Press Play: 4 Ways to Engage Your Shoppers with Video
December 20, 2017
Video is everywhere – on our social feeds, favorite websites and beyond – but in a sea of content, how do you produce video that truly stands out? We cover this topic in our latest podcast.
The 19: Retail – Episode 4
Press Play: Video Marketing that Moves
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Recorded Intro:
This is The 19. In 19 minutes or less, game-changing Insights in Retail from Orange Label, the leading response marketing agency for established brands that are driven by a fearless entrepreneurial mindset.
Host Intro:
Hi! This is Kelsey Phillips, Production Manager at Orange Label and, today, we’re talking about video marketing – we’ll be covering everything from storytelling to social media with the intention of giving you some powerful takeaways you can put into practice. Think of it as a crash course in compelling content creation – video that not only strikes a chord but makes a home in people’s memory. Looking at iconic examples, like Apple’s 1984, or more recent forms of marketing, like the band OKGO’s expertly choreographed music videos, video marketing that tells a story in a unique way has a certain catchiness – what we would call “shareability” – and this really sets the tone for today’s podcast. How do we continue to create videos that are relevant and resonate with the widest audience possible?
Well welcome to the 19, we have our video experts here today. The knights of the video round table so-to-speak. Welcome guys. We have Jonny Ott, Co-Founder-slash-Producer at Ottstock Productions, which is a video production company based in Orange County. Welcome.
Jonny: Hey everyone. Thank you Kelsey for having me.
Of course. We have Marcus Johnson here, Orange Label’s Senior Designer. Welcome.
Marcus: How’s it going?
And we also have Orange Label Account Strategist Michelle Regrut back in the studio again – Welcome.
Michelle: Hey everyone.
HOST:
Today, we’re here to talk about video for marketing’s best practices – what works and what doesn’t and you all have quite a bit of experience in this category – from concept creation to capturing and editing video to marketing the content on multiple platforms. So, my first question, and I’m really going to pose it to all of you: What do you think makes video such a powerful marketing tool?
Michelle: I mean first off, video is the type of content that all audiences are demanding right now. I mean, even Mark Zuckerberg is saying he wants all Facebook feeds to be primarily video in the next 5 years. I mean this has already been happening too. And we’ve seen it across the board with our clients… that video performs the best on all social platforms and all digital platforms. You even go to websites now and the homepage is usually a video! You know they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but now it’s video that means a million! Video really tells, you know, tells a brands story and paints a picture of what the brand or company stands for and what they’re up to. I also believe that videos are impactful because most people would rather watch something these days than read it.
Marcus: Yeah, I totally agree. Ah, and I also think people just have a really short attention span. Ah and so video gives you that ability to capture their attention and tell your story quickly. Ahum, and to Michelle’s point, you know, I mean the versatility of video makes it so that I mean, like traditional media you would do these print campaigns and you know the ads would roll into all these different print campaigns. But you know, now we’re entering into this new digital world where now video is that new campaign. And so you capture this content that can then get pushed to all these different mediums. And it’s getting consumed at a quicker rate, it’s getting more exposure so it really has that versatility that’s more paired with you know, the future.
HOST:
Alright, Jonny.
Jonny: Yeah I mean with ah, print campaigns it’s a lot different. Cause with the picture, a logo gives your brand identity. But a video can actually let consumers know who you are. It gives your brand personality cause any video that you create, whether it be a commercial or just a social media ad, that evokes emotion more than any other form of media. So, this video content can provide a full spectrum of emotions for consumers to connect with. And I personally believe that video is the quickest way to a consumer’s heart and it can take someone from their couch into your store.
HOST:
Let’s say you want to produce some amazing video content but, you don’t have the big budget. How would you work around that?
Michelle: I mean I believe it’s important to manage your own expectations. If you have a million-dollar budget like these big brands, and that’s obviously a different playing field, then if you have a twenty-thousand-dollar budget. Ah, but it is still possible to execute the commercial that delivers on ROI. I mean these days video can be used on so many different mediums that it really is cost effective if you plan ahead. Before filming, plan out exactly where you want to use the video assets. And script everything out to ensure every dollar spent goes a long way and you get what you want. So, for example, for clients we’ll usually film a TV commercial with a social media ad, with you know, digital assets in mind ah, for banner ads for the website. So, we have all of these planned ahead so when we have the day of shoot you know twenty thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars can really go a long way because you’re using it on so many different mediums.
Marcus: Absolutely, and to that point, I mean, if you’re planning ahead and you know exactly where you’re gonna be using this content you can really kind of scale accordingly and really capture what it is you really need. Not all video content actually has to be footage. Ah, in a scenario where clients don’t really have a big budget they don’t have access to you know crazy cameras that shoot in 4K, and 120 frames per second, I mean sometimes the solution is motion graphics. So, in that scenario we might have some really great still photography and we add in some typographic animations and logo animations. And all of a sudden you have something that is a lot like a video. Ahum, and in those scenarios it can be cost effective, it can really represent the brand well and ah, it doesn’t you know it doesn’t require a huge budget.
