• Creative Community Conversations

  Good resources for viral marketing? And generally piecing together a great storyboard

  Posted by Olly Lawer on November 17, 2011 at 10:47 pm

  I’ve become pretty proficient at creating corporate style videos which incorporate both interviews with customers and staff using cutaways. However I would like to move into the market of short TV style viral adverts.

  These would be for use online.

  At the moment I’ve been experimenting with a few ideas. I can get the client excited about the concept. However, if I’m honest I’m struggling with piecing together the edit.

  I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly is that isn’t working for me. However, learning about what makes a successful online advert from a storyboard is escaping me at the moment.

  Don’t get me wrong, the clients have been very happy with the end results, it’s just I’m not. It might be that I’m a perfectionist and that has to be considered but for me something is missing.

  Maybe it’s just that I’m not experienced enough in this area and therefore the more I do the more experienced I will get. Although learning from people that have done this in the past and great resources are going to help me a great deal.

  Olly Lawer

  Olly Lawer replied 14 years, 8 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Ron Bergeron

  December 23, 2011 at 12:58 am

  Hi Olly,
  I guess it just depends on the style that would work best for the client. Have you searched YouTube for examples and to see what other people are up to in that genre (adverts, promos, corporate vids, etc)?

  A lot of times, clients are the ones who can’t put their finger on how they want something to look or sound. For example, a band will want to do a record. They go to a studio and put all their tracks down. If they can’t articulate to the engineer or producer what they want the final product to sound like, they will be stabbing in the dark hodge-podge and maybe it’ll turn out fine. But I tell musicians to find a record they like regarding its production. Same for people who need a website. If they just say “I dunno,” then how can you give them what they’re looking for? Let them find sites they like and go from there.

  So if a client wants a video, either they can find something they like or we as video producers must show them some examples of styles, which does not necessarily have to be in our own portfolios. Either download off YouTube and give it to them on a disc or send them links.

  As far as viral marketing is concerned… it’s something that requires knowing people much like anything else in life. You need to make connections with busy bloggers (pertaining to industry being covered or whatever) or other video channel owners, or pay some viral house. Otherwise, build a reputation on YouTube for yourself (takes time) and cross-post all over the place (FB, Twitter, blogs, etc). Also, try to make friends with TV media people. Do your local stations have local programming? Find out if you can work with their reps on getting on-air time for your clients. They may be interested in expert advice on some topic or service. Do any of the stations have dead time on weekend or weekday evenings? Those might be affordable enough to create half-hour programming of some local interest, and you can sell adverts cheaply enough to even pay for your program. (Just an idea… we have some local producers doing that in my town. And I am actually looking to do that in 2012 myself.)

  Hope that gives you some ideas, though you may have already thought of these. Sorry, I have no brilliant easy answers though. Cheers!

  Ron
  Star City Fame
• 

  Olly Lawer

  January 2, 2012 at 11:24 am

  Thanks for your feedback! Appreciated.

  All good suggestions too. I’ll have to check that out.

  I’ve just put up another, more specific post about how to market a customers video (viral included, but also encompassing all types of online media) ‘Ways to maximise online media’ https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/17/875416 – as I want to understand how best to market the video once you’ve created the online content. The reason I mention it is it kind of crosses over on a few things just discussed on this tread.

  I’m interested Ron, what Viral Houses would you look into? The ones I have come across are all for the big boys and thus cost a fortune.

  Kind regards,

  Olly Lawer

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up