Video Vantage: Episode 1 – Investing in Video to Promote Your Business

Video Vantage: Episode 1 – Transcript

Intro

Mark

Hello and welcome to Video Vantage, your insider guide to video marketing. I’m your host, Mark O’Connor, and over the next few episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into the world of video production. We’ll be covering everything from marketing strategy, branding and SEO, as well as tips and tricks for speaking on camera and going behind the scenes on what goes into a video production project.

To kick things off, I’m delighted to be joined by Hidai Degani to discuss how, why and when a business should invest in video production as part of their overall marketing strategy. Alongside his partner Orli, Hidai is the co-owner and co-founder of O. H Degani Consultants, a global consultancy business. Hidai is the definition of a globetrotter, having started in the tech industry in Israel before five successful relocations to Gibraltar, London, Berlin, Malta and finally settling down here in Ireland.

Hidai helps businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes achieve their goals and improve the way they work using digital, customer experience and change management processes. Along with this, Hidai is also an experienced mentor and trainer with the Local Enterprise Offices, University College Dublin, and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

Interview

Mark

So Hidai, thanks very much for coming on Video Vantage today. It’s great to have you here. Can we begin by asking you when is the right time for businesses to invest in video marketing or is there anything else they should consider first?

Hidai

All right. It’s a good question. So when it comes to video, like anything, I think in business in general it’s never in isolation. It’s always a bigger picture to look at. So think about it, it’s kind of a business strategy, then a marketing strategy, content strategy, and then on top of it is video content. I know it sounds very big, but you do want to do something in a broader sense to make sure you get the benefit of the full impact of what you actually going to do.

So going to shoot a video could be cool, but will you see the benefit of that? You want to make sure you actually do. So the reason of why do you want the video? What would that be achieving for your business? These are the questions. And then you do that when it makes sense to maximise again the return on investment – we’re going to talk about it later on.

So yes you do look at the bigger picture and then you think ‘what do you need from video to achieve it?’

Mark

And that informs the type of content that people will make then as well. Obviously looking at the bigger picture, but depending on their business they might need certain types of content. What type of video content should businesses look into, in the broader sense, is there a certain type of video?

Hidai

Yeah. So this could be different options. And for example, like a food business might be all about showing the quality of the food, which sometimes needs a higher level of quality because it might not look as good on your phone that you do it yourself. If a consultancy or professional services business, when they for example, it might be selling packages of thousands of euros and they want a quality that goes to show that this is the level of quality provided, that they provide to the clients, they might need a video in that quality to showcase that and come across.

So it could be multiple types. It could be customer testimonials. It could be them there at work with the clients, the business itself. It could be, how do you work in real life? It could be a story or just people saying, this is my story – I started the business off as a founder, etc. etc. This could be many, many types. Again, it all goes back to what am I trying to achieve? What’s the purpose of this video? Why am I creating this content? What am I trying to get across?

Mark

So it’s kind of brand authority and recognition more or less, it’s reinforcing that.

Hidai

So yeah, it is always connected to the brand and the marketing as a whole because again, it’s never being done in isolation. You don’t do that out of the blue. There’s always a bigger context. Maybe it’s a new website. Maybe it’s a new marketing push. Maybe you need social media content. And as part of that you are also doing those videos.

So again it’s part of a bigger effort. Again to maximise… You’re going to spend some time and money on it. You want to make sure you reap the rewards.

Mark

Do it properly.

Hidai

Oh yeah. So it’s really… There’s quite a lot of thinking – in many ways I think people sometimes underestimate how much planning and thinking there is before you actually do it, and you need to do it kind of yourself. I mean, you can’t come to a videograpgher/photographers and say:

Mark

‘Hey, I want a video!’ Yeah, it needs to be an informed decision. And what tools are available for different companies to inform ‘Okay, I know I want to do a video’, but what type of video? Like obviously social media content and all the type of stuff. Obviously they can track and see what performs and what doesn’t.Before they even start going to a video production company themselves, what can they try at home? Can they do their own content and kind of use that as a ‘beta testing’ phase almost?

Hidai

So yeah, I do also recommend to people to try to do it yourself – not spend money before you’re ready to spend money!

Mark

Make your mistakes cheap!

Hidai

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I also learned some things, like I know you will talk about it anyway, it probably comes across, but talking with confidence on the camera. It something that takes practice. You can practice it on your selfie, on your own, get better with it before you bring in something which is, ‘oh, lots of lights like here in the studio!’

