Business Video update from New Edge

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We all know it's vital to keep clients in touch with what we're doing. Now more than ever, engaging communications are the first important step in reaching your audience. Video can help you get your message out fast and achieve the results you want.  Look out for your regular update from New Edge to stay in touch with this exciting and fast moving world!

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Online video marketing is growing exponentially – so what’s the appeal for business?

Business Video works as a vehicle to attract an audience for the very same reason that all good video communications work - because it moves and it talks. Video catches the eye on a static page. It grabs the attention – even if it’s inappropriate or a load of rubbish!   How many times have you sat in a bar where video screens are playing music videos or sport or whatever… and you can't stop yourself from looking accross to the flickering screen.  To make a video really effective it has to engage the viewer within seconds of that ‘attention grabbing moment’ then keep them hooked for the duration of the message. There are many styles and techniques that are effective in engaging audiences that I will deal with another time. The issue here is how to use video as a marketing or promotional tool.

The phenomenon that is YouTube has proved beyond doubt that people will happily pass on videos that appeal to them. Is there anyone out there who hasn't watched the Susan Boyle clip from Britain's Got Talent? (here -  http://bit.ly/11bSM if you're not one of the 69 million + viewers to date)

From a business and branding perspective this viral example of YouTube proves beyoing doubt that, with the right video, the opportunity is there for companies to get their brands and messages into places and in front of audiences that would be difficult to access otherwise - without a substantial advertising budget.  According to Ben Wayne, founder of Fliqz (fliqz.com) 50% of all visitors click on a home page video before taking any other action. If your video is engaging you’ve got them – they will stay – and watch. The trick is to make it easy for your visitors to pass the video on - “we consistently observe that sites that allow viral reposting will see up to 40% of their video viewership occurring via players that have been reposted outside of the publisher’s domain”.

YouTube is still the most effective way to do this at the moment. If you use Twitter you can add a ‘Twit this’ button for viewers to share your video, or you can post to a blog or Facebook account. Tubemogul is a great site where you can upload a video once and it is distibuted it to a large number of video sites for you - and it tracks the views.

The catch for business video is that any film that blatantly advertises or, heaven forbid sells, becomes pretty much exempt from viral activity. A few companies have succeeded -  the T-Mobile Paddington station dance ad was fresh, new and brilliant. The great thing about this campaign was that viral distribution began as the video was being filmed. Two days before it was seen on TV mobile phone versions from people who happened to be there were racking up multiple views on YouTube. I believe they made a mistake trying to repeat the concept with the singing version, and youtube views of the two videos back this up.

While that campaign succeeeded, many more have failed. I had a play at the concept myself a couple of years ago with New Edge (see it here: http://bit.ly/9Ad49) and discovered that it’s a lot harder than you might think to seed the video, and make the content funny or interesting enough to be viral. I now leave the seeding side to the experts , www.asabailey.com , and concentrate on creating engaging content.


So yes, the opportunity is there for viral video to work for business, but it's not without significant challenges.

• Video production values have to be good,


• your branding has to be very subtle, or the content has to be so brilliant that people will forward it anyway,


• and you need to work hard to make sure that people see it in the first place.

Book Channel TV launch - proof that networking works

Do you want to hear a story about networking - working?

I'm excited and proud to announce the launch of a new venture, The Book Channel TV show - The place to be for book lovers and writers.  I came up with the idea along with a networking colleague about a year ago and the first programme airs on Sky channel 166 and Freesat channel 402 next Monday, 20th April at 7.30pm.

Video preview can be seen at www.thebookchannel.tv

 so why blog about it?

Firstly I'm immensely proud of the programme, entirely produced by my production company New Edge - It's great to be back to our roots making television programmes.

Secondly, there is no way that I would be here announcing this today if it wasn't for networking and in  particular the Black Star community within Ecademy (now Sunzu), which I joined in 2007. Let me take you through the chain of events:   I join Black Star on the premise that you get out what you put in, and it really is a lifetime membership where relationships are nurtured before any real business takes place.   I attend Black Star meetings and start on a journey of many, many 121 meetings. 

Approximately 18 months later I am invited by a Black Star ,who I'd had a 121 with, to attend a VIP networking event on a boat on the Thames.   There, as promised, he introduced me to 'someone I need to know', I spent most of the evening talking to this guy over champagne and far too much red wine!! - realising the synergy of our appraoch to communications, and in particular video.   That relationship then developed with a couple of meetings, and more introductions. 

Meanwhile I discover that within Black Star there is a community of specialists who help people make the most of their expertise by writing books.   The problem at this smaller end of publishing is that the best sellers and big publishing houses eat up most of the national promotional opportunities, and it's a real struggle to get books noticed.   I have another meeting with the man from the boat, who also happens to have a past in publishing and we come up with an idea..... to make a specialist programme for all book lovers and writers, uncover the story behind the story in a book and hear some extracts read by the author.   Broadcast the programmes on Sky and Freesat, and make all the programmes available to watch online. Additionally allow the authors and publishers to stream the programmes on their own websites providing them with a promotional video for their book. The result is The Book Channel.

