Oh, the horror! Another Pre-Roll....

Among the long list of problems threatening the planet -- civil war in Syria, economic collapse in Greece, the potential demise of the European Union, earthquakes in Japan -- it’s the world’s population of Internet users who clearly face the biggest hardships of all, having to suffer through paper towel and laundry detergent commercials before getting to watch the latest “kitten in a cardboard box” video.

Oh, the horror!

If the frustration expressed by viewers over having to wait 30 seconds to watch an online video for free is a little bit silly, then the readiness with which our entire industry empathizes with their plight is outright inane.  But be that as it may, and regardless of whether or not the anxiety over an otherwise harmless commercial is warranted, there are other (and better) advertising options for marketers to explore. 

To begin with, not all pre-roll is created equally, and some are clearly just lazier than others.  Taking a standard-issue TV spot and placing it in front of an online video doesn’t require a tremendous amount of money (at least from a production standpoint), but it also doesn’t take full advantage of the medium;

Look at this from another angle: Suppose a brand that typically markets itself through print advertising decides to run a TV spot.  To save money on scripting, casting, shooting and editing a unique production, they simply take the print ad and hold it in front of a camera for 30 seconds. It wouldn’t work, or at least, it wouldn’t work that well.  They’d be ignoring the true benefit of the medium – TV gives you the opportunity to entertain, inform, capture interest and tell a story.  Similarly, the Web gives marketers an opportunity that TV doesn’t: the power to engage, and connect with your viewers through direct interaction.  You’ve got your entire audience watching your spot with their fingers on the mouse button, just waiting for a good reason to click on something, and (apparently) bored and antsy because they have to suffer through your ad at all. So give them something to do; a reason to feel better about the delay.  Instead of running static VAST ads, invest some time and money into V-PAID ads, creating brand-associated games or interactive storylines that use the medium more effectively to interact with online consumers.

Even better, skip the pre-roll altogether and expand beyond the 30-second format.  Branded content can be a far more powerful tool, turning your marketing message into an informational, entertaining video that viewers will want to watch and benefit from, without even realizing (or at least not minding so much) that they’re being marketed to. A well-written, well-produced piece can appeal to viewers and be written around points you want to make, without it becoming a heavy-handed sales piece.  For example, an ongoing series called “Everyday Savings” that provides quick, easy to implement tips on how to save more money is content that many people would have a use for, and watch more of.  If that same series was “Presented by Some Bank,” it frames the sponsor as experts, helps build their brand, and entertains as well as informs – all without the perfunctory pre-roll.  What’s more, with many video networks and partners, brands can arrange deals so that rather than pay a flat CPM rate, they only pay when viewers watch a minimum percentage of any one video. 

Other opportunities are also available to brand interested anxious to take advantage of online video for marketing purposes.  Product placement is a growing and beneficial opportunity, in which brands may sponsor a video producer to mention their product, or include their products as part of the content.  Interactive overlays on specific videos, which collect answers given by viewers and provide a customized product offering at the end, based on those answers, are also strong but underutilized options to get closer to consumers. 

Pre-rolls, while by far the predominant method of online video-based marketing, isn’t without value.  But in a medium whose strength lies in extended storytelling and enhanced connectivity with viewers, it’s just a scratch on the surface of what can actually be accomplished. 

Credit: Jay Miletsky - MediaPost's Video Insider
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/185839/beyond-the-pre-roll.html

How to Create Compelling Video on a Small Budget

Video is a wonderful tool for telling a compelling story. It can be valuable for SEO, useful as a straight-forward marketing tool, and increase the reach of your message via social media in countless ways.

That said, one of the challenges a number of my clients face is a desire to use video but a very limited budget with which to work.

Maybe video wasn’t initially a part of the plan, or perhaps it was but the budget for it was eaten up by other urgent needs. Thankfully, creating a video doesn’t always have to mean heading out with a camera or hiring a crew to shoot new material.

What options do you have to create compelling content while minimizing your out-of-pocket investment?


Use what you’ve got

My #1 piece of advice for clients who find themselves in this situation is to use what they’ve got.

Maybe you’d like to illustrate a couple key points from new research for an audience that won’t wade through a 30-page report. Does the report have graphs, charts and other graphic elements that could be re-used?

Working with existing assets and a graphic designer (as well as adding some low-cost music and recording a tight, focused narration track) can result in a compelling, graphic-driven piece for a fraction of the cost of shooting interviews about the research, or finding stock footage to try to illustrate your message.

Think about the emotional impact of your piece as well. Even lower-quality, non-professional video and photos can have great emotional impact if there is a wonderful story behind the images.

