Apple Mountain may not be the first name you think of with golf resorts, but their simple approach to video marketing is better than many of the big guys.

Videos, essentially, are a tradeoff of value and time for the viewer. In order for them to “invest” the 3-5 minutes required to watch it, there must be something in the content that makes that time worth it: an entertaintment ROI, as it were.

Too often marketers go for the big home run, but often simplicity is rewarded with results in the video world.

A Simple, Effective Approach
Take this video from Apple Mountain, for example:

As you watch, keep in mind three things about who this video might appeal to and what that would do from the resort and their brand.

#1) Qualified Viewers
First, consider who will watch this video. Unless you’ve played golf enough to understand the challenges of long irons, you probably find no reason to click play. The content itself acts as a filter that appeals to the resort’s target market.

#2) Solve Part of a Problem
Second, Apple Mountain solves part of someone’s problem. This kickstarts the law of reciprocity, but also some positive brand association. Notice I said “part”, because it doesn’t replace the experience of going to the resort, it only adds or leads to it.

#3) Location, Location
Finally, notice where it was filmed. On their course, during really good light, with an overlay showing which hole they are on. So as qualified viewers receive a favor from Apple Mountain, there is a seed planted for a place to use this knowledge.

Shelf Life
I hope Apple Mountain will use and reuse this video over and over.

With the current content marketing landscape, it’s easy to forget the stuff we posted last week. But evergreen content like this has a very long shelf life. With a regular sharing schedule and some YouTube optimization, it could keep working for the resort over and over again for years to come with no extra content creation necessary.

A simple approach with a lot of (future) potential.

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