Commentary

Every marketer knows that video is an integral part of marketing campaigns in 2021. Immediate benefits are evident – increased engagement, strategically building credibility for your brand, and higher ROI than other forms of media. But not every marketer knows the types of video that will perform well with their audience. 

It’s a common conundrum. We love to watch videos, and we know that video marketing works, but what kind of video content should we create?  

In this post series, I’m going to break down the different types of video content that works well with our audience at Gestalt IT, folks in the enterprise IT space, and I’ll let you know the who, what, when, where, and how to reach this group when creating your video content. 

First, let’s consider some stats: According to survey results from Wyzowl, The State of Video Marketing 2020, the most commonly-created types of video are:

• Explainer videos (72%)
• Presentation videos (49%)
• Testimonial videos (48%)
• Sales videos (42%)
• Video ads (42%)

Yet, did you read that one important phrase? “Most commonly-created” video.

This doesn’t mean that the videos created are the type of videos that the audience wants to watch. In fact, from the same survey, while 86% of people would like to see more video from brands, only 36% say they’d most like to see more educational/explainer video style content, with 14% wanting to see more (much longer) product demos.

So how do you figure out what YOUR audience wants to see? 

Video Type Matters 

In every area of our lives, we make the mistake of believing that others think the way we do. Watching video content is no different. While you love short TikTok videos and can’t fathom watching anything for longer than 10 minutes, your closest friend may have a propensity for digging into 4-hour long documentaries. You might watch a 1 minute “How To” video while others might need a 20-minute video plus a blog post to truly understand the topic. Clearly, everyone is different and the types of videos that resonate with you may not be the same types that your target audience would enjoy.   

Show Me the Data

As someone who has leveraged video in my marketing efforts since 2007, I was well aware that video content converts. I just had the belief that since attention spans are growing shorter year after year, all videos must be short. 

“The shorter the better!” I would tell people. “Make them exciting with music and scene changes every few seconds!” I would rail.  

My bias screamed while contradicting my personal experience. The truth was that when I was watching videos, I opted for 40-minute to 3-hour videos, usually with one person speaking, no fancy camera tricks, and not many distracting graphics or scene changes. This was a far cry from what I advocated in marketing circles. 

And even worse… I found that watching those long videos led to making buying decisions! I was literally voting with my cold, hard cash for super long videos, yet telling marketers that it was not worth it. I’ve since wised up, and was even delighted to be proven wrong again when I saw how Tech Field Day videos perform on YouTube. (More on that later… and wow! You’re going to be shocked about those stats!)

Point is, you’ve not only got to know your audience; you have to consider their preferences and behaviors, and this post series will show you all that I’ve learned about video marketing in the tech space.  

Bringing it Back Together 

Tune in to Part 2 in this series in which I’ll cover how to create videos for enterprise IT practitioners and prospective customers. I’ll go over video types, ideal length, metrics, examples, and much more. And if you haven’t subscribed to our newsletter, please visit this page to join our mailing list and be notified when the next post in this series comes out. 

Thanks for reading!

Trust is the foundation of every relationship, and once it’s broken, it’s very hard to get it back.

We’ve all experienced the heart-wrenching pain of friendships and personal relationships turned sour because of a breach of trust. We all instinctively know when those relationships reach a point of no return. Yet, we’re dumbfounded about how we contributed to the breakdown of those relationships, or how to keep them from going off the rails in the first place.

At work, it’s even more difficult to build and maintain trust in relationships. We’re thrown together with people who we may or may not like, and forced to interact and collaborate. Sometimes, everything comes together beautifully, like a well-rehearsed orchestra. But a lot of the time, the relationships, missing the element of trust, devolve into a cacophony of “he said”/“she said”, finger-pointing, and outright sabotage.

So how do we build mutually-beneficial work relationships with people on a basis of trust?

I’d argue that the best way to build trust is to be trustworthy. If you’re a shining example that people can put their confidence in, you’re likely to attract benevolent relationships, even at work.

Here are three ways to build rock-solid relationships with your coworkers and clients:

Be Honest

Nothing repels people more than knowing they’re being sold a bill of goods. If the person you’re dealing with senses your lack of honesty, you can kiss goodbye any chance of building a good relationship. Being honest doesn’t take much effort, but it does require you to open up, admit when you’re wrong, and even admit when you don’t know something. Your ego might fight this, but it’s the best way to strengthen your connection with others.

