YouTube Success, or, Why I Want a Toyota Sienna

I have worked with several clients over the past year that are very interested in having their own YouTube Channel. That's great - I love that companies are interested in non-traditional marketing and willing to try something new.

As with all things marketing-related, wanting to do something, and being able to do something well can be a real challenge. Many people are familiar with the Toyota Sienna "Swagger Wagon" video, an MTV style video highlighting the hip side of mini van ownership.



While I haven't found an exact budget for the Jody Hill directed ad, I can only guess that it is far beyond the reach of many West Michigan companies. That said, you don't have to bring in an international ad agency or purchase a $20,000 video camera to achieve YouTube success.

Here's an example of a local company that collaborated with an area agency to produce a striking video, sans actors, fancy lighting and expensive cameras.



Do you have an example of a great YouTube (or Vimeo) video that was produced on a tight budget? I'd love to see other examples!

Follow Friday

Every Friday Twitter users share their Follow Friday lists - individuals or organizations that they deem "follow worthy." I don't typically participate in sharing my own list, because, for the most part, everyone that I follow adds value to my Twitter experience. And, honestly, it seems like a bit of a popularity contest - if I forget to mention someone they might be upset, and really, the point of Twitter is to share valuable information, not to be crowned Twitter Prom King.

That said - there are a few people and organizations that I would recommend, they add value to my Twitter experience and either a smile, knowledge or give me a reason to get on Twitter everyday.

Mashable is a great resource for social media news, including breaking news on the latest iPhone updates, changes to Twitter and Facebook, and best practices for participating in social media.

Namtrok Paul is a local social media and SEO professional. He is great for bouncing ideas off of and is very helpful when it comes to answering questions.

PearlsEvents Aletha is a friend (and client) of mine, but she is brilliant! I love seeing her event photos, learn about the latest wedding trends and sharing a laugh with her. I wish I had known her before I planned my own wedding!

GRSM GR Social Marketing is a great resource for those in West Michigan working with, or interested in, social media. Their monthly meetings are a great (free!) resource for expanding your knowledge and connecting with local pros.

thebeadgirl Lisa is a local artist and jewelry marker. Sharing everything from beautiful photos of her work and life to funny stories about her dogs, kids, being a mom and wife, and homeschooling four children, she is guaranteed to add a smile to your day!

GRNow A great resource for finding out what's happening around West Michigan and chances to win tickets to local events.

jbrons Jeremy is another great social media resource, while not on his personal account he manages the social media and e-marketing efforts of Celebration Cinema (which is great to follow as an example of a company that excels in social media!)

These are just a few of my favorites, I'm sure that I am missing many that deserve to be named here. A complete list of who I follow can be found on my Twitter profile.

Who else should I add to my list?

Jen

Guest Post - Sasha Souza from Sparkliatti!

I work with several clients who are either wedding planners, or directly involved in the wedding industry as vendors. While this post is directly applicable to their businesses (I found the link through one of them) many of the ideas and concepts presented can be used across a range of industries, and are especially applicable in today's economy.

Let Me Clarify - You Can Always Get It Cheaper...

There's one thing that I definitely know in life and that is you can always buy something cheaper - telephone service, flights, cars, office supplies, SEO optimization, wedding gowns, pharmaceuticals, wedding flowers, catering....wedding & event planners.  You name it and I'll betcha there's somebody out there that can give it to you cheaper...  I think that the question that people miss is:  But Will It Be What I Want?
Let me give you a scenario that happened to me last year.  I sent out a floral & decor proposal for an event that wasn't huge and over the top.  It was for a nice party and right in line with the type of events we do.  Prior to sending it out, I had gone through and made a few things optional for the client so that they could add in some of the "nice to haves".  Exactly what I told them I would do when they hired me. 
Then, the phone rings....it's the Mother of the Bride.  We'll call her Carol. 
Carol:  "Sasha...in this economy how can you, in good conscience, send me a floral proposal THIS high?"
Please know that I had been through the proposal backwards & forwards and it met all of the required components that the bride simply HAD to have. 
ME:  "Thanks for your call, Carol, I sent it because I believe it fits the desires of Melanie (name of bride has been changed) and I did shave a lot off to try to meet your budget"
Carol:  "But Sasha, how in the world do you expect us to pay for this?  We have decided we don't want to spend more than X"  {this would have been nice to know at the beginning, by the way}
ME:  "Please let me know what you would like to cut and we are happy to  make any changes you like.  We can switch from long tables to rounds & squares, change the design of the flowers..."{basically, I gave her 15 options to make changes}
Carol:  "But Sasha, Melanie wants all that and we expect that in this economy people are hungry for business and would be willing to make a little less profit for the job"
{quizzical look which garners the side note that in this economy, business owners are more likely going to want a higher profit from each job, not lower to compensate for fewer jobs overall - thereby providing the contracted & paid for services ONLY and not over and above the contracted services}
ME: "Carol, I'm not sure that's the case, but let me just say that I've found out something in life and in business...you can always get something cheaper but it will not be the wedding your daughter wants, it will only be the price you like." {if you use this in your business, feel free to say "well, Sasha Souza says..."}
Why have I told you this story?  Because it's true and the statement that I made at the end is an important one when educating couples and ourselves on weddings and what we get for our money. It's easy to say you want a centerpiece to be smaller or "not over the top" or "simple".  Let me give you a visual example.  We have seen this image from the legendary Preston Bailey in our office many, many times.  It's gorgeous with hundreds of flowers in it and I'm sure the image does not do it justice to how grand it is in person:

Can every bride afford it?  No.  But those that value it will seek it & Preston out to design for them and will be thrilled with the results.  Here is how we used his inspiration for a bride who loved the look but couldn't pay the price tag for the flowers:

Could the bride have gotten even this arrangement cheaper?  Yes!  Absolutely but the structure of the piece, the height, the design would have been vastly different.  More like this:

While still pretty, it doesn't emanate the same feeling - BUT it IS CHEAPER!  So, if it's cheaper that they are looking for then this would work out perfectly but the expectation can't be for the gorgeous images above.
Another example...Is the peony any cheaper because of the economy?  No.  So, we offer alternatives and often we substitute with garden roses.  Is it the same?  No.  It's just cheaper and different.  Some brides are OK with that and others REALLY want the peony and are not going to compromise for anything less.  The decision is only theirs to make.
Carol did go on to pay the bill for the flowers when she  understood that what she would get by going elsewhere wasn't what Melanie would have wanted.  We were very willing to make changes to the event to get them closer to their described estimated expenditure but they were unwilling to make any changes whatsoever and simply wanted it to be cheaper.  period.  just. cheaper.
That isn't how this works, people.  If you go to the gas station to fill up your car, you make a decision on the name brand station that you go to, how much you want to pay per gallon & the octane level of the gas you want. 
OR! 
You can go down the street to the gas station without all the special additives.  Will your car run the same?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  My car happens to like Chevron Techron 89 Octane or better.  I put anything less in it and I'm bummed by the lack of power and performance that I get in my car.  I can't go into the clerk and ask them if instead of $2.99 per gallon I can pay $1.49 per gallon and expect the exact same quality & product.  If you want me to shave $100 off an arrangement, you're going to lose $100 worth of flowers & design time. 
So, when you're visiting with your vendors and you ask them to reduce their price please be sure that you are getting the same exact thing - because if you're trying to compare apples to apples and one person says they can do that Preston arrangement for hundreds less than the other person - chances are  you'll be left with arrangement #3 on your 72" round seating 12.

This post was originally published at Sparkliatti has been republished with permission from Sasha Souza. Thank you, Sasha, for letting me share this with my readers!