Southwestern Consulting is a company committed to developing sales leaders through business coaching services. They were ready to produce an updated testimonial video and hired us to produce a new video with a more professional, polished look. We spent a day shooting five different Southwestern clients and edited their comments into a cohesive overview of the positive impact a business coach can have on an individual’s career.
One of the things I love about video is the way that it can engage an audience. Video consists of images, words, text, music, and motion pictures, all wrapped into one presentation. When executed just right, it captivates like no other medium. And motivating an audience to slow down, spend time with you, and listen to your message will help to create a network of enthusiastic customers, eager to support your brand.
In today’s social media climate, time is the greatest currency you can have. Think about it. Consumers have access to more information than they ever have before. So, companies need ways to encourage those consumers to stop and spend time with their products and services. Because customers want to do their research. They want to get to know a brand. They want to have conversations. They want a forum in which to discuss their needs. And video can create that level of engagement by generating discussion and conversation.
Consider this evolution:
The more you can engage potential customers/clients, the more they will talk about you.
The more they talk about you, the more your company’s name will spread.
The more positive things people hear, the more they will be inclined to spend time with you.
And the more time they spend with you, the more they will be inclined to buy from you.
It’s one thing to sell to a customer once or twice, but you want more than that. If you can capture a customer’s time, you will eventually create a following. And that group will become your greatest advocates. They will support you. They will bring others to you. They will sell your products and services for you. That’s what time can do. And video is a great way to get started.
What are you doing to make your customers/clients feel important? Every time I take my children to the doctor’s office, the pediatrician treats them both as if they are his favorite patients. He takes his time in the exam room. He talks to them. He compliments them. He does everything he can to make them feel important. And his attitude is one of complete sincerity. How can you translate that kind of bedside manner to your own customer/client relations? Do you listen to them? Do you take time with them to answer their questions and solve their problems? Are you prompt and courteous in all of your communications with them? Are you personable and sincere? The last thing you want to do is to make your customer feel insignificant.
I remember reading the story of an individual who was interested in purchasing life insurance. When the agent found out that this individual didn’t have any life insurance, the agent shook his head from side to side and in a dramatic fashion said, “Oh no! No, no no no no!” The agent acted as though the world was coming to an end, and the customer was made to feel like a complete moron. Embarrassed, the customer decided to shop somewhere else. Your customers don’t want a lecture. They want someone they can trust to help them find the solutions to their problems. So, it’s important that you become the solution, not the problem. And that starts with the way you treat people.
I believe the next big thing with regards to online video is interactivity. Companies are already starting to explore how they can use interactive videos to enhance their brands and bolster customer engagement. In essence, an interactive video is comparable to the old choose-your-own-adventure books. Click-able items within the video allow viewers to determine the outcome of a particular story, or affect the video in some way. Retailers can insert links within videos to take viewers directly to a products page where they can purchase the items featured in the video. The fashion company French Connection has embraced interactive video by creating a custom YouTube channel and uploading short episodes with links back to their website where people can buy the clothes seen in the episode. For inspiration on how you can use interactive video for your own marketing efforts, take a look at this article, “10 Incredible Interactive YouTube Videos.”
Your online video is finally complete. Congratulations. Now you need to distribute it. YouTube is still the most well-known of the video hosting sites, but there are dozens more you should consider taking advantage of, if you want to create a large footprint for your brand. Of course, uploading one video to dozens of different sites is time consuming, which is why a service like TubeMogul is so appealing. With TubeMogul, you can upload your video once and the site will distribute that one video to several different video and social networking sites. TubeMogul also provides analytics for your videos so you can evaluate how each one is performing. Also remember to upload those same videos to your own website. Gaining a solid viewership on sites like YouTube and Vimeo is great, but the ultimate goal of any online video campaign is to drive traffic back to your site where you can encourage the visitor to purchase from your business, get involved with your non-profit, or hire your company.
What are you doing to make your customers/clients feel important? Every time I take my children to the doctor’s office, the pediatrician treats them both as if they are his favorite patients. He takes his time in the exam room. He talks to them. He compliments them. He does everything he can to make them feel important. And his attitude is one of complete sincerity. How can you translate that kind of 
