Want To Use Video Effectively? Don't Miss This Guest Episode With Elliot Hornell – Episode 38

Why in 2022 is video such a big deal? I mean, you said at the start of the conversation that, you know, every year is going to be the year of video now. I think video is is growing exponentially, but is there anything, any sort of compelling story as to why? Anybody listening to this should not just shrug the shoulders and go, I'm not going to bother with video.

There are just so many stats that encourage people to be doing more with video because of the potential power of video content, and as we are more online, it is the next best thing to being there in person is to create a video. There are many reasons why you would want to do it, but mainly you need to think about. It's because that's what your audience wants. That's what they're looking for. It's also because your competitors are doing it, and if they're not doing it, they're thinking about it. There's also SEO reasons, you know, a website that's got a video on it. It's something crazy, like fifty times more likely to appear on page one than if it didn't have any visual content. I mean, just that fact alone, you know?

Welcome back to Digital Marketing From The Coalface. Uh, delighted this week. This week, not really this week because we've already done one this week. Delighted in this episode. Anyway, to have, um, Elliot Hornell, a video strategist and head honcho at Reach Video. Elliot, uh, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you Dave. Delighted to be here.

Uh, what we're going to try and get out of today's podcast, um, is a really sort of deep dive into, uh, video how you use it, uh, you know, some good practices, how to think about video rather than just start recording video, how to think about it in a, in a completely different way, in a strategic way. Um, because I don't know what you think, Elliot, but I mean, certainly in 2022, I think there's going to be a whole load of businesses are going to want to use more video because all of the stats are pointing towards use more video. People love video. Would that be right?

Yeah, I think so. I mean, we we laugh because it seems that every year is is going to be the year of video. Um, and we've been saying that for several years now. Um, but yeah, I think there is definitely an understanding that, um, businesses, companies need to be doing more video. Um, but there lies the problem and it's not just any old video will do, but um, the right videos.

That's right. Okay. So why don't we start by you setting out your stall so that people know why they should be really interested to listen to what you've got to say. So who you are, your company. Brief overview of how you got from where you were, wherever that was to where you are now.

Yeah. Of course. So, um, I've been working in TV and video production for well over twenty years, maybe even twenty five years now. Um, originally started way back in my career as a TV cameraman, um, apprentice, TV cameraman. And then, um, full time TV cameraman working on news. Um, I've also spent a fair bit of time working in corporate video production, um, mainly in Aberdeen. Um, so.

How did you find that? Did you enjoy that? Was that an enjoyable experience working in corporate video or was it a bit dry? What was it like?

It was, it was, it was good for me. Um, I think when you, when you work in news, um, there's very much an existing process there that everybody understands and you, you work to that and you don't tend to deviate out with that process. Um, whereas um, in corporate video, there was much more, um, much more scope to sort of work out with the boundaries, um, and try new things. Um, and being based in Aberdeen, um, at the time, there was a lot of oil and gas related content. Um, and some of the budgets were actually pretty healthy as well. So that that also offered the opportunity for a little bit more creativity. Um, so it was, it was good for my development. Yeah, absolutely.

Sounds like it. Yeah.

Okay. Um, and then.

Continuing on from that.

Yeah. So most recently, um, I actually became freelance, uh, almost ten years ago now, um, and tended and sort of went back into doing a lot more sort of TV content, but alongside that, um, corporate videos, videos for business. Um, and there was this kind of general realisation that businesses understand the need for video content, but don't necessarily understand how to do it properly. Um, the right videos. Um, I think, um, the idea of having a corporate video made ten, twenty years ago was about having one video made that did everything? Um, times have changed now and there needs to be specific content created for specific business objectives. So that realisation is why I formed reach video almost two years ago now. Um, and we call ourselves a strategy first video production company.

Yep. So we, Julie and I in the last podcast were talking last but one podcast. We're talking about social media and how a lot of businesses have this thing that they think we need to use social media more and they can almost it's almost like a writer thinking the starting point for writing a book is to open up their computer, open up word or whatever application they want to use, stare at a blank screen and wait for the inspiration to come. Um, and you know, with social media, if you, if you don't have a strategy, if you don't understand who you're trying to reach, what you're trying to, what, what impression you want to leave with them, what you want them to think and feel about your brand and your business. Then you're really going to struggle. And I think you're coming at video from a similar place. Would that be right?

