Category Archives: Uncategorized

How To Know When Long Is Too Long

DIY ?, Uncategorized, ,

Ok, so I’m watching a webinar about how to use video to better engage with customers – pretty appropriate for me, right? The presenters hit a lot of topics, and one of them was how long should your video be?  The consensus was two to three minutes, which I totally agree with.  They talked about the “drop-off rate” that’s the point at which your video stops being interesting to whoever it is watching it.

The webinar was an hour long.  I stopped watching at about 20 minutes. Why?

Reason #1:
Camera movement for the sake of movement.  There was one camera and two people. The camera would zoom in to one of the presenters, then pan over to the other presenter before zooming back out again. There was no purpose to the movement. And it didn’t keep me from getting bored.

Reason #2:
The presenters didn’t plan out what they were going to say. There were a lot of Ums and You Knows, and when the host asked a direct question, the guest could not give a direct answer.

Isn’t it funny that when people like this talk about the need for video to be compelling, that they fail to be compelling themselves.

I once had a jewelry store owner tell me why she started her business. She was not only compelling, she was spellbinding. That kind of story edited to the right images will keep people watching.

How long should YOUR video be? When Blendtec did the “Will It Blend Iphone 4” video, it ran almost 4 minutes, and has grabbed over 3 million views.  But after 60 seconds of a talking head, some folks can’t click away fast enough.

How do you want to tell your story? Consulting with a professional may be one way to make that story something your visitors will want to watch.

That’s a wrap.

 

5 Lines From Field Of Dreams That Explain How To Use Video

Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , ,

Yeah, it’s a classic baseball movie. Ray Kinsella learns a great lesson. But if you listen closely, the Voice may also be telling you how to increase your sales and your expertise in the minds of your customers with video.

1. Voice: “If you build it, he will come”

Especially now, after the Google Panda update, content will get you noticed. Using videos makes websites more likely to show up on top of organic searches. Not only that, but when a visitor lands on a small business’ page with video, the 2nd most popular behavior is to click the video.

2. Ray: “Don’t we need a catcher?”
Shoeless Joe: “Not if you get it near the plate, we don’t”

You know that when a website has a video, the conversion rate is higher than a website with no video.  But that video doesn’t even need to be watched. Just the fact that it’s there makes a difference in the conversion rate.

3. “This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn”

In the movie, it’s Ray speaking.  For this instance, it’s your website visitor. Your video is a guest in his browser. So, get rid of the auto-start, and make sure your message isn’t sales-y. Most likely the visitor got to your site because he is trying to solve a problem.  It makes no sense to show your latest TV commercial.

4. Mark: It is true. You don’t know the first thing about farming.
 Ray: Yes I do. I know a lot about farming. I know more than you think I know.

Show off what you know. The more your show your expertise, the more your visitors will consider you the authority in your field. Studies show that websites with at least three videos are considered authorities.

5. Voice: “Go The Distance”

See above. And don’t stop. Keep updating and upgrading your videos.

 

That’s a wrap.

 

25 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Videos On Your Website

Behind The Scenes, DIY ?, Uncategorized, , , ,
  1. Want to DIY? We can consult with you for a better look
  2. We’re ready for HTML5 are you?
  3. We also have a voiceover studio, and we do VO around the world
  4. We always bring more than we need
  5. We arrive early 95% of the time
  6. There’s never enough light
  7. We own three royalty free music libraries
  8. We know some really talented web designers
  9. We know some awesome marketing experts
  10. We’ll be adding more experts on the Video Secrets page very soon
  11. We were the first to totally specialize in small business videos for websites.
  12. We always try and add a little showmanship
  13. We know some really cool video tricks
  14. We also know what NOT to do
  15. We can help you relax on camera
  16. Watching other folks’ videos with bad sound and bad lighting drives us stark raving crazy
  17. You can fix bad sound and bad lighting if you know how
  18. We put our name on our work
  19. Our first website went online in 1995
  20. We’ve never been to Vegas, but the name of our editing software is Vegas
  21. We know the most important thing to put first in your YouTube description
  22. We have web pages on our site dedicated to different business categories
  23. Bob Parsons, the CEO of GoDaddy likes our videos
  24. We have a 230 square foot green screen ready to go
  25. We learn something new with each project.

 

Have You Seen Our Coupon?

Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , ,

There’s one store close to my house that I frequent – not every day, maybe every two weeks. I was there today, and noticed the hand-written sign on the front door?

Have You Seen Our Coupon?

Under it was taped one of those coupons that are printed on the backs of grocery receipts. In making conversation with the store clerk, I discovered that the coupons had been out about a month, and no one had used one yet.

These folks spent a sum of money for a vehicle which they believed would cause increased traffic to their store. Since nothing happened, their feeling about this form of marketing will soon be, “I tried it and it didn’t work.”

It doesn’t matter that there could be other factors at play: the offer wasn’t good enough, the design wasn’t eye catching, the weather was too cold..any number of things.

Their investment in that coupon and its distribution ends when it’s no longer being printed.

That’s advertising.

