My thoughts exactly... on
VIDEO AND AUDIO MARKETING
After Sales Video
Stop thinking about marketing videos as a pre-sale tool...
I bought a case for my iPhone.
From a company called Peel that I saw on Instagram.
I got an immediate email... confirming my order. Saying 'thanks'.
Adding 'Here's a peek into what just happened in our office when we got your order'.
And a video...
What happened?
- my buyer's remorse - where you feel a bit down after a purchase, that maybe you're wrong... was I an idiot for buying a phone case from the US from a company I saw on Instagram?.. It vanished,
- a human connection to the brand was made. I liked them.
- I kept thinking about them
- I went back and checked out their other products
- Erm, turns out I wrote a blog post about them
Marketing isn't just selling
Marketing is always loaded ahead of a purchase. But actually once you've made the sale... that's a great opportunity to really cement a relationship. It's easier to sell to people who already bought from you right? Make them feel special!
Make people happy they've bought from you. Make them want to tell others about you.
Make them excited about what they're going to get from you.
Book a table at a restaurant - show me a video of the kitchen team prepping for me.
Put down a deposit for a holiday - send me a video of that area, the hotel, get me excited!
Book a place for my kid at a holiday camp - get a video of kids enjoying themselves, having incredible adventures (instead of feeling guilty I'm not with my kids, I'll feel excited of what's to come!)
Send my files to the accountant - show me the humans in that office excited to get to work on them (genuinely!)
The list goes on... So, how about you?
There's not a product or service that can't do this.
Build a human connection. Make me love your brand. Kill my buyer's remorse.
How will you say 'thanks'?
Spring Clean Your Video Content
Are all of your videos on brand, relevant and easy to find? Take time to declutter and organise.
It's time to open the windows and freshen up your videos.
Time to spring clean your content.
If you've not done this in a long time (or ever) then, just like vacuuming under the bed or mopping beneath the cooker, you might be surprised at what you find lurking on your website, YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Review, Reposition, Refresh, Reuse, Remove
Just as you might refresh your wardrobe (does it suit me, fit me, is it in fashion, can I bin it, clean it?..) think the same with your business videos.
So, think:
- Do they use your current branding?
- Do they communicate your current message?
- Are they out of date with your product/service range?
- Do they seem visually current? (video trends change just as fashions do)
- Are they too long?
- Are references to phone numbers, email and web urls up to date?
It's possible you might have videos that are 3-10 years old. So for example you may find:
- 5 years ago those green screen videos seemed good... but how do they feel now?
- In the past many videos were long, could it now be punchier?
- Previously people produced long visual introductions for their videos using their company logos, but now it's seen as better to jump straight in with the content before you lose attention. Can you trim these off and add your logo in elsewhere?
Once you've reviewed, do one of four things:
- Reposition -
Can you use playlist/albums/categories to make sense of your content.
Is there a place on your website for it? If already on your site, is the embed working well?
- Refresh -
If it's out dated, can you re-edit?
What about the descriptions, naming and interactive features? Can they be updated?
- Reuse -
Can you republish it to other platforms? Share it on your site or to your email list?
Can you take sections of it and re-edit for shorter versions?
Can you take the content or script and remake it?
- Remove -
If needs be, take it off.
Don't totally delete it from your own systems, but for now, remove it from public access.
Would you want this seen in public?
Think of your video hub (wherever it may be) as an exhibition stand.
You wouldn't let your company be seen in front of thousands of potential customers with old posters/banners, dog eared leaflets, business cards for people who have left, a box of CD-Roms to hand out... So don't do it in this virtual space either.
YOUTUBE Cleanse
- YouTube lets you create playlists so it's easier for people to find specific categories of video.
- Make sure your 'feature' video is the best it can be, the most suitable - not just whatever the latest upload is.
- Are you making the most of YouTube's functionality like cards, end screens and watermarks?
- Is your channel art work (if you even have it!) looking great on all devices and do you have your url and social links on it?
- How are your title, description and tagging conventions?
- You might even find gems of content that you've neglected. Can these now be shared again on your site, in an email, on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn etc?
FACEBOOK FACE LIFT
The great thing about Facebook is the ability to have your video 'gallery' right there on your page so your content doesn't get lost in the feed. This is brilliant... but is everything in there relevant?
If you're regularly posting video, prune back this area so it's your key uploads that people will find. Otherwise your beautiful animated explainer video or customer testmonials from 6 months ago could get choked by the brambles of 'Dave's birthday surpise', 'ice bucket challenges' and 'ooh hot cross buns in the office' videos.
Again, just like with YouTube you can create categories and have a feature video.
Check out this example from Gary Vaynerchuk.
It splits his videos into his 'Daily Vee' show, Keynote speeches he's given, 'Rants' :)
DON'T JUST DELETE
Let me say this again. Don't just delete things.
'Unlist' them so they're not public on YouTube, or download them first...
It may be that some of this content can be used again. If you've spent time crafting a script in the past, don't let that go to waste.
EVALUATE & CELEBRATE!
In going through this process you'll get a feel of what's working for you, what isn't and feel inspired for what you can do next.
This is also a great opportunity to celebrate your progress with your videos.
Look what you've done!
Come on, spring into action and get cleaning.
SONOS Win & Lose
It's okay - even big brands don't always get it right.
But what can we learn from them?
Those sound dudes at SONOS have a new product.
SO, how did SONOS win and lose in launching it?
Well. I got a nice email.
I bought a SONOS product (or two) last year and they cleverly get your email address when you set up their gear.
I'm a prime target.
SO - a win for customer data collection.
What would have been nice is putting a thumbnail with a 'Play' icon on it in the image so that I was tempted to play their video.
Email with a 'play' thumbnails get higher click throughs.
And since, erm, this is a TV product, showing a play icon on a TV would have been a no brainer.
SO - I go to their site and there's a nice big image enticing me to watch the video.
Nicely done. 'See why'... a great piece of copy to pull me in.
It's a nice video! WIN.
What I like is they show the insane detail that goes into creating a product like this.
It shows the care. The science. (The justification for the price tag.)
Because after all... I already know how easy SONOS is to use.
I know how good the sound is.
I don't need those selling points.
This cements a feeling inside me that these guys care and that I'm buying into the brand.
BUT just as I'm having this feeling of 'need' for the product wash over me...
They embedded using YouTube.
And didn't turn off the 'watch this next' button. So I end up with this screen...
Argh! Suddenly I'm snapped out of the reverie of the product and I just want to click things.