All you may need to do to bring a great piece to life is record an audio interview and spend time with an editor to put it all together.

Do some of the “heavy lifting” yourself

There is an unholy trinity that rules all video projects. That trinity is fast, cheap and good… and you only get to choose two.

Since most people have a vested interest in doing good work, that means time is your most expendable resource when your budget is limited. Spend time crafting your message and laying out your plans. Write a script by putting everything you want your audience to hear in one column, and in a separate column list the imagery you want on screen for each moment of run time. Enlist team members to dig through archives or reach out to stakeholders who may be able to lend good imagery to the cause.

The more time you spend on these tasks before bringing in a professional or sourcing materials you have to pay for, the less the project will likely cost you.

Keep your message short and sweet

Each page laid out in the two column format mentioned above will equal roughly one minute of video. If you find yourself with long stretches of narration and no imagery to go with it, it may be time to edit down your script or start thinking of ways to use text or other elements on screen to make your point… perhaps even some combination of the two.

Finding imagery

You may come to a point in the planning of your piece at which you realize graphics, text and the video and photos you have aren’t going to get you to the finish line.

What else can you use?

Stock footage is the obvious choice… but in my opinion it’s not always the best choice, particularly if you have a lot of time to fill. Great stock footage and stills are expensive, and finding good, inexpensive imagery can take hours and hours of time.

Someone (maybe you, maybe some unfortunate intern) will have to wade through page after page of cheesy stock shots to find ones that work for your piece, and even then the costs can add up fast.

If you find yourself in this position, it’s time to get creative.

Is there an excellent amateur photographer in your ranks?

Perhaps you can find a way to free up a day or two of their time to take photos that will be useful to your project (in addition to helping you build an archive of imagery for future projects)?

Maybe the National Archives has some great public domain footage that would work well for your project.

At this point, further brainstorming with your internal team or even bringing in a video production company or a producer to help you evaluate your options might be time well spent.

A strong idea executed well

This video is one of my favorite examples of well-executed concept using precious few materials. Video can be a daunting medium because of the time it can take and the potential cost, but it is also incredibly flexible and creativity can bridge a lot of gaps left by budget shortfalls.

Source: http://www.waxingunlyrical.com/2012/10/17/video-without-the-shoot/

Why Advertise on TV?

The most powerful advertising medium available - Period.

Television works. Here's why:

• Consumers will spend 50% more time with TV than they will with radio, and ten times more than they will reading the newspaper or surfing the Internet.
  
• 82% of the population say TV is the most influential form of media available.
  
• People decide which products and services they want based on what they see on television.
  
• Now, the power of television is available to almost any business as it has become more cost-effective and targeted than ever before. However large or small your company is, there is a television solution for you. Use the power of television advertising to grow your business.
  
• The right medium for the right business.
  
• Television works best for advertisers who want to build a longer term solution. Television advertising is, by its nature, a long-term strategy. Think about this for a moment—how many times did you have to see a TV ad before you immediately recognized the slogan or were able to repeat it? Chances are somewhere between 6 to 9 times. This is what's known as creating awareness.
  
• Your goal is to reach this 6-to-9-view threshold with your potential customers. Test after test has shown that this is the point when viewers become aware of your product, service, or brand. The longer you run your ad, the greater number of people will begin to remember you and potentially become your customers. Increasing awareness also helps reinforce your brand to your existing customers, reminding them of your business, and putting you top-of-mind for their next purchase.
  
• However, TV is also a powerful strategy for a special event or promotion, and can drive a lot of customers through your door for a one-time sale. This type of advertising can use a significantly smaller budget, as long as you carefully target the market you want to reach, and create a “blitz” of ads in the few weeks leading up to your campaign.
  
• Television is the most powerful advertising medium available. The largest corporations around the world use it to build their brands, bring customers, add credibility, and grow their businesses. You should think about using it too.

For more information on how TV advertising can work for you or your business please send an email to corey@creativebubetube.com. 

Source: http://www.themediabox.co.za

What’s your favorite scary movie?

Mine’s the one where your sales team is wasting all of their time calling people who have no interest in your company or service.

All that wasted time, effort, and money. It’s chilling.

I mean, let’s say for the sake of argument that you don’t enjoy wasting time. Safe assumption? I think so.

But here’s the thing, there are still many marketing tactics performed by businesses and marketers everywhere that have simply lost effectiveness, or in most cases, have been replaced by more effective, modern methods.

Take the Internet for example. It’s enabled buyers to conduct more product research and even company research before they are good and ready to guy. Buyers have taken a great deal of power back from the sellers due to the Internet and the speed and availability at which we receive and digest information.

