Tag Archives: PR

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I hate to keep picking on Illinois politicians… okay… that’s not true. I’m perfectly comfortable picking on Illinois politicians. They deserve it on a lot of levels. In this case, it centers on video narration. Small potatoes compared to the state’s $100-billion debt, but a good lesson for anyone producing a marketing video.

It’s a case of… here we go again. Democrats… Republicans… all doing the same thing and all missing the mark. Videos meant to sell us on them, only we barely get to hear from the candidates themselves.

It’s really quite maddening.

This time it’s a political newcomer, Doug Truax. He’s running for the U.S. Senate here in Illinois and he had a video produced to introduce himself to voters.

The video is over three minutes. That’s long for a web video, but not too bad. For me, video length is all about audience and the video’s purpose. In this case, I think three minutes is fine. Except for this one thing… we don’t hear from Traux during the first two minutes of the video. Instead, it’s your typical political commercial voice.

Ugg.

Why I’m not a fan of scripted video narration

If what you’re after is a carefully scripted message, narration is the way to go. However, if you you’re a business leader, here’s why I think you’re making a mistake. Your perfectly scripted and performed narration sounds scripted and performed.

The best marketing videos are the ones where people don’t feel like someone is selling them something. The video tells a compelling and authentic story. You loose the “authentic” part as soon as the audience hears the narrator.

Even if it’s only on a subconscious level, they know this video has been sanitized for their viewing. It’s no longer them discovering something new. It’s them being sold something.

You know how to stop that? Tell your own story. Go on camera and let your passion show. Drop the script, leave the teleprompter behind and speak from the heart.

That’s how you connect with an audience. That’s how you create a good first impression.

–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.

No doubt… video production can get expensive. Unless you have an eye on video ROI. That could change your perspective.

We have some low-cost options, but if you want full-service storytelling it’s going to cost you at least $4,000. Some company’s don’t blink at that. For others, it’s a big commitment.

Return on investment is something every business has to judge on their own, but there are some statistics out there that can help guide you. Here are some I have come across recently…

Marketing Pros Find a Video ROI

Video ranks 2nd with marketing professionals (51.9%) as the type of content with the best ROI.  |  eMarketer

People Act After Watching Videos

About 46% of people say they’d be more likely to seek out information about a product or service after seeing it in an online video.  |  Oracle

Video ROI even touches top executives and decision makers

65% of senior executives have visited a vendor’s website after watching a video.  |  Forbes | Insights

Video Isn’t Easy

The highest percentage of marketers (49.8%) describe video content as “difficult to create.” (cough, cough… which is why it’s good to hire a professional video storyteller)  |  eMarketer

I’m not here to tell you people will watch your video and immediately line-up to buy your product or service. What I will say is if you tell a good story, you’re going to put yourself in a good light… making it easier for people to buy from you.

Video is a great way to create a good first impression. It can help endear you to your prospects, and we buy from people we like.

That’s the power of video. That’s a good return on 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.

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I’m a big fan of YouSendIt.com. T60 has had an account with the company for years. We send some pretty large files to our clients, and YouSendIt.com is how we’ve always done it… until now.

That’s because YouSendIt.com has changed its name to Hightail.com. The company has been mentioning the name change for a while, but just recently it made the switch official.

Like many clients, I was wondering… why? Well, Hightail leaders made a very smart decision… they told us.

I mean that literally, they told us. They produced a video and explained the idea behind the name change.

The reason isn’t important. You can find out for yourself by watching the video. What’s important is they used video to its fullest.

Keeping clients informed

First of all, they didn’t owe an explanation to anyone. It’s their company. If they want to change the name, they certainly can. But knowing they have a loyal following, they knew there would be questions so why not clue people in?

Second, they could have posted an open letter to customers at the website or sent everyone an email, but they took it a step further by creating a video. This allowed them to personally tell everyone what was going on. We got to hear it straight from them.

I love it… such a great idea. Not only is it an accessible way for people to get an answer to the “why” question, it also humanizes the company. We get to see and hear from Hightail’s leadership and share in their passion.

I’ll tell you what the video did for this client… it satisfied me. I heard their reasoning… accepted it… and changed my web browser bookmark.

From my end… happy customer. From their end… mission accomplished.

Something to keep in mind the next time you have big news clients might be interested to know.

–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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Wrapping up a week of blogging about some of our most recent videos and sharing the lessons behind them. Today, it’s about picking the right video producer.

Let’s face it. There are TONS of people out there who can produce your video. Everyone with a smartphone in their pocket is carrying a video camera. You can even edit the video you shot on the phone as well… not recommended.

But just because everyone has the tools to shoot and edit video, it does not mean they have the ability to produce a quality video. Which leads me to today’s video, For Women, ltd.

Case Study

Dr. Javier Fajardo is a Chicago-based doctor offering gynecological and obstetrical care with a personalized touch. He was in the middle of a website redesign and decided a new video was in order.

