Category: Marketing

Making your videos work for you…

Posted on by indigoblue

As with your website, a video is just a tool in the tool-kit.  It’s how you make it and what you do with it that will bring you real success and a return on your investment.

You will no doubt have heard by now that video is an essential communication tool, in marketing and other areas.  However, there are so many platforms, styles of video and even shapes and sizes of video that really should be considered before you begin to storyboard your ideas.

Anyone making a film for you, should be helping you to imagine how that film could be used inside a wider communications campaign.

Making films can be a big investment and, as with all investments, you want it to give you a return. So let’s take a look at some of questions you should be considering.

 

  1. What issue am I addressing with this film:  Is it a sales tool, a learning tool, an information tool?
  2. Who is my audience for this film: Customers, Employees, Partners?
  3. Where and how do they connect with us: On our website, on social media, face-to-face?
  4. Does this film convey a compelling story that engages your audience?
  5. How do they receive and assimilate communication?
  6. Can this film be used effectively on multiple channels, or can it be produced in a way that can be broken up into different clips for different channels?
  7. Does this film have longevity, or will we need to be updated regularly?
  8. Can we take the themes of this film and grow that into a wider comms campaign; perhaps a print, web or experiential campaign, maybe?
  9. How does this film fit into our wider communications with this audience?
  10. Is the film on brand, in our tone of voice and does it connect with our audience?

Of course, there are plenty more questions we would ask and plenty more answers too.  Our intention in this short piece is simply to help you imagine this film in a wider context, delivering a greater ROI than most corporate films.

The tools in your tool-kit are only as good as the craftsman or woman using them.

For more information on how to develop a wider communications campaign, take a look at the website and give us a call.

 

Influencing your ‘Influencers’

Posted on by indigoblue

Social media, influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is on the rise with your potential customers now 60% more likely to believe your current customers (usually a complete stranger) more than your own marketing or online presence.

Peer reviews are becoming more and more important.  It sounds obvious, but your employees are customers as well and if you aren’t paying attention to the power of your own team to influence your customers, then this is the blog for you.

Your own internal team are right there and ready to engage with the world on your behalf, if you give them the opportunity and motivation to do it. In fact, they are probably already doing so, whether you like it or not. So, as with everything to do with social media, it’s better for your business to engage with it than let it go on without you.

So these are just a few ideas to help you give your team reasons to start promoting your business on your behalf.

Ask your employees to write blogs, create vlogs and podcasts

Ask everyone in your business to help create the outward messaging.  They’ll connect with it more and are far more likely to share it on their own social channels. Give them advice and support in doing it. Give them the time and facilities to make it happen. Give them the authority to write and produce commentary that they feel appropriate. We’re assuming here that you have already created a culture where your employees want to write and say nice things about the business. If not, then we have a blog for that too!

Ask your junior team members to ‘interview’ your senior leaders

This connects to the previous idea.  Again, the key is to allow for open and honest discussion.  If your leaders are not willing to be honest, your junior members of the team will spot it immediately – and if they can, so will your customers.  Again, if it’s a piece of work that your team members are helping to create, they will be more willing to share it themselves.

Consult your employees on business decisions

OK, so maybe not every decision, but getting your teams invested in the company and in its intellectual leadership, will create a powerful connection, This will give them the sense that they are helping to influence the direction of the business and their own future. Actively listen to your colleagues and staff

This sounds obvious, but it’s so rarely done well.  Leadership is difficult and time is very precious, but one of the most important things a leader can do is to ‘actively listen’ to their people.  That means, putting the phone on silent, being present in the room with the other person and engaging with them.  They are representative of your whole company and your customers – without them, your business dies.

Create and engage two-way communication with your people

This is a whole topic in itself. The key is to open up channels of communication so your colleagues can feel like they have a means to connect with the senior team, at a time that suits them.  To complete the circle, your leaders need to respond, fully and compassionately.

