Archive for Marketing Tips

The Benefits of Using Video On The Web

By Robert Grossman · Comments (0)
Friday, July 16th, 2010

We all know how hard it is to market and get your message to your target audience.  Video on the web is becoming more and more effective and common and will continue to grow.  In fact According to the Wharton School of Business, a well produced video increases information retention by 50% and speeds-up buying decisions by 72% over a print brochure.

I am not suggesting print is dead in any way whatsoever. In fact, I am using print for the article! Video is not a silver bullet, but when used effectively, it is very powerful.

Other interesting statistic about the power of video:

  • Of the 80% of viewers that have watched a video online, 52% have taken some sort of action
  • Prospects are 72% more likely to purchase a product or service when video is used
  • There is a 51% great understanding of a subject or product using video rather than print
  • Video increases retention of the message by 50% over printed materials
  • Video decreases the time it takes a viewer to reach a buying decision by 70%
  • Of consumers who made purchases in the last quarter, 48% said Internet drove awareness
  • According to Forrester, on-line video advertising will grow 72% by 2012 reaching $61 billion

(sources from Whaton website, Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, Forrester research and Nielsen)

When producing a video for your company, consider the following tips and techniques:

  • Think about your target audience needs to hear, not what you think you need to say
  • Have a call to action at the end of the video.
  • Keep it short and succinct. For you home page or social media, I recommend a run-time of 45 to 90 seconds. It is more difficult to craft a message is such a short period of time, but any longer and you run the risk of your viewers leaving your site
  • If you think you need a longer video than 90 seconds, consider breaking the video up into shorter segments and give your viewer/visitor the option to learn more. This is especially effective if you provide more than one product or service.
  • It’s my personal opinion, but refrain from having the video starting automatically when someone comes to your website. Some people will not have their speakers on and will miss part of your messages, and others like me will have them on too loud and wake the kids up when I am surfing late evening or early morning
  • There might be a reason to self-produce a video, but it usually does not communicate the message or the brand you want to put out there
  • I would be remiss (shameless plug) if I did not suggest you hire a professional company who is experienced in crafting powerful marketing messages using video
  • Remember, no matter how well or poorly you produce a video for your company, you will always communicate something – it just might not be what you want people to know or think about you or your company
  • Try to limit background distractions like poor audio, ambient noise, movement behind you in the frame
  • Every aspect of your video is important, especially post production or editorial. This does add a significant cost to your video, but as you will see in my next article (hint, hint), it is the editorial process which makes or breaks a video – just like a Hollywood production.

If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, please use the comment form below.  If you found this article helpful, please share it will your social networks!

All the best!

Robert Grossman
President and Chief Message Architect
Focus Creative Group

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Categories : Marketing Tips, Video Production, video
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Social Media – Why You Cannot Ingore It

By Robert Grossman · Comments (0)
Saturday, March 13th, 2010

No matter what you think or feel about Social Media, you need to know what is happening in this area. In fact, I believe it is vital to the sustainability of your business, your non-profit, or organization.

Consider the following recent statistics as of February 1, 2010:


Facebook

  • There are over 400 million active users
  • In 2007, there were 10 million users in the United States, now there are over 103 million – a growth of 144%
  • In the same time periods, 16.6% were in the age range of 35-54, now that same age range represents 29% – a growth of 328.1%
  • For those 55 and older, in 2007 they represented only 2.3%, now it is 9.5% – a growth of 922.7%
  • 50% of all active users log on to Facebook on any given day
  • 35 million users update their status everyday
  • More than 1.5 million business have active pages (fan sites) on Facebook
  • 20 million people become fans of business pages each day
  • Fan Sites have generated more than 3.5 billion fans
LinkedIn
  • 50 million users worldwide
  • Average age is 41
  • Average household income is $109, 703
  • Business decision makers make up 49%
  • When LinkedIn launched in 2003, it took 477 days – almost a year and four months – to reach our first million members. This last million took only 12 days
  • There are now 11 million users in Europe alone.
  • India is currently our fastest-growing country with almost 3 million users.
  • The Netherlands has the highest rate of adoption per capita outside the U.S., at 30%.
Video Marketing
  • The Wharton School of Business – a well-produced video increases information retention by 50% and speeds-up buying decisions by 72% over a print brochure
  • Over 70% of the US population has high-speed Internet access
  • 65,000 videos are uploaded daily to YouTube
  • Of the 80% of viewers that have watched a video online, 52% have taken some sort of action
  • Of consumers who made purchases in the last month, 48% said Internet drove awareness
  • According to Forrester, on-line video advertising will grow 72% by 2012 reaching $61 billion.

(sources from Internet searches, Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, Forrester research and Nielsen)

I hope this information is useful if nothing else, motivates you to take action or increase your current level of activity.

If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know!

