Using business web video to show how your product works

November 22 · Blog

One of our clients, Michael Giannak of Group Security Systems, came to Hunting With Pixels with an interesting challenge. He has a great product, the market is ready for it but potential clients have a hard time understanding how the product works. We recommended a simple, cost effective animation to explain the concept of the product; a great way to complement the written content and sales efforts of Group. http://vimeo.com/29127362 The resulting video is a great sales tool that’s beneficial to clients because they can make an informed decision without having to do extensive research, and beneficial to Group because it makes a great case for a great product.

In Praise of Discomfort; Setting Goals and Striving

November 22 · Blog

Earlier this year, we caught up for a social with the charming Andy Ellwood, Director of Business Development for Gowalla, a location-based social media group. For more info about Andy, click here. In these three clips, Andy talks about being comfortable, and how it is the antithesis of excellence. Generally, when we talk about being comfortable, it is meant as a good thing. After all, a good deal of the 20th Century’s best inventions have been aimed at achieving just that. However, if you’ve ever tried getting out of a warm bed at 6am, you’ll know how hard it is to change once you are comfortable, even if that change is necessary or for the best. Striving for your goals requires discomfort. It means that you have to view where you want to be, where you are now, and realistically assess the distance between the two. Andy relates how many of his business peers would start their careers expecting their goals to be handed to them, like a ‘participation prize’ in a children’s running race. Those who didn’t strive, who turned up and took the comfortable route, did not succeed. Once we are comfortable, there is no motivation for anything to change. We become stagnant. It is not even that we are no longer striving for our goals, but we aren’t setting any goals at all. And without goals, nothing will be achieved. For those who can put in the work, and do achieve their goals, there is then the option of resting on their laurels or raising the bar. In the final clip, Andy talks about all of his mentors and the leaders he has known, and suggests that the one common characteristic of all was that they never became comfortable. Every time they achieved their objectives, they immediately set about planning the next big thing, and so set about striving for that. Not everybody has the kind of drive and desire for excellence that is necessary to be perpetually striving. For some, comfort is the ultimate goal. But for others, like Andy Ellwood, the desire to be the best is the be all and end all, and if that means never being comfortable, that will be worth it in the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsxUOd4EMzo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMdvgNQ_u-U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1YUptzd4nc

Over-friending and the Online Marketer

November 16 · Blog

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Rubel, executive VP for Global Strategy and Insights with Edelman. Edelman is a global public relations firm, well known for being on the forefront of technological change. Click here for more info on Steve and Edelman. In this clip, Steve talks about the concept of over-friending, and shares his predictions for the next era of social media. Very broadly speaking, the internet has gone through several distinct phases, or eras. First, in its infancy, we had the era of commercialisation. The baby steps of the web were taken by large companies and organisations, and while other voices did exist, they were not nearly as dominant. Secondly, in what is referred to by marketing types as “Web 2.0”, we had the era of social media, started by the blogging craze, picked up by MySpace and finally dominated by facebook. Social media has changed the web entirely, so that now you don’t need to be a large organisation to have a web presence. Every 16 year old and their grandma can now tell the world just what’s on their mind. Steve Rubel refers to this as a “democratisation” of the internet. We are now if not in a third era, then in a transitory phase between them, where social media has reached saturation point and is causing information overload. The idea of a ‘friend’ online has been devalued to the point of meaninglessness, and trying to find a true expert in the cacophony of voices is increasingly difficult. Steve suggests that, in this third online era, we will see people become more selective in who they listen to, in an attempt to make more sense from the noise. This means that online marketers will need to work harder to stand out, to appeal to individuals rather than demographics, and build a meaningful relationship with their target market. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8x3-HD9suU

Online business video: a brilliant way to show the people behind the brand.

November 13 · Blog

Boy are we stoked with the new Concept Amenities video! What a great brand to work with, check it out:   http://vimeo.com/31939915/   We’d love to hear what you think!

Creative Innovation Conference 2011 promo video

November 13 · Blog

Boy are we looking forward to the Creative Innovation conference this week! Here’s the promo we created for them: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/25111950  width=”100%”] http://vimeo.com/25111950

Overcoming Parking Anxiety when visiting Hunting With Pixels

November 09 · Blog

  Newtown has a bad name when it comes to parking, but parking around the HWP Headquarters isn’t that bad actually.

