Why Your Small Business Needs Video

Sure you could throw money away on yellow pages ads, the local paper or radio spots but why? More and more statistics show old marketing methods aren’t working. If you want to reach your target audience you need to ENGAGE them. Your website is the first step, however many websites can be hollow, impersonal and boring. Video can change all that.

A Google/Shopper Sciences study last April showed the average American checked with 10.4 sources prior to making a purchase. This is TWICE as many as one year ago. The proliferation of information and ease of access in a smartphone world mean YOUR small business needs to be actively taking part in the conversation. Web video is an easy and effective way to get in the game.

Calcagno Media makes this process smooth and uncomplicated. Within a few hours we’ll have all the video needed to put together a great profile on your business. This video can be featured right on your website, and linked to on Twitter and Facebook. The best part is: unlike an ad that will run once in the paper, this video will be accessible forever.

Production companies like to charge thousands for this type of spotlight video. We charge a fraction of that. Get in touch with us today to learn about our services, our process and our affordable pricing.

Riding the Real Estate Resurgence

The past several years haven’t been fun for anyone in the business of selling homes. Many realtors have found another line of work. Many are seeing less than half of the business they were in 2008. Some savvy real estate agents have adapted with personal websites, Facebook pages and twitter posts to better show off their featured listings and connect on a more personal level.

These adaptations are a great step as more people are turning to websites and social media in their search for their new home. And don’t be fooled – more people are looking to buy this spring. As the market resurges with prices at their lowest levels and buyers itching for a new place to call home, the real estate agents that are ahead of the technology and marketing curve will gain the most in terms of publicity, business and revenue.

An article posted in Forbes, “This Spring Could Be The Best Home Buying Season In Years,” paints the picture:

Increased demand from buyers has pushed inventory levels 19% lower than they were this time last year, with an estimated 2.43 million homes available for sale. In fact, housing inventory is at a 45 year low nationally right now … Owners have less competition to contend with, compared to the past five years. It also means housing may be inching toward a long-awaited recovery.

Smart realtors will not only see opportunity this spring, but they will lead the wave by closing more homes than their competitors with skill, and the right approach to showcasing their best properties. By shining a spotlight on your featured listings with a video walk-through and profile you can create the “must-see” emotion serious buyers will act on. A cost-effective video that you can share on your website, Facebook, Twitter and even your iPad when you’re out and about around town could generate more interest and more offers than any open house would.

Brand Journalism: Evolve Your Delivery

Big companies around the world are pausing and taking a serious look at the way they reach their target audience. Sure, they have the budget to keep pumping millions of dollars into television, radio and print advertising, but smart, adaptive business leaders are starting to take note. The big guys are making a shift from traditional marketing to brand journalism for a reason. That reason is to boost their bottom line.

Brand Journalism is basically the concept of telling the story of your company by letting real people and real stories dominate your message, rather than some manufactured 30-second spot dreamt up by marketers. This is a good article on the topic. More companies are realizing organic and honest storytelling can do more for a brand than all the ad time in the world.

Watch the video below created by General Electric to promote their health care manufacturing unit. It’s two-minutes, 53-seconds of heartfelt, emotional and genuine video. Was it set up by GE ad execs? Sure. Is it more effective than a crappy commercial? Absolutely.

The Healthcare Marketer Blog says this: “GE recognizes that technology is relevant because of the impact it has on real people. Connecting its employees with survivors lets us know that there are caring, motivated people behind the technology. In the end, it is much easier to relate to them rather than some multinational corporation.

“With this video, and others like it, GE gives itself a human face.”

McDonald’s is also wising up to the game. Their new marketing campaign revolves around the stories of their suppliers. The fast food chain wanted to take the focus away from low-quality and unhealthy foods by placing emphasis on the real people who your money is (supposedly) supporting. The series of three videos makes an emotional connection to the families who supply the ingredients we’re buying at McDonald’s. And these videos do a great job at holding the viewer’s attention and delivering the latent message.

You can see the effectiveness of brand journalism. You can see the biggest companies are doing this. Now it’s time you utilize brand journalism to tell the story of your company and grow revenue. You don’t need a huge budget or a four-month production timeline. You just need a creative thinker and solid journalist who can help your brand thrive. Let’s talk

Hit Your Marketing ‘Reset’ Button

As gas prices keep soaring along with the cost practically everything we buy as consumers, the belt-tightening trends we’ve made during the past few years continue. While some might try and tell you the economy is improving, the truth remains we are all more frugal than ever when it comes to making every day purchases.

The commonly misused and overused phrase “the new normal” might be getting old but it’s important to bring up here because it applies to your business marketing plan. Consumers aren’t buying the same way they did a few years ago so why are you still trying the same thing as a few years ago? People everywhere have scaled back, and your business, more than ever, needs to adapt. Kick your tired old sales pitch to the curb, drop your overpriced advertising budget, reset your thinking and wake up to the “the new normal.”

Consumers have reset what they spend money on. They have reassessed the term “value”. Companies are having to respond to customers with reset expectations. They’re finding that they have to win customer loyalty all over again.

If you are ready to talk about business communications tactics that actually work, give Calcagno Media a call to discuss some great options that will provide value and a genuine voice for your brand.