The 3-minute Niche Marketing Video

YouTube.com did a lot to blast us out of our decades-old paradigm of 30- and 60-second video commercial spot announcements. This is what you were buying if you were using video in your business in the 70s, 80, and 90s. During the early years of this century, there was a lot of debate about the proper length for a YouTube video.

Today, we have  6-second Vine videos on Twitter all the way up to made-for-the-Web feature films, but the sweet spot for online video viewers seems to be between 2 and 5 minutes, depending upon how engaged the viewer is. Even the most engaged web viewers have a hard time sitting still for more than 5 minutes.

So, it should come as no surprise that we're seeing more 3-minute videos deployed online to appeal to niche markets. One of the best I've seen yet is from Palm Harbor, Fla.-based Nationwide Title Clearing.

The company runs a complicated business that's completely in the industry's back room, making it difficult to explain to prospects who don't really care about the details the company handles for them. This video is an excellent way to show what the company does and why a prospect should trust them with their business.

 

One element I love to see in these videos is current customer testimonials. Those stories go a long way toward proving worth in the mind of the new prospect.

Once a company has a video like this, they can deploy it on their websites, put it up on their social networking sites and even put it in their LinkedIn profile. In the near future, at least in our industry, they'll have another place to put it.

Keep your eyes on the new Mortgage News Network. They'll be bringing video news to the industry soon and will also provide a great place to host your marketing videos. Check them out on the web at www.mortgagenewsnetwork.com.

Telling stories in unconventional ways

Increasingly, short films are carrying our marketing messages. Have you begun to explore this medium?




More brand managers are realizing that their product offerings can become stars, with a little bit of help from a filmmaker. This opens up companies to some very interesting opportunities.

Being Good At What You Do Is Where The Stories Come From

We're really excited to share our latest video with you. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Celebrating the Books We Ban

One of the most exciting things about living in the Internet Age is that there is absolutely nothing that is hidden from us anymore. Someone, somewhere has posted something that will help us learn or experience just about anything we want.

Everyday we hear about companies and governments who are trying to throttle back the Internet to make some information inaccessible. We should remember that this is nothing new. Censorship has always been a tool used by those who keep others at a disadvantage, though it is often employed under the guise of protecting people from forbidden knowledge.

In our minds, no knowledge should be forbidden for it is what people do that creates good or evil, not what they know.

We were pleased to see that this coming week is Banned Books Week. We support this effort and urge you to learn more about it. What a great way to use New Media, to raise awareness of the need to keep old media free and uncensored.

Never Run out of Content Marketing Ideas

Content Marketing is all the rage these days. People are acting as if this is a new invention and marketing managers are hot to figure out how to use it. This is nothing new and it's been used on a national scale in the United States since the dawn of the radio age.

There was a reason that the biggest brands chose to tie their names to radio networks back in the 20s, 30s and 40s. There was no better way to attract a huge audience. But even back then, they were clever enough to know that you couldn't keep that audience unless you offered them something they valued.

Back then, and for many content marketers today, it was entertainment, but as this info-graphic points out, it can be many other things as well.

At RGA, we specialize in content marketing because we believe that as the lines separating marketing, advertising and public relations continue to blur, the end result will be a massively connected audience capable of defusing any marketing gimmick and uncovering any spin almost instantly. Corporate communications will have to fall back on truth to get their messages out, even when it comes to entertainment (remember the firsts rule of fiction writing: tell the truth!). I'm actually looking forward to it.

Maybe you're already with us on this and busy creating effective content marketing material on your own. If you get stuck, click through to this info-graphic and see if it doesn't get you working again in no time.

I'm a Music Geek

I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m a music geek. I love everything about music. And yes, I schedule time to watch the Grammys. Live. From start to finish.

I’m also a failure at sitting still. And I’m terrible at watching TV. The fast forward button on the remote control is my best friend.

