The theory of marketing relativity podcast.

Jess
Hello, and welcome to the Theory of Marketing Relativity Podcast. I'm Jess Burton, a marketing specialist here at Epic Marketing Consultants Corporation. Let's talk all things marketing, merchandising with our Epic team.

Jess
Today we're here with our CEO Nancy Dibert again. Nancy, thank you so much for joining me again again.

Nancy
Thank you for having me back again. Again.

Jess
No problem I know today, video seems to be for the time being until the rest of us can catch up. Try to catch up. Video seems to be your wheelhouse so we figured that you would be the best person to chat about video in the use of video.

Nancy
My pleasure. I really um, my husband says that I do it not because I have to but because I want to. And I think that speaks volumes about how much I think of video

Jess
I would agree with you. I am like super interested in video when I'm getting it. And then as soon as I hit a brick wall, I'm like I'm over it can be done yet.

Nancy
Same.

Jess
I very much I appreciate video content created creation mediums that allow for like, I always think I'm like if an eight year old can do it, I can do it.

Nancy
But you know what? Sometimes videos that are not so professionally produced that you can see people are real. I think they give better insight at times than those really glossy, high produced videos. I think there's room for both. So don't always feel that Oh, it has to be absolutely perfect. It's really okay for it to be real. And even outtakes What's your favorite part of a movie for me? It's at the very end where they show the outtakes.

Jess
Yes. My gosh the bloopers those are hilarious

Nancy
The blooper reel Exactly. Maybe we should start doing blooper reels. haha no

Jess
Oh my god could you imagine

Nancy
Nope

Jess
So speaking of like natural like video stuff I always like I feel like I anytime new like social media type apps get debut and like I like I want to be in on them like I want to know like what's going on what's the big to do about it music geared towards so like the latest big one has been like TikTok and I have been referencing and I hair quoting this because you can't see me the quote unquote downfall of TikTok I've been trying to keep up with like the attempted purchase of it through Microsoft and whatnot. But then I just kind of was like, alright, whatever. I'm just all when they announced that I'll figure it out. But then Instagram released it's kind of like competition to tick tock in their reels, which the like initial reviews of it are that it doesn't have all of the, you know bells and whistles that Tick Tock has and I I just find it super interesting that like even on tik tok and even in reals as I'm scrolling through my Instagram is that I'm not just finding you know, teenagers doing viral dance moves or like, I don't know, the cinnamon challenge comes to mind. But that's not even on TikTok. That's like old school. But they're like, they're like legit like, doctors and like, there's like a nutrition coach that I follow because she like debunks all of these things like professionals with degrees using reels and tick tock to reach different people. And I feel like we're noticing a larger emphasis On this like, I don't want to say like, spontaneous video content because you know that they put a little bit of planning into it. But do you think that there's a reason that there has been like this surge in video content like this?

Nancy
Well, first, I want to say congratulations to you personally. Because, I mean, it wasn't even hours after reels was introduced, and you already had a real up for Epic on our Instagram, and it was adorable. And I'm just so proud of you that talk about being right there on the cusp. As soon as it was available. You were on it. Not only for Epic, but you do it for clients as well. And I'm so proud of you for taking that mantle and running with it and not being afraid to say oh, well how does this work that you Just jump right in. And it's one of the many many reasons why we love our Jess and why our clients love are Jess so well done and you did an outstanding job. So that's first kudos.

Jess
Thank you.