Putting on your “true” face and honestly showing up in a relationship can feel foreign if you’re used to wearing disguises to fit in. It’s downright scary to think that if you show the real you, you won’t be accepted. Yet, this authenticity is crucial in building strong relationships. You’ll feel freer to deal with the other person, and your genuineness will impact the other person in powerful ways. You’ll effectively give them the authority to be themselves, too. And a relationship like this, built on true connection, will absolutely flourish.

Give to Get

Have you ever known someone who believes everyone is out to get them? Maybe it’s one of your Facebook friends who goes on and on about “haters.” Or the coworker who tells you to be wary of an entire department because they had a bad experience with one person in the group. These people go through life with a lack of trust in other people which results in attracting exactly what they expect!

Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt right off the bat may sound a lot harder than it is, but once you commit to this, you’ll see dramatic results. Out of respect for another person’s humanity, it makes sense to offer them trust right away. Just like people can sense when you’re being dishonest, they can also feel the mixed message of a sneer behind a smile. When you treat people with automatic trust and hold the expectation that they are worthy of your trust, they generally rise to your perception.

Make Their Lives Easier

Especially over the last year, many of us have come to build an amazing relationship with Amazon. Yeah, it’s a company. And yes, some even think it’s an “evil monopoly.” But the reason that customers LOVE Amazon is that they have built a relationship based on trust. If Amazon was your life partner, their traits would be admirable. They listen to us, respond quickly, supply us with what we need, and get it right nearly every time. They make our lives easier by over-delivering, and this is the mindset you need when dealing with others at work.

Be completely dedicated to listening to, supporting, and serving others. In practical terms, remove the burden from them whenever and however you can.

Need to schedule a meeting? Don’t just ask them when they want to meet… suggest a few times.

Have you done some research for a project that your colleague could use in their work? Send it over to them with a smile.
Asking a question? Tell them everything you’ve tried before just launching a general query their way. And if you can, be sure to time your question so it doesn’t interrupt them in critical moments of focus.

You get the idea.

When your goal is to build trust, remember that respect goes a long way.

Summing It Up

Hopefully, this short list will make you think a little differently about building trust at work. From my experience, when I employ these techniques, I enjoy better relationships, built on strong foundations. It’s super simple to integrate these habits into your interactions with others, and I’m sure if you try, you’ll find that you experience better relationships both in your personal and professional life.

Let me know in the comments section if you have any other techniques to build trust with your colleagues.

Most of us have been recommended by someone from our LinkedIn network for jobs, joint ventures, or services. Yet, maximizing and leveraging LinkedIn remains a mystery to many people.

I’ve been a fan of LinkedIn for over a decade. While LinkedIn boasts that 3 people are hired through their platform every minute, it’s not just about getting jobs. Though truthfully, three of my most recent opportunities came directly from someone reaching out on LinkedIn, I see the platform’s value in other ways including:

• A place to keep up with past managers. We all get busy from time to time, but I’ve found that a quick note, like, or share of a post keeps me engaged with those VIPs from past jobs. This interaction keeps relationships fresh and top of mind when it’s time for advice or a reference later in your career.
• A way to befriend new people and stay in contact with old friends. As someone who doesn’t use Facebook, LinkedIn allows me to stay current with all of my associates and classmates. I’ve had one (unlisted) job opportunity and one joint venture come from keeping up with people on the platform.
• Social proof. A benefit of having a robust online presence and being connected with a wide range of people is that others you might not know are more keen to meet you based on “who you know.” This can be incredibly valuable.
• Warm fuzzies. Yep. I’m sure it’s not a huge deal to most people, but from what I’ve experienced, I get random “pick-me-ups” from my old coworkers, clients, and students on a regular basis. Some check in to tell me how things are going with them. Others reach out to reminisce and share a laugh. And still others connect to tell me what an impact I made on their lives (and that one last week is what inspired this post).

