Happy 2014
Forget 2014 predictions that won’t pan out! In this post, I will focus on a few actionable New Year resolutions that I think all Video Producers and Marketers should follow.
1. Be creative
If it’s easy and your creative took an hour to drum up, you are not providing value to your clients. Instead, do it the hard way and create a video that is truly good and serves your client needs better than your competitors would. Helping your clients differentiate themselves will will help you differentiate your services as well, and this is truly the key to success in the long term.
Once you have discovered a great creative, don’t fall in the trap of pitching it to all your clients. It’s the easy way to become boring and irrelevant really fast.
2. Focus on the story
This is an obvious one, but too often marketers get carried away with an idea that sounds great and then try to make it fit into their client’s corporate storyline. But in fact, the process should be reversed. The company’s story should be the starting point for everything you produce. Telling this story takes precedence over how it’s told. Form supports function, not the other way aroung. This leads us the the following point:
3. Ditch the Explainer Videos
Remember the first 2 points?! So I am sure you understand what I mean: Everybody is doing explainer videos because they are easy, fast and cheap to produce. In many cases, they do the trick of introducing a business or service, but will they help convert?
So many of your clients’ competitors are using copycat explainer videos that their effectiveness is dwindling fast. If they don’t help your clients differentiate themselves, they will ultimately hurt you as well.
It may be hard to convince a client with limited means to ditch the idea, but it will probably be the better option in the long term. You don’t want to be the company that recommended an ineffective video, you want to be the company that explained why it would not help.
4. Consider video testimonials
Testimonials are powerful business drivers. That’s why they have been used for decades in most industries from healthcare to insurance and now in Digital. Most businesses should try to use them one way or another. Some companies have been very clever with this format.
Take a look at this Which Wich customer testimonial. Not only did they not get sued, but the customer agreed to appear in a video to indirectly tout their product.
5. Have a sense of humour
One of the funniest videos of 2013 was produced by Poo Pourri. It broke a taboo by poking fun at the idea that “girls don’t poop,” and by casting a seemingly sophisticated English beauty in the role of the lady who brags about her bathroom exploits, much like immature teen age boys often do. The result is 2 minutes of unforgettable comedy that hit 22 million views on YouTube in no time.
6. Track your videos’ ROI
Producing videos because everyone else does it is not helpful. Companies want to insure that their videos provide truly identifiable results, like ranking higher in search, bringing in more traffic and ultimately, converting into more sales. Paying close attention to the data also opens the door to great hidden insights that help understand how to better target and engage with customers.
7. Use online advertising
My previous post also touched on this topic. For a number of reasons, many marketers decide against using online advertising to promote their videos. My argument goes as follows: unless you can come up with a good reason to forgo the expense other than not having the budget, it should be done. The old adage still holds true: if the video is on TV and no one knows it’s there and on what channel, why even produce it. Yes, it may go viral and yes, it may rank high organically, but how long will it take and will it be too late?
8. Factor in Mobile Video
Facebook understands the importance of user generated video and has now upgraded Instagram to support video. Vine, Twitter’s revolutionary 6 sec video platform geared at everyday creators gave these mobile devices a more central role in the creation and dissemination of video than ever before. With over 110 million and 60 million users respectively, it would be foolish to dismiss mobile video in digital marketing plans. These platforms are great ways to engage customers and followers and develop a user-generated content footprint to benefiting your brand.
9. Don’t forget the call to action
Let’s face it, unless your videos are produced exclusively to build your brand, it is worth considering the inclusion of a call to action in your videos. They can be as simple as suggesting a purchase, the submission of an inquiry form but can also be included as interactive options displayed in the video player, in or outside of YouTube. It can also be built in your website. But not using calls to action is the equivalent of contacting prospect and not asking for the business. Leads often need a little extra push.
10. Think Different
Apple coined this slogan, but it really should apply to any organization trying to differentiate itself. The first idea that comes to a creative’s mind is almost always the wrong one. Again, don’t go with the explainer video because it seems to be the most obvious approach. But the same holds true for video testimonials, Too many businesses also go down one path in order to keep pace with their competitors when in fact, they should try to go beyond and find a way to lead instead of following. The knee-jerk reaction is the enemy of successful creative and video does not escape this rule.
11. Build Corporate Image
Creating memorable videos is key to building a successful video communications and marketing strategy, but producers should not forget to remain consistent with their company’s image. What works for Poo Pourri is most certainly not going to work for a non-profit. That’s the pretty obvious aspect of this recommendation but larger organization also need to think about using video to help build their corporate brand.
For example, GoPro has done a tremendous job blending owned and earned media in order to create a very effective extreme sports brand. But image goes beyond branding, businesses can project their unique culture outward to create good will, stay present in the media and on consumers’ mind.
Zappos is an excellent example of a company that continually looks for ways to highlight its relaxed and friendly entrepreneurial culture that fosters work/life balance and ultimately promotes pleasant interactions with customers. Recently, it published a number of videos showing how much fun it is to work there. The videos are not exceptionally well produced, but the straightforward point and shoot approach reinforces the authenticity of Zappos’ culture.
I hope these resolutions will help you as much as they will help me. Please don’t hesitate to comment on these resolutions and to suggest others. Happy New Year!