Michelle: Yeah on that note too, you can go as much as taking video on your IPhones, I mean everyone has a smart phone or a tablet these days. Our teams go out there and take real footage. I mean the social media platforms really make that acceptable. And actually people are demanding that type of content, you have Facebook live, Instagram stories. So, getting that organic type of video is just as effective too sometimes.
Jonny: Michelle, I agree, organic story telling is what’s most important. Ahum, you think about, this is not a commercial, but the film Napoleon Dynamite, like that movie cost $400,000 to make and in box office revenue it did 46 million. And that doesn’t even count DVD sales, merchandising, syndication rights on cable. Like there is a huge profit to be made because for some reason they told a story that worked well. So, if you are creating content, you don’t have a big budget, focus on your story telling. Don’t focus on how expensive it’s gonna look to make it but if you make something that has a true objective and is true to your brand. And just focus on what your narrative is, you can get away with a lot, with a low budget.
HOST:
Those are a lot of good points and ahum, you guys brought up ahum, a lot of good ingredients that go into making a great commercial or video. In your guy’s opinion what is the recipe for the perfect commercial?
Michelle: Well I think it depends on what the commercial’s objective is. Is it primarily brand awareness or is it really direct response. I mean of course, most people want both, and say both. But there’s typically a first and second priority. Regardless of the objective though, I think it’s more powerful when there is enough budget to use the real location or place of business and actually spend the money to hire the right talent for the commercial or video.
Marcus: The objective is crucial, and it completely depends on the product. You know what it is you’re trying to sell. You can’t use the same recipe to make fried chicken as you do cookies. Right I mean…two completely different things. It just doesn’t apply, it’s like apple and oranges. So sometimes all you need is some clever writing, a funny delivery that ties a product and you’re golden. Ah, other times you need people to emotionally connect to the product or service. And so, the commercial needs to tap into universal truths that just about anyone could identify with. But ultimately you need to know your product, know your audience. And if you can, then make something that not only appeals to their audience but also the less obvious, you got something good.
Jonny: That’s exactly it. It’s knowing who you’re trying to reach, who you’re trying to connect with, understanding who you are as a brand. Like really know who you are as a brand or at least who you’re trying to be. And once you’ve establish that and you have your clear objective, the recipe for a perfect commercial is right there. And then it’s just execution. So just set your objective, be true to your brand, and then execute.
HOST:
Alright now that I’m ah, hungry cause you guys talked about cookies and fried chicken. Ahum, Jonny and Marcus – producing captivating video is pretty much part of your daily schedule. As a content creator, how would you sum-up your process from start to finish?
Marcus: Well for us ah, you know there’s usually a lot of people involved. So, the process begins with a creative meeting to discuss client objectives and what the desired outcome really is. If the content is intended to be part of a larger campaign, we would also be strategizing how best to capture and create that video content so that it can be efficiently used throughout the campaign. Ah, once a general idea is reached, we would select a production team and begin developing scripts and storyboards ahum, that’s in the case of video content of course. Ah, if we’re doing motion graphics though we’d be building and collecting assets. And then for video we would then move to casting talent for onscreen and voiceover and selecting a location. For motion graphics I would already be building the composition in after effects at this point…The day of the shoot, an art director and 1-2 accounts team members would be present to assist the production team and ensure that the client’s vision is being properly captured. After the shoot, we either work closely with the production team during the editing and composing phase, or in the case of a buyout, we receive the footage and begin reviewing what was captured and making selections ourselves.
HOST:
Awesome
Jonny: Yeah that’s ah, for me as a producer, I would say 80% of the work is done ah for a job for me is done in pre-production. Ah, so that is the planning, the brainstorming, the setting up the logistics of what the shoot is. Ah, but first and foremost it comes down to what’s our idea, what’s our objective. Like we said before the perfect recipe having an objective and knowing it well and true, is the most important part. So, its establishing what that objective is and then figuring out how can we tell this visually? How can we connect to our audience visually doing this? Then you do it into brainstorming, come down with some ideas, write it down, and then its figuring out all the logistics, the crew, the location, the actors. All that and once you have that figured out its just about execution. Like I said before, about 80% of the creativity and the actual work of how successful that commercial can be, comes in preproduction in my opinion.
HOST:
Got it. So, I think all you guys have alluded a lot to the planning and preproduction of videos. Ahum, and when you’re filming and capturing videos I think this also comes into the realm of what platforms are these videos gonna be on. So, what should be taken into consideration when creating these videos and in the preproduction process?
