Video Production
3 ways to reinvigorate your soul-sucking corporate video production
Clients often ask me: “Is there a way we can use past corporate video production content and make it relevant in today’s digital world?” The short answer is, you bet. If you have the following, you’re in business:
Raw footage you never made use of;
Video created for one purpose, but only some of the content it is still current and/or relevant;
A corporate video that is a huge yawn and way too long for beneficial use online;
Or past videos that rank anywhere between terrible to mediocre, but could possibly benefit from new life breathed into them.
It’s likely you spent a pretty penny having a professional corporate video production done years ago, and now want to make it into something useable. The good news is that even an older video can be salvageable if put in the right hands.
Here are some ideas to consider if your business has invested in video in the past, but it’s not at all what it needs to be to get traction today.
1. Make one into many. Several bite-sized videos are often more beneficial to a company than one long standalone piece. If you have a dull, drawn-out corporate video with a few good content nuggets within it, it may be worth cutting it into multiple pieces for online use. Consider dividing the content by theme or topic, so that people researching your business can find what they need right away rather than being forced to sit through a long, boring video. People want to get in and out as quickly as possible, and if you can provide them that experience and deliver the content they are looking for, it’s more likely they’ll do business with you. Brevity is key in the digital world today.
2. Breathe new life into the old. Watch your existing video content with a critical eye, and have someone else help you with this. Does the video you’ve been using all these years still offer the energy, experience and messaging your audience craves? Depending on when it was created, chances are that some of the content is good and some is horrifying. One way to reinvigorate older content is to create a new story by blending new video content with the old, to create something fresh. You’ll be developing a new story with different flow in order to connect with today’s audience. This approach is good when you want to show your roots, but also prove your company is innovative and always evolving, by leveraging advanced video strategies, especially once it’s ready to be shared.
3. Position. Play. Profit. Once you know your video content is worthy, it’s time to make sure it gets eyeballs. Is your brand where it needs to be, socially? Does it have a YouTube Channel? It better. YouTube is the second largest search engine, with many searching for business, service and product information. With various other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine, your message has a huge opportunity to gain extra traction in the digital space. Post your videos on the platforms that make most sense for your business, and make sure they are properly search-engine optimized so people can find them. Don’t just ‘set it and forget it’ either. To reap ongoing benefits of your online video content, you should be working to branch out your online networks, regularly re-sharing your content and tweaking SEO to discover what works best for your business. Once you have easily digestible online video content created, it may also be time to consider doing a highly targeted video advertising push, ensuring your message is delivered to those who need to see it.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via Three ways to reinvigorate your soul-sucking corporate video – The Globe and Mail.
- Published in Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video, Video Marketing, Video Production
How to prep for an on-camera interview
The need for entrepreneurs to look and sound good on camera is increasingly common these days, with the majority of consumers expecting to find video when they’re researching who to do business with, regardless of industry.
I received several comments and questions after a previous column on how to put your best foot forward on screen, so let’s dig a little deeper with additional tips on being ‘interviewed’ on camera. Whether your business has attracted media attention, or it’s creating online video for promotional purposes, you need to know how to tell your story.
The process
Once the camera crew is set up and getting ready to hit record, you’ll be positioned in front of the camera, fitted with a microphone and asked to speak for a few seconds so the audio levels can be perfected. If it’s a Q&A-style process, interviewers will stand to one side of the camera, and you’ll be asked to look at them rather than look into the lens.
Think of it as a conversation – you’re answering questions about something you know, so there’s no need to be nervous. Unless you’re filming live-to-air, everything is edited, and only your best soundbytes will be used.
Look into my eyes
Some people feel uncomfortable staring into a camera and delivering lines, or reading from a script, which is why the “interview” approach often yields better, more natural results that resonate well with viewers. You and your interviewer usually have a chance to develop some rapport, whether it be from previous conversations or during a review of the messaging before getting started.
Think of it this way: you are explaining something to a colleague or a friend. That can take some of the pressure off. Take a deep breath, relax and keep your eyes locked on the interviewer to prevent them from darting around the room.