The old video… not so good. The biggest issue was the lighting. The person shooting it clearly didn’t use their own lights and relied on the overhead florescent lights. Big mistake.

You can get away with that in certain circumstances. If there are a bunch of them and the room is truly bright… probably okay. When you have to boost your camera levels to the max and the picture still looks pretty dark… you better whip out the light kit.

Dr. Fajardo’s office isn’t poorly lit. It’s perfectly fine as a doctor’s office, but it isn’t exactly ideal as a video studio. Even putting up a single light made a world of difference. That’s what experience gets you.

On Alert for Video producer problems

I think there are a few problems to be aware of when choosing a video producer. Technology has become a crutch. The cameras are so good these days we just put too much trust in them. Next, a few classes on video production doesn’t make someone an expert. Years in the field do. Finally, I’ll just say it… some people are lazy. “Good enough” isn’t good enough.

And that’s just the technical aspect of shooting a video… I didn’t even touch on the importance of choosing a real storyteller.

Keep those things in mind the next time you pick your producer.

–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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For some businesses it’s a question with an obvious answer. Where do we shoot our marketing videos? The office, the factory, the places we do our work. But what if you’re a small business owner without a fancy facility? Well, in many cases the answer remains the same.

This week I’m blogging about some of our most recent videos, and passing along valuable lessons illustrated by each. Today, it’s RS Design Studio.

Marketing videos case study

Randy Shingledecker is the man behind the company. He’s an interior designer, and one of his big questions as we got started on the video… where should we shoot it?

I asked him where he does his work and he mentioned his office. Okay, check. He also mentioned all the stores he visits looking at products. Now we’re getting somewhere.

I asked a little more about that and he likes to take clients with him on some of those missions. See how this is taking shape? We were producing one of our Elevator Pitch Videos for him (typically about 60-seconds), so a couple of locations was plenty. I also loved the idea of getting out of the office.

You don’t need a fancy office

A lot of small business owners are worried about looking that way… small. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, “We don’t have an impressive office or anything.”

My response is always the same. “So what.” In the hands of a good professional storyteller, they’ll make something work. It doesn’t have to be deceiving viewers into thinking someone’s bigger than they are. It’s about putting them in the right environment to tell their story.

Having a big factory or a highrise office is great, but they’re not essential components to creating a compelling marketing video.

–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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The economy is still slow, times remain tough, but believe it or not businesses still have a hard time recruiting good workers. One of the things they’ll occasionally do to help their effort is create a recruiting video.

This week I’m blogging about some of our recent projects and highlighting valuable lessons. Today’s video features a Chicago networking group… LeTip of Lakeview. Okay, I’m a member, so I kind of had the inside track on this project. It was an easy one in the sense that the group’s leadership basically turned me loose and said, “Do your thing.” That doesn’t mean it wasn’t without challenges and that’s what I’ll focus on here.

Recruiting video vs. About Us video

First, a recruiting video is similar to an About Us video, but there are some subtle differences. Chief among them… what you’re selling. A business creating a About Us video should be focusing on what prospects and clients want to know about the company. A recruiting video highlights things important to prospective employees.

The LeTip of Lakeview video is a great example. The video is intended to help recruit new members, so it focuses on things we feel sets the group apart from other networking groups… great energy, providing warm leads and putting dollars in your pocket.

What the video doesn’t go into is the parent organization, LeTip International, or how the meetings are structured. If we would have been producing a more general video on the group, those things would have been touched on.

Takes a professional’s eye

Second, take a look at the video from a visual standpoint. Anything stand out? It’s basically a bunch of people sitting around a table. The challenge was trying to make that look interesting and convey one of our big points… great energy.

An amateur video producer would have probably never even considered this point. Good thing the group has an expert at the table (cough, cough). High energy music, lots of camera movement and quick cuts go a long way to spicing things up.

Recruiting videos can be a tricky project, but with the right focus they can help make your business or organization more appealing.

–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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We just recently wrapped-up a few new projects, so I thought I’d take the week to highlight them and some of the lessons they can provide anyone creating a website video.

Today’s selection is an example of one of our Elevator Pitch Videos. It’s the least expensive and least involved of the types of videos we do, but it’s a great way for small business owners to get a quality “About Us” video for their websites.

CGO Wealth Management is in the process of creating a new website and thought it was important to incorporate a video. When I spoke with owner Claude Ohanesian for the first time, there was something that struck me about his message for prospects. He really wanted them to understand that he genuinely cares about his company’s clients.

I knew right away that video was going to be a good fit because that’s what video can do better than every other marketing platform. It helps convey feelings.

Adding authenticity to your website video

“What we want to do more than anything else is give our people the comfort that someone cares about them.”

That’s what Claude said during our interview. As words on paper or on a screen, it looks nice enough. Do you get any emotion from it though? Probably not.

Now, try watching the video. It’s a totally different story. He sounds and looks sincere.

