“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood….would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?”
Most people over the age of 20 know those words well. They were sung at the beginning of every episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The Emmy-winning show entertained and educated millions of children on the Public Broadcasting System from 1968 to 2001.
Fred Rogers created a huge neighborhood of fans by showing children how to do thousands of things. His soft-spoken and direct style was unique. Rogers’ non-threatening style made him popular with children and parents alike.
Mr. Rogers understood who he was and what he was trying to do. He taught it all – from tying shoes to break dancing http://youtu.be/Fw_GnjE-des. He made it feel as if he was having a personal conversation with each viewer.
Today’s companies and organizations are trying to create their own neighborhoods by producing content for social media and the Internet. One popular method is producing how-to videos. Creating a how-to video scene using a Mr. Rogers’ approach is still relevant today. Here are a few tips from his neighborhood:
1. Be fearlessly authentic. Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children. He made an effort to change that by writing for and performing on local, youth oriented Pittsburgh-area shows. It was easy to tell Mr. Rogers was not phony. Don’t be something you are not.
2. Provide information relevant to your audience. Select topics that appeal to the widest audience range possible. How-to videos are designed to be helpful, not to show your audience how smart you are.
3. Leave no viewer behind. Fred Rogers knew his audience and he communicated with them in a style they understood and appreciated. He didn’t talk down to them, he talked to them.
4. Give them all the information they need in a step-by-step process that is easy to grasp. While videos need to be short, make sure they cover the necessary steps.
5. Mr. Rogers never did advertising. Let them know about any tools or equipment necessary. If you sell those products, display them, but a how-to video is not the time to try and sell those products.
6. Discuss pitfalls and problems associated with the lesson and empathize with your viewers. Coming off as a know-it-all will not help sales.
How-to videos are one of the great content-marketing ideas. Showing people how to do something that they can use is a wonderful way to make a friend or neighbor.
Fred Rogers was an icon of children’s television. His open, authentic and friendly style brought a sense of peace to televised education that may never be replicated. It won’t hurt you to try. Good-bye neighbor.
John McGory is a partner at Webface, a content marketing firm that can help you produce how-to videos and other marketing materials to get you noticed. Contact us at www.web-face-solutions.com.
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