How to Use Video to 3X Conversions (with Mark Wonderlin)

Angela Frank: 00:00:00

Welcome to The Growth Pod.

Today on the podcast, we have Mark Wonderlin, who is the driving force behind Mosaic Media Films, the highest rated video production company in Austin. However, he brings more than expertise in video production. He brings a strategic marketing mindset.

Mark collaborates closely with clients, delving into the sales and marketing strategies of their businesses and funnels. This deep understanding allows him to create videos strategically tailored to drive traffic and boost sales. Mark, welcome to the podcast.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:00:34

Absolutely. Thanks so much for having me, Angela.

Angela Frank: 00:00:36

I'm very excited for our conversation today. You're going to share how we can use video to 3x our conversions.

But before we get started, can you take us through your journey of how you've been able to go from a side hustle to founding one of the most successful video production companies in Austin?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:00:54

Yeah, absolutely.

So my journey really started well over 10 years ago and I was working at a company in the marketing department, and we had a relatively small marketing department. So typically when you're a small team, you have to do everything.

So I got exposure to video photography, SEO, website design, print design, packaging design, and with all those great skill sets that I learned, it gave me a knowledge of marketing and advertising. But really, video is where I felt like the market was going. I was mentored in that direction.

And it was right around the time when DSLR filmmaking was starting. So I started doing some side jobs while I was working full time.

And then that kind of transitioned to me becoming a solopreneur when I moved to Austin.

And through that time, I actually created a digital course teaching aspiring filmmakers on how to create the style of video that was really pioneered 10 years or so ago. And now I have a great amazing team of creatives that help with the editing, the filmmaking, the producing, that all work for me full time.

And I kind of focus now more on the high level creative and a lot of the sales and marketing, specifically for the business and strategic marketing that we do with our clients.

Angela Frank: 00:02:15

Amazing.

So you mentioned that you focus right now a lot on strategy, but you really started out on the creative side and being in the trenches per se for video making and creation. Now that you're more in the strategy side, what does a typical day in the life look like for you as you're running your agency?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:02:35

Yeah, absolutely.

So typical day is like if we have a shoot, usually in some situations I'll actually go to the shoot and I'll go there for a couple hours, help a little bit, connect with a client, and then kind of get out of the way and head out. Then I'll have like a meeting.

It could be a marketing meeting, whether it's strategically with a client and we're strategizing about how to use and leverage their videos once they're completed.

Or it could be an internal marketing meeting from someone from my team, and then it could be other meetings where I'm talking connecting with clients where they're thinking about video and they don't know where to start. So I'm kind of helping them through the process of this is the type of video we can do.

This is how much it would cost and kind of going through the traditional sales cycle with them.

And then it could be, you know, responding to emails, whether they're existing clients prospects, or connecting with the team on updates of various projects that we're working on.

Angela Frank: 00:03:26

Okay, so it sounds like not only are you kind of strategy for your agency itself, but you're a strategic partner for your clients on how they can strategically use video within their business to improve their conversions and just their marketing in general.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:03:41

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's one of the things that really makes us different.

Not only myself, but everyone from my team, we always look through everything through the lens of marketing. I think for most companies, what they'll do is they'll call a couple video production companies. They'll be like, I have a project in mind.

We want to do this video about us.

I'm going to call and get a couple quotes, and 9 out of 10 times they're going to talk to a video production company and they're going to say, yeah, you know, we got two cameras. There'll be three hours of this and four hours of editing. And. But if you want me to use my really nice camera, that's going to cost more.

And I just don't understand that. Our philosophy is completely different.

So when we talk to a client, we're really trying to understand how's this video going to be used, what marketing right now is working for you, how is it going to fit into your system, and what video or series of videos is going to get you the intended result that you're looking for, and then really trying to understand their customer.

Because at the end of the day, whether it's a social video, a testimonial, or a video about their company, the video isn't for the company per se, it's for the customer, the person that's going to be watching us, the prospects, or trying to get into their mindset. So we look at it from the perspective of one. How is it going to fit into your Marketing.

And two, how are we going to tell a story in a compelling way, whether it's short form, mid form or long form, that's going to take that action that we want that intended viewer to take for the product or service that we're ultimately trying to promote.

Angela Frank: 00:05:14

I love that.

So you're starting not only with the goals of the business, but what's going to resonate most with their target customer or their ideal client profile and seeing how you can bridge those two together and really starting from there. I've worked with getting quotes from video production companies and it's exactly how you mentioned.

