Tag Archives: storytelling

Courtesy: Entrepreneur Magazine

You know I’m all about storytelling, so when Entrepreneur Magazine posts something like this (see photo) in its Facebook feed… you have my attention.

Actually, I prefer another quote from the same piece with Gary Vaynerchuk…

“Storytelling is the most underrated skill in business.”

Love… it! And couldn’t agree more. The better you tell your story, the more likely you are to make a sale.

Why? Storytelling tugs at our hearts. It has the ability to help build an emotional connection between the viewer and storyteller.

How valuable can that be when you go to make a sale?

–Tony Gnau

Okay, last week it was the Republican National Convention, this week it’s the Democrats. But before we put the RNC in the books, we have to look at Mitt Romney’s introduction video. It aired Thursday night, and since I blog Monday-Thursday and Monday was a holiday… here we are.

First, put your politics aside. I’ll be reviewing Romney’s videos leading up to the election, and I’ll be doing the same for the President. The reviews will be about the videos and what we can learn from them, not the politics.

Bad Beginning

So… Romney’s intro video at the convention. It was… good. Not great. Good. I think the only thing holding it back was the opening and it provides a lesson. It’s like we just jump into the story with Romney taking over leadership at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

It took me a minute to get my feet under me while watching. Once I caught-up, the Olympic story was just okay. We hear about a controversy, then Romney taking over and turning things around.

So… as the video is rolling… I’m trying to recall what the “controversy” was about the 2002 Winter Olympics. I remember it was something before it started. Something about… oh yeah!… bribery! There were allegations of bribery to get the Olympic bid.

Good for me. I remembered. Bad for the video because while I was working that out in my head, the video was rolling along and I’m missing everything that’s being said.

Audiences Disengage

That’s why storytelling is so important. If you make a misstep, you lose your audience. Include something in your video that jostles viewers, and they miss the information you want them to get.

It can be the way you tell the story, a funky looking graphic, even something weird in the background of an interview. Anything that potentially disengages the viewer from the story is a no-no.

The rest of Romney’s video… awesome. Once I got past the opening, I re-engaged and thought it delivered.

Take a look at the video and let me know what you think.

We’ll take a look at President Obama’s video on Thursday and report back here on Monday.

–Tony Gnau

I just watched a video produced for a prominent Chicago hospital group, and it’s a shining example of why I rarely recommend scripting videos in advance.

Normally, when I critique a video I share it with you, but in this case I’m not going to. It featured a doctor talking about his specialties. I’m sure he had nothing to do how the video was produced. The hospital’s marketing team probably asked him to write a script, then show up to go on-camera to deliver it. No reason for me to single him out by showing it to you.

And in this case, there’s no need. You’ve seen it before. Someone who’s not accustomed to performing on-camera, looking stiff and reading with no emotion. That’s what scripting videos gets you.

I’ll bet he would have come off differently if a quality interviewer sat down with him to discuss his specialties. He would have seemed far more confident and personable.

The truth is there are few people who can take a written script and perform it without having it sound as though it’s scripted. Even trained actors and politicians have a tough time with it. That’s why interviewing people and letting them speak off-the-cuff is far more effective. It’s authentic.

Authenticity will trump managed, scripted stories everyday.

–Tony Gnau

Taking customers and prospects behind-the-scenes at your business is a great way to show them why you’re the one they should hire. And while one video is great, a series of behind-the-scenes videos is event better.

Need an example? I continue to use my Alma Mater. The University of Southern California athletic department’s leaders produce tons of videos, and none better than the ones that take us beyond the football field.

They’ve shown us how coaches motivate their players, student-athletes having fun around campus, even players taking a humanitarian mission to Haiti. All of the videos offer USC alumni and fans a look at life off the field.

The latest example is the school’s preseason edition, and it offers a valuable lesson. USC just opened a new athletic facility. It’s AMAZING! The video takes us into the new building. We hear from the players about what they like, but most of the comments are focused on how the facility should impact play on the field.

In many cases, it’s not enough to take someone behind-the-scenes. You have to give them a reason for why it matters. USC’s video makes things clear… improved training rooms keep players healthy, a lounge helps build team unity and the new facility provides extra incentive to “earn the building.”

Your videos need to do the same thing. If you’re going to show people how you make your products, make sure they understand how your process impacts price, quality, whatever sets you apart. If you’re showing how your team works together, highlight how that teamwork impacts the customer’s experience.

Take customers and prospects behind-the-scenes, but make sure your videos are still focused on them.

–Tony Gnau

I got to meet marketing expert Geoff Livingston during a shoot a couple of months ago. He and one of our clients, Arment Dietrich CEO Gini Dietrich, were launching a new book. Geoff’s a fun guy. I’ve been reading his blog ever since, and yesterday’s post really got my attention.