Yeah, that is right. Um, I think there's, there's, there's often an approach that we need to be doing video. Let's go make a video. Um, it has now become very easy to make your own video. Um, you know, everyone's got a smartphone in their pocket that they can, that they can use to record video. It has become much more easy for, for, um, the ability to record videos, but you need to take a step back. Um, before, before the production phase, there has to be a strategic phase where you plan out exactly what you want to do, why you want to be using a video in the first place. Um, what you hope that's going to achieve for you? Um, what audience are you hoping to speak to? Who's your target market, making sure that you have those those details nailed down before you ever press record.

Sure. So this, this idea of the strategic approach, just like with all aspects of digital marketing, I mean, do you start with like, who are you trying to speak to? Who are you trying to reach with the video? Is that is that a decent starting point? Yeah, for personas, we would call them.

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I think there's, there's a lot of correlation to a digital marketing strategy. Um, as there is to a, a video production, um, strategy strategy. I think that, um, generally we would run through sort of four key steps, um, clarify what you want to achieve, um, identify who you want to serve in your business, who is your audience? Then work out how that audience can be reached and that, that, um, encompasses the actual content, what content will resonate most with them and also where you're going to put it. So what's your distribution strategy? And then finally determine how are you going to measure success. What is success? What are you hoping to achieve with it? Um, and identify metrics that you can use once the video is online, that metrics that you can use to measure whether that has been a success or not. So that's the four key steps.

I love that. I mean, the metrics idea. I mean that's the beauty of, of what we do. What you do, what we do is we can measure the effectiveness of what we're doing. However, I would imagine, you know, if, if somebody said, well, I'll consider this project effective. If a thousand people view it, is that a good metric or is that like just a vanity metric?

Yes and no. Um, it's a good place to start. Um, we tend to think along sort of five different metrics for video. Um, don't have to go to them into them all. But the first one is reach. Um, how many people have seen it? Um, depending on which platform you're on, obviously what, what counts as a view can be, can be different. Um, but it's a good place to start. Obviously you need, you need that content to be presented in front of people to begin with. So you do need the views, but from there, um, you'd be wanting to measure such metrics as engagement. Um, have they, have they engaged with the content? Have they liked it, have they shared it, have they commented on it? Um, and then have they taken that action, that desired action, whatever that may be. Um, it may be just, um, that you're looking to raise awareness, which case, um, a decent watch time. Um, you know, most of the video was watched. So that's that's enough. But you might also be wanting them to to then click on to the next stage, whatever that might be. Fill out this contact form. Sign up to a mailing list. Buy this product. Have they done that? Have they taken that desired action? So you need to be. Again, it all comes back to strategy. What are you trying to achieve? And then was that achieved.

Okay. Um is it always the case that we are able to get access to metrics. Is it is it sometimes just a bit hit and hope? Is it I can't really I can't really find the words to get across what I'm trying to ask. Um.

I think the beauty of online video and digital video is that there are so many metrics that you can now, um, have access to, um, if you are posting your video on Facebook or you're posting your video on Instagram or YouTube, they've all got their own, um, metrics that you can look back on and, um, try to interpret. But there also lies the problem because we speak about the metrics that matter. There is so much information there that sometimes it can be a little bit overwhelming and you end up sort of looking at the wrong things and not understanding exactly what all this information means. Um, so it's again, it all comes back to strategy. Decide which metrics you will measure before you ever post that video. And, um, then use that to inform whether that content was a success or not.

Okay. And do you find that when people contact you? Um, let me rewind. When people contact us, um, sometimes they contact us because they want a very specific service. Like they might say, oh, you know, we need you to, uh, we need search engine optimisation. Our website doesn't get found in Google. We need somebody to do search engine optimisation. When we then have a conversation with them and we, we lay out what's involved in that. And it's people, some people think that their search engine optimisation is broken. Can you please fix it? You know, can you just come and fix the search, the SEO and then we're sorted. And once we broaden the conversation out, that that can almost be for some people off putting because suddenly, you know, they thought like, well, you know, if I go jogging, if I do two or three, five K's, that should be me. I should be able to do a marathon. And then somebody sits them down and says, if you do that, you'll probably kill yourself. You can't do that. This is what you actually need to do, and it's going to take six months. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm asking. I mean, people are you sort of having conversations and even potentially losing gigs because your approach is not what they expected, not what they were buying or thought they were buying into.

Yes, yes. Um, I totally get where you're coming from. Um, you know that there has been and it is gradually changing. There has been this um the initial contact would be I need a video and then you go, okay, you need a video. Why do you need your video? You try to talk to them about, uh, strategy and they say, look, I just need a video. Um, I know that I can, I can go somewhere else and they'll just make me a video. That's all I want. Just give me that video, you know?