They just kind of like go through the technical stuff that they're going to do and they don't really speak to your goals or like, how that's going to ladder up to the benefit that they provide for your business.

And when they're like, you know, my big camera, the set, the location, the day, it's gonna be 30 grand or something like that, you just feel like they're not hitting the pain point of, you know, we really wanna produce this video because we have this goal for our business and because we wanna resonate with our clients and customers.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:06:10

Yeah, absolutely. I always say the most expensive video is the one that doesn't work.

Angela Frank: 00:06:14

Yeah.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:06:15

So whether you spend 3,000 or you spend $30,000, if it doesn't work, you know, it's going to cost you time, money and energy to get it produced.

I think a lot of times clients make the mistake of trying to go with the cheapest person and then they end up feeling great because they've saved money, but they lose money on the back end because it's not giving them result that they really wanted.

Angela Frank: 00:06:37

Yeah, absolutely. I love how you put that. So we've talked a lot about the nitty gritty about video, but let's back up a step.

Why should businesses even be using video to begin with?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:06:51

Yeah, absolutely. Well, one of the most fundamental reasons is because it's really good for engaging, educating, and ultimately converting people.

Because video can, if video is done right, it can really connect with all these different senses, you know, so, like, it can be great as far as storytelling when it comes to the narrative. It can be great visually because you're able to see either live action shots or stock footage.

It can be engaging where you have some type of animation that reinforces the information. A lot of it depends on the type of video. And again, to go back to what is the message for the end viewer? How are we connecting with them?

It also can really help Connect on different types of emotions. You know, do you want people to be more excited and energized?

Like we're creating a high energy video so people go to your conference so they can get excited.

Do we want more of an emotional tone because we're working with a nonprofit and we want to talk about their story and their mission and how that kind of tugs in our heartstrings?

Or do we want something that's more educational focused, where the tone is a little bit different, where we're really trying to reinforce the information so the viewer leaves with some type of tangible education after the video. So because video can appeal to so much of that, it's incredibly powerful from that aspect.

It's also really powerful because it's a huge point of differentiation. Now a lot of companies will have social content. You know, sometimes it's in video format, sometimes it's, you know, images or just text content.

But when it comes to an actual business video, you know, anyone that's watching this, I really just challenge them. If you're a business owner, just go online and do a broad based keyword search for your industry.

So like, if you're a roofing company, just type in roofing company Austin, you know, plumber Austin, you know, whatever the case may be, whatever your industry is, 9 out of 10 times we've done the research on this, it is astonishing when you look at the first, you know, 10 listings in the paid organic and Google business view, like the vast majority of them don't have it. So you're talking earlier about your experience.

You know, when it comes to getting quotes from video companies, people are getting quotes from different services and products as well. So they're doing the same thing.

So if you have a video and they don't, it's a huge point of differentiation, especially if you do it right, where they're able to kind of really understand what makes you different, understand why you love doing what you do, and more importantly, that you understand them, the problem that they have and that you're going to be the people to solve it. Because the story really isn't about you as much the customer. It's really about the end consumer, the person getting that product and service.

Because what they really want is they want to change their story.

So the way that we create the video and the way that you should be creating them is really tailored towards how you're going to change that story that they have in their mind, how you're going to change their life, whether it's the product or service. And get them to where they want to be.

Angela Frank: 00:09:53

Yeah, I think it's so important what you said about Googling competitors in your niche. For example, if you're a plumber, Google plumbers. Or if you're roofer, Google roofers in your area.

I just this week was looking to secure some camping for my summer travels and it is so exhausting looking through and it was so refreshing. One, one listing out of probably 30 or 40 had a video and I just, I love it. I click play and you tell me everything that's important about you.

Do you have full hookups for my rv? Can you show me an aerial shot of the campground so I can get a feel? I booked with them immediately.

And so it just is a testament for how powerful video is. It just shows how trustworthy and communicative you are upfront before somebody even communicates with your.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:10:43

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, one of the things that I like to say is like, people get to know you before they know you, you know, and we really work a lot with like home builders, tech companies. So for them, like, for the home builder side of things, it's more about, like, people are investing a tremendous amount of money.

It's the biggest purchase that they'll make. So knowing that the builder that they're working with is trustworthy is going to help guide them.

They have a good process that's going to make it as painless as possible because it's a long duration of time, you know, before that home is built. And doing that in a way that resonates with the ideal audience is really ideal to have a video that helps tell that story.