Create a ‘reverse mentoring’ scheme

We recently ran an event where a speaker had talked about a successful ‘reverse mentoring’ scheme they had set up in the business.  Simply put, as you would imagine, a junior team member was mentoring a senior leader.  It was so successful, the business renamed it – ‘Mentoring’!  This kind of engagement

If you haven’t already done so, try and get an intranet that mimics Facebook!

Again, this is an entire blog in itself.  In a sentence – your teams have every communication platform at their fingertips 24/7.  If your internal communications platforms don’t match up, then they might as well not be there!  The days of ‘push’ communication are gone!

 

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this and all our other blogs, so please do let us know what you think!

 

7 STUDENT RECRUITMENT VIDEO IDEAS TO HELP YOU ATTRACT MORE GRADUATES

Posted on by indigoblue

There are plenty of different approaches you can take with a student recruitment video. Having seen hundreds produced by companies in many different industries, a lot are quite formulaic, while others are exciting, interactive or arty.

Choosing the right strategic approach to student recruitment videos is about getting the tone right, to attract the right candidates and portray your company in the best light. Working with a video production company, such as Indigo Blue, helps clarify your tactics and create a personalised and highly successful video.

While the field is wide open for creative interpretations and new video styles, there are some ideas that work better than others. The gold standard of any idea is how it succeeds (or fails) in attracting suitable, skilled candidates from among your target audience. Looking at the student recruitment videos of some of the best performing companies therefore gives some useful insight into what works and what doesn’t.

Here are a few proven ideas you can try when planning your next student recruitment video.

1) Make The Information Representative Of Your Company In General, Rather Than For Specific Departments

This will give your video wider impact and relevance when recruiting for multiple departments. It also avoids giving candidates the wrong impression in companies where departments are sometimes radically different.

2) Use Real Interviews With Employees To Explain Why Your Company Is A Great Place To Work

Have these take place in situ so that graduates can see what your offices are like. Avoid painting a misleading picture, but use a professional film crew to capture your working environment in the most positive light. If your business is a recognised brand, use the video to show employees working on your key products and services.

3) Explain The Typical Tasks And Challenges A Graduate Recruit May Be Involved In

For instance, will they be meeting clients, creating briefs or just making tea? Emphasise the fun and challenging potential of these tasks, while taking pains to be realistic. Set expectations too high and your candidates will be disappointed and unmotivated.

4) Include Clear Information About How The Graduate Can Apply And What Will Be Expected Of Them

Give recruitment website URL links, set out the recruitment process, give interview hints. In other words, make it as easy and painless as possible to apply. Bear in mind that for most of your candidates, this will be their first real experience of the job market, so set their minds at rest and make them feel comfortable.

5) Explain How Your Company Can Make A Difference To The Graduate’s Life

For example, show what valuable experience the candidate will get from the graduate programme, the potential financial rewards, employee benefits etc. As Millennial graduates often have a highly developed social conscience, you can also demonstrate how your company makes a real difference in the world, such as by showcasing your corporate social responsibility policy.

6) Explain The Skills, Qualities And Characteristics You Are Searching For

Your student recruitment video is your chance to put a flag in the sand and attract people that resonate with your core values and skill requirements. The video is part of your selection process, so define these skills carefully and unambiguously.

7) Showcase Your Company Brand

Clearly display your actual office premises, logo, and well-known projects in your video. Be sure that your video harmonises with the corporate colours, fonts and – most importantly – the messages used in your marketing strategy.

Create Winning Videos To Attract The Best Candidates

Creating an effective graduate recruitment video means striking a balance between content, accessibility and high production standards. At Indigo Blue Productions we give you the benefit of more than a decade of corporate video experience to produce bespoke videos that attract the best talent for your business. To find out more, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Graduate Recruitment Videos, a new e-book full of helpful information you can use to create high-performance videos. You can download the guide for free by clicking here.