Mark

It can be intimidating!

Hidai

Exactly, do it at home. Do it in a relaxed environment. It’s like that! Get ready for that before you’re ready. So try and get comfortable with it before you’re ready and you can try many of those, almost everything I mentioned before, you can try that at home, on yourself or in your business. That might be enough. For many businesses that can be okay. Not everybody needs full production.

Mark

Yeah of course.

Hidai

Not everyone needs the full production now, but maybe down the line. So in many ways it matters not necessarily the type of business but the phase. Because when it’s just starting out, you have no content whatsoever. You’re probably not going to jump from zero content to full production. Start doing a few things – start doing a few Instagram reels, maybe TikTok, maybe just on Facebook, maybe just something small, see how far it takes you and then think, ‘okay, do I need another level of investment?’

Mark

And when would they know that they’re at that other level? ‘Okay, I’ve hit this point now.’ Is it a case that they want to bring the production values up, or they’re just, they’re spending too much time themselves on the marketing and not actually on their own business functions? Or is there anything else in between that you think would inform the decision of ‘Okay, now’s the time’?

Hidai

So I think it’s a good question because I think it could be both of them actually. One is that you feel the quality I get on my phone with my friends or people in the business is not good enough. What comes across, the quality I need, the message I’m trying to convey, might not be good enough. Let’s say I have a product which is top quality. With a video, the phone camera might not be enough to convey and tell someone ‘buy this product. Spend €1,000 on this now’. You may need a level of production which shows this is a top quality product. So if you feel, that the customers or the sales are not coming in… So it’s time for me to upgrade my marketing and branding to 11. And part of it could be a video or photography.

Mark

And what type of preparation could a business do when they said that they have made that decision? ‘Okay, right. I want to outsource this. I want to get a video producer in – either a production company or an individual videographer.’ What should they know, basically, to streamline that process? I always… from my point of view, a detail brief is like, you know, gold! All the information is there and then I can distiller back. But besides that, what other bits and pieces do they need to be aware of?

Hidai

So actually, yes, the detailed brief which is great for you! Otherwise a blank brief- I don’t know what it is, I don’t know what to do! And it’s really, in simple words, what do you need? What’s your requirements? What do you plan to get out of it? Now first question is blank – ‘I don’t know.’ But then okay, what are you trying to show? A video is a way to showcase yourself, your brand, your product, your service in a good way. What is that you’re looking for to try to achieve? Start writing it down. Take out a piece of paper and start writing down 1. A photo of me walking down. 2. A photo of me with a client. 3. A photo of me with a product. 4. A photo of only the product. 5. A photo of the team in action. Whatever it is, start writing it down.

Mark

And depending on what those needs are, that could all be done in one day.

Hidai

Yeah. For example, then you say, okay again – ‘can [you] do it yourself?’ – to bring it back to the first question. ‘I could try?’ See how it goes. You might see actually straight away – ‘no, I need the drone shot over the facility. I don’t have a drone!’ Straight away you need someone with a drone. But you might say that’s okay actually. Maybe again, do you need all of it now? Maybe try an element, see how it goes. Do that. Check it out. Go again. See how it works. You don’t have to do… I’ve seen people who came and spent thousands of euros investment that had nothing to do with it – they didn’t know what to do. They already feel the pressure, they spend the money – ‘where are the sales going to come now?’

You don’t want to be in this position. You want to plan ahead and then… Maybe even do it step by step. You can shoot it in one day or, take a small part, do a few hours in the studio. Get used to this environment! You know, we don’t do it every day! Most people don’t! See how it feels, and then you might be able to do so.

So again, there’s no right or wrong really. It’s really thinking and planning and see what you need. Then you start talking to someone and see a photographer – what they’ll do or what they’ll need. You can get their advice as well and think about it together – what is the best way?

Mark

Exactly yeah. And you mentioned cost there about someone who spent thousands, and it was money burned. They didn’t use it the way they should. Speaking of cost, what type of cost would one expect for video production? And it’s very hard to gauge. But generally speaking, is there a ballpark figure if you’re starting small or if you’re going big? I guess it really depends on the type of project.

Hidai

Yeah. Like anything, it’s like any website development or marketing investment or photographer. There’s always… from very, very little to crazy amounts. The question is what do you need? How much are you willing to spend? I mean, because again, it’s all about return on investment. You spend €X, then you’re want to be sure you get €X in return. This may be direct use or building the brand.

