Tag Archives: Corporate video

If you’re producing online videos, chances are you’re doing some content marketing to go along with them. I hope you are anyway. Well, if so, here’s an important tip. Make sure you have a quality email list.

We all know there are different theories on lists. Quantity versus quality… which would you rather have? Clearly, I fall on the quality side, and that belief was confirmed last week.

Why?

I received some spam. Shocker… I know. We all get it. Have you ever received spam from one of your competitors?

Yup. A video company sent me a fake-personalized email telling me how video can help my website.

After I stopped laughing, I investigated a little further. Not about how video can help, I’m pretty well-versed in that. No, I started looking into the company.

I had never heard of it. The company wasn’t local, and clearly it was running some sort of national spam… I mean… email campaign.

Does this really work? The email was “personalized,” but it was clearly fake. The only reason I even opened the email was because it mentioned video and I had a feeling it was from a competitor.

My other issue is where did they get their email list? I mean, I know I’m just another address on the list, and they could care less that I’m a video company. What’s their open and click rate like?

Online videos + quality list = good campaign

I’ll take a smaller list with more motivated readers any day, but we all know that’s only part of the battle. If you’re getting a good open rate, you also want people to click. Video is an awesome enticement. An image with a play button on it… it just calls people to click.

Send them to a quality video that tells a good story? Your email campaign is on its way to paying off.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Is “good enough” really good enough for your company? I hope not, but I feel like it might be when it comes to many businesses’ corporate video.

I try to feature the good and the bad of those videos here. Either way, they provide some valuable lessons for anyone producing video content. Finding the bad ones, unfortunately, is pretty easy. That prompts a question for me.

Where’s the pride?

I find it hard to believe the leaders at many of these businesses look at their videos and think, “Great! We nailed that one. This video makes our company look awesome.” That just can’t be happening.

Most of the videos I feature here tend to be borderline, and I offer some expert ways for how they could have been improved. The thing is there are also some real clunkers out there. I don’t even bother highlighting those because I feel like there’s a fine line between being constructive and being mean, but trust me… those bad videos are out there.

So… back to my question, Where’s the pride? First, how does a company end up making a bad video? Second, once it’s done… why release it?

Corporate video gone wrong

The reasons for how a bad video gets made are numerous. Hiring a bad producer, not communicating well with the producer, not hiring a producer at all and attempting a DIY corporate video… and those are just a few. I guess I understand how things can go wrong, but I’d hope someone would have the guts to step-in, say this isn’t working, and figure out a new direction.

The inexcusable mistake I don’t understand is releasing a bad video to the public. It’s just a bad PR move. Even if a company spent a lot of time and money on a failed video, there’s nothing that says it has to be released.

It also doesn’t have to be a total loss. We’ve stepped in to “save” plenty of bad videos in the past. Your nightmare experience might be salvageable by contacting another producer and seeing what they can do with the existing material.

All of that being said, if you produce a bad video, please… don’t upload it to the web. It only makes your company look bad, and I’m guessing that’s the opposite of what you were hoping for at the beginning of the production.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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I’ve been a big fan of Half Price Books for a while. I used to buy a lot of books there (pre-Kindle), and recently Mrs. G and I have sold a TON of books to them. I caught one of their marketing videos the other day and it spurred a couple of thoughts.

Getting attention for something new

First, video is a great way to launch a new product or in this case… a new store location. Half Price Books posted this video in July about its new Austin, TX location and it has over 1,100 views. Now, in an age when everyone is looking for the next million-view viral video, that might not seem like much. However, I challenge you to think about it from a more realistic perspective.

That’s more than 1,000 people they enticed to sit and watch a video about the new location. Think those people will check it out? I can only imagine the video moved them in that direction. Now think about the last thing you launched. How would you like a 1,000 person head start letting people know about it? That’s what producing a quality video can do.

Multi-purpose marketing videos

Second, this could also be used as a multi-purpose video. It features a short voice-over at the beginning about the new Austin store, but the bulk of the story really features testimonials about why people like the company. That testimonial core could be used again as a stand-alone marketing video for the entire company, or if they open another store, all that’s needed is a new open with the new store information.

Producing a launch video is a great way to generate some enthusiasm for your new venture and, in the right circumstance, it might even be a good value for your marketing dollars.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

I found a company producing a ton of video content. The videos are well-produced, tell pretty good stories and are posted on a frequent basis. The only problem is something marketers, PR pros and business leaders need to know about.

If nobody sees your videos, they’ll never matter.

Video content case study

I discovered Schneider Electric recently. It’s a company producing green energy solutions. They have a pretty impressive rundown of videos and by all accounts, they’re doing things right. The company is producing lots of videos, they’re featured prominently at the website and they’re being shared via social media.

Nicely done. That’s exactly how you want to do it folks.

However, I do have one issue. The videos posted at the company website load soooo slowly. I logged on using three different computers just to do a comparison, and in all three cases many videos took about 30-seconds before they started playing.

