YouTube for Business, What's the catch?

YouTube for Business, what's the catch?
Numerous facts and statistics are being quoted, then re-quoted about the power of YouTube as a promotional vehicle for your business. What is beyond doubt is the fact that a very significant number of people are now using YouTube as a search engine; it became the number 2 search engine after Google as early as August 2008, and some say that there have been months in 2009 where the number of YouTube searches has overtaken Google.
This means that videos that are correctly titled and key-word tagged are being found by people searching for information, and if you have no videos containing information about your products or service, or sharing your thought leadership online you are missing out on a very large slice of visibility for your company.  Of course, like any online content, if people find your video then choose not to watch it, or to click away within seconds, any benefit you gained from positioning is lost.
The catch with YouTube for business is therefore threefold:

• Your video has to be relevant to the search
• It has to be presented in an engaging style to keep the attention of your viewer
• You have to inform, educate or entertain.  Selling is a big NO

There are two ways that you can use business video on the web, and you need to decide on your video strategy before choosing the most effective style for you.
Attraction
If you want to promote your brand, make your company more visible and drive people to your website then you need a short film that people will like enough to pass on to their network and friends. This is how the most successful viral videos work.  A great recent example is the Surfing Sheep! Film that had more than 250,000 views in the first month.

It's short, fun and entertaining with a subtle corporate branding and strap line at the end.
Information
If your reasons for using video are to share knowledge, be seen as a thought leader or an expert, to inform or educate, then you will rely on viewers finding you by using key words, appreciating your content, and subscribing to future videos you make. YouTube has been described as the new encyclopaedia where you can learn how to do just about anything. According to Forbes research, two thirds of c-suite executives view work-related videos online at least once a week, and 27% cite video as their preferred format for information gathering.

Case Studies - are a brilliant way of promoting your product or service without being pushy and 'salesy'. Get your best clients to do your selling for you by sharing why wthey use your company. We are producing this type of film for a companies ranging from IT services to food production. Here is our own video with clients talking about what we do and some examples of work

So get in on the act and share your knowledge!
This type of information/education film is much less likely to become viral so you have to work harder to spread the word, posting your video links on social media sites, Ecademy, LinkedIn, Facebook etc to attract viewers to your YouTube channel. The more views and ratings it gets, the more visible it will become to others on YouTube. Although the number of views will be less than a viral film, your viewers are much more likely to be people who are genuinely interested in what you do, what you have to have to say, recognise your value and eventually buy from you.
With both types of video it is crucial to think carefully about a detailed description, a relevant title, key word tags, and of course always include a link back to your website.

You want a video for your business - when is the right time to talk toa professional

You know that a business video will help you to promote your organisation, or disseminate information to employees or clients - so when is the right time to engage the services of a professional? Do you create a brief and tell the production company what you want, or do you seek out their expertise to help you come up with the right video for you?

Presenting to Camera - video tutorials

To many people the idea of presenting to a camera is extremely daunting.  It doesn't have to be. I believe that you should appear on camera as you do in reality - the real, natural you.  The first mistake most people make is to assume that because there is a camera looking at them, they need to act like a television presenter or broadcaster - Wrong!

Others who are familiar with public speaking usually believe that the process of delivering to a camera will be easy.  How many times have I heard people tell to me that talking to a camera won't be a problem for them as they regularly speak to groups of 100s of people at a time - then spent a couiple of hours working with them to deliver a short presentation to a camera.

To attempt to help people who would like to present to a camera in a more natural and comfortable style I have created a series of short video tutorials.  The first one investigates the difference between presenting styles on screen and to a live audience:

Here is the first video in the series:

If you would like access to the complete series please get in touch

Business video is changing ... let your clients speak for you

Don't get caught in the trap of creating a video so that you and your colleagues can pat each other on the back and say 'don't we look good, aren't we great'
Instead you should be thinking about your customers issues and needs that will be solved or improved by using your product or service. How can you help to make their lives easier or better. It sounds dramatic I know, but think about it - what is the end result of a customer coming to you instead of one of your competitors?
For me the answer is easy - now I've taken the time to talk to my customers and find out. Our clients say that they appreciate working with New Edge because of the added value that our expertise in video communication brings to a project. Have a look at the Video Testimonials from the home page introduction on the New Edge website to see what our clients have to say:

People buy from people, and a set of video testimonials like this lets your clients do the selling for you. Viewers can tell that the video is genuine and not set up in any way. Contrast the natural style of this film to the ‘Daz’ washing powder adverts we all know and love to hate:

Do you really believe that the lady in the advert did not know Danny Baker was about to knock on the door?

Compare this style with the video testimonials and interview with the MD in the general overview film we recorded for Blue Chip.

