You have specialized knowledge in your field that few others possess, and now you want to get the word out while attracting others to your organization.  What are your options?  Social media, AdWords, and traditional media each have their benefits, but these all put the focus squarely on your product.  Instead, consider the advantages of giving your product secondary focus and making a How-To Video to both build identity and recruit in one project.

Examples and the How-To Video at Work:

Last week FineLine Multimedia did just that as we teamed up with Iowa-based Championship Productions and Ohio State University (OSU) to make a series of How-To Videos.  These videos serve a dual-purpose. One is that the video helps each coach build his identity by showcasing his personality, athletic program, and philosophy throughout. The other purpose is to help recruit for Ohio State University, especially the athletics program.  When players and coaches watch these videos, they are really being sold the brand of the OSU experience as well as the useful tactics.

With a background showing off its impressive list of champions, the wrestling video goes from instructional to OSU recruitment tool.

As an example, consider the How-To Video that FineLine Multimedia shot for Wrestling Head Coach Tom Ryan.  On the surface, Coach Ryan is building his identity throughout the video, explaining a series of drills and coaching strategies.  Ryan’s hardworking attitude and expert knowledge of his sport are immediately apparent, which allows his audience to trust and accept his views.

On the secondary level, this acceptance becomes a powerful recruiting tool and makes wrestlers or coaches who view the How-To Video more open to Ohio State athletics.  OSU gear is worn by the wrestlers in the video.  The wrestling mat is adorned with Ohio State colors and its logo.  Coach Ryan even uses a National Champion wrestler who he coached to demonstrate in the video.  All of these details helps deliver the message that Ohio State University is a place where champions go to wrestle.  This also builds an openness to other Ohio State athletics programs and the college in general, and will make the audience more likely to consider OSU when they are looking to attend college or send students to college later in life.

Coach Myers (left) prepping for his shoot at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Each object in the frame (facility, photo, banners) helps market OSU to the viewer.

The other How-To Video helps deliver the same marketing results. Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Nick Myers shot his video in the beautiful Woody Hayes Athletic Center, a gigantic indoor field used for various sports teams.  While Coach Myers once again builds his identity by teaching the fundamentals of lacrosse in his video, he is also recruiting prospective players to his team and Ohio State University.

The facility itself shows how serious OSU is in giving its athletes top-of-the-line facilities. Also, every time the camera catches a National Champions banner or the giant picture of Woody Hayes, the viewer will be reminded of the long history of athletic success at the university.  Coupled with Myers’ identity of an adept coach who is respected by his athletes, the video becomes a powerful marketing tool on top of an instructional video.

Identity Building Blog Takeaway for How-To Videos:

So how can the How-To Video help build identity and recruit for you? This time, let’s look beyond sports into the realm of small business.  For example, say you own a men’s clothing store.  Instead of making a commercial about your suits and ties, consider a How-To Video focused on dressing properly.  The video could show the various styles for different occasions and how to match certain outfits. As the actor in the video is wearing and demonstrating your clothing in your store, the video is helping you build an identity and “recruit” more customers.  The store and personnel are identified as informed and fashionable. Additionally, as  your styles and store are constantly being seen in the video, the store achieves top-of-mind awareness the next time the viewer needs a new suit.

The How-To Video can and has been used successfully from the small business or non-profit level to a global corporation.  To see how FineLine Multimedia can build brand identity and recruit more customers for you, please visit the video production portion of our website. For examples of what we’ve already done for our satisfied clients, click here.