(upbeat music)
-: Welcome to The Sharpest Tool Podcast where we take
the sting out of marketing.
Here's your host, Josh Smith.
-: Hello and welcome to the Sharpest Tool
where we take the sting out of marketing.
My name is Josh Smith.
I am your host, and I have an exciting guest
in the booth right now, Jill Wilson.
-: Yay!
-: PR director at Scorpion.
Welcome, Jill!
-: Aw thanks, I'm happy to be here.
-: I'm excited for what we're going to talk about today.
But why don't we give our listeners a little inside scoop
about what's a PR director do, day in and day out?
What's your day look like?
-: I get this a lot.
Even my parents ask me this.
What exactly would you say you do?
I, basically, I'm PR director at Scorpion,
-: and I run Scorpion Cares which is their philanthropy side.
-: Okay.
-: I apply for a lot of web awards
for a lot of the websites that Scorpion creates.
I handle all the media, so that'd be
any of the trade magazines, blogs, national magazines
like Entrepreneur things like that.
I'll do that.
And then even more currently I've been helping create media
which is something I'd love to chat with you about.
-: That's fun, yeah.
-: Yeah.
Creating content and getting social media up to speed
and where it should be at, you know.
-: What's the media you're working on right now?
-: So we just launched-
-: I mean if you can say, I don't know.
Is that taboo right now?
-: No, we just announced it.
-: Oh okay, very good.
-: Yeah, last week.
We are creating Scorpion's first unscripted show
called Get To Work.
-: Okay, what is this?
Get to work.
-: Get to work.
And it's not meant, it has two meanings.
-: So it's get to work, like everybody knows.
Like, stop messing around, get to work.
And it is also, we get to work
with some of these amazing clients.
-: Okay.
-: So like we're grateful to have the experience to
work with these clients.
So it has two meanings, it's called Get to Work,
and we go travel around the country
and we do our client's jobs for the day.
-: Oh that must be fun.
-: Yeah, like dirty jobs style.
And we do something fun with the clients afterwards
and kind of delve into, why are they so successful?
What are they doing right
-: to be growing their business?
-: That must be fun with the home services industry
that you get to work with.
-: Yup.
-: Okay, all right, all right. -: Sure is.
-: Before we dive in, what's the craziest thing
that you've had to do so far in this Get to Work show,
like that these plumbers or electricians or H-FAC people do?
-: Okay so I have, I want to preface this with,
I have the utmost respect for plumbers
who do investigative plumbing.
-: Okay.
-: Because I just got back from our episode four in Austin,
outside of Austin visiting a client there.
And we,
well my co-host did this.
But I can say we, and we'll just go with that.
-: Yeah, we will.
-: Went and crawled in a crawl space, a 40-foot tunnel
under a house to replace piping in, you know,
a mid-century home that needed new piping.
-: Oh my, I don't know if I could do that.
-: Yeah.
It was 100 degrees in southern Texas.
And we're wearing these sanitary suits
which a lot of the guys are like,
yeah we don't even wear those because they're too hot.
But they zip up, and it's basically what wrestlers
would wear to cut weight.
Because you're sweating.
-: You're sweating it off, yeah.
-: And then, you crawl, fit yourself into this tiny hole.
which is dug under a house.
-: Oh my gosh.
-: And you get a few degrees cooler, so that's nice.
You get a little bit of shade and-
-: Hanging out with the earthworms and all of the bugs.
-: Yeah, oh, I mean roaches, like, everything.
So yeah, crawled down there.
Bone, my cohost, he took apart about 50 pieces of piping
in an hour.
-: Holy cow.
-: So actually, they did a great job
like for doing the job for the day.
And then I did the sewer pipe inspection
with those cameras that roll down into like the sewer pipes
and we can kind of see what's going on with the piping
down there, but either way, I mean we were
sweating, sweating.
It's hard to keep a conscious mind.
And to do that job for the day, day in and day out.
I mean, respect.
-: That's incredible, absolutely.
Well what's you guys are doing there ties in to
a bunch of what we're going to talk about today
which is video marketing.
Hugely important in today's marketing,
I would venture to guess.
So let me give our listeners a bit of an inside scoop.
What is video advertising exactly?
-: So, I'm sure if you're on social media these days,
or if you're searching for something
via Google, what have you,
what you're going to see first is videos.