Sunday night during a commercial break for the Grammys, as I was checking Twitter for the latest updates, letting the dogs out for the 19^th time in an hour (good grief), and trying to decide what to have for dinner, I found myself standing still.

The almost impossible happened. I stopped multi-tasking to focus 100% of my attention on listening to Willie Nelson cover Coldplay’s “The Scientist.” As I walked back into the living room to see what I was hearing, I found myself watching a Chipotle commercial.

Except it was so much more than a commercial. Titled “Back to the Start,” it’s two minutes and twenty seconds of stop-motion animation. It’s a short film.

Chipotle got me, Ms. Perpetual Motion, to stop and pay attention to their message. Harder still, once they had my attention they kept it for the full 2:20. Much beyond that, really. I’m still thinking and writing about it today. And I’m seriously craving a Chipotle burrito bowl vegetarian with extra guac.

They asked Willie Nelson, one of the founders of Farm Aid, to lend his voice both figuratively and literally. They chose Coldplay’s “The Scientist” to convey the idea of sustainable farming and “getting back to the start,” and they wrapped the whole message in stop-motion animation that illustrates the genesis of what they stand for as a company: “Food with Integrity.” Plus--be still my heart--it has a charitable component. When purchased from iTunes, $.60 per download of Willie Nelson’s cover of the “The Scientist” benefits the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which provides funding to support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education.

Then, as if that weren’t brilliant enough, they elected to air their 1st national television ad in the 18-year history of the company during the Grammys. (Willie Nelson has received multiple Grammys on top of being a lifetime achievement award recipient, and Coldplay performed in-house. Slam dunk.)

Why is all this so brilliant, according to me? Let’s look at the stats.

·         “Back to the Start” has been on YouTube since summer 2011.

·         To date, it has been viewed over 5 million times on YouTube.

·         Shortly after its release, it was the eighth most-shared ad on YouTube (September 2011).

·         Since the fall of 2011 it has run in 10,000 movie theaters nationwide.

·         “Back to the Start” was named by AdWeek as one of the 10 Best Commercials of 2011, coming in at #2 behind Volkswagen’s “The Force.”

·         It was listed by Zeta Interactive as one of the top 10 ads to generate online buzz in 2011, one of only two ads to make that list without debuting during the Super Bowl.

To sum it up, an old YouTube viral video that has been shared millions of times and won a couple of awards last year was just repurposed as a TV commercial aired during a music awards show with the largest viewing audience since 1984. They can’t improve on that marketing strategy if they tried. But I’m betting they will.

Now it’s your turn. What are your thoughts about Chipotle’s marketing strategy?

What do you think about stop-motion animated short films as advertising? Is this the next trend in “traditional” advertising? Or is it so unique that once it’s been done it can’t be recreated in a meaningful way without being compared to “that great Chipotle YouTube video”?

What are you doing wrong?

If you’re mom was like mine, she was very good at catching you doing something wrong. Sure, I got hugs, too, but she seemed to think it was part of her job to make sure I knew about my mistakes before I made them. If only I had paid more attention.

We don’t do that to each as much in business, but perhaps we should. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone tell you about the biggest mistakes you’re making in your company’s PR efforts? Well, I thought you’d never ask.

Check out this story, courtesy of LinkedIn’s new news service.

New Media Promotional Opportunities

Local businesses face the task of finding creative ways to connect with their local clientele. Fortunately, local Web marketing can offer a variety of solutions to reach your audience. In the November issue of Website magazine, for instance, Allison Howen discusses the three tiers of local web marketing.

According to a recent study by strategy and communications agency Cone Inc., 85% of consumers research online before purchasing services or products so it makes sense to utiize local search-based advertising, such as Google Places and Local.com, both of which offer free services and increase both online visibility and foot traffic into a brick and mortar store. This is the first tier she covers in her article.

For those with a budget, tier 1 also includes Google Adwords Express, a locally targeted advertising program designed specifically to increase exposure to local businesses. Other directory-based advertising platforms, such as superMedia and YellowPages.com, also offer cost effective ways for small businesses to be noticed by their local prospects.

