The number one question whenever you think about doing a video like this is who is the audience and who am I trying to reach.
Tim Baier is Co-Founder and CEO of Spiracle Media, a high-end producer of storytelling and video content for some of the largest brands in the country. Baier is an entrepreneur and small business champion who spent nearly a decade working as a sports anchor and reporter.
In this episode of Velocitize Talks, Baier shares his insights into storytelling and how interactive video can transform a brand’s marketing.
Insights in a Pandemic (1:11)
We had to turn inward and start focusing on our own branding and our own storytelling about who we are as a company.
When the pandemic first hit in 2020, Spiracle Media felt the impact of the uncertainty of what lay ahead. They also experienced hesitancy from clients on how to move forward. During this time, they decided to dive deep into their own branding needs.
While the shift to internal branding consisted of many things that had been on their to-do list, Baier says they used this time as an opportunity to move forward. “It ended up being a real benefit to reset and get a feel for where we are and who we are as a company,” said Baier.
Show and Tell (2:42)
Audiences now are really searching for authenticity in everything that they are consuming. They can sniff out a marketing ploy or marketing message very quickly.
It’s not just about the story; it’s also how you tell the story. And that story has to be engaging and authentic. Spiracle Media’s client Olde Mecklenburg Brewery wanted to tell their story as a hometown company with a great product that’s not only a part of their community but one that gives back.
They filmed in and around their hometown and OMB founder John Marino provided the narration for the video. The final product showcases a clear storyline that stayed on brand: Olde Mecklenburg Brewery—Charlotte Born and Brewed. “When you use storytelling to really show the effect of either your product, your service, or your brand, it just comes across in a much more authentic and digestible way,” Baier says.
Brands Telling Stories (3:45)
There are so many different opportunities and outlets for distribution; the audience you’re trying to reach really directs what that decision is.
Content is (still) king, which is one reason why some Spiracle Media team members are former journalists. The key to creating outstanding content is based on your target audience. Who are they, where are they, and what resonates with them? This is the foundation for the content Baier creates and what mediums he will use to deliver it. Getting the messaging just right is important for Spiracle Media’s wide array of clients, from businesses to non-profits to universities.
So who is the brand’s audience and how does a brand identify where to find that audience? One answer lies in creating audience profiles called marketing personas. Marketing personas are defined by collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data on current customers. That way you can use that research to create key customer profiles to target.
Choose Your Own Adventure (7:36)
You’re now able to create your own story that you’re following so it’s much more of an interactive exchange where that viewer really has a say in what content they consume as opposed to just the one-way communication.
Traditionally marketing videos have been linear, a mostly passive activity for consumers. But that’s all changing with interactive videos, a choose-your-own-adventure video format that allows the viewers to be active participants in the trajectory of a video, culminating in highly engaging experiences.
Baier finds the length of time that somebody will watch an interactive video versus a straight 5- to 10-minute video is much longer since the interactive video peaks their level of interest. They’re able to choose where things go and how everything happens. This type of engagement, as well as the video analytics, has led more marketing teams to take note. In fact, 24% of video marketers plan to include interactive video in their 2021 video marketing strategy.
Book Club (8:57)
Reading through the different things that have made companies so great over the years was very inspiring, to think of the little decisions that can make such a big difference.
Top of mind for any business owner is, how can we become great? The team at Spiracle Media wanted to dig deeper into examining this question, so they read the best-selling business book by Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, as a company.
Good to Great is the culmination of a five-year research project comparing companies that made the leap to those that did not. The book illustrates how “greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” As a result, Baier has implemented one of the key concepts from the book—Entrepreneur Operating System—into his company.
For more information on Spiracle Media, visit their website, and follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter at @SpiracleMedia. To stay up to date with Baier, follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
This episode of Velocitize Talks was originally recorded in August 2020.