Um, mhm.

But as people have now been through that stage, they have the video, they've tried it, it hasn't achieved the results that they were, they were hoping for. So they're beginning to come around. Well, actually, maybe there is more to it than just posting any old content there and hoping for the best. Um, so yeah, it is beginning to change, I think. And, um, there is this understanding that there's more to it than just pressing record and hoping for the best.

And how often do people come to you? And when you tell them, like, this is how I approach video, they say something like, thank goodness for that, because we've spoken to a bunch of idiots who just had no idea at all. Your approach is exactly what we're looking for.

Yeah. Um, not not always. Not always. Um.

But it was another way of asking the same question. Really?

Yeah. I mean, that's, that's what I hope for, obviously. Uh, as I say, I think there is, there is beginning to be an understanding that, you know, it takes more than just turning up. Um, you know, like you're running analogy, um, most people would understand that you can't just go and run a marathon straight away. You do need to put in some training beforehand. You do have to have a plan. Um, it's not, you know, I think in, other aspects of business, the idea of of having a strategy or a plan is not a foreign concept. Um, but for some reason it has been forgotten about when it comes to video. Um, possibly because they don't know what is involved. There's this kind of overwhelm. I don't know how to go about it. So why don't I just go and press record and see what works. Um fair enough. But, um, we can sort of help you, um, not make those initial mistakes and kind of leapfrog that initial, um, uh, fact finding and, you know, going straight into discovery. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, it's, you know, I think, um, especially for a small business, um, you can't really afford the time to get it wrong. Um, you can't, um. And it is time, you know, stop wasting your time making ineffective videos and start making them effective just by taking a little bit of time up front to understand exactly what you're doing. Um, can make a massive difference.

Oh for sure. Yeah. And we've got a customer we've been working with for um, about six, seven, eight months, something like that. And, and right from the very first contact they made with us and interestingly, they sent us an invitation to tender. Now, we rarely respond to invitations to tender because we just need more, more contact with and in conversations with customers than invitations to tender generally afford you. So we. But right from the first, right from the get go, they were. The language they were using was we need a partner. We know we don't understand this stuff. We need somebody who can help us and guide us and take us on a journey. And it was just like, wow. You know, as soon as I read it, I thought, well, we're definitely responding to this. We got the we got the gig, and we're having such a good time working with these guys. It's hard work. It's a tough gig in many respects, but we're working as a team and it's just a great experience.

Yeah, great. I mean, that sounds that sounds ideal. That is. I suppose that is your your ideal customer. That's what you want. That's what a lot of my, um, my own content is sort of encouraging.

Um, yeah.

My prospects to, to think that way. Um, don't just come to me and say I need a video. Obviously you can do that too, but you know, it would be great if you came to me and said, I need a video because this is what I want to achieve. Can you help me achieve that?

And if somebody comes to you and says even further back from that, if they say, look, we actually haven't got a clue how to use video, but everybody's talking about video. We're hearing it everywhere we go. We're seeing our competitors using video or by the way, we actually think what they're doing is rubbish, but we just need somebody to help us with this. I guess that would just be the the crowning glory. That would be an almost perfect gig for you.

Yeah, I, of course, I mean, it's that would be where we would probably we use this a tool that we call a marketing needs analysis. Um, and it's basically just, um, a short questionnaire where we ask certain pertinent questions, um, of the prospective client, um, about their existing existing content, um, how their ideal market engages with them. Um, and that is designed to um, ascertain where they can use content most effectively. Um, do they, do they have a problem at the awareness stage? Is it the fact that there's not enough people know about them? Let's create a content to raise awareness. Maybe they have good awareness, but they're not moving the the prospective client onto the next stage of, of, um, a conversion. So let's create content that will help them with, with that aspect. Um, so it's, yeah, it's just about ascertaining where they can use video most effectively. I think I said before, it's not the case of now just creating one piece of content, um, and hoping that it does everything, um, you need to be strategic and you need to ascertain, um, what type of content will work best for you.

Got you. Yeah. I think, and I don't know if you have any issues overcoming this, but I think there is probably a perception, certainly in Aberdeen, that there's a history in Aberdeen. and you alluded to it earlier of big production, big budget corporate videos. And we've all been exposed to some of those corporate videos and good, good, bad and indifferent. So the the budgets that were associated with those productions were significant. I mean, you know, you, you would be five to ten grand for starters, you would be twenty, thirty, forty, fifty grand on some of them. And way beyond that. I'm sure you're talking like serious amounts of money. So is there a perception and is that perception right or wrong? That video is expensive.