Robert S. Grossman
Message Architect & President
Focus Creative Group
www.focuscreative.com

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Categories : Marketing Tips, Social Media, social networking
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8 Steps To Produce an Effective Marketing Event

By Robert Grossman · Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

As a Event Producer and marketing professional , it is virtually impossible for me to attend an event, play or any production without looking to do it better or trying to figure out how they did that! It is true I have my own style of producing an event and I have even had people come up to me and tell me they knew it was me at the helm of the event.

Recently I attended an event and I wrote down the following steps to create an engaging event without busting the bank. I cannot emphasize strong enough that your event, meeting, gala or awards show is a presentation and a marketing event.  You will deliver a message(s) to your audience one way or the other. A well produced event will make all the difference between accomplishing your desired results or not.

  1. Use an Event Producer, not just an AV company. A good Event Producer will work with you on the branding and communications strategy of your event.

    Awards Show. Great lighting and gobos make a big difference

    They will advise you on pacing, agenda and flow to best keep your audience engaged.

  2. If you have a long list of awards to give out, break it up into smaller lists. If your list is too long, you will lose your audience. They will start to talk with their neighbors and answer their email on their PDAs.
  3. Sponsor loops – if your event is sponsored, make sure to give them as much screen time as you can. A simple logo loop is sometimes all you need. Play it during the walk-in and perhaps during lunch. Your sponsors will love you.
  4. Music can make or break a program, it fills the dead air in the room. If properly selected, a good music track will help keep the pace up and add more energy to the room.
  5. VOICE OF GOD! Yes, the announcer is sometimes called the voice of god (VOG). It is usually live, but can be prerecorded.  A powerful VOG adds an element of  production value. Combine a VOG with a good music track and supporting graphics and you have raised the production value of your event.
  6. Sound systems can be expensive, but it make a whole world of difference especially with a very social audience. If the audio is muffled or the speakers are not positioned in the optimal position, your audience may loose interest because they won’t be able to hear well.
  7. Graphics and PowerPoint.  Make sure to not crowd the slides and to give people their moment in the spotlight. If you are honoring people, give them their own slide and try to incorporate their company’s logo. They will love you for the branding and marketing opportunity.  And remember keep the slides simple! Less is more.

    Press Event - logo was always on one of three screens

  8. Video and IMAG. IMAG stands for Image Magnification. Simply put it is what we call projecting the speaker onto the big screens.  IMAG is not inexpensive when done right. Everything matters, including the camera type, camera operators, a director to switch camera and lighting. If you do not light the stage properly, your speakers may look like they are lost in a sea of ink.

I hope you find these quick tips helpful. Not all are inexpensive to implement, but remember, your event, gala or meeting will make an impact on your brand and company image. It is after all, a presentation.

Having a great team to support you with the messaging and production will make all the difference between achieving your desired results and outcomes.  There are a lot of wheels spinning during a live event and having someone who is at the helm driving the program will make a world of difference.

Please share your comments and/or experiences with me. I would love your comments.

All the best,

Robert S. Grossman
Focus Creative Group

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Categories : Marketing Tips, Meetings and Events, Presentation, video
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The State of Digital Signage

By Robert Grossman · Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Last week, I attend the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas to get an idea where the industry is headed and look for new opportunities.  I’ve been working with digital  signage for a few years now in dentistry, banking and now moving into retail.  There were very few exhibitors who were demonstrating any new and exciting, but I did glean one very important  fact to me – Content is King!

I walked around thinking to myself, what about content? What about the audience experience? What about helping me drive more business and more sales?

Digital Signage is going through some of the same growing pains video production is going through. The hardware is cheap, the software is cheap. There are so many companies offering solutions that the price is being driven down dramatically and the cost of screens are dropping too.

Of course it is better for the end user if the cost is cheap right? Well, I think so, except you have people calling themselves digital signage experts, video production experts, content creation experts, but they don’t have a strong sense for branding, marketing, messaging and motivating an audience to take action.

And are they really experts? Some are and many are not. So beware.

I said Content is King right? Well, this is not completely actuate. What makes good content for your digital signage audience is nothing more than relevancy. What is relevant to them when they are watching the media on your screen.  In other words, expecting someone to think about plumbers while they are filling their gas tank up in not relevant to the guy buying the gas. Sure, you might get lucky and they just might be looking for a plumber at that very moment. But then they have to get a pen and paper or enter the number into their phone. Chances are with the thousands of marketing messages bombarding us every single day, the changes this person will remember you from that one touch is very slim.

I think you get it. It is a shot in the dark.

So what is on the mind of someone pumping gas besides the price of gas?  Who knows, but if there is a convenience store attached to the gas station, then maybe a few short videos about what they can buy in the store.  Maybe reminding them that the store sells great coffee, or fresh donuts, or milk, or sandwiches might get them to walk into the store and buy something. There are obvious brands who sell product in these stores who might want to take advantage of the brand impression.