Answering questions
You’ll know the topic ahead of the interview or, in the case of a business video production, the exact messaging points to be covered. You may even have written your answers down, whether scripted or just bullet points. The latter is best – don’t try to memorize your lines word for word, it will come across that way and therefore appear unnatural.
If you know the main points you want make, it’s easier to weave them into the conversation rather than attempt to deliver a hard script. When working with a video production company, the producer will make sure you are making all planned points and offer suggestions as required. If something you say doesn’t come across the way you want it to, just stop and start your answer again. That’s part of the beauty of editing.
Body language
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The goal is to come across as the expert, and express yourself with confidence. This will be determined by what you say, but also by how you say it. Don’t sway or fidget. Keep your shoulders back, your chin up and smile.
Stepping into the video spotlight offers tremendous benefits for businesses and brands these days, and it allows you to engage and connect with potential customers. Looking for more help to increase your on-camera confidence and skills? Feel free to post questions or comments below or to contact me through social media.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via How to prep for an on-camera interview – The Globe and Mail.
- Published in Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video Production
5 reasons why it’s time to invest in online video
I’ve been preaching a consistent message about the evolution of digital media since 2008. And in this New Year, it’s more relevant than ever.
If your business is already active online, or has reallocated 2014 budgets to do so, it’s going to be a great year for your brand and your bottom line. If not, it’s time to wake up and fully understand what’s going on here: If you work in marketing or advertising for a company slow to make the switch, here’s how to convince your boss that it’s time to invest in video:
1. Social media is the number one activity on the web: It’s not a fad, it’s not a phase. From Facebook to Twitter to YouTube to Pinterest, social media has entrenched itself so deeply in our lives that it is a multiple-times-a-day habit for many, and continues to grow in importance as more platforms appear and evolve. This is especially true for Canadians. As a nation, we spend the most time online and are the biggest consumers of online video. We’re also the most active users on Facebook.
2. YouTube continues to grow its reach and importance: Still think television or radio is the best way to reach the masses? Think again. There are more than a billion unique users on YouTube, with Canadians being the most voracious consumers of online video content.
According to Nielsen, YouTube reaches more adults aged 18 to 34 than any cable network, with the number of people subscribing daily up more than three times since last year. If you’ve hesitated to use online video as part of your marketing strategy, now’s the time to press play. If need be, start small with just one or two videos, as long as you start somewhere with online video in 2014. The beauty of video advertising is the ability to target exactly who you want to, so there’s no second guessing who your ad dollars reach.
3. Mature demographics are now the fastest adopters of popular platforms: As of late 2013, Facebook and Google+ show 45 to 54-year-olds make up the fastest growing user demographic. On Twitter, it’s the 55 to 64-year age bracket, up 79 per cent over the year prior. These platform-provided stats disprove the notion that ‘social media is just for teens.’ Create and target your content and digital ad strategy to engage the demographic your business wants to reach, because they’re active out there.
4. Mobile use continues to increase: Most people with mobile phones have it on or near them for the majority of the day, encouraging a steady stream of digital interactions. We are using social apps at twice the rate of news apps, and four times as much as games. More than four billion users worldwide access social media via mobile, with 751 million on Facebook alone. Nearly 200 million people are ‘mobile only’, meaning they never access the platform from a desktop computer or laptop. Mobile also makes up almost 40 per cent of YouTube’s viewing time, with the platform’s app available on hundreds of millions of devices.
Nearly every single mobile device on earth is used as a gateway to social media. Consider how your brand content, videos and advertisements display on mobile devices, since providing an easy mobile experience equals higher conversion rates. If something isn’t working, it can be easy enough to adjust your strategy until you find something that works and converts.
5. LinkedIn continues to attract new members every second: In fact, every second, two new members join the social network for professionals who are using the platform to share and converse with other professionals, whether in their industry or not. 238 million LinkedIn users have created 1.5 million groups and 3 million official company pages. When used properly, it’s can be a rich source of increasing your network base, while receiving and sharing relevant content.
