I stumbled across an interesting article on the American Express Open Forum this week. “7 Deadly Sins of Business Storytelling” was written by authors Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith. The article got me to thinking about the biggest mistakes companies make when presenting their company story on video. To borrow a page from Aaker and Smith, let’s call this list “5 Deadly Sins of Business Video Storytelling.”
1) Too long: Just because your annual report takes up 50 pages of paper does not mean the video that introduces your company to the world should be 10 minutes long. Feel free to leave out some facts and figures. If you make your story compelling and tell it concisely, you will leave your viewers wanting to know more.
2) Boring: Video is an engaging medium. Too often companies create videos that feature the CEO looking directly into the camera painfully reciting some kind of corporate mission statement. Think visually.
3) Missing people: The best stories involve real people. So do the best videos. Seek out interesting employees or customers who have benefitted from your product or service. Satisfied customers are a great resource. Make them part of your story.
4) No clear goal: Before creating a company video, you need to determine what you want it to accomplish. You can’t wait until the day the camera shows up at your office to decide who you are trying to reach. Knowing the end goal will help you develop the right kind of story.
5) Poor quality: How many videos have you seen where the production values don’t match the image of the company? There’s nothing wrong with shooting your family vacation on a home video camera. But it makes little sense to try to save money by doing the same thing with the video that you put on your company’s website. There’s a formula we live by in the video business:
Bad Lighting + Bad Sound + No Tripod = Unwatchable Video
To put your best foot forward and avoid these deadly sins, you need to invest in a professional production team like ours at Point Across Media.
Showing posts with label company story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label company story. Show all posts
February 21, 2011
November 24, 2010
Business Video of the Week: Making Information Visually Interesting
Here is the mission statement of the company that gets the nod for creating our Business Video of the Week.
“Our mission is to provide our clients with actionable information, insights and advice which help them reach and attract new customers, build stronger and more profitable relationships with existing customers, and make better and more informed decisions.”
Sounds like the makings for a really interesting company story, right? You have to give the people at Infogroup a lot of credit. The Omaha, Nebraska based company found a very creative way to explain what it does.
The Infogroup production proves that video can help any business tell its story. The key is having a strong message and working with professionals who can turn it into a visually interesting story. Congratulations to Infogroup, winner of our Business Video of the Week Award for this week.
“Our mission is to provide our clients with actionable information, insights and advice which help them reach and attract new customers, build stronger and more profitable relationships with existing customers, and make better and more informed decisions.”
Sounds like the makings for a really interesting company story, right? You have to give the people at Infogroup a lot of credit. The Omaha, Nebraska based company found a very creative way to explain what it does.
The Infogroup production proves that video can help any business tell its story. The key is having a strong message and working with professionals who can turn it into a visually interesting story. Congratulations to Infogroup, winner of our Business Video of the Week Award for this week.
November 15, 2010
Weaving Surprise Into Your Company Story
I had the privilege of coaching my son’s second grade soccer team this season. You can learn at lot from seven and eight year old boys. For instance, one of the parents was responsible for providing a team snack at the end of every game. Even though the boys always knew the snack was coming, they were surprised every time we handed them out.
Why? Because the team never knew what kind of treat it was going to get. Sure, the moment was predictable. Only the outcome was not. That’s why the boys reacted with excitement when it came time to receive their snack.
You can use the same idea when you are putting together the unique story of your company. Start by making a list of the key details you want a prospective customer to know about you. Try answering questions like these:
When we produce your story into a video, we look for “nuggets” of information in your answers to these kinds of questions. Our expertise at Point Across Media is taking the points that stand out and weaving them into a visual story that will move your audience to action.
Most businesses will think there’s nothing surprising to their story. Every company started somewhere and has some way to separate it from its competitors. Only just like our soccer team discovering the snack at the end of every game, the surprise is in the details.
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| Celtics Soccer 2010 |
I had the privilege of coaching my son’s second grade soccer team this season. You can learn at lot from seven and eight year old boys. For instance, one of the parents was responsible for providing a team snack at the end of every game. Even though the boys always knew the snack was coming, they were surprised every time we handed them out.
Why? Because the team never knew what kind of treat it was going to get. Sure, the moment was predictable. Only the outcome was not. That’s why the boys reacted with excitement when it came time to receive their snack.
You can use the same idea when you are putting together the unique story of your company. Start by making a list of the key details you want a prospective customer to know about you. Try answering questions like these:
- Why did you start your business?
- Who does your business or product help?
- What makes you different from your competition?
- How does your product or service work?
When we produce your story into a video, we look for “nuggets” of information in your answers to these kinds of questions. Our expertise at Point Across Media is taking the points that stand out and weaving them into a visual story that will move your audience to action.
