You want potential customers to buy from you and you want existing customers to come back for more. If you want to reach your target audience, you need to speak to them in terms they will understand. I’ve seen far too many websites and watched too many corporate videos that either use a lot of vague language or technical jargon. This often leaves a potential customer confused and they leave the website, or finish watching the video, without learning any answers to their questions. If you want to communicate effectively with your target market, the copy on your website and the script for your video needs to be…
CONVERSATIONAL – Write as if you were meeting with your audience one-on-one.
CLEAR – Avoid vague terminology that doesn’t specifically state your core values, mission, identity and services. Avoid generic, cliched words, like “synergy.”
CONCISE – When someone visits a website, he/she doesn’t want to read a book. They will scan the content. They won’t read everything thoroughly. Hit the highlights. When you are writing a script for your video, write sparingly. Let the visuals do the talking for you.
COMPREHENSIBLE – Make sure the benefits of your company’s services are well-defined. Tell potential customers why doing business with you will be a valuable experience for them. If you work for an accounting firm and you perform business valuations, don’t simply tell your audience that you can do business valuations. Tell them how that service affects them. Tell them why it’s important that they use a business valuation service. Tell them when they would need it.
When someone first lands on your website or watches your video, he/she should be able to grasp the basic information about your business quickly. Remember, there’s nothing more valuable than time. If you can hook a potential customer with engaging content, he or she will spend more time with your brand. And the more time they spend with you, the more likely they will be to buy from you.
Have you ever been faced with a particular challenge or difficulty and felt as though you were all alone? That feeling of isolation can be incredibly overwhelming, which is why I believe that there is something within the human race that causes us to crave a sense of community. Whether that community is a church, co-working environment, club, online user group, etc. we all want to be a part of something where we can voice our concerns and receive valuable feedback and encouragement. That impulse to be involved with other like-minded individuals is (I believe) embedded into everyone, regardless of the profession.
As a business owner, I enjoy meeting and talking with other entrepreneurs. I enjoy discussing the challenges we face and the successes we’ve achieved. I enjoy listening to others talk about how they solve problems and how they’ve grown their businesses. As a video production professional, I value the time I spend talking with others in the industry about the tools they use for their productions. I enjoy learning new tips and tricks that help me to become a better video professional. Getting plugged into a community is extremely valuable and therapeutic. It’s a wonderful cure for discouragement and it’s an excellent way to remind each of us that we are not alone.
Sometimes you can’t appreciate how far you’ve come until you take a look at the road behind you. With the rapid advancements in film and video technology, it’s sometimes hard to believe that the motion picture industry is barely over 100 years old. I really enjoy studying history, including film history. One of the items in my collection is Edison – The Invention of the Movies (1891-1918), a DVD set of early short films. To me, it’s fascinating to watch these motion pictures to get a glimpse of people and places long since gone. Thanks to film, they are preserved forever, including the people in this 1922 Kodachrome film test. Kodachrome was Kodak’s long-standing brand of color reversal film, and (as the video’s opening title says) this footage is some of the earliest color film you will see.
In 2008 I worked as Director of Photography for the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival’s TV commercial. Filament Artists, a local creative services agency, handled production and post-production. Todd Hornsby was the producer and Sam McDavid was the writer/director. This year, the decision-makers at Sidewalk asked Filament to do it once again, and I had another opportunity to work as Director of Photography for the project. The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is now in its 12th year, and will be held in downtown Birmingham September 24-26.
As an iPhone user, I am always on the lookout for useful apps. Some help me with my business, like tracking my time or my mileage. Others help me in my video production work, like when I have to mark shots with a slate and create shot logs. It’s fascinating to see the versatility of these smartphones and as someone who works in the creative industry, it’s great to see people using their phones as an outlet for artistic expression. Just recently, I was reading an article about people shooting short film projects entirely on the iPhone 4. With video editing apps like iMovie and ReelDirector, you can do everything on the phone. Recently, I’ve been using a few apps to process photos I’ve taken on my iPhone. Two apps I’d like to recommend for enhancing your iPhone photos are Photogene and Photoshop Express. A friend also told me about TrueHDR, an app that creates HDR images from photos on your phone. I’ve also been experimenting with the blurred tilt shift lens look with an app called Tilt Shift Generator. Here are a few samples of shots taken with my iPhone and processed with some of these apps.
Processed with the Tilt Shift Generator
Processed with Photoshop Express
And here’s an image from a friend of mine, created with the TrueHDR app.
It’s a catch-22. You need the video work so you can organize a demo reel, but you often need a demo reel so you can get the video work. It’s unavoidable. People want to see work samples before making the decision to hire a video professional or video production company. So, what if you are trying to get started in the video production industry and need something on your reel? How do you get hired? One of the tactics I used when I first started my business was to give away some video production work for free – no strings attached. This approach might not suit everyone’s circumstances, but there may come a time early in your career when you need to work for free in order to beef up your reel. However, before you give away the farm, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, you should know that I only worked for free once. That’s it. Granted, I have done other pro-bono work in my career, but those jobs were done in exchange for some other goods or services or they were done for causes I support. So, be careful if you decide to offer up your services for free. You don’t want to build a reputation as someone who does video work on the cheap. Know what you are worth.
