Tag Archives: corporate communication

Storytelling is crucial to marketing a business, and I love a recent inc.com article entitled, 3 Reasons to Master the Art of Storytelling.

It talks about why entrepreneurs need to embrace storytelling. The article contends that stories are memorable, easy to remember, and inspire action.

All true!

I’ll contribute another thought, add video to the equation and you’ll increase the effectiveness of all those qualities.

Video draws in the audience. It transports them to wherever the story is taking place. Video also taps emotions better than any medium out there.

High-definition, fancy editing, flashy graphics… all nice to have, but a good story trumps them all. Find yourself a video producer who is a storyteller at heart.

–Tony Gnau

There are a few things to consider when hiring a video producer, but one of the most important things… and most overlooked… is to remember that you’re hiring an artist.

You might buy lots of widgets at your business… from cleaning supplies to top of the line computers. Your video producer does not fall into this category.

Sure, we provide you with a product at the end, but it’s the artistic vision that goes into creating it that sets each of us apart from one another.

This is one area where saving a few bucks shouldn’t be your goal. I’m telling you… you can always find someone on craigslist to produce a video on the cheap. The problem is you’ll end up with a cheap video at the end.

Set your budget and go looking for someone who fits that budget. Narrow it down to 2-3 people/companies based on price, then watch their work.

Look at the shooting style, pay attention to the editing, but more than anything… follow the story. Do they tell a good story? Do they tell it in a compelling way?

When you find that person, you’ve found your artist.

–Tony Gnau

I spoke with someone yesterday who’s doing their best to get their company executives onboard with producing more videos. Not just producing videos, but having them professionally produced.

They’re getting the same resistance many people get… why should we pay for video production when we can buy our own camera and do it ourselves?

It’s a touchy question, but this is how I typically answer.

You run a successful company. You put a lot of time, effort and money into crafting your company image. You hire talented people, make sure the office looks professional, you have a nice website designed, et cetera. In short, you want people to see you as professionals… industry leaders.

Keeping that in mind, why would you then go out and self-produce a mediocre video? There’s no question, companies can create their own videos. They just won’t look or feel like a professional did it.

Keep in mind, your company video is going to be your first impression for a lot of people. You could have talented people working on every client project, the most beautiful office ever and a website taking home design awards… but if you don’t have a video to match? All people will see is that you produced your videos on the cheap.

Now, I’m not saying you have to spend a ton of money on your videos. The average price of a T60 video is about $5,000. It’s not chump change, but there are a lot of businesses that spend more on stationary.

The bottom line is that this is your company image. Don’t go through all the work to craft a great image then through it away by producing a video below your stature.

–Tony Gnau

Indianapolis week continues with a trip to the zoo. We love zoos in our family. We’re members at Lincoln Park Zoo, and LPZ is also a T60 client. So, whenever we visit someplace new as a family, that city’s zoo is a typical destination.

We loved the Indianapolis Zoo, and one of the things I enjoyed was that zoo leaders integrating video into some of the attractions. The one that stood out the most was at the dolphin tank.

Places like this love to educate people. They do it through text-filled displays, interactive games, and yes… video. A well done video is bound to draw people in and get them interested. They tend to start by watching some video, then move on to the text for more detailed information.

Does this sound familiar? That’s exactly what happens when you integrate video into your company’s website. Video becomes a first impression. Web surfers watch your short video, then move on to check out other areas of the site.

Integrating video is a great way to entice people to learn more about you and your company.

–Tony Gnau

Okay, I’m officially dubbing this “Indianapolis Week.” My wife, daughter and I recently took a little trip there and it definitely inspired some blog posts.

Today, it’s a pretty amazing way to link people to video. We passed by the city’s most famed steak house, St. Elmo’s, when I noticed something on the sidewalk… a QR code.

Take a look at the picture. The restaurant put a QR code in the sidewalk that links to their video. I’ll be honest… I couldn’t get my phone to read the code, but I was still impresses.

I checked out their YouTube channel figuring the video must be there. They have three videos on the channel, so I don’t know which is linked to the code. None of them are anything special, but WOW… what a creative way to deliver them.

I found a newspaper story that says the restaurant installed the QR code prior to this year’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis. Pretty innovative thinking.

I hope your wheels are turning like mine trying to think of creative ways to deliver your own videos.

