They need a quick refresher on the information on your new release.

They need the tasting notes and a reminder of your unique brand so that they can sell a case or two quickly and effectively.

How do they get all that information fast?  These days, more and more sales people are turning to their smart phones.

The more traditional ways of brochures and printed tasting note sheets are falling by the wayside as younger, more plugged-in sales folks are getting their information digitally.

And what better way to convey your unique brand and release notes but in a quick video of the winemaker speaking directly to your sales force?

Some rules to follow in creating video for the distribution side:

1. Get to the answers fast.  Start with the tasting notes and add any additional sales information at the end.
2. Spend no more than 45 seconds on each release video
3. Convey your brand through environment, winemaker personality and dress
4. Make it easy for distributors to access the video through QR codes or distributor-only webpages that are smart phone friendly.

Whether you compete for your sales people’s attention or you’ve got your own dedicated on-the-ground team, video can go a long way toward helping the distributor understand who you are as a brand, unique information about the release and any additional information you would like them to have.  In 45 seconds, your sales person can be armed and ready for the sale.

“Now where were those tasting notes?  I thought I had it in my clip board/folder/briefcase/front-seat.  Oh, wait a minute!  It’s right on my phone!”

Next Blog: Email Campaigns that Reach out and Enroll

In the new social and relationship marketing age, if done right, video can elicit an amazing response of “Wow, this person is speaking directly to me!  Right on my computer!  With this video they sent me!  How cool is that!”

Who wouldn’t buy from someone who speaks my language, understands who I am and resonates with my own set of beliefs and values?

THAT’s the power of video these days.

To get THOSE kinds of results we need to be as specific and narrow as possible with messaging.

And it doesn’t cost any more money to create six shorter, smaller niche market videos than it would to create an overly produced and crafted video to meet everyone’s needs.

When you speak to a niche market directly, you eliminate costs associated with:

1. Script writing: You can be more conversational and rely more on talking points
2. Storyboarding: The process needs to be freer in order to get the conversation recorded first.  Once you have that filmed, the supporting B roll needed becomes crystal clear.
3. Large production budgets to get the variety of visuals needs:  You can laser in on images that matter to your smaller market segment
4. Longer film times: It doesn’t take 20 takes to get the line just right.  It’s about providing a place for people to show up and talk.  The message is captured in a shorter period of time because we aren’t trying to control the process so tightly.

It seems counter-intuitive to let go of control in the production process in order to save time and money.   But if you really want to harness the power of video in this social market, where conversation and relationship are king, your best bet is to zero in on a niche market and think in terms of getting multiple short videos in one film session.

So, you may have spent some big bucks on video in the past and felt that you got burnt in the deal, spending too much for a video that is not really serving you.  But if you can think of video in this new paradigm, you’ll be on your way toward creating conversations and engagement that matters, creating videos that ultimately foster loyalty, connection and larger wine sales.

Next Blog Post: Arming Your Distributors to Sell, Sell, Sell: Down and Dirty Videos

On-line video is certainly it’s own unique animal, so what level of video production is needed and how much is too much?

My inkling is that when people say they don’t want their videos to look too Hollywood, they are talking about wanting to steer away from a commercial, salesy feel.  That what they are really wanting is something that looks and feels a bit more authentic, emotionally connected, and human.  They want to forgo the flying logos and helicopter shots of the vineyard for a  more simple, relationship based approach.  Less “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and more “Hey, we’re people just like you.”

It’s one thing to want to create a more casual looking video for social media or online consumption that still is lit well and has great audio, and it’s another thing to attempt to film with your home hand-held camera without proper lighting or a good microphone in the hopes that your more “raw” looking video will be good enough to represent your wine.  It’s a classic mistake that can work against you and your wine brand.

Here are a few tips when thinking about your next production that help you to avoid that “overproduced” looking video and yet still meet the level of production needed to represent your winery properly.

Tip #1: Get good audio: Audiences will put up with so-so visuals, as long as the audio is clear, clean and warm.  Using an on-board microphone that picks up wind and echo and does not record loud enough sound is enough for viewers to say “no thank you” with the click of a mouse.  If you are going to film on your own, get yourself a camera that accepts a lapel mic that plugs directly into the camera.

Tip #2: Hire a professional crew: You can hire a video crew to capture your footage without breaking the bank by grouping your videos into campaigns instead of thinking in terms of one-off promotional pieces.  If you’ve already gone through the time, energy and resources to get a crew out, get six videos done in the same time it would take to do one by pre-planning to make the most of film time.  Go for quantity and push your crew to get as much B Roll and beauty shots as you can get.

Tip #3: Drop the script in favor of talking points. Go with interview style video as the foundation for your messaging. Get great talking head of a real conversation between the on-camera talent and someone sitting to the side of the camera.  Talking directly into the camera and hiring voice over artists comes across as salesy and hokey.  Throw away your scripts and speak from the heart and you’ll make that real human connection that you are looking for.

Tip #4: Get right to the substance: Answer the top three questions that your viewers have when visiting your website or social media page.  Skip the hype and get right to the issues at hand.  If I want to know more about the wine club and what I’ll get if I join, tell me that information right away.

Put the sales/marketing speak away and talk to me like a real person.  I shouldn’t have to wade through 30-60 seconds of introductory beauty shots, fly overs of sparkling ponds and close-ups of sunlit wine pours for me to get the answers to my questions.  If done right, all those beauty shots are embedded throughout the entire video.  Your branding comes in the form of the pace of the editing, the way the person speaks in front of the camera, the surroundings and the B Roll you choose throughout the entire video.  But give me the answer I’m looking for up front and in the first minute.

Here’s to video that sells more wine!
Lisa Gottfried

Next Post: How to stretch your marketing bucks to get an entire Video Campaign

Rocca Family Vineyards created a series of QR codes for 6 different varietals. Are your consumers standing in the market wondering what the wine in their hand tastes like or who the winemaker is? They can point their smart phone at the QR code and watch this video to meet the owner and the winemaker and hear tasting notes. Ooh, now that’s customer service!