My thoughts exactly... on
VIDEO AND AUDIO MARKETING
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?
Using Video To Promote Your Webinar
How email marketing company Emma use video to personally invite you to a webinar.
There are a LOT of webinars requests sitting in people's inboxes these days.
How to stand out?
Use video.
Above: the landing page (their video doesn't play full screen, I just didn't want you to squint)
This is the Landing Page I, well, landed on after clicking through from an inbox invite from email marketing company Emma.
It really grabbed my attention.
In such a short amount of time, without reading any page copy I'd found out when it was, what the content would be and felt that it was a friendly, slick company I'd enjoy spending time with and learning from.
After all, when we sign up to a webinar we're signing up to spend 30-60 minutes with the webinar host, so it makes total sense to have that individual personally invite us!
Let us see and hear from them.
Let them tell us what we can expect and why we should care to join.
Psycologically you're far less likely to stand up a real person than just a url and diary appointment. If they followed this up with a video reminder an hour before saying 'hey - can't wait to see you at 12...' for example, you'd almost feel guilty to miss the party.
Use it as part of an email campaign, use it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram...
AND it finishes with the cute call to action prompting us to sign up now.
It's a really smart tactic. Are you running webinars? Could you do this?
Of course you could.
If you're planning webinars far enough ahead you can easily record a batch of videos in one go.
You put so much effort into prepping and promoting a webinar, this small addition will really reap the benefits. Stand out from the inbox.
PS. I hugely recommend signing up to Emma's mailout: it's full of such great stuff.
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...)
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?
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.
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.
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.
5 Great Examples Of University Videos
What will universities learn from these 5 great examples of educational explainer videos?
Every businss needs an explainer video.
Universities are no different. In fact, probably more so.
Think about it. You might only have a few choices of company to pick from normally... but when choosing a uni? The whole of the country, if not the world, is on offer. The 'customers' are making insanely emotional, life changing and expensive decisions and they begin remotely, miles from what you have to offer. So for a university, the video 'first impression' is key.
Here I share five of my favourite key marketing videos for universities. What I mean by that: all universities have huge numbers of videos, but if you could pick just one video to be an overview for a whole educational establishment, this would be a great one.
University of Sussex
What I like:
- short: just a minute long
- cool look: this is made in a really fresh, modern 'stop-motion' style that will appeal to its audience
- cool sound: the music, again suits the target audience
- text: you can watch this with the sound off and still get the message (crucial when sharing on social media or for your audience watching on a mobile device)
Oddly, I can't find them using this on Facebook or Twitter and it's not the 'feature' video for their YouTube channel either. Crazy. Maybe they're holding it back to launch as part of some big marketing campaign. Hope so, as this video should not be buried.
There's another very good example in a similar style from University of Oxford. They make great use of their video. As you can see below, it has a good position on their actual website (someting universities often seem to struggle to do), pride of place as 'feature' video on the YouTube Channel and nice and clear on their Facebook page too. Full marks.
University of Leeds
What I like:
- cool - both the style of edit and music align with their target audience
- testimonials - it has voices of students talking about Leeds, but because we don't see them it doesn't slow the video down
- student life - we actually get a sense of what it might be like to be a student
- more films at end - this is part of a series of films and we're encouraged to view them at the end
Below, you can see how they encourage you to keep exploring. It's a fun way of keeping people watching. If all of this content was in one film it would be too long, it would deter viewers, but lots of short form pieces one after another, you probably will. Using the in-built YouTube facility to click the screen to view is smart - there's no temptation to watch anything else until you've seen all of these.
University of Bristol
What I like:
- tour - we get to see a LOT of the uni and city
- pace - whilst it's not that short (3 min), it does have great pace, keeping our interest
- authentic - this isn't a polished advert like so many others, this is very much real
- call to action - the whole video acts as a call to action, to sign up to an open day, see it for yourself
- voices - real opinions from current students and potential ones (and unfortunately, parents - I think they'd have been best sticking to students - cooler)
- passion - there's a lot of passion that comes across from those involved, it's infectious
The quote from a visitor, "Bristol's website is good but seeing it in real life's a lot better" sums this video up.
Cleveland Institute of art
This example is nearly 10 years old, but is exceptional and well worth a view.
What I like:
- knows its audience - they're an art institute and the whole concept embraces that
- creative - it's a totally fresh way of showing the detail (keep in mind, this was 2007)
- tone - the way this speaks to its student audience is perfect
It's remarkable that a video this long (5m 30) is so captivating. Yes, it's a bit too long, certainly by today's standards and please please please don't all copy this and start doing the modern day version of 'white board video animation'. PLEASE no. But, what can you do that perfectly encapsulates what your institute is about and talks to your audience in their voice?
Which leads on to...