That’s absolutely fine. But you want to see there’s enough value of it. So it’s how much are you willing to spend now? Invest – I always say invest not spend! Invest in it in this moment of your business. This is where you kind of start because again, you find people in every range really, in any supplier that you’re going to pick. So what do you think is, realistically, what are you willing to spend right now? And then talk to people and tell them ‘this is who I am’. The more you tell – which actually goes into the next phase of how do you find those who are the right fit?

Mark

This is very good point, yes. It’s all good if you have the money. But now what? You need to find the right person.

Hidai

Because some companies, all they do is big companies. They don’t talk to you before you spend 10,000 for example. If you have 2,000, it’s like ‘thanks a lot. Let’s talk to you in a few years.’ That’s fine. Some people, their speciality is actually low budget and do it. They’ll come to you and do it with you. So once you know… Straight away tell them, ‘this is what I’m planning and this is what I was doing so let’s talk’. They might say ‘you know what? I’m not. But have you talked to John over there? He can do it for you.’ And then you filter very quickly those who are actually in the ballpark. And then moving on next to it – is it a good fit? Do they understand you? Do they get your business? Do you feel that you have a good connection?

Mark

A good rapport. Yeah, exactly.

Hidai

Yeah. It’s a collaboration. Ultimately, we have to remember no supplier can do it for you. As a videographer, you cannot do my business without me telling you about my business. Otherwise, its just ‘make me look good!’ That’s not a lot to go with. So the more you tell them in this brief again, talking about preparation, the more you have written, or visuals or any videos you’ve done, the more I show you as a videograpgher –

Mark

Reference points, exactly.

Hidai

It helps you understand ‘oh, I get your business, now I know’. And I’ll tell you, ‘I have this and now I want to take it to this level. This is what I imagine it’s going to be like’. The more I tell you, the more you can help me get what we’re trying to achieve. The less we talk, we’ll probably miss the mark!

Mark

It’s that form of communication. Exactly, being on the same page.

Hidai

Not to miss the mark – pun intended!

Mark

There you go! Yeah! That’ll be the tagline now!. I’m going to use that on my emails going forwards! That was a free one! Yeah, they’re all very good points. So yeah, you find your ideal videographer or a video production company…

Hidai

You talk to a few companies, always talk to three companies. And now how do you find companies? Again, there’s always a mix of people you know, really, people that someone has worked with and recommended. Be careful – it needs to be relevant. The fact that they did an amazing job for those guys doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for you.

Mark

Yeah, it might not be the right fit.

Hidai

But still, it could be a good way to go and have a chat and see quickly if it, again, was like a shortlist of people. Talk to a few, get quotes from three. Get a quote. A quote tells you this is what they’re going to do for you. This is how much it’s going to cost. See how you like this one. Talk to them. Have a chat.

Mark

And it gives you an idea of ‘am I being ripped off here?’ Or is it ‘actually, is this out of our budget and more than I thought it was?’ If all three quotes come back in and around the same ballpark, then we’ll be going ‘okay, like, maybe this is a different undertaking than what I thought it was.’ So it helps to kind of ground you in the reality then of what’s out there and what’s possible as well. You might have to do a little bit of a rethink, or you might say, ‘okay, that was a good idea. What if I change it slightly for this?’ Or a quote might come back and they might have different suggestions that, you know, you have a thought of like ‘oh! that’s a great idea!’

Hidai

If people say a quote, I actually prefer the word ‘proposal’. Which means ‘this is what I’m going to do. Dear client: we have 1-6, which actually, based on what you told me, I think what we can do actually 4-6. What about the drone shot? We forgot about that’. So you do get ideas from the quote. Again, a good proposal tells you a lot of what’s going to happen: How is the process going to work? That’s all there. Do I get it or not? If it’s not… If it’s rough, if it’s too much jargon and big words, you may not want it. If you don’t feel comfortable, walk away, it’s fine. You need to feel that this is going to work. We need to work together. And if possible, tell us, what do you need to prepare? What content they need?

Mark

It is quite a big time commitment on the client side as well. Like obviously the video production company will go ahead and do their thing and they’ll scope and plan and do all their location scouts and help with the scripting, the production and editing – but they still need you on board to help them through that process.

Because like you’re saying, you’re the expert in your business. They’re not. They’re trying to help distil that information. So that’s one thing that I think sometimes potential clients aren’t aware of. Not that it’s an element of hand-holding, but you need to be onsite to basically guide the videographer – to a certain extent – through the process. ‘This is our vision. This is our mission. Help us tell the story.’ But you need to be there to inform that decision as well. And then after the fact as well, on the editing process, you know, it’s communication back and forth and to help get to the goal that you want to achieve.