That’s a HUGE deal. You know why? People’s patience for online videos starting to load is apparently 2-seconds. 2-seconds!!! That’s according to a study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Akamai Technologies.

Why your videos might not play

Producing a great video is only part of the process. You also have to figure out how you’re going to host it. There are several platforms, both free and subscription-based. YouTube and Vimeo are the big boys, but you do give-up a bit of control when you use them. The big advantage, certainly with YouTube, is that you get SEO value in return. The videos also load and play quickly.

Now, a bunch of things factor into how well a video plays. The hosting platform, size of the file, speed of the users’ computers, speed of their internet access… etc.

I have no idea why I had a problem with Schneider Electric, and I hope I’m the exception. The key takeaway is to be aware of these issues. Talk about them with your video producer and web manager. Make sure there are as few obstacles as possible for viewers to see your video content.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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Companies have some tough choices as they produce their corporate videos. One of them is whether to script and storyboard things in advance or take a more organic approach to production.

The recruiting video I found from First Midwest Bank is a prime example of what can happen when you plan things in advance. First, let me say I’m thrilled to see the bank’s leaders are producing a recruiting video. Business leaders who are serious about recruiting top talent NEED to show recruits what the company is all about, and video is a terrific way to do it.

Second, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the video. It’s clearly professionally produced. There’s good sound bites and a decent story. Here’s the thing though. While I like the sound bites… they sound genuine… everything else is soooo staged. None of it seems natural. In my book, that’s a problem.

I prefer an authentic approach

I’m all about authenticity. I want authentic sound bites, and if at all possible… authentic raw video (b-roll). Even on the occasions we have to stage something, we always try to make sure it looks natural. We have people doing things they would normally do in places they look like they would normally work.

That’s not how things come across in the bank video. They have a series of shots featuring employees smiling into the camera. Okay, we do that sort of thing from time to time, so I get that… it’s a style thing. The problem is the video of people “working” just doesn’t look natural. The shots look and feel staged.

Staging corporate videos hurts your company

Viewers recognize that sort of thing, and your company ends up looking and feeling the same way. Your business comes off as artificial, or worse… deceptive.

Not exactly the impression you want to make whether you’re recruiting new employees, or if you’re trying to market the business.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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Ending the week on a high note with Hightail. I blogged about the file sharing company not too long ago when they produced a video about its name change from YouSendIt to Hightail. Today, they follow that video with a traditional testimonial.

It isn’t revolutionary by any means, but it’s a great example of solid video content. It’s also something every business leader can learn from.

Why testimonials work

Testimonials are nothing new. They’ve been around and used for marketing purposes for… well… probably forever. Here’s what I love about testimonial videos.

1. you have the option of making them in a way that’s marketing without sounding like marketing… although the Hightail example is a little more overt.
2. getting a client to do a testimonial for you means an opportunity to give them some added publicity as well.
3. no bones about it… real people telling viewers that they like you is a powerful message.

Tactic changes, results the same

It’s funny… probably the thing I love most about testimonials is the ability to sell without selling. You can feature a client, show how they use your product or service and not hit people over the head with the message. I mentioned that the Hightail video is overt. They basically leave no doubt that this is a marketing video, but they do it in a pretty awesome way and one worth mentioning.

The COO featured in the video comes right out and says, “I hate being on-camera, and I hate doing testimonials.” I’ll bet that sound bite changed the whole approach to the video. Throwing that in throws away the notion of selling without selling, but it works.

Actually, I love it. What a great statement to get on-camera! It says it all… I don’t like doing this sort of thing, but I believe in this company so much I’m willing to be here.

That’s a powerful message. That’s the power of video testimonials.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

The cutting room floor… where good ideas go to die. Actually, that phrase should be left on the cutting room floor because there really is no more cutting room floor, so you better not be leaving your good ideas there.

Huh? Okay, a brief history if you’re not up on the origins of that phrase.

The actual cutting room floor

It all goes back to film editing. The editor would have to splice the raw film that was shot into a finished movie, newsreel, etc. That process would result in all sorts of good material that didn’t make it into the finished film literally being left on the floor of the editing room.

Well, very few people still shoot and edit on actual film. The vast majority of what you see in theaters, on TV or online is all shot on digital formats and edited on computers.

The point behind this history lesson is that your good ideas and cool shots don’t have to end-up dying. Save that raw material for future projects whether or not it makes it into the original project. Your creativity doesn’t have to end-up scratched and broken on the cutting room floor like old film strips.

We’ve got that b-roll

Mrs. G will tell you, I even shoot stuff when there isn’t a specific need for it. Over our vacation, I shot some video of Bond Falls in Ottawa National Forest. Did I do it for any specific project? Nope. But why not shoot it? You never know when it might come in handy. You need waterfall b-roll? We’ve got that b-roll!