-: I mean, if you scroll down through your news feed now,
you'll see, you know, a bird that's friends with a cow,
and it has 43 million views.
Every single thing that is really getting play is a video.
So a lot of the written blogs
and things like that
are getting, not downplayed, but they're just
not getting the algorithm favoritism
from Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram.
I mean, they just launched IGTV.
So video is becoming of upmost importance,
and without it, you're going to have to pay a lot of money
to get seen.
So it's a nice, organic way of getting your voice out there
and letting your potential customers know who you are,
what you're about, that they can know, like, and trust you.
-: I mean Facebook's feed is very telling.
I think I see videos every scroll.
-: Yeah. -: You have, right.
-: Every single one, I mean.
And I think there was just a study done that 72% of people
would rather see a video on something
than read about it.
-: Definitely.
-: So it's part of the world we live in.
-: What are the different types of video or uses
of video for your marketing?
What are the different reasons that you might have video
as a part of your mix?
-: One, it just gets the attention of people
whether you're using it for a paid advertisement or
organically through your social platforms or your website.
I think it's all about getting your audience to know,
like, and trust you which is super important
for home services.
You're letting someone into your home.
They have to trust you.
And if they don't, they're probably not going to call you
and use your services.
-: Definitely.
-: And to know, like, and trust,
that can create a client for life.
So if they like you, and they know you, and they trust you,
I think video just gets you there quicker.
So they can have those feelings about you before you even
step foot into their home or have an experience with them
versus they're not so sure, they might have seen
a Yelp review or something.
But they're going to go with you because they trust
what other people have said about you.
It just gets you there faster.
People can see what you're about.
-: Definitely, let's talk about the different platforms
that we have available.
You mentioned Instagram TV, super interesting.
Instagram, owned by Facebook, which is awesome.
Powerhouse right there.
And then you have the big, big powerhouse of YouTube.
Where, to get the maximum amount of benefit
to your video content that you're putting out,
is there a best place to put your content right now?
And is that changing?
Do you see that changing in the next three to four years?
-: Yeah, I mean things have so quickly changed
in the past three to four years that I think for sure
it will continue to change.
But right now Facebook is really geared up
with Facebook Watch.
I mean they're buying out shows like Mike Rowe's show,
Return the Favor.
It's not on Netflix, it's not on ABC, or CBS,
it's on Facebook Watch.
-: Wow.
-: So they're getting big names to sign on to Facebook.
YouTube is doing the same thing.
Everyone is kind of preparing to do battle.
And that battle is led by Netflix in streaming.
And that's why Amazon's creating their own content.
Hulu has not been creating it, but now they are.
And YouTube, they're the new networks kind of.
So they're the new ABC, CBS, Fox, all of that.
So I think the social channels,
they have so much data on people and their viewership.
Television has suffered from that because they only had
Nielsen ratings, I don't know if you know much about that.
-: Our listeners might not know.
So what are Nielsen ratings?
-: Nielsen ratings would tell you how many people
are watching a show.
They could see when people are tuning in and out.
And it was used for advertisers to kind of,
create a value for what their advertisements should cost
during the show.
But it was pretty rough around the edges.
It's not the most exact.
They couldn't tell your age.
They couldn't tell your,
if you're male or female or what zip code.
I mean, they probably know your zip code
from the cable network.
But that's about it.
Facebook knows what you like, what you've clicked on,
all your friends, what they like.
Like where you're going to dinner.
What kind of person, your religious experience.
Like they know everything so it can be
that much more targeted.
-: Yeah.
-: And I just think it's inevitable that these platforms
will be the powerhouses of the future.
-: So how do you think video really impacts
customer lead generation?
I know you mentioned it's really important
from service businesses, you're inviting somebody
into your home.
It builds trust, that value, that lifetime value
can be built in through video marketing.
How do you think it impacts
customer lead generation, customer retention,
things like that?
-: I think lead generation for sure.
-: Yeah.
-: Because they are able to kind of vet you out.
Everyone does their research now.
I mean, if you're going out to dinner.
You're going to probably, I know I do,
-: Yeah, mm-hmm.
-: check out their Yelp ratings, see their photos,
-: 100% yeah.
-: I even want to see videos of the restaurant.
I want to see how comfortable their chairs are.
I'm not trying to be hipster.
You know what I mean?
-: Yeah.
-: So people do their research where they're going to spend
a lot of money.
