This month I had the opportunity to work with a really unique company, a brand I would not normally run into or think about much on a daily basis, except that one of my good friends and fellow marketers, Evy Wilkins runs marketing there. The brand is UNYQ, a hot new company that uses 3D printing technology to produce lines of fashionable prosthetics for amputees.
Evy and I worked together at Vidcaster and we both know really well the power of online video, so it was a no brainer that we would co-produce a video campaign for UNYQ. This post is about a couple different things, you will hear about how to maximize your video creation efforts, and I will share some thoughts on what UNYQ is doing as a company. Keep reading, you will definitely walk away with some valuable strategy advice on how to produce bundled video content.
Setting The Stage
Evy called me up and said one of her customers (UNYQERS they are called) was in town and speaking at an event at Fort Mason Center here in San Francisco. This was a perfect opportunity to capture video of one of their most vocal advocates. Since SF is so photogenic, I chose a location outside for the shoot, one with a great shot of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Since UNYQ is fairly new to video and does not have fully functional video strategy, I had to dive right in. My job was not to create a strategy, but a mico-strategy, one just for this video/customer. Instead of looking at this shoot as the beginning of what would result in a 3 minute video, I envisioned 6 video clips, one longer 3 minute video, and then 30 sec ad for YouTube and of course the very short 15 second video for Instagram.
The shoot was structured into two parts, the first an interview format, where each question and relative answer were to be soundbites and clips. As standalone, each clip would suite a purpose, but together would tell a complete story. After the interview portion, we captured b-roll of customer walking with her prosthetic and staring out at the bay. B-roll is a must and a secret gem in the editing process as it can be used to patch together clips and cover up blemishes.
After an hour of filming, we wrapped and I got to learn more about the customer and how UNYQ has helped her create her own identity after losing a limb. For those like this individual, life radically changes and its hard to fit in and get back to normal — normal has a new meaning. UNYQ pairs prosthetics with fashion, creating individuality for all those that wear the products.
Learnings and Tips
1. Bundle video content
The truth of the matter is that producing video content is not cheap, so when you plan a video shoot, plan for content bundling. Content bundling in this context, is extracting multiple videos from one video shoot to use across use-cases and distribution channels. Its always a good idea to have long and short clips archived away for use later. And with what we are learning, some contexts may require very short clips and others, long form may be perfectly suited. When you walk away from a customer video shoot with 6 videos that can be used for a variety of purposes, you will definitely be a happy camper.
2. Each distribution channel needs its own version of the video
Whether you have a choice or not, each distribution channel requires slightly different version of video. For example, if you need to create a 30 second YouTube ad, you will want to consider that the viewer may skip the ad in 5 seconds, so editing the video to cram in value in the first 5-10 seconds is the strategy. As opposed to a video for Facebook, where you may want to post a 90 second video that takes 30 seconds to get to the point and is less overwhelming. Instagram is the fun one, with only 15 seconds to spare and less screen room to work with — I will share my thoughts in the next section.
3. Editing for Instagram is really hard
The title says it all — its really hard to edit for Instagram. Given all the footage I had to work with, finding a sound bite and video clip that was enticing, yet still provided value, leaving the viewer wanting more involved some work. I am excited to talk more about video for Vine and Instagram, but will save it for a later post.
Here’s one of the video clips for the shoot. You can read more about the story and how this shoot came about in the UNYQ Blog.
So take my advice, produce bundled video content and expand the reach of your video marketing and maximize the impact video makes across all your distribution channels. To learn more about 50Wheel’s video content creation services, contact us.
