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Business Video Breakdown - Ben Franklin Plumbing

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:04:58 -0800

Each week I look at actual video and/or social media used by small businesses. I look at what works and what doesn’t as well as how I could take a different approach. That way, you can avoid similar mistakes and duplicate what works.

This Week’s Business Video

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing - 23600 El Toro Road, Suite D303, Lake Forest, CA 92630

The Breakdown

What Works

The video presents the Unique Selling Proposition (USP): The Punctual Plumber. A number of video elements support the USP.

There’s two solid testimonials in this video. The first details some heating work done for a customer. She is pleasant and gives a good account of her problem and how Benjamin Franklin Plumbing (and Heating) solved her issues. The second shows support for a professional real estate agent. This shows Ben Franklin as a good B2B business as well.

What Doesn’t Work

Slow, slow, slow start. My first instinct was to move on after the first :10 seconds. Shaky camera work created an “amateurish” feel to the video. A full :20 seconds to hear anything spoken is way too long. The footage is harshly lit in the daylight, creating hard light and shadows. Also, the shots of the plumber are too far away. This makes it hard to connect at a personal level.

Pacing of the video is WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY too slow. Snail-like. Which equals “boring”.

The plumber looks very uncomfortable, which makes me, as a viewer, uncomfortable. Additionally, the video tries to do “too much”. It’s a commercial, an infomercial, a testimonial. Which translates to…too long.

By :59 seconds, I was done with the video. But I pressed on to see the rest of the 8:10 of video, wondering, “What could they possibly say in that time?” Nearly 10 minutes of video is way too long for the average viewer. Period.

What’s A Different Approach

The strongest element of this video is Monica Gonzales’ testimonial. She has a story to tell. We relate to stories. So I would focus the video on the story: Monica’s problem and how Ben Franklin Plumbing solved her problem.

I’d use more B-footage to show her problem areas and how they were solved. Show the furnace unit, show the registers, etc. Keep things moving and interesting. Additionally, I’d use closeups of Monica as well. Remember, people connect with people. And we connect best with our eyes. So let us see the eyes of those speaking on video.

The main elements of the story and supporting details could be told in about 2:00 minutes. I would not try to do anything more than that. Monica’s testimony is powerful. Let it stand on its own without wasting the viewer’s time.

Final Word

I think the video tried to do too much, which ruins its effectiveness. Focus, focus, focus on ONE message. It will keep your videos short and consumable, as well as give you more options for more videos.

Truth be told, there are two separate testimonials and a profile video in this footage alone! Remember, small, bite sized chunks are more attractive to your viewers. Keep your portions small!

Remember, these opinions are entirely my own and are just that - opinions.

Your turn. What do you think?

Profile Vs. Story - Video Reply To Tweet About Storytelling In Business Video

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:45:38 -0800

I tweeted about an article that presented three videos as examples of good storytelling. The next day, Karen Dietz quoted my tweet, stating that “these were disappointing.”

In an article, she explained the videos were not stories, but profiles. I saw the quote and the article. At first, I thought wondered what she was on about. Until I looked at the videos again.

She was right. Poop.

Here I am, Pronoya Video, with a simple mission statement -- tell your story. And I didn’t even recognize that the videos weren’t stories. Oi! Very embarrassing.

So I decided to get out my camera and respond to this fiasco. This is my story.

In a related article, here's a fantastic infographic detailing the difference between story and corporate speak.

The Powerful Secret To Creating Videos Your Customers Will Want To Watch

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:57:26 -0800

I want these videos to go viral!”

I was discussing video with a potential client and asked him why he wanted to produce video for his restaurant. “Viral” was his response. So I asked him the question I ask in this situation.

“How do I shoot viral?”

My client looked at me and tilted his head slightly. They almost always tilt their heads. “What are you trying to say?” he asked. “Exactly!” I responded.

What Are You Trying To Say?

