B2B FastTracks: Social marketing Redefined Blog Series
It’s a medium that has become a lost art in the world of modern marketing. Some don’t understand the value, and those who do believe the process is too challenging. But ready or not, film is making a big, impactful, comeback that will expand the marketing efforts of those who take advantage and will surpass those who do not.
We are thrilled to have Hand Crank Films shooting the B2B FastTracks event on October 10th. To learn more about integrating marketing into film, we reached out to Chris Donaldson, Executive Producer at Hand Crank Films to get his insight into the benefits of marketing with video and why he believes film will blow up in the next few years.
B2B marketers + film= love
People think of film as being a medium used primarily by B2C businesses, but it can also be valuable to B2B marketers as well. B2B marketers are always looking for new ways to reach distribution channels. Chris explains how telling stories in a powerful way can engage those partners in an approach a printed or digital brochure just can’t. Film is a powerful and easy way to communicate that is both effective and measurable.
The world of SEO is driven by relevant content. Like other digital tools, the relevance and authenticity of your video is what Google is looking at, not volume, but quality.
The intimidation factor
Film and video can be intimidating because it seems like it has to be a big production or is too difficult to execute. Fortunately it’s quite the contrary; videos can be produced in a do-it-yourself kind of fashion with your iPhone camera or the camera in your pocket.
“Don’t be intimidated by the process; break it down into bite size pieces and see where it leads.”
Audiences are looking for an authentic voice. Chris suggests pointing the camera at yourself and talking about your expertise. The story and your authenticity and desire to connect with your audience is what it’s all about.
“People in B2B marketing need to understand there are different levels of film; start small then once you see ROI from this you’ll be able to validate the cost and move on to something that is a little higher budget.”
Don’t over pack!
Chris discussed how people look at video and film as something they need to pack everything into, like taking a brochure and putting it into a video. However, video works best when it tells as little as possible. Simplicity entices people and allows them to make a connection through emotion rather than data points.
“We want to connect on an emotional level with the foundation of what a company is all about and what they are passionate about. Film is different from print advertising and digital marketing because it gets people to take the next step to learn those points.”
Take it for all it’s worth
Squeeze all you can out of your video. Part of the beauty of video is it can be thinly sliced and easily added to your media. Chris gave the example of shooting a 2 minute product drill down and taking 15 seconds of it to put on your Twitter and Facebook pages. Another example he gave was creating a trailer out of the video. Think about how you can maximize your video across all your channels, including traditional mediums such as email and press releases.
“Create content pieces that can be spread around and shared on the social ecosystem.”
Join us October 10th for the Heinz Marketing B2B FastTracks event to meet Chris and the Hand Crank Films team. You’ll gain insight into how you can improve your marketing efforts through film as well as other social strategies and tools.