Nancy
So the second part about videos does this sudden onslaught of videos I don't know if it's necessarily is the sudden onslaught of videos. I think that it's finally getting its day. videos have been surging now for about four and a half years. All of the social media channels. YouTube is the number one everybody thinks it's going to be Facebook. It's not YouTube's the number one social media site there is. Doesn't hurt that it's owned by Google. But it is and people don't even realize that it's a quote unquote, an AI Now I'm using the air quotes, a social media site, but it is so why are we seeing This surge, because people's attention span is continuing to diminish. We no longer have the attention span of a goldfish, we now have an attention span of a rock. So we have to do something other than asking people to read because they don't, if it doesn't catch their attention in one and a half seconds, and paragraph after paragraph, even if you're going to break it up with bullet points is not going to do that. So as marketers, we have learned to get people's attention, there has to be movement. You have to grab their attention. You have to keep their attention. So it's not only that initial grab of the attention which movement does it part of, of human psychology is that when we see movement, we turn to look at it. It's part of that fight or flight response. And it's the same, that same thing, when we're sitting here scrolling through social media. If we See a movement, we have that human reaction that oh, we have to look and see what that is. So there's this program called Pixaloop. And you can take a static still image, let's say maybe have a waterfall. And you can use this app and draw it so that the water looks like it's rushing down. So it looks like you're taking a video of a waterfall. So there's so many opportunities to take stock video. Again, don't ever steal video, that piece of image or anything from just Google or someone's website. Just pony up those few dollars and get it from a stock site, or find something that's actually in the creative commons. And you've got an umbrella. So you've got a this is the umbrella example is what they use in their video. And you can make it look looks like it's being spun so you've got all these different colors and then it's actually spinning. So something like that's a really inexpensive easy way to take a static stock image and turn it into video. Now, there are lots and lots of other ways, but that's just an idea and the whole purpose there is to get the movement. I remember back to July 4, you made videos for several clients where it was an American flag flying in the background and not just a picture of an American flag and how it drew your eye in and it's all about the movement.

Jess
I yes, I try to like use video as much as I can, but I also feel like I don't want to overuse video.

Nancy
Right!

Jess
Then I feel like yes because then I feel like people are like other posting another video again. But I know like the one thing that I always say and like from as the person who does like the Facebook ads like the one thing that they that I've learned because we have a as Sheryl calls them, we have a Facebook friend that like helps with that helps me run through our ads on the Facebook and she said she was like, you know, the best way to create an audience is to track your three second video views. You know, we can track they can track your three second video views but they can't track someone who might stare at who might scroll past your image. So it's like a secret way to track people who see your videos when you run ads.

Nancy
Exactly, powerful.

Jess
Exactly which it makes me think about like the I don't know, I feel like we I always like I have a couple friends who have like ADHD and I've totally recommended Peters book to them. And I have always said that like video reminds me of like when people were like squirrel! Like you're scrolling through Facebook and all of a sudden you stop because you see you know something happen. Whether it be just text moving on the screen or someone doing something. I definitely think that video, definitely has that squirrel reaction when I was like trying to when I was like thinking about like, video and stuff, I was like, you know people say a picture's worth 1000 words. So when it comes to video, is video worth like 1000 words like can you Is there like a sweet spot for the length of the video? either on social media or for like, I'm thinking about like some of the projects we have like, informative like obviously like I don't want to sit and watch a 15 minute video on sorry, Ryan but Terra but like, cyber technology like I just that's not but like..

Nancy
Short and to the point.

Jess
Yeah, so the like goal with video is to pack as much punch as you can into the shortest amount of time.

Nancy
For the most part it is. So if you're thinking about putting your video on Twitter, we can you can probably go a little bit longer for whatever reason. So Twitter has a maximum length of 140 seconds, you really don't want to get over that hundred seconds, it's after the hundred and 10 that we see the point of diminishing returns. So for Instagram, Snapchat, we're looking at 60 seconds there, we want to be in that probably 10 to 22 second range, unless you want to do something a little bit longer form. But people really are hard pressed to sit there for 60 seconds unless it's like baking or makeup, and then they'll sit there for the 60 seconds.

Jess
Baking or make-up.