3 QUESTIONS TO ASK A GRADUATE RECRUITMENT VIDEO COMPANY AND MARKETING AGENCY

Posted on by indigoblue

The million-dollar question is usually not whether or not you need a graduate recruitment video, but who you get to produce it. Some companies are lucky enough to have an in-house film production team to create their videos, but this can be the exception rather than the rule.

The choice usually comes down to hiring a specialist video company or using a marketing agency to produce the video. As a video production company specialising in graduate and student recruitment films, we are proud of the dedicated service we provide. There are a few differences between the approaches taken by marketing agencies and companies like ours.

We tend to prefer a more personal, results-focused approach to recruitment videos, with the script and your talent attraction strategy being a vehicle for your message. However, some businesses prefer the convenience of working with a marketing agency, especially if there is a pre-existing relationship with that business. It all depends on what service works best for you, and which option better aids you to reach your recruitment goals.

The three questions in this article, if asked to all the companies you are considering, will help you make an informed decision.

Specialist Video Production Company Or Marketing Agency?

Ultimately, the important factor is not what kind of business produces your video, but how effective the results are for you. Specialists and agencies both usually have a lot going for them in terms of production quality, although we suggest you check which services the agency specialises in, as they all differ. Marketing agencies can produce some very creative, attractive videos on a range of topics. Many of the most emotive TV adverts and promotional videos have been born in the studios of London’s marketing agencies, for example.

Of course, this doesn’t always guarantee you the best recruitment video, because these entail a specific content strategy for them to be effective. This is where a specialist may have the edge in terms of industry knowledge.

One of the main advantages of working with a company like Indigo Blue is our direct graduate recruitment and development experience. We have in-depth knowledge and experience of running a talent attraction strategy for leading financial institutions and a Magic Circle law firm. One of our directors was formally a programme manager for a ‘Top 10’ Times Top 100 Graduate Employer.

So, we have seen the production of talent attraction videos from both ends of the spectrum and we know what does, and doesn’t work with graduate recruitment videos. We understand your market, your budgetary restraints and what you need to achieve, so are well positioned to create effective videos that help you attract and retain top talent.

So, here are three questions to ask when looking around for your next video production partner:

1) What Services Do You Offer?

Find out what a company provides and how this fits in with your requirements. Ideally the production company should cover the whole filming and development process themselves, so you don’t have to deal with multiple suppliers. At Indigo Blue, for instance, we cover acting, scripting, location filming, graphics, music and production – all under one roof.

As important as what a provider offers is how they interact and communicate with you. The on-boarding and planning process is essential for the provider to understand your needs.

Dealing with someone who knows your industry and speaks your language makes it easier to communicate and establish the mutual understanding on which a successful project is based. A familiarity with graduate recruitment is also an important asset, as it will give the company first-hand knowledge of the graduate video production cycle and typical timescales.

2) What Knowledge Do You Have Of Student & Graduate Recruitment?

A good match will be able to demonstrate proven experience of working on graduate recruitment videos and knowledge of the industry. Everyone involved in your project, from consultants to director, producer and camera and sound operators, should understand your objectives, including the key messages of your graduate recruitment video. This is something we place great emphasis on at Indigo Blue, because student videos are different to other marketing videos. We want your video to look amazing, but it is also essential that your recruitment message remains centre stage.

3) How Do You Calculate Your Quotes?

Ask for a full price breakdown and let the provider justify each cost if required. Specialist video companies typically have smaller teams, a lighter management structure and less elaborate offices, as they are focused on a single service. This frequently enables them to offer lower quotes than their larger competitors, although project fees will depend on how much work is involved.

If you ask for a recruitment video quote from your marketing agency then you may get a discounted rate, but it could still include London weighting. It is important to seek out a realistic and competitive quote, but remember that the lowest quotes don’t always guarantee value, any more than the highest guarantee quality. Shop around for a service that fits in with your company ethos and recruitment strategy, so you get the best return on investment.

