After speaking to a dental practice on the topic of Branding Inside, I was pleasantly surprised to receive this card from the staff of our client, Children’s Dental Centre of Irving.

What made it stand out is that was a thoughtful physical card signed by the entire staff. Impressive.

You might benefit from a few points from my Branding Inside presentation:

KEY POINTS

You have to know how to brand inside before you can expect anyone on the outside to appreciate your brand.

Create memorable moments that build your reputation or brand.

Ensure that those moments speak to what makes you’re brand uniquely valuable.

Use messages, i.e. key words that capture your competitive edge.

For example, if a customer calls with a problem, see it as an opportunity to go the extra step to deliver on what makes you special. A patient’s son broke his tooth, so just don’t say “The dentist will be back on Tuesday, and can see him then.”

Rather, show concern, get details, offer immediate helpful information, and promise to contact the dentist for any further advice. The appointment may still need to wait until Tuesday, but the patient will see you in a much better way.

Priscilla Vigliante-montgomery, who oversees marketing for the Children’s Dental Centre of Irving, is a rising star. Here’s just one example. During a meeting of the Women’s Alliance of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, a speaker asked: “What business are you in?”

Priscilla’s response grabbed everyone’s attention and respect: “Creating healthy smiles.”

What business are you in? How will you utilize a video marketing strategy to get there?

Bob Kaplitz
Senior VP- AR&D
bkaplitz@ar-d.com

Video can bring to life a piece of real estate. This was a prototype we created for a Realtor. It’s a long version, but she loved it. Virginia Burke, who’s in the video, says it’s the most powerful presentation she’s seen in her many years as a Realtor: “This will definitely sell the house.” Plus the owner was delighted.

Whether you’re a real estate agent, a dentist, or a plastic surgeon. you’ll benefit from the power of a video marketing strategy which leverages social media.

Bob Kaplitz, Senior Vice President
214.766.4236

Regus Office Solutions regional sales manager Schellie Mendes uses the power of video as a follow-up to office tours and discussions. When people in our video marketing workshops see this example, they want to employ the concept themselves. They wished they had thought of it.

In an informal test of the concept with business people, they say whoever uses this approach has an edge over the traditional text message.

Learn more about this innovative type of marketing by contacting us.

Bob Kaplitz, Senior VP for Content Marketing
bkaplitz@ar-d.com 214.766.4236

Avoid production for production sake. Instead, consider whom you’re targeting. Craft the production to connect with your audience.

In the case of our client The Four Seasons Resort and Club, they were targeting younger demos. And that’s why you’ll find tighter cuts plus music in this video launched by a Quick Response code, showing a young couple, Bryce and Meredith.

You’ll notice I shot close-ups at the start. Because QR codes launch videos on cell phones, we wanted to be sure our couple filled the small screen, increasing the impact.

You can learn so much from analyzing even less than a minute of a movie trailer, so that’s just what I did:

If you have the time and equipment, try to use three lights. The key, fill, and backlight. Each serves a purpose. Adjust the lights to see what looks best. Normally, the key light should be about half as bright as the fill.

Reality check: While this is ideal, in reality you might just have to use one light or existing lighting. If you have one light, position yourself or your subject so you can take advantage of sunlight coming into the room so the one light isn’t harsh. Just one light can make you look like you’re being “interrogated for spy secrets” as one client joked.

I captured this from a video produced by CMP (Corporate Media Production) students at Seneca College in New York.

If you’re a multimedia journalist, see this as an ideal. If you’re looking for a video marketing strategy, we’re eager to help.

Bob Kaplitz
bkaplitz#ar-d.com

Please go easy with me on the video, as I shot this on the fly. Yes, that explains the odd “sideway” shot you’ll see toward the end. Also, go easy on Dana Woods. She didn’t come to work thinking she’d be on a video, and didn’t even have time to put on her makeup.

But what she reveals about a new policy is relevant to every CEO and marketing executive. Listen.

Bob Kaplitz is Senior Vice President of Content Marketing for AR&D. Unlike traditional advertising which interrupts people, content marketing is what consumers want — valuable information they search for.

Check out What You Can Learn from The Tina Patsch Story by copying this link:

http://www.kaplitzblog.com/2011/12/10/what-you-can-learn-from-the-tina-patsch-story/

How do you overcome the challenge of virtually no action in a story?  Say just a guy in a chair.  Here’s one approach.

Learn more to create engaging storytelling. Click on the links to the right under “Recent Posts.”

The problem:  The person trying to connect with viewers avoids looking at them.  In this case, it’s a testimonial aimed at convincing visitors to this website that this email marketing service is the one for them.

You probably know what viewers say when the person talking with them looks to the side.  “What are they trying to hide?” or “Why can’t they look right at me?”

This vendor paid good money to get these produced, but they fall short in the opinion of my colleague Regent Ducas and myself.

As part of our content marketing strategy, we ask people to look directly at their audience.  Yes, it takes some coaching to get them to look directly at the camera, but it makes a big difference.

For example, click on this link, then see the difference.  Two Shot Power

Also, you’ll notice a lot of wasted space in this small screen.  It’s better for the person trying to connect with viewers to fill most of the screen — especially when the video frame is small or viewers are watching on a cell phone.

IN ALL FAIRNESS

We don’t mean these comments to suggest this company wasn’t trying to do its best with the information it had.  But with our more than three decades of TV video experience and deep knowledge of viewers, we’ve become trusted advisors to help our clients avoid these mistakes.