Nancy
You're going to have an engaged audience. When I'm thinking about our credit union clients. The best way I think about this is that if a picture is 1000 words video is the 10,000 or 100,000 words because. So say they're rolling out a new remote check deposit as part of their their mobile banking app. Well, yes, by all means they could write up an entire web page of probably 2000 words on how to use this mobile deposit app, mobile unit where they can capture your the check and then that checks automatically deposited into someone's account. Are people going to read that? Nope. If they do read that, are they going to understand it and remember it and nope. Okay, so then maybe you're going to put a picture or two, you know, just a still image. Is that going to give them any information? Still no. Is it going to really help them? Absolutely not. However, what if you make a 60 second at max explainer video where you We're showing, okay, here's the app. Now you click on this button. Now you click on this button. Now you line up the check inside of the viewfinder. Now you take the picture, you have to make sure that it's, you know, says this on the back of it, take a picture of the back, push this button, and now you've just deposited that check. So putting that in a video format, and that we're not talking, entertaining, but we're talking, educating and informing people are going to watch that. Whereas if they have to read 2000 words on a webpage, they're not going to do that. But not only are they going to watch it, they're going to retain it, and it's going to show them Oh, exactly how to do it. I know my husband, when he has to do a honey do list around the house. What's the first thing he does? He goes to YouTube, watch someone else do it. And then goes and does it it's the same thing using video in credit unions or any organization, show people how to use it to show people how to do things.

Jess
I agree about 100% I just we just have this conversation like I have like diagnosed anxiety I've dealt with it my whole life I have a what I have like a coping toolbox like the whole nine yards. And one of the things that I always tell people is that like some of my anxieties like social anxiety based like when I go to new places, so like going to a new bank branch or something like I always want to know like, right where I have to go so that I don't have to stand around and I don't have to draw attention to myself. So I always like appreciate like a good like, I'm trying to think of like a video like a good here's our branch video like that kind of stuff. Like here's where the tellers are here's where and it reminds me of like when well I don't know if they teach it anymore. I remember in like fifth grade Junior Achievement, they taught me this, but like they gave us like fake checks, but they were like, write a check. And they showed us how to do it and they walked us through it and they helped us. And like as an adult, I've only at the age of 29 I've only written six checks in my entire life. Like I so I specifically got a checkbook this is this is probably the most ridiculous thing ever. I specifically got a checkbook so that I could put checks in wedding cards. Like when I go to a wedding, I could instead of giving them cash, I could just write a check.

Nancy
But you learned how to do it you were shown how.

Jess
Exactly I bet and the only reason I remember is because I remember that in Junior Achievement. They gave us this like fake checkbook that we could decorate however we wanted and we could write a check for whatever but I think I wrote myself like a like we were practicing they were like tell you like write yourself for you know a check for something you really want. I'm not even kidding. This is when Borders Books was actually like still around. I think I wrote myself like $1,000 check for Borders books.

Nancy
A woman after my own heart.

Jess
Yeah, if it doesn't tell you what kind of kid I was. But yeah, I think that like, it just takes that like, the explanation of like, here's how you're going to do this and makes it in like a more approachable format. Um, I think that like I want all of our clients to do all of this cool stuff.

Nancy
I know exactly.

Jess
And that but that I forget sometimes that like they have other aspects of their job and like, they also have a ton of other stuff they're doing and it's not just them sometimes it's the other half of their company or business but they need to talk to like yes, we would like to sit and do Facebook Lives, which I think are very underestimated for people in like the business and even like the credit union realm. I think that Facebook Lives can be very informative and they don't have to be long.

Nancy
Exactly. And as you know, we've had success, talking several credit union clients through doing Facebook Lives for financial education, for financial coaching, where they sit there and they take questions, and then answer them live. Sometimes people will have already sent in some questions. So that really serves that dual purpose. Number one, it is financial education and in the world of, of pandemic, people can't walk in and go to their banker and say, listen, I have this question. But they are able to do it through Facebook Live or LinkedIn Live. So we still get that education and that financial coaching. But for people that weren't maybe comfortable going in and asking in the first place, maybe they are comfortable. sitting at home and being able to type that question in. And not only that, it really can introduce that staff member or those staff members to help people form that relationship with them. Oh, I know her she's does the lives. It's the same with that frontline staff, your teller staff at a credit union. I love to see something where it's good morning, hood morning. So maybe six different tellers from one branch, I'll say good morning. And you put those you splice that video all together. And then you post that super early in the morning, good morning from our Boston branch. And people actually see Oh, I know that tell Teller, or if they're not people that they're not members that normally come into the credit union. Hey, I saw you. So it's creating those connections. There's so many different ways But part of it is really to get people comfortable and to help them know part of that frontline staff.