But here is the problem. Many of the models around digital signage involve installing the system for free and then sell advertising. The business owner gets paid per ad played or some variation of that. Now you know why your favorite restaurant has installed those annoying screens selling all kinds of stuff which has nothing to do with the meal you are sitting down to enjoy.

By the way, this same rule applies to presentations, videos, meetings and social media. The more targeted your message to what the audience really cares about, the more effective your communication will be at achieving your desired results.

I would love you hear your thoughts and comments about this. Please also share some of your experiences and stories with me.

Sincerely,

Robert Grossman
Focus Creative Group

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Categories : Digital Signage, Marketing Tips, Presentation, Social Media, Video Production, social networking, video
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Tips On Promoting a Successful Event Using Social Media

By Robert Grossman · Comments (1)
Thursday, January 28th, 2010

It is hard to believe, but people are still asking me if I think social networking is worth the time and money. Actually, there are people who are dogmatic that it is not for “my business”. Do you still use an outhouse? Oh, I get it, you still think and IBM Selectric with a built in correction ribbon is the hottest ticket.

Well for those people who are still not sure or not sure what to do, I have one thing to say – IT WORKS! But it takes strategy, effort and yes, time.

I am a perfect example of some who is using social media and networking and generating results. But I am expected to say that since helping companies to deploy social media is part of my business. So I would like to share with you a great example of how some else used social media to promote an event.

A colleague of mine Dr.Bill Saleebey just published his newest book called Connecting: Beyond the Name Tag.  It is a book about networking. Last week he threw a book signing event and it so happened we were having “storm of the century in Los Angeles” and Tornadoes in Orange County,

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend at the last moment (yes, I was one of those wimps who allow the weather to get in the way). So this post is not about the party, but about the success of the party and how Bill used social media as his primary method of promoting his event.

I ask Bill to share with me what he did to promote and hold his event so I could share it with you. I condense the content to the most pertinent points.

Me: Bill, when did you start promoting your event and which platforms did you use? And did you use one more than the other?

Bill: Thanks for your interest.  I used social media HEAVILY to promote my book launch from Day 1 of determining a date and location.  I used the following platforms in order of frequency: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Plaxo, My web sites

I also promoted through Provisors web site and Bruin Professionals BP Exchange. We did invitations through Facebook, Socializr, and Constant Contact.

Me: Did one platform perform better than others?

Bill: It all worked, but I’m not sure which specific platform was most effective.  I’m not sure Plaxo by itself did much.  Frankly, I’m not sure Twitter did much either.  Facebook was probably the most significant and effective platform.  Through FB I have really built relationships and gotten people to know me, like me, and be genuinely interested in my updates, my humor, my philosophical comments, and my AndyRooneyisms.

Me: There are some people who think social media is only for people who want to hide behind their computers and not meet people face to face. What do you think about that?

Bill: None of this would really be possible if I didn’t SHOW UP in person and build relationships day by day, person by person.  It is absolutely the combination and interaction of social media with face-to-face contact.  There is no way I could have drawn 150 people in absolutely dreadful weather without the personal touch.  Many people (and I mean many) have told me they wanted to come…BUT.  So they knew about it, and that is largely attributable to social media.

Me: You did not just rely on the social media sites to get your message out there. You also employed some good old fashion networking too. A few days before your event, you reached out to me and asked if I would share your event invitation with others. What prompted you to take this approach?

Bill: By tapping into other’s networks with which you have a positive relationship (like you) and asking them if they would be willing to plug event, reinforces my own campaign and widens the net.”

Me: It also helps me as one who promotes your event since I get my name out there associated with a very positive event, even thought it really helped you, I benefited too. Plus, it builds a little social capital. What were the results?

Bill: I had around 150 attendees in the pouring rain, and sold around 90 books.  Many people have commented on my social media presence.  That being said, I promoted heavily but not heavy-handed.  I also used an old sales approach in my campaign, of talking about the RAIN. Did I mention the rain?  Rather than ignoring the potential obstacle it posed for some people, I brought it out into the open and basically challenged the LA Wimps not to let a little dampness deter them from the party of the year. I really didn’t have ANY idea how many people or who would show up, but there is conclusive evidence that a large segment were there solely because of social media.

Me: Thank you Bill for sharing your success with us.  You illustrated how to use social media successfully to promote an event and to stay top of mind with your community.

It is important to understand it takes time to build up your social network and you will want to make sure you have a sufficient population of people who are part of your circle of influence. The reason why you should have a social media strategy is to be found.

If you have your own success story, please share it with me. I may just post it here and give you a free plug (link) or two!

Keep the conversation going.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Grossman
Chief Message Architect and Founder
Focus Creative Group

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Categories : Case Studies, Marketing Tips, Meetings and Events, Social Media, social networking
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