Also bear in mind that as my connections have ballooned to the almost 1K mark of people I didn’t request, yet sought out the connection, I’ve employed the techniques I share in the PDF on this page to maintain a presence and keep up with the great folks I’ve met along the way. I’m sure I could list more reasons to stay engaged on the social network, but my overriding message is to encourage you to stop using LinkedIn as an online resume.

Get the most out of the platform in only 30 minutes per week with this simple cheat sheet to manage all of your connections!

Download the cheat sheet now.

A wish among salespeople is to be presented with quality leads of folks who are ready to buy. While this desire is top of mind for a salesperson, it creates a tricky situation for marketers. I mean, if the marketer has done all of the work of preparing a customer to buy, then what’s the role of the salesperson? Are they even necessary?

This gives rise to a classic clash between marketing and sales teams within an organization. Salespeople believe that the marketing team isn’t providing “quality” leads. And the marketing team believes that they are doing their fair share by giving the sales team many “warm” leads to convert into buyers. Each team works off the assumption that the other is not doing enough, and this pervasive mindset is disastrous for the organization as both teams go to their respective corners to complain about the other side.

So, what can be done to bridge the gap between these two teams? Specifically, what can you, as a marketing professional, do to bridge that gap?

Step Out of Your Own Shoes

According to Accenture, in 2021, organizations will invest, on average, 10% of their annual revenue on marketing. Though strategies may differ, certain components are consistent throughout most marketing plans. What separates these marketing strategies from “snooze” to “success” is how much the marketing folks utilize their internal resources. And the primary internal resource within an organization is the knowledge of those on the front lines – the sales team. 

One reason that marketing teams cannot lead their targets to a sale is that they don’t consult with the sales team before developing their marketing strategy. Yet, no one in the organization knows more about the buyer journey than the people who work directly with customers. To develop a solid marketing strategy that hits all the right notes, a smart marketer will tap into this resource and use the knowledge from their coworkers to create campaigns that “get the click.”

Here are a few ways to help you connect with the sales team, build better relationships, and ultimately reach your sales and marketing goals:

Become Buddies 

When you meet a new person outside of work, you strengthen your bond by trying to understand one another and finding common ground. You personalize your experiences with this new person and view them as a unique individual. At work, however, we tend to look at our coworkers by their roles rather than who they are. This approach separates us and doesn’t allow the relationships fertile ground to flourish. However, if your goal is to be better at your job, you’ve got to think of your sales team members as individuals whose needs can be met by the services you provide. When you meet the needs of others, you’re in a better position to get your own needs met. So seek first to become buddies, and you’ll lay the groundwork for both of you getting what you want out of the relationship.

Ask the Right Questions  

Great salespeople are not those who yak all the time; the best salespeople are those who listen more than they speak. They ask relevant, leading questions to turn browsers into buyers. It’s an art, really, and you, as a marketer, can use this approach to get answers that will help your marketing efforts thrive.

When talking to the salespeople on your team, ask questions such as:

– What are the main reasons why people don’t buy?

– Which obstacles stand in your way of making a sale?

– What are your competitors doing that our team doesn’t do?

– Who are your best/favorite customers, and why did they decide to buy?

By opening a dialogue with members of the sales team, you will uncover valuable info to help guide your marketing strategy.

Check In and Build Trust 

While you don’t want to run every little detail by your sales team – such as what images and colors to use in your marketing collateral – it makes sense to check in with sales team members to find out if your assets hit the mark. You could ask them about what messages resonate with them personally, or what they think is missing from your campaign. Though you don’t need to act on every piece of advice the salesperson gives you, by incorporating even a few suggestions into your plans, you’ll build trust and the relationship.

Lead the Way

In an ideal world, both marketing and sales teams would be brought together in the early stages of marketing planning under the direction of a business leader. While your organization may be segmented, with different teams playing their roles in silos, the business would benefit from joint planning meetings between sales and marketing. With a clear understanding of what your org needs, a business leader can bridge the gap between these complementary, yet sometimes competing, teams.

Yet the world is anything but ideal, so it’s up to you to develop a relationship with sales folks to reach your goals. Employing empathy, looking for common ground, and building trust with the salespeople in your organization will help you achieve far greater results than doing it alone.

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If you haven’t seen the video of Tiffany Lardomita and Eric Younkin discussing how Marketing and Sales teams can support one another, please check it out here.