How To Find The Best Graduate Video Production Company

To help you make the right choices when sourcing your next graduate recruitment video, we have put together the Ultimate Guide to Graduate Recruitment Videos. This free resource contains useful information about planning, creating and marketing your video for the best return on investment. Click here to download your copy.

HOW TO USE GRADUATE RECRUITMENT VIDEOS TO ATTRACT THE BEST TALENT FOR YOUR COMPANY

Posted on by indigoblue

A graduate recruitment video can be an invaluable ally when reaching out to find the next generation of talent for your company, or it can fall completely flat. The outcome largely hinges on how the videos are used.

Most major graduate recruiters make use of recruitment videos these days. They have become an accepted part of online and campus-based recruitment. The danger of this lies in companies treating recruitment videos as an obligatory box ticking exercise, and failing to approach them as a strategic tool. With hundreds of companies competing for the same pool of skilled graduates, the best results will go to the recruiters who know what talent they are looking for and how to use video to get their attention.

When planning a new graduate recruitment video for the coming season, start by asking yourself the following strategic questions:

What Is The ‘Profile’ Of The Graduates I Am Searching For?

People are all individuals, but it is possible to group people into broad categories based on their aspirations, socio-economic background, degree choice and spending habits. Your graduate profile isn’t so much the skills you are looking for and what you can offer candidates, but what the worldview of your target candidate is likely to be. Are they motivated by money, by career progression, or by adventure? Are they looking for security or to break the mould?

Consider your corporate culture as an employer, which will be different for an investment bank than it will be for a tech start-up. The best candidates are where there is a clear alignment in vision and outlook with your company. These are likely to be the people who will work hardest and be motivated to stay with your business for the longest time.

What Can I Offer My Candidates That Our Competitors Can’t?

A typical graduate will see dozens of recruitment videos, all populated by people wearing similar suits, working in similar offices, for similar companies. Step outside the box for a moment and look at the key characteristics that make your company different. This may come down to your internal company culture, the clients you work for, or your approach to your services. Get stakeholders from different company departments involved to pin down what makes your business unique. The job of a graduate recruitment video is to portray your programme and your business in an appealing and convincing way.

What Are The Essential Skills And Strengths I Require In My Candidates?

For your candidates to be successful and add real value to your company, they need to have certain skills and strengths. These may include independence, leadership, loyalty, presentation skills or mathematical ability. Every company is different, but the selection process begins with the video itself. Use the features of the video to clearly express what you are looking for from your candidates, so that graduates can select whether or not they fit the bill. This helps ensure that only the most suitable candidates start the application process.

Does My Video Portray An Accurate Depiction Of Our Company?

It is tempting to paint a dashing and glamorous depiction of your company in your recruitment video; sweeping vistas of New York, sparkling modern offices, swanky corporate dinners. How much of this is realistic for an entry-level employee, or someone on your graduate programme? Setting the wrong expectations in your video is going to lead to disappointed and de-motivated graduates, who are unlikely to do well in your programme. Worse still, they may be tempted to jump ship to one of your competitors.

The Ultimate Guide To Graduate Recruitment Videos

Your graduate recruitment video has the potential to raise the profile of your company and help you win over the best talent for your graduate programme. However, to be successful you need to adopt a strategic, marketing-based approach to your content, coupled with creative thinking and great production standards. At Indigo Blue Productions we can help you produce eye-catching, engaging videos that set you apart from your competitors and bring in the best talent for your company. For more information, please download our free Ultimate Guide to Graduate Recruitment Videos, which is crammed full of useful hints and tips. Click here to claim your copy today.

GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR GRADUATE ATTRACTION STRATEGIES TO BECOME THE NUMBER ONE TALENT RECRUITER IN YOUR INDUSTRY

Posted on by indigoblue

To compete effectively with your competitors for the cream of each year’s student cohort, you need a talent attraction strategy that lets you stand out from the crowd. Companies in the upper reaches of the Times Top 100 Graduate Recruiters List have two characteristics which, taken together, act as powerful keys to success. These are strategy and creativity.