And you know, the other example being like a tech company, you know, we recently worked with a tech company where they have this, you know, very innovative technology that they work with apartments and they work with, you know, large stadiums to mitigate rf, you know, RF signals. And it's very, very technical in nature.

And because of that, a video works really well because to the average person that's going to be making the buying decision on this, they don't understand the technology. So they need some form of education in the sales system to be like, why do we need this? Why is it important?

And how is this going to make life easier for us and mitigate any potential problems we'd have with compliance or any issues from people coming into our establishment. So that's where video is really, really powerful in all these different areas.

Not only from a marketing side as people come to your website inbound, but also as from a sales enablement Depending on the type of product or service that you offer.

Angela Frank: 00:12:28

Right. So there's so many different use cases for video.

You mentioned so many even just now, but earlier when you were talking about, you know, are we working with a non profit, are we working with a tech company? When you're looking at all the different types of businesses that you work with, what are the common threads that you see?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:12:49

Yeah, I would say the two most important videos to have for any business. It doesn't matter if it's a product or service. You're, if you're B2B or B2C is number one, what we call a business promo.

Some people call it a brand story, some call it a business story. It's basically a story about the company and what you do that makes you uniquely different and what life looks like when you help the customer.

The other video is really a testimonial or sometimes we'll call them case story videos.

And this can be done in more of a lifestyle live action where we're filming someone's unique story about their experience working with the business and we've kind of follow them through the whole day really, you know, high production value, high quality, really well thought out, but they do have a tendency to be a little bit higher end.

The other testimonial that we'll create is more virtual where we're meeting someone on like a riverside type of environment virtually, but we still brand it in a professional way where we're doing a full know 20 to 30 minute interview with someone and consolidating that down to like a 90 second video that's professionally polished and looks good.

So it meets the brand standards, but it minimizes the time investment for the company and minimizes the time investment for the person giving the testimonial. And it's more cost effective. So those type, those two types of videos are really the most powerful.

Your business, your business or promo video, which usually you have for five plus years and then your testimonial to help increase that speed of trust and whether it's done in a live action format or in a virtual format, both equally, really, really powerful for your business.

Angela Frank: 00:14:30

Yeah. How long of a lifespan do you typically see those testimonial videos have?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:14:36

Well, testimonials essentially are very evergreen, you know, because what you say now is relevant. Usually five plus ten years from now.

We have testimonials that we've done probably seven years ago and I use them every single day whenever we're doing a proposal on the experience customers have had working with Us. And, you know, at that same token, customers do the same thing. It's very, very evergreen with testimonials.

And the thing that I say about testimonials, the reason why they're so powerful from a video standpoint is written testimonials are great, but you need to have a lot of volume to have the credibility. So, like, if, you know.

Because written testimonials are kind of sort of easy to fake, but, you know, if you go on Amazon and you see, you know, they've got 20,000 reviews for a product, it's like, yeah, you can't fake that. You know.

But video testimonials, you could have three of them, and they're like 100% authentic, 100% real, because you're actually getting to see the person and they're talking about their experience. And the way that we frame testimonials is really different.

I think a lot of times video companies don't really understand the marketing side, so what they'll do is they'll just say, tell me about your experience. And it's more of a cheerleading soundbite thing than it is an actual story.

So the way that we frame them a lot is we come from the position of what was your resistance, what was your objection to purchase? And then what got you through that and where you at now? Because we want to anticipate what the person that's watching the video is thinking.

They're thinking, it sounds good, but it's still too much money. It sounds good, but I'm not going to have enough time. It sounds good, but I don't know if it's going to work.

So if we have an objection that someone else that we're interviewing had a similar thought process, how did they get through that, and what does their life look like?

Because, again, we're trying to understand what is the story that the person has that's watching the video, what's the story they have in their mind, and what is the story they want it to be. They want to, you know, be okay with spending the money because the result is going to give them the story that they want.

And that's ultimately what we're trying to convey in the testimonial.

Angela Frank: 00:16:47

And how much leading or, like, scripting do you do for that? If everybody has the same kind of objection, do you ask additional questions to see, you know, if you dive deeper? Did they have any others?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:17:01

Yeah, absolutely.

So what we're doing is we come with a baseline of questions whenever we're doing a testimonial we have story based questions and then like things like we talked about, like objections and things like that. So those are the foundational questions. And then based on the responses, we'll kind of pry a little bit more. So tell me more about that.

