Video and visuals have tremendous power on the internet, we have all heard that. But have you really tried to use video in your marketing?
It isn’t really all that hard. In fact, the easier the approach you take, the more spontaneous and real it is going to appear.
Let me just apologize here for all of my video production friends at Abernethy Media, AMS Pictures and Huddle. You guys are do great work. But what I’ve proposing here is a simple, shoot from the hip (or is it lip?) iPhone or similar-type video.
By example, I’ll use my client and friend, Greg Farmer. We came up with the idea of having a simple video promo series for his company, Farmer Business Systems, over lunch a while back and the idea just blossomed when I actually pointed the camera at Greg.
I call him “One-Take Greg.” Really.
So, here’s how it works. Armed with my trusty iPhone 4, we usually work from this list:
- The topic to be talked about is simple.
- Can be covered in 30 to 45 seconds.
- Usually involves a prop somewhere in Greg’s company.
With those simple groundrules, we talk for a few minutes about the phrases to be included, the start and stop (incorporating a number of elements from your typical “elevator speech”), and what props (machines, people, boxes) will be used.
I stop by Greg’s office once a week and I shoot one or two videos then with eitehr Greg or one of his staffers during the session. I have yet to spend more than an hour doing this.
We talk for a few minutes, “block out” the scene, briefly rehearse. Then, I frame the shot, push the start button and point to Greg. He starts with his “Hi, I’m Greg Farmer, Farmer Business Systems…” line and off we go. Thirty to forty-five seconds later and usually only one take, we review the video.
Once the video is final, it is posted to Farmer’s YouTube channel and then the link is reposted to Farmer’s Facebook page and Greg’s LinkedIn profile.
Greg tells me he has a following and has even been complimented on the videos by friends and acquaintances at parties and other events. Social media gone viral.
From a trade show perspective, this has tremendous power for larger businesses wanting to personalize their leaders or products. As a networker, it gives you a chance to make yourself three-dimensional. And as a marketer, you get to have access to a channel you might not otherwise have access to.
Granted, if you have the budget, consider going with higher production values. A more formal script and rehearsals are a good touch and add value. But this basic, raw approach is working for now and has its merits.
Take a look at the examples and see what you think. I’d like to hear some feedback.
Relentless
