???? Episode 113 of Yes, and Marketing
Marketers say they want to produce more video, but it’s easier said than done.
On this episode, we talk with Hope Horner, CEO and founder of Lemonlight. Hope and Lemonlight are on the cutting edge of video marketing, having produced more than 15,000 videos for companies from Coca-Cola to local SMBs. She shared lessons gained from building those 15,000 videos, what most marketers are getting wrong with video, and predictions about the future of video marketing.
The rest of the conversation included Hope’s founder journey and what she’s learned from leading startups, so listen to the full conversation above or read on for the highlights.
You can also view clips from all our episodes on our show page.
???? Who is Hope Horner?
What she does: CEO and Founder of LemonLight
Find Hope on the web: Lemonlight | LinkedIn
Get smart: “Get really comfortable making content. Make it part of your conversations and your campaigns. Don’t be afraid of it. If you’re not using content yet, you will be at some point.”
???? Episode Highlights
Read verbatim excerpts from our interview with Hope Horner.
WHAT SHE LEARNED FROM HER FIRST STARTUP
“Don’t try to do everything at once.
For example, my first company was Better You , and I wanted to create an on-demand app that serviced massage therapists, personal trainers, everyone in the fitness, beauty and wellness market. And it was just way too much at once.”
CO-FOUNDERS MAKE YOU BETTER
“I can’t imagine not having a co-founder. I have two. There are so many decisions that you make every day that are hard. There are occasionally decisions that are just impossible and to not have someone to talk those through, I can’t imagine it. I have friends who are solo founders and I don’t know how they do it.
I feel like you can be your most raw self with your co-founders. At the end of the day, I feel like when you’re the CEO, you have to show up in a certain way, and it doesn’t matter how close you are with a team or what’s going on. There’s an expectation and a responsibility to show up in a certain way. It doesn’t mean you can’t be human or authentic or, or real or raw, but it’s different than the way that I can show up with my co-founders.”
WHAT DOES LEMONLIGHT DO?
“Lemonlight’s mission is to make video content creation easy for every brain on the planet. And we do that by connecting brands with really great creators throughout the entire video production process and by giving them the tools to move through it more efficiently than with a traditional production company.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS IN VIDEO CONTENT CREATION
“Everything has to be process driven. With video production, there’s probably a hundred decisions. You have to make decisions about scripting, your voiceover actor, your actor that shows up on set, the color of their nails, 10,000 other things.
So the most important thing to do is to keep it as simple as possible for clients and be very process driven. Here’s the next step. Here’s what we recommend. What is your selection? Great next, next, next. It’s really easy to get decision paralysis and by helping lead them and guide them we’ve made 15,000 videos.
We’ve learned a lot from our experiences making videos, giving them our best suggestions and then helping take it step by step is the most important part.”
SHOULD YOU STAR IN YOUR OWN AD?
“It goes back and forth. We either think [the client] should and they don’t want to, or we think that maybe hiring talent would be the right fit and they want to be in the video! So we work with them. We try to coach them through whatever, ultimately that they think is best.”
WHAT CAN VIDEO ACCOMPLISH THAT OTHER CHANNELS CAN’T?
“Video’s gonna be the most effective way to grab someone’s attention. And I think it dates back to like early, early days where we used to sit around fires long before television existed. Moving light captures your attention and it creates a focus and a draw static images don’t create. I think that that’s, you know, been carried through the years.”
THE BIGGEST THING MOST MARKETERS GET WRONG WITH VIDEO
“They have a great idea, but they’re really too focused on their great idea and not the type of video or what they’re trying to accomplish.
That will also manifest by trying to do one video for everywhere and everything all at once. That’s a conversation that we have to have a lot: what is your goal with this video? Then, does this accomplish it? And then, how do you actually use this video to accomplish your goal?
It’s not taking the same video and plastering it across all of the different mediums and channels and everywhere. You aren’t going to be that effective that way.”
HOW VIDEO MARKETING HAS CHANGED
“When we started, it was just on YouTube and, and websites, literally you could not upload a video to Facebook. You had to upload a YouTube link or add a YouTube link. And now today they came out with a new video placement size, export requirements, all kinds of things every few weeks.
Video is literally everywhere. We make videos for billboards now. That definitely didn’t exist when we started. I remember very clearly we used to say, “You need a video for your brand. Just like you need a website, you need a video for your brand.” Then we had a pivotal shift within our company. You no longer need a video for your brand, you need video content for your brand all the time.
Video isn’t something you build once, put on your website and you’re done. It needs to be in your advertising channels and through your sales funnels and your emails and on your social.”
WHAT’S NEXT IN VIDEO MARKETING
“I think the next winner is whoever can make video content as easy as possible and scalable as possible.
I think polished content will still need to be created by brands, and I think there will probably be more personalization and more customization.
Right now we’re seeing more and more folks say “Create your own video using stock and editing tools.” Those didn’t really exist before, but I think the customizable aspects will become more accessible for people everywhere.”
????️ Hope Horner Quotes
“Talk about your competition. I think just being honest about what else is out there. I think it helps.”
“Being more focused and more deliberate is important for any marketing leader.”
“Video marketing would be easier if it was still the way it used to be! [in 2015]”
“You can create the most entertaining video, but if no one knows who your brand is after they watch it, it doesn’t really help you.”
“At the end of the day, the goal of any video campaign is to convert more customers to your brand.”
???? Learn More
Hope recommends:
- El Matador Beach if you’re visiting LA.
- Beyoncé for a workout soundtrack.
- Frank Slootman’s Amp It Up as a must-read for all founders.
