Between 2010 to 2011, Susan McLennan, owner of ReImaginePR, produced a video called Will to Survive. The video helped to become the voice for families of childhood cancer patients, who had long struggled for more awareness. The power of the video finally helped tip the balance when Canada proclaimed September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We asked McLennan to share some tips on using video and its connection to the media as its significance continues to grow in everyday storytelling.
1) Video forces PR companies to really think like news outlets.
- News content is story-driven.
- Does this content have a “heartbeat” at its core?
- Think about a client’s brand story not just as words, but consider it visually. Important to consider across the board since with Internet, everyone has websites, social and the ability to share video content.
2) Video connects you to people, causes and organizations like nothing else
can.
- By 2017, video content will be 69 percent of all web traffic.
- People prefer video content because it’s easier to digest.
- Forces you to hyper focus on a client’s value prop and communicate it simply/effectively.
- Forrester Research says that “If a picture paints 1,000 words then one minute of video is worth 1.8 million.”
3) Videos humanize brands and that’s critical because people buy from
people. They donate to people and they invest in people.
- Axonn Research found seven in 10 people view brands in a more positive light after watching interesting video content from them.
4) Video lets you rally your audience around your shared purpose and
values. If it’s done well, it lets people discover what it is you can do
for them instead of just telling them. That’s key. People value what they
discover more than they value what you say.