Hidai

Absolutely. And again, many people tend to say, ‘no, I’m not going to say too much.’ The more you tell them… Do. Is it too much? Is something is a bit off? Tell them – they need to know. So the more you tell them – tell them everything! Tell them which element you don’t even like to be photographed. Tell them what you’re afraid of. Tell them what you don’t want people to see what you don’t want them to see. The more they know, the more feedback, it’s a two way street.

Mark

You don’t want any sudden surprises basically.

Hidai

Ideally zero surprises! Tell them, ‘listen, I don’t like to be photographed like that. I don’t want them to see my home.’ Fine. It’s off the table. So the more you share, the more we talk, the more… Be honest. Tell them do ‘you know what? No, I’m too embarrassed to do that.’ They might help you, they might say ‘no, that’s off the table. It’s too personal.’ Whatever it is, share it. It’s a two way street, and you need to work together. The only way to make it work, or the best way to make it work is collaboration. Communication. Tell them what you think. Listen to them. Get their advice.

Mark

And be honest.

Hidai

But ultimately you decide. If you say ‘I don’t want to be photographed on this side of my face, okay?’ You’re the boss. It’s your shoot. But this is to work together in harmony and collaboration. It is a commitment – be free for the day. Don’t be on the phone checking emails when you need to be there.

Mark

Yes, you need to book it off.

Hidai

You and maybe your team need to be available for the day, clear it. Because the time practicalities. Today, when I came in today, saw the stuff you prepared –

Mark

Yeah. Yeah it set up for when you’re here. Yeah. If you were here when we started, you’d be waiting around for like 2 or 3 hours!

Hidai

Exactly. And again we talk about what we’re going to talk about in general. I think the more you’re prepared, the better because the outcome will be better. So there’s a lot of underestimation, I think, of preparation and the commitment of the person that is involved. It’s mandatory. It’s essential to get the result you want.

Mark

You put in the hard work then and it pays off in the long run. So you mentioned there that there’s a lot of time commitment back and forth, that can be very stressful for a small business in particular. It might make you think, is it worth it? What’s the point? Should they actually pursue that avenue?

Hidai

Yeah. So I think when you get to this point of, again, deciding to invest in that – the video with a professional videographer, it’s because again, you felt it’s needed for the business. So again, you know what you’re gonna use it for. Or you tried yourself and you reached a level of just ‘that’s it. That’s as far as I can take it. I need that extra level.’ And then you understand again how much commitment will that actually be of time and money. And put in preparation for that. And the reason why if done well it can get you the return, is because video is the biggest trend. And TikTok came along and has been the biggest phenomenon over the last few years. So TikTok and their reels also get you to Instagram.

So video content is probably the strongest content you could produce in today’s world. You know, they say an image is worth a thousand words, but a video is a thousand images! So a strong video, even a very short video, is very powerful. But its tough to create short good videos. But when they’re good, a good video can really elevate your brand and message to a whole new level.

And if you have a few of them, it could be a really, really step up to a business, in a brand, in marketing, in sales. So again, done right, it can be very, very powerful content which takes it to a whole new level. And then you will definitely see this return on investment. And you also feel this feeling of pride. It’s hard work – like anything – but when done well, it can be really worth it.

Mark

Yeah, pride to show it to the world – this is what we worked on. Showcase your company. Showcase your brand.

Hidai

Because probably there’s no stronger way to bring yourself and your business to life than a video. The channel of video is something very strong that anyone connects through very easily. Think about all the stuff we consume all the time. Videos can grab our attention, keep our attention and convince us. So strong video can take a stranger to become a customer – or close enough to that, like nothing else can.

Mark

For the sake of a 60 second video, you could get a sale straight away.

Hidai

Because the way our brain works, text is hard. Images are better, videos even more because you can get a lot done in a very powerful video. However, it’s hard work to get that video. Companies spend a lot of money to get that. But the good news in today’s world, even small businesses can achieve that. If done right with companies like yourselves, this is possible. And it wasn’t possible a few years ago. Through technology you can achieve a very, very high level if you do the right work, the right planning and with the right partner.

Mark

So following on from that, then there’s also a lot of grants and supports out there to help businesses invest in video production as well as other marketing materials as well. Can you take us through your work with the LEO and how the LEO can help small businesses?

