MARKETING ACTUARY

January 24, 2012

GET READY FOR YOUR VIDEO DEBUT

Video is a very powerful marketing tool. I've been ~~deferring~~ procrastinating because video is such a demanding medium.

Quick

You can create video by hiring an expert. You'll get fast results, but they may look generic. Skeptical? Consider TV newscasters. How different is one station from another? Professional doesn’t mean distinct. Stock photos have a similar staged look. They look a little too good.

Video bios look generic too. These days, many feature different camera angles and many cuts. The subjects look like they are

being interviewed with the interviewer edited out
reading from a teleprompter without enough practice

Expedient doesn’t mean desirable. You're not a Hollywood actor in an action movie needing microsecond cuts. You're a real person. If you know your subject, can't you talk articulately for a few minutes? You probably do all day long.

The professional/generic approach isn’t authentic enough for me. As with blogging and podcasting, I wanted to master the basics myself but …

The Fear

I haven't liked the way I look on camera. I'd feel stiff, sound unnatural and forget what I wanted to say. The solution is practice. I don't notice the camera any more. I realize that mistakes can be edited out, reduced with more takes, or just left in.

That leaves the fear of forgetting.

As a writer, I want to say exactly what I've drafted but I'm not good at memorization. I've tried using a teleprompter (Teleprompt+ on my iPad). This works well when giving a live speech but when I talk directly to the camera, you can see that I'm reading.

I now sound reasonably natural when reading a script. Even so, speaking impromptu is 100% natural. Thanks to Toastmasters, I finally can. I'm glad I finally joined. Live but unscripted may be the ideal solution. If one take isn't quite right, you can do more. When you the recording and production yourself, there’s no cost and you improve your skills.

You'll have your own concerns. Practice is your best tool. You no longer need fancy equipment. You can start by using the video camera in your smartphone or your web cam. A separate video camera is probably best but you don't need an expensive model.

Broadcast Yourself

YouTube now allows you to publish HD videos of unlimited length. The maximum used to be 15 minutes, which is a problem for live presentations (though perhaps a relief for viewers). Here’s an example of a recent recording. There’s room for improvement but the results are good enough to ship.

You don’t have to appear on camera. You can narrate a PowerPoint presentation instead. With sharp images, the results look great when projected or viewed on a smartphone. Here’s the latest example.

If you're recording your screen, please don't use the ancient 4:3 aspect ratio (1024x768). Switch to widescreen 16:9 (though the 16:10 above is workable).

Expert?

I'm hardly a video expert yet. I'm comfortable adding narration to PowerPoint. I'm comfortable speaking live and presenting live. I can now do basic editing using Adobe Premiere Elements. The next --- and most important --- step is live talking-to-the camera video.

You may want to hire a videographer but there's no harm in getting comfortable appearing on camera. Your TV debut may be next.

MARKETING IDEAS FROM WASTING WATER

You’ll find marketing ideas where none are intended.

This morning, I went to the Ivey Idea Forum for the first time. The topic was Water and Agri-Food Innovation: Does our future profitability depend on it? That means fresh water usage by food companies. That’s a rather narrow focus but I was curious about the issues.

We’ll skip the scary statistics and predictions. Instead, we’ll look at the marketing hurdles in the path to change.

Four Marketing Hurdles

Why aren’t food companies doing more? Kevin Jones (LinkedIn) gave four reasons. He’s the President and CEO of The Bloom Centre for Sustainability (website).

The risk isn’t visible
The financial benefits aren’t visible
Ignorance abounds
Current proven solutions aren’t known

You probably have similar issues with your own clients. Let’s explore what you can do.

Make The Risk Visible

Water: the risk isn't visible. If food companies see water as cheap and abundant, why would they bother with conservation?

If your clients don't see the real problem you solve, you've got a huge hurdle since they have many squeakier wheels to oil. You won't get far as a prophet of disaster if you get the rewards from being right. You can still educate, ideally using independent reports. Maybe they’ll then hire you to slay the now seen monster.

Show The Financial Benefits

Water: The financial benefits of conservation aren't seen. If there isn't a connection with profits, how do you motivate companies to spend?

Do your clients see you as an investment or an expense? Can you develop simple metrics? For instance, the equivalent of a hurdle rate or payback period. You probably have something already. How can you you make the benefits more compelling?

Do your clients trust what you're showing them? Too-good-to-be-true benefits or shaky assumptions are impair your credibility. Wait, there’s more!

Overcome Ignorance

Water: Ignorance. If companies don't know how or where they are using water, is change likely?

Even if your clients use the type of product or service you provide, do they know how or where? For instance, we take electricity for granted. Would automatic water faucets, soap dispensers and towel dispensers work during a power outage? Depending on the business, that might be important.

Show Proven Solutions

Water: Food companies are unaware of current, proven solutions. If they don't know what's available, they may not know they can do something today.

Few businesses want to bear the risks and costs of innovating in a noncore area. Do you show clients what's already adopted elsewhere? Relevant case studies help you use a powerful principle of influence: consensus.

Your Clients

How do you fault clients for inertia?

These four marketing hurdles are inter-related. Education is one solution. You can share content that's already available (like a parrot) or create your own (like a pundit). Since awareness takes time, staying in contact with valuable, timely information helps.