Tag Archives: social media

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

Okay… a little peek behind the blog’s curtain today. I write here four days a week. A lot of people are surprised I can find enough material to generate that much content on corporate video production. The truth is I’ve never found it very difficult… until last night.

Whenever I think of a blog topic, I make myself a note. If I’m out and about and I spot something that strikes me, I take a photo of it. When I see a good/bad video pop-up in my social accounts, I make sure to note it.

When none of the above has happened… I go Facebook fishing. I follow a lot of businesses producing videos and love to write about them via this blog. I can usually scroll back two, three, maybe six hours in my feed and typically find a video to blog about.

Not yesterday. Actually, the only corporate video in my feed is the one T60 posted about our latest client, Yellow House Children’s Services.

I planned on sharing some stories from that shoot sometime this week and could have done it today, but I thought my Facebook fishing failure deserved some notice.

Why? Because this is how much the world has changed over the last few years. Videos are everywhere. Five years ago, searching for video to write about would have taken forever. Today, I’m put out because I couldn’t find one during a 60-second Facebook search.

The world has changed. Video needs to be part of your PR/marketing strategy. I shouldn’t have to go Facebook fishing for you.

–Tony Gnau

Packed house for yesterday’s American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter seminar on social media. Adam Lilly from Goose Island Beer Company talked about their social strategy and Nader Ali-Hassan from Razorfish talk about social’s future and how to measure its impact.

One of the big takeaways I hope everyone got was the importance of storytelling. Adam talked a lot about what the Goose is doing to tell its story and how it’s building a following using social media.

He also talked about how the company gets everyone involved. Marketing works with all departments to find stories that might interest their followers. They also use those people in the videos. Gone are the days of a single company spokesperson. If an employee has an interesting story… they’re in!

This is how you serve an audience. Focus on content that they will be interested in and feature real people.

–Tony Gnau

Big event today for the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter. They’re bringing together social media experts from Razorfish and Goose Island Beer Company to talk about where the medium is headed.

Here’s a tease straight from the AMA…

Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Google +. Pinterest.  Just when you master one platform another pops up. Where do savvy marketers invest their companies’ time, money and resources?  What strategies are used to engage customers and build loyal, active followers?  How does a company handle social media during a crisis to create an interactive dialogue that generates positive results and reviews?

The program starts at 3:00 p.m. today and there will be a networking opportunity afterwards. If you want to learn more/register, check out their website and by all means… watch the video!

–Tony Gnau

I feel like it’s just been a couple of days since I blogged about Goose Island Beer Company. Oh yeah… it has only been a couple of days.

Well, I can’t help it! They keep doing great stuff that serve as good marketing examples.

One of the things I try to remind clients is that “old” videos can continue to be shown years after their intended air date. The trick is to look for situations where it works.

Case in point… the Goose. Yesterday on Facebook, they posted about the Craft Brewers Conference taking place in San Diego… “It reminds us of a couple of years back when we hosted this party at our brewery in Chicago.”

The post links to this video from two years ago. It’s AWESOME! Possibly the best event video you’ve ever seen. Did I mention T60 produced it?

Okay, maybe that means we’re not quite objective enough to critique it, but the video really did turn out well. So from Goose Island’s perspective… why not look for an opportunity to show it again? And that’s exactly what they did.

The Goose Island party took place two years ago, but because they had the foresight to produce a video… it lives on to this day.

With all the time and money it takes to put on a special event, it only makes sense to add video to the mix. It can give you marketing value years after it’s over.

Just ask the Goose.

–Tony Gnau

Social media isn’t going anywhere, and video is going to continue to play an increasingly important role.

That’s the cliff notes on a conversation I recently had with Nader Ali-Hassan, Associate Director of Social Media at Razorfish.

Nader and I chatted about social media and video after wrapping up an interview. T60 produces videos for the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter to preview upcoming events. Nader is going to be a guest speaker along with Adam Lilly from Goose Island Beer Company.