So if it's something important, like their home,
which is a lot of people's biggest investment,
they're going to do research on who they'd hire
to let in their home for sure.
-: I like to call it the interview without the interview.
It's the opportunity for you to showcase yourself
to somebody, for people to look at you, talk to you,
see how your body language is, see if you're smart.
You know, those kinds of things come through
with that visual representation.
But you're not sitting in front of somebody to do that.
-: They used to call it stalking.
Back in the day.
I stalked you online.
And I saw that you did this.
-: I Googled you, the equivalent.
Google didn't always have a positive connotation.
So how does it differentiate businesses
from their competition, their competitors in the area.
And in what ways does it differentiate them?
-: I think it completely differentiates as far as
the value of your leads as well.
Because if someone can see a video of you
and know that you'd be a good fit for them,
I think the value of that person will go up
because they can see almost immediately, you know,
I get this person.
I trust them.
It's something that we do as humans in a blink of an eye.
That's what the whole Blink was based on.
-: Yeah.
-: You make a snap judgment, like yes, no.
I mean, and that could be based on appearances,
the way you talk, I mean, everything.
So but I find that most people, if they're themselves,
and they're not trying to put on a fake persona
on video, it comes across well.
-: Definitely.
-: And if you're passionate about what you're doing,
obviously that's great too.
-: Passion is key.
-: Oh passion.
-: So, you mentioned Blink, you mentioned people that,
you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
So from your experience, your vast experience
in the PR world, and running video content,
and your background in that,
what are some of the most important factors
when it comes to producing video content?
What does a home service business center
need to pay attention to?
-: Sure, I think first and foremost, I think a lot of people
don't bring the energy to video.
They get kind of scared.
I've seen a lot of people, like amazing personalities
and a lot to say, and then the cameras turn on
and it's like, oh, okay.
And I'm done.
And so people gt a little nervous about just cameras
being in their face.
But you shouldn't be because there's editing.
This fabulous thing in production we like to call post.
-: Yeah.
-: Where you can not use a clip if you don't want it.
So what I would suggest is people over excite their viewer.
If you look at any infomercial, they're overly excited.
In regular life, you would think, these people are
like overcaffeinated.
[Crosstalk 13:23.60]
But guess what, that's what sells?
Like if you look at QVC or, taking it up a level
in television world will be, that's where you should
exactly be at.
-: Yeah.
-: I would suggest overcaffeinating yourself
and being super passionate about what you're doing.
I also find another tip for people would be writing out
what you're going to say and not necessarily to memorize it
because we're not actors, right, most of us.
So instead of memorizing word for word, just knowing
what you're going to say, just trains your mind
what you're going to say.
So when you get in front of the camera,
it just comes easier when you're actually.
And I find that works a lot.
-: Yeah, so small business owner doesn't have tons of money
to hire an awesome video team like you probably work with
at Scorpion, but what are some ways that they can get some
real awesome content above and beyond,
you know, just being awesome and energetic on camera.
What other things might they have to consider?
-: I would have themes.
So whatever your business is, maybe you have some employees
that work for you that have great personalities.
-: Sure.
-: You know, show the same people again and again.
Keep consistent so having locations be pretty consistent.
And you know social media loves their Media Mondays
and Transformation Tuesdays and Follow Me Fridays
and all that stuff.
I think kind of going with that and being creative
with your brand and your theme is great.
I also think just production wise,
I mean iPhone X now, I mean the 10 is like-
-: Crazy. -: Yeah.
The camera's pretty up there.
So if you don't have super fancy camera equipment,
you can record on that.
The biggest thing I think when people do it themselves
is audio.
-: Audio yeah. -: Yeah.
-: Because-
-: We've all seen those videos.
-: Yeah and that's something that you'd have to just,
if you are doing it yourself and you don't have lav mics
or other mics, I would just do it in a quiet, or like-
-: As quiet as possible.
-: Yeah, yeah.
-: Make sure the air conditioner's turned off.
-: Your car's always a great place.
That's why you see everybody recording in their cars.
-: Yeah, yeah.
So personalization's important for them to identify
with their consumers.
Why in marketing is it really important to put a face
behind the logo, to really personalize the brand
with the video component?
-: I think who you are these days is,
everyone has a personal brand more than ever
because everything is transparent on social media.
They're buying you.
They're not buying blankety-blank business name.
