Tag Archives: storytelling

The Boston Marathon bombing has rightly captured the American people’s attention. It was a horrific attack and many of the images will be etched in our minds forever, and believe it or not there’s a lesson there for business leaders and marketing professionals.

VIDEO RULES

I was talking with a friend yesterday who mentioned all the stories he had read, and all the photos he had seen covering the terrorist attack. His comment, “You know what, none of it compares to the video.”

He’s right. The explosion, the chaos, the heroes who stepped forward to help… the Boston video was awe-inspiring. It’s what video does better than any other medium. It transports the viewer to the scene.

WORKS FOR BUSINESSES TOO

Corporate leaders can take advantage of this ability as well. They can use video to transport customers and prospects to their business via the web.

Good video paired with a compelling story makes a great impression on people.

–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 the many things I’m considering for T60 this year is whether or not to switch from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X. For those of you not into video editing, I won’t bore you with why it’s a tough decision. Suffice to say Apple made some software changes and professional editors revolted. Now, Apple is trying to win them back with a marketing campaign, but here’s the crazy part… the campaign’s webpage doesn’t contain any video.

Huh? You read that right. Apple… trying to win back professional video editors… no marketing videos.

TELLING VIDEO PRO’S STORIES

The campaign is called, Final Cut In Action. It features positive articles about how some pros are starting to use Final Cut Pro X and the results they’re getting. “Articles” being the key word here. Six articles… NO VIDEOS!

I can’t believe I’m even writing this. Apple is known for its marketing videos. Shopping for a MacBook Pro? There’s a video. How about an iPhone? There’s a bunch of videos. The Final Cut Pro X page does feature video, but not the page specifically focused on marketing to video professionals.

You know how many of those articles I read? Zero. I briefly scanned them. If they had produced videos to tell those stories I probably would have watch all of them. That’s a missed opportunity.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

I am not a marketer by nature. I provide a tool for marketers to use. However, I know enough that your marketing tactics need to align with your target audience.

I’ve always believed our best marketing tools at T60 are our clients’ videos. I’m proud of the work we do and I’m happy to share it with clients and prospects alike. Having said that… we do have marketing videos about T60. Can you imagine a video production company not using video to tell its own story?

I love Apple products. I’ve been buying and using them for about 25-years. I may still take the plunge and get Final Cut Pro X. I just expected a little something better from the company’s marketing team.

–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. 

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.  

Okay, you no longer need convincing. You understand the power of video and want to put it to work for your business. The problem is you’ve never been involved with video production so you have no idea how much your project is going to cost.

Here’s some things a lot of newbies fail to consider…

1. think about the reputation of your company

There are companies that spend tens of thousands of dollars on stationary and business cards, and at the same time they skimp on video production. Think about it. Those business cards and stationary are destined for the recycle bin, but they fork over good money because they want to make a good impression through those things.

A company video will be beamed across the web and possibly live on indefinitely. Someone who comes across it is far more likely to watch that video that read a ton of text about a business. That video is going to be the first impression many people have of that business.

Now, why exactly are these businesses producing videos on the cheap? It’s ridiculous. This is your company’s reputation on the line.

2. video isn’t a widget you buy, it’s art

Video is a creative endeavor. It’s a mistake to go into a production the same way you would build a widget.

You’ve heard of the “creative process?” Guess what… it applies here. When you start a new production there’s no telling what’s going to happen. I’ve had fantastic plans heading into a first shoot, only to scrap everything after a couple of interviews.

Yes, you are paying for a product. At the end of a project, you walk away with a video you can share with your audience. What you are actually paying for, however, is the skill and talents of the person/people putting it together.

Anyone can paint a painting, and these days anyone can shoot and edit video. Talent is what sets one artist apart from the other.

3. you get what you pay for.

I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. You can occasionally find a craigslist producer who knocks your video out of the park. More often than not though if you want to produce a video on the cheap, that’s exactly what you’re going to end up with… a cheap looking video.

In my experience, a lot of business people expect a Mercedes-Benz at Kia prices. In this way, video is like any other business… if you want quality, you have to pay for it.

Don’t let that discourage you though. There are plenty of companies and independent producers who create incredible videos at reasonable prices (cough, cough… T60). You can find value and bargains in video production just like anything else.