If you or your business isn’t on LinkedIn yet – get there and start working it. A good strategy can be creating a relevant group which becomes a valuable source of information, while working on building your own community. There’s also plenty of opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry under your own personal brand.
As with any content on any social media platform, the main keys to social success are:
Be strategic with the content you create and share.
Be consistent when it comes to distributing content.
Be ‘social’ and engage with other users
As when many things ‘new’ and revolutionary come along, there will always be traditional thinkers who fight change, sticking with the same way of doing things. Usually, it’s to their detriment. While the Internet is still relatively ‘new’ by comparison to other mass messaging mediums (print, radio and TV), this digital world is having such a tremendous impact in our lives, and it’s importance will only continue to increase for both businesses and consumers.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via 5 reasons why it’s time to invest in online video – The Globe and Mail
- Published in Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video, Video Marketing, Video Production
Online video achieves remarkable growth in 2013
As digital marketing picked up speed throughout 2013, one area that continued its remarkable growth was online video. Not just adorable puppy and cat videos – and well beyond the weirdly awesome “Fox” phenomenon. Top brands and businesses of all sizes took the plunge by increasing their budgets and often getting great results across multiple platforms.
First, a little perspective. Back in 2011, the top 10 online video ads generated 16.9 million shares. In 2012, that number increased to 19 million, with 2013 generating 29 million (as of November) – a year-over-year increase of 52.1 per cent and a blaring signal that consumer media consumption habits are rapidly evolving. King of marketing, advertising and social content This year was a game changer for online video, with trends over the past 12 months likely to shape the industry for years to come. With online video marketing to advertising to social video owning the stage like never before, it’s been a huge boost for consumers, brands and digital platforms.
Video advertising in 2013
Brands in one study reported an average 65-per-cent increase in spending this year over last, with agencies up by 83 per cent. They’re tapping in to huge traditional ad budgets with no signs of slowing down: Nine out of 10 businesses have said they plan to increase video ad spending even more in 2014. Online video giant YouTube is expected to bring in $5.6-billion in revenue this year, up 51 per cent from 2012, representing 11 per cent of Google’s total ad revenues. An analyst at eMarketer concludes “growth in impressions and viewership, particularly across devices, is probably the major growth driver (behind YouTube’s ad revenues)” for 2013.
The shift from traditional media to online video advertising is one businesses of all sizes took notice of in 2013, and that’s sure to translate into even more growth in 2014.
Video marketing in 2013
Over the past 12 months, brands embraced the role of content creator. Video content marketing was a huge growth area in 2013, with 78 per cent of CMOs believing creating their own custom content is the future of marketing. The 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report also shows the majority of North American small businesses and big brands focused on video as a critical content marketing element this year. Why? It makes sense, and it’s proven. Internet users interact with video content at twice the rate of other forms of digital content.
Social video in 2013
As the top 20 most shared online video ads of 2013 were released and subsequent analysis revealed, “… shares are the currency of social success and for brand marketers, discovering how to create and distribute highly shareable content (repeatedly and at scale) is now at the top of their wish list.” Online video was already the most shared content in 2012 on Facebook, trumping pictures and article links. Across industries analyzed, videos were shown to drive sharing 375-per-cent more frequently than text-based status updates on business pages. This trend expanded in 2013, with another report declaring video was the most popular format of viral content on the platform. Micro video also became a force to be reckoned with. In October it was announced that brand-created videos had earned upward of 40 per cent of all shares on Instagram. Twitter-owned online video app Vine is said to have grown the most this year, experiencing a 403 per cent increase, with many brands taking advantage of its short-form video potential.
Trend to continue in 2014
Online video’s impact in 2013 has been obvious on many levels, leading us into yet another year that will offer more of the same. Perhaps the biggest sign of its potential for explosive growth in coming years is Cisco’s projected 1.5 billion daily online video viewers in 2016, which would be 15 times as much as current levels. From bite sized to longer format video productions, the brands that stepped up showed the world how to do online video the right way. “The top 20 list shows how brands, big and small, local and global, can make a big impact using social video across the web,” Richard Kosinski, U.S. president of Unruly, said in a company blog post. “With the right content and the right distribution strategy, advertisers have the ability to engage consumers at speed and scale.”
