You're Producing Your Own Video. What's the Point?

Washington, DC-based writer/producer Dan Bailes contributed today's post. He has created shows for American Diabetes Association, National Association of Realtors, National Geographic and Urban Land Institute.

First, to power up your video, ask yourself, what’s the point?

 

What are you trying to accomplish and why?

Second, ask yourself how your product or service benefits your target audience.

And show it!

Best yet, show real people who have benefited from what you have to offer.

Third, have them tell their stories in their own words. 

Authenticity is key and that’s a great way to convince your audience of the benefit of what you have to offer.

Fourth, shorter is better. 

Fifth, if you spent all those years gaining vital experience to excel at what you do, why do you think you can just do the video yourself? 

Sorry about that, but hire a pro. 

It will make all the difference. 

And that’s the whole point, right?

Don't Make These 4 Deadly Video Mistakes

Writing for Intuit’s Small Business Blog, videomaker C.J. Bruce warns marketers of four deadly Web video mistakes.

 

Not producing a video. "Using video for your business is no longer optional," Bruce writes. The availability of prosumer gear removes the age-old excuse "video is too expensive."

 

Producing a video. One video "isn't a content strategy," Bruce says. "After all, you wouldn’t send just one email, put up just one blog post, or have a TV commercial air just once." Bruce suggests producing a series of videos and releasing them weekly through the span of a quarter.

 

Believing you'll go viral. The chances your video will go viral are slim. "You need to have a plan for your videos that includes marketing them with social media and SEO tactics," Bruce says. Be sure to put your videos on your Website and send the link to your email list. Also consider placing ads on Google.

 

Counting views. Engagement is more important than viewership. Put in place systems to track YouTube likes, shares, comments and viewing times after your video goes live.

You Say You Want a Revolution?

Then get ready.

It's called NFC.
 
It will change the way attendees discover content at events.

NFC (the acronym for "Near Field Communication") is a form of short-range wireless that bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds.

The technology allows anyone with an NFC-ready mobile phone or tablet to access content by touching the device to a comparable one—or to a "smart poster."

Thanks to the manufacturers, nearly one-third of new phones are NFC-ready right now. Two years hence, all will be.

With NFC, attendees will be able to touch salespeople's phones and instantly download anything now delivered on line. Videos. PowerPoint slides. Flyers. White papers. Discount coupons. You name it.

Salespeople not around? No worries. Attendees can do the same thing by touching a smart poster.

But wait, there's more.
 
Provided the nearest cash register is NFC-ready, attendees will be able to pay for purchases with a touch of their phones.

The revolution NFC will usher in isn't pie in the sky.

It's underway as we speak.

EXPO Magazine has said NFC "will change the face-to-face landscape."

Learn why "NFC will disrupt how things are done."

B2B Marketers: Attract Big Dogs with Web Video

They gripe when employees do it.

But 73% of C-level executives watch Web videos during the workday, says MagnetVideo's David Rose.

That's big news for marketers.

Web videos work especially well when you want to draw the top dogs to your booth at a tradeshow, according to Rose.

One of his clients, QuantiSense, used a Web video to boost traffic at the National Retail Federation's Annual Expo.

Traffic increased 218%.

Before the show, QuantiSense shot a one-minute video and built a show-specific landing page to house it. The firm then blasted promotional emails to prospective attendees, and shared links to the landing page on social media outposts. The firm also posted the video on YouTube, grabbing organic Google search traffic by including the term "NRF 2012" in the video's title, description, tags and closed captioning.

During the show, the firm placed a 60-foot high banner outside the entrance to the exhibit hall. The banner featured a QR code that, when snapped, automatically launched the video. QuantiSense also played the video on large monitors inside its booth.

After the show, QuantiSense blasted followup emails to all visitors that included a link to the landing page. There was no escaping that video!

Learn to Love Tofu

I've just concluded my first month as a Vegan and resigned myself to loving Tofu.

As a marketer, Tofu should be part of your daily diet, too.

Tofu is an acronym that stands for “top of the funnel.”

The top of the funnel, of course, is your lead-cistern.

According to inbound-marketing agency FiveFifty, 97% of first-time Website visitors are top-of-the-funnel people.

They're "just looking" and far from ready to buy. 

So, if your content appeals only to bottom-of-the-funnel people, you look a little desperate.

"Remember the last time you were shopping at a retail store, and the sales representative kept asking if they could start a dressing room for you?" FiveFifty asks. "If you’re just browsing, their attempts to close a sale can feel overly pushy."

To make delicious Tofu, you need to prepare "buyer personas" that include the demographics, pain-points and priorities of your leads.

"The world’s best Tofu is based on answering real-life questions people have when they first come to your company's Website," FiveFifty says.