5 tips for creating a marketing video

With video becoming such a big player in online marketing these days, it is important to have some good tips in mind when your company decides to create a video.

1. Keep it simple. When faced with the prospects of creating a video to promote a company’s services or brand message, it is common to try to overload the video with too much information. A clear message will be more effective as it will allow the viewer to stay focused and get the message. If you have several messages to convey, consider creating a series of 2 minute web videos. It gives your audience a way to go to the information that is most interesting to them.

2. He said what? Keeping the language simple, common word choices, with easy to understand phrases vs. a lot of corporate speak that becomes too dry.

3. Be creative. Avoid just a talking head. Add in informative graphics, interesting locations to help improve the video and capture the audience’s interest. You should have no more than 20 seconds between scenes or camera cuts. Proper sound, lighting and HD video quality go a long way in making your video interesting.

4. She’s the authority. For important credibility in a video, have the project manager or the authority on a product or service talk about it.

5. Take some action. If you have a good, informative video, take advantage of your audience’s attention and add a call to action at the end. You can tell them about a newsletter to sign up for, go to a website, make comments or check out your blog.

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Rock 'N' Roll all night and branding every day.

Is it any coincidence that Paul Stanley studied art and design in his formative years? 

According to this article on BrandChannel.com, CNN has called KISS “the world’s most recognizable band.” Indeed, the band has sold more than $500 million in merchandise in the last 15 years. 

Check out the CNN Money story as well.

Wow.  

That's not saying the music (the product and service) isn't important. It's at the heart of the KISS brand. You've got to have more than a great logo (I think Ace Frehley actually came up with the original logo) and a unique image. You've got to consistently deliver a quality product or service that people can believe in and depend on. Whether you like their music or not, it's undeniable that lots of people worldwide do believe in it.

So what can we learn from KISS? 

1. Be original. It's okay to be different. There's no value in "me too" branding

2. Find your niche and speak to the people who believe in you and build on your core audience.

3. Preserve your brand identity and protect it.

4. Always give your customers more than they expect and they'll support you for life. You're not selling tickets to one show. You're building a multi-generational relationship.

5. Work hard. Rock and roll all night, but be on time to the radio promos in the morning, the interview at lunch, the sound check in the afternoon and you'd better rock your ass off at the show every night.

 

Wrapping up a shoot in Myrtle Beach, SC with a visit to the KISS coffeehouse. Photo by Paul Griffin

Good ideas don't have to be expensive.

Marketing and communications lessons come in all shapes and sizes. Apparently, so does queso dip. This restaurant's customers and employees needed to quickly understand a complicated product offering with multiple price points. The message needed to be simple and easy enough to understand that it would work in English and Spanish at a glance.

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