This is the most important question to ask yourself when creating a video. “What do you want to say?” Another way to ask this question is “What do you want the viewer to know or to understand after they watch your video?” The answer to these questions expresses your intention for the video. Your intention is your “Why?”. Why do you want to create the video in the first place?

For my restaurant client, here were some of his “Whys” for creating video:

“I want the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is.”
“I want the viewer to know how cool a cool guy my bartender is.”
“I want my viewer to understand that my head chef was trained at the Cordon Bleu Culinary School and knows how to prepare excellent food.”

These are all excellent reasons for creating video. This means I can create video that shows how nice the restaurant looks: the decor, the plush seating, the tables, the lighting, the menus, the tableware. Because as I’m shooting the video, I’m thinking, “How can I show the viewer how nice the restaurant is and how good the food is?”

As I’m thinking about how to answer this intention, I think about showing different signature dishes ready to be served. Maybe I can show a couple in an intimate tryst, their eyes lingering as they sensuously stroke tall glasses of a rich merlot. Maybe I have shots of friends laughing while the bartender prepares a snifter of fifty-year-old brandy.

You see, intention is the story you want to tell. Which makes it easier to come up with creative and interesting ways to tell your story.

Don’t Mistake Your Story For Results

One of the biggest mistake business owners make when creating video is confusing intention with results. What’s the difference? In our example, our intention is to show the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is. A result could be:

the viewer understands how nice the restaurant is and comes to have a dinner
the viewer likes what he sees and “Likes” the restaurant’s Facebook page.
the viewer invites his friends to celebrate his birthday at the restaurant.

These results are all desirable. Any one of them would be a happy result after viewing our video. However, these results are completely separate from “creating” the video. That is, they come AFTER the viewer watches the video.

Another way to view results is to remember this: Intention helps you create the video. Results are what happens after the video is created. Or think about is this: You can’t measure intent, but you can measure results. A strong intent helps you create a strong video, which, in turn, helps drive strong results.

So when you’re ready to create your video, sit down and think about what you want your viewer to know or understand after watching your video. Answer that question, and see how easy it is to come up with creative ways to communicate your intent. Clear communication of your intent will give your videos the best chance of helping your viewers understand your message. Which is what you want.

Business Video Breakdown - Nick's Pizza and Pasta

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0800

This Week’s Business Video

Nick’s Pizza And Pasta - 2300 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

The Breakdown

What Works

Food! Lots and lots of food! This is a restaurant after all. They do a pretty good job of showing different kinds of food. From the pizza to the pasta, seeing the food prepped in the kitchen and presented finished on the plate got my mouth watering.

The exterior shot of Nick’s gives potential customers a visual cue for finding the restaurant. It’s on a corner, next to Supercuts. Saves time looking for the restaurant next to Walgreens.

The interior shots show Nick’s as a busy, popular place. IF all those people like, maybe I will too. This could lead a customer to Yelp in search of a rating or reviews.

What Doesn’t Work

Cheesy zoom outs, and I don’t mean the pizza. One zoom, maybe, but three in a row to open? Zooming out is meant to reveal something new. So if it doesn’t reveal something new, don’t do it.

Only one shot of the interior, from one angle. While we see the restaurant, we don’t get a feel for the space and it’s ambiance. Same with the one exterior shot the restaurant, too far away. I think they really dropped the ball with showing the actual restaurant.

Lastly, the music is seems incongruent with the message. A bit dark and brooding, which doesn’t help create an inviting atmosphere.

What’s A Different Approach

I like starting with the exterior shot, but one shot isn’t enough context. I would use a number of different angles to create a better context for the restaurant while providing a few more visual cues for customers. A standard “beauty shot” is good for the final shot, but use the opening to create context and provide visual cues.

People like a restaurant for it’s ambiance and atmosphere as well as the food. Is this a family restaurant or a quiet place for lovers to tryst? Thus, I would use numerous shots of the interior, showing what it’s like to sit in the restaurant. I would highlight the booths, the tables, the decorations, the help staff, the bar, and, most importantly, happy, smiling customers.