Jess
Absolutely. I think that like credit unions especially. And I'm not like I, my dad is in a union and I am a member of a credit union. But I didn't really understand what the difference between a bank and a credit union was until I started working for epic. And I had credit union clients and I was like, alright, let me do some self exploration self education here and figure out what makes credit unions different. Um, and I just think that like the community aspect of the credit union makes it that much more relatable, and I would, I would think that it would make it easier for them to be a part of the community. I know that there are tons of different credit unions and I always used to think that a credit union had to be you know, partner partnered with that's not the right word, but like connected to a specific, you know, job position or whatever, like my dad is an electrician. So he's a part of an electrical, like he's part of the IBEW credit union. You know, I, you know, I know that like police officers or like law enforcement, they have credit unions. So I always thought it was just like, I guess I thought it was like credit unions and like labor unions like go hand in hand and I didn't realize that like there are plenty of credit unions that like have the they've come from that like they started is that and now that they've blossomed into like, you can just live here and you can be a member like you can just work here like your work address can be within these zip codes and you can be a member and I think that like credit unions can for sure the should you be using video to educate people of that because like, I looked it up for work.

Nancy
Oh they are getting confused all the time. Oh, it's got the word union in it, I have to belong to you. It's absolutely not. Community chartered or state chartered credit unions usually are based on where you live, work, worship, or go to school. So it doesn't matter where you're employed for community and state charter. And of course, as you said, there are some charters that are specifically based on employment groups, or unions or things like that. But regardless, having some type of an explainer video with a story, or maybe even a series where it's explaining that credit union difference, and it's explaining who can join and how easily you can join. I really love like a whiteboard video when we're doing a comparing and contrasting. So if we're comparing to a credit union to a bank, whiteboard video which to me are engaging to start with because it's different? I think mark, just just just check all of those boxes.

Jess
Absolutely, I think so you mentioned like Whiteboard Videos, are there different types of videos because I know obviously like me as a person standing in front of a camera is one kind of video. But are there you know if there are people who don't want to be in front of a camera. Because I don't always want to be in front of a camera? Are there tools that you can use to create different kinds of videos? I know we have a couple that we use, but are there different ones that you recommend to create video or edit video? All that fun stuff.

Nancy
Well, as you said at the beginning, I'm kind of our in house video geek. And I have a whole stable of programs and apps that I use because I'm not a fan of just seeing someone in front of a camera that's not to me as interesting as maybe an animated video or something that's more engaging. So we really try to up our game. However, if you are doing video with your phone, of course, and it's going to be live and your action, you might notice that there's a lot of movement, if you're not using a gimbal, which I always suggest always using gimbal. That's the stabilizer thing that you put your phone in and it moves and so it keeps everything stable. If you haven't used that, or you went on damn, I forgot the gimbal and now you've got some video that might be a little bit shaky. There's a program called Emulsio I love it, throw the video into that app comes out stable. I even did it with there was a client who was on a boat, a speedboat and taking video we put it in the mall CEO. And while it didn't take out some of the larger wakes took out all of. Another one of my favorites is called crop vs. Now this is a phone app as well. So Crop VS is you're taking a video and it's either going to be a vertical or a horizontal aspect. And we really do know that that's probably not going to be the best performing on all of the channels. However, everybody really likes the square video. iPhones don't take square video, but if you put your video into Crop VS, you now can have a square video but you have to be careful when you're filming it that you keep your your focus on a particular area and don't just keep moving up and down. So Crop VS for and it doesn't just go to a square video you can really change the aspect but I would never suggest taking a horizontal video and trying to make it vertical because that's not going to work. I love the app hyperlapse by Instagram, which you can use it for more than just Instagram. So if you want something that's over time, oh my gosh, what hyperlapse can do so say a credit union is building a new branch. And if you can get a hyperlapse video every day for 30 seconds or 10 minutes or something like that, and then stitch them together. And then at the end have that whole build come through. It is just phenomenal what that looks like. I already mentioned Pixaloop which I like for making static images appear to be videos. We use a program as you know, called Lumen 5. If you have a blog post per se, and we're really seeing a lot of our credit unions, embrace blogging, which is a good thing, you can then take that blog, put it into lumen five, give it that URL, and it will help you turn that into a video with text overlay. And that's really, really good for engagement. RIPL. RIPL is an app we use. That helps us create videos from scratch. Now for editing, there's really Camtasia and Adobe Premiere that we use. Adobe Premiere has this learning curve about, I don't know, Mount Everest, I guess would be a good comparison. Camtasia is super user friendly. I love Camtasia. If you already have the Adobe Creative Suite, I think you might already have access to premiere, but Camtasia to me is certainly worth a couple hundred dollars. And then for whiteboard video we use video scribe. We also have InVideo we have Animatron. So we we really do use this entire suite of apps. And it depends upon what we're doing which one we're going to use.