Roll and record. Now’s your chance.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via Online video achieves remarkable growth in 2013 – The Globe and Mail
What’s the ideal length for online videos?
It’s been proven beyond a doubt that good online videos can translate into sales. Still, questions linger when it comes to video best practices for business owners.
One of the most common questions my clients ask is whether they should produce long-form content on their websites, or work with shorter videos.
We break video lengths down in the following ways:
Bite-sized: under 30 seconds
Short videos: one to five minutes
Long videos: Over five minutes
Some industry reports state that viewers prefer longer videos, while others argue that consumers only have the attention spans for short video clips. So, what’s the best length of video for your business? Truthfully, it depends on the following three things: intent, message and audience.
Bite-sized videos
The popularity of bite-sized clips has been underscored with the acceleration of social video apps such as Twitter’s Vine and Instagram Video.
Vine’s Dom Hofmann says, “posts on Vine are about abbreviation – the shortened form of something larger.” Video clips on Vine max out at 6 seconds, while Instagram video allows for 15 seconds.
Aside from puppy and food videos, these super short video lengths have also quickly made their way into big business. Take “Lowe’s Fix in Six,” for example, which features DIY projects in digestible bites. Useful, relevant and regular: this is one example of a brand cracking the bite-sized video code.
Bite-sized videos are not all about using these social apps though. Many brands and businesses are creating video blog or video ad content that run 30 seconds or less and seeing great results. It can also be great when it comes to piquing viewers interest and driving consumers to check out your longer form content, too.
Short-form videos
The average user watches 22 hours of video per month, according to ComScore, and a majority of those videos are short-form and consumed via social media. The majority of our business clients begin with short videos, which are perfect for placing on the front page of a website, distributing via social media and embedding in newsletters or sales presentations.
When strategized and produced properly, they provide a relatively quick overview of whatever message you are trying to get across – corporate profile, product demonstration, testimonials, etc. – but doesn’t drag on. Long-form videos While short-form videos may be useful in capturing the audience’s attention and delivering core messaging, long-form video content can offer deeper engagement for those viewers wanting more information. Offering in-depth information about a business, product or service, these videos are produced to tell an entire story versus part of one.
According to a report from Ooyala, long-form video content now accounts for a majority of online video views. That said, the percentage of viewers who watch more than three quarters of long-form online video is low, which shows that longer videos have overall lower engagement levels.
Summary
When contemplating video length, ask yourself the following: can I tell this story in one minute, as opposed to 10 minutes, or 15 seconds as opposed to five minutes. Brevity in online video production can have huge impact on the overall success rates of your video content, as does consistent and regular release.
In the end, it comes down to your business purpose and target audience. Once you have nailed that down, video lengths can be matched to your goals; whether that be bite-sized clips, a short profile video, an in-depth video – or perhaps a combination of all of the above (which often works for most businesses).
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via What’s the ideal length for online videos? – The Globe and Mail.
- Published in Facebook, Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video Marketing, Video Production, YouTube
Why traditional TV ads don’t work on the Web
It’s something that many advertising agencies advise their clients to do: take their traditional made-for-TV ads and throw it on YouTube, and hope that the video goes viral. And then it flops.
But why? Everyone from the head at the agency to the creative department thought it would be good idea to ‘get online’ this way. Then everyone sits back and watches the views crawl to a measly number, and – defeated –say: “we gave YouTube a shot…but it didn’t work.”
This is a common scenario for brands both small and large who put all of their trust (and money) in the ‘advertising experts’ they’ve been working with for decades – never questioning whether they’re keeping up with the times. Big mistake.
The problem is that most ad agencies and marketers with traditional backgrounds don’t have a strong grasp of the digital and social worlds that most of us inhabit, and have no idea how to leverage its potential for their clients.
YouTube is often treated as ‘just another broadcast channel’, so when they try to gain traction by using the same approach they did for television, it almost always ends up being a total fail.