In the kitchen was a great idea. I’d improve it with more closeup shots of the food prep and use different angles. I’d also use a studio lighting setup for the food tp make look as good as possible. If you’re going to show the food, make it look yummy.

I like the logo and information on top of the interior, so I’d use that too.

Final Word

Keep in mind that video is a language. So keep it simple. Zooms can get distracting and cheesy if you use them too much. You can create interest by using more shots from different angles. This helps create energy and movement in your video.

Remember, these opinions are entirely my own and are just that - opinions. Your turn. What do you think?

Where To Find Clients? - They're In The Keywords

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:49:01 -0800

Your customer has a problem. He’s tired of dealing with it. It’s annoying. And frustrating. A consistent time-suck. And energy suck. Frankly, as long as he has this problem, it just sucks.

All he needs is your product or service and “Whalla!” Problem solved! No more pain. He’s happy. And so are you.

But how does he find you at the point when he needs he problem solved?

Help Your Customer Find You

Here’s the age-old marketing conundrum: How do you connect your customer and their problem to your solution? How do you close the gap?

Think like your customer.

Your customer has one thing on his mind: his PROBLEM. So when he sits down with his iPad or iPhone, he wants a solution. He’s not thinking about features and benefits. He’s not thinking about your sexy website or your legendary customer service. He wants a solution.

So he starts with the obvious search. “How do I fix my problem?”

Find The Keywords

Time to jump on Google’s Keyword Tool. Think like your customer and try different search combinations. Play with different scenarios. What kinds of complications can happen from his problem? Could his problem come from an unrelated issue? Explore the different keywords and find out.

For example, look at Orabrush. Their initial video has the keywords ‘orabrush’, ‘cure bad breath’, and ‘bad breath’. Looking on Google’s Keyword Tool, (searched on 1/19/2012) ‘bad breath’ reveals 301,000 global monthly searches.

You see how this helps us identify the kinds of keywords used. It also helps you discover the specific ways your customer searches for a solution. What may seem obvious to you may not be obvious to your customer. And vice versa.

For example, with Orabrush, ‘cure bad breath’ shows up under a number of different variations, all with good searches, but, surprisingly, no searches for that specific phrase. Still, the keyword is useful because of the breadth of its reach. Searching keywords can help you take advantage of shorter phrases and still be effective.

Your keyword list is foundational. Your SEO efforts, your social media strategies and your content marketing optimizations ALL rely on keywords. If your customer can’t find you, you can’t solve his problem. So spend some time playing with different searches and variations and build your list.

Present Content To Solve His Specific Problems

With your keyword list, you can now tailor and focus your content to solving your customer’s problem. This is where you can showcase your knowledge and expertise, not for the sake of stroking your ego. Rather, create content - articles, how-to videos, white papers - that specifically deal with your customer’s problem and how to solve his problem.

What’s nice here is that you don’t have to solve the problem with one article. Breaking the specific issues out into a series of articles or videos builds your body of content. AND, because you’re dealing specifically with your customer’s problems, you’re building in keywords into the content. Which is good for your SEO.

This, of course, helps your content move up the results ladder, making it easier for your customer to solve his problem. With your product or service.

So, do you have your list of keywords?

Stop SOPA Now

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:47:02 -0800

Insomnia & Worry: Your Business's New Best Friends

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:43:27 -0800

"You’ve probably heard the admonition: Know what keeps your customers up at night. Translation: Know what keeps your customer awake with worry. Pretty obvious, right?

Because your customer is thinking about his problems. He’s worrying about how they affect him and his family or his business. She loses sleep, trying to figure out effective ways to deal with the issue, without paying through the nose.

Do YOU Know What The Problems Are?

If you don’t know the problems, then NOW is the time to figure them out. After all, your product or service provides a solution. But how can you know if your product or service provides the solution if you don’t even know the problem?! C’mon now!