Tell me a little bit more. So how did that make you feel? What was the biggest difference between this and this?

So we start with a baseline of questions, but the real magic happens with those questions in between.

You know, we're not very robotic, like answer this, answer this, enter this, you know, so it's very structured in a way where we're trying to get to the heart of the story and dig a little bit deeper for each interview that we're doing. And when we work with clients, we really recommend a minimum of three testimonial videos.

So you can have very specific use cases based on either your products or service variety or use cases based on the specific avatar. You know, like we, you know, our avatar is females between 35 and 45. And Jane is a perfect example because of this, this and this.

They fit the criteria. So the person watching it sees themselves in the person that is doing the testimonial.

So that's why different products and services, different objections they might have, or specific avatars all are great ways to leverage testimonials for specific use cases, not only for your marketing, but really helpful.

If you're in the sales process and you're, you, you need those sales enablement tools for a specific use case where you're having an objection with someone and you can share a testimonial with someone that's having the same concern and that kind of helps give them a little bit of reassurance that someone else has had the same concern and now this is where they're at making that decision.

Angela Frank: 00:18:45

Yeah, for sure. It sounds like there are so many different use cases for videos.

There are so many different types of people that you can have featured in your videos, and there's so many different places online that videos can show up, whether it's on social, on your website, as a sales enablement tool. Like you mentioned, when should someone use a production company and when should they use a DIY approach?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:19:10

Yeah, great question.

So I think the DIY approach is excellent when you're kind of starting off on your own and you're a solopreneur and it doesn't make a lot of financial sense to work with a full blown production company. Sometimes some video is better than no video, especially if you're the personal brand and you're kind of an army of one.

Those kind of selfie videos can be super, super effective because what people are buying is you. And having those selfie videos that DYI is excellent because it has a very authentic feel.

But as you kind of get bigger and grow and you start to become more established as a team and a brand, that's when it makes more sense to hire a production company to kind of help tell that story in a more polished, compelling way. A lot of times, you know, when people are searching and they don't know you, you know, they're kind of already making these quick, snap judgments.

So usually, you know, an example that I like to give is, let's say people are searching online and they're looking at the top three places, you know, that show up the top three listings. So if they come to a website and the website looks bad, they equate that to the service they're going to get. The same kind of applies to the video.

So if they come to the website and they have a video which is great, but the video is very poorly produced, it kind of gives them the impression that, like, okay, this is the experience I'm going to get, you know, so the higher the quality of the video you can have when you're a more established brand and you start spending more money on marketing outside of just, you know, social media stuff, where you're doing paid ads, where you have a funnel, that type of stuff is really good.

To hire a production company as an outsider to help tell the story of what your customer's journey looks like, whether it's a promo video, testimonial content, you know, product videos, or anything in between that fits into the marketing that you're doing.

Angela Frank: 00:21:05

Amazing. Really enjoyed our conversation today. What's next for you, Mark?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:21:10

Well, what we're doing now is really growing in outside of Austin. So, like, right now, we're very dominant in Austin. We're the highest rated with over 145 reviews right now.

And we have over a dozen video testimonials of happy clients. We've had the honor of working with like tech companies, home builders, and local companies. And now we're kind of expanding into other areas.

In the Texas area, in addition to that, we're doing some really cool things on the remote testimonial side where we can help more clients virtually. So it's a cost effective way to tell those great customer stories that have that evergreen effect. And that's really what we're focusing on.

So expansion in Texas and growing remote testimonials to help our clients out in that way as well.

Angela Frank: 00:21:56

Very exciting. If listeners are interested in working with you in Austin or are interested in your remote testimonial service, where can they learn more about you?

Mark Wonderlin: 00:22:07

Yeah, absolutely. Go to mosaicmediafilms.com or if you're just interested in video and you don't know where to start, there's some great resources on our website.

All free downloads to guides, quizzes, video content. It's just mosaicmediafilms.com resources to get any of that good stuff.

Angela Frank: 00:22:26

Excellent. And all the links that you just mentioned will be listed in the show notes.

So if you are listening and you are interested in learning more about Mark or getting in contact to work with him, everything will be there for you in the show notes. Mark, thank you so much for joining us today.

Mark Wonderlin: 00:22:43

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me.

Angela Frank: 00:22:45

If you enjoyed this episode of the Growth Pod, please leave a review on the platform that you are listening to us on. I look forward to seeing you in the next one.