Jess
I feel like there's just a plethora of tools and you just have to find the ones you like and the ones that work for you. I know I like anything that I can put on my phone or my iPad especially. Especially when I'm like not at my computer like if I don't mind the more like heavy duty video stuff if I'm like sitting at my computer, but like because I do some social media stuff for myself, obviously, my own social media, like what, what better way to experiment than with your own accounts. And like a couple other accounts that I run, but like it is nice to have, find one that you're like works great on my phone I don't need a computer I can. Like I think that you need to find like what works for you and how you want to run your social media in general but how you want to do video. So to finish up, what are your, what are your top three pieces of guidance for credit unions that want to add video to their social media or even just their marketing regimen.

Nancy
Number one would be to tell a story, have a plan, use it strategically and tell a story. That's number one, but that's with all marketing, but it absolutely applies to your video as well. The second one would be entertain. You have to get people's attention right off the bat. You don't want to start your video and for the first 30 seconds to be Hello My name is Nancy Dibert. I'm going to talk to you today about how to get a car loan. No, you want to come out and say, looking for a car loan today! I mean, yeah, you have to get people's attention. They don't want to know your name. They don't want to know what you do. They want to know how to get a car loan.

So that's part of that entertaining aspect of it. So you can be education and coaching, but if you're also not entertaining, and you're snooze, find someone else to do the video because it's not going to work. You have to entertain, whether you're educating or not. So my third one is educate when you can when it's appropriate, but it doesn't always have to be educational. That morning that that good morning and clipping that together or showing a coffee mug in a Boomerang you know, like two coffee mugs cheering using Boomerang. That's not educating, but that is engaging and entertaining. And it's making your credit union relatable.

Jess
Those are wonderful tips. I feel like that's like easy not I want to say easy because I feel like sometimes I say easy. And I'm like, well, that might be easy for me, but it's not easy for everybody. Which I like, forget very frequently.

Nancy
I think we all do.

Jess
We're like, Oh, yeah, I've done that before. It's easy. And then someone's like, it took me seven hours. Oh, sorry I led you astray there. Well, thank you for joining us this week. I'm sure we'll have you back sooner rather than later. If people want to find you on social media, or, well, people want to find you on social media, where can they search for you and what can they search?

Nancy
I'm everywhere on social media. I think as you know, I am the Program Director and lead instructor at University of Delaware for the social media marketing certificate program. So I don't have a choice but to be everywhere. And everywhere I'm @epicnancylee. I've been @epicnancylee since we've had Epic so @epicnancylee it is. Oh, and I just so everyone understands why it's not Epic Nancy, is that I'm a junior, like literally on my birth certificate. It junior at the end of it. And my mom was not a fan of being called big Nancy and little Nancy. Nancy and Nancy Lee. So while in the work world, everyone calls me Nancy, in my life world and my family, everyone calls me Nancy Lee. If they called me Nancy, I'd be where's my mother? Because she's Nancy and I'm Nancy Lee. So, @epicnancylee on pretty much everywhere.

Jess
Awesome. Thank you so much for joining us this week. And I hope that everybody learns a plethora of information through this podcast.

Nancy
While you've been doing an amazing job with it, and you've been educating, you've been entertaining, you've been informing, and you're helping to tell stories. So thank you.

Jess
Thank you very much.

Thank you all for tuning in this week. We hope this theory is relative to your marketing. Make sure you subscribe to get notified of our latest episodes.

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