This isn’t a personal attack. It’s just a great reminder how blind marketing can backfire.

–Tony Gnau

Getting Creative With Content Budgets

Everyone’s budget is tight. We run into it all the time. Business leaders want a professional video production, but they say they can’t afford it.

Video production costs are actually very reasonable these days. What would have run you 20-grand ten years ago costs half of that now. The average video we produce these days comes in between $4,000-$8,000. That’s a high-quality, professional video production.

Even so, I realize times are tough. Budgets are smaller and if you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money. That leads me to a couple of suggestions.

First, companies need to plan ahead. Research your video project in advance, keeping one eye on the next fiscal calendar. Get a proposal from your video provider before budgets are made so that you can work the production into it in advance.

“Hi Joe Video Producer, we’re working on next year/quarter’s fiscal budget and we want to have a video produced. Any way you could give me an estimate?”

Trust me, they’ll be happy to help.

Second, look for sponsors. Every business is different, but think about vendors your company works with and see if they have any interest in contributing.

“Hi Jane Vendor, we’re producing an online video for YouTube, other social media, and an email blast. We’d love to get a few of our vendors some exposure as well.  If you’re interested in participating, we can do product placements for $100 or even interview someone from your company for $500 and include a few sound bites.”

Those are just random numbers I threw in there, but you get the point. Would that be tacky? I don’t know, you tell me. I’m just brainstorming here. Keep in mind, I’m suggesting contacting the vendors you purchase from, not customers you sell to.

I’m certainly open to other ideas. In fact, I’d love to hear how businesses are getting creative about paying for any content they’re creating… so let me know!

–Tony Gnau

Content Tip For Mobile Phone Users

One of the great new features many mobile phones provide is the ability to shoot HD video, but having quality video at your fingertips isn’t a guarantee you’ll shoot good video.

A whole generation of people have grown accustomed to shooting photos on their phones, and they do it holding the phones upright… vertically. That’s fine for photos, but not for video.

If you’re shooting video on your mobile phone, please turn the phone so that you’re shooting video horizontally. Think about the screen where you’ll be displaying your video. TV screens… horizontal. Computer screens… horizontal. YouTube… horizontal.

Flip the phone 90-degrees counterclockwise and you’re on your way to shooting better video.

–Tony Gnau

Whole Foods Fresh Videos

I went to the Whole Foods website yesterday to see if they carry a specific product and found something even better… videos. Not just any videos, but well-done PR and marketing videos.

Here’s a company whose leaders are doing it right. By all means, please check out their video page. They have cooking demonstrations, features on store openings, examples of community projects, even an ongoing series called Hungry For More. It’s a Food Network/Travel Channel-style production that highlights the products you’ll find at Whole Foods and how they’re made.

Wow! Have they been reading this blog!?

One of the best things about a lot of the videos is that they aren’t even about Whole Foods. I mean, they are about Whole Foods in a greater sense. The videos just aren’t saying, “Look at us! Look at us! Aren’t we great!?”

This is the type of video content more corporate leaders need to be creating. By highlighting their vendors and communities, the company shines.

Funny how that works.

–Tony Gnau