Recently I wrote a post, here on BurrellesLuceFresh Ideas, outlining key tips for integrating online video into your PR campaign from a recent PRSA-NY panel. For this post, I thought I would re-cap some of what I thought were the most compelling best practices for creating, marketing, and measuring online video content – as discussed at the event.
It was followed by a roundtable Q&A moderated by Jason Winocour, social and digital media practice leader at Hunter Public Relations.
How to Create Online Video Content Nearly 89 percent of journalist report that they regularly include online video content in their stories. But how can marketing and communications professionals create compelling video content?
Jim Sulley, president of Newscast U.S., had these best practices to offer:
Understand who you are trying to reach. Who are your target demographics?
Get the attention of the people watching. You only have 10 seconds to hook their interest.
Shoot to script, don’t script to shoot. In other words, take the time to plan your videos and write a script.
Create biscuits, little surprises along the way, and don’t give away the ending upfront.
Be truthful. And remember, production values count.
Entertain or DIE.
Too much text is annoying for online video.
When creating video content, you will also want to get your online community, stakeholders, and agencies involved, as this with provide you with feedback and help you market your initiatives. (more…)
It was followed by a roundtable Q&A moderated by Jason Winocour, social and digital media practice leader at Hunter Public Relations.
Why Digital Video Fifty-nine percent of Americans get their news every day from online and a mix of broadcast, radio and print sources. In fact, it is predicted that “by 2015, the demand for online video is expected to grow by 81 percent.”
Eric Wright, senior VP of marketing and business development, DS Simon Productions, Inc., offered additional insight on why digital video matters to the media.
AOL Newsroom is now bigger than the New York Times.
Journalist are using online video on their website.
79 percent will use more online video in their messages.
Interestingly enough, over 50 percent of journalists say that video is vital to their jobs and that HD is the most important format.
For these reasons, among others, it is imperative that public relations professionals use video to engage and build relationships with stakeholders, the media, and the community. However, PR folks have lots of homework before integrating online video in their campaigns. (more…)
Smart Goal Setting for 2010
This post proves that setting “SMART” goals is always timely. To ensure success and empower ourselves to achieve both our professional and personal goals, goals need to be specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, and fit within a defined time frame.
When It Comes to Brands and Content, Simplicity Matters
The practice of using simple language to engage and connect with a target audience has always been an important part of solid communications. However, this is often easier said than done – especially for PR professionals working in specialty fields where communicating complex information is the norm. Few people have little patience for jargon and pretentious language. And this is equally true for journalists and bloggers who are often working under tight deadlines. This post reflects on several questions savvy PR professionals must ask themselves before pitching “Aunt Edna” and “Uncle Walt.”
At the PRSA International Conference, last fall, I attended the “PR Needs YouTube” panel discussion and subsequently wrote a recap of the session. We were told that in September 2009, Americans conducted 3.5 billion searches on YouTube. In April 2010, just seven months later, that number is even higher at 3.7 billion searches, according to comScore.
An AdAge article stated that some marketers have just about given up on the traditional path to broadcast media coverage – instead of pitching their stories to reporters, they are directly engaging consumers through original content they and their agencies have created. “And while they haven’t completely abandoned traditional media outlets, big-name marketers such as Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, MasterCard and Coldwell Banker are among those who have taken matters into their own hands by creating content and bringing it straight to consumers.”
And, it’s not just broadcast news using video anymore. A large number of traditional print outlets have online affiliate sites that are complementing text with video – even radio stations are getting into the game by incorporating videos into their websites.
If you aren’t already utilizing YouTube in your public relations efforts, it’s definitely time to sit up and take notice! (My colleague Denise Giacin recently discussed a similar topic in her blog post, “YouTube Turns Five … Are You Tuned In?”)
So, how do you get started? Here are some tips from Douglas Idugboe at smedio:
First (obviously) create the video. Expensive equipment or production studio time is not needed; you can use your own flipcam or other video recorder.