I'm lost in the YouTube rabbit hole and not returning to their product's landing page. Crazy!
I've written about this before - it's so easy to avoid.
Like I did when I embedded it at the top of this post.
And if they used a business orientated site like Vimeo or Wistia they could have requested my email at the end if I'm interested... or a button to click ' buy' etc.
This is part of a sales funnel isn't it?
That said, YouTube is still a good place to have it out in the world..
But they LOSE here too with a killer careless mistake.
If I watched this video on YouTube to the end and I'm impressed by the product what will I want to do next?
... Yep. Click a link to find out more about it?
Yet the link in the notes below the video doesn't work!
MAJOR fail.
Especially as a couple of people had flagged this up in the comments and SONOS had ignored it (whilst replying to others).
Neither had they made use of the YouTube 'cards' system of having clickable buttons direct on the video that could have linked to their product page.
Do you want to sell this thing or not?!
Plus, they didn't use any of the video on Twitter...
OR on Facebook (not uploaded natively or posted from YouTube).
SO.. SOrry SONOS.
The video itself is good marketing wise.
But how you put it to use in the world... is another thing.
Sound judgement?
What can you take from this for your business?
Don't get so excited about the video and the 'launch' that you forget about the detail.
That you forget the strategy.
How are you releasing your video into the wild?
How will you turn viewers into buyers?
How will your video play its part within your landing page?
What additional tools in social and on your page can you use to cause people to take action?
As they say in the video 'making simple things is never simple'.
But when it comes to video marketing and sales you don't have to make it harder for yourself either.
SO - what will you do?
(PS. I also learnt today that I've been saying 'SONOS' wrong all along...)
Twitter Product Gifs
Using video doesn't have to be complicated. Here I put my hands together for Datum and their clever use of gifs on Twitter.
I love the way Datum are using gifs to promote their product range.
Simple. So, so simple.
These 'videos' jump out of my noisy Twitter feed.
Using their 'need a hand?' motif from their site they quickly grab attention.
You may have to hit 'play' on these below, but the way they auto-play on Twitter works a dream.
Why I love them
- Bright colours jump out of the Twitter feed
- Auto-play
- Work without sound
- Cut to the action - before you can scroll past
- Our eyes notice the change, if it were a still image we'd probably scroll on past
- Our attention grabbed we then move to the text call-to-action
- Even if we don't click through... this tactic when repeated again and again seeps into our consciousness; a range of products tied together visually
- Totally on brand with their site - using the colours and 'need a hand' motif
- No wifi? (gasp) Even on 3G these gifs load quickly so they won't get missed
- These kind of gifs would also work really well in email - yep they're the gif that keeps on giving
Let's put our hands together for Datum.
Sure, you might argue that these aren't videos. But they are.
They're short sequences of moving images right? The file type just happens to be a gif.
But why are you even arguing the toss when you could be out there creating short engaging content like this for your business?
As I've written about before, product videos matter - turns out, the file type doesn't.
Make a Charity's Christmas Video
Do good, feel good, look good. Find out how you could fund a charity's christmas video. Come on, Christmas is for sharing.
I'm writing this on a very hot (30+) day in September.
But right now photographers are busy shooting Chritsmas promotions.
Copywriters and designers are putting the finishing touches to Christmas brochures.
And you?.. What are you doing?
I'd like to urge you to think about making a charity's Christmas video.
THINK BACK TO LAST YEAR
For the second year running, Sainsbury's wanted us to remember 'Christmas Is For Sharing'.
(Preferably their Christmas advert with all of your social media connections.)
They dedicated their main Christmas advert to the message of sharing. To benefit not themselves, but a chosen charity and cause...
Have a watch, then read below to find out how your business can share the love too.
Here, they only show us their logo right at the end as we're glowing in the positive emotion the film has given us and they fleetingly tell us they're supporting Save The Children and child literacy.
John Lewis took a similar angle with their Man On The Moon ad bringing Age UK to the fore once you went to their website.
I like it... but your business can do better.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Use your marketing budget, whatever it may be, to help make a video for a charity instead.
DO IT FOR CHARITY!
If you have the cash to spare and the heart to give, why not offer to fund a video of a charity‘s christmas Santa fun run, Santa’s visit to a hospice, you get the idea. Ask everyone in your office which local charity should benefit, pick one and contact them; ask how you can help. Do it soon.
It doesn't have to be 'epic' but it does have to be genuine.
You will make a difference to the charity and those featured will feel special and to a certain extent it may go viral on a local level and if that’s where your market is, brilliant. Just have your name at the end, or if appropriate subtley in the background during it (I’m talking a volunteer wearing a xmas hat with your logo on it, or balloons, not a giant billboard)… the key is.. this isn’t about you. You may benefit yes, but that shouldn’t be why you do it or it’ll backfire. Doubtless the charity will also mention you in their newsletter, blog, own social media, maybe even local press. Think about it: loads of people sharing a heartwarming video online that benefits that charity, but that you played a part in?
Of course this shouldn't be your only marketing spend for Christmas if your business benefits from seasonal trade. But it will sure feel like the nicest part of your budget. It also means any business can do something in the spirit of Christmas: so businesses like solicitors, accountants, estate agents... you know, the ones with no particular spending boost linked to Christmas, just because no one's thinking of them, doesn't mean they can't think of somebody else.
DO GOOD, LOOK GOOD
This example was part of a post I wrote on 7 Stylish Ways Barber Shops Can Use Video... it isn't from one particular salon, but rather a united effort of stylists from a local community. They joined together to give haircuts to the homeless one Sunday at their busiest time of year... just before Christmas.
This documentary style feature is a special heart warming video that reflects well on all of the people and companies involved.
If you do this, please share it with me, I'd love to know. And if you need any help throwing some ideas around, get in touch. Bring mince pies.
Come on.. Christmas is for sharing.
**This post was originally posted for Winter 2015 and has been updated for Christmas 2016 - Festive marketing, it's the content gift that keeps on giving**
Coveragebook have it covered
When your product solves a pain point... use it to emotionally connect with your audience with video.
When your product or service exists to solve a problem, make sure you use video to visually and emotionally get that point across.
Here's what Coveragebook are doing so well.
What I love about this...
