Every company has a visual story to tell. Every. Single. One. And this year, we want you to start thinking of how to share your company, your talent, your product, your services through video.  We’re not talking ads (honestly who watches anything for the ads, except for the Super Bowl) we’re talking about you creating a compelling visual snapshot that share something different with your customers or clients.  Why? Two great reasons: 1) YouTube is the second largest destination for search on the whole web; and 2) according to Forrester Research, video indexes at a rate 50 times higher than text. 

First, grab a smart phone with a video feature or grab a Flip camera for about $120.  And since this whole series is about easy ways to get started, you’ll be happy to know that Flip cameras don’t require software or video training/editing skills. It’s all right there in the camera with it’s own easy steps. Videos for the web don’t need to be broadcast quality, they only need to be good for your web-based audience. Most videos that do well are short, say less than 2 minutes, so keep it in mind when creating your video. (By all means, if you have the cash, make it Oscar-worthy!)

Now, let’s get you started on YouTube in 5 easy steps approach:

1. Go to www.youtube.com and create an account

2. Click on the yellow “Upload” button on the right hand side, select video file.

3. On the new screen, press the button to “Upload Video File”

     a. Locate the file on your hard drive and select

     b. Now YouTube will start the upload

     c. Video cannot be longer than 10 minutes

4. While video is uploading, scroll down to add the

     a. Title – Use keywords that matter, think of how you’d search

     b. Description – Use keywords but be clear about what people will see

     c. Tags – Enter a listing of keywords related to the vide

     d. Category – Select the category which most closely matches your video

     e. Privacy – you’ll want to select Public for most videos

5. Now click on “Save Changes”

     a. You’ll see a message on the new screen that reads, “Success…”

     b. After the video is done loading, you’ll see a “Live” message and your video is now posted.

What makes great video? Share your expertise, answer a question, show a customer event, demonstrate a product, showcase your new offices and more. It’s about showing your customers something more than what they’d get from reading text. For example, if you’re a tire shop, share a short video on how to check the pressure in your tires. It’s a lot easier to see how to do it than how to read it in the car manual.

There is heaps more to spreading your videos around, but for now, create the visual and get started. Send us a link!

(Oh and the irony, we should have made this post a video. So noted.)

We’ve been telling visual stories for nearly our entire careers. Why? Visual matters because most people are visual learners or can better recall a visual cue than a written one. When YouTube came around 5 years ago a whole new opportunity came up to tell that story directly to an audience – no media required. We’ve been on board every since.

Now wait, if someone tells you they can make a viral video for you, stop there. You (or your agency) can’t make a video viral, you can make it great. Only your audience, your customers, your fans, can take it viral. No matter, even if you think you have a tough product or service, there is always a visual story.

We’re sharing this new branded YouTube page from The Coca-Cola Company. It’s a soon-to-be-classic example (created by Sapient Nitro – deep talent over there) of just where video can take a customer. Coca-Cola a global leader in the refreshment category has taken the World Cup ritual (the on-field celebrations) and asked fans to share their own celebrations if they were playing on the field. Here’s why we think Coca-Cola succeeds:

1. It lets people (the fans) participate directly: send in video, artwork, photography (branded or not)
2. The content is seemingly new, refreshed, all the time and it’s easy to share
3. Coca-Cola can tie-in the campaign with actual events (note the videos with the branded banner)
4. The music is universally appealing, borrowing beats, harmonies from different cultures
5. For a global brand, the World Cup is a near-perfect opportunity to showcase its near-universal appeal

What videos do you think stand out as examples of a great visual story? What would you add?