Daily deal promotions are the second tier in Allison’s article. Groupon and Living Social are primary examples of deal promotion platforms. These sites have grown in popularity and are particularly trendy during these times of economic difficulty. The article warns, however, of numerous reports of local businesses collapsing under the overwhelming demands that can go along with a successful Groupon promotion. If you are willing to assume the risk, and are able to convert one-time visitors into steady or long-term customers, daily deal vendors should be a part of your web marketing mix. Website magazine lists popular daily deal vendors online at wsm.co/DealDeluge

The third tier includes social media advertising such as a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn group. For example, creating an advertisement on Facebook is straight-forward and relatively inexpensive and can reach targeted audiences (age, interest or location) with little effort. Twitter is still evolving its advertising options, but currently, with a minimum budget of $5,000 a month, it is not a viable option for a small business.

There are many ways for local business to capitalize on the Web. Local Marketing Source provides useful information and lists 10 Tips to Market a Local Business Online. While the traditional marketing tools still have value in a local market, businesses will need to rely more on Web platforms to stay connected in the current market.

In a remarkably short period of time, we have all become familiar with the words, “There’s an app for that.” But when it comes to building apps for our businesses, it can be difficult to know which kind of app will best suit your needs.

Diane Buzzeo, CEO and founder of Ability Commerce, discusses in the November issue of Website magazine, three parameters to consider when reviewing an app platform to deliver your message to the largest number of consumers. These considerations are accessibility, performance/features, and cost/profitability. The results of this analysis will help you determine whether to create a native or web-based app.

Native apps are those written specifically for the mobile platform, i.e. iPhone, Android or Blackberry. Some are still being written for Windows Mobile, but we’re not sure how long that will last. Web apps are made to run from the web on any platform using a web browser.

In regard to accessibility, live native apps are a much more functional tools, however, the user has to download each individually, and with three popular mobile operating systems, companies need to commission three different versions of the same app to grasp the largest available audience.

Web apps are more accessible, but at the cost of performance standards. This may be improving with new technology that will work with future devices to eliminate the need to continually update its mobile app for the three major mobile operating systems. The move to HTML 5 may also impact these apps in the future.

When determining performance/functionality needs, a native app is a much more suitable choice for complex or graphics-heavy content, but consider web apps a better choice for broad accessibility and searchability. Web technology may soon close the gap with native apps performance by offering video and animation features through the typical Web browser.

Cost is always a concern with any marketing tool and native apps are a larger investment. They are sold through a centralized location, such as the Apple Store or the Android Marketplace. The drawback to these markets is that they maintain ultimate control over the distribution of your content. Because Web apps are directly accessible via the Web, there is no need to download from a central location.

For a great list of comparative benefits to these two types of apps, visit Jason D. O’Grady’s blog on zdNet.

Although native apps seem to have the current market, it will be interesting to see what the new technology will make happen in the future of web apps.

Fannie Mae speaks to troubled borrowers

Fannie Mae launched a new website today. KnowYourOptions.com offers troubled borrowers options that do not include walking away from an unpaid mortgage. The site makes heavy use of video and includes talking avatars that speak plainly and clearly to site visitors about next steps.

Servicers have been struggling in an attempt to get borrowers who are at risk of walking away from their home loans to come back to the table. Now, it appears that the nation's largest mortgage investor is offering some help and using the webs most compelling medium to do it.

Garth Graham and Bob Sullivan have been telling me for months that video is the answer to financial illiteracy in this country. I recently wrote about their company, Financial Literacy Solutions, Plantation, Fla., over on HousingWire.com.  They are providing Internet video learning solutions targeted to the Financial Services Industry.

The FLS flagship product is the “Interactive Video Solution” (IVS) which allows companies to quickly deploy up to the minute educational video information to its customers through their existing website. Completely branded and customized solutions can be deployed in days, allowing FLS clients the ability to better educate their customers through the Internet.