Most businesses will think there’s nothing surprising to their story. Every company started somewhere and has some way to separate it from its competitors. Only just like our soccer team discovering the snack at the end of every game, the surprise is in the details.
October 12, 2010
Including Passion in Your Video Message
Nothing is more painful than watching an uncomfortable business executive shoot a video while sitting behind a desk. You’ve seen them…the message is usually an attempt to rally the troops or win over customers. It usually proves that not every CEO should be on camera.
Take away the camera and he or she could probably talk about the business smoothly for hours. The passion a leader has for a business should come across in a video. It doesn’t matter if it is about widgets or gardening. If you are passionate about a topic, the passion must be visible.
Why is passion so important? Because passion makes your words authentic and believable. Even if you choose not to appear on camera, incorporating your passion into a video takes your message to another level. The enthusiasm you have for your product or service should be evident in your story.
Don’t miss the opportunity to display your passion front and center when visitors come to your company’s website. The best way to do it is with a video that tells your unique story. Incorporating your passion into a storytelling video is our specialty at Point Across Media. Let us help you bring your passion to life.
Take away the camera and he or she could probably talk about the business smoothly for hours. The passion a leader has for a business should come across in a video. It doesn’t matter if it is about widgets or gardening. If you are passionate about a topic, the passion must be visible.
Why is passion so important? Because passion makes your words authentic and believable. Even if you choose not to appear on camera, incorporating your passion into a video takes your message to another level. The enthusiasm you have for your product or service should be evident in your story.
Don’t miss the opportunity to display your passion front and center when visitors come to your company’s website. The best way to do it is with a video that tells your unique story. Incorporating your passion into a storytelling video is our specialty at Point Across Media. Let us help you bring your passion to life.
August 26, 2010
What TV’s Wipeout Can Do For Your Next Video
Sometimes a great idea comes along that smacks us right in the face. In this case, it knocks us right into the water. Not literally, of course…unless you are a contestant on the ABC-TV game show Wipeout.
If you haven’t seen Wipeout, it features a series of obstacle courses where contestants try to avoid falling into the water. I’m the first to admit this show’s attraction is purely from an entertainment standpoint. This is not Masterpiece Theatre. Watching everyday people take crazy spills off the “Big Balls” might make for good conversation at the water cooler, but it probably won’t make you smarter.
As a fan of the show, I’ve picked up on 3 themes from Wipeout that apply when creating sales and marketing videos. Marketing directors who are faced with the task of getting out the company message can benefit from keeping these themes in mind.
1. Everyone has a backstory. Before each contestant tackles the first obstacle course on Wipeout, there is a short interview where we learn about one of their passions in life. Now we can identify with the contestant and decide to root for them or against them. When you are developing your company story, look for the backstories within your organization. These are the surprising little nuggets of information that come out on camera to make your company unique.
2. It’s okay to laugh. A big part of Wipeout’s successful formula is making the audience laugh at the expense of the contestants. While you likely don’t want to go that far with your marketing, many companies avoid using any humor in their videos because they are worried not everyone will think they are funny.
3. Don’t be afraid to fail. Even the ultimate winner on Wipeout ends up being bounced into the water a few dozen times. We find some clients initially look at video as a big risk, mainly because most marketing professionals don’t come from a video background. Finding the right production partner who understands your business is an important step to making video a successful investment.
If you haven’t seen Wipeout, it features a series of obstacle courses where contestants try to avoid falling into the water. I’m the first to admit this show’s attraction is purely from an entertainment standpoint. This is not Masterpiece Theatre. Watching everyday people take crazy spills off the “Big Balls” might make for good conversation at the water cooler, but it probably won’t make you smarter. As a fan of the show, I’ve picked up on 3 themes from Wipeout that apply when creating sales and marketing videos. Marketing directors who are faced with the task of getting out the company message can benefit from keeping these themes in mind.
1. Everyone has a backstory. Before each contestant tackles the first obstacle course on Wipeout, there is a short interview where we learn about one of their passions in life. Now we can identify with the contestant and decide to root for them or against them. When you are developing your company story, look for the backstories within your organization. These are the surprising little nuggets of information that come out on camera to make your company unique.
2. It’s okay to laugh. A big part of Wipeout’s successful formula is making the audience laugh at the expense of the contestants. While you likely don’t want to go that far with your marketing, many companies avoid using any humor in their videos because they are worried not everyone will think they are funny.
3. Don’t be afraid to fail. Even the ultimate winner on Wipeout ends up being bounced into the water a few dozen times. We find some clients initially look at video as a big risk, mainly because most marketing professionals don’t come from a video background. Finding the right production partner who understands your business is an important step to making video a successful investment.
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