Technology is ever-changing, prices are pretty reasonable, and that’s all good news for those of us that shoot and edit video. It also means content consumers need to be careful.

There’s all sorts of new cameras out there delivering stunning video quality, but there’s more to quality content than pretty pictures. When you pick someone to produce your video, make sure they have a creative heart and not just a technical mind.

You should be looking for the total package… someone who has the technical knowhow, but also the creative spirit needed to put together a video that will connect with the audience.

All flash and no substance isn’t a winning formula.

–Tony Gnau

One of my favorite things about online marketing videos is the opportunity they provide businesses to give customers an insider’s look at the company.

I just watched a video Ford has on its YouTube channel showing people how they test a vehicle for wind noise. From a production value standpoint, the video is okay… nothing special really.

Where it excels is simply giving a guy like me a glimpse behind the curtain. I’m going to be in the market for a car in the next couple years, so I find myself looking at stuff like this.

Online videos are completely changing the way we shop. They give us a whole new perspective that consumers didn’t have even just a few years ago.

Sure, Ford has produced a video sanitized for my viewing, but it’s still information I probably wouldn’t have noticed if not for YouTube.

–Tony Gnau

Jim Collins writes a lot in his book Good To Great about how important it is for companies to “get the right people on the bus.” In short, finding employees who are self-motivated.

That’s something we take seriously at T60. Right now, I shoot and edit most of our video, but T60 is growing so more and more we turn to freelancers to help. These aren’t just any freelancers though, they’re rock stars! Photographers and editors we can trust to create great content for our clients.

I was reminded how talented they are last week when I got the good news that Jeremy Nichols won a pair of Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Jeremy is a news photographer/editor at WISC-TV in Madison, WI.  He has worked for T60 in the past, and I hope he’ll continue to play a part in the company’s growth.

Jeremy just won awards for best use of video, watch Goat Art and you’ll see why, but he didn’t stop there. He’s so motivated that as a photographer/editor, he even won an award for sports reporting. Jeremy shot, wrote, voiced, and edited Good Eye, Tanner.

Any doubt this is the type of person you want creating content?

–Tony Gnau

I’m a big believer in transparency. In government, in business, and yes… in marketing videos. That’s why I’m pretty excited about seeing a new movie coming out this week.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is Morgan Spurlock‘s latest documentary. The concept… produce a movie about product placement and advertising that is paid for by product placement and advertising.

Love it.

Sure, it’s a clever way to focus on the subject, but I love the fact that some companies were apparently willing to jump onboard.

A business that respects an audience’s intelligence is bound to reap rewards.

–Tony Gnau

There are all sorts of videos that can help a company make a sale. Whether you provide a product or a service, a good video highlighting what you do can go a long way to earning new business.

But don’t discount your current customers.

A good video can also be an investment in them. If you don’t think your competitors are trying to lure their business away, you’re kidding yourself. That means its just as important to share your videos with your “faithful” clients as it is with your prospects.

It’s an investment worth making.

–Tony Gnau

I watched a good interview over at the Social Media Examiner last week, and it really hit home because it gave me a different perspective on one of my favorite topics.

Social Media author Scott Stratten talked about corporate video and how businesses need to tell emotional stories to get people to share them. He thinks this is the key to making videos go viral.

Anyone who reads this blog knows my feelings on this subject. Video is all about emotion, not facts. Call it my mantra. A good video touches emotions and connects with the audience. A powerful concept for any marketer.

Anyway, Stratten did open my eyes though because I’ve never thought about it from a “sharing” perspective, but it makes sense. People rarely share videos because they have great facts. They share videos that elicit emotion.

In some cases, facts lead to emotions, but it’s still the emotional response that’s driving viewers to share.

Emotion is apparently a key that opens many doors.

–Tony Gnau

Ditch the actors in web videos. Real people are just a better way to go.

I was watching an American Airlines video yesterday when this thought jumped to mind. The airline actually does a great job of posting online videos, some good, some not so good.

This one focuses on a contest the airline is running, and the video features actors posing as real people who talk about needing a vacation. This would have been so much better with real people, in their real environments.

Real people work well in videos because it immediately allows the viewer to connect with who they’re watching. Once you see an actor in a video, that sensation is gone. You know the company is selling you on something.

Real people on the other hand, their message is more authentic. Viewers are simply more interested in what they have to say, and they’re even trusted.

Real people, real messages, real impact.

–Tony Gnau

It doesn’t take long. A good video can get people’s attention and peak their interest in less than a couple of minutes. That’s important because most web surfers have very short attention spans.

However, that’s not why I think shorter PR and marketing videos are better. Shorter is better because it allows you to do more.

Instead of producing a single, let’s say, 10-minute video, businesses should turn out five, 2-minute videos. Breaking things up into segments does a couple of things…

1. it’s a manageable time for people to watch
2. it creates an event to look forward to

I want to focus on that second point. Producing a series of videos allows a company to release them as a web series. Using our previous example, we’ll say one video a week for five weeks.

Show them over your social media networks, in an email campaign, and now you’re producing content your followers will anticipate and appreciate every week.

Less really can be more.

–Tony Gnau

I love PR and marketing types because typically I don’t have to sell them on why video is a terrific marketing tool. They get it. The only tip I usually pass along to them is how to prep their clients and not to prepare them.

I know, isn’t “prep” just short for “prepare?” Exactly. It’s a big help when the PR or marketing person has prepped the client before the project begins… giving them an idea of what the production crew will need, how long the shoot will take, stuff like that.

On the other hand, you don’t want to prepare them. Don’t give them a list of questions that might be asked, don’t give them talking points, don’t prepare them for being interviewed.

Those are great things to do when getting ready for an interview with the media, not a video production the client is paying for. You don’t have any control over the message the media puts out, so better to be prepared. Not the case with us.

As video producers, it’s our job to make the client look and sound good, and the best way to do that is when you get authentic answers. Remember, we’re working for you and the client. If they make a mistake or don’t say something the right way, we just won’t use that sound bite.

Clients who prepare for an interview sound that way. Clients who have simple been prepped sound much more genuine.

–Tony Gnau