Yes. Um, I think there still is that perception. Um, and obviously, um, that does need to change because it doesn't need to be expensive. Um, I still think that, um, you know, dependent on, on the complexity and, and um, the type of video that you're creating. It can still be expensive, but you would only create that type of content if you felt that it was going to provide you a decent enough return. Um, and that again, I keep saying it, but it all goes back to strategy. What are you trying to achieve and what is that worth to the business and, and set your budget on those types of, of questions. Um, and then, then, you know, um, you, you know, there's no point in making content that's not going to work for you. Um, and by working for you, I mean that you get out of turn, um, so that yes, they, they can be expensive in monetary value, but they should be seen as an investment. Um, so it's worth spending the money because it's going to mean that we achieve this result.

Okay. But broadly speaking, a lot of videos that are produced now, a lot of the video work doesn't fall into the big budget, big production category. It's like, you know, if you're thinking, oh, well, there's no point even considering video because I'm going to need ten grand of a budget. That's not the case, is it?

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And, you know, especially these days where it can be so easy to, to create content, um, with fairly minimal kit. Um, the, we tend to think of it as, um, I'll try and explain this. It doesn't always work in audio only. It's usually like to show this, but we, we think about the, um, the, the inverse rule of, of video production, um, to, um, to kind of ascertain your budget. Whereas you at the, at the early stages when you're first getting to know your prospect and they're first getting to know you at that, um, awareness stage. Um, you've maybe only got one or two key pieces of content. Um, but that content should last for quite some time. If it's done properly, you maybe want to be spending a little bit more money on those because you want them to last. And that's like.

What we might call evergreen content.

Evergreen. Yeah, absolutely. And it's, it's, you know, you know, you can liken it to your first date. You want to create, um, a good first impression. Um, you maybe go out to a fancy restaurant that you wouldn't normally go to, let's say. Um, and so this is.

I went, I went out and bought a blazer a specially for my first date. I bought a new pair of corduroy Levi's for my first. And this is my first date with, with Caron who sat across the office. And we've now been together for twenty years. So yeah, put some effort into that first date. It's well worth it.

The blazer worked. Yeah. Great. And, um, but then as you got to know Caron, the blazer probably wasn't needed as much. So you're spending less. You're spending less money as you as you work your way along that journey, let's say.

Yeah.

But you're, you're, you are probably going out on more dates. You're having more interactions. Um, so you're possibly creating more content, but that content isn't, isn't the high budget content as sure. Previous. Um, and that works its way down to, um, to the conversion stages and the, um, advocacy, um, stages of the customer journey where you're creating much more content, but that content can be, can be next to no budget type content, possibly even do it yourself content.

I think that's a really good point that you raise. And we talk quite a lot in, um, in digital marketing circles about content at scale. And I think it's important. Like, you know, we're having this conversation now, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I think the great thing about doing podcasts with guests is that you get to learn stuff. And this is fantastic. I'm really enjoying it. But you know, there's the opportunity with this one to either do, we could do a transcript. There's some written content, the subjects that we're talking about, which are blog posts on their own, and there will be snippets of the podcast that we could push out on social media to tease people in, into the, into, you know, it's this, this idea that you know, that you're talking about, but you might have something like a bigger production at the start, but that in itself will just have so many assets that can be created from it.

Yeah, yeah.

I again, we talk about repurposing content. Um, and, and just making that content work, um, as well as it possibly can for you. So yeah, from a, from a, a larger, a three minute brand story video via top of funnel content. Your flagship content you you can like you say, um, I cut that down. Create shorter cuts for social media, perhaps, uh, take snippets out for, um, for sound bites. Um, you can create a blog post from some of the content. You know, it's, again, this is something that that needs to be at least discussed before recording so that you have a plan in place, um, for how to make the most of that content. And yeah, I mean, it does, I think for most listeners to this would understand that, um, it's not just about, um, you know, it's about having a strategy for using that content across various different platforms and not just one piece of content that you hope to do everything. Okay.

