Get your salesforce creating video content. Here’s how it’s done.

So the world is now on tilt and your salesforce has been grounded. This is a time to get the sales team putting out content that will help create more selling opportunities. And that is video content. 

Why video? Take a look at the numbers from Wyzowls State of Video Marketing 2020 report.

• 85% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
• 83% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads.
• 80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales.
• 80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales.

Clearly, video is a powerful channel to connect and engage with clients and prospects. To help with this post, I’ve asked Tony Gnau (pronounced now), the founder and chief storyteller at Milwaukee video production company T60 Productions for his thoughts and advice. 

A few words about Tony…

First off, Tony is an incredible giving guy and a wonderful videographer. He is an Emmy award winner and has worked with small businesses on up to big-named brands such as United, Walgreens, US Bank, and the University of Southern California. Yep, that guy has got game.

 To provide the most value, we are going to break this into two sections. First, we will deal with What to talk about. The second will go into How to create your videos without a lot of fuss.

Let’s get into it. 

Ok, What Do I Talk About

The need to pivot. During these times it’s tough staying in touch and relevant to clients and prospects. Then there’s the messaging. The same script that worked earlier in the year -- won’t work today. Salespeople need to pivot and adapt. That means leaning into video content as a way to help bridge the gap until things clear up. 

Here’s a list of ideas to get you thinking about what to film. Keep in mind some of the content you create will fit on your website. Other pieces may be more effective on your social channels. 

1. Create content about your product. Can you create a product demo from your home? Maybe you want to create a video that captures a portion of what your product can offer. If you can’t physically show your product, can you show drawings or schematics? Worried about giving too much info away? No problem, provide a bit of information for anyone that comes to your site. More of the product details can live behind a secure area available only to those you allow in. 

Tony: Product videos are incredibly powerful, and we actually have the data to prove it. According to Hubspot, 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. So if you’re asking yourself, why should we create product/service videos, it’s because that’s what your customers want!

If you have too many products/services to produce a video on each, break it down. Maybe you do videos on each product line? How about a video on each problem your products solve?

1. Create a video that informs prospects about your company. Give them the reasons your prospects want to business with you and that can start with the About Us section. 

Tony: If your company doesn’t have an About Us video… it should. I frequently tell people the About Us video is the one video every company should have. 

Think about it as the “first impression” video. If someone wants to know who you are, what you do, and why you do it… they’re going to Google you, check you out online, and in many cases, they’ll do this before they ever get in contact with you.

The About Us video is so important because it allows you to speak to them and show them what you’re all about. You’re creating a first impression that will hopefully inspire them to get in touch with you.

1. Answer questions. If you’ve been in the sales game for any length of time you have a full list of questions you get asked on a regular basis. Answer them in a video chat. Pro tip: don’t answer all your questions at once. Break them up. Again, depending on how many questions you have, you could create a number of different videos. 

Tony: FAQs are a great source for video material. They don’t have to be anything complicated either. Get on-camera, provide the question, and then answer it. Bonus points for you if you can then provide a story about how you have handled that issue in the past.

1. Get personal and tell clients how you are doing. We are all in the same boat together just trying to get by so get a little personal. Create some videos that take people through your working habits. Your home office. Anything that makes you more human. 

Tony: I love this idea. Video isn’t about facts and figures, video is about emotion. It allows us to build emotional connections with our audience. When you’re open and honest with people… that comes through in your videos. 

Viewers appreciate authenticity. The more you give them, the more receptive to you they’ll be.

1. Reading recommendations. Create a video of the books you are reading and the things you are learning. 

Tony: there are times for the hard sell, and times for a softer touch. I think this is definitely a time for the softer touch. 

You don’t always have to push what you’re selling. Sometimes… you’re simply selling yourself. If you can provide value to your audience with something like book suggestions, you’re showing them you’re about more than making a sale… you’re about helping them with what they need.

1. Share thoughts on your industry, make predictions. I know, I know you’re probably thinking what if I’m wrong. Be ok with being wrong. What your industry needs are people looking forward and providing insights based on your knowledge of recent events and business history. 

Tony: This is thought leadership stuff, and it’s great content for the top of your sales funnel. The thing I love about putting on video is that it allows people to see and hear from the person providing the insights. The thoughts don’t come from some name in a byline. It’s a real person!

Let’s Get To The How

Okay… we just covered some ideas for “what” you can do, now let’s get to “how” you can do it.

The first thing we need to do is face facts… video production right now is going to look a lot different than it would under normal circumstances. That means in most cases, your videos will be DIY projects. 

Right now, T60 Productions is offering its DIY Video Guide for free to help businesses communicate during this pandemic. You just need to sign up for their video marketing newsletter.

If you’re looking for some quick tips, here are thoughts on how you can put your best foot forward.

• Put yourself on camera

Tony: In the short term, this is the easiest way to create videos for yourself. Just get in front of the camera and talk about your subject matter. 

Don’t overthink it and don’t be overly critical about your performance and/or production value.

You’re a sales professional. This is what you do every day. You talk with prospects and customers. You’re doing the same thing now, you’re just talking to a camera instead.

• Use what you have

Tony: You don’t need a fancy camera. If you have one, great! If not… no big deal. Using your smartphone or the camera built into your laptop is fine. As a matter of fact, they’re better than the cameras professionals like me were using just ten years ago!

• Make the most of your environment

Tony: Lighting is a big deal when it comes to video. Don’t sit with your back to a window. You should use the natural light as your light source, so it’s better to face the window.

Shooting your video at night or in a windowless room? Grab a house lamp and place it right next to the camera so it shines on your face.

• Proper camera positioning

Tony: The average person places the camera too low when they shoot video of themselves. The camera lens should be eye-height or slightly higher. It’s a far more flattering angle than looking up at you.

I don’t care if it’s a short video you’re shooting or a video chat/meeting, do whatever you can to boost up your camera. It’s worth it.

Pro-tip… if you can see the crease where the ceiling meets the wall in the background, your camera is too low.

Also, you don’t want too much headroom. When you set the shot, make the top of the screen touch the top of your head… then move it up just a tad. You want a little head from the top, but not much.

• You don’t need to be an expert editor

Tony: A little editing can go a long way. In most cases, all you need to do is chop off the beginning and end. You know, so we don’t see you on-camera starting and stopping the recording.

Hit record, look into the camera for a few seconds, then start talking. At the end, finish speaking and continue to look into the camera for a few seconds.

Then, chop off the beginning and end in an editor. You can do this right inside of your smartphone (iOS, Android). Most computers come with basic video editing software as well.

I also recommend Camtasia. I have some non-video friends who swear by it. You can even use the free trial to play with it.

• You can still hire a pro

Tony: If you don’t want to DIY your videos and you’re looking for something a little more professional, many video companies are still producing videos during the pandemic, albeit remotely in most cases.

You can also use them to polish your DIY projects.

These are crazy times. We know there might be a bit of a learning curve, but the good news is audiences are forgiving right now. 

We’re all shooting our own videos, video chats, and video meetings. They’re not going to think twice about your production quality.

They’ll just appreciate the content.

The bottom line is this: start producing. Look, over-thinking this is just going to slow you down during a time when you need to be pushing valuable content out into the world. We hope these tips help push you along. Let us know if they do. 

Pat McGovern is the Director of New Business at Ascedia -- a digital marketing agency located in Milwaukee’s 5th Ward. You can reach him at [email protected]. 

Tony Gnau is the founder and chief storyteller at Milwaukee video production company T60 Productions. You can reach him [email protected].