They're buying who you are and what you represent.
Are you good person?
Are you a family guy?
Are you someone that has integrity with their work?
Are you someone that works their butt off?
Like all of that is what they're buying.
They don't really, they're not going to care so much
about, you know,
the things that people kind of gloss over now.
Because there's a lot of people that can have
a same level of expertise.
A lot of people know the same things,
but then at that point, it's like, who do I like better?
-: Yeah, yeah!
I think it's a very real, a real world scenario.
I mean we do that all the time.
There so much competition, so much noise,
and it seems to me like the people that you do business with
or enjoy, he's my person, you know, that's my person.
That's who I'm going to do business with.
-: That's my kind of people.
-: That's my kind of people, yeah.
Yeah, that kind of thing.
Yeah, that, I totally agree with that.
I think that personal brand is really important.
And representing something that's true and authentic,
and really honest in the marketplace too.
What content do you think is really beneficial and best
really suited for home services when it comes to
the types of video you shoot?
Educational, business promo, like all the different
variances that you can have, what's most beneficial?
I love educational pieces that are short
and quick and well done.
I think for home services, I know myself,
and I can only speak for myself, but I think a lot of people
don't know about plumbing, for example,
or how to fix their garbage disposal.
I mean, I don't know how many times I've called over
a plumber, and they're like, yup, I'm just going to do
this little thing that takes two seconds and goodbye.
-: Yeah and it was pointless for me
to come out for that $40 service charge or whatever it is.
-: Right or like, I just didn't know you're not supposed
to put an entire lemon down your garbage disposal,
just you know, things like that.
-: Jill, what role does humor play into that too?
I mean people like to laugh.
Do we need humor, should it be super serious?
Should it be just straight-forward and informational?
Is that an advantage to certain businesses to do that?
-: Yeah, if you're funny, and people say you're funny,
I would go with it.
If you're more of a straight-forward kind of person,
then I would go with that.
I think just being genuine is where you gain trust,
so if you're like a straight-forward person,
you're like, I'm gonna crack a joke today about, neh.
-: It just doesn't feel right.
-: Then you're getting back into that actor kind of thing.
I think just being yourself is the best thing
you can possibly do.
But it takes a little bit of time
to get comfortable with that with cameras rolling
and mics on and broadcasting to the entire world.
-: [Inaudible 19:11.51]
Well this has been awesome Jill.
I know we're wrapping things up here.
I want to tie this up with a little bow.
[Crosstalk: 19:16.52]
And a lot of people, some people may have some big,
I know I like bows, at the end of this.
I know some people might be listening
and they're like, yeah but, I need to be
the next YouTube star.
I need to be the [Inaudible 19:27.36] of, the next
whoever the big YouTube, there's somebody a big YouTube star
that's out there.
But is that even possible?
I know it's probably not necessary
for a business to have that.
But can somebody still become a YouTube star today,
or is that just so rarely-
-: Oh heck yeah! -: Yeah?
-: Yeah, I mean people get.
-: How does one do that?
-: If you haven't noticed, we're in a society where people
get bored real quick.
-: Our attention span is-
-: Yeah, it's like down to three seconds.
So if you think about it, for example in Hollywood,
the same actors are cast for the same roles.
And like, oh look I'm an action star again
in my tenth action movie.
Like, it gets old right?
So there's always room for new, always.
-: Yeah.
-: It's just, I think consistency is key.
You're not going to grow an audience
video wise or otherwise without consistency.
So I would just really encourage everybody,
if you are going to do something like video marketing online
just to have a really consistent schedule.
And you just knock it out and do it.
-: Definitely.
-: And don't think twice about it.
-: Awesome.
-: And your business will definitely flourish from it.
-: Very good.
Well Jill, this has been awesome.
Thank you so much for taking the time.
-: That went by fast.
-: I know it goes by so fast.
-: So fast. -: So fast.
Well thank you so much.
I appreciate all the time you spent and all the great-
-: Thank you.
-: That you were able to give.
-: Thank you so much.
-: For all you listeners who are enjoying all the content
we're putting out, definitely hit that subscribe button
wherever you might be at.
And from all of us here at the Sharpest Tool,
we will catch you next time, thanks.
(upbeat music)
-: Thanks for listening to The Sharpest Tool
brought to you by Scorpion Internet Marketing.
Stay tuned for more episodes
on how to help your business succeed.