Moving, uh, conversation on just a little bit. I mean, we're talking about the how the strategy, the whole bigger picture piece, which is fantastic. Um, but, you know, why should people even care? I mean, what are the stats saying? I don't want exact stats, but I mean, broadly speaking, you know why in 2022 is, is video such a big deal? I mean, you said at the start of the conversation or it might have been in the preamble actually before we actually started recording that, you know, every year is going to be the year of video. Now, I think video is is growing exponentially. But I mean, is there anything, any sort of compelling story as to why anybody listened to this should not just shrug the shoulders and go, I'm not going to bother with video.

Yeah. I mean, there are just so many stats that, um, I don't even remember most of them, but so many stats that, um, that encourage people to be doing more with video create content that is, um, because of, because of the potential power of video content. And as, as we are more online, um, it is the next best thing to, to being there in person is to create a video. Um, yep. It's. There are many reasons why you would want to do it. Um, but mainly you need to think about it's because that's what your audience wants. That's what they're looking for. Um, yep. Studies have shown that, um, that most people will prefer to watch a video rather than read something when they're trying to find out some information about a particular product or service. Um, it's also because your competitors are doing it. And if they're not doing it, they're thinking about it. Um, so are you going to wait for them or are you going to try and steal a march on them and and, um, set yourself apart. Um, I mean, there's so many different reasons. There's, you know, there's also SEO reasons, you know, um, uh, a website that's got a video on it is something like something crazy, like fifty times more likely to appear on page one than if it didn't have any video content. I mean, just that fact alone, you know, it's, uh, yeah.

That's right. And in terms of, of making your content more sticky, keeping people exposed to your brand for longer, uh, the videos, you know, they just, they're always going to be, um, way more powerful than the written word. I mean, we're all time poor. So, so we're told and you can communicate so much information. I mean, for example, if you know, a typical sort of forty minute, uh, podcast, um, which is way longer than most of the videos that we'd be producing, but that will produce ten to fifteen thousand words of content. You know, there's no way in a in forty minutes I can sit down and write. That that that much content, you know, that's that's compelling and interesting and all. Right. A transcript isn't a blog post. The way we speak is very different to the to the written word. But I guess sort of back to that idea of content at scale, it's the content that you, that your customers want. I mean, YouTube, I know it's a much hackneyed kind of, uh, stat, but is it the second biggest search engine? You know, I know that when I'm thinking any major purchase I've bought and I've said this in the last podcast, any major purchase I've made in the last two years has involved watching videos, review videos, not talking about tiny purchases. I'm talking about significant purchases, but every single time.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, just just to find out information. It has become the norm that let's watch a video about it. Um, how, how do I do this thing that I want to do? Um, here's a problem that I've got. How do I solve it? There'll be a video. Um, and you either search that on Google and it presents videos from YouTube or you go straight to YouTube. Um, um, but it's also that video is more memorable. People remember what they've watched way more. I mean, something ridiculous, like ninety percent more memorable than, than if they were just to read, um, a piece of text. Um, so they retain the information in your videos longer. Um, so there's another reason there are so many reasons that I, I don't think that, that people need to be convinced anymore. I think they get it. I think people do generally understand video needs to play a key role in our marketing content, not just that, but also, you know, internal communications, um, A communicating with anyone. People understand that video content should play a key role in that. But there lies the problem. It's that how do we go about it? You know, it's, um, overwhelm.

One of the things I do a lot, if somebody asks, someone asked me a question, the first thing I'll think about is, can I do a screen grab video? It might be even a piece to camera, but nine times out of ten, a screen grab video to show them how to solve the problem. Now, I know that's not the kind of videos necessarily that we're talking about today, where you're actually shooting videos in the, in the traditional sense of the word. But even that as a video communication and the number of times I get a ping back from somebody and they say, oh, wow, that was brilliant. Thank you. It was 30s. You showed me exactly what I need to do and I now get it. And that would have taken like forever back and forth and even a conversation over the phone. No, no, not that button. Click. No, no, no, click that button. You know. So yeah, even even using it in your everyday life to, as a, as a sort of customer service tool can be really.

Yeah. Just that, just that even that there's um there's a chap called Marcus Sheridan who um.

They ask you answer.

Yes, it's, it's just, it's just great. It's just a great concept that if your prospective clients have a question, then make sure that you're answering that question. And it can be as simple as how do I do this? Um, so just create content that answers it. That's, you know, it's simple. If you, you know, to use your example, if, if that person was there in the room with you, you would go over to them and you would say, do this, do that. Look, this is how you do it. Um, but if you're not able to do that, then the next best thing is to record a video that says, do this, do that show and tell, you know, it's not, it's not just tell, but show and tell.