–Tony Gnau

I mentioned yesterday I was going to a memorial service for a good friend, Marty Napoli, Jr. It was a sad but inspiring occasion. He was one of those people who simple shine, and it actually hit me during the ceremony that Marty had what we all need in our marketing videos… JOY!

Marty exuded joy. He was the type of person who made everyone feel better just having been around him. I don’t know about you, but that’s a response I’d like people to have after having watched one of our clients’ videos.

SEE MARTY’S JOY FOR YOURSELF

Marty made cameos in a couple of T60 videos. I shared one yesterday, but as I was driving home from the memorial I remembered another. It happens to be perfect considering this subject matter.

He was in one segment from our Telly Award winning video for Medinah Country Club following the 2006 PGA Championship. Marty was known as the “Mayor of Medinah” and the segment opens with him welcoming people to “his” club.

“Life is so good. I mean look where we’re at. We’re at Medinah. Sun’s shining.” VIDEO– 2006 PGA Championship

Classic Marty. That’s the way he looked at every day… always something positive. Life is so good.

I’ve always felt like the passion I bring to every project shines through, but now I’m going to put a little Marty into every video… I’m going add some joy.

–Tony Gnau

Love, love, love yesterday’s guest post by Laura Click at spinsucks.com. She blogs about the four deadly mistakes made on corporate websites.

One of the things she suggests is incorporating video into their content. Well… yeah! She’s totally right, and yet video is missing from far too many corporate websites.

There are all sorts of options for the types of videos company leaders can produce. Highlight employees, new products, services, show how the business is involved in the community… I could go on and on. However, the one video EVERY company should have at their website is the About Us video.

It doesn’t have to be complicated… just a basic explanation of what it is that the company does and what sets it apart from the competition.

I know this might not be easy for some business leaders. It could take a little time and it could mean an additional expense. The benefit is website content that will be seen and heard. People watch videos. Give them a good one and you’re creating a terrific first impression.

–Tony Gnau

I’ve found all sorts of good examples of marketing and public relations videos out there, but this is the first time I’ve come across one from the FBI.

The G-Men started a campaign a little over a week ago… looking for leads in the most expensive art heist in U.S. history. 13 works of art, including rare paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer, stolen in 1990 from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The collection is valued at approximately $500 million.

The Bureau has a website devoted to the crime. It gives all the particulars behind the crime, and it also provides a series of videos featuring agents and a representative from the museum.

These are real stories. They’re not going to win any awards, but there’s storytelling taking place. This is the kind of thing I expect to find with medium to large companies and far too often end up with low-quality drivel.

The main video on the page has over 20,000 views. How many people do you think would have simply read the news release without the video?

That’s the power of video… the power you need to be putting to work for your business.

–Tony Gnau

We’re using the new T60 website this week to highlight some ways businesses can use video content to create terrific user experiences for clients and prospects.

Yesterday, I blogged about the importance of the About Us video. Today, it’s another staple that businesses should consider… marketing testimonials.

BRAGGING WITHOUT BRAGGING

This is a great way to brag about yourself without bragging about yourself because your clients do it for you. It’s not you telling the world how great you are, you’re allowing real people who have used your product or service to testify on your behalf. 

We live in a world of reviews. Before making a purchase, one of the things we do is seek them out. You have an opportunity to provide positive reviews through testimonials.

Sure, you could post text quotes. We’ve done that for clients we haven’t been able to get on-camera… yet.

Gini Dietrich has already agreed to go on-camera next time we get together for a Spin Sucks shoot, right Gini? Next time we’re shooting in SoCal, I’ll tie down Jeremy Hogue for an interview at the new Sovereign Healthcare offices. The reason why…

VIDEO IS BETTER THAN TEXT

It’s one thing to read what someone has said, it’s something else to hear it coming from the directly. It adds weight. That person took time out of their busy schedule to shoot an interview and give an endorsement. That says a lot.

It does require some initiative. You have to be comfortable asking your clients to do it. If you work with someone who’s really excited about what you’ve done for them, they’re the one to ask for a testimonial. Then it’s just a matter of hiring a professional storyteller to put it together in a way that will appeal to an audience.