The company recently went live with a solution for Consolidated Credit Counseling Services in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is helping them teach borrowers in that state all about mandatory mediation before they ever get on the phone with a counselor.

FLS won't say whether the video solution Fannie Mae is using is there's or not, but it's good to see the nation's largest investor using the medium to interact with borrowers. It could add a layer of transparency to the industry that is definitely needed. Of course, in Fannie's case, it all depends upon whether borrowers accept the company's message or not.

Using a Twitter Contest to Raise Brand Awareness

The folks over at Wizards of the Coast, the makers of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, have teamed up with the folks over at UGO.com to host a contest using the Twitter social media tool.

The contest involves consumers watching a website for a specific change in the web copy. When they see the change, they try to be the first to tweet the new copy. The first Twitter user to post wins.

This is a great way to use the tool as it forces a core group of consumers/users to monitor a company web property and then, when they see the copy change, they broadcast that copy (which is a sales message from the company) to everyone that follows them. Brilliant.

This isn't the kind of thing that will work on the B2B side, but I'm very pleased to see companies finding ways to leverage the social networks of their customers to reach out to a wider customer base. That's the way to use these tools. You have to get beyond your current client base and spread the word. It's great if you can get your customers to do it for you. Sometimes you have to offer a reward, but it's worth it.

ORC: HUD gets into the social media game

According to reporters at October Research Corp., the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be using social media to promote transparency in its operations. According to the news outlet, HUD is making the move "in an effort to better serve the American people." Well, the American people are using social media.

In the article, reporter Eileen Coleman writes, "As the new generation of information seekers primarily accesses news and other content through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, HUD deemed it essential that the department get up to speed on today's popular channels of communication. After all, 50 percent of Facebook's 400 million users log on every day, according to Facebook. Furthermore, while only 21 percent of Twitter's 19 million users are active, that's still 3,990,000 people to reach, according to Mashable.com, a respected social media news blog."

HUD has also reportedly created its own YouTube channel.

Now you can friend HUD on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HUD, follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HUDnews or visit their wiki page at http://www.hud.gov/wiki. The agency did not elaborate yet on the types of information it would share via these new media websites.

HousingWire conference deploys app for upcoming conference

We've been watching the intersection between live conferences and New Media for some time. While the concept of totally virtual conferences hasn't really caught on yet, we are seeing more online tools being deployed by conference planners to improve the experience of live events for their attendees. The upcoming REO Expo is a case in point.

HousingWire, the media sponsor of the June conference, is making available both iPhone and Android apps for those who plan on attending the show.

The App Features:

• Latest complete program agenda
• Speaker bios
• Exhibitor listing and information
• Expo partners
• Up-to-the-minute Tweets
• Conference maps
• Photo gallery with photo upload feature

HousingWire says the application will allow attendees to "get the most from this year’s premier REO event."

We expect that they're right. Find out more about the event online and visit the app's landing page to download your own.

Dell seeks trailblazers

Image via Wikipedia

It amazes me that the computer manufacturers don't do a better job with social media. After all, we depend upon their hardware to visit these online networking sites. You would think that they would be first in line to jump on that bandwagon. I haven't seen much of that.

I did see a recent move by Dell that I though was pretty late in the game for a company of that size. The company recently initiated a campaign that it hopes will build up an online community around its brands. Instead of reaching out to consumers in general, however, the company is wisely targeting business buyers who are more likely to purchase its larger, more expensive computers.

I'm not sure how well this will work for the company as success in social media typically requires a hands-on approach to community development. Computer and software manufacturers have typically outsourced that function to lower labor cost markets like India. That definitely won't work here. Still, I'm glad to see the company get in the game.

Check out Dell's new Trailblazer program here.

Coca-Cola Aims to Find Worldwide Happiness, with Help from New Media

Let me take a moment to give Coca-Cola some free advertising here...but only because they're setting an example in new media. Coke has recently come up with what they're calling Expedition 206, a plan to send three twenty-somethings around the world to find out what makes people happy.

