Creating engaging communications for internal use is vital if you need to keep staff and colleagues up to date on company news, incentives and relevant information such as sector trends and training issues.
In this case study Amplifon UK CEO Steve Fleming explains the benefits to Amplifon in using video for all their major internal communications. He also describes how his relationship with New Edge, as long-standing business video production company is like a partnership - working together to identify key messages and deciding on the best way to deliver them so that the staff want to watch and engage with the
content.
The CEO of Phase Vision was synical about using video to promote the company's 3D white light optical inspection and measuring equipment. Persuaded by his marketing team to make one film with New Edge business video productions as a trial, he talks here about how he is totally converted to video and has since commissioned 2 more from New Edge.Do you have stands at exhibitions?
Listen to this story then get in touch with New Edge to see how we can help you attract visitors and stand out from the crowd
Use your clients and customers to 'sell' for you in Sales and Promotional videos. People buy from people - Richard Flewitt from New Edge business video productions explains:
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 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?
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
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 filmwe 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?