Build your own YouTube channel by choosing a name. The name should include your company’s or one that reflects the product/service category you’re associated with. Register it and you’ll receive a URL reading youtube.com/user/[yourfullnamehere].
Create a profile and upload an avatar or video screenshot that catches peoples’ attention.
YouTube has different types of accounts. Idugboe recommends “Guru” to stand above the crowd.
You can upload your own images and backgrounds to create a look consistent with your website, blog, business cards, etc.
To help build your brand and your online community, check all relevant options under “Modules”
If you want viewers to always see the latest and greatest, click “Edit” on the screen’s top right. At “Featured Video” click “Use the Most Recent”
From there you’ll then want to:
Embed your YouTube videos on your website and blog.
Link your channel and videos everywhere possible to maximize visibility (making sure to follow the rules of proper engagement).
Leverage your current network, and let YouTube help grow and expand it.
If applicable, notify local newspapers, TV and any other media outlets via press releases, to alert their audiences to your video.
In addition to cross-marketing to your existing network and the media, you’re probably asking “How do I optimize the video for SEO?” In the video below, Greg Jarboe provides three tips for video search engine optimization from the International Search Summit in London last week:
Do you have additional tips on using video for PR for the BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas readers? Are you using YouTube or other video sharing sites? Care to share any examples of successful (or unsuccessful) cases of video used in public relations campaigns?
While YouTube has become a place to show off your dance moves, rant about politics, or promote your garage band, among other things – it’s also become a useful tool for media professionals looking to connect and engage with their constituents and to promote and market their brands, clients, and concepts to consumers in visually stimulating ways. (Even my BurrellesLuce colleague Johna Burke has begun to interview PR professionals at various industry events and posting videos on YouTube like the one below.)
By using YouTube to engage consumers, marketing and public relations professionals are creating a lasting impression…perhaps even more lasting and with a farther reach than even they may realize.
For instance, earlier this week, I received an email from an online events company promoting the Discovery and National Geographic King Tut New York City exhibition in midtown Manhattan. While the advertisement itself did catch my eye, the piece that won me over to buy tickets was the YouTube video included on the web page. The video is captivating and really motivated me to check out the exhibition. Not only that, but I forwarded the video to a few friends and now they would like to go with me. If I wanted to, I could also post the video on Facebook and Twitter which would give the exhibition even more exposure.
YouTube videos are in an easy-to-share format, allowing people to quickly pass along information without taking much time or energy. The passing along of information in such a way can create a “viral video,” which has the potential to do great things for your brand. (But remember, each brand or organization must determine their own measure for “viral” that makes sense with their overall communication plan.) Having your YouTube video passed along by a consumer sends a powerful message: The consumer is actually telling the recipient this is something worth checking out – in other words, the act of sharing a video becomes a digital form of word of mouth. And even if viewers aren’t necessarily sharing the physical video online, they may still be discussing it offline.
A recent PC World article by Daniel Ionescu called “YouTube Beats Prime Time TV On 5th Birthday” states, “Google-owned video sharing site YouTube is celebrating its fifth anniversary on a roll: the company announced that it is now serving more than two billion videos per day, which is nearly double the audience of U.S. prime-time television.” With an audience like this size, organizations that aren’t already doing so should really take advantage of YouTube to give their brand the greatest exposure – assuming it makes sense with their overall communications strategy.
Is YouTube a medium that’s worked for you in the past? How are you utilizing YouTube to promote your brand? I would love to hear your success stories!
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Bio: Prior to joining the BurrellesLuce Client Service team in 2008, Denise worked in the marketing industry for three years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Connecticut, where she gained experience interning in PR and working for student organizations. By engaging readers on the Fresh Ideas blog Denise hopes to further her understanding of client needs. In her spare time, she is passionate about Team in Training (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s charity sports training program) and baking cupcakes. Her claim to fame: red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. LinkedIn: dgiacin Twitter: BurrellesLuce Facebook: BurrellesLuce
