Lights, camera, action! Find the right type of PR video to ease your business pain points

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Raise cash, promote happy customers or recruit the best talent. There are many ways PR video can boost your bottom line

Types-of-PR Video-Feature

DO YOU have to factor time into your work day to answer the same question – over and over again?

Most businesses have these repeat query points, so what’s yours? Whatever it is, chances are you’re probably now so well-drilled in giving the answer that you deliver it without thinking, sounding like a well-rehearsed pro.

However your client or customer may be hearing something different – they may be hearing boredom, frustration or disinterest.


The age of Visual Communication

We are living in a visual age, so welcome to our essential business guide on Visual Communications. In PART ONE we’ve distilled more than five years of  video expertise into nine simple and effective ways your business can use video to out perform your opposition.


 

Stop right there.

At the point you realise your business has an important Frequently Asked Question, you should be considering a professional PR video to do the job for you.

PR Video is one of the most powerful – as well as affordable and cost-effective – tools in the communication kit bag. So here’s our guide to the many different types of video that your business could be using – from promoting happy clients to raising funds from willing investors.

Please read on to find out which business pain point you could be solving – and since we’re talking about PR video we’ve also produced this short piece so that you can see the many and varied way we have helped other businesses to achieve their important goals.


1 – HOW TO GUIDES AND FAQs

Scottish Water explain how to find your cock-stop for winter weatherAfter the Big Freeze of 2011 utility giant Scottish Water saw its contact centre swamped with huge numbers of enquiries from anxious customers.
So, they called in Holyrood PR to help their team produce a series of short videos answering the most common customer enquries.
Those include how to cope with cold weather related problems, like dealing with frozen pipes or finding their stopcock.
The simple videos have had tens of thousands of views, helping customers get the answers the need, while freeing up contact centre staff to deal with other customer problems.
Here are Holyrood PR we pride ourselves on being a Show & Tell agency – we don’t just tell people what they should be doing, we actually show them, leading by example and practicing what we preach.
One of the most common questions we used to get was from people who couldn’t find our offices. So a number of years ago we produced a simple, 30-second video that shows any visitors how to get right to our front door. Ta-dah – problem solved.


2 – TRAINING

We all know the problems that can come up with providing training for staff, especially in bigger organisations.
Just when you think everyone in the business is up to speed, you discover that several people missed the training event and you’ve had a bunch of new people start since the last training day.
Video can be a great way to let people undertake training at their own pace and in a timescale that works for them.
Meanwhile, it is a resource that can be shared with new people who start with your business. One thing you can be sure of is that everyone sees exactly the same, engaging material. And if someone wants a refresher, it couldn’t be easier for them to revisit the video.
That’s exactly what we did for a major care and housing provider, to make sure it was getting out important training messages to its large and varied workforce at multiple sites across Scotland.
We even came up with a clever idea to use a “Boffin” in a lab coat and clipboard to lead the video masterclasses, which ensure all of the care provider’s people get important training on cyber security and other healthy and safety measures.


3 – PROMOTIONAL

The Edinburgh Collection offer a selection of luxury products and services throught their hotels, bars and restaurants in Edinburgh. They used our video services to produces a series of promotional videos to reflect that.You’re awesome. Your products and services are amazing. Your people are consummate professionals with huge passion for what they do.
So it’s little wonder you want the world to know why they should be doing business with you.
There’s nothing wrong with giving your own products and services a push, as long as its done with a wee bit of panache and without too blatant a sales push.
Among the promotional videos we’ve produced was a little gem for The Edinburgh Collection of luxury hotels, showcasing the upmarket venues as the perfect locations for romantic weekend getaways.
Elsewhere we helped the Luxury Network to reinforce its credentials by promoting an event in conjunction with Aston Martin.


4 – MEET THE TEAM

Commsworld celebrate 20th birthday with staffPeople do business with other people.
Sure it helps to be a business with a great reputation, but more often than not clients or customers really want to click with the personalities behind the brand.
The reality is that staff aren’t available round the clock to meet and greet every customer – they may be bases in different locations, be out on site visits, in client meetings, on sales calls or otherwise caught up doing the stuff that makes up their job.
However,  You can make your team a lot more accessible be featuring them in videos that give an insight into how much they love their work or what else makes them tick.