What Not To Do

Drive past us trying to find a park on King Street. It’s not going to happen people. What’s worse is that once you’re past us, there’s no way to turn right or left for a while, so you end up in Enmore, which admittedly is quite nice too, but we’d rather see you at Short Takes.

Good parking spots

Wilson Street Right behind the HWP HQ you’ll find a small car park; around 18.30 there’s generally good parking there. Parking on Wilson Street isn’t bad around this time either. If that doesn’t work, take a right after you’ve passed the parking, there are some quiet streets where you’ll always find a spot.  

Franklins car park

On the corner of Lennox and Church street there’s the Franklin’s car park. It’s paid parking, but there’s always a spot. 100 metres from the HWP headquarters.

Or take a walk through the park

If all else fails; park at the Camperdown Memorial park on Federation road and take a walk through the park for 5 minutes, which always seems like a good idea!

Google It Baby!

Our address is level 1, 270 King Street in Newtown. Here’s the Google Maps link.

Or Go Dutch.

And for all those weird dutch people and others who insist on cycling everywhere; you’re more than welcome to take your beloved bike in; we’ll stick it in our studio. Hope that helps with the Newtonian Parking Anxiety!    

But Will It Work? How to build trust with authentic communication

November 08 · Blog

Yesterday, we had a really interesting conversation with the wonderful Daniela Cavalletti from Cavalletti Communications. Daniela is a copywriting and business communication expert with a considerable amount of experience. We’re stoked to have her as one of the speakers at our next Short Takes event , this Thursday, 10 November 2011.  

Communications – Without Trust You Have Nothing.

  Writing is an often overlooked and undervalued part of business and brand communication – yet most of what we know and learn is being conveyed through language. Therefore, written content is the crucial ingredient that holds your other brand and communication elements together, explains them, and enables you to connect with your customers and readers. So, it seems almost superfluous to ask the question:

Why Does Writing Matter?

Daniela offered the following reasons to think twice before you press ‘post’ or ‘send’:

• Connection. Written content gives you the opportunity to connect with your customer’s needs and emotive side. It’s important to get the tone and message right to be able to properly connect with your target audience.

 

• Trust: Building trust is about detail; if you don’t take care of the details of your own communication, your target audience will likely make the assumption that you may also sloppy in other areas of your business. Will your business take care of me, your customer? Without trust, you have nothing.

 

• We’re Not 100% Rational. People make their business and buying decisions based on a mix of ratio and emotions. Writing enables you to tap into shared believes, values and desired outcomes. Content sets the tone of your overall communication. It’s vital in starting a conversation and building a solid connection.

   

How to Avoid Common Communications Mistakes

  Daniela explains how to not fall into three common business communication traps:

• Perspective. Businesses tend to talk too much about their product and not enough about how it’s beneficial to their clients. Remember to offer a solution, not sell an attribute. To communicate this well, we really need to understand the needs and pain points of our target audience – and then adapt our communication to those needs.

 

• Jargon. Using jargon can really build barriers. It may sound smart to use jargon, but most of your clients aren’t interested in that; they want a clear solution to their problem, and need clear communication in language that is easy to understand.

 

• Think about how Apple sells their iPad; Thinner, Faster, Lighter. Not ‘i7 floating point processor and 25000 MIPS plus 128 MB graphics accelerator hardware’.

 

• Spin. Your target audience is smart. Your customers sense what’s authentic and what is spin. Don’t end up on the wrong side of that equation: be honest and authentic about what you offer. And own up to mistakes. Admit them, rectify them, and you will come up smelling like roses.

 

Over to Daniela!

http://vimeo.com/31711185/

How to avoid common mistakes in business communication and business video

November 07 · Blog

In our video interview in the run up to this Thursday’s Short Takes, Alchemy Equity’s Kate Ingham discussed a number of common mistakes in communication. Here are four areas of communication that deserve your attention:

Mistake 01: Sweating the small stuff.

  Video is brutal when it comes to small details. Make sure your outfit matches what you are communicating: double check that your tie is done and your hair is o.k.; check frequently during the shoot.

Mistake 02: Not working on non verbal communication.

