Adding video to the marketing mix was not a difficult decision
for Joan Horwitz, Marketing Manager for nanotechnologies and
nanomeasurement systems at Keysight Technologies Inc. More
than seven years ago, she pretty much pulled the plug on print
advertising and put more dollars toward reaching her target
audiences with video.
“We had to follow the trend,” she says.
The atomic force microscopes, scanning electron microscopes,
and nanomechanical testing systems that Horwitz was selling
to researchers were very often being evaluated by
post-doctoral students and other young researchers in
academic and government labs. And they were using social
media.
“The people searching for instruments and making
recommendations to professors were in their late 20s and
using social media and YouTube,” Horwitz says.
Disillusioned with the ROI from print advertising, Horwitz saw
other divisions in the company working with Biocompare to
produce video – and she wanted to give a try.
Today, she produces a variety of video to raise awareness and
consideration among target audiences. The videos appear on
the Keysight website, its YouTube channel, and
Biocompare.com, where they help users evaluate and shop for
the nanotechnologies Keysight offers. They are also used at
tradeshows, which has been very effective – especially at
smaller shows when they do not ship instruments to demo.
Horwitz says the videos are product-centric, demonstrating
features and benefits, or instructional to show how easy it is to
operate. Additional videos showcase specific applications, such
as for polymer science. Still others are produced for training
purposes. Some are as long as 15 minutes, but shorter 1-2
minute versions are produced as well.
It’s Painless
Video is just part of Horwitz’s marketing strategy, which includes 32
scientific eseminars annually, trade shows, and face-to-face workshops
and seminars. So when it comes to producing video, she
doesn’t have much time.
Working with Biocompare has been “painless,” according to Horwitz.
“They’ve done a terrific job for us,” she says. “Number one, they
understand our product and how to present it. They understand the
market, our customer, and what our customer wants to see. They
communicate well and make suggestions. It’s painless. The
management for me is really very easy. I can call today and say,
‘I want a video of this,’ … and, depending on the timing of the video
shoot, it can be two weeks later and we’re editing and tweaking.”
Typically, shorter videos are prepared within 2-4 weeks.
Because she all but eliminated print advertising, Horwitz has been
able to pay for video production within her existing budget.
Paying Off
While Horwitz does not quantify the return on investment in video,
she is confident it’s the right move to reach her audience. She is
more than satisfied with the number of views. And she points out it
has saved money when they don’t have to ship instruments to some
trade shows. They are also used as sales tools with potential
customers.
“It is measurable and repeatable and underscores the value of video
in our campaigns,” he says. “Put it this way, we plan to continue using
video in our marketing strategy.”
Video has enabled Horwitz to bring Keysight Technologies’ AFM,
FE-SEM, nanoindenters, and universal testing machines to life for
prospects who are using social media to learn about and shop for
such instruments.
“This is really the best way to reach our prospects and it works well
with our other marketing efforts,” she said. “Plus, it’s such a pleasure
to work with the people at Biocompare.”