udmmeditor, Author at Uno Deuce Multimedia

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The Real Return on Investment

return-on-investment Having a return on investment is very important. It’s good to know what the result is when you invest a certain part of your budget into something, you want to make it back, plus. I understand that and when I talk with a client I talk about how video will work for them and what’s the best way to use it that will have the most impact.
But while talking with a new client one day, the return on investment conversation was flipped a bit. We talked about how the actual return on investment doesn’t come from their budget, but actually their customer.

What I mean is, the customer invests in you as a business, in turn you create more products/or services and have more authority in your space to educate and engage with your community. Which your customer is already a part of.

So, where is the real return on investment when it comes to marketing? Is it within your budget? Or is it your customer investing in you to provide more material?

I know it’s a chicken and the egg conversation. But a good one when defining who is looking for the real return on investment.

#BetterCallPaul – Talking with Ben Hall of the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival

2nd Brain Collective Podcast – Doug Horne of EnPower Solutions

The 3 C’sof Video: Content, Context and Community

As a video producer, I want everyone to use video for their organization. However, having video and using video are two different things. You just can’t have video for video’s sake. You really need to make sure that you are using it to meet your goals. That is why I want you to think about the three C’s when developing your plan on using video.

Content: The adage right now is content is king. You do need something to put out there alongside your written blog posts, your photos and infographics. You need all of this content to push your message. Having video being part of a content marketing package helps visualize your organization in a different way and can be used to add that explanation point to the message you have been sending.

Context: I heard somewhere that if content is king, then context is queen. I really like that. You have to understand why you are using video and how to use it in your marketing and branding. Thinking about context allows you to fully describe the who and the why of your business and to develop a package that speaks to your audience.

Community: Speaking of audience, are they picking up what you are laying down? This is the group you need to be targeting so they can share and like and talk about what you have going on in your videos. Without a strong community, your videos may fall on deaf ears. But with a consistent content strategy you have the ability to build that audience and then sustain them.

So there you have it, think about these three things when adding video to the mix. If you already have content going, video will just enhance it, but only in the right context. Remember this. Video just for video sake is not going to work, because there is no strategy behind it. Your videos have to be purposeful, timely and engaging. That’s also how you build your community.

#BetterCallPaul – #GivingTuesday with the Giving Jar

When It Comes to Video, Think of the Who.

Now in this instance, I’m not talking about the band.

I am talking about being strategic when you develop the video that the right people are a part of it. In fact, I’m a big proponent of not using a narrator. Why? I feel that when creating a short piece that a narrator detracts from the engagement you are trying to achieve with your audience. I feel that the narrator talks at instead of to the audience and therefore an emotional connection is lost.

So who should you put in the video? Who should talk? Well, real people. If you own a business, it should be you who talks about what your business is about and then add in your customers, and even staff who are standouts. For a non-profit, think about the same things, but focus on your services and who you serve. Each success you have is a story in and of itself and would make good videos. You are looking for donors, are you not?

When you use people that play a part in your organization, there’s a connection there between you and your audience, that can transcend into the physical world. But you have to be skillful with questions and prepared with what is needed to be said, these people will not be professional on camera talent for the most part. However, the connection they can make with the audience and the trust they will help build for your company is invaluable.

Just recently, I was talking with a client who wanted to focus a video on one of the software packages they use, he really wanted to get into the visuals of the piece. But during the process of the walkthrough, the person that demonstrated the product, did a wonderful job doing that. But, what stood out was his explanation of why this product works so well for hiim and the company. I thought why not just use him as the subject to introduce, demonstrate and resolve why this product works so well. That way, you have a real person talking about the product while using it and not just another product demonstration.

That is what we will be going with. Now don’t get me wrong there will be instances in which narration is necessary. I just like the first option of using real people to talk to your audience. Your audience will like it as well.

#BetterCallPaul – October 2016 in Review

Guest Post: SoupGrant Lansing: Eat Soup, Do Good

A hot bowl of soup is a great way to warm up and wind down on a crisp autumn day. But what about the rest of the year? Can’t soup be enjoyed then, too? Is there a way soup can warm your soul as well as your body? And can the soup be free?