But re-purposing traditional TV ads almost always falls flat in the online space. While traditional television viewers take a passive, or ‘lean back’ approach, online audiences ‘lean in’ to the experience. Active engagement is part of the viewing experience.
Most of the world’s top brands haven’t even figured this out yet. With $5.1-billion in online video assets created since 2007, most of it in the past two years, most of the top companies are struggling to figure out how to leverage the “YouTube Nation”.
A study called The Top 100 Global Brands: Key Lessons For Success On YouTube shows while 99 per cent of the biggest brands have moved into online video – with 73 per cent year over year growth – more than half of their videos have fewer than 1000 views, meaning they have failed to reach a sizable target audience.
On the flip side, those getting the best results have long dropped the ‘TV style’ videos and have evolved into much more socially engaging, content-rich videos So how can your company reach a large target audience? Here are some key takeaways and tips:
1. Consistency is key. The most successful brands onYouTube publish 50 per cent more videos per channel than the least successful ones, and they do it on a regular schedule for their growing audiences.
2. Mix it up. It’s important to produce and publish a variety of content on a regular basis. This could include a mix of video ads, how-to’s, vlogs, behind the scenes reports, testimonials, corporate videos, etc., which will ensure that the audience has a reason to engage and re-engage on a regular basis.
3. Align content with the customer journey. The best brands share enough video content that reflects the entire sales funnel. From the starting point of creating awareness to generating interest, to building credibility and removing objections right down to the final stage providing service, there should be videos that touch on each of these critical consumer stages.
4. Cozy up to SEO. Since YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, just after its parent company Google, it’s imperative your target audience can find your videos. The best 25 per cent of brands optimize their videos properly, using better descriptions and more tags than the bottom 25 per cent. Some tips on YouTube SEO, here.
Those stuck with the notion that the use of ‘online video is the same as TV’ are missing out, and need to plug into the best practices in order to get the best results. The goal is to not only get consumers interested in your brand, but also facilitate the process to take them through to be paying customers. Sure, it takes more thought than blindly running television ads, but the payoff will be greater.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via Why traditional TV ads don’t work on the Web – The Globe and Mail.
How to use online video as a marketing tool
My last column was a broad overview of content marketing, which involves the creation and sharing of information to increase brand awareness and sales. Video content marketing is for entrepreneurs who are ready to take it up a notch and use one of the best mediums available to connect with an audience.
The Content Marketing Institute’s 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report shows the majority of North American small businesses and big brands are focusing on video as a critical content marketing element. Enterprise marketers use it more than any other approach, with 71 per cent of small businesses incorporating it into their strategies.
Fuelling the fire of the online video content marketing revolution is the increasing use of mobile. A recent Invodo study discovered mobile consumers are three times more likely to view videos than laptop or desktop users. Simply put, videos are quicker and easier to digest than text-heavy content. Video also enables your brand’s content to stand out from the online clutter. The data backs this theory up: ROI Research reports users interact with content that incorporates video at twice the rate of other forms of content.
What does this mean for your business? Video content marketing is all about creating a memorable visual representation of your brand. For it to be most effective, you need to learn how to use this storytelling medium effectively and incorporate it into your content strategy, much as you would with blogs or articles. While not all video needs to be heavily produced, it does need to be polished to a level at which it aligns with your brand and its messaging.
Business video profiles and testimonials
At the most basic level, use online video to introduce audiences to your team, to share customer experiences and testimonials, and to showcase your company’s culture and values. Papa John’s and Samuel Adams are examples of big brands that have fully committed to telling their stories this way.
Business video updates
Deliver regular company, product or service information with online video, and share it with your audience. Gone are the days where e-mail marketing campaigns are the be-all-and-end-all to disseminate information. Shake things up by sharing important messages. If you do e-mail marketing on a regular basis, try embedding a video update to offer something new to inboxes.
Behind-the-scenes footage
Provide an insider perspective. Sharing behind-the-scenes footage offers a sense of inclusion in your community, rewarding those who have been early adopters of your products or services, or who can help share your brand’s message with a broader audience. TED Talks, is one example. It produced and shared a popular mini-doc called “Behind the TEDTalk,” which gave viewers an inside look at the physical, intellectual, and emotional energy that goes into the creation and delivery of a TED talk.