The title says it all… Customers Don’t Care About Us. He writes about how social engagement doesn’t always add up to more sales… that recommendations by peers rule.

That’s one of the reasons I frequently encourage clients to make their videos about their customers… not them.

I’m talking about going beyond the testimonial. The heart of the story is about your client’s business, then eventually work in how your company helps them.

You can also use them in projects or with issues you’re passionate about. In our case, we have an ongoing video series about why our clients use video.

Each is a powerful way to show a) how dedicated you are to your clients… giving them some free publicity. And b) how dedicated they are to you… that they’re willing to go on camera for your company.

That’s a message prospects will trust.

–Tony Gnau

I blogged last week about American Airlines’ pre-flight video. In short, I loved it and couldn’t believe American had created a video about something we practically know by heart and got me to watch.

That post prompted a Facebook comment I thought was worth some further exploration. Katie wrote…

This is a good reminder that even when your audience is “captive” you need to produce something good if you want them to actually pay attention! Makers of training videos… listen up!!

Really good point. Certainly for training videos, but really any type of video. I think back to some of the boring videos I’ve seen at conferences. Quality matters… whether your audience is clicking through on the web, or they’re a captive audience that “has” to watch.

The truth is you could have people watching but not paying attention. We all have the ability to tune things out, so your captive audience still might not be getting your message.

The solution? Produce quality videos. Make sure they’re shot and edited well. Help people connect with the content by incorporating the information into a compelling story.

And if you don’t know how to do it… hire a pro who’s a dedicated storyteller.

–Tony Gnau

Just got back from a shoot in San Diego and trying to get back into the swing of things.

Sorry for ditching the blog for a couple of days. I debated writing some posts in advance and auto-posting, but I just had too much to do preparing for the trip.

Anyway, no big insights today, but I found some really good blog material while in SoCal. I’m planning a whole San Diego-inspired blog week that’ll start Monday.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a preview!

–Tony Gnau

There’s a difference between a commercial and a good online video, but many business leaders don’t get it.

Many think their online videos need to be all about them and their company. They don’t. That’s a commercial. You know, the annoying segments people avoid while watching TV?

That’s why companies need a different approach to online videos. The videos need to benefit the audience in some way, which means flexing the creativity muscle and developing stories. Use your expertise to help… to educate.

The result is loyalty. When you produce stories that benefit your audience, they’ll return. The more they return, the more you become trusted. The more you’re trusted, the more business you’ll earn.

Putting the audience first should always be the goal.

–Tony Gnau

Here’s a crazy fact. Many corporate executives don’t know what their company’s story is.

I understand that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. They know elements of their story. When it was founded, who founded it, how many widgets they’ve shipped over the years, et cetera. Unfortunately, they frequently miss the component of their story that’s going to make it appealing to the masses. That’s what a storyteller can do for them.

Business leaders are just that. Ask them about P&L, cost-benefit analysis, ROI… they’ll blow your socks off. They know their stuff when it comes to pie charts and tables, but storytelling isn’t about facts and figures. It’s about emotion.

Business leaders need storytellers who can look at their company, identify the types of stories that will connect with audiences, then let them loose.

–Tony Gnau

By now you might be aware that I’m a big fan of the web series. Instead of paying to create one long video, I often advocate producing a series of shorter videos instead.

There are plenty of companies out there doing this, and some of the bigger corporations are taking them to the next level. It’s great because they serve as good examples and provide good ideas for smaller companies.

Today, I’m featuring General Motors and its new web series for the Cadillac ATS. It’s a new model for the brand, so we get a bunch of videos at Cadillac’s YouTube Channel.

I love it! They basically put the car through the paces in different parts of the world. Patagonia, Morocco, Monaco, China… all with different environmental challenges to test the ATS.

That series on its own is pretty cool, but what’s amazing is that each location actually has its own series of videos. For example, Patagonia has a feature on the car, then there’s one on the making of that video, a story on a lighthouse where the Atlantic meets the Pacific, one on the region’s Grey Glacier, and finally a story on the indigenous tribe that lives there.

Some of the videos feature the car, some of them don’t. Sure, you get plenty of the car, but the video series is more about the adventure than the ATS. It’s all very fun, and again, serves as a great example for small business owners.

First, it demonstrates you don’t have to hit people over the head with your marketing message for them to “get” it. We’re a smart audience. We know it’s about the ATS. It’s the storytelling that keeps us watching, not an endless message about Cadillac.

Second, a series like this should get your creative juices flowing. Start thinking about your products and services in a different way. How are people using them? Feature them and their experiences instead of simply having company officials talk about facts and figures.

You don’t have to be GM. You don’t need to travel to different continents. All you need are good stories, and you can find those.

–Tony Gnau