During initial consultations with my clients I always share this adage, "You can have it good; you can have it fast; you can have it cheap. Pick two."Years ago, online video was a marketing luxury. Companies would invest a significant of money and/or time into producing a great welcome video for their website or a few client testimonials wrapped together in a nice little package. Once launched into their promotional positions, these videos lingered around for what seemed like an eternity, but why shouldn't they? After all, they were expensive and/or time consuming to produce.
Nowadays, in the era of amateur YouTube videos galore, the shelf-life of online video has shortened dramatically. Viewers engage brands based on fresh content and video is no exception. So, when you're thinking of online video I want you to think fast and cheap.
Another thing I always share with my clients - I don't want to compromise your message for the sake of a great looking video. Can I get a show of hands? How many people have wanted to do a video to deliver their message, but just never got it done because it was too expensive or too time consuming? What a sorrowful loss for the online community; we'd have loved to have heard your message. Additionally, if you never got the first message out, you certainly have not provided fresh, continual content that keeps viewers coming back for more.
Add value to the online community! Don't fret about not being able to have a pristine, Hollywood-style production. Focus on the value of the message. After a viewer has watched one of our videos I want them to remember the message, not how great the video looked.
Here's an example of a quick and affordable video we put together for Hometown Comics, a local comic book store here in Greenfield, Indiana.
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12 Stars Media got it right up front by asking targeted questions about the brand and the message that Run4LifeIndy wanted to present. They not only focused on what we wanted but what we really needed in order to make an impact to the desired demographic. 12 Stars Media made me think as the brand owner, about what Run4LifeIndy wanted to convey and how best to get it across sincerely and succinctly to our audience. Their animation of our logo was genius - it really made an impact. We got rave reviews from everyone who viewed the completed product and I couldn't be happier. Quite simply - they make an art out of making their clients look good!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Zaleski
Co-Founder - Run4LifeIndy
As a member of Run4LifeIndy, I was asked to participate in a video produced by 12 Stars Media describing how to get the message out to others in the community. I was really impressed by how 12 Stars created a comfortable, yet professional environment for me and the other speakers. They were knowledgeable about the brand, they promoted the brand, and they cared about the brand. For 12 Stars, it wasn't about the "flashiness" of the business; it was about producing a product that emulated all the positive qualities of their client. The final result made our team and organization look great, and I believe that 12 Star Media's mission will be correlated with success.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzanne and Jenn for the kind words! We aimed to produce a video that showcased Run4LifeIndy, not the skills of Twelve Stars Media. We're glad you were impressed!
ReplyDeleteGreat insight Rocky.
ReplyDeleteThe content of a video is definitely much more important than the production quality.
In my mind, amateur video brings a human aspect to any business. In the Hometown Comics video there isn't a script (or doesn't seem to be). The woman in the video simply states:
*What they do,
*Why they do it, and
*Why they're good at it.
No Bull, if you will.
Great points Rocky. We have seen tremendous benefits from producing quick videos with flip cams and getting the content online asap. Tony makes a good point that the amateurness of the video brings a human aspect, almost breaking down the barriers businesses face when dealing with customers. Rocky and Zack did a great job of making our promo lead ins for Paul Poteets Almanac & Weekend programs seem engaging and "non professional" while still producing great content. The audio was pro and the video, editing and graphics were absolutely professional but you never got the feeling that what we shot was staged. To lend to Rocky's point of the message is key we changed the idea for the shoot mid shoot and went alot of different directions. This turned out to hamper one of the two videos as the message wasnt clear due to a hole in the script. Rocky and Zack steered us in the right direction the whole day but OUR flip flopping hurt the message at the end. We could've paid a ton of money to have that video produced with an unclear message and it still would've been an unclear message. My big tip is to make sure and have a clear message and idea well prior to shooting to allow your production team (hopefully 12 Stars) to find holes in your message. Either way great points and spot on post Rocky.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tony and Chris! Love your way of putting it Tony, "no bull" - that's really what it's all about when you boil it all down b/c with advertising in general aren't we often trying to portray ourselves or our businesses as something bigger and better? Unfortunately, viewers see right through it.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts on the blog. When it comes to online video, unless you're a huge brand looking to create the next babies on rollerskates video, customers and supporters aren't thinking about your production value; they're focusing on your message. Using online video sends a message that you want to interact with customers and want them to have access to you and your company.
ReplyDeleteIt's my belief that you've hit the nail on the head Rocky. We are in the midst of a consume and consume immediately generation. Does the most professional video, that costs upwards of 5 figures, get millions of views on YouTube? Yep. If it's Ciara's new music video, and she's trusting in ways that are NSFW. Otherwise, it's a baby that laughs funny, to the point you sit through 4 minutes of a fathers cell phone video, and said baby gets 40,000,000 more views than Ciara and her trusting motions. I don't have time for you to craft a message, per say. I want to get your message, and I want to get it quickly. The quality of the video doesn't matter. Whether business or pleasure, it's the content. I used the example of Ciara and her (I've said this three times now) trusting motion, to prove a point -- that video get's views. Because of the "content". So appeal to one of my senses, solve a problem, or be something that tugs on a mind or heart string, and you've succeeded. The video could be shot from your cell phone, but it could hit me right where it needs to. I comment, I respond, I remember - and you win.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ryan squared! Great examples too. We appreciate your comments!
ReplyDeleteThese are good insights. One point I'll expound upon is crisis communications. If you have a PR fire to put, it may be unwise to hesitate while public sentiment for your brand dwindles.
ReplyDeleteI can recall a recent incident where a local Indianapolis company was the victim of a hoax, and was subsequently publicly scrutinized. I felt that their response (a brief one or two line denial of the issue, in text on their website) was wildly inadequate - instead a personal appeal by upper management, on video, would have been very authentic and effective. An online video would have also had the ability to go viral through social media, which was where most of their bad press was coming from.
Whereas this situation was an example of under-communicating, taking too long to produce a contrived and complicated video would have been just as ineffective.
Valid stuff! I totally agree that today it is possible for anyone with any budget to put out video content online. Even if there's no budget - grab your smart phone and start communicating into it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, companies still need to consider the "appropriateness" of what they are putting online. Will an iPhone video work well for a bank or a high-end jeweler? Depends on a bank, really... but I bet there are some customers who might not trust the bank or the jeweler who is "too cheap" to produce a high quality video.
At the end of the day, I think the production value and the style of any video depends on the brand the video is being created for.