Might you want to hear a story about a storyteller?

How many times have you heard or used the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words?” Have you considered how many words a compelling video and narrative might be worth? If you could harness the power of all these words and put it use helping you achieve a business goal, what might that be worth? My friend Mike Schrader and his team of video production wizards at Moxtopia are pros at focusing this power on their client’s goals.

You might know that creating compelling video messaging isn’t easy and isn’t an exact science. By starting with an understanding of their client’s goals, Mike and his team help interpret the facts, circumstances, and developments and create a story. The creative process can involve lots of writing, recording, and travel, and Mike and his team are pros at tackling these tasks efficiently. Mike has shared with me that he loves all these tasks but that performing them allows him to enjoy his favorite aspect of his work – meeting great people, learning their stories, and helping them tell those stories.

Mike described himself as a storyteller: “We go in and use a process of discovery to understand our clients’ stories, and we help them tell their story.” This process usually involves helping the client condense lots of information – the who, what, when, where, why, and how – into a video message designed and focused to accomplish an identified and specific, goal.

This process starts with identifying what the client wants to accomplish or wants to happen. Mike and the Moxtopia crew then create the visual storytelling to make it happen. For example, Moxtopia has helped one of the nation’s largest agricultural banks communicate with clients in multiple ways that include telling the stories of their philanthropic efforts on behalf of the bank’s clients and communicating the employment experience to prospective bank employees. These video storybooks served to strengthen their banking relationships with clients and to recruit top tier talent.

If you’re like most people, you’re not sure what to expect from video communication. “Video communication isn’t always perceived as a tactic based on strategy,” Mike says, “but instead is viewed as just ‘smoke and mirrors’.” Mike explained that the Moxtopia team leads the client through a process to identify specific goals and help the client, with Moxtopia’s help, create and tell an effective story. It starts, Mike says, with getting to know the client. If the client is going to make an investment in video communication, they want the investment to accomplish something. Mike and his team create the metrics by which they and the client then measure the return on the investment. “What are you trying to move?” “Who are you asking to do the moving?” and “How far do you want to move it?” are all questions Mike and his team want to understand to help the client measure success of the story telling and understand how the storytelling fits into the bigger picture.

Mike stressed his focus on each client’s unique needs and business, and Mike and his team work hard to produce something that’s fresh and new and based exclusively on the individual client and that client’s goals. “When the video is played and the lights come up, I want to know what is the one thing the client wants the audience to be saying, thinking, or doing?” Mike says. “That’s what we want to focus on: getting that reaction.” While each client is different, all have a message they want to deliver to achieve a business goal. Whether the client is an international robotics company hoping to help its clients understand the capabilities of the newest machines or a defense contractor implementing a safety initiative among its employees, Mike and his team are expert in helping them tell the stories of what they’re doing and helping obtain the audience reaction the client wants.

While there are lots of video formats, such as animation and documentary, Mike identified interviewing clients and helping tell their own story as a Moxtopia strength. “There’s a skill and an art to interviewing for video,” Mike says. “You have to set the guest’s nerves at ease and help them comfortably and effortlessly tell their story. We guide the guest and help them tell their story naturally.”

Next, the Moxtopia team dives in to edit the and craft the product to present the story in a way that will help achieve the client’s goals. Sometimes, this product is a single communication to be delivered to one or more audiences. Other times, the product includes multiple video communications that may be replayed at an audience member’s request or even forwarded by an audience member to others.

Even, however, with all the experience and expertise the Moxtopia team brings, Mike cautions clients not to assume that any particular goal can be achieved with a single video communication or with video communication alone. A message may convey the perfect information in the perfect way for the intended audience, but it must also be presented to the audience and be presented in a way and at a time when the audience is likely to receive it and to give it their attention.  The client must also be prepared, with people and resources, to react to, manage, and support the audience reaction.

When selecting a video communication specialist, Mike advises, you should ask to see examples of the work. Many people offer video communications services, and the cost and availability of video recording and processing allows for lots of players in the market. “At the end of the day,” Mike says, “it’s a relationship, so you want to see their work and to see how their mind works. How are they going to go about telling your story?”

If you’re not ready for professionally-produced video communication, Mike recommends focusing on verbal communication skills. Being an effective verbal communicator is essential because, regardless of your business or industry, the communications skills you bring to the business are going to have big impact.

Mike shared that many of Moxtopia’s engagements involve their client’s sole opportunity to be creative. “We strive to help them feel they can be part of a collaborative team, and we take that very seriously,” said Mike.

While the Moxtopia team works with a wide variety of clients, Mike shared that he especially likes clients who allow him to do what he does best and then share and consider what needs to be tweaked to meet the client’s goals.

If you’re ready to take your company’s communications to the next level with some expertly crafted video stories and might like to get to know Mike, please reach out to me. I’d be honored to connect you.