Written by AMA Event Reporter: Olivia Devadas
Emmy-winner Tony Gnau, Founder & Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions was our February 2022 Signature Speaker Series presenter. Gnau discussed the topic “Video Content Done Right”.
As someone who does not know much about video production, I was not expecting to catch on as much as I did. Gnau went over the most fundamental basics and strategies of video production in a way that was both eye opening and layered well with my own knowledge of marketing.
To start, he emphasized the importance of authentic customer-centric content, and split the presentation into four topics:
- Video Basics
- Promotion
- Marketing Funnel
- Website
Within Video Basics, Gnau brings up three key questions to answer pre-production. They are:
- Who’s your audience?
- What’s your goal?
- How do you define success?
Each of these questions serves to create a goal for the video to reach.
After defining the purpose of the video, you can then figure out which kind of video content you want to create. Gnau discussed three kinds:
- About Us video
- Product or Service video
- Testimonial videos
Whichever type of video is chosen, it is important to note that videos are about emotion, rather than facts and figures. In such a data-driven world, it’s easy to forget about that side of marketing and the importance of storytelling. Gnau quoted author and former business executive Seth Godin, saying how people crave stories, and that logic is a battering ram. You’re going after hearts, and you can’t reach hearts with a battering ram.
After finishing up with the video basics, Gnau heavily emphasized the importance of promoting videos, and the different mediums this can be done through. Some of these include your website, YouTube, and notably your email signature and team members.
He then went over the Marketing Funnel as a way to share videos, starting from Awareness and ending with Delight.
With Awareness, Gnau used the examples of thought leadership, vlogs, corporate culture, or how-to videos. The purpose of these videos is to draw potential customers in.
The second stage, Interest, includes webinars, case studies, or product/service videos. The third was Convert, including testimonials and proposal videos to maintain interest.
The last stage was Delight, after the individual has become a loyal customer. These videos include educational courses, product training, and other fun videos.
Gnau ended with discussing the business website, specifically video placement. Videos should be placed on relevant pages people are already interested in. To further this point, he used a case study on Orbit Media Studios, a company that had successfully utilized video placement to create a customer journey through their website. Video placement strategy can also be easily connected to SEO strategy, as it increases the time you spend on a website.
I really enjoyed listening to the marketing mindset behind content video production. Not only was Gnau an engaging and knowledgeable speaker, but he also brought in some valuable case studies and a fun presentation that made it all the more enjoyable. Watch it yourself on demand on the AMA-Madison YouTube channel.
Tony Gnau, Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions
About Tony Gnau
Tony Gnau is the Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions. He’s a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and has led T60 Productions to winning 17 Telly Awards for its corporate videos.
He has created videos for the likes of United Airlines, Walgreen’s, US Bank, Goose Island Beer Company, as well as NBA legend Dwyane Wade.
Tony has written over 700 blog posts on video marketing and also speaks on the subject to communications professionals at conferences such as Content Marketing World.
Finally, Tony is a former USC Trojan football player, Star Wars geek, and a devoted husband and father.