Back in the day, storing random stuff like that would have been a nightmare. Developing the film, storing it in bulky canisters, knowing that most of it would be destined for the cutting room floor.

Not any more. I shot some raw b-roll in Washington, DC about four years ago and used it for the first time in a project last winter. Bonus… I can save that same raw video and use it for multiple projects in the future because it’s all digital.

There is no more cutting room floor, so keep those ideas alive.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Video content excels at a lot of things, but one of its best benefits is the ability to put your passion on display. Audiences can see it… hear it.. and feel it.

That’s a powerful thing for businesses trying to set themselves apart in the marketplace. Our industry is no exception, which is why I’m so surprised more don’t take advantage of the medium they help others use.

Practicing what we preach

When I was updating the T60 website, I looked at a ton of other video production companies’ sites. I was surprised to see not many produced stories about their own business. Most had some sort of highlight reel featuring past client work, but few produced a video specifically highlighting how and why they produce videos.

That’s just crazy to me. It should come as no surprise then that one of our top priorities was to produce a short video letting people know about our passion… storytelling.

Your video content challenge

So… here’s my challenge for you. Start researching your competition online. Checkout their websites. Do they have video? If so, what types of videos have they produced? A basic About Us video… product videos… testimonials? Do they look like they were made in-house or by pros?

It’s a good thing to do for a couple of reasons. First, if none of them have videos, you now know this is a great way to set your business apart from the pack. Second, if they are producing videos, what they’ve done might give you some ideas as to what types of videos you want to produce for your company.

Either way, it should be a valuable exercise.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Back from vacation… batteries recharged! Last week my family and I went to Wisconsin’s Northwoods for a summer get-away at the Estrold Resort. Good times. I even walked away with blog post idea regarding website video. You know… the About Us video.

Not enough businesses have one.

It’s really kind of crazy. I visited about 10-20 websites researching things for and during the trip. Do you know how many had a video? Zero, zip… I was stunned.

Big city, small town… shouldn’t matter

On one level, I understand it. The Northwoods is small town America. You might not expect small town businesses to be producing high-quality storytelling. One… they don’t have access to the number of professional video producers as big cities. Two… business competition probably isn’t as fierce.

Umm… right and wrong.

The first point is totally valid. I did a search for Northwoods video production and there aren’t a lot of companies to choose from, but there are a few. The second point… I think business owners there would argue.

Competition for your dollars is fierce everywhere. Big city… small town America… wherever. Business leaders are always looking for a leg-up on their competition. For a long time, there was a debate as to whether or not companies needed a website. That debate is over.

Website video sets businesses apart

The new debate is what should be on the website, and without a doubt video is a way to stand above your competition.

Consider this… only 24% of national brands are using online video (Kantar Media). This at a time when online video viewing is skyrocketing. Cisco reports it’s expected to double to 1.5 billion users in 2016.

So if there are more and more people watching online videos… and more than 3/4 of brands are not using online videos to market themselves… what does that add up to? Opportunity.

What an incredible opportunity for business owners to set themselves apart from their competition.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Email marketing remains a big part of many businesses. One of the things that’s great about it is that we have numbers… lots of numbers to track exactly how email campaigns are working. You know what’s working? What’s really driving revenues up? Email video.

Whether it’s embedding video into the emails themselves using html5, or simply linking to a video… it works. The numbers don’t lie.

The Relevancy Group recently conducted a study called, The ROI Of Video In Email Marketing. All I can say is, “Wow!”

How good could it be?

The survey polled 266 marketing executives and found only 25% using video in their email campaigns, but the ones who are have been successful.

Our survey found that marketers that utilize video in email have increased their click-through and conversion rates, and are generating forty percent higher monthly revenue than those that do not use video.

In case that slipped by you… the survey found that marketers using video in their email campaigns are generating 40% higher monthly revenues than those that don’t use video. 40%!!!

I’ll be honest, I don’t know what kind of marketers were surveyed, and the study doesn’t say. Mrs. G thinks that’s a big deal. What if the people surveyed work for big companies? They could have an easier time generating more revenue.

Another factor… we all know email marketing is a numbers game. The bigger and better your email list, the more likely it is that your email campaigns will pay-off.

How email video is working

However… despite those factors… what video is doing is maximizing those emails. The survey shows…

• Increased click through rates
• Increased duration people read the email
• Increased sharing
• Increased conversion rate

Any of those things interest you? They interest me. So much so I’m revamping our own email marketing… sign-up for our newsletter… shameless plug (ding)!

I know… I know… there are all sorts of reasons not to produce a video. We don’t have any stories to tell… it’s too expensive… we can’t take the time to produce them. The thing is… they’re all just excuses.

The truth is you do have stories to tell… video doesn’t have to be expensive… and when you have a pro do it the production won’t take much of your time at all.

Don’t let those phony excuses get in the way of you maximizing your email marketing.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.