- the tweet is being promoted to anyone following people to do with PR
- the tweet itself is encouraging you to share it with friends in PR to help them out, notice that? It's not hard-sell at all
- the video doesn't launch into how lovely their software is straight away... instead it draws out just how insanely painful the current way of doing things is
- instead of making this short and punchy they really have let the process play out; if you're not interested you'll soon skip on and that's fine, BUT if this pain point resonates with you, you'll carry through to the Coveragebook solution and you'll be sold
- break it down: we get one minute of pain, then they say 'check this out, it'll blow your mind'... well, you're not going to stop watching then are you?
- the same video is used on their homepage and the call-to-action at the end is directly in the player itself, when you click it you get a sign up page for their free trial
- the video on on their home page is hosted using Wistia, so other than the call-to-action they'll get a stack of useful marketing metrics that they can make the most of
- and check out that call-to-action itself (below) - all of their language is on brand, it's so friendly, cheeky, subversive - disrupting the norm just like their product
In fact my only beef would be that there seems to be an aching void of white near the end of video that lingers for 20 seconds or so (or, there is as a I write this). Which kind of feels a bit sloppy when you're trying to impress people. BUT if people were suitably impressed hopefully they'll already be clicking through to your site by this point or signing up for a free trial.
BUT that's not the only way these guys are using video
They make it really easy to get up and running with their product with a range of video walkthroughs (below) that take you through the product in a friendly, visual way.
How does this relate to your business?
- how can you show the pain points and the solutions?
- think 'how will the viewer feel' when they're watching? How will they connect?
- how can you use twitter (or Facebook) to reach an audience that could be interested?
- what else can you get across in a video that will be helpful? Can you make How-to's? or FAQs?
Ideas For Using Video At Your Awards Event
Take the moments from your event and make them work for you by using video before, during and after.
As I stood their hosting the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards I was struck by inpsiration myself: of how video should be a dream tool for awards organisers.
1. Social Video on the night
Have a video crew at the event. As each prize is awarded save that clip out and tweet it using the @ of the company and the sponsor of the award. You'll piggy back on the good feeling to their audience who will become aware of your event.
You could even do 'red carpet' videos of guests arriving, or at the pre-event reception. That way you'll get even more shares because all of the finalists get to share themselves looking glam, win or not.
Attendess on Instagram? Do the same thing with 'Stories' of vertical video - remember to tag them in to the on screen text.
Tip: Pre-write the text with @ handles in a doc, ready to copy and paste to Twitter... but don't schedule anything, you'd hate to accidently tweet out the winner before it's announced!
2. Promo Video of the night
Pull together all those smiling faces, clapping hands... have some testimonial vox pops of how great it was. Worth booking your video team to edit this the next day. A tall order, but worth getting it out there while people are still excited from the night before. Get it on Facebook & LinkedIn so it's shared. Create a 30 sec edit for Twitter.
Make sure you use this again in 9 months time to help you get entries for next year!
Above: Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards promo 2015 (made by Pearldrop)
3. Winner Stories
This takes more effort and investment but is well worth it. 8 months after the event, film at a few of the winning businesses (or individuals). Let's share their story.
What was it like on the night? The effect on team morale? The press/publicity they got? The effect it had on them - new clients, profits, further awards etc. Use this to fuel entries for your next event!
These are just a few ideas. You could use video before the event; go behind-the-scenes; stream live; interview winners... but the three above are the best place to start.
Make the most of the moment!
That's what this is about. Taking the energy and positivity of the night and using video to show, to share, to make it live long beyond the moment.
People at awards ceromonies are full of hype, passion, pride and, well, maybe a drink or two. As well as their meals, feed them celebratory content and they'll become your advocates; sharing their own stories of the evening.
As with everything, there's no point making a promo video if you don't share it, put it out there and make it work for you. But if you do, your event will grow and your reputation as an organiser will grow - for example Inspiring Hertfordshire is organised by the Herts Chamber of Commerce so all of this is actually spreading their name and purpose.
Take the moment and turn it into momentum.
(And the prize, for most cheesy inspiring last line of a blog post goes to...)
Instagram's rebrand video
When you rebrand you need customers and staff on board. Video helps explain and inspire so they'll be along for the ride.
No doubt you've seen Instagram's new logo.
Now, not everyone may like it.
But what I do like is the video they made to help explain to their users why they did it.
An Instagram video of course...
What I love
- It shows love and respect to their audience
- It's fun. It's emotional. It's arty. It shows the breadth of what Instagram has become
- It namechecks the user generated content with their @ tags
- Short punchy text in the language of Instagram with # emojis etc
- It works with no sound
- It is (as you'd expect) totally in keeping with the visual style of the platform
It manages to say through images the following: 'we started out as a place to add filters to your images, but look what you've done with that, look what you have made Instagram become, this is more than just filters, this is you sharing, belonging, enjoying... you have evolved what Instagram is and we have now changed our logo to reflect that...'
If you typed that out, would anyone read it?
That's press release talk.
The video however says that and so much more, it connects, resonates, it moves us.
Staggered release
As a side note: I also like that this was of course originally posted to Instagram itself, but three days later was emailed out to users as part of a note about their rebrand and refreshed app.
It's a good reminder that it's worth staggering the way your promote your content.
Let's say I write this blog post on Monday.
I might tweet it out Monday. Put in on Linked In Tuesday. Email it out Thursday.
(I know, good job Craig David changed the lyrics I sent him).
If you've got a video. It might be YouTube and Twitter - Monday. Facebook - Tuesday. Twitter and LinkedIn - Wednesday. Email Thursday. And so on...
That way you stand more chance of getting eyes on your post and your video. Those who saw your post but didn't have time to engage, will finally get around to it.
Not the only video
Now, it's not the only video they made on their rebrand.
They also created this to accompany a blog post about making the change.
And whilst this is a really slick video, it just doesn't work like that one I first showed you does it?
It lacks any degree of 'why'. It has no feel of the platform. It's really just a bit of fluff.
In fact, the following gif is far more useful...
Insta Hit?
When a company rebrands it is never going to please everyone. People resist change.
But using video is a great way to explain your why and to inspire people, be it your customers or your staff, to care, to get them on board.
This is something I've worked with a few major brands on now and it's so important. You need people to jump on board, not be forced on board; otherwise they'll start to look around for somewhere else to be.
Respect your audience.
Share your thinking.
Make them part of the story and they'll be along for the ride.
Budweiser's Dream Social Video
Bud's using user generated content, social and a love of football for their Dream Goal campaign.
Budweiser UK have a great social media promotion that encourages user generated content, social shares, voting and competition. It alligns the brand with the UK's love of football.
