Don’t miss out on this new kind of video for business development

Clickable objects make interactive video a much more engaging sales tool for business development
The great thing about interactive video for business development is that a single video can lead to lots of different interactions with different buyers.

In tech companies, business development goes hand-in-hand with innovation. It’s about getting people to try something new, namely your tech solution. Usually, a video helps to launch a tech solution. Is that enough video for business development? Business development for technology solutions is often a drawn-out process where you’re trying to nurture a group of buyers. […]

Marketing video’s big fail. And how interactive web video succeeds.

The big fail with ordinary marketing videos is not generating click-throughs or customer data. Interactive web videos do both.
The big fail is that marketing videos don't get click-throughs. But interactive web video is poised to fix that.

Explainer videos explain. Marketing videos create awareness. And then what? What do viewers actually do after they click the “Play” button?  Who knows? This is marketing video’s big fail — an impersonal user experience that captures no user data. The big opportunity is interactive web video. This used to be specialist technology. It didn’t really scale. It didn’t work on […]

5 questions you should ask about explainer video animation

The best explainer video animation may not need characters and don't need to be 100% animated.

“Animation” means breathing life into something. Explainer video animation is popular because just about any subject can be explained — without the need for actors, crews, and cameras. But what style of animation is best? Here are five must-ask questions to help guide your choice. What is the hook? If your video is chiefly about your brand, or […]

Men vs. women? Which is the best explainer video narrator

Which is the best choice for an explainer video narration?

We’re often asked whether there’s any reason to prefer a male or female explainer video narrator for tech-oriented videos. Our answer has always been “not really.” However, Ben Lebay, a researcher at ConversionXL.com, has published a nice study of the perceived “trustworthiness” of male and female narrators, professional and non-professional. It’s called Which Type of Voice Actor Should You Use […]

More “delightfully nerdy” explainer storytelling styles

"Delightfully nerdy" is a great explainer storytelling style for tech buyers.
"Delightfully nerdy" is a great explainer storytelling style for tech buyers.

Technology buyers who are looking into a solution value insight on the buyer’s journey. That’s something video can deliver faster than any other medium. That’s why I’ve been advocating getting down in the weeds with a “delightfully nerdy” style of explainer storytelling — most recently here and here. Typical messaging about superior product features and benefits seldom […]

Why hire a pro to produce your tech solution marketing video?

Professionals with experience in creating tech solution marketing videos will employ an agile production process to deliver your video on time.

With so many DIY video tools and cheap production options for “explainer” or other type of tech solution marketing video, it’s reasonable to question the $5,000–$15,000 cost of a professional production studio. Here’s how professional specialists earn their fees. Viewer-friendly tech solution marketing video You’re involved in sales and marketing. That makes you an advocate […]

Does Virtual Reality have a place in IT marketing videos?

Virtual reality in tech videos?
In some ways VR is just another kind of video. In many ways, it isn't. But what might be its role in IT marketing videos?

I’ve always thought of making IT marketing videos as a semi-journalistic exercise — there’s no pretense as to objectivity, but the video certainly ought to communicate something true and worth knowing about. I recently attended a panel discussion at the New York Times on the future of virtual reality in traditional journalism. The Times preemptively grabbed the leadership […]

Share the enthusiasm in subject matter expert videos

Enthusiasm comes across in any video, but it's not often on view in technology marketing videos. Make it work for you in subject matter expert videos.
Enthusiasm comes across in any video, but it's not often on view in technology marketing videos. Make it work for you in subject matter expert videos.

What made Candace Payne’s Chewbacca Mom video so irresistible was sharing her enthusiasm. Shared enthusiasm obviously plays a big role in day-to-day buying decisions, too. Consumer marketing gets a big boost from customer video reviews, “influencer” tweets, tutorials on enthusiast websites, etc. B2B subject matter expert videos can share enthusiasm, too. Why don’t we see a lot of […]

“Socialize” your video content for tech buyers

Video content for tech buyers should recognize that most don't want to be marketed to. They are looking for ideas.

Most video content for tech buyers seems to ignore the fact that regular people spend more than 100,000,000 hours every day watching video on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has said he expects that Facebook will soon be 100% video. In other words, video is a medium used for everyday social communication. That makes sense — it’s just another thing […]