Explain a concept
Videos are known to be the best teaching tools by embracing the “show, don’t tell” philosophy. Use them to broadcast things such as industry news and how-to tutorials. Home improvement giant Lowe’s, for instance, has a great series of videos to walk do-it-yourself-ers through the steps of various processes. It also recently released a popular series of six-second Vine videos of more clever home improvement tips.
Document events
Online video allows your company to further enter the realm of “brand journalism” by capturing and sharing events. Your customers will feel like they’re part of the action, creating a stronger bond. Beyond press conferences, think of what content you can capture and share from industry seminars, workshops, and even meetings. You can use video to capture either your company’s involvement or reactions or feedback.
Launch a contest
One thing to keep in mind is how sharable on social media your video content can be. On the flip side, contests in which you ask your audience to submit videos can also be a great way to crowdsource and to get your community involved. German tech company Siemens launched a highly successful contest called “Changing your city for the better,” inviting people worldwide to submit a short video on how technology can improve life in urban areas. The result? The brand attracted hundreds of videos spanning 26 countries and six continents.
Branded web series
A web series takes a traditional television show format and breaks it down into bite-sized video clips, known as webisodes. Most brands that commit to this approach are finding it an effective tool to engage an audience.
Four years ago, for example, Ikea launched its heavily branded Easy To Assemble, which earned the brand millions of YouTube hits, not to mention winning numerous advertising and creative awards. It continues to invest in the approach today. Other examples include Denny’s Always Open series and, of course, Red Bull, which is the the most frequently cited example when it comes to brands “doing it right” with online video content.
Whether you’re selling professional services, you run a restaurant, you’re in retail or real estate, the companies that are able to rock visual media most effectively will come out on top. Sharing what you do with the benefits of sight and sound builds an emotional connection with your audience in a way that’s impossible to establish with just text.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
Why Online Video? Why BizBOXTV? THIS is why…
Did you know? Online video is the most effective, engaging and informative way to promote your business?
Get the video you need now… and affordably… at BizBOXTV.
We create videos that sell, teach and entertain.
And… deliver them for you to use instantly, online.
Here’s how it works:
- VISION We work with you on messaging.
What’s your story? How do you want to broadcast your brand to the world? - CAPTURE Our team comes to your location to shoot your video.
It’s simple… and stress-free! Just a couple of hours then you can get on with your day. - CREATE Your story is weaved together in editing.
This is where the magic happens and your message is fine-tuned for the best results for your business. - LAUNCH Your video is available for you to use everywhere….
Your website, social media, email marketing, in-store, and video ad campaigns.
Video increases purchase intent by 97% plus brand association by 139%
Source: Unruly Media
It’s easy to get started.
Contact us today.
Soon, you’ll have the perfect video working 24/7 for your business.
We look forward to Broadcasting Your Brand… at BizBOXTV.
- Published in Video Advertising, Video Marketing, Video Production
5 ways to make video ads that increase sales
If you’re a business owner already using online video to promote or advertise your business, congratulations. You’re ahead of the curve. But if you haven’t yet considered using video to broadcast your brand, you’re missing out. Why? Because using online video will not only improve your search engine rankings and provide an effective marketing tool available to a worldwide audience, but also leave a lasting impression on potential customers and increase your sales.
Here are five things to keep in mind when using online video for your business:
1. Tell a story. One of the buzzwords characterizing the shift away from pure selling is ‘storytelling.’ In Carmine Gallo’s The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, she says, “the single most important thing to dramatically improve your presentation is to have a story to tell.” With online video, story-driven videos are becoming more and more popular simply because they’re effective; in fact, videos that engage viewers with a story are more likely to be shared, liked and commented on. Consider it an opportunity to visually recount your story and show potential customers something they wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else.
