Jan 25th, 2012
Why a technology video is beneficial
The start of a new year is a perfect time for technology transfer offices to look at the past year and evaluate what tactics worked, what didn’t and what needs to be done differently. Will 2012 be the year you jump into social media? Or the year you implement new marketing strategies, like video? Product videos can give the viewer a quicker and easier to comprehend overview of the technology than a traditional PDF listing can. It also allows the viewer to see the technology or device even in concept form.
Video production can be a financial and time investment that many technology transfer offices are nervous about making. Partnering with your university media department or in-house video team is a great way to cut costs if hiring a production company is not in the budget. However, if the budget allows use of a production company, I recommend keeping it local and using them regularly. The more you work with the same people, the easier the process becomes.
At Mercy Research and Development video production has been beneficial to marketing our technologies. If video production is uncharted territory for your Technology Transfer Office, make 2012 the year to try it. Here are five reasons video should be in your product marketing arsenal.
Turns the technology into a story. I try to think of every product as a living, breathing being that has a story to tell. Start by establishing the problem to be solved or the need to be met. Introduce the people involved in the creation of the device and the journey to a solution. The inventor of the technology is naturally going to be its number one advocate, so give him or her the platform (in a structured manner) to talk about all the features, benefits and highlights of the device or technology. He or she will add credibility and be able to accurately discuss the technical aspects of the technology.
Makes complicated information easier to understand. Whether it is a visual representation like a chart or graph, an animation of a process or a verbal explanation, video can convey information in a way that diverse audiences at varying level of knowledge on a particular topic can understand.
Brings a concept to life. Often the solution to the problem is a concept where there is nothing tangible or flashy. This is where video is most beneficial, because anything can exist on-screen. A visual representation will often help a potential licensee better understand your concept, even at its earliest stages of conception.
Helps your technologies stand out. This is especially true for smaller, less known TTO offices and R&D labs. You may have the best technology, but if no one knows it is out there it doesn’t matter.
Content can and should be repurposed. Use the video during meetings, presentations, at tradeshow booths. Post the video on your website and Facebook account. Tweet about it and add it to your Linked In product page. Create a social media news release and link reporters to it. The possibilities for repurposing the content are endless, so if you are making the investment, get the most out of it.
Over the next eight weeks marketing and licensing professionals with Mercy R&D will post a series of blogs related to creating an effective technology video for your Technology Transfer Office. Topics will include: creating an effective video, how an investment in video pushes technologies out the door, coaching your inventors to get comfortable on camera, and how to be a superstar client and get the most out of your money when working with a production company.
Angela Garrison
Angela Garrison is a product marketing specialist with Mercy R&D, a multidisciplinary research and development group located in Springfield Missouri which works to create better medical devices and innovative, affordable solutions to problems healthcare institutes face. She is responsible for Mercy R&D’s external communications including: social media, marketing, public relations and video prodcution. Prior to joining Mercy R&D she worked in the public relations office at St. John’s Health System, which is part of Mercy Health, the eighth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S.