The travelers, called "Team The Mix," were voted into the position by Coca-Cola fans after going through an extensive application process. Starting in January, the team will travel to 206 countries around the world (where Coca-Cola is sold), documenting their journeys with blog posts, videos, etc. The site is already chock full of media and the journey hasn't even begun.

Props to Coke for engaging consumers. They have a special twitter account for the project where followers can find updates and they've been pushing it on facebook as well. Thus far, Coke has done a nice job of engaging fans and followers, not trying to buy their fan page from the guys who created it but actually working with them to build a community. This attitude is reflected in Expedition 206 by sending "real people" (ie: not Coke Execs) around the world and inviting their followers to enjoy the journey along with their peers. Documentation of the entire process is promised and they're setting themselves up nicely for follow-up media, as team members are sure to gain the affections of consumers as more personality traits are revealed and life lessons are learned.

For more information and updates, visit www.expedition206.com.


Image Source: Dominic's pics

Are You Getting the Most out of Advertising?

In a recent post on streamingmedia.com's blog, Dan Rayburn mentioned coverage of MJ's memorial service: the fact that everyone is "caught up in the traffic numbers and the many ways they can turn those numbers into nothing more than a headline." He makes a good point in suggesting more coverage on the business side of webcasts. "Are they trying to sell sponsorships during the event...Are they seeing any success at all when it comes to covering their costs?"

This is a big question when it comes to live events, especially trade shows. Based on my research of two major virtual conference providers, the average cost of a 2-day virtual conference is upwards of $70,000. Most offer up to 5 major sponsors for the event so if you can get each of them to dish out $14,000, you may be in the black - as long as you're willing to work for free to put the whole thing together.

Let's say you can find 5 sponsors who will keep you afloat. How do they then get their message out in a way that stands out from the rest? You'll find them competing for the most flashy ads, the biggest virtual billboard, the most free downloads, etc. But does that really work? I've become somewhat immune to advertisements as we know them and I suspect the same is true for most of America (at least the ones who've learned that it's impossible to lose 30 pounds in one week, short of liposuction and extreme dehydration).

So how do you get your message across in a way that relates to the audience you're trying to reach? Someone who does this particularly well is Peter Shankman. In his email query service for journalists, Help A Reporter Out or HARO, you'll find a written ad with a link at the beginning of each email. This may sound like a common sense thing to do - put an ad in an email - but HARO ads have a more personal touch. The reader sees that businesses are represented in a genuine recommendation, rather than flashy marketing speak.

That said, screening advertisers carefully will surely be of great benefit. When asked about a policy to "keep it real" in advertising, Shankman replied that they "reject about 10% of want-to-be advertisers." It may seem obsurd to turn down advertisers but the idea of casting a net will only get you so far. When I see a website with ads that seem like scams, the site immediately loses credibility in my mind. Fair or not, that's just how it is.


P.S. This blog post is brought to you by RGA, Rick Grant & Associates ;) and the letter Q.

New Media: Not Just for College Kids Anymore.

Every day people are discovering more ways to use new media - and the possibilities are endless! Recently, many government agencies began using social media to communicate with the masses and employees. According to usa.gov, "The Columbus, Ohio, Chamber of Commerce worked with students at Ohio State University to use Facebook to announce the opening event of a new restaurant, leading to...the biggest opening day ever for the restaurant chain." Social media sites are becoming a hot ticket for company promos (in fact, before going to dinner a couple weeks ago, I downloaded a coupon from twitter posted by a restaurant). Do a twitter search for "coupon" and see what comes up.

