In our previous post we established that “Story is Everything!” It’s a key ingredient for success because it sets you apart from the herd – engages your audience i.e. customers – and it makes you unforgettable!
The numbers tell us that -
- 96% of B2B businesses use video marketing
- As many as 3 out of 4 people who watch a testimonial video actually make a purchase based on that experience
- 65% of all customers are visual learners
It’s clear. You need media about your business, out there working for you.
But, what should your media be about? Talking about yourself is hard and uncomfortable. You don’t know what to say. Worse yet, you’ve seen some of what’s already out there - and you really don’t want “that” representing your brand. And, even good media is no guarantee.
The bottom line is - You don’t want to spend money on something that looks pretty, but does little to help your organization achieve its goals. While there’s no guarantee - you want to know that what you’re doing has a good chance of success.
When done well, using media is like having a twenty-four/seven – personal referral service. You sales staff will love it – it makes developing new customers a snap, because once a potential client sees your media – you’re not cold calling anymore!
Which leads me to our four part series – “What Should My Movie Be About?”
Before we begin in 
earnest, I want to make a universal point! It's really more of a rule in my opinion. And it is -
Never shoot a frame of film until you know what your story is about!
Smile! I just saved you thousand of dollars.
So let me repeat - Never shoot a frame of film until you know what your story is about!
If you hire a film production company – make sure they understand and agree with this - and make sure they can help you craft your story, and shape your message, before production begins.
Paying for a writer is well worth the investment. We are, after all, talking about your brand.
Believe me, I’ve done – far too much corporate media – that was written by some committee or other within the organization. While there are always exceptions – these pieces mostly come out repetitive, wandering and without a clear objective.
Your staff has to be involved. Intimately! It’s your story that has to be told. But, a good writer will shape that story into a focused tool for achieving a specific goal. And, as an outsider – a writer brings, not only experience, but a fresh point of view – and they won’t be subject to protecting departmental turf.
So that’s my soapbox for today. Never shoot before writing!
It should be obvious – but, everybody in the business has done it. We’ve all gone off on a brilliant idea – shot some beautiful footage – only to spend twice the budget – trying to piece together a single message out of a thousand. A message that rarely ends up saying what you’re started out to say in the first place.
And, what you should be saying, is the very reason we created the – “What Should My Movie Be About?” series.
There are really four collections of films that every business needs. Each collection supports the next, creating an “integrated media” point of entry into your world.
Courtesy of videoblocks.com
We’ll use the analogy of building a house, to help understand the purpose of each of these collections - starting with the foundation, then framing some walls, adding a roof, and finally moving our personal items in!
This integrated media approach works because the pieces each have a specific goal – and lead to another piece with a specific goal. For example – the Foundation Collection – is designed to introduce your brand to new and potential clients, and engage their interest. The two movies in the Foundation Collection have proven to be successful, by businesses the world over.
Once you’ve got their attention. Potential customers are gonna want more information! That’s where the Frame Collection comes in. It’s the place for information.
But, not everybody likes cold hard facts – so the Roof Top Collection is more emotional in nature.
And, finally the Personal Collection – is about – you guessed it – growing and maintaining person connections.
Over the next four weeks we’ll examine each of these four collections in detail. Helping you understand what stories you should be telling and how you should tell them. It’ll also help you communicate your ideas effectively to a writer, or production company.
Just remember – this is a hard hat area!