Are your videos appearing in Search?

Video marketing theory is all very well but sometimes a crackerjack of an example comes along that just begs to be blogged. I feel that one of the great disciplines missing from many video marketing campaigns (even campaigns of just 1 video) is the final part in the process - measuring impact and success. In fact this goes for any marketing initiative. I do think that it is even more important when it comes to a 'discretionary' spend such as video. I appreciate that funding corporate or business videos is sometimes a tough ask, but when that hurdle is overcome and the video is in place, it seems odd not to see how well that hard-fought investment is faring. read more

If at first you don't succeed, give up.

The mantra of a successful business? Unlikely. Faced with a marketing initiative that is failing, what are the options? Consider it a lost cause, a sunk cost, and move on? Sometimes, to quote a sage (ok, Bananarama), 'It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it'. What has caused the failure - the idea or the execution? If you undertake a leaflet drop or direct mail campaign and get a negligible response, what was at fault - the wrong audience, the wrong message or the wrong physical design? read more

Failure is an option

Back at the start of the millennium, when I was working in corporate land, creative endeavours were just a hobby. I had been writing books on and off for about ten years, but there was an itch I wanted to scratch - to write a movie. These were the days of the Orange Prize for Screenwriting, so I thought I would turn my most recent manuscript (none of which had ever been pitched anywhere) into a film script. I had watched enough films, and the raw material I had was very mainstream, so in the words of Clarkson & co, how hard could it be? The judge tore it to shreds. It was naive, formatted completely incorrectly, and about 5 hours long. read more

Video as Pull Marketing

As the world moves away from traditional "push marketing" towards less intrusive "pull marketing", I would advocate that there are two types of pull marketing. One requires a constant regular effort to stay in front of customers, the other much less so. As Google continues to move the goalposts for search criteria, SEO needs a regular shot in the arm to keep pace and ensure your website ranks well. There is no argument that SEO works, but it also gets bad press. I get spammed on a weekly basis by companies offering SEO services. I also meet people who say they pay out regular monthly fees to companies but don't know what they do. Social media is all about regularity and presence. Either you outsource your social media management to a specialist or you devote time on a regular basis to the task. But time is money. Any business or business owner that considers social media to be a free marketing channel is out of touch. read more

Who is watching your corporate video?

It was good to see a piece of promotional activity around a corporate video this week. You know the thing, a social media pointer - in this case a tweet - saying 'Have you seen our video' followed by the URL. Often social media is used for signposting and it is good to draw your network's attention to your own content, whilst not perpetually broadcasting. Unfortunately that was the end of the good news for this example of video marketing. I followed the hyperlink and a video player box popped up with 'Video not found'. Undeterred, and seeing that the Play button looked like it was a YouTube embed, I went onto YouTube and searched for the business' name. (Did you know that searching directly on YouTube is a huge slice of the search market, further underlining why video is so important to your business). read more

Video for PR

I had a gratifying conversation with a colleague recently, someone who knows what we offer but has never been a client. Actually, a business that already uses video very well as part of their marketing mix and leverages YouTube in a brand-consistent way. They were lucky enough to have exposure on terrestrial TV and even more fortunate to be given a copy of the programme by the broadcaster. Better yet, they were savvy enough to pull the relevant footage from the DVD and get it online immediately after the programme aired. Consequently they recieved a ton of hits and really milked their exposure. read more

Finding a video producer

  "When all is said and done, much more is said than done" This is a very accurate observation, but while it indicates that there is often a lack of implementation or follow-up, it does risk giving talking a bad name. A recent client win indicates that sometimes there is no substitute for a good chat, and the soundboarding and brainstorming that can turn a vague notion into a concrete way forward. It's also proof that however large a company is, there is no guarantee that they have all the answers and skills in-house. read more

What's holding you back from using video?

Three top barriers to businesses harnessing the power of video marketing are

1. Fear of the camera
2. Perception that it is expensive
3. Belief that it doesn’t work

Cure for the second – talk to some video people. Find out what you can get, how much it could cost, how you can benefit, and how they work. You may be surprised. Like hundreds of views and exposure in a magazine for only £250. Cure for the third – look at some numbers. Find some case studies. Listen to the buzz on social. read more

Are you paying too little for video?

"It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it’s aswell to add something for the risk you run. And if you have to do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. – John Ruskin (1819-1900)" I saw this quote on Facebook this week and it really resonated with me. I’ve written before about the ‘£99 video’, and the DIY effort of a longstanding business to generate its own corporate video, and ‘you get what you pay for’ has never been more true. read more

Top 10 places to get your video seen

As online social and sharing platforms continue to grow, there's no excuse for not giving your corporate video the most exposure you can, and signposting it in as many places as your potential audience might come across. Here's my Top 10 places to link or showcase your video; read more