What does your client get out it? Well, you could sweeten the offer by doing another video featuring them… but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s post.

–Tony Gnau

Well… if all is working properly, you’re reading this at our new blog location on the new T60 website. I blogged yesterday about detailing some of the ways we’re using our video content, so today I’d like to focus on the site’s two most prominent videos.

The first one you’ll find on the Home page and it’s a video that will change from week to week. I’ve always believed the work we do for clients is our best sales tool. It was tempting to put our “About T60” video front and center, but I rather give people a taste of what we do for our clients first. It also doesn’t hurt that rotating the video every week freshens the page for both web surfers and Google rankings alike.

GOOD TIP FOR BUSINESSES

This is a great tip for other businesses. The more video content you create, the more flexibility you have in doing things like this. Maybe you have a series of testimonials from clients… rotate those on your home page. Maybe your videos feature different products or services you offer… rotate those. Keep rotating your videos to provide people with a unique experience each time they visit. And did I mention Google likes it too?

ANOTHER GOOD TIP

The other most prominent video on the site is the About T60 video and you’ll find it… duh… on the About page. Quite simply, this is the video every business should have on its website. It tells people who you are and what you’re all about. If you watch ours, I don’t think there’s any doubt what we emphasize at T60.

Look… if you have an About page that’s all text, people may or may not read about the business. If you post a short video, there’s a strong possibility they’ll watch. That means you have an opportunity to talk with prospects and create a good first impression before ever meeting with them. That’s hard to do with just text on a page.

Tomorrow I’ll touch on another terrific video tool for your website toolbox… the testimonial.

–Tony Gnau

Well, this is it. Blog post #500. We started blogging in October 2009. No need to do the math, it’s just under three-and-a-half years. It started slowly at first, but for the most part I’ve been blogging four days a week during most of that stretch.

Yesterday, I promised some insights on what I’ve learned about content marketing during that time. Today, I’ll focus on my motivation for starting and how it has changed.

Most people get  into content marketing with a similar mindset. We’ll provide helpful content, over time people will get to know and trust us and that process will eventually lead to added business.

T60’s Motivation for blogging

Yeah… that wasn’t me. While I knew all that going in, none of that really factored into my motivation. For me, it was all about SEO.

Three years ago, I looked at the T60 website and knew it needed a change. I had built it myself, and while I think it looked fine, it needed a professional’s touch and above all else it needed a lot of SEO help.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the cash to upgrade, but once I had enough to move forward I wanted to be ready.

Knowing that the number of pages at a site and frequency of updates factors in to SEO, I thought I’d start writing a blog. I’ve always been a writer, so why not?

Here I am 500 posts later, and the new T60 site is a week or two from going live. We’ll roll the blog into it, so I’m hoping all the hard work will pay off.

Who’s going to read this?

What’s interesting though is the blog has provided me with so much more.

One of the main reasons I wasn’t really into the typical motivation behind content media is that I honestly didn’t know how much interest there would be in my subject matter. Who the heck is going to read a daily blog on video production!?

Well, the simple answer to that is at least 275 people. That’s the current number of followers we have. Not a huge number by any means, but it’s more than I thought we’d have. We don’t get a ton of comments, but we do get a fair share of “likes” everyday. That’s a nice feeling, but it’s only part of our new motivation.

Now… it’s about ‘cred.  Being a consistent blogger has given me/T60 added credibility, and it’s starting to pay-off. I know that’s a big reason why a lot of people get into content marketing, but it has slowly grown on me and I’m here to say it works… only I’ve found it in a different way.

clients love it

I don’t know how much online ‘cred I have, but T60’s clients always seem impressed by the blog. Over the 500 posts, I’ve blogged about a lot of FAQs we get from prospects, so one of the things we now do is occasionally work the blog into our proposals.

For example, if a prospect asks me a question about storytelling, I follow it up with a proposal that includes links to blog posts on that subject… and they eat it up! Not only do they appreciate the actual information, they’re impressed by my commitment to blogging.

Anyway, I’m here to tell you… content marketing works. It isn’t a quick strategy. I’m three-and-a-half years in and it’s just now starting to pay-off, but I’m glad I got into it.

–Tony Gnau