The Power of YouTube for Business

Sometimes we forget about the powerful search abilities that YouTube offers businesses. And, it doesn't have to be a complicated video with lots of shots and edits.

So, what can you do?

Last month I did a phone interview for Insight on Business the News Hour with Karen McCullough, a professional public speaker based in Houston, Texas. And, yes we shared it for several weeks on various social media platforms from Twitter to LinkedIn. (It's what we do there.) 

Karen went the extra step and created a YouTube video of her audio interview complete with some neat artwork (see above). Then using the the correct keywords posted it on her YouTube Page. While at the same time promoting an upcoming speaking engagement.

Brilliant!

And, frankly, that got us to thinking about how we might do a better job on The Business News Hour when it comes to YouTube.

Here is that video/audio of her interview.

And, remember it's something you can do as well.

Go get 'em!

The Video from 2014 - National Tractor Parts Dealer Association

I was going through some old notes this weekend preparing for a trip to Mobile, Alabama to cover the annual meeting and trade show for our client the National Tractor Parts Dealer Association. During the search I ran into a promotional video I did for them four years ago along with an outtake from the first scene. 

At the time the association was struggling with getting people to attend their event so they asked us to do a number of things to push attendance levels which, by the way, worked. It's amazing what can happen when you put some thought into a multifaceted approach to solving a problem.

Anyway, I thought you might get a kick out of this one outtake that set up the beginning of the video. I've been doing this stuff for years and, for folks not in the business, it's enlightening to learn how much goes into just a few seconds of finished video. Equipment issues, forgetting the lines, tripping while walking.  So here is the outtake I found:

 

And then this is the finished product:

 

It was all shot with a single camera. The shoot took about two days and another day to edit. They had a very tight budget so it was a "one man effort" with some help from friends, Mariah, Tony and Georgie.  It was fun to do...and thought we would share. 

It's Nearly Here - Are You Ready?

Let's not "beat around the bush" the critical 4th Quarter is nearly here and for many businesses it's make or break time. Are you ready to take advantage of what could be the best quarter of 2016 for just about any business?  Let's roll through some opportunity areas:

Traditional Broadcast Media - As they say "Fa-git about it!" It's an election year and if you have not secured your broadcast slots by now...good luck getting airtime between now and November. Many broadcast outlets will bounce your ad in response to political advertising. Make sure you well understand the conditions before you buy.

Traditional Print Media - Depending on what you are selling and even though traditional print media is in a major slump there are still opportunities here with your newspaper. If you are a local business some of the "neighborhood" magazines are still a buy. Word of caution: Remember "Less is More" when it comes to print advertising. Use color, buy at least a half page and be very image focused with a minimum of words...trust us.

Facebook Specials - Start your planning now for your Facebook Ads and Facebook Rewards for your most loyal customers. Make sure your graphics stand out and that the call to action is clear. And, don't bother with a 10% off reward. People don't really start to get motivated unless it is 20% or higher.

Back-Story Blog - You do have a business blog...right? This week start writing down what you are doing to prepare for the 4th Quarter. Give your readers/customers a look behind the scenes as to what is going on as you prepare for THEM a great shopping season. Even if you are not seasonal but a professional business; people love to "look behind the curtain".

Social Media Efforts - Planning is key. First you must know WHERE your target market is spending time. If your target is young consumers try Snapchat and Instagram. Don't forget about targeted geo-marketing using digital and if you don't have an active social media presence now is the time to start...like today.

YouTube - If you can't buy television time because of the election cycle...create your own television station on YouTube and share your creative videos across several social media channels. You won't get the coverage but...it can build sales.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys - The business that cares about how they meet or exceed their customers needs wins. Look, all you have to do is ask. Use your email list of customers (you have one right) and design a quick survey and in that survey do not forget to have at least one "call to action", "If you were pleased with our service what is it we can do for you now to help you and make your day better?"  Gotta ask for the order.

Website Update - Update your website with images of fall and change some wording around. Remember, even on your website you should have a call to action...

There are all kinds of ways to take advantage of the 4th Quarter but it takes time and effort. This is not an exhaustive list...but it's enough to get you started.

Thanks for reading!

 

The Eyes Have It

We're asked all the time about what makes the most effective advertising/marketing content. In other words...what works best.  The simple answer is "it depends on your target demographic" but that takes time and talent to figure out so let's cut to the most recent study.

We realize this is for B to B however, we think it holds well for B to C marketing as well.

According to the North American Content Marketing Institute the most effective tool is person-to-person contact. It figures, "People like to do business with people they know and trust" right?  But directly equal to that is content in video form.

VIDEO PEOPLE!

And the very cool thing about video is that it crosses nearly all the other platforms and can be used in each:

• Video for Social Media Content
• Video for Case Studies, White Papers
• Video for your Website
• Video for your Nearly Everything...

Of course it has to be done well and connect with the audience and you can't drone on and on...

Get Video and Get Noticed!

 

Using Video...Well

Years ago I met Karen McCullough as we were "joint speaking" to a group in Florida.  I have followed her career as a public speaker and she has done very, very well.

The other day I got an email from her company pointing me to this nifty video about "technology".  Here, take a minute and have a look:

 

We passed it around the office and the resounding response was, "Very cool how they used great edits to add interest to the video."

BAM!

That's the difference.  You can put up a video and drone on and folks lose interest but when you professionally weave various elements, change the angle and use sound. It works...well.  This is what happens when you employ professionals to help build your brand and we love it.