The perfect example is Commsworld,  Scotland’s leading telecommunications and digital services provider. When the firm celebrated the milestone of 20 years in business, we helped them celebrate by capturing PR video interviews with dozens of staff sharing their favourite stories about working with the firm.
Elsewhere, Bield the renowned care and housing provider prides itself on a culture of accessibility. So the senior team have all provided PR video introduction which are on the organisation’s website – so people always know who is behind the Bield name.


5 – BUSINESS FINANCE
Growler Beers InvestmentOf course you want the all important money men to know that your business is the right one for them to back.
So, we helped a renowned Borders textile producer to pull together an informative PR video as part of an important investor relations exercise.
It showcased the quality of its products, the efficiency of its operations and the skills and passion of its staff – a winning combination.
When craft brewing business Growler Beers wanted to expand from one shop in Edinburgh across the country, the man behind the brand decided to start a crowdfunding campaign.
A vital element of that online effort was the video which had to accompany his pitch on the CrowdCube site – you’ve guessed it he turned to Holyrood PR for help.
With our video helping promote the business, Growler went on to raise more than £100,000 in just two months. Cheers!


6 – RECRUITMENT – ATTRACT THE BEST TALENT

We all know how hard it can be to fill jobs with the right people.
No matter how rigorous the vetting and interview process, it’s all too easy to end up with the wrong fit, which is costly all round.
By showcasing the other people in your organisation who do the same or similar jobs, you have a far better chance of finding the right recruits.
When job hunters see exactly what is involved and what people love about the type of work you do, they can make a much better informed decision about whether it is something they would enjoy.
Our client Bield has showcased a number of roles with us helping to provide video interviews with people who love the jobs – and explaining why they find working with Bield so rewarding.


7 – HAPPY CLIENTS OR CUSTOMERS

vlcsnap-00008We all love happy customers.
Yet we also  know that while a disgruntled customer will share gripes with as many people as possible, a happy customer will often keep their warm glow to themselves.
Video can help you even up the odds. No matter what line of business you’re in, we think you’ll be amazed how often happy clients or customers will be prepared to appear in a no fuss video testimonial.
Most of the time it comes down to how you ask – and we are past masters at reassuring video subject that it will be as hassle-free and enjoyable as possible.
Check out this testimonial video we produced for the dentist VitaliTeeth to see just how powerful the story of a happy customer can be.


8 – TURBOCHARGE YOUR EVENTS  OR EXPOS

SDS15 EventsWhen you’ve organised a successful  event – whether a staff incentive day, a trade show, an awards ceremony, a conference or any other kind of gathering – you want shout about it.
While anyone who attended knows how good the day/night was, PR video can help you get the message out to those who missed out.
A video summary of your event can be a great way to share important information with those who were unable to attend.
Or it can help remind others that they definitely want to be on the invite list for the next round.
We’ve produced official videos for the Scottish Dental Show for three years in a row – with the smart people behind the event using the video as a way to remind attendees what a great time they had, while also persuading new visitors to sign up.


9 – SHARE YOUR NEWS

StJohnstone NewsEvery day we help clients to dig out the stories they overlooked or didn’t see about their own businesses – then we tell them to the widest possible audience.
Words and pictures remain one of the most powerful ways to share such stories, whether in newspapers, magazines or online.
However, every day PR video becomes more and more important.
Whatever story your business can tell on its website, in its marketing material or in press releases can be told even more effectively with video.
We’ve worked with countless businesses to help them tell their stories in video – from Invest In Perth sponsoring Premier League football team St Johnstone, to City of Edinburgh Council promoting growth for the capital and surrounding area.


Could your business use PR video to boost your bottom line?

We would love to let you know how we can help. Get in contact with us now by calling 0131 561 2244 or fill in the contact form below and we will get right back to you.

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