This edition of Pro Interviews features Brendan McCrann. Brendan is a passionate video marketer who brings an edge to his work through creativity and enthusiasm.
Pagezii — Brendan, please tell us a bit about yourself.
Brendan — Going through school I knew I wanted to have a career in business, but I also wanted the opportunity to be strategic and creative.
I studied Communications, Marketing, and Technology Entrepreneurship at different schools in Ottawa. While I was studying I always did video work on the side. I was fascinated by its growth and how much I enjoyed bringing my ideas to life on screen.
The video work I did was noticed by a major Canadian broadcaster and I was brought in as an associate producer. From there, I transitioned towards business and joined a startup as the director of business development.
I’ve now landed my dream job that balances marketing, video, and client relations at a B2B marketing agency called Demand Spring. We’re working with some amazing clients that push the envelope in their space.
Pagezii — Sounds like the perfect fit. And what sparked your interest in video marketing?
there’s no limit to your creativity
Brendan — I’ve always loved video and how there’s no limit to your creativity. When I was young I remember watching Superbowl ads and thinking “I want to be one of the people who makes commercials.”
It was a perfect fit to become a video marketer. I enjoy every aspect of it – from the creative production to the strategy, to seeing the results from a campaign. It’s an exciting time to be in the space because clients are looking at video as a core asset, rather than an “extra budget” piece. We can now attach a dollar figure to our creative video campaigns using our digital toolbelt.
Pagezii — How have you used video as a sales tool?
Brendan — Selling is becoming more digital, there’s no denying that. When I was working in business development and product management, I was always looking for the quickest way to show a demo. I found myself calling or emailing 30 people a day, and finally landing 1 meeting for an online demo of our product. The problem is, people don’t pick up the phone, and people don’t reply to emails… so what do you do?
We developed a few product videos and sent them out via email. Using this tactic, about 2 / 3 prospects would watch the video… which was a drastic improvement on my 1 out of 30 requests for an online demo. Video became my sidekick and brought in more product exposure.
Video didn’t sell the product itself, but it allowed me to reply to the ones who were most interested. From there, I knew that video was the most powerful call-to-action on the internet.
Pagezii — What’s the most memorable marketing campaign you’ve worked on?
Brendan — I recently worked on a project for a more traditional brand. They were new to video, and were only testing the waters because their competitor had just released a video a few months prior.
We not only produced a branded animated video from scratch, but we also managed to get the client a major sale from the video in less than four days. The company’s perspective on video went from skeptical to craving it for both their marketing and sales departments. It was a very cool experience to be a part of from start to finish.
Pagezii — What are key metrics in video marketing?
We’re all about views you can use
Brendan — A few years ago, the most common metric for measuring video success was video views, but there are a few players in the space who have drastically changed the game.
We’re using a video marketing platform called Vidyard that integrates with our marketing automation and CRM platform, so we can track repeat viewership, new leads generated by video, and a lot of other cool stuff. It’s not about going viral anymore. We’re all about views you can use.
Pagezii — What are marketing trends you see for 2017?
Brendan — It’s hard to tell – my take is that the new foundation of marketing will be based on experiences. Top of funnel awareness will be driven by deep personalization and the ability to break through the clutter of content we’re all drowning in.
People want to feel special and have personalized experiences, and they want it now. I think digital and content marketers will step away from the “blanket” approach with their content. I see more organizations using more targeted interactive content, deeply segmented email lists, and hopefully, a “less is more” approach to content marketing.
Pagezii — Thank you, Brendan, for sharing your experiences. You passion for video marketing is something our readers will admire.