That’s the power of video. Reading the words don’t do them justice, but when you hear them coming from him they carry greater weight. It lends a whole other level of authenticity to his marketing.

Adding a genuine message to your website video creates a great first impression for anyone visiting a company’s website.

–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 marketing is huge these days and more and more businesses are giving it a go on their own, so I thought I’d write about some of the mistakes amateurs tend to make.

First, I’m on the record here. If you’re with an established company and value your reputation, please find a pro to help you. The likelihood of you pulling off an amateur video that lives up to your good reputation is slim. Okay, that’s my disclaimer.

Now, for those of you with young companies or small businesses with zero marketing budget, here are some things to keep in mind.

• it’s not about the camera, it’s about the person behind the camera

Look… everyone has an HD camera in their pockets. Whatever you use as a camera is probably going to deliver a good-looking image. The key is picking the right person to operate the camera. Who’s a good still photographer? Who has a creative eye? Do they understand even a little something about composition and lighting? These are the people you need to think about.

• good pictures aren’t enough

Video includes both sight and sound, and nothing screams “amateur” like a video with beautiful images and crappy sound. Invest in a good microphone. If you’re having someone talk on-camera, think about the environment where you’re doing it. Is there competing sound somewhere in the area? Remove it, or remove yourself from the area. Your sound needs to be crisp with little or no background noise seeping through.

• know when you’re in over your head

 Producing quality video isn’t easy. If your experience isn’t going like you would have hoped, stop. Please stop. Whether you give-up completely or turn to a pro, that’s up to you. A bad video is just a bad idea. It makes you look like amateurs, and the last thing you want people thinking about your company is that you’re a bunch of amateurs.

So… that’s about it. I’m not a fan of most amateur videos, but if you have to do it… be smart about it.

–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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One of these days… one of these days I’ll convince a client we don’t need any spoken words to tell their story. It has to be the right project, but video storytelling is more than words. In some cases, it can survive on its own without anything being said.

I’ve blogged about it in the past. American Airlines did one of my favorite videos in this way. Well, I have another one.

Adobe’s creative video storytelling

I LOVE a recent video produced by Adobe entitled, Photoshop Live – Street Retouch Prank. From the concept to the execution… A+.

Adobe wanted to promote one of its upcoming events, Adobe Creative Days, so they brought some creativity to a local bus stop and captured it all on video. I’m not going to say anything more than that because I really want you to watch.

They setup the scenario, show us how it’s done and share the end results… all without any sound bites or narration. Could they have used some? Sure. Did they need to? No.

I don’t necessarily know if it ever came up at a pre-video meeting, but I’d argue not using any spoken words actually works well with what they’re promoting. It’s a “creative” way of highlighting Adobe Creative Days.

Will viewers “get” the message?

Not sure this sort of thing would connect with an audience? Well, the Adobe video currently has over 16-million views. 16-million!

Look, I know it’s Adobe so they have a big audience to begin with, but that audience clearly watched and shared it with others. They’re not going to do that with something that stinks or they don’t understand. That’s why video is such a terrific tool. Good videos are highly shareable… whether there are spoken words or not.

Anyway, it takes some corporate guts to go with this style, so it might be easier for companies like Adobe that produce a lot of videos. I have to say though… it’s soooo good.

Consider this an open call to all of our clients and future prospects… we’re ready to give it a try when you are. If you don’t like it, we can always do some interviews and go back down the traditional route.

–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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My wife reads a bunch of interior design blogs, and one of the bloggers recently wrote about how difficult it was for her to create an About Us video. That doesn’t surprise me.

I’m not going to mention the blogger. I watched her video and while it wasn’t an awful amateur attempt, it was an amateur attempt. Unless I’m pointing out specifics to use as teaching moments, I don’t like to point a figure at sub-par videos. Without purpose, it’s just mean.

Anyway… the point I wanted to touch on is simply involves the About Us video in general. The blogger was right. It is hard to produce, especially when you’re doing it on yourself. Trust me, I’m a veteran video storyteller, and one of the most difficult About Us videos I’ve produced was on T60.

One of the reasons is simply perspective. You know everything there is to know about you or your company. Cutting that down to fit a 1-2 minute video is tough. You want to tell everyone everything, but that just doesn’t work.

How do you do it?

It takes an incredible focus on what your customer wants. Remember, this video might be ABOUT you, but it’s not FOR you. The video is for your audience. Every step of the way you need to be asking yourself, what’s the information they need? What are the issues relevant to them? Questions like those will guide you down the right path.

Don’t produce an About Us video at all

Of course, probably the best way to produce an About Us video is what our clients do. They don’t produce one at all. They have us do it for them.

Self-serving, yes, but it’s true. Bringing in an professional storyteller with a fresh and unbiased perspective usually results in a better video. Not to mention they should be a better and more efficient videographer and editor.

An About Us video is something every business/organization should have, and while it can be a tough task… it doesn’t have to be.

–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.