For most of you the key messages of this film are very specific to IBM server maintenance, but imagine that the film was your clients talking about your business.
Here is another example from the optical sector for No7 Contact Lenses  Imagine that you own an independent optical practice – what would you feel about using No.7 as a supplier after watching this film?

My only criticism with both these companies is that they have decided to hide the videos on a back page of their website only accessible through the menu. I believe that these messages should be ‘shouted it from the rooftops’ in a prominent position on the homepage - they are a great introduction to the company, it’s ethos and it’s values.

This type of film suits the British approach to business perfectly. You get all the information you need to make an initial judgment about the company, which is qualified by significant personnel from well known brands speaking on the company’s behalf.

In contrast here is a video demonstrating a new cheap video solution borrowed from the US. Do you believe that the presenter is from the company? Is she an expert in IT data recovery? Do you feel informed enough to make a judgment on working with the company?

If you are in any doubt she is clearly a busy lady – here she is again selling cleaning materials…. And again selling beds

What do you think, am I right?

I’d appreciate your views

Webcam Wizardry 2 - lights, camera, action

Number 2 from a series of 8 video tutorials called Webcam Wizardry. In this film business video expert Richard Flewitt speaks about setting up your equipment to look and sound good when using a webcam to create video messages.



See the rest of the series on my YouTube channel

Webcam Wizardry; helping you make the most of your webcam

This is the introduction to a series of short video tutorials that will help
you make the most of your webcam. Whether for video messaging, video
emails or video blogging, the advice from Business Video Expert Richard
Flewitt will help you to look good, and make sure your viewers want to
watch and listen. Richard is the proprietor and Creative Director at
New Edge business video productions

 

Why Clear Communication equals Improved Staff Motivation

I hesitate to use the ‘R’ word, but it’s clear that the economic climate could be better.  When things are bleak economically we naturally look at costs we can reduce, and for many organisations internal communications are seen as a ‘nice to have’, so they are reduced or cut to a bare minimum.  I would argue that an engaged workforce is a happy workforce, so by failing to engage employees with honest communications companies are in fact making the problem worse.

If your company or organisation has difficult issues, an honest and up-front attitude is more likely to get staff onto your side.  If you tell them that everything is OK, or say nothing, they’ll see through it and think the worst.  According to the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB) “When the situation starts to improve, organisations that have not given sufficient attention to this issue may find that recovery is slower because of the lasting negative impact on staff loyalty and engagement.”

So what is the best way to communicate?

Messages should be delivered directly from the originator to all members staff with as little dilution and distortion of message as possible.  The traditional tiered communications strategy where the CEO/MD talks to directors - who then talk to regional managers - who talk to line managers - who eventually talk to staff is generally a disaster.  Each person in the chain will put their own interpretation onto the message and deliver their own version to the next person. We all know how disastrous ‘Chinese whispers’ can be!

A communication delivered by video makes sure that everyone receives exactly the same message.  In addition to this a video has the benefit of being able to supplement the communication with strong images and other non-verbal attributes - adding power to the message.

A couple of years ago one of our clients had experienced a brilliant first three quarters of the year, and wanted to avoid the usual drop in sales in the final quarter. Their product is seen as an everyday item and wouldn’t normally be on anyone’s Christmas list.  New Edge produced a video for them congratulating staff on the brilliant year to date and reminding them that ‘It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!’  This theme was emphasised by comparing their situation with a recent ‘miraculous’ recovery by Liverpool FC in a European football match. They were 3-0 down at half time and came through to win 4-3.  I’m not a football fan, but couldn’t help being drawn in by the excitement of the story – and the goals.  Adding emotive and powerful music served to enhance the positivity and hope of the message even further, along with the introduction of a staff incentive with great prizes.

The results were fantastic – an engaged and motivated workforce achieved increased sales in the final quarter giving the company a record year.

DIY with regular video podcasts

This example involved quite a complicated production, but if you want to communicate regularly with staff using video this needn’t be the case.  Regular video podcasts to all staff from the CEO/MD, delivered in a friendly, conversational manner will have a similar effect.  Keep it short and to the point, and involve your viewers by ensuring there is a way for them to reply, comment and ask questions.  As well as making staff feel involved in the process, this will also give you ideas for future issues to address.  A video consultant would help you to set up an area in the corner of an office where you can produce this type of message without having to bring in a production company every time.  Make sure that the person who delivers the message is completely comfortable with talking to a camera.  They will need training, and must have a process in place to construct their messages effectively.  There are plenty examples where people believe they can do this and just turn on the camera and talk – a disaster!

So if you are faced with challenges in these uncertain times, you need to increase your emphasis on internal communications, get staff behind you and move forward as a cohesive team.