–Tony Gnau

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Last week’s Facebook Question of the Week topic at spinsucks.com was one that Gini Dietrich and I collaborated on a bit. The question was about when to delete outdated or irrelevant videos. I’ll let you listen to Gini’s take on that subject, so please check out her video.

Now, I have an amendment to Gini’s comments that came up after a trip to Indianapolis and discovering an obvious video that needs to be taken down.

My wife was speaking at a convention there, so I was checking out the convention center website and discovered a video entitled, Indianapolis with Peyton Manning.

I didn’t even have to watch the video to know it needs to be taken down and replaced with an undated version. If you’re a football fan, the title says it all.

I did watch the video. It’s your basic “visit our city” type of thing, and it’s narrated by former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

I stress… FORMER Colts quarterback. Manning was recently let-go by the team, and he was immediately signed by the Denver Broncos. I’m sure you’re understanding why it’s time for a video update.

While Manning will always be identified with Indianapolis, as long as he’s playing for another team… it’s time to take down the video.

I don’t mind former employees who pop-up in company videos… unless they’re high-profile like Manning.

In the case of Indianapolis, they can always resurrect the video after Manning retires.

–Tony Gnau

The web browser has become the new TV set.

Get off the sidelines and get in the game. Video is no longer a luxury. It should be an important part of your PR/marketing strategy.

Why? People are watching. Strike that… millions of people are watching. Social Media Examiner blogged yesterday about tips for finding and engaging your target market. Number four on the list… video.

Actually, the headline reads, “#4: It’s Time to Take Video Seriously.”

I couldn’t agree more. Millions of people are watching online videos everyday. Just look at the stats in the post…

According to comScore, this number has jumped over 43% to 100 million daily views (that’s roughly one-third of the U.S. population watching a video online each day).

One third of the U.S. population is watching online videos… everyday. Wow!

There’s an audience out there waiting to see and hear what you have to say. You just need a PR/marketing strategy with clear goals and a video pro to help execute the plan.

–Tony Gnau

If you’re a regular reader here, you know I admire Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. I’m a proud Trojan, so it goes back to his time as the USC head coach.

My wife and I actually have a quote of his from a 60 Minutes story hanging in our home, “I keep thinking day-to-day that something good is just about to happen.”

Lately, I’ve needed a little attitude boost, so what pops up in my Facebook feed yesterday? A blog post from Pete Carroll entitled, Compete. It was just what I need to kick myself into gear.

One of the things I love about Pete is that his leadership goes beyond football. In the piece, he writes about competing in life. I read that post and thought about it as a husband, father, son, friend… and video storyteller.

T60 helps our clients compete. We help them by highlighting what they do best. We help them by showing people what they’re all about. We help them compete by telling their stories.

Something good is just about to happen.

–Tony Gnau

You have knowledge… share it. You have expertise… share it. You have information that will help prospects and customers… share it.

Take a cue from the Kansas City Police Department.

WHAT!? Yes… you read that right. The police department is doing a great job of sharing its expertise with the public. I got tuned into this through Ken Mueller at Inkling Media. He shared a post via Facebook about the KCPD’s social media efforts.

I checked out the department’s YouTube channel and it’s not bad. All the videos are clearly produced in-house, so they’re not exactly storytelling at its finest… but the videos work.

How-to’s, safety issues, public service announcements… they’re all there… and people are watching. 440,000 views in less than three years.

KCPD is sharing its expertise. You’re an expert too. Are you sharing your knowledge?

–Tony Gnau

Courtesy: Brompton Bicycle

Credit goes to my father-in-law today for posting this on his Facebook page… allowing me to spot it. It’s a video for the Bike Butterfly. Take one-minute to watch the video.

Okay… it’s seems to be a joke, but a good one and the source of a valuable lesson. That’s because this isn’t a video for the Bike Butterfly. It’s a video for the Brompton collapsible bicycle.

One of the things I occasionally blog about is that a video doesn’t have to be about your company, to be about your company. This is just another example… and a very creative one.

The bike isn’t mentioned once, but the video treats us to the bike’s versatility none the less. I don’t know about you, but as the video went along I was totally admiring the bike… thinking it was pretty cool… which is exactly what Brompton’s leaders were hoping.

The bike butterfly appears to be a joke, but Brompton’s marketing team is anything but.

–Tony Gnau