Minnesota Online Video » nonprofit

Praxis Project Marketing Video

Eric Putkonen — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:04:35 +0000

This is a 4 minute 37 second video…longer than I would prefer, but we wanted to cover two people’s stories in some detail. This really is a video to get more people to become mentors…you get to hear the stories of two mentors. You hear what got these two to become mentors, how mentoring affects their mentees lives, and even some advice if you were to become a mentor and what is expected from mentors.

I think it gives a great overview in a personal way. This is a video Peek Productions produced (that is me), so what do you think about the video? Does it make you consider giving an hour or two a week to be a mentor to a disadvantaged youth?

HIRED Marketing Video

Eric Putkonen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:25:07 +0000

This is 7 minutes and 17 seconds…a bit long for the internet. It is the story of three people who were helped by HIRED and co-told by the three employment coordinators who helped them. You hear where they came from, how these found HIRED, and what happened afterwards (getting to hear from a couple of the employers who hired them). In so doing, you also hear about HIRED’s process. This is a great example of a “case study” format mini-documentary.

It is a very good “about us” kind of video for marketing, but it lacks a call to action that any good marketing video would have. A purely branding and feel good video is nice, but ineffective without a call to action. What action are we supposed to take after watching this video – apply for help, donate to their cause, hire one of their people, what? Who is the intended audience of this video…and what are they supposed to do after watching it? These are questions to keep in mind when you are thinking about having a video made.

Small businesses are not Coca Cola…our brand does not mean anything to the world or even in the city we operate in. Purely brand pieces are of little use to small businesses. So I usually focus on the intended audience and what you want them to do after seeing the video…unless a purely branding video is what someone really wants.

Emergency Foodshelf Network Marketing Video

Eric Putkonen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:45:17 +0000

Here is the the latest finished video from Peek Productions. The Emergency Foodshelf Network is a foodbank in Minnesota – receiving and shipping food to member foodshelves. They wanted a video that may draw in more companies and people sponsoring food drives & also companies and individuals to volunteer time at the Emergency Foodshelf Network (sorting and packaging food for shipment). I have no idea what happens to the food after it is dropped in the barrel, so I thought we would do a video showing the process…as well as a call to action. They liked the idea and this is the finished product.

I am very proud of this video…and I am too close to it to critique it right now (just got the final approval ten minutes ago). What do you think about it?

Twin Cities Daily Planet Marketing Video

Eric Putkonen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:57:50 +0000

This is the first of the video I produced on my blog…that is to say, this one is done by Peek Productions. The TC Daily Planet is a non-profit online newspaper that relies on donations, citizen journalism, and professional editors. They wanted an “about us” type of video to put on their website and show when they are doing talks elsewhere…and get more involvement in the community and perhaps donations. We discussed how to best get the message out, so we decided an interview with the Executive Director and the three editors at TC Daily Planet would work well. This is a ‘straight from the horses mouth’ kind of video. It also gave viewers an opportunity to meet the editors.

It is a hair longer than I prefer (7 seconds beyond 4 minutes), but I didn’t see anything I wanted to cut…I think it would have diminished the story or broken the flow of the conversation. I liked the emotion and engagement I got from most of the people I interviewed.

There are always room for improvement. In keeping with critiques, I will not go easy on myself. A couple cuts had the sentences end rather abruptly. I would have preferred a smoother transition, but the speakers where talking a little quickly and without breaks in the spots I wanted to cut from. If you are going to be in a video, speak a little slower than normal (excitement or nervousness speeds us up). Also remember to breathe and take a pause between topics. At least that is what I will tell my next client.