If you live in Lansing, you can proudly answer ‘yes’ to all of this thanks to a spectacular event known as SoupGrant Lansing.

Go grab a spoon and a bowl. I’ll fill you in on the details when you get back.

SoupFunding

Think of SoupGrant Lansing as a crowdfunding event with free soup. On the third Thursday of every month, at Grace Lutheran Church in Lansing, people from in and around Lansing come together to enjoy great soup and support people doing good things in their community.

After some chit-chat with new friends, everyone settles in with a hot bowl of soup and watches 2-3 presenters discuss projects they are working on to improve the community.

Community Boosting

Each presenter gets 5 minutes to describe their idea, how it helps people in Lansing, and how they would use the money from the SoupGrant. The crowd then has a chance to ask questions.

Once all of the pitches are done, anyone in the crowd who donates $5 or more gets to vote for their favorite project. The project that receives the most votes gets the whole pool of money donated by the voters, also known as the SoupGrant.

Big Hearts Welcome

One aspect of SoupGrant Lansing that really stands out is its inclusiveness. Anyone with an idea to improve their community can apply and present. High-schoolers, senior citizens, businesses, nonprofits, and everything in between are all welcome.

SoupGrant is also a great way to discover and support great, new things happening in Lansing. A lot of people are working very hard to make Lansing blossom and it’s so inspiring to see a few of those folks each month.

Spread the Word!

Have an idea that could put a smile one someone’s face? Apply and talk about it! Share SoupGrant with a friend. When word spreads about an event such as this, Lansing, your community, benefits.

Hope to see you and your spoon at the next SoupGrant Lansing!

Erik Gillespie is a software developer and semi-pro advocate of amazing things. He founded Giving Jar, a blog and upcoming donation platform for Lansing charities, and helps people learn how to create websites and other software at Lansing Code Lab. He’s kind of obsessed with board games, too.

#BetterCallPaul – Talking with Julie Holton of Fraser Trebilcock

5 Other Platforms Where You Can Host Your Video

I know I talk a lot about YouTube. There are two reasons for that. 1. YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world. 2. It’s free.

At this point, I’m still educating my clients on using video in their current marketing, budgets are key and they know YouTube. However, for those who are looking to expand more into heavier video marketing, then spending money on seeing better results may be what you need. In that case, it would be time to look at other platforms that not only host your video, but help with analytics and return on investment as well. YouTube offers these as well, but with YouTube, to get the best out of the analytics there, you really have to fill out the information to get the best out of it.

Here are five other options for you if you are looking for more robust ways to use Video in your marketing. Remember, these have costs attached to them, but they offer free trials or upgrades to take advantage of everything they do.

1. Vimeo. You’ve probably heard about this one. This platform has really been billed for cinematographers. It offers a higher quality and is free up to 500 mb per week. After that you have to pay. It also offers the same kind of analytics as YouTube, however, it does not yet have the traction.

2. Wistia. This is the name brand for video marketing with integrations into several marketing platforms like Marketo and HubSpot. They are huge into analytics and integrate into your email platform very well to collect new customers.

3. Sprout Video. This platform not only allows you to analyze your results. It also can develop a website based platform that is completely video-centric. So if you are really looking at go all in on video, this is a platform to try.

4. Viddler. This platform works best in the educational or training realm and is a very good platform to do that. It’s organizational and collaboration tools set it apart for this type of visual learning. We have a client that uses this specifically for training purposes and it works very well.

5. Vidyard. This platform is great for in-house collaboration and creativity. It allows your team to create personalized videos, create videos from slide decks and also do live streaming, which these other platforms do not offer.

Now all of these platforms offer embeddable content to go on your website, have very robust analytical tools, integrate with email marketing and are mobile optimized. You will get everything you need out of them if you are ready to take that next step into video marketing. Plus they are served with no ads. That’s the biggest bonus. But that’s what keeps YouTube free.

Any questions?

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