10 Reasonable Ideas On How To Use 360 Videos In Your Marketing Mix

Dan Diveley
VP of Business Development

10 Reasonable Ideas On How To Use 360 Videos In Your Marketing Mix

Lots of people talk about 360 degree videos and how great they are, but they use it as little more than a buzzword—like “social media” or “gluten free”—without providing information you can actually use. We’re here to fix that! Here’s ten practical ways you can incorporate 360 videos into your marketing mix:

  1. Universities – share the experience! Prospective students want to know more about your school than your degree programs, national rankings or tuition assistance. If your campus is worth showing, then show it!
  2. Take your customers on a virtual plant tour! So many companies brag about how their products are made by hard-working employees—but they don’t showcase these hard workers. Introduce these hard workers to the world by showing them build the products that make your company great.
  3. Relieve some of apprehension of visiting your medical facilities! Take some of the mystery out of a patient’s visit by showing these patients what a visit will look like. Show them around and introduce friendly nurses, caring staff, and maybe even a few of your docs … but keep it Hipaa Compliant!
  4. Got something to excite manufacturing engineers? They love to take a deep dive into your new products when designing theirs. Show them the product, how it fits into a production environment, and augment their knowledge beyond specs and diagrams.
  5. Are your products loved by fanatical DIYers? Hobbyists of all stripes love meeting others enthusiastic about their craft. And they love hanging out in their home work areas. Let viewers check out the workshop while your happy customer is using—and praising—your product.
  6. Looking to raise funds for a charitable cause? Pull the heartstrings of potential donors by letting them experience the need. Let them take a virtual tour and the much needed funding should start flowing in.
  7. Bring your case studies to life! Did you install something amazing in a plant or building that could help other companies? Give your case histories a “real-life” feel by letting your viewers take an unguided tour. Nothing proves a point than actually seeing it in action.
  8. Motivate your sales teams. Want to add pizazz to your award programs? Instead of relying on travel brochures to promote award destinations, entice your sales force (and their significant others) with 360 videos that help their imaginations (and sales) to soar.
  9. Don’t just preach safety, show it! Let your employees take a tour and find the safety violations. Include a survey and ask them to point out the problems and how to fix them.
  10. Showcase your corporate campus! Corporations spend lots of money to make their headquarters look impressive. And why not? A swanky office space gives the impression of a successful company – one that customers and employees would be attracted to. Not everyone can take a trip just to see your digs, so bring your digs to them.

Want an idea for your marketing program? Give me a call at 314-727-5850.

 

 

The Lowdown on 360-degree and VR Videos

Mary Sawyer
Vice President of Public Relations

The Lowdown on 360-degree and VR Videos

With the widespread popularity of 360-degree and Virtual Reality (VR) videos, we’re getting a lot of questions about whether it makes sense to incorporate these immersion technologies in marketing programs.

Every company and situation is unique, but we thought you might be interested in the insights of one of our great production partners, Tom Petrie, who is director of photography for Bad Dog Pictures.

Tom explains that both 360 and VR allow viewers to interact with the content, instead of just sitting back and watching. The big difference is in how much interaction a user has, and where the videos can be viewed. Both have the ability to capture the entire scene in a 3600 view. However, the real advantage 360 video offers the marketing community is that viewers can watch them on Youtube, Facebook and company sites.

VR takes 360 to the next level, Tom explains. It is meant to be multi-sensory, so a headset, special glasses or other optical devices must be used when viewing the video to get its full effect. VR can incorporate a variety of ways the viewer can interact with the surroundings and currently is used more in gaming applications than marketing efforts.

“With 360 and VR videos, you invite someone to become more involved. The viewer is in control of what scene appears on the screen, decides what is of most interest and determines how long to view it. If you are using 360 and VR properly, by allowing him/her to make choices, you are getting a more engaged, more educated prospect or customer,” Tom says.

From the production standpoint, both involve filming a view in every direction at the same time, using one camera or a collection of cameras, and stitching the scenes together. “Since the technology has become more widely available in the last few years, production costs have come down and companies are finding 360 applications more attractive. For example, you no longer need to buy expensive viewers. Cardboard devices are now available and can be branded.”

Tom agrees with a recent New York Times article that marketers are going down a somewhat tricky path in producing these attention-getting videos.

“360 and VR can deliver increased customer engagement, but there has to be a good strategy in their use. The videos should add something beyond what a traditional video can provide. They should be more engaging. And they still must be strongly connected to your brand so that the viewer doesn’t get completely lost in the experience and forgets about your message.”

Here are a few examples of how 360 videos are used to deliver strong messages in engaging, successful campaigns:

A company tour: Shinola factory with Luke Wilson

A company charitable effort: A Walk in Their Shoes – TOMS

Showcasing a new sophisticated product: Tier 4 Locomotive Experience – GE

If you are interested in hearing more about 360 videos and how you might be able to use them, please give me a call. I’d love to discuss it with you.

And check out: 10 Reasonable Ideas On How To Use 360 Videos In Your Marketing Mix

 

Covering Every Possible Angle: Tips And Tricks for Implementing 360 Spin Videos.

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Covering Every Possible Angle: Tips And Tricks for Implementing 360 Spin Videos.

Much has been written about how retailers are clamoring for vendors to provide digital enhancements for online product listings, particularly 360 spin videos of products. And why wouldn’t they? 360 spin videos have been proven to:

  • Increase sales, with many online stores reporting increases of 10-40%.
  • Boost engagement with consumers and increase their time on any given page.
  • Improve the experience by giving the online experience a similar feel to picking up and examining a product in store. And according to an Adobe study, it’s a feature 91% of consumers consider to be a “must have.”
  • Decrease return rates through improved purchasing confidence.
  • Give your brand a more “established” look, by taking advantage of higher end digital features that aren’t universally used.