 

What if you had a creative message that you owned? One that worked for you 24/7/365.

What if you didn’t have to ask your customers if they had seen your message; you’d know because they’d be buying from you?

What if you had something that the competition didn’t?

What if you had a message that connected with customers and prospects

What if that message was something your prospects had been searching for?

That’s web content.

 

Videos On Your Website can help you build a library of web content so that you become the expert, and they will choose your business to answer their questions and solve their problems.  No coupon needed.

 

That’s a wrap.

 

 

You Never Know Who’s Watching. (The Top 5 Things That Matter)

Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , , , , ,

Over the past two weeks, I won two different clients specifically because of two different videos on my website.

Someone asked me recently if quality matters for web videos. I replied that quality is the top 5 things that matter for web video.

Quality, quality, quality, quality, quality.

I just invested on a new professional HD camera with which to shoot.
I know, most websites play videos in small screen players. But there’s something that folks forget: sales of Internet ready TVs are increasing steadily.

Think about that amateur video being played on a 46 inch screen. If you thought shaky, hand-held camera shots were distracting on a small screen, wait till you see it magnified. Now, add in that low, or not-quite right light. Is anyone still watching after 30 seconds?

Major newspapers, television stations and networks are all putting video content on the web. Any poorly-produced DIY video will have to compete with that.

Quality.

Anyone can upload and share anything. It’s what is driving the explosion of social networking. It’s really, really cool. However more people want to connect with businesses and brands than ever before. Done right: with basic, well thought-out shots and a little showmanship, you can not only connect with customers and prospects, but they will stay on your website longer. That gives you more chances to convert them.

Coming soon – more about how your competition uses video.

That’s a wrap.

Quality Videos Reflect The Quality Of Your Business: Part two

Behind The Scenes, DIY ?, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

Tonight, a friend passed a referral to me. I went to look at the company website – we’ll call them “LLC.com”. Their web design firm has posted some videos about what a great place this company is to work for. Now, defining your corporate culture is an excellent use of video in today’s climate. Google has done it with the Life At Google series on YouTube. The Google series is shot well, and has compelling themes.

The videos I watched tonight on the LLC site were
• Grainy – if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were shot with someone’s camera phone.
• Used the on camera microphone – a very big no no. Sound is as important as picture, and since all of these shots were extreme close-ups, to have the voice sound like it was coming from a barrel is quite rude from the position of a viewer.
• Looked cheap. One of the persons were shot sitting in front of a window. The light coming from behind washes the subject out.

Another web designer called to tell me about a client who needed video. Before I could respond, however, he called back to say the client had shot the video himself. He said the quality was just “OK”. The webmaster wouldn’t offer his opinion, and unfortunately, his client may suffer.

Producing videos for businesses is a lot more than Point And Shoot. I completely understand the DIY point of view, BUT. . .

• You have to have an external microphone, period. No discussion.

• The basics of 3 point lighting are simple to learn. So use room lamps, and buy some Perfect Daylight bulbs so at least your colors come out right, and your subjects look like somebody you would want to watch.

• Seriously consider using a professional. The expertise we bring in storytelling and getting the right message across with the right pictures and edits can make all the difference.

If you’ve made an investment in an attractive website, it’s only right to make sure your content stands out as well.

———- That’s a wrap.

Happy 2011 (if you want it)

Behind The Scenes, Uncategorized,

A couple of weeks ago, one of my Facebook ‘friends” wrote a post about the evil mother-of-all-snowstorms that was headed to Cincinnati on Christmas Day. As we know now, that didn’t happen here. He had little evidence of his prediction. Yet, some folks get their jollies spreading gloom, doom, and fear.

I’ve talked with a lot of individuals in my network in these last weeks of 2010. They all have a very positive outlook on the New Year. Positive thoughts bring positive energy.

I’m blessed that the business I started two years ago has had sustainable growth over the past 12 months. I can’t wait to get started on 2011.

Has the economy bounced back to pre-2006 levels? Not quite. But in many sectors, spending and consumer confidence HAS improved. Many are still out of work, but I know a LOT of folks who are getting hired! My business was better in 2010 than in the year before. It’s allowed me to make capital improvements for all the clients I’m going to serve next year.

Let’s take the naysayers, the doom and gloomers, and the fear mongers and kick them to the curb starting right now! When that ball drops, whether it’s Times Square or Fountain Square; think of it as a fuse being lit. All of us who are small businesses or solopreneurs have the power to make some 2011 fireworks of our own happen.

Are you ready?

That’s a wrap.

Making Memories – Preserving Memories

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There are no treasured possessions greater than memories. Holidays always underscore that fact. When I was growing up, or when I was going home for the holidays, I had the most fun digging thru the family pictures. There was always a point during the holidays when Dad would set up the slide projector and focus it on a nearby wall.

We had a deep, wide cardboard box filled with other boxes – narrow plastic ones holding the 35mm slides, and each one labeled with its contents. There was a box for my 10th birthday. One for my sister’s wedding, Two or three containing the remnants of a Mexican vacation. One that attempted to document our family’s move cross country.

