Tag Archives: marketing video

Soldier Field, Chicago

Alright PR and marketing pros… you like planning ahead, right? Mark Veterans Day 2012 on your calendar and copy this blog post as a note. Here’s a great way for businesses to honor that day.

I spotted this American Airlines video on Facebook last Friday. It’s a very simple video the company produced to honor the veterans who work for the airline.

The video itself is just okay, a little long, but I love the idea. I’m a big fan in general of featuring employees in corporate videos, and honoring a company’s vets on Veterans Day is something everyone can do.

Remember, video is all about emotion. You want material that connects with your audience.

Our veterans stir emotions for millions of us. Showing how a comany supports them is a great way to build a connection with clients and prospects.

–Tony Gnau

Pretty pictures are nice. Information is good. The two of them together are even better. The thing is you need more. More if you’re interested in creating a video that will connect with viewers.

Enter storytelling. Incorporating your information into a story and marrying it with good images will draw in your audience and make them more receptive to your message.

Create a story that’s relevant to your viewers and you’re on your way to making an impact.

–Tony Gnau

Video just does things that text can’t do, and I found a really good example. It’s an online ad for the new Bose bluetooth headset.

The text on the landing page promises…

• Exclusive Bose technologies let you hear calls better, even as noise levels change
• Noise-rejecting microphone allows callers to hear more of your voice—in windy and noisy environments too

Look… reading it is one thing, but seeing and hearing it? That’s what sells people on a product like this. Bose clearly understood this and posted a very clever video on the page to demonstrate the product.

Take a listen and you’re bound to agree with me. Video just does things text can’t do.

–Tony Gnau

My wife ran into a local business owner yesterday and complimented him on the video at his website. She asked a bit about the video and he revealed something interesting.

He said that everyone over 35 who goes to the site reads the text, and everyone under 35 watches the video.

Now, we don’t have the full analytics here, but they obviously got this business owner’s attention. He also mentioned he’s going to add more video to the site since it’s apparently driving traffic to his company.

That’s the power of video… ROI-style.

–Tony Gnau

If you’ve signed up at YouTube, than you should know you don’t have a YouTube page. You have a YouTube channel.

It’s the perfect title because it hints at the mentality business leaders need to embrace once they start posting online videos. The company may make widgets, but it’s now a television station as well. That means company officials have to program their channel with all sorts of videos that people will want to tune in to see.

It’s important to remember, without viewers there’s no point in having your channel. This is why you need to focus the content on the audience, not your company. Sure, you can communicate things about your company, just make sure you’re serving the audience’s interests. Constantly ask yourself a question from a viewers perspective… why do I care?

They’re only going to tune in to your channel if you’re posting videos relevant to them.

–Tony Gnau

We all know videos can serve multiple marketing purposes. Social media, email campaigns, live events… the list goes on and on.

How about internal morale booster? That’s right, the same videos used to cultivate relationships with clients and prospects can have a tremendous impact on your own team.

The way you do it is to include your team members in the videos themselves. In some cases, you can even highlight them and the good job they’re doing (see an example).

Have you ever given someone a pat on the back? I’ve been reading a lot lately about leadership, and encouragement seems to be a recurring theme. Think about how it’ll make your team feel to see themselves and their co-workers in the videos their company uses to help earn new business.

It’ll make them feel appreciated. It’ll make them feel like they’re a part of something. It’ll make them feel like stars.

–Tony Gnau

I’ve been on a tear recently blogging about behind-the-scenes videos. I love them. They highlight one of the great things about the medium… giving businesses the ability to take clients and prospects behind the curtain.

I found another example from syndicated radio host and best-selling author Dave Ramsey. He kicked-off the launch of his new book EntreLeadership with a whirlwind media and book signing tour, and cameras took his followers with him (see one of the videos). This is a guy who knows how to market, and video is clearly a part of his plan.

How did it work? The book debuted at the top of the New York Times Best Sellers List. I’d call that a successful campaign.

Behind-the-scenes videos make viewers feel like they’re part of something. They’re in on something special.

That could be your company.

–Tony Gnau

PR maestro Gini Dietrich recently blogged about the reasons she’s heard why some executives refuse to buy-in to the social media scene. Frankly, many of the reasons are legit, but that doesn’t give these business leaders a free pass.

The truth is many of them are simply afraid, but if they could fight through their fears there are now opportunities to do great things… connect with clients and prospects… market in ways companies couldn’t do in the past.

Hello? Video! Companies can now deliver video on their own terms.

Video allows companies to take clients and prospects behind-the scenes, introduce them to great people at the business, and show how the company is solving clients’ problems.

YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, email campaigns… they’re all in play. Any company that embraces social media can harness the power of video.

–Tony Gnau

I’ve been blogging a lot lately about behind-the-scenes videos. The posts have been inspired by college football season since so many schools are doing a great job of taking fans inside the locker room and beyond.

The connection to business seems very clear to me, but in case you’re missing it please take a look at mega-marketer Disney.

My wife and I watched a video via Netflix titled, Disney Parks: Undiscovered Disney Parks. It featured some pretty cool behind-the-scenes things taking place at the theme parks and resorts, and the video is one in a series of DVDs.

I have no idea how much the series cost to produce and distribute, but by the time I had picked up the remote to turn it off my wife was already on the laptop pricing out a Disney vacation.

Now, this was a 40-minute video on Disney theme parks. Not many people might be willing to invest that sort of time watching a behind-the-scenes video featuring your business, but what about a 1-2 minute video? What about a series of 1-2 minute videos that you roll out every month or every quarter?

Now you’re creating a behind-the-scenes experience your clients and prospects will appreciate.

–Tony Gnau

It’s no longer business as usual. Companies that are jumping on the social media express need to understand something… they are now content creators.

Sure, they still sell widgets or provide a special service, but now they have another identity. They are a media company. That means thinking about the media they produce and how it can affect the business.

Gone are the days when a business relies on the traditional media to help spread its PR or marketing message. Now it’s up to the company to do it. It might appear to be a daunting task, but it really opens a world of options.

One of them is the opportunity to harness the power of video. Businesses can create video content that serves an audience and turns viewers into customers.

It won’t happen overnight. The first step is changing the mindset. We no longer just sell widgets. We are a media company.

Once they’ve accepted that reality, businesses can begin looking at all the great stories surrounding the company and start producing videos.

–Tony Gnau