And yet, there are still plenty of vendors who don’t take advantage of 360 spin videos, effectively leaving money on the table. For those holdouts, all we have to say is: ARE YOU CRAZY?! The world isn’t flat, and neither are your products. Consumers want to examine their purchases from all sides to make the most informed decision they can. And if 3D examination is good enough for the real world, don’t limit yourself on the digital marketplace.

We took a quick look at Home Depot and Lowe’s websites and found that many products listed don’t have these much needed digital enhancements. Yet each year, most retailers (like Home Depot and Lowe’s) look at GMROI (Gross Margin Return on Inventory) to determine the value their vendors are providing. This figure is based on how many times inventory turns over. The higher the GMROI is for your product, the better chance you have of getting more product into their stores, increasing your display area, or attaining more prominent shelf position. And yes, online sales help your in-store standing. So why not do everything you can to drive sales for your retailers and distributors?

Now, let’s talk 360 spin videos! Here are a few tips from the pros:

  • Get Requirements First: Different retailers have different requirements. Some want “stitched” videos, comprised of images stitched together. Others want the spin in straight video format. Still others are accepting more complicated 3-tier videos. So before you start shooting, decide what formats are needed to cover the broadest range of your channel partners.
  • Use Precise Background Colors: Some retailers, like Home Depot, are sticklers for precise background colors, and will reject your video if you’re even a slight bit off. Make sure your videos are compliant!
  • Save a .mov File: This is the format you’ll want if you plan to host your 360 spin videos on YouTube, Vimeo, or your own website, as they can’t play the full 360 view videos. In our experience, you should be able to get the .mov and full 360 video together for the same price.
  • Post It Online, Your Way: Because you’ll have the .mov, might as well post it to YouTube and Vimeo! These sites allow you to collect stats so you can see how they’re performing. And because these versions won’t be on your product page, hosted by a retailer, you can add voiceover, sound, text descriptions, and more! This gives you extra opportunities to engage your audience directly, and allows you to use these assets beyond retailer product pages.

Ready to shoot some 360s? From products as light as a feather to 800 pound behemoths, we can help you get them done! And, of course, we can lend our expertise to implement a full range of communications strategies and tactics to help ensure your product succeeds in both retail and distribution channels. Just give us a call!

6 Tips for Using Product Videos

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

6 Tips for Using Product Videos

It’s no secret we’re all constantly glued to screens of all sizes. The fact that you’re reading this blog is evidence enough. From our smartphones to our laptops and tablets and televisions, we are constantly bombarded with information from the screens that surround us. Anything we could ever want to know is easily within reach.

And it’s great for business. According to a 2014 report by Forrester Research Inc., a projected 60% of all sales made in 2017 will involve the Internet in some way, either as the purchase site or as part of researching products online.

With increased Internet involvement in our purchasing decisions, marketers would be wise to invest in better solutions to help their products and services stand out in the online marketplace. That’s where product videos come in. According to a Liveclicker survey of online retail sales from Best Buy, Newegg, OnlineShoes, and Under Armour, there was an increase in average order value (AOV) of at least 50% for customers that watch videos on a product page.

At G/L, we’ve seen the impact product videos can have on sales first-hand. One of our clients, who sells tools to small contractors via home improvement retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, cited a significant bump in sales as the result of online digital assets on retailer websites, including product videos and 360° spin videos.

Consumers of all types are looking more and more to online resources for their purchasing decisions, and research shows they’re much more likely to make a purchase if you’re promoting it with a product video. This is a trend worth jumping on. Here are some tips to get you started:

  1. Keep It Focused: People watch online videos for one of two reasons: to learn or to be entertained. In the case of product videos, you want to focus on providing as much valuable information about the product in question as you can in a limited fashion. Leave larger branding messages to other videos.
  2. Keep It Relatively Simple: For optimal retention with your target audience, plan the length of your product videos carefully. Consumers are willing to spend more time researching a product and learning about it through videos if it’s going to be a high involvement (expensive or otherwise risky) purchase. For lower involvement purchases, less information is required. Optimal customer attention spans for videos range from 60-90 seconds. From there, customer retention begins to drop.
  3. Grab Their Attention: According to Vidyard, a significant portion of drop-off in all videos happens within the first 10% of the video. Grab your audience’s attention fast to ensure they stick around to the end by addressing areas of greatest strength for your product or concern for the market. And, like we said before, keep it short enough that they won’t be tempted to click away.
  4. Use Product Videos on Your Landing Page: Many published studies state that landing pages with video can increase conversion by 80%. Adding a quality Call to Action (CTA) at the end of your video can help increase response from your audience.
  5. Consider Using an Online Video Platform: OVPs, like Adobe or Vidyard, allow you to push content to your social networks and pull in actionable analytics, allowing you to target your audience more carefully than a traditional TV or web buy. It’s relatively inexpensive too!
  6. Make The Most of Social Media Platforms: Facebook allows for Video Autoplay of your videos so create a version of your current ads or product videos that takes advantage of the medium. And make sure to include subtitles or other graphics that highlight the features of your product and entice consumers to continue watching, with or without sound.

Product videos are already proving an integral piece of the sales puzzle. If you’re not using them, you’re missing out on scores of potential sales. It’s time to take that next step and connect your consumers with the information they crave, in a format they’re most comfortable with.

Still not sure where to start? We can help with that. Give us a call today at 314-727-5850. We’ll help you figure out an effective plan for your foray into product videos.

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