Hidai

Yeah, so the Local Enterprise Offices is a great place in general. It provides a three types of support basically, and I recommend all of them. Some people don’t know them. The first one is the mentoring. It’s actually free mentoring. Six hours from a mentor to be assigned to you. And you can say, ‘I need support in either the bigger strategy’, or if you want to do video content or anything like that. And a lot of what I do is as a mentor there is the brief.

Mark

It always comes back to the brief!

Hidai

Easier said than done! So a mentor can really be an external person thinking, ‘okay, tell me more about your business’ and help you get your requirements right. So a lot of it is actually having people say, ‘this is what I really need, these are the priorities’. And then the next phase, which suppliers actually could be a good fit for you? Sometimes if you know people, or even if not, just the process of again, identifying, selecting and working with them. A mentor with your side who’s done it before a few times, it can help you feel confident.

Mark

They’ll have some contacts that you have can recommend.

Hidai

So I highly recommend to any business – and every business is eligible and can avail of that in all of Ireland. Talk to your LEO, get a mentor to support you in your business. And that’s a great thing. Second thing is training is actually heavily subsidised. But it is very good quality training from all of the Local Enterprise Offices. Some of them is about creating video content, like reels and TikTok and many things. Just to understand a bit more and do it yourself. Again, to firstly try yourself. That might be enough for you and even if not, you’ll do that before you do… I always say ‘try yourself before you bring in an expert’. So you can understand better, you can work better once you’ve done a bit yourself. And the third one would be the actual grants and it’s really about what you need. So again, I would say ‘don’t do it for the grant. Do it because it’s right for your business’. But if you decide you need to do it anyway… With the mentor, again, talk with your mentor.

Mark

They can guide you through that process.

Hidai

Should you do that? Because you might not need all of that. You might be doing only videography and you might decide to do it on your own. You don’t need to spend any money. And don’t spend money before you need to spend it. I always say that. And when you do, spend it wisely, get the return on investment.

People think marketing is expensive – it’s not expensive. If you get the return on it, then everything is okay.

Mark

It’s not expensive when you go about it the right way.

Hidai

Yeah, exactly. You will get this money back. So people say, ‘oh, it’s very expensive, it’s €5,000’. What if I tell you for this €5,000, you get €50,000. It’s still expensive!? ‘Oh, all right!’ So it’s an investment. Marketing is an investment, eventually it is revenue generating. It is a profitable activity when done right. If done wrong, then it’s wrong.

So again, take the support. Talk to your LEO, see what supports are there. Avail of them. They’re there for you. Many people still don’t know they exist. But the mentoring is a great service and then the others and the training and the grants, if they’re relevant, I really highly recommend them. They’re very good.

Mark

So we’ve covered an awful lot of material here today. We talked about the brand strategy, the overall business operations as well. And where to begin with that first. We talked about sourcing video companies and some of the grants available as well. What would your three key takeaways from today’s conversation be for businesses looking to go down the video marketing avenue?

Hidai

Yeah. So video production is investment. It’s an investment which should be a profitable investment. See what fits in your broader strategy and then define your requirements. Second thing is try to do it yourself. Try and see how it goes. You learn a lot just by trying it yourself. Third, get support. Talk to the Local Enterprise Office, get mentoring, training, grants, it’s there for you. And good luck!

Mark

Okay go for it and good luck!

Hidai

Give it a go!

Mark

And Hidai, if anyone wants to reach out to you where can they find you?

Hidai

LinkedIn is the best place. I’m there, find me. Only one Hidai so it’s very easy to find! Reach out to me. I’m happy to chat to anyone and always happy to try to help in any way. So feel free to reach out there is probably the best place to find me.

Mark

Nice one! Well, that’s where I found you as well, so there you go! Thanks Hidai. Thanks for coming on the show today. I really appreciate it. Great information, and I hope it’s really helped our listeners as well.

Hidai

Thank you. Thank you. All the best, thanks a lot.

Outro

Mark

Hidai briefly touched on the importance of branding as part of the overall marketing strategy. Make sure to check out our next episode, where I’ll be joined with branding guru, Erica-Leigh Lawless, to discuss the power of branding in more detail and how it relates to video production. If you have any questions about the topics raised in today’s episode, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the Media Mill website at www.mediamill.ie Until then, I’ve been your host, Mark O’Connor, and thanks for tuning into Video Vantage. See you in the next episode!