Monday, August 16, 2010

Using Documentary to Make Your Business Stand Out

It's amazing how many people prefer video over text these days, and that's something to take advantage of. I've done behind the scenes videos for a theater company and a trailer for a book, and I recently came across another great use of video: a mini documentary.

David Meerman Scott used a documentary to promote his book, "Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead," and wrote a post about branding a business through video on his blog.

The great thing about his suggestion is that it allows a business to reach out to customers who enjoy video and to tell them a memorable story. People love to learn new things, and a documentary gives them things to learn. Even the person who's not a big fan of video may be more intrigued by a documentary that feels more familiar; It's like watching something on television.

People also love a good story that makes them feel good or makes them feel attached to the people in the story. A good story gives the customer something to relate to. Combine the story with content the customer can learn from, and the customer will be thrilled and intrigued, far more intrigued by the documentary than by an advertisement.

1 comment:

  1. According Wiki.Answers.com, people retain
    - 10 % of what they read
    - 20 % of what they hear
    - 30 % of what they see
    - 50 % of what they see and hear

    I think that "read" means the written word whereas "see" means pictures. If you want to imprint your brand in your reader's mind, combine methods of communication.

    WikiAnswers further states that people retain
    - 70 % of what they say
    - 90 % of what they say and do

    That's why teachers assign homework, lab work, and speeches. If you can motivate visitors to talk about your brand or product or to take any sort of action (such as giving you their e-mail address in exchange for free web content), you multiply the effectiveness of your web site.

    Every method you can use adds to your brand's stickiness. Written word, spoken word, specification, narrative, logo, still picture, motion picture, music, discussion, activity.

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