The guy on the boat was Fred Perkins, owner of Information TV and a number of Sky channels - now one of my business partners at the Book Channel.   Our three experts who guide viewers through the book writing world from inspiration to publication are Mindy Gibbins-Klein, Sue Richardson and Tom Evans - all Black Stars from Ecademy. 

Our presenter is Tina Bettison, another contact who found me through Ecademy.

We have filmed the first three programmes and the launch is on Monday 20th April, to coincide with the opening day of the London Book Fair.   Authors and publishers are invited to submit books for selection in future programmes through the website, www.thebookchannel.tv

So there you are. In a nutshell my networking contacts  have provided the inspiration, the application and a great deal of the content in the pilot shows

Who says networking isn't worth the investment?   Like all good thinhgs, it just takes time and energy

Video Testimonials are hugely effective as a marketing tool

Two recent projects completed by New Edge have demonstrated to me,once again, what a powerful tool the video testimonial is.

Continuing our close ties with the optical industry we were approached by No7 , the UK's largest independent contact lens producer. We had worked for the UK Commercial Director, Maxine Green when she was marketing director at Bausch & Lomb and she was so pleased with the results that she knew exactly who to turn to in her new role.

As well as wanting to produce some online accreditation videos for optometrists, they saw the opportunity to use video to enhance their marketing activity. I was invited down to Hastings to listen to their needs and come up with some suggestions as to how video might work for them.

It's my firm belief that people buy from people, and well produced video testimonials from happy clients are one of the best ways to promote your products or services. It's a soft sell - you let your clients do ithe selling for you, and it's presented as a TV style 'feature' on your company, noyt a sales film. Potential customers are more likely to believe a video testimonial than a written one, because they can see that it is genuine.

No 7 are also the major supplier of a really clever machine that measures eyes extremely accurately called the Topographer. They needed a marketing tool that would give optometrists an idea of how good a tool it is, and why they should have one. Again, the video testimonial is perfect for the job. Customers can explain how the Topographer is invaluable to them in their practice - the underlying message being that if you're serious about fitting contact lenses you MUST have a Topographer.

Of course, the testimonials wouldn't be effective on their own You can see the resulting promotional film here. They had to be presented professionally and accompanied by shots that prove to the viewer that No 7 know what they are talking about, and are a serious company to deal with.

You will also see how language is important. These films have been produced with a specific audience in mind - practicing opticians - so it's Ok for us to use industry jargon that probable means very little to most people. What it does highlight is that the video producer has to fully understand each industry that s/he produces material for. A lot of my time is spent getting to know a company and it's products/services before the script can be written, and before any filming can take place. It's crucial that I know what I'm talking about so that I can ask the right questions and get the right answers to use as a testimonial

I've not managed to accumulate any data proving that sales are increased, but the anecdotal evidence is clear.  A video testimonial will help to persuade people to make a decision, when considered alongside other marketing material - but then what does any advertising or promotion do?

It's a particularly useful technique for selling courses/conferences etc when people can see clips of what the day looks like along with testimonials from previous users, and as stated in the blog - products.

Andrew Clarke from the speakers academy runs speaking courses and has a number of video testimonials for the courses.  Out of 10 people on a course that I attended, 2 of them admitted to being swayed to making the decision to attend because of the power of the video.

My own clients who have come via the New Edge website have commented more on the strength of the video testimonials on the site than on the video demonstrations when quizzed about why they chose New Edge as a supplier

So ... video testimonials - filmed correctly, and presented professionally - really do work as an effective marketing tool for products, seminars and conferneces.

Richard Flewitt
Business Video Producer
New Edge
Projecting Added Value

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Why should corporate communications be a 'turn-off'

Mention the phrases corporate communication or corporate video in a conversation and people switch off, fall alseep, or even actually decide to do some work - anything they can think of to avoid having to watch.  The head of corporate communications from a major high stree bank recently told me that they had decided to use less video to communicate with staff because the staff weren’t watching.

 I wonder why……Could it be that the videos they are producing are formulaic, dull and lifeless - or could it be that the bank is insisting on maintaining their corporate identity - even to an internal audience who are probably surrounded and suffocated by that identity all day, every day.I’d like to wager one thing.  The same audience who don’t want to watch the corporate video are rushing home to catch the latest episode of their favourite TV programme.

So what’s the really simple answer to succesful employee engagement - make business communications more like factual television, which has to  play to a large an audience as possible without excluding, patronising, or discriminating - Info-tainment is the trendy description.  A business communication can be entertaining and fun while also educating or informing.

Successfiul television employs simple language and avoids jargon.   So relax - give your corporate identity a rest, and talk to staff like you’d talk to your friend or neighbour.  Entertain them, engage them on different levels - dare I even say have fun!! 

Crucially, talk to them in a language that they understand.  Here are examples of a good and a bad communication.

 Richard Flewitt
business video producer
    www.new-edge.tv