I know this sounds obvious. But we get so caught up in the features and benefits of what we’re selling, we forget the fundamental issue: What problem do our features and benefit solve? Customers really don’t care about features and benefits. All they want to know is “Can YOU solve my problem?”

There’s More Than One Problem

Do people only have one problem? Of course not! So think about all the problems your product or service might solve for your customer. Write them down. Even if it’s an obscure, “no big deal” issue that your product solves. I promise, there’s someone out there for whom that “no big deal” problem is HUGE.

What’s The Point?

You must -- YOU MUST -- speak from the perspective of your customer. Social media marketing is customer driven. If you can’t engage the conversation from your customer’s perspective, they’ll never hear you. Because they won’t listen to you.

When you know you’re customer’s problems, you communicate:

You understand what troubles them
You care about their needs
You might be able to help them with their problem

What If I’m Just Starting Out?

Are you just starting out? I’ve been there. It paralyzed me for months. Until I finally figured something out.

I’m a customer! I know the problems I face. So I could understand how to think like a customer. Duh! It only took me four months!

So take a look at your product or service. You know what the features are and what the benefits are. Look at the first feature and it’s benefit and think, “What problem does this benefit solve?”

For example, you’re a plumber that fixes pipes in place, using a pipe lining technology. One benefit is that you can do this without digging up the pipes. You save your customer the hassle of digging up their yard, the time to do the work, and the cost of repairing the landscaping.

So what are your customer’s problems?

-- My leaky pipes are a MAJOR hassle!

-- I can’t afford to fix my leaky pipe.

-- What about my roses?

These are reasonable problems your customer faces. And your pipe lining technology solves ALL of their problems!

Now You Can Communicate Effectively

Now you know the problems your customers face. And now, you can provide them a solution. Which means, when you start thinking about how to use video marketing, you know exactly what you want your customer to know. This, in turn, will help make sure your message is clear and focused on your customer.

You will also streamline your entire production process. You won’t get stuck wondering if your script is OK. Of if you should include a beauty shot of your product. Why? Because you can always ask yourself, “Does this show the customer how to solve their problem?” You’ll save time and money, because you’ll stay “on message”.

So, before you jump into making videos, know what worries your customer and robs them of their sleep. Get into bed with them. Embrace their worries. Because their worries just became your business’s best friends.

Don't Come Out, Cameras Blazing...Yet

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:05:56 -0800

Integrating video into your social media strategy is a great idea. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you first start out. Here’s a few tips to keep things simple:

Just Say “Hello”

The simplest place to start is a short “Hello” video. Of course, you want to not make it suck. The best way to do that is to talk about yourself in a way that it’s still about the viewer. So start with answering the following questions:

Why do you do what you do? What path brought you here?
What’s the ONE problem that you’re best at solving for your clients?
What would you like the viewer to do next? Be very specific, like inviting your viewer to like you on Facebook.

Even though you’re talking about yourself, you’re demonstrating that you are a) passionate and b) you know understand their problem. Remember to just be yourself. Write it out as if you were talking to one person. Also, make sure you use words that sound like “you”. After all, you’re going to say “Hello” on the video. So sound like “you”.

Keep It Simple

You want your “Hello” video to run about a minute to a minute and half. That’s roughly 175 to 200 words. The faster you talk, the more words you get. Don’t worry about formatting into a script. Just type it out so you can read it.

If you can memorize your script, try to do so. At least know the main points. It doesn’t have to be exact.

After that, it’s simply about shooting the video. Keep your energy high. It will probably feel a little “over the top”. Better to have a little too much energy than not enough.

Above all else, have fun. This is fun stuff! Enjoy it!

How To Get Good Sound For Your Video - Part 1

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:18:33 -0800

Latest podcast describing how to get good audio for your website/blogging videos.

The List Of Purpose

dcox@pronoya.com (Daniel Cox) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:34:34 -0800

If you like this, please share with your friends!