The lamp on the projector was hot, and bits of dust bunny flotsam hung in the stream of light emanating from the lens. For awhile we laughed and shared stories about what was going on in each of the pictures.

Then, the trips home became fewer. I never knew time to move so fast in my life. Mom passed first, in 1996. Dad in 2005. My sister had the big box buried in the back of a closet.

This year, I had her send me the box so I could start making digital copies of all those old slides. I was surprised at which slides were now fading and which ones still looked pretty good. But with this great software, I was able to make many of them brighter and sharper than ever.

Now, my sister and I don’t have to wait for those too few times when we get together to look at those old photos. There’s no more hot, musty slide projector – we can view them on our computer, or laptop, even our TV if we choose.

Do you have a big box of slides like that somewhere? Go take a look. Many of them may be starting to fade. If you’d like to preserve and pass on those memories, I can scan them to DVD for you. Each member of your family can have their own copy. Let me know if you’d like more information.

–That’s a wrap.

What They’re Saying About Real Estate Videos

DIY ?, Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , , ,

So, I starting reading one of those articles about “What Your Real Estate Agent Won’t Tell You” and I got less than a quarter of the way thru it when the author mentioned how a listing’s photos and videos can be misleading because of Photoshopping or creative editing. I wouldn’t deny that those things take place, but not in my experience.

First of all, real estate agents are notoriously…(how shall I put this)…frugal. Many of them take their own pictures, and some even make their own videos.
Secondly, the kind of photo manipulation or video editing really takes some time to master. Many agents are known to be…impatient.

Actually, real estate videos can be rather quick to produce. Most agents simply want a walk through to show prospective buyers the layout point of view. Any additional editing, whether in amateur software or on a professional level, is an expense of both time and money. It’s been my experience with real estate videos that if the home is attractively staged, a video will do a much better job of selling the property than photos. It’s real. You don’t need Hollywood effects or deceptive editing to make it work.

It’s nice to see some popular websites for real estate professionals that agree with me: Homes.com reports that successful agents understand social media. And they add, “Video is another great way to promote your business and your listings online. After posting virtual tours or walk-thrus of your listings, start adding videos that discuss real estate trends and give advice. The better the content, the more it will be passed on.”

And PropertyGuru.com takes it one step further: “Keep your videos alive. Online video content should never be considered a final product. If the property doesn’t sell immediately, change the video to encourage new buyers and give them a different interpretation”

I have also seen actual customer emails thanking agents for providing videos, rather than just photos, in their marketing efforts. Even in the relocation forum City Data, one poster implores agents to “spend a few hundred bucks on a well shot and presented video tour and sell a six or seven figure home.”

There is a myriad of ways to sell real estate, even in a down market. But the wise agents and brokers would do well to discover the advantages of video marketing.

–That’s a wrap.

6 Absolute Musts For Shooting Yourself On Video

DIY ?, Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , ,

I have seen a handful of vanity channels, so-called business presentations, video blogs, and all the rest, and I gotta tell ya.. owning a video camera or a web cam no more makes you a talk show host than owning a guitar makes you Erc Clapton.

I was compelled to start watching these folks because they had a headline that drew me in, they said something interesting, or because I know them. Truthfully,  I didn’t last more than 3 minutes.

So I keep coming back to something I’ve said time and time again: Either you want to be known as an expert, or you want people to buy a product or service from you, so be as professional as you know how, or the next guy will.  Online video has no excuses for poor quality.  If you’re going to shoot yourself, here’s how to do it with a little class:

  1. Find an uncluttered spot. Look at your surroundings the way the camera is going to see it. Don’t let anything get in the way of the camera’s main focus.
  2. Back Away From The Camera.  Really. All this fisheyed e-trade baby video is making me nauseous.
  3. SMILE !!!!  And hold eye contact. Put a picture of someone you care a lot about beside that camera lens.  Then talk to them.  You will be more natural
  4. Take off the headphones.  You don’t have to hear yourself. It also looks really low tech. If there are music cues or an interview you have to respond to, get an earpiece, or just set the phones down out of camera range. You’ll still be able to hear it.
  5. Don’t take five minutes to get to the content.  I don’t really care that this is your fifth show, and you now have two thousand viewers.  Acknowledge what I came to see. At least Letterman and Leno start with a rundown of what the show’s going to be about.  It’s not a bad idea for you to do that, too.  Of course, it will mean actually planning, and not talking off the top of your head.
  6. That will directly affect your “um” quotient.  Take notes, and use those notes to prompt you for the next idea.  Planning and focusing keeps the “ums” to a mimimum.  A little silence is a lot more preferable to inane babble.
  7. Keep it short and to the point.  I’m not going to watch you for an hour. Especially if it’s just you on camera.  Sorry if it hurts your feelings.  Brevity is the soul of wit. You’ll get more viewers with a shorter piece. You’ll be more focused.  Did you know that all of the network evening news shows used to be 15 minutes long?

If you can do those simple things, you’ll be surprised how better you look, and how much more professional you come across.

–That’s A Wrap.