The concept
The idea is simple: film your ground roots game of football and if they score a 'dream goal' upload it! Goals get shared in a gallery on Budweiser's site and the best get seen on TV and judged by famous pundits. Grants worth up to £50,000 can be netted too.
It's hugely effective on Facebook where the comments, shares and likes are in full flow.
You can also see above that Sky Sports have also shared it to great effect. Whether that was a paid for collaboration (I'd imagine so) or just because the content was so good it was worth sharing... it's clearly working. The key audience is being reached.
What's so great?
- It appeals to their core audience
- It appeals to an anticipated audience (ie, young sports fans not old enough to drink, but who can start to love the brand - not that Bud would admit to this I'm sure, but still, it's a reality despite putting an 'age limit' entry gate on their site)
- They get audience created content which drives the clubs supporters to the brand
- It's brilliantly visual so grabs attention in social
- It's short, snappy, REAL and works well without sound on social 'autoplay'
- It's very viral; the content of great goals is very likeable and shareable
- They paid to promote on social, but the organic reach is substantial
- They posted the tweets in the lead up to and during a key FA Cup match using hash tags that meant a wider audience will have seen this tweet organically as well
- They partnered with other relevant companies to piggyback on their audience, such as this...
Here, Bud tie in nicely for a giveaway with another huge brand - EE - Genius! Cameras you can film action with and a phone network keen to promote 4G for uploading/streaming. Look at the social reaction... And this will have been seen by EE's followers as well. Relevant. Smart.
Video on their site
The Dream Goal section of their site is rich in video as well.
- You have additional content where TV pundits are shown giving their opinions on the footage, just as they might for a Premier League goal
- You have a gallery of 'dream goals' to enjoy
- They use ultra-short videos to 'teach' the process of how to get involved (see below). The first one of which is particularly interesting as it demonstrates to people that they should hold the phone landscape to film. Of course that'll make it look better when being shared and ultimately, potentially, on TV! Never take it for granted that people know what to do, especially when it comes to filming. Give them examples and they will follow...
Could you do this?
It's a smart, well executed social video campaign.
Of course it has a huge team behind it, but look at the ingredients that make it successful.
Could you do something like this? Sure you could!
It doesn't have to be on this scale to be effective, it depends on (forgive me) what your goals are.
Also, can you tie in with another brand as they have with Sky Sports and EE? So long as they're relevant, your message spreads further and you give extra value to your audience.
And they're key. Don't forget at the heart of this campaign is the audience.
Who are you trying to reach? What do they like doing? How can you harness that?
Find Your Story - IAG Cargo
When your product might seem a bit dull, your stories are key. See how IAG Cargo use lion cubs and David Beckham to pull us in.
The team at IAG Cargo haven't thought outside the box with video marketing.
They've thought inside it.
You see, the cargo air-freight industry in itself is dull. Even the cargo industry can see that.
BUT… the real story is in the cargo itself.
What is in that box?
With both of these videos they draw us in. We see the care taken each step of the way.
We see the precious cargo itself, we see the humans who take such care and pride in their jobs.
The underlying message is ‘the leading x company trusts IAG Cargo with x… so why wouldn’t you?’
You’re unlikely to remember a video, let alone share it unless there’s an emotional connection to it. David Beckham? Animals? We’re not jut filling boxes, but ticking all of them.
The actual branding of IAG Cargo (and their airlines) is very subtle, this still feels like we could be watching a documentary on TV.
Look at the titles and thumbnails of the videos. These are very clickable.
The stories lend their light, intrigue, inspiration and positivity onto the brand itself.
When your product's a bit dull. Let your stories shine.
Think about it for your business. What are your stories?
Sadlers Wells Video Email Tactic
Love the way Sadlers Wells are using video combined with email marketing to sell their shows. Get your videos to perform for you!
I received an email from Sadlers Wells, the dance theatre folk today. And was immediately struck by how heavily that email used video to help sell the shows. 5 out of the 7 listed.
Clearly dance is a very visual product and video can do so much more than a description, static photo and theatre critic quote. It can move you. And hopefully move you to click 'buy'.
Check out how they go about this and how you could do this with your business (whatever it may be!). Combining video and email is well worth making a song and a dance about.
Above: the sequence from my inbox to the box office
What's great, is if you click 'Read More' on the email, it takes you to the web page where the video is a still image that says 'play clip' or 'buy tickets'. BUT if you click 'Video' from the email, then when the web page opens it autoplays the video. Nice.
AUTOPLAY
The auto play click through, means the transition feels seemless. It removes the chance of us getting distracted by something else, we're drawn straight in.
SHORT & PUNCHY
The videos are quick, to the point and visually enthralling. The original trailer for the Motionhouse show 'Broken' that I've featured here actually has a YouTube trailer of 2m33. But Sadlers Wells (who could easily have just embedded that) has a shorter, punchy edit of just 49 seconds. If I'm reading their email on my lunchbreak, I can watch the trailers for 3 shows from their email in the time it'd take to watch just one long one. Makes total sense.
EASY TO CONVERT
Remember that a video can only do so much. You need a good landing page to convert people. It's easy on the Sadler's Wells site to see how we can buy tickets with the big red button next to the player.
EASY TO SHARE
On completion of the video we see a series of 'share' buttons so we're prompted to share and given easy ways to do so. Again, this makes it easy for us to continue our purchasing journey. I could share this video with friends/family I might like to ask to come with me, or give myself cultural cudos by tweeting 'how cool does this show look?!' or, well, by using it in a blog post...
HOW CAN THIS WORK FOR YOU?
Clearly if you have a visual, emotional product: show, seminar, band, conference to promote then it's clear. But frankly, if you have products, the benefit of having product videos (click that link - I've banged on about it before) is really powerful, combine that with an effective email strategy and it's even stronger.
EMAIL AND VIDEO TOGETHER
Any business should recognise the power of nurturing leads using their own (growing) email database. Using video is a big tool in your armoury. Putting obvious thumbnails for people to click on is key. Autoplay when the site loads - briliant.
SALES METRICS
By using the likes of Wistia or Vidyard for your business video hosting you're able to benefit from amazing metrics. Unlike YouTube or Vimeo, these hosts tie into your email marketing platform (Mailchimp for example) and even Marketing Automation Software and CRMs. This means you can see exactly who from your email list has watched your video, how long for, maybe with repeat viewings... ie how hot a lead are they? And for that matter, you can see which videos/products/email thumbnails are working best so you're not just doing it on a hunch.