Taking a strategic view involves being clear-sighted about what you can realistically achieve and taking the steps necessary to get there; assessing each activity in terms of return on investment. Being creative means being unafraid to break convention, try out new tactics and engage with your graduate audience in new ways.

A high quality recruitment video is a key part of a recruitment attraction strategy. As a specialist video company, we are well placed to help you leverage the power of video marketing when it comes to formulating your talent attraction strategies for the coming year. Beyond this, try implementing the following strategies to boost your recruiting power.

Ensure Buy-In From Your Organisation

It is so important that you have all the departments of your company on board and sharing ownership of your recruitment messages. You should seek input from different stakeholders prior to the launch of your strategy, and then keep the momentum going while your applications are open. Keep the wider organisation informed by posting information on your company’s internal intranet and encourage personal referrals.

Create A Compelling Graduate Value Proposition

In marketing, a value proposition explains how a product solves a prospect’s problems, explains the advantages you offer over your competitors, and presents the benefits the prospect can expect by becoming a customer. With talent attraction the principle is the same. Your strategy needs to explain how enrolling in your graduate programme will help your candidates fulfil their aspirations, and how your company complements their worldview.

The value proposition sets out the opportunities in your company and what duties are involved. Financial remuneration and in-work benefits play a part in this, but in most strategies these are secondary to career progression and a sense that the graduate is making a difference in the world. From this process will come a set of graduate recruitment messages, which should be made to align with your marketing position and brand identity. A graduate recruitment video is a fantastic way to encapsulate your value proposition quickly and effectively.

Write A Candidate Attraction Strategy

Create a formal, multi-year graduate recruitment strategy linked to a clear budget and guided by previous ROI. Track expenditure and returns from previous activities, such as online advertising, to hone your strategy down to only the most effective activities.

Target The Right Graduates

Not all graduates will be suitable for your company. Create a profile of your ideal candidate by degree subject, university, strengths, interests and personal characteristics, and focus your marketing towards this target audience. Precision recruitment marketing is more effective than a shotgun approach.

Utilise Social Media

Today’s graduates are prolific users of social media and mobile devices. To succeed, full use must be made of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and other outlets. Videos can be broadly disseminated through social media, as can application forms and other recruitment materials. This can sync well with your efforts on campus and at careers fairs. Using paid social media advertising can get your messages in front of specific audiences too – for instance if you need to increase your diversity profile by recruiting more women and minority candidates. Use regular social media updates to maintain urgency after applications open.

How To Use Video To Become A More Successful Graduate Recruiter

Graduate recruitment videos give a talent attraction strategy teeth by helping you quickly put your messages across to the right audience. To find out more about the potential of graduate videos, please download our Ultimate Guide to Graduate Recruitment Videos. The e-book is free and is full of information gleaned from our many years working in the student and graduate industry. Click here to get your copy.

10 Great Reasons for using video in your marketing!

Posted on by indigoblue

Social Media

In an age when everyone has something to say and a host of global communications channels they can use, you need to stand out, if you want to get customers to notice you.

Let’s start with video:

1. Retention rate for visual information is roughly 65% Vs 10% for written info

2. Social users are 5 times more likely to click on videos and photos 

3. Consumers are 78% more likely to buy if they come from a social media channel into your website 

4. Videos help increase sales conversion by an average of 43% 

5. Brand recall increases 9 times with ad campaigns on multiple screens (Tv, Online Video etc.)

6. Websites are 53 times more likely to reach page one on Google if they use on page and off-page videos as part of a search strategy

7. This year, 50% of all internet traffic will be generated as a result of video.  In 2017, it is predicted to be over 90%

8. 92% of B2B customers watch video before making a purchase or an enquiry

9. Consumers are 63% more likely to buy after watching an ‘explainer’ (‘How to..’) video

10. Video Results have a 41% higher click through rate than standard text entries