So why are so many salespeople still relying on cold-calling as a means of making a sale?

Interested in learning more about transforming your marketing to generate more qualified, sales-ready leads?

Content Creation vs. Cold Calling
Want to hear something scary? According to Harvard Business Review, cold calling doesn’t work 90.0% of the time. Talk about a waste of time.

Some other scary stats:

Cold calling costs 60% more per lead. (HubSpot)
Has a rate of less than 2% of phone calls resulting in a meeting. (Leap Job)
Only 5-10% of people pick up the phone. (Honest Selling)
These are terrible statistics. The bottom line is salespeople shouldn’t be used as a means to find customers, but rather as the end point for prospects that have come to your business based on demand and quality content creation.

As discussed earlier. due to the Internet, buyers do not want to be engaged with until they are further down the sales funnel, or more sales-ready. This is why statistics show very little people actually pick up the telephone for a sales call, and even less actually stay on the phone long enough to hear a pitch.

Basically, cold calling ignores the entire sales process that often occurs for a prospect to become a buyer. It’s main function is to skip ahead a few steps and make a sales. Well…as those statistics state, how well is that working out?

Creating Demand with your Content
So is there still value in the phone call? Absolutely!

However, it’s all about timing. Why are salespeople being forced to jump on the phone to talk with people who have no interest or aren’t ready yet? It’s a waste of everyone’s time and money.

However, scheduling a phone call or assessment at the right time (when prospects reach the bottom-of-the-funnel) will have a much more effective and profitable end result. But how do you get them there?

While cold callers rely on the phone call to unknowingly force their leads down a sales funnel they had no clue they were in in the first place, creating demand through content creation and other inbound marketing methods effectively qualifies all of your prospects for the eventual phone call.

Inbound marketing focuses on creating attractive marketing content that creates demand and generates leads, resulting in a much more segmented and qualified contact list for your sales team to contact. I mean think about it, wouldn’t you rather your sales team spend their time and effort making phone calls to prospects who have already taken an interested, rather than aimlessly dial the phone in the hopes you won’t get hung up on?

Of course you would.

This makes your sales team much more productive, as they’re only spending time on the phone with prospects who are actually interested in, or have already taken an interest in your company or service. Soliciation has taken a huge hit as the Internet weaves itself further into our lives. We’ve become so efficient about blocking unwanted marketing and advertising messages.

Ways we ignore solicitation:

Cold calling? Thanks to caller-ID I can enjoy my dinner uninterrupted.
Direct mail? You mean the stuff that actually comes in the mailbox? People even get their bills electronically now. Your marketing message could end up in the garbage.
Print ads? Newspaper subscriptions continue to plummet.
You get the picture. Create attractive content that creates demand and drives traffic to your website. Let your prospects come to you.

It’s how they would want it.

Transform your Marketing
Looking for a more effective way to generate leads for your business? Contact me today.

Source: ImpactBND,
http://twitter.com/bonini84

Five top tips to starting a successful business

I love this first blog post from Virgin founder Richard Branson:

As LinkedIn is a business that started in a living room, much like Virgin began in a basement, I thought my first blog on the site should be about how to simply start a successful business. Here are five top tips I’ve picked up over the years.

1. Listen more than you talk
We have two ears and one mouth, using them in proportion is not a bad idea! To be a good leader you have to be a great listener. Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places, so you should always keep your ears open for some shrewd advice. This can mean following online comments as closely as board meeting notes, or asking the front line staff for their opinions as often as the CEO's  Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them.

2. Keep it simple
You have to do something radically different to stand out in business. But nobody ever said different has to be complex. There are thousands of simple business solutions to problems out there, just waiting to be solved by the next big thing in business. Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse.

3. Take pride in your work
Last week I enjoyed my favourite night of the year, the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards, where we celebrated some of those people who have gone the extra mile for us around the Virgin world. With so many different companies, nationalities and personalities represented under one roof, it was interesting to see what qualities they all have in common. One was pride in their work, and in the company they represent. Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates, and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers.

4. Have fun, success will follow
If you aren't having fun, you are doing it wrong. If you feel like getting up in the morning to work on your business is a chore, then it's time to try something else. If you are having a good time, there is a far greater chance a positive, innovative atmosphere will be nurtured and your business will flourish  A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life.

5. Rip it up and start again
If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn't a success, welcome to the club! Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them. Don’t allow yourself to get disheartened by a setback or two, instead dust yourself off and work out what went wrong. Then you can find the positives, analyse where you can improve, rip it up and start again.