I think it's increasingly being used in the, um, in the sales process. The use of video in the sales process. And that, that comes down to probably more customised content. And I think we'll, we'll, maybe there's a question I've got for you. Not quite yet about, um, about that kind of content. But if we just think now, uh, in order to give people some, some actionable, uh, help, let's assume that we've got people listening to this, that they've got like, maybe they're a brand new business and their money is really tight. So they're going to have a go at this themselves. Um, so what are some of the common mistakes that people make when they have a go at doing video? Because we do see people who've grabbed the phone out of the pocket, shot a video and, and it's fantastic. You know, it's, it's like, wow, great job, you know, but what are some of the common mistakes people make?

Okay. Uh, it will be no surprise to hear that they haven't thought about it first. Um, there is no plan. There is no strategy. Um, that's obviously mistake number one. Um, yeah. And that, that means that the content that you produce has no purpose. Um, so that aside, some of the other things that are possibly trying to say too much, um, having multiple purposes for just the one video, it's, it should always be one video, one purpose or one purpose, one video. Um, um, so don't try to say too much if you've got a lot of different things you want to say, then possibly create more than one video. Um, then I'll not get on to the technical aspects because obviously that, you know, that that plays an issue, but it's, it's not the most important thing. Content is king. Um, is if, if you are creating content that people, um, are interested in, then they will allow you a certain amount of, um technical problems. Um, so long as it doesn't, it isn't so bad that it detracts from the message. You know they can't hear you properly or they can't see you properly. Um, then as long as the content is good, then then um, they will allow you that um other.

one of my, I have an interest, uh, just on that subject, I have an interest in photography. I've been interested in photography way back to when I used to process my own black and white films and print my own black and white pictures and all that, and electrocuted myself once with the, um, with, with the equipment. And, uh, luckily I'm obviously survived because I'm still here, but that was quite an experience. But I did used to like listen to what photographers were saying and a favourite photographer of mine, Elliott Erwitt, he's attributed to saying, um, the number one tip with photography is F8 and be there. So if you, if you're there and you get the shot and you get, or you get the video or what I'm asking really, does that kind of apply sometimes to video as well? You were there, you, you grab the phone, you shot the video, and you've got that piece of content. Yeah.

Yeah, I mean that that's it. I, you know, if, if you're, if you're wanting to be authentic and, um, you know, sort of build a relationship with your prospects, then that sort of in the moment, um.

Um.

I whip your phone out type idea. Um, it can be very effective, um, rather than missing that moment because you want it to go back and then write a script and then set up your lighting and set up your audio. Maybe that moments passed. So yeah, absolutely. It's it, it is better to be creating some content rather than nothing at all. You know, don't let the, don't let the, um, the planning process get in the way of not doing it at all. Um, that would be a mistake. Um, but just by, by, just by just. retaining these thoughts in your head. What am I trying to do? Why am I doing this? What do I hope to achieve from it? Um, then you can make your your videos much more effective.

Yeah. And I think going back to your Marcus Sheridan piece, you know, they ask you answer. So making your videos all about your customer, all about them, all about their problem, like totally what's in it for me? Not sorry. So totally what's in it for them and not what's in it for me? I mean, we all see videos in our timelines on LinkedIn, for example, you know, and as soon as the video starts, you know, I'm just, I'm really proud to announce that I stop, I've moved on. I'm not interested, you know, and I know that sounds really callous, but it, you know, I've, I've got a million other things to do and so does everybody else. So it's they're just not ever going to work particularly well. Um go on. Sorry. You're going to say something.

Yeah. No that's absolutely agree. That would be one thing that um a lot of people do still get wrong is that they speak about themselves, um, and not with the audience in mind. What are the audience interested in? Um, what will resonate most with them? Um, it's not necessarily what will resonate most with you. It's not something that's, it's not about you, it's about them. Um, if you start off speaking about yourself too much, then um, you know, they lose interest.

Um, yeah, we would say that in like when we're talking to customers about, about website gigs, for example, we would say something like, you know, everywhere where you start something with, we change it, start it with you and rewrite it around that you're using that angle instead. Um, I mean, clearly to get a great use out of video. Um, I think using, uh, professional services like yours is, is paramount. It's really important. But when I was speaking earlier, I said that like video can play a part in the sales Process. So that would suggest that having some sort of in-house capability for creating video snippets, little things that might get dropped into the sales process would be a good idea. And on that subject, have you ever helped businesses set up a very basic studio? Advise them on equipment, show them how to use it so that you can you can provide the really clever stuff. And they can actually do a lot of the content acquisition side of things perhaps.

