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Many companies, similar challenges/blog from Stuart Maister
Friday November 13th 09
What does a major professional services firm have in common with one of the world's leading inventors and manufacturers? How about a global law firm and a major mobile phone network? When it comes to their digital marketing strategies and challenges, then the answer is: a lot.
That became obvious at a round table lunch we hosted last week for a number of online heads and managers, all from large companies. It confirmed my experience that a key driver for all organizations, whatever they are selling, is to develop content which is of inherent interest and value to their target audiences. This content may only mention their products or services as a by-product, it may be entertaining, but it is designed to attract and be of service to these groups. Just selling is not enough in the online world. It’s a pull, not a push, universe.
This content-based marketing is the key trend right now in digital strategy and it was fascinating to see how such diverse companies are all focusing on it for 2010. And, because web video was the main item on the agenda, we largely discussed how this medium could play a role in the strategy.
Another key idea emerged: in the era of YouTube, does quality matter anymore in web video? Is home made good enough? Many of those present had experimented with some kind of basic video on their websites, often produced very cheaply or even for nothing, and felt it had achieved something. One participant made a telling point: he said that it had got the ball rolling to show how they could use video online, so that he could then bid for budget to do it properly. In other words, it was a sprat to catch a mackerel.
If that is what it is, then great. But it cannot be the end in itself for major companies. My own view is that in a drive for authenticity, speed and cost-effectiveness there is a danger that online marketers could lose sight of how they need to be consistent with their brand. If I go to the site of a major, trusted brand, do I expect to see written content which could have been produced by a teenager who has never been trained to write professionally? So, why would I expect to see the same when it comes to video? Especially if I can barely hear it because the sound is bad or see it because it is shot so badly. How does this enhance the relationship between buyer and seller?
The content has to be consistent with the values of the brand, otherwise it could detract from the quality and reputation of the products and services it is seeking to support. Well, as the guy running a professional production company, I would say that, wouldn’t I? Yes. I would and do. You can produce authentic, honest, rapid and even quite cheap video content but do so to professional standards. And, interestingly, even on YouTube more and more content fits into this category, with high end company video content appearing alongside product reviews shot in someone’s bedroom.
Of course there is room for video UGC, just as there is for blogging. The point is to flag up that the content is exactly that, an area for customers or employees to upload their own material, rather than using UGC-standard content as the official video content of the company, representing its face to the world.
Among the many other fascinating themes we explored was how you then link this video content directly to the sales journey. One company at the lunch appears to have cracked it. They track who has watched what through registration, this links directly into their CRM and their consultants get flagged when one of their customers or prospects is watching something of relevance. The whole point is to feed these business conversations, and that is the way to really make the content deliver a measurable RoI.
Most other companies are a long way from that situation, but in my view that is where we need to go. Two three letter acronyms will be the drivers of this: CRM and SEO. When web video content is fully integrated into those two strategies, we’ll really be rocking.
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