Tag Archives: Facebook

I went to log on to Facebook over the Thanksgiving holiday and received a welcome surprise.

Facebook has long featured a video on its login screen, but it’s usually some sort of motion graphics video demonstrating Facebook features. This time, however, it was some quality storytelling.

Facebook Storytelling

The social media giant has produced a segment called, Facebook Stories. It’s a series of videos highlighting some of the uses for Facebook.

I loved the first one I saw about a fish scientist (video: Speeding Up Science). The first half is all about what this guy does for a living, and then they hit you with the innovative way he’s using Facebook.

Smart plan for any business

This is something everyone can learn from. Find the people who are using your products or services, tell their stories, then how you’re helping them.

It’s “selling” without sounding like you’re selling.

That’s the power of video and storytelling.

–Tony Gnau

Anyone out there a fan of Pockets? It’s a Chicagoland sandwich chain and it’s one of my favorites. I follow them on Facebook and noticed a video they posted yesterday.

It promotes that the chain is now making pizzas and provides a promo code for $5 off an online order.

Okay, there’s nothing earth-shattering here. The video really isn’t anything interesting, but here’s what’s important… I watched.

Video works

How many Pockets Facebook posts do you think I’ve blown through and not even noticed? I’m sure a ton, but I stopped when I saw video.

Not because I was Facebook-mining for blog material (yup, I occasionally do that). No, it was because the video icon caught my eye and I was curious to learn more about their pizzas.

Video does a good job if catching our attention. It’s just one of the many reasons why it’s a great way to promote your business or brand.

Mmmmm… pizza.

–Tony Gnau

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

I love that the airlines put out a lot of videos. I don’t always love their videos, but this is a billion dollar industry that clearly gets it. Travelers are watching so they give them video content.

Today, I get to share one that I like from Virgin America. If you travel at all, you know about Virgin. They do everything they can to cultivate their hip image and they posted a video oozing with style yesterday on Facebook.

It actually serves as a valuable lesson. Lots of businesses have videos produced. A frequent problem is that they stuff them with too much information. Yes… too much information.

Audiences tend to subscribe to the “less is more” adage. Virgin does a great job here. The video is simple… a day at their terminal inside San Fransisco International Airport.. and the message is clear. It’s all about the airline’s style. Watch it once and you know this is an airline with its own unique style.

Virgin provides a really good flight plan to follow.

–Tony Gnau

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

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

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

Courtesy: Virgin America

This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about Virgin America. I’ve never flown the airline, but I can’t wait to give it a try.

One of the reasons, I keep getting these videos via Facebook that do a great job of promoting the airline. Yesterday’s video featured a partnership with Google allowing travelers to check-out a laptop to surf the web during their flight.

Just another great example for businesses. The video itself is nothing special, but I watched and now I know about another service the airline provides its customers.

Could Virgin leaders have done this with a simple text post? Yes. Would it have had the same impact. Doubtful. Video doesn’t just provide the information, it transports you to the airport and gives you a sense of what it would be like to actually use the laptop.

That’s the power of video. That’s why you need to put it to use promoting your business.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Virgin America/Google Laptop Service

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

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