Yeah, I have not. Not often. But yeah, it's it's certainly something I think the idea of having someone in-house, um, to produce your content, um, is something that will, will probably increase, um, in the next few years. Um, I think as businesses create more and more content, um, there will be a requirement for that to be to be more regular and more, consistent sources have have someone in-house to to do that. Um will will um, obviously be an advantage. Um, but this is where people do sometimes then get bogged down in the kit. So we don't have the kit. We'll need to buy a new camera. We'll need to buy lighting, we'll need to buy that. And again, they, they forget about the, the planning stage. Um, you could hire a videographer um. Into your staff, but you still that, that person will not be doing it on their own. They have to have buy in from the rest of the company, um, from the marketing department, from the sales department. Um, so that they are creating the right content that will support that business.

Yeah. And that's one of the ways where you're uniquely positioned. I mean, I think it's fair to say that you. I mean, I know you were down, I think. Well, I don't know if you were down. You were down in Glasgow at the cop event, weren't you? You were, you were working as a as a as a camera operative man person. Can I say cameraman?

Yeah.

Well, camera person.

This is the thing. I am a cameraman and I am a man. Yeah. But, um, um, I I'm, I'm actually a member of the Guild of Television Camera professionals. Um, okay. So they were once called the Guild of Television cameramen. So, um, you can call me a camera operative or a camera professional if you wish.

Operative doesn't sound right because there's way more to it than that. So although I think you're uniquely positioned because although yeah, you know, ITV or BBC could could give you an assignment and say we need somebody to go and shoot some video or shoot, shoot a, you know, a live situation for us, but you're actually, you know, what's really, um, interests you and the value that you bring is the, the, the really deep knowledge of video and the mega interesting strategy in bringing those two things together. And I think although there are I mean, there are websites where you can literally go and hire a freelance lens and say, go to this place, shoot this, shoot these shots, shoot these angles and send me the footage and they'll just go and do that. And that's fine. Um, but getting somebody like you involved means you're going to get way more from it.

Yeah. Um, I certainly hope so. I mean, you know, we, we sort of internally speaking about, you know, um, do you just want to hire a tripod? Is it just someone who will hold that camera? Um, and you direct them? Um, or do you want someone who will actually use their experience to, to. Yeah. And, and have an input into creating the best content for you. Um, I guess it's like hiring a tradesperson. Um, you know, you don't, you don't hire a painter and decorator and take him around and saying, okay, painting this bit here. Now you kind of trust that that they're going to know what to do for the best. Um. Yeah.

Got you. Um, I've got to ask this question. I mean, obviously you're a professional cameraman. You're a video strategist and everything else. But give me an example of something that just went spectacularly wrong. Yeah. Totally wrong. If you've if you've got any, if you've got any examples of like, I mean, you know, a video shoot, I mean, from the, from the video stuff that we've done, the video shoots are the dynamic situations. Um, you know, obviously you can do all the planning in the world, but I mean, we all love TV bloopers, don't we? So I mean, I'm just, I'm only asking if you've.

Got.

Anything that comes.

To mind. Honestly, there's, there's nothing that totally springs to mind like that. That wasn't that wasn't able to cover for, you know, there are, you know, there are stories, all stories, especially news. You know, you go off to a job and then you realise your camera's not in the back of the car and you've got to go back for it and things like that. But, but you usually get away with that. Um, you know, obviously forgetting pieces of, you know, pieces of vital kit can, is, is something that you that would keep me awake all the time. Really? You just worry about that all the time. Um, but in terms of, you know, sort of, I've, I've certainly worked on, on very large, high budget productions that have been completed and then go nowhere. I mean, that is yeah, that is, um, you know.

That is unbelievable, isn't it?

Yeah. You know, you know, I won't, uh, within, within certain large organisations, the idea that they had for, for creating that video, um, way back, um, by the time that it's made. They've moved on to something else. And that video was never, ever released. And that to me, um, is a huge disappointment because it's just like, what a waste of time. But also because.

Yeah, absolutely.

There was probably nothing wrong with, with that particular, you know, that particular piece of content, that particular video. Um, but it just wasn't relevant anymore. Um, or, you know, the main characters moved on and you know, that's it.