One other thing:  Karen uses email marketing to push her brand.  Here is a screen grab of her recent July news letter.  What we like about it is she uses few words, keeps to one point and offers up some action steps.

Once again...it works.

Some good ideas for you and your business and, if you're looking for a speaker for your next event try Karen.  Here is her site KarenMcCullough.com you won't be sorry.

 

 

If you want to respond here, feel free!  And/Or let's connect on our advertising agency Twitter Stream @InsightADV and here is our agency Facebook Page.  Thanks for coming by!

 

Explainer Video & Business

Let's say you have a product or a service that needs some...explaining.   Maybe your an attorney or a software company or a dog food company that is trying to stand apart because your product/service is different (in a good way) from others.

What's the best way to grab the attention of consumers, make it fun and convert web-page-visitors to buyers?

Explainer Videos, we think, is the answer.

For years we've encouraged our clients to use well made videos that helps get their message across of who and what they do.  It's been our experience that while many business owners and marketing managers like video (they watch TV, look at ads, go to the movies) they often discount the ROI of video on their website.

Now along comes this piece of information: Back in 2011 Rypple (changed to work.com) commissioned an animated video to better explain what the company does and how purchasing their product can improve human resources efforts of their clients.  The result? The short "explainer video" increased their "conversion rate" to 20%.  Up from the industry standard of 8%.  30% of the page visitors watched the video and 50% of them watched the entire piece.

Here is an example of an "Explainer Video":

 

But, there is more...

According to a recent study about web use the average attention span in 2012 is 8 seconds!  That is DOWN from 12 seconds in 2000.  We now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish...which is 9 seconds.

Time is wasting.  What are you doing on your home page that engages your potential customers?  Need some help?

 

 

Feel free to leave a comment here and/or follow our Twitter Feed @InsightADV and our advertising agency Facebook Page is right here.

Grab the Hanky - Emotion Rules

Let's say you are trying to re-brand your product or service because you've had a recent spate of bad press or sales have slumped or your brand is just "tired".  What would you do?

Many marketers would look to reinforce their image by creating a campaign that speaks to the cost/benefit aspect or perhaps go out of their way to become "historical" by saying they've been around a long time so..."trust us".  Or they might use the compare/contrast campaign.  Trouble is, none of them work as well as...emotional messages.

Smart marketers know the real way to re-brand is the campaign that tugs at the heart.  The campaign that makes the brand more "human" and less "corporate" will win the day.

In our marketing presentation "Five in Twenty Four" we talk about how emotional advertising trumps "fact based" campaigns and reference the study done by Hamish Pringle and Peter Field published by our friends at Advertising Age in March 2009.

This past week we've seen a couple of giants roll out emotional based campaigns.  Dove used a forensic artist to draw images of women as they said they saw themselves and then as other saw them.  It's a campaign that works...and now has nearly 30 million views on YouTube.

Now Johnson & Johnson is making an emotional appeal an an attempt to put some bad press in the rear-view mirror.  Here's a sample:

 

Once again it works. 

So, the message here is when you're considering a re-branding campaign spend the time and money to do something worth remembering.  Emotion...rules.

What do you think?

 

 

If you would like to leave a comment here, feel free.  You can also join us on our Twitter Stream @InsightADV and our advertising agency Facebook Page is right here.  Thanks for coming by!

Video Worth Sharing...Dove

Over the years we've produced hundreds of hours of video for television and the web.  That process is so much more complex than most business people realize.  To produce a high quality video for business it takes planning, talented staff and a firm grip on the "end result".

That's why we want to share this powerful piece with you.  Dove is an old brand and we would bet it's not on the "want list" of many young women.  However, this very classy piece may just change that.

 

Well written, filmed and scored it is a very touching piece that, we think, ranks among the very best pieces of marketing video...ever.  And, again, that is no accident.  This took lots of time, talent and work.  Well done!

 

 

 

If you have a comment, feel free to post here.  And/or follow us on Twitter @InsightAdv and our advertising agency Facebook Page is right here.  Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications is a full service advertising agency based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Rewind HyVee/Chrysler Ads

Recycling is all the rage.  For those of you who follow these posts you know we love the Weiden+Kennedy series of ads for Chrysler.  The images of Detroit, the driving music, the soaring choir and the great voice work of fellow Michigander Kevin Yon.  Remember this from the Super Bowl?

 

This past week our friends at HyVee, a midwest grocery store chain, released this piece that seems very familiar. Almost too...

  

For the first few seconds I honestly thought it was a new ad from Chrysler.  But nope...it's for a "gas card".  It's one thing to do an ad that has a focus on resurrecting a city and an iconic brand.  It's another to promote a...gas card.  We think it's nice but odd.

What do you think?

 

 

Some Urbandale HyVee Videos

Over the years I've had some video fun with my friends at the Urbandale Hy-Vee. Here's a sample:

Ever notice how one store spends lots of time in creating "a look"?  Here's a promo for our show Insight on Business from 2010:

 

That same year I went on a "Search for Sabra Jalapeno Hummus":

 

Then there was this piece we did for a fund raising event for JDRF - The Thrilla at the Grilla:

 

In September of this year we said goodbye to the "Old" Urbandale Hy-Vee and all of humanity was...sad:

 

A month later we gave you a look at the New Urbandale Hy-Vee:

 

Fun times kids...