Making a video is only the beginning: it's the overture; it's how you put that video centre stage and let it perform for you that matters.
Great Social Video - Good Eggs
Co-op hatched the perfect Facebook video strategy for Easter. See how they did it.
The Co-operative Food's Facebook video stragey in the run up to Easter has been brilliant.
It's been eye catching (stopping me in my scrolling-tracks), enjoyable, serial and shareable.
THE CONCEPT
Each short video shows someone in need of help.
Members of the public are filmed with secret cameras coming to their aid, before being surprised with Easter eggs for being such good eggs. It's a social eggsperiment.
Each video is only about 20-30 seconds long and concentrates on one scenario, but here's a compilation that's pinned to their Facebook page to give you the idea.
THE GENIUS SOCIAL SHARING STRATEGY
The cracking part of this plan is when they encourage viewers to 'nominate the Good Eggs in your life by tagging them in the comments and explaining what makes them so great!'
Genius!
So, sure, they pay for a load of Facebook views by promoting these to everyone's feeds. But they get so many more by people sharing this, not just with the usual 'likes' or 'shares' but by socially tagging their friends/family.
Not only that, but the love and warmth people have for their 'Good Eggs' shines equally on the Co-op for their part in this.
I mean, this doesn't even expressley say this is a competition does it? People are doing it because it makes them feel good and the brand is inextricably linked with that emotion.
WHY THEY'RE PERFECT FACEBOOK FODDER
- short
- cut straight to the action so they grab our attention
- make sense with no audio
- have multiple story lines (so we can engage with each one plus we don't feel repeated to)
- make us smile, so we want to hit 'like' or 'share'
- make us want to interact, by tagging (and therefore sharing even deeper)
These short videos have the same effect when shared on Twitter (which they did of course) but the link on the tweets drives people to the Co-op website, which then directs them to Facebook.
THE ONLY CRITICISM
This is their web copy:
Number 3! It just feels really lame to invite people to like and share the videos. It kind of breaks the magic spell. You want people to share or like your content because they want to. In writing this as an instruction, it sheds light on the fact that, when all's said and done, this is a marketing campaign. Don't break the spell. People won't share because you ask them to unless perhaps it's a charity.
All in all though, hats (or Easter bonnets) off to the Co-operative Food team for hatching such a social video plan. It's brilliant.
You can see all of the videos in this YouTube playlist.
Samaritans - 360° Storytelling
Check out the new immersive 360 video from charity Samaritans. The use of video and audio drives home their message of 'listening'.
The Samaritans have launched a new campaign called 'We Listen'.
Check out their 360° video and you'll soon discover their message.
That 'listening' is very different to 'hearing'.
360° video isn't just used as a gimmick. It serves a real storytelling purpose.
The combination of allowing the viewer to be distracted visually, moving the camera to see others in the cafe, along with the distraction of all the other conversations and sounds of the room is brilliantly done. For the best effect, I'd suggest listening with headphones.
If the video doesn't load above, try watching it on their YouTube channel
(or the YouTube app on mobile devices).
It's short. It feels authentic (far from glossy). It strikes home the point on two levels.
If we need someone to listen to us ,Samaritans are there for us... but also, it kicks us as humans to remember that when someone's talking to us we really should be 'present' for them, to actually listen.
There's only one thing I'd suggest though: the text at the end is very hard to read. It's too small with those contrasting colours. Always worth bearing those things in mind when we create videos, how big will the player be, can people clearly catch your call to action.
I love this effective use of 360° video. Not for the sake of it, but as a key part of the message.
You can find out more about this Samaritans campaign, including the poster reach in conjunction with the UK's rail network here.
7 Stylish Ways Barber Shops Can Use Video
It's scary walking into a barber shop the first time. But if you like it, you'll be back forever.
Video can show you're a cut above the rest.
Here's the thing with hairdressers and barber shops.
You move to a new town/city. You nervously tread the streets looking for a place to get your hair cut. Eventually, you tentatively open a door and step in... but if they do a good job, the chances are you'll be opening that door for the rest of your life.
First impressions count.
Pulling in customers with fringes in from the fringes is all important.
Now, they can see what your barber shop is like before they walk past, by searching online.
Or... you can interrupt their social feed by appearing in it with a paid ad.
After a pair of clippers, a comb and that weird jar of Barbicide, video is fast becoming a key tool for any hairdresser.
For this post of choice cuts, I've concentrated on male focussed 'barber shops'.
Seen a great example elsewhere? Please do get in touch here or tweet @sfolland.
THE FULL TREATMENT
Schorem Barbers in Rotterdam have created an impressive catalogue of stylish videos that perfectly capture what it's like to visit them. So long as you're a man of course.
THE WHOLE CUT
Cut & Sew in Dublin have had big success with this semi 'how-to' video, which shows their skills and what the place looks like, though not while open, so it doesn't have so much atmosphere as it could. Still, pretty mesmerising.
(By the way, did you get an annoying pop up advert during that? Yep - that's why you should post to YouTube but never embed to your site with it)
DIY - Twitter
True Gents in Hitchin did a DIY film job for their Twitter feed to promote their February special offer of a free wet shave. They then pinned this to the top of their Twitter page.
This kind of video doesn't need to be perfectly finished, it's great to see it raw, it captures our attention in our social feeds.
Keep in mind, on auto-play in your feed this would play silently - works really well.
THE SHORT BACK AND WIDE ANGLE
BarberBarber give us a perfect glimpse into their place. The custom thumbnail is brilliant to grab our attention and get a key message across without even hitting play. I know this is promoting their YouTube channel, but I'm still surprised they don't have a version of this on their homepage, sums up this expanding brand perfectly.
INSTA-STYLE
Now, I've had to switch over to a female salon for this example. But there's no reason why others couldn't make use of this tactic.
Instagram is spot on for such a visual business to capture what they're up to. Hugo Salon even have their Instagram feed embedded on their homepage, that's how key it is.
As part of their video strategy they make 'how to' videos for their blog (How To videos are always hugely popular on YouTube) but create these ultra-trimmed Instagram versions (where you're limited to 15 seconds. **UPDATE**: As of Spring 2016 the length expanded to 60 seconds) to promote the full length cuts and work as stand-alone content themselves. I'm thinking of going for the first one, what do you think?
FACEBOOK AD
Ali Barbers in Essex popped up in my Facebook feed last year because they paid to promote their video to, presumably, an audience of local men. (My broadband must link to Harlow as I always get adverts suggesting I get things there).