One of the, um, another, another question, but from my point of view, I mean, I've spoken about this before. We've, we've got a customer who restore, uh, classic Aston Martins. Uh, what's not to like about a DB five, for example. And as part of that, uh, part of that gig, um, when I go down there, just in Bromley near Bromley, so down in, uh, when I go down to see them, um, we sometimes go out in the cars and we shoot some video. I, I'll record Tim, uh, one of the owners of the business test driving and debugging and that. So that's a lot of fun. Um, what's the, the most fun you've ever had shooting a video?

The most fun I've had. Well, I think rather than being specific, what, what I really enjoy about, uh, my career as a cameraman is, is the access that, that it can get you, um, you get access to certain places and events that you wouldn't normally get. Um, you can be backstage at a, a large pop concert. You can be, you can be in, um, a, a press conference with a Hollywood star or a football star or whatever. Um, you, you know, you, you get access into events that people pay a lot of money for and you're there because you've got a cameraman, you know, because you're a camera and that's, um that, that, um, that's something that I most enjoy. So that, um, you know, meeting people, you know, meeting people that, um, that, you know, are not just celebrities, but are, but, you know, but are, um, genuinely nice people to meet. I actually just quite recently, um, did a job with, with Joanna Lumley who um, all right, you know, big star, um, one of the kind of icons of, of, of British television and TV.

And yeah.

You know, and then you, you, you, you meet her and she's, she's just as lovely as you as you think she would be, you know, and that's, that's you think thank goodness, you know, you know, she's not just putting on an act. She is really that nice. Um, so yeah, those, you know, those types of things are, are, um, you know, it is a privilege. Um, last year I was, um, through my work, I sometimes work with with landlord, the BBC Scotland programme and um during.

His Dougie Vipond do.

Yes, that's right, that's right. Yeah. During the lockdown last year when all the ski runs were closed. Um, I don't know if you remember, but we, we had a lot of snow and, and it was, it was, there were ideal conditions, um up in the hills for skiing and snowboarding. And um, the story obviously was what a shame. You know, we've got all this snow. It's never looked so good and yet, um, nobody can get here. But of course we could go there because we were doing a story on it. So just, you know, being able to, to see that sort of um on unspoilt um, location, it was, it was just, it was just beautiful. And not many people get the opportunity to do that.

Totally. Yeah. That's great. Listen, is there anything that we haven't talked about. I mean, to recap, we've talked about the whole strategy first approach to video and understanding that side of things. Nailing that side of things is going to almost guarantee you're going to get a positive outcome. But is there anything as we as we wind up our chat, anything that we haven't talked about that we should have?

No, I don't think so. I think I think the point is, yeah, you know, I've I've stressed that you need to be strategic in your approach, but it doesn't have to be difficult. You know, it's, um, it's just simply working out where we are, where do we want to get to and planning a route to get you there. Um, it's just, you know, you wouldn't get in your car, um, without an idea of where you wanted to head to and how you were going to get there. And that is simply all that a video strategy is. So don't stress about, oh, um, I was going to make a video, but now I've got to go through this strategy process You know what? I might not bother. Um, it's just simply just taking a step back and working out exactly what it is that you're trying to achieve. Um, and that can make such a huge difference, but it doesn't have to be complicated.

Okay. And if people want to get in touch with you, Elliot, um, what's best, how best to get in touch with you to have a conversation about how you can help them with their video output.

So I would encourage them to visit my website. First of all, reach video dot co dot UK. Um, I must say at the time of recording the video is is under construction. The website's under construction. There is a website there right now, but it's, but it's um, it is, it is up for um, um renovation hopefully, hopefully, um, not too far away. And, and by the time they listen to this, it might be ready. Um, LinkedIn, um, Elliot Hornell on LinkedIn. I'm always keen to connect. I've also got a free e-book, which I wrote not that long ago, which covers a lot of the things that we've just spoken about, how to use video effectively within your business and.

How do people get that? Do they get that from the website or do they need to get in touch?

Yeah.

That's great. Perfect. Okay, so you've been listening to Digital Marketing From The Coalface with me, Dave Robinson from Red Evolution and Elliot Hornell from Reach Video. I've really enjoyed this. I hope you've enjoyed it too. And you're now starting to think differently about how you do video. If you want to have a really good conversation about video for your company, don't hesitate to get in touch with Elliot. Um. In the meantime, uh, Elliot, it's been fantastic. I've really enjoyed it. Thanks very much. And it's goodbye from me.

And it's goodbye from me.

Great stuff. Cheers.

No problem. Dave, thank you very much. Most enjoyable.