2. Get personal. If you’re a quirky business owner or your company has a killer corporate culture, let it shine. Standing out means being yourself, and highlighting what differentiates your business from others. And although speaking to a lens can be unnerving for newcomers, you’ll come across more naturally if the videographer asks you questions, rather than having you deliver hard line.
3. Boost views and conversions with clear calls to action . Effective online video educates and entertains, but what you also want to make sure it does is inspires the viewer to act. If your online video campaign is more about branding, make sure you include a clear call to action; whether it be visit your website and store, call a phone number, buy now or connect with you on social media. Before this, however, you want to make sure your video gets played in the first place. A recent study shows that using active calls to actions like ‘Click to Play,’ or ‘Learn More,’ can increase a video’s view rate by 12 times over passive labels like ‘Video’ or ‘Video Here.’
4. Go pro. While many business owners produce their first videos themselves, based on thousands of client experiences, it’s likely you’re going to pay a professional to re-do it once you realize it’s lacking narrative and polish. Save yourself the time and added cost, and work with professionals from the very start. Online video is arguably the best marketing tool at your disposal, and the ROI is unquestionable. Bottom line: just because you could do it yourself or hire an amateur, doesn’t mean you should. Has it been successfully done before? Sure, but it’s rare and usually because the personalities in the videos are bigger than the distraction that bad video is. Consider your video your first point of contact with your prospective client. Would you want that to be anything less than the quality and professionalism your business represents?
5. Share-ability and engagement. Videos shared via social media are consumed more than text-based updates, which means there is more potential for a company’s message to be shared and seen via these platforms. “Consumers are more likely to enjoy a brand video and remember the brand involved if they come across it because of a social media recommendation,” according to a recent report . So when you make the move into video for your business, make sure you keep your potential ‘social’ audience in mind.
A number of studies have come to the same conclusion: online videos help businesses sell to affluent consumers. Internet Retailer states, “those who view a video are 144 per cent more likely to place that item in a shopping cart. 52 per cent say watching video makes them more confident about their purchasing decisions.” One more stat if you still need to be convinced: comScore reports, “consumers who watch a video are 64 per cent more likely to make a purchase than those who don’t.”
What are you waiting for? Consumers are ready and waiting to click play on your business’s video content.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
via 5 ways to create video ads that translate into cash.
Want customers to remember you? Social video is the key
The explosion of the ‘social’ Internet has provided content creators, marketers and advertisers with a cost effective way to distribute and share online video. And unlike traditional advertising, online video lets them target their audience and measure its impact through analytics
Social video is content that is influenced by social media and intended to be shared from person to person. If we find something relevant, informative or entertaining, we pass it on, and the cycle continues. This is essentially how content goes viral.
Content and news discovery is becoming less and less about searching out the information you are looking for. Instead, it’s being shared via social network recommendations – likes, shares, Retweets, Pins, +1, etc.
If you’re already knee-deep in social media, you’re exposed to this type of sharing behaviour on a daily, or minute by minute basis, depending on how often you frequent such platforms.
BI Intelligence recently examined the social video landscape, taking a closer look at how advertisers specifically.
Some of the main takeaways include:
• Online & social video audiences are expected to double by 2016, reaching 1.5-billion worldwide ( Cisco)
• Social media video has trumped non-social video as far as views/audience size.
• The majority of people now, and an increasingly significant number in the future, will discover and watch video content on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook.
• Video length is shrinking. Social media audiences seem to prefer to “snack” on social video.
• In the U.S., Facebook had the fastest-growing online video audience of major web properties over the last 10 months, and is just second to Google in terms of video audience size. In April 2013 alone, 63-million people watched video on Facebook.
The phenomenon isn’t showing signs of slowing anytime soon. So if you’re a business owner, now is the time to start thinking about integrating social video into your marketing and advertising budgets, before your competitors do.
Need another reason? According to the study mentioned above, “consumers are more likely to enjoy a brand video and remember the brand involved if they come across it because of a social media recommendation.”
It may still be early in the game, but it’s better to stay ahead of the curve than work to catch up when it might be too late.
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook .
Want customers to remember your brand? Social video’s the key – The Globe and Mail.