Make sure everything you do contributes to creating credibility, so the viewer feels confident that you can do what you say you’ll do. Visual communication is beyond the rational; simply getting the information across isn’t going to get you results. Take the non verbal cues like look, tone of voice and posture into account when you present. Video is powerful in building trust, but is also very good at destroying it.    

Mistake 03; Not considering presenting style.

  Have you considered how you want to come across? Do you want to be personable or formal? Low detail of very specific? What is your target audience after? Who are you trying to connect to? Really think through your presenting style, or even better get some coaching.  

Mistake 04: Not thinking through Scripting.

Scripting your video is about presenting yourself in the best possible way; don’t think you can wing it or ‘ad lib’. Unless you’re a professional presenter, you’ll get much better results from working with a script and using an Autocue. During the next Short Takes, we will workshop using an autocue and a script do you can see for yourself how this can work for you.

Over to Kate!

http://vimeo.com/31570584  

Client testimonials videos, a great use of online video in social media

November 06 · Blog

Client testimonial videos; how to get results.

A vast majority of your customers trust the opinions of their peers much more than anything you say. This is why simply bombarding everyone with you marketing message doesn’t work anymore; you need to go social with video. Social proof like client testimonial videos offer an amazing opportunity to grow your brand in a credible and authentic way.

But get it right.

Most client testimonial clips are excruciating. They’r too long. They lack credibility. They look terrible. Or they simply miss the point. If done badly, client testimonial videos can be damaging for your business. Here are some ways to make sure you get them right.

Don’t Bang On. Unless Your A Drummer.

The number one mistake is that videos simply too long; 60-90 seconds is plenty to get the message across. Your clients don’t need to explain how your product works; all they need to share how what you do created a positive experience.

Lo Fi options.

Lo Fi is occasionally good in music, but client testimonial videos are not the place to skimp. If you film your clients under fluorescent light with a handheld flip camera, you make them look bad because the light and general look is very unflattering. Especially female clients won’t appreciate that, even if they may not let you know. Another negative aspect of cheapness is that it makes your brand look budget; great if you offer a very low price, low value item. Not good if you offer a B2B service or high value service or product.

Take your pick.

Don’t ask your former business partner or brother in law to do a client testimonial; most of your potential clients probably know who they are.

Authentic.

Your testimonials need to be verifiable and honest. If viewers can’t see who’s talking (‘a happy client’. ‘Rob M. from Sydney’.), they’re not going to buy into the message. Don’t script testimonials; if everyone uses phrases that sound like they’re straight out of your marketing material, you lose credibility. Allow people to use their own language and anecdotes, but feel free to direct them in terms of being concise and relevant.

Critical mass

To be credible you need at least three testimonials. Use the various takes to get a number of people to tell one story, don’t make 10 people repeat the same story about how great you are. Boring.

They’re not presenters.

Authentic doesn’t mean badly presented. Make sure your clients get directed and coached so they feel comfortable. Don’t make the clients present directly to camera; presenting something straight to camera is a real skill that needs training. Instead, interview them so the testimonials are more like a conversation than a presentation. Make sure your clients looks at the interviewer when answering the questions; you’ll get answers with a better flow and a more conversational tone.

What if noone wants to talk?

A lot of people are very reluctant to be on camera; some can’t be swayed at all. Here are some ways to make sure it’s more appealing to take part.

• Make the shoots as low impact as possible. Either a small team locally with limited equipment and set up time, or a half hour in a studio that they can walk into.
• Share the footage if the clients talks about their business; it doesn’t hurt you to be generous.
• Give them a way out; allow them the option to veto the clip if they’re not happy with how it turns out.

But stop short of bribing!

Offering clients a financial incentive to take part may be tempting, but never ever go down that path. One post about that on Facebook and Twitter and you’re looking at some major brand damage. I you can’t find three people who are enthusiastic about your product you probably need to improve your product..

Get to the point

A lot of client testimonials don’t offer a real insight in why it’s you they should choose. I’ve seen client testimonials where someone describes the service like this; a building company turned up, did the job and the house is still standing. That’s not a story; I may be naive here, but I expect a building company to actually turn up when I pay them. What’s the story? What sets you apart?

Believe in your brand. Hallelujah!

Nothing beats social proof like client testimonials when you’re building a connection to existing and future clients; if you get these right you’re really cooking with gas. Happy shooting! Preferably with a camera please.