Imperial College London
If you have a niche educational establishment, like CIA above, you really are in luck.
From the States, to the UK. From art... to science.
What I like:
- knows its audience - people who want to change the world through science
- inspiring - it intrigues and excites those it's targeting
- making a difference - the last quarter where it shows the actual difference their students/work make in the world is brilliantly done
I wouldn't normally suggest being so over-the-top in the 'inspirational' video style and music stakes. But you have to admit it totally suits the institution and who they're appealing to. It doesn't feel over the top. You're not going to this uni to have a laugh at the bar (though I'm sure you could), you're going to make a difference in the world; there's nothing wrong with being serious.
So there you have it: 5 videos that universities can be inspired by when inspiring students.
Here, I've only covered what I consider to be the main event. Uni's have plenty more options available: testmimonials, course specifics, campus and accomodation tours, student union, the town/city/area and so on. But just as every business should have an explainer video, every university must have a key, central piece of video marketing from which these others can spin off and orbit around. They make a world of difference.
Want to make a difference with your own explainer video? Get in touch!
Live Q&A videos for your business
Follow the recipe for Jamie Oliver's live Q&A videos on YouTube and Facebook success and serve them up as part of your content marketing.
I'm hungry. Got a hankering for turkey. And mince pies.
I've just finished watching Jamie Oliver's first Christmas LIVE Q&A - streamed on YouTube (his FoodTube channel) and Facebook.
In it he spoke directly to his audience, interacting with their messages (as has proved so popular with Periscope streaming), answering their questions, even controlling his own camera...
Yes. He's Jamie Oliver. Yes. He has a huge media team... but the reason this works well is because actually it's done on the cheap: it's raw, live, personal, authentic and there's no reason why you couldn't do it too. Read on to find out why you should bother.
I've embedded the video below, I clearly don't expect you to watch it all, so basically it runs likethis: hello - fun - wait for enough viewers to join - start answering questions - end with a plug for his magazine, TV show and upcoming live streams like this about Christmas.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The recipe for Jamie's success is pretty simple. Get ready to share your knowledge, give tips, do short demos. Let's face it, this is really a cooler version of a webinar right? No powerpoint in sight.
It still helps if you have a theme or a topic (so here it was 'christmas showstoppers') to focus the video and inspire your audience.
WHY YOU SHOULD BOTHER
- You help build that connection with your audience: they're your customers/potential customers; engage with them.
- You show the human side to your business, literally, if you're friendly and knowledgable chances are we'll want to buy from you.
- In receiving questions you'll get an insight into what your audience actually wants to know; whilst you might not answer all of them live, you'll end up with a stack of content ideas for future videos or blog posts; it's like a collective brainstorm meeting.
- You will end up with answers/facts that you can use in further social activity and blog posts, either as text or shorter excerpts of the video, like this:
REMEMBER
It doesn't have to be perfect. This is Jamie Oliver, seasoned pro and it's not perfect, in fact it'd be boring if it was. So don't stress about it. Have a bit of a rehearsal so you know how the gear works and figure out how you'll filter questions, maybe have a few already lined up in case the interaction starts off slow.
If you don't try this, you'll never know.
Want help getting started? Get in touch. Especially if you've got some mince pies.
TransferWise masterclass in a Facebook Advert
Faceboook video is a hugely valuable marketing tool.
This video in my feed today really made me stop and...
well actually, that's the amazing thing right?
It made me stop... Stop scrolling and watch. I even took in the company's message.
Yeah, you heard me. It worked.
So what can a woman being hit in the face with a fish tell us?
Other than that she needs a pay rise.
What makes this TransferWise ad so effective on Facebook?
1. It catches attention immediately
Scroll, scroll, scroll.. woman, screaming, being hit in the face with a fish?! Stop.
2. It works without sound
If anything, it's even better without the music.
Facebook video auto-plays without sound, so it's essential your video works with no audio.
3. It has a clear, uncluttered message
It's so easy to see and read the text; to get the message of the ad.
4. It has a clear call to action
If that button gets people signing up, what a clear return on investment.
Still, if it had said 'find out more' I might have actually clicked.
5. It's fun and shareable
If I 'like' or comment on this video, it will start to appear in my friends' feeds too.
Share it? Even more so. Thousands of people already have.
I'm not saying I find it hilarious, I'm not saying you should copy it; but it's incredibly effective and it's worth considering why and what you can do to tick these boxes with your own Facebook videos, ads or not.
Just as you're about to stop watching.... screamy-fish-girl gets squirted with hotdog sauces and suddenly your attention is back again wondering what might happen next.
And what might happen next? You might just click 'like', 'share' or 'sign up'. Shocker.
Want to figure out how to make Facebook video work for your business? Get in touch!
Below: How the video appeared in my Facebook feed.