The video is soundtracked by a custom song they had produced for a radio ad campaign.
Facebook ads are incredibly powerful for targeting a specific local audience. It clearly shows the kind of barbers they are, what to expect and, subtley when they're open. If people you know 'like' it, it will also appear in your feed.
DO GOOD, LOOK GOOD
This isn't from one particular salon, but rather a united effort of stylists from a local community. The joined together to give haircuts to the homeless one Sunday at their busiest time of year... just before Christmas.
This documentary style feature is a special heart warming video that reflects well on all of the people and companies involved.
AND WHAT WOULD SIR LIKE TODAY?
This post is looking at barber shops, but of course if you have any physical establishment that you want customers to walk into, this holds true for you too. Bars, sweet shops, beauty salons, butchers, health centres...
You've got more than just your window onto the street now, so let people enjoy the view.
Watergate Bay Hotel - Story telling and sharing
How one hotel in Cornwall uses perfect video storytelling to get you staying and sharing.
The tourism industry is a hugely competitive place.
What better way to stand out on a crowded beach of hotels, than to have a great video on your homepage. Especially if you're in Newquay, Cornwall, on Watergate Bay.
Watergate Bay Hotel's video is perfect.
It's not got a voiceover telling us how many rooms it has, the prices, the ameneties, the various impressive deals... in fact most of it isn't set in the hotel at all.
It's a brilliant piece of storytelling: an amazing family weekend away. A mix of pro footage and 'real' holiday footage, a chilled folky soundtrack that sucks us in and says 'this could be your story too'.
Take a look. The call to action at the end is genius.
It sits pride of place above the fold on the homepage (part of a beautifully designed site).
Notice it's embedded from Vimeo, rather than YouTube (though they have it up on their YT page too), so it looks nice and doesn't show ads.
What's great?
- short, just 90 seconds
- the natural beauty of the setting
- the smiling faces that feel authentic
- the girl using the waffle iron (waffles!)
- the subtle way it shows the rooms, pool, spa and dining
- the use of 'real' sound and footage: it feel like it could be our own holiday video, we all recognise that 'wind' on a video camera sound
- it's great to learn surfing or be a pro surfer, but hey if you want to chill and read a book with this incredible view, that's cool too
- the eagerness of the kids running up the stairs to eat
- The call to action a the end: not 'book now', but 'Now It's Your Turn', with a camera icon and #MyWatergateBay - the response on social, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook is really special.
And it's that last point that's genius.
"Now It's Your Turn"
Now it's your turn to live that dream and have that holiday.
Now it's your turn to make your own video and share it with the world.
They went further and created a competition where you could submit your own footage using that hashtag. Of course that also means, if I stayed there and entered to win, then all of my social networks are likely to see the amazing time I had there... and want to stay themselves. But it's done in a really authentic way, not 'RT to win' style, but simply a family sharing their experience with their friends.
The contest ended in the winter of 2015 and the collective footage will be used to make their next video! (The ultra-short instagram creations are the perfect length for an editor to work with).
Can't wait to see it.
For that matter, I can't wait to stay there.
For it to be my turn.
Mmm, waffles.
What story can you tell for your business?
I'd love to hear, get in touch.
How to avoid video own goals when rebranding your company
Here's the 3 key things to ask your video producer for now, that will save you time and money when rebranding later on.
When I was 18, I got a new passport.
When I was 26, excited to be jetting off with this Australian girl I’d met… We opened my passport and there stared this 18 year old version of me.
I had rebranded by this point. But my old packaging was there to haunt me.
She would either laugh. Or run.
Be prepared for rebrand
Companies rebrand. It happens. They mature. Fashions change.
Just recently Uber and The Premier League have done it. Maybe you will too.
Here’s three scenarios:
1. You rebrand. Your business changes its logo, colours, font… but all of your videos have the old branding
2. You make videos that include a member of staff… who then leaves - maybe under a cloud of bad PR, or maybe they switched to a competitor
3. You change one of your products, or drop it from your range, but… yep, your videos still reference it and are out of date
Now, in a perfect world your original video producer will still have the edit sessions and all of the footage and can take out the old branding, put in the new, etc.
But what if you can’t contact them?
What if they’ve closed down?
What if the original marketing manager who booked them has moved on and now no one can trace the company?
What if the production company can be found but they no longer have your originals?
All of the above happens. More often than you might think.
The solution
In the past year I’ve been asked a few times to salvage/re-edit videos because of these reasons. But here’s the thing, it’s far from ideal. You end up using editing tricks to make the best of the situation or have to charge more because you need go through frame by frame masking old branding…
3 ways to protect yourself
- Ask for a copy of the raw unedited footage, ‘the rushes’, of your video
- Request an edit of your video without any graphics
- Get a copy with no music on the soundtrack
When you have a video produced, do all of these three things and you've protected your business from its future marketing self. Without any real hassle you can put in new graphics, cut bits out (easy, because without music, no one can tell what you cut) and keep your videos up to date.
Repurpose
Another benefit of keeping clean footage like this, is at some point you might like to repurpose it, to use it again in a different promo.
You know you filmed that model having her hair done for 2 hours and yet only 10 seconds is your video… what if you could take a different section and make a cool video for Instagram or a How To for YouTube? You can only do that if you’ve got the originals.
Make a new one!
I realise the crux of this post is telling you don't need to make a new video. Of course, there are good reasons to make a fresh one. Video styles change. Viewing habits change (make it short and snappy now!). Publishing platforms change. So don't rule it out.
But I also appreciate the costs and logitsics involved. So if you have videos already, it's better to be armed to quickly re-edit rather than start from scratch.
Embed from anywhere but YouTube
I've said countless times that you shouldn't embed on your site from YouTube and for a variety of reasons. But for this post let's take one important point to do with rebranding. On paid-for hosting sites like Vimeo, Wistia, Vidyard etc, you can swap the file over behind the scenes.
See what I'm saying? You keep your embed the same. Everywhere your video has ever been linked to, like other websites or social media, the url stays the same... BUT you've swapped the old video file to be your new branded video file, so your image is refreshed.
With YouTube you have no choice but to delete the old video and upload a new one. All links go dead. All embeds need to be re-coded.
Be prepared for makeovers
Don’t feel stuck with your old identity.
Don’t feel you have to pay a lot of money to the government just to be issued a new a passport so you don't lose the girl of your dreams. I mean,... not have to pay to have a brand new video made and lose the customers of your dreams.