Marcus: I think you really have to consider what the intent of the campaign is, and you know what the reach is intended to be. Ahum, and then you’ll be more informed as to, you know, how much content you need and what variety of content you need. You can always downsize, you know you want to shoot it at the best quality you possibly can, and you can always go down from there. You can’t go up without losing resolution and quality. So, you have enough content to work with, have the best quality content you can work with and go from there.
Jonny: Yeah, the ah, the important questions to ask when before you start shooting, when you’re planning is: Where is your video going to live? And what look are you going for? Where it’s going to live, is it gonna be shown in a theater, is it gonna be just online, is it gonna be broadcast on television? Or is it just you know, Vimeo or YouTube? So that’s very important in knowing what is the quality that we need to be able to show this at. And then what look are you going for, it’s all these cameras whether it’s RED, ARRI so all the Sony cameras. They all have a different look. And it’s about figuring out what am I trying to show with this story, cause I know these cameras can have different…different color profiles. All these different things on different lenses, all this stuff. So it’s about figuring out what look you’re going for and then going from there.
HOST:
Awesome. So, there’s a lot that goes into this preproduction process. How do you ensure you capture everything you need when filming? Because there is a lot of things going on. And more than just a really good producer, what do you need?
Jonny: My way of capturing everything I need is planning a detailed shot list. For me, I will not go into a shoot without knowing every single shot I have to get that day. It is the most important thing, it is my bible of the shoot. Ah, having that is so key to ensuring success, execute the commercial well.
Marcus: Well I think you know inevitably things are gonna change when you’re on set but the more you planned ahead, the more prepared you are. So sometimes you just need to shoot the same scene a few different ways, a few different times. You know one of those scenes could be perfect but somebody could be looking the wrong way or blinking or you know just something about the scene just doesn’t feel right. But if you shot that same scene like five, six times just to make sure you covered your bases, even try a couple different angles. You know you have more to work with later on in post. So, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.
HOST:
So, I’m gonna circle back around to social media and direct this to you Michelle, as you’re the expert on all things social media. In your opinion, what is the holy grail when it comes to producing video for social media?
Michelle: Now you almost have to introduce movement into your social feed to prompt engagement. The first thing I would say is to remember what device most people will be viewing the video on. So, unlike TV commercials, people are watching these videos usually in a small format and most of the time it’s a vertical view on an IPhone or a mobile device. It’s important to cater to the size of the device. For quick snippets on a social feed, it’s best to keep a video under :15 seconds. You want to really peak the user’s interest and have them finish the video all the way through. Since they are scrolling through a feed, you don’t have that much time to grab someone’s attention ahum and keep them watching the whole video.
HOST:
So, one other question I wanted to allude to, to you ah, Michelle. Is when video’s go viral. Is it just one of those things that happen, or is there a formula that we can use so that we can get these videos that actually get pushed out and become a viral video?
Michelle: Sure, yeah, I wish there was a formula for it. In my opinion it’s not, you know, a single recipe or a single formula. It consists of multiple factors…so you have who your existing audience is, so let’s say it’s a Facebook video. How many people are currently following your page? Ah, but also if you’re putting ad dollars behind it or boosting a post, sponsoring a post? How much money are you putting behind it? How many people are in your target audience? That expands your reach as well. But also what the video content is about, and how relevant it is to that exact audience. So, there’s multiple factors and you know just a few likes, comments and shares can transition that video to go viral in seconds.
HOST:
Alright guys, we’re getting close to time here, and for today’s sum up of the 19, I have one final question for you like a lightening round. What is one major takeaway you want to share with our listeners today? Marcus go for it.
Marcus: Ah, you know video doesn’t have to be scary or expensive, but it can be. You need to understand the purpose of the content you are creating… what the ultimate goal is, and then create around that. It takes strategy and creativity, but if you aren’t currently using video, you need to be.
Jonny: Yeah, don’t do video just to do video as well. There’s so much video content out there right now, all its doing is slowing down our web pages. And it doesn’t have proper execution or messaging or branding and all that. If you’re gonna invest in video, invest your time in the creative process of it, make it worth not only your time, but more importantly the time of your audience.
Michelle: Those are all good points. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, make sure you have a purpose. But at the end of the day you gotta do video content in 2018 to be relevant.
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Host Close: Thank you for listening to The 19, Press Play: Video Marketing that Moves. If you have additional thoughts on this topic, please share them with us. Visit our website,orangelabelmarketing.com and contact us. And be sure to tune in for our next episode of The 19: Retail, where we will discuss influencer marketing.
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Recorded close:
This was The 19. Brought to you by Orange Label. If you’re interested in MORE retail response marketing, visit our blog and subscribe to our content, where we share our response marketing expertise on current retail industry topics. Visitorangelabelmarketing.com for all the details.