Cue The Footage

Why Is Video Everywhere Except in Your Company’s News Program??

Few marketers would contest that video has become the medium of choice for shareable content. Just take a look at your Facebook and Twitter feeds. Even when it’s not the week after the much-debated Super Bowl ads, what kinds of posts are you most tempted to click on and share? It’s the ones with the compelling video clips, right? Mark Zuckerberg recently reported Facebook users watch 100 million hours of video on the social network every day. On top of that, an estimated 6 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every month.

In contrast, think about your company’s news program. How much video content do you offer there? See what I’m getting at?

Audiences are telling us they want to consume information through video, yet most corporate news sites remain two dimensional, dominated by written copy and static visuals.

Newsy video content is already in your marketing department…go get it!

For some reason, it’s easier for most companies to think about video as a product marketing tool. The demo and customer testimonial videos are almost a given. Don’t get me wrong, those are important, for sure, but smart companies go beyond putting them on their websites and in tradeshow booths, and make them an integral part of their news program. Here’s a good example from NetSuite that incorporates video in its announcement of a new software deployment with marketplace and lending platform Avant.

The video gives NetSuite’s new customer announcement significantly more depth by showing how its software impacts real people solving a real problem. Seeing and hearing the customer first-hand makes a powerful, emotional impression – to a greater degree than a written quote ever could.

Print reporters and bloggers like video content too.

Your news is important to your audiences. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) be sharing it. So why not tell the whole story with sound, color, and action? Our client, college marketing agency, Fluent recently conducted a survey looking at where college students get most of their information about the presidential candidates. The survey revealed that Facebook was far and away the number one channel, not by a little, by a lot. This was interesting information, not only for those interested in politics, but for anyone looking to reach that influential group of young Millennials. But instead of simply putting out a press release with stats, the college marketing and insights firm paired its information with video, capturing the sentiment of real students on campus. This helped USAToday add an element of first-hand account to its written coverage of the story.

Similarly, SafeKids and FedEx have done a great job of making a short yet poignant video to drive home the growing problem of teens being distracted by their mobile devices when crossing the road.

They could have just released the announcement with a list of stats, but the video draws people into the storyline and compels the viewer to read the rest of the article.

Adding influential star power.

This recent article from PRWeek points to how popular YouTube, Vine, Instagram and Twitter personalities have become and the influence they wield. It also highlights how the newer generations place less importance on the quality of image/sound in media and more on the cleverness, entertainment value and shareability of the information being created. Nowadays, as is the case with most YouTube stars, all you need is a simple camera to get started, and ultimately, gain a large viewership.

Casey Neistat is a perfect example of this. He posts a “vlog” everyday and has gained a massive following. All he does is bring a camera around with him throughout the day to document his life. However, his life is so interesting, people love to watch his videos.

Consequently, many companies such as Nike, Turkish Airlines, and J. Crew have approached him wanting to promote a new product. These videos are interesting and powerful as they reach millions of viewers who already have an interest and investment in Casey:

Shoot something – anything – this week, and here’s how.

Step One: Gather the Equipment

• Grab a camera, any camera really. You don’t need a fancy, $20,000 camera to make a stellar video. Generally a standard DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) will work fine and give you astonishing quality. In some cases, even your iPhone camera is more than enough. As we said before, we live in a new world where content is becoming more significant than camera resolution, making Step Two key.

Step Two: Develop a Game Plan

Consider your subject matter and how it will complement your news by reinforcing your major messages visually.

Think about what will be most interesting and arresting on camera. Can you show behind the scenes making of your product, an unusual product use case, or personal story that drives home the value of your business in a human way.

Before you actually go out and shoot the video, put your plan down on paper. This will help you stay on target and not waste any time. This is the most time-consuming step, but it’s a necessary and vital part of the process.

• Develop the Concept: Brainstorm and determine your main point first. Once you have that, build a concept around it, but make sure your main message doesn’t get lost.
• Develop a Shot List: Plan out each scene or take, writing out the general outline of the content (write a script if necessary), where you’re going to film, what equipment you’re going to use, and who’s going to be in it. This will help maximize efficiency and keep you focused should some trouble shooting be necessary.
• Plan Out the Day: Pick a concrete time and place and stick with it. Don’t change the time or location unless it’s absolutely necessary. Give yourself an extra hour of cushion if possible. Take into account the time of day, the possible noise at the location, and any other factors that may disrupt the process. Recruit any crew (co-workers, if necessary) that may need to help you and develop the cast. Give them a copy of the Shot List so that they know the schedule throughout the shoot and keep them up to date on the details; a happy cast and crew = a happy shoot.
• Prep the Night Before: You may have heard that in film, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. To counteract this, beat those potential problems to the punch. Charge all the camera batteries, make sure the camera is working, and remind your cast and crew about the shoot time.

Step Three: Shoot!

You’re ready to shoot! Because you did all the prep work, filming should be considerably less stressful. Just follow your Shot List and if anything goes wrong, you adapt because you’re prepared for the problems!

Step Four: Get It Ready for Primetime...but Don’t Obsess

The other time-consuming process is editing the video. However, technology has improved so much that free editing softwares (Windows Movie Maker, Apple’s iMovie) are more than enough to make your footage look great.

It may take some time to get accustomed to the software, especially if it’s your team’s first time, but most programs have tutorials if not in the application, then on sites like YouTube. Make sure your editor understands the software before you begin. Two tips for your editor:

• Do the big stuff first. Worry about the transitions and effects later. Piece together your over-arching story, then obsess over the details.
• Get another set of eyes to watch the video and critique. Sometimes after a long editing session, you won’t catch what others will.

Final Step:

Pitch it with your news and watch what happens. If a picture is worth a thousands words, a well-crafted video is worth 10,000.

Written with help from Jonathan Im.