If however, you do find yourself in this situation, just contact me. I’m happy to take a look and advise what you can do with what you’ve got. I’ll be like the Gok of video for you. Just get in touch.
Top Testimonial Videos - YouCanBookMe
Check out this masterclass in how current customers can help you sell to new ones from YouCanBook.me
It should go without saying that real customers talking enthusiatsically about your products/service are incredibly powerful.
And yet, too many companies still don't spend the time and, let's face it, money to get out there and film their customer experiences.
Here's how scheduling app YouCanBook.me do it pretty much to perfection.
I'll break it down for you from content, duration and even placement on the webpage.
CAPTURE EXPERIENCES
That word is key. The reason these videos by YouCanBook.me are so good is that they've gone out and captured the stories. We can see the difference their product makes to real businesses.
Plus, as you watch this first one, notice how we don't just see the effect YouCanBook.me has on the driving instructor, making his life easier, but importantly, the effect it has for his customers - we hear from them too.
See all of the videos on the YouCanBook.me site - I've only put two in this post
Short duration
Notice the way their web copy (below) says 'watch 1 minute videos'.
It can be tempting when making a testimonial video to do just that. Make A. Singular.
They could have filmed these four customers and cut them together as one long video, but the length would have started to lose the audience.
Yet faced with four short videos, the audience is actually likely to watch all four one after another. It's a bit like this: if someone gives you a sandwich that isn't cut up, just two slices of bread one on top of the other it would seem like a huge job to eat it. But cut into halves... or better into quarters? That's why buffets are SO moreish. Why you'll eat so many Celebrations in a row but wouldn't eat Mars Bar after Mars Bar. Well, not in public at least.
DIVERSITY
The other benefit of using more than one story (other than the fact it shows you didn't just get lucky with one person) is it shows the range of benefits and can show a range of demographics.
The viewer can choose to pick the testimonial that relates to them the most to view first. There is diversity in these videos - and I'm not just talking race (in fact there could be more done there); there is age, gender, nationality, type of business, formal/informal.
PRODUCT?
Notice they don't actually show us the product in action, it's all about the impact. Now, this is particularly smart for a software company where, no doubt, they will constantly be refining and redesigning their product. So, these videos will never age in that respect.
However, I would say testimonial videos are a great way to subtly show your product in action, so do what works best for you.
If you're a farm shop, it makes sense for us to see people enjoying a roast dinner with your product at a table of smiling faces. If you sell roof boxes it makes sense to see the family packing up their life into one as well as them enjoying their holiday.
It's the product and the effect it has. It's just for a software company it can very quickly date your video, so either leave it out, or make sure the editor keeps those files and can easily switch in new footage. (I worked on a case just like this for a software company last year who rebranded).
But even though there's no visual of the product in these four videos, we do hear the speakers mention specific features of the app that they like.
HOMEPAGE PLACEMENT
These videos are easily found on the homepage, not hidden away.
And the homepage is five simple pages rolled into one.
- Introduction (with explainer video)
- How It Works graphic
- Testimonial videos
- Impressive clients
- Pricing plans
Look how, in just a couple of scrolls you are greeted my customer stories. Face to face with people using the product.
In fact, these might be what you watch first as the 'how it works' video is a button, not a thumbnail so you might scroll past and then come back to it.
The thumbnails themselves are customised for a face we can relate to and an obvious 'play' symbol. They actually open a pop-over embed so the video plays nice and big across the page. We also have a key quote shown so even if people don't watch them all they can see the main points.
The balance of limited but powerful copy, graphics and videos make this a website well worth studying and learning from.
And one of the key ingredients really are those testimonial videos.
So get thinking, who can you speak to?
Who will speak for you?
Make the videos short, personable, diverse and telling the actual story of the product in action.
Need help thinking this through? Get in touch.
Yep. You can book me too.
Personalised Videos - Interview With Idomoo
Video interview with Dotan Ginsbourg from Idomoo about the power, possibilities, logistics and future of personalised videos for brands.
Tesco, o2, Barclays, Lloyds, BT, Vodafone, Sky, Exxon Mobil.
When brands like that are using personalised videos you know it's worth taking note.
And who are they making them with? Idomoo.
I caught up with Dotan Ginsbourg from Idomoo UK to talk about the possibilities, logistics and future of this growing marketing trend. And found out how a big brand tactic like this can be used by SME's.
Watch our chat and also take a read below for a summary and some of my thoughts.
For transparency: Idomoo have not paid me for this post.
Not even sent me cake.
Here's a summary of our conversation.
What's the essence of what Idomoo can do? Well, as Dotan told me, they "can take almost any creative and data personalisation and combine it together".
Agnostic to delivery
"We're agnostic as to where the data is coming from and agnostic as to the distribution" - so email, in an app, IPTV."
How? Because the personalized video is stored and in some cases even rendered live in the cloud.
3 levels of personalisation
"We can take basically 3 levels of personalisation. One is voiceover, the second is text and the third is scene selection. Meaning your video is a combination of different scenes, text and voiceover combined together according to pre-defined logic. So based on your profile, based on your behaviour, the brand can grab your attention, hold your attention, give you valuable information and then give you personalised click-to-actions. These campaigns are extremely effective in terms of engagement, conversion and customer retention."
the brand can grab your attention, hold your attention, give you valuable information and then give you personalised click-to-actions
4 steps of customer life cycle
"The 4 steps in a customer life cycle: acquisiition, welcome, in-life and retention and we're doing projects around those four steps".
The acquisition might come via your own CRM or data you've purchased.
Welcome? Well, for example Barclays are doing all of their onboarding with new customers through personalised video.
In-life? That's things like up-grading. Whatever your product: be it your phone, your insurance...
Retention: the brand can approach you in a friendly, emotional, personalised way.
I'd go further. What about the fifth step in the customer life cycle? Advocacy.
Engaing in such a personalised way is more likely to make a customer a cheer leader for your brand. If a video really catches their attention, they're likely to talk about it with someone and spread your brand's name and message.
Results are everything
Results are everything. Because it's digital it's very easy for the brands to track and measure the effectiveness of the campaigns, be it open, click through, voucher redemption, sign up, downloads, etc.
"Less people are interested in either generic communication or something that's not digital. So we can do digital, video and relevant to you. And this is where it's very powerful."
Cost?