Anyway, Nader is a big believer in social media video. A written post is good, but add video and now you have something really “shareable.”

He also talked with me a little about length. To sum up, shorter is better. Again, it’s all about posting things that people will be willing to share. Start producing videos over 2-minutes long, and your shareability factor starts to drop.

Both Nader and Adam have lots of good ideas and advice regarding marketing and social media. I encourage you to check out the AMA-Chicago event (sign-up here) which is open to members and non-members alike.

–Tony Gnau

It’s no secret. Goose Island Beer Company has been a frequent topic of conversation here because they’re a T60 client doing a lot of things we all can learn from. Today… another example… this one regarding social media.

Adam Lilly is the Brand Director at the Goose. We interviewed him the other day for a video separate from Goose Island. He’s participating at an event put on by the American Marketing Association-Chicago Chapter, and we shoot the organization’s event preview videos.

Anyway, Adam had a lot of great things to say about how Goose Island is using the medium to connect with customers. One of them… no surprise… is video. We’ve done more than a dozen videos for them in the past, but these days they’ve taken their video investment to a whole new level.

Goose Island is producing their social media videos in-house. They’ve bought multiple cameras, quality sound equipment, and they’re dedicated to producing video content for their social followers.

A big reason for all the video is to give people a behind-the-scenes look at the stories behind their great beers. Is it any surprise why I love these guys!?

Anyway, I won’t steal his thunder. If you want all the details on Goose Island’s social strategy, I encourage you to attend the AMA-Chicago event. Both members and non-members are welcome (sign-up here).

Tomorrow I’ll offer some thoughts on Adam’s co-presenter, Nader Ali-Hassan from Razorfish. He too thinks video is a critical component to social media.

–Tony Gnau

The web browser has become the new TV set.

Get off the sidelines and get in the game. Video is no longer a luxury. It should be an important part of your PR/marketing strategy.

Why? People are watching. Strike that… millions of people are watching. Social Media Examiner blogged yesterday about tips for finding and engaging your target market. Number four on the list… video.

Actually, the headline reads, “#4: It’s Time to Take Video Seriously.”

I couldn’t agree more. Millions of people are watching online videos everyday. Just look at the stats in the post…

According to comScore, this number has jumped over 43% to 100 million daily views (that’s roughly one-third of the U.S. population watching a video online each day).

One third of the U.S. population is watching online videos… everyday. Wow!

There’s an audience out there waiting to see and hear what you have to say. You just need a PR/marketing strategy with clear goals and a video pro to help execute the plan.

–Tony Gnau

I still speak with business owners who question whether or not it’s “worth” producing videos.

When I tell them, yes, they often want proof. Some sort of statistic that will shown return on investment. Truth is… I haven’t found good data on that subject. There are tons of stats on people being more likely to watch an online video as opposed to reading online text, but I’ve never seen anything on ROI.

That doesn’t, however, mean that I don’t have proof. Here’s my answer for them. Go to YouTube, then type in a major corporation you admire and see what turns up.

Chances are that company is producing videos. They’re investing time, effort and dollars in… producing videos. They’re devoting creative energy to… producing videos. Big companies that calculate ROI for just about everything they do are… producing videos.

Why? Because people watch them. Because every time they create a video and post it online it’s an opportunity to highlight their company… their brand.

How’s that for proof?

–Tony Gnau

Has authenticity become cliché? Creating authentic content is the mantra for a lot of social media experts, but I’ve been hearing more and more about some feelings that “authentic” has become an overused word.

Seriously? Authenticity isn’t going out of style. I don’t care how many people use the term. The reason it’s being used is because it accurately describes how businesses need to conduct themselves online.

It’s especially true when creating videos. Audiences can sense right away when a message isn’t genuine. Keeping it “real” is crucial if you want to connect with viewers.

Once they sense you’re trying to pull a fast one… you’ve lost them forever.

–Tony Gnau