The public is becoming more aware of their favorite brands and people on social networking sites and many organizations are reporting success stories in this area. Anderson County, SC, has decided to take informing the public one step further. The county is looking to increase public safety measures using new media. According to independentmail.com, "The system would use Facebook, Twitter, text messages and other forms of new media to get the word out." Residents would be able to sign up to receive new media alerts whenever something of importance happens. The plan is to "add new media methods and coordinate all of the platforms so that one message is sent out through cell phones, radio, television, social Web sites and more."

We live in an age where convenience is key. With new gadgets abounding, we can have information at our fingertips any time. It's great that folks are taking the initiative to use these resources to help maintain awareness and I look forward to seeing more of this in the future.


Image via Joi

The Long Arm of the Wall

Social networking sites have been all the rage as of late. We've got an abundance of companies encouraging their employees to leverage these tools to further the business, and just as many businesses are banning them for fear of decreased productivity. It's not new for a company to prohibit the use of such sites, but what about a government?

Recently, the Chinese government has blocked access to many social networking sites, via what citizens call the "Great Firewall." The Chinese government has been blocking and filtering internet content for quite some time, but the social media site ban was in response to the fear of a digital uprising on the 20th anniversary of the 1989 democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. In an interview with Danwei, Michael Anti reported in regards to twitter that "a Chinese tweet can have three times the volume of an English tweet, thanks to the high information intensity of the Chinese language. 140 Chinese characters can make up all the full elements of a news piece..."

Many people consider social networking sites a laughable waste of time for people who don't have "IRL" (in real life) friends. While that may be partially true (ooh, forgive me), it's proven to be useful in getting people organized as well as sharing news and ideas. In fact, twitter is becoming a successful, yet controversial, tool for the US forces in Afghanistan, providing a way to quickly transmit information including enemy body counts. We now have "experts" writing books on how to improve your business using social media. And hey, if the Chinese government is so concerned about it, there must be some relevance to its potential.

Every day I read of new networking sites popping up all over the place with the hopes of being the "next big thing." Where is the future of social networking going? The nay-sayers expect that it's just a fad, and it may be, but a myriad of innovations and the growing concern of businesses and government agencies alike offers a glimmer of "hope," if you will, especially to advertisers and business owners taking advantage of these growing audiences.



And for the Styx song that's probably stuck in your head, you're welcome.





photo credit: edhelien

Interthinx leverages edu-tainment....again!

Our friends at Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Interthinx are at it again. If you haven't seen the company's mortgage fraud-related webisodes but you know you need to know more about this important issue, you're in for a pleasant surprise. This company excels at turning material that many would consider complicated and confusing into truly entertaining training content.

In this case, the idea is just to bring some really important issues to the fore, but the way they do it is classic. Interthinx is on the cutting edge and performing well in an area that will be increasingly important in the future. Attracting an audience with engaging content is a prerequisite for the sale, but in the future companies will have to become expert at doing it all online. Interthinx is leading the pack here.

Blogging is back in the spotlight

Image via Wikipedia

The Orlando Business Journal has an interesting story up today about a blogger in South Florida who increased his business revenue by 20 percent just by writing a blog. I say "just," but it's not as simple for most executives as it should be to get into the blogging habit, for a number of reasons.

First, blogging is considered one of the New Media, and there are still plenty of executives out there who are not familiar with it. Many believe it to be complicated when it's really as simple as e-mail.

Secondly, there are some concerns about compliance, particularly for publicly traded companies. How can firms ensure that the information released through a blog does not expose the company's plan prematurely? The SEC is now allowing blog posts to be used as a method of releasing official company news, making it important to these firms that what is released there is carefully controlled.

Finally, many executives become very concerned when they are informed that the success of the blog depends, in part, upon allowing the conversation to get out of control. If the messages are too tightly controlled, no one will engage with the company through the blog. When the company loosens up, it becomes very difficult to ensure that all comments conform with the company's view of itself, it executives and brands.

During good times, these concerns are enough to stop new media efforts in their tracks. But when the economy is down severly, as it is now, a 20 percent increase in revenue suddenly makes the effort seem worthwhile.

But how can you make it easy? More on that in the next post.