There's one crucial ingredient to personalised video that influences the cost of course. THE VIDEO. Any production company will tell you it's the 'how long is a piece of string' scenario. Clearly if you're filming or animating something there is cost involved. If you're including actors, even celebrities, the cost is going up further. Idomoo don't actually produce the videos. They're not marketers, they're not storytellers, they're technological wizards.
So there's the cost of your creative agency, the video production cost and finally Idomoo's.
As Dotan says, if you compared their element to other forms of marketing, then they'd be more expensive than sending an email, less expensive than sending a letter. LESS EXPENSIVE THAN SENDING A LETTER.
"We're creating an opportunity for the brand to convey a message to its customers. Because this is a major challenge. Less people are interested in either generic communication or something that's not digital. So we can do digital, video and relevant to you. And this is where it's very powerful."
How smaller brands can use Idomoo
"We work in two ways. One is working with big brands with agencies... but we also work in a 'self-service mode"
So after filming "you'd upload your scenes to the platform... you can then integrate data according to placeholders that you're defining with Adobe After Effects. And then through the platform you basically generate the videos, that creates a personalised url and then you can distribute it: integrate it into an email campaign".
"Agencies can do personalised videos in a manual way, but the downside to that is that it's very expensive. It's not in scale. So they can do one thousand; we can do ten million. And because it's manual and not automatic, there's always the risk of error. Because we give them a platform, an engine, technology, this gives creative agencies and brands a very interesting opportunity".
"This should be... part of an omni-channel communication plan.
We have enough results to support that."
The future?
Dotan, as you'd expect, believes personalisation will expand further and even spread to TV.
"You know, I don't want to watch an ad that's not relevant to me, so that's an area that will grow."
Also some sectors simply aren't doing this yet, so there's catch up to be had: "We're doing our first project with a big travel brand, but the rest aren't doing that."
Dotan certainly sounds confident, "I'm now in my second year. First year: we've tried to define this as an innovative approach. Now, we're not innovation, this should be 'business as usual', part of an omni-channel communication plan. We have enough results to support that."
Want to try this?
Not gonna lie. I'm excited to try this. Want to work together?
One of my clients are already thinking about what they can do. They should be the first in their sector. It's going to make them stand out from the crowd for sure.
Don't let yourself play catch up in years to come. Why not look at what you can do to personalise your videos? To offer something that's not generic, that's relevant, that's going to make a difference to your customers and therefore to your business. If you've not done so already, check out my original post where I give some food for thought as to how SME's can personalise videos.
This isn't the only way to make video, far from it, but this is a fresh way to cut through the noise of direct marketing, be it post or email to really connect with your customers.
PS. (In case you missed it earlier)
Idomoo have not paid me for this post.
5 Great Examples Of Twitter Video for Chinese New Year
Brands jumping on Twitter's #chinesenewyear hash tag with video - But are they just monkeying around?
When scheduling content across the year, the likes of Chinese New Year are bound to jump out for marketers.
So here are five examples of brands using Twitter video in a pretty smart way for the Year of The Monkey. Erm, and then one from the UK Government.
Each using the topical trending hashtag #chinesenewyear for discovery - but what else are they doing well?
Jamie Oliver
- Direct clickable link to an article about ginger on Jamie's site (from the video itself)
- Works brilliantly silent
- Engaging, fun, shareable
- Great click-bait title
- Re-purposed - notice that this content, whilst being used for Chinese New Year is actually totally evergreen (the music is SO Chinese right?). There's no mention of Chinese food anywhere in the actual video. But it doesn't feel like they've crow-barred it in. Smart.
- If my wife's reading this, please send biscuits
Biscuiteers
(Why send flowers when you can send buiscuiteers!)
- Short and sweet
- Eyecatching
- Using one of their products (the iced dragon head)
- I'd never heard of this brand, so it goes to show it works, I was intrigued to stop, watch again, watch again and then click their Twitter bio to discover more. Shame there's no click-through though.
Waitrose
- Evergreen content again: this is great use of video they already have being scheduled for a particular calendar event with the #
- Makes us aware that Waitrose TV exists, a place for more recipes like this
- Pretty long though, this feels more like a Facebook/YouTube video, a shorter version snapping through the processes, leading to us clicking through to the actual Waitrose TV site would have been better
Morrisons
- specific Chinese New Year content here and because of the monkey only works this year, I hope, since they went to the trouble, that they made extra versions with toy chickens, dragons, etc
- fun, Twitter friendly video, works well with no sound
- shows us the ingredients we can find in store
Digi
- eye catching
- fun, shareable, but WTF?
- bit long for Twitter, but totally engrossing
- link through to site and competition
Digi are a Malaysian mobile phone company. They've created this content to encourage us to 'score big points' with our Chinese families this year by using their correct titles when speaking to them (using our Digi mobiles of course)
You owe me one for figuring it out for you. Fun though, right?!
It links through to a page with more on Chinese New Year, further video and a chance to win an iPhone 6s
David Cameron
- good use of subtitles
Okay, that's kind of the only plus point.
It's long, pretty dull, but nice to hear him say 'Fire Monkey'.
You can keep watching but, like me, you'll be gutted the Cabinet don't appear doing a Chinese Dragon dance behind him towards the end (missed opportunity for Osborne!).
And man, did they open him up to a LOT of responses like this.
And this is the cleanest.
Cancer Research Videos
Great examples of a charity using video and social media together. Join them.
I don't have to tell you what a horrible thing cancer is.
Just ask anyone and they'll have been affected in some way it seems. I know my family has.
It's an absolute arse.
Which is why an organisation like Cancer Research UK making the most of the power of video, makes me happy. I'm writing this on World Cancer Day, which is where we start...
Video made for Social media
Their Tweet below is a perfect example of creating a video for Social.
- it works brilliantly silent
- nice clear message
- short and shareable
- bright, colourful, bold, eye catching
- a clear call to action
Yes, you may well hear sound on this, but mute it. See how powerful a visual it is?
Here's another example from Facebook.
It's said you have 8 seconds to grab someone's attention. Notice how the first 10 seconds is bold colur, text and emotive visuals? If you've grabbed my eyes by then, I'll click to unmute and hear what is said after that... This is definitely going to stand out as I absentmindedly scroll, scroll, scroll.
Structured YouTube
Their YouTube channel is a hub for inspiration and information.
They've made perfect use of YouTube's playlists so they can categorise their (many) videos. Different types of cancer, fundraising ideas, research...
A charity making the most of the power of online video, far far beyond what a TV advert can do.
I love it.
You can donate to Cancer Research UK here.
