Tag Archives: Guerrilla Marketing

NAB is the premiere trade show for broadcasting and video professionals, and it’s the subject of tons of tweets, shares and blog posts. One post that caught my eye yesterday came from my favorite royalty-free music site (premiumbeat.com). Its blog mentioned how important it is for NAB exhibitors to have a product launch marketing plan that includes video.

I especially like this subhead… Invest In Great Videos. I wish more business professionals would look at it that way. I’ve met a lot of corporate types who lump video into one of two categories.

VIDEO IS SUPER FUN

First, they think… wouldn’t it be fun to do a video! Well, sure. Video is fun. The problem is they don’t understand it’s also an art. While anyone can “do” a video these days, it takes a skilled professional to produce one that’s going to actually appeal to a broad audience. When you go into it thinking it’s just about fun, you actually miss the golden opportunity capture people’s attention and deliver great content.

THIS IS GOING TO SUCK

Second, some think… ugg, we have to produce a video. They envision a lot of work for them, draining valuable funds and resources that could be spent other places. These are clearly people who haven’t discovered the power of video. They also haven’t realized there are dedicated professionals who can make it a painless process that will provide them with a valuable tool to help sell their products and/or services.

PRODUCT LAUNCH FIRST IMPRESSION

A good video is an investment. When a company launches a new product, a compelling video can make a terrific first impression on consumers. It can not only inform them about what makes the product great, it can actually generate enthusiasm.

See… video is all about emotion. When done right, a good video grabs hold of us. A professional storyteller knows this and finds a way to create something that heightens the emotion they’re looking to elicit.

Is that a marketing tool worthy of an investment?

–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.  

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

Video is a crucial aspect in any public relations or marketing plan these days, and chances are it isn’t going to be the least expensive part. Production prices have come down a lot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do even better.

One way is to keep your eye on the future while you’re producing your current video. Think about ways you might be able to easily update the video down the line.

It might be something as simple as paying attention to the raw video that’s being shot. Is it material that will be easy to swap out in a year or two with fresh material?

If so, you could end-up saving big money. Instead of shooting a whole new video to replace the old one, you may be able to shoot some new raw video and drop it into the current video.

–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

A client had a last-minute request yesterday for some DVDs and I was happy to be able to accommodate them. I also promised to deliver them myself. A promise made and a promise kept at about 8:20 a.m. this morning.

Pat on the back… nice job Tony… thank you T60. If you’re a hard worker and want satisfied customers, this is pretty standard stuff, nothing noteworthy. Believe it or not you deserve that pat on the back because that’s not always how it works.

I got a reminder on the way home while waiting at the Clark & State “L” stop. Looking for my train I spotted at flat screen monitor operated by the Chicago Transit Authority. Various ads were running, the time, weather, and then something that caught my attention… a graphic that said, “CTA Train Tracker.”

Standing there in the cold I anxiously awaited to see how long it would be until my train arrived, only the information never followed. The CTA announced they have a train tracker, but that’s it. Frustrating.

About 10-minutes later my train showed up and I was on my way, but it really made me appreciate people who deliver on promises. If that’s you, this is your pat on the back.

–Tony Gnau

One of the things we pride ourselves in at T60 is the effort we put into every video we produce, so why do some win awards and others don’t? The reason this year is simple, and it’s a great lesson for business leaders.

It’s the people. Take one look at the videos we produced for DuPage Habitat for Humanity and Glenwood School for Boys and Girls and the common denominator is each features compelling people.

Shari and Arletta in the Habitat video… Vashawn in the Glenwood video… they’re comfortable on camera, they’re engaging, and most importantly they’re speaking from the heart. They’re not delivering a scripted corporate message. You can tell they believe in what they’re talking about.

It’s a great lesson for businesses leaders who want to produce their own video. Think about all your employees. Think about your customers? Who are the most engaging people who surround your company?

It might not be the CEO, executive, or manager you planned on featuring, but sometimes they aren’t your best representatives.

–Tony Gnau

T60’s 32nd Annual Telly Award Winners

VIDEO– DuPage Habitat for Humanity

VIDEO– Glenwood School for Boys and Girls