Second, know who to approach. You might think that businesses would be knocking down your door if they heard you were giving away your video services for free. However, the truth is, people can be pretty hesitant to accept something for free. They are always looking for the catch – the fine print. They don’t want to get caught up in something they didn’t anticipate. So, if you feel that your reel needs some commercial work, or some long-format work, try talking with family members first. You may have a great uncle, an aunt, a cousin, etc. who runs a small business. You could approach them, discuss your situation, and see if they would allow you to produce some videos for them at no charge.
Third, be honest about why you are offering your services for free. Whether it’s a family member, or a close friend, or a new contact, let him/her know that you are starting a new video business and you need some content for your reel. If that individual is a small business owner him/herself, he/she will certainly understand. It’s important to be up front about your motivations, because (as I mentioned in point #1) you don’t want to gain a reputation as someone who will work for little-to-no-money. You simply want to include some additional work on your reel so you can charge other clients fair market price for your services.
Over the last couple of years I have subscribed to a variety of different podcasts that appeal to my specific interests. I’m always on the lookout for interesting podcasts, so I thought I would list some of my favorites. Hopefully you will find some of these interesting, entertaining, and useful.
THE ACCIDENTAL CREATIVE – This podcast speaks directly to those who work in the creative industry (writers, graphic designers, artists, photographers, video professionals, art directors, etc.) Each episode is designed to help the creative professional avoid burnout by providing tips on how to stay motivated and have a successful career.
DISHY MIX – On this podcast, host Susan Bratton interviews the top names in the New Media and Digital workspace, discussing things related to marketing, advertising, media, social media, video, and the Internet.
FREELANCE RADIO – Although Freelance Radio is no longer producing new episodes, there is an archive of about 50 episodes that provide useful information for anyone operating a freelance business. In each episode, a regular panel of four freelancers discuss one central topic. Issues range from client relations, to bookkeeping, to generating new business, to ethical dilemmas, and budgeting.
THE/FILMCAST – I’ve listened to several movie podcasts, but this one has to be my favorite. Each week, David Chen, Devindra Hardewar, and Adam Quigley discuss the movies and TV shows they’ve been watching, go over the latest film news, and conclude with one in-depth movie review. The occasional guest panelist includes other film critics, actors, and film directors.
INSPIRING WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT WITH ZIG ZIGLAR – Each episode of the Zig Ziglar podcast features brief insights from Ziglar regarding sales, careers, life, family, relationships, and goals. The show provides great motivation for anyone, regardless of the profession. Plus, every episode is short – no more than 10 minutes, which means they can be digested easily.
INTERNET MARKETING – Produced in the UK, Internet Marketing is one of the most popular podcasts of its kind. Episodes feature insights to help listeners gain increased visibility for their business through a wide array of online tools.
THE DUCT TAPE MARKETING PODCAST – This podcast is for anyone looking for practical advice on how to market a business or service. In each episode, host John Jantsch interviews a marketing expert that provides useful information for online and offline marketing.
The saying, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t necessarily apply to online video. Just because you upload a video doesn’t mean that people will find it, watch it, or pass it along to someone else. Oh sure, you will always come across those videos that go viral without much thought or attention given to SEO strategies – like this one. Unfortunately, no one can guarantee that a video will go viral. However, aside from the content you create, there are three important things you need to do to help improve your video’s SEO. Since Google’s acquisition of YouTube, online videos are now included in Google search results, so it’s important that you consider SEO strategies for your videos. Here are some basic tips to help improve your video’s search rankings.
GIVE YOUR VIDEO A SPECIFIC TITLE. Do me a favor – take a look at the top of your browser window. What you see written there is the title for the web page you are reading right now. This title bar is extremely important to search engines. As you browse the Internet, you will find that there are many web pages that simply don’t have a title, other than the generic “home” or “index” or “about us.” When you upload a video to YouTube, the title that you give to your video becomes the title written at the top of the browser window. So, you want to make sure that the title is specific. If you are uploading a video for your business, include your company’s name in the title of the video, followed by a brief description of the video’s contents. If you visit our YouTube channel, you will notice that I have used “Red Fox Media” in every title, followed by the client’s name and a general title for the video itself. By default, YouTube will match the video’s display title with the title you gave it when you originally saved it to your hard drive. If you don’t change it manually, you might end up with a video library full of generic titles like, “Presentation08-16-10.mov.”
ADD A DESCRIPTION TO EACH VIDEO. Video descriptions provide the viewer with a little more information about what he/she is seeing on the screen. Depending on your industry, you can use descriptions to A) give viewers the specific benefits of a product or service, B) advertise a particular special or sale your company is offering, or C) provide the viewer with a case study and how your company helped solve a client’s problem. Descriptions are also a great place to insert a link back to your company’s website or blog. Search engines like Google are always looking for links. Also make sure to utilize targeted key words throughout your descriptions to help boost search results.
INSERT TAGS – Tags are an important way to define and categorize content across the Internet and have, therefore, become an important part of search. When you upload a video or post a blog article, you have the option to insert tags that are used to define aspects of the video. Take advantage of the opportunity to tag each of the videos you upload. On YouTube, individual tags are separated by a space. You can group words together as a single tag by enclosing them in quotation marks. When you tag a video, also include your company’s name, your company’s location, and the place where you shot the video. So, a particular string of tags on one of our videos might read “Red Fox Media” Birmingham Alabama.
Remember, the term “search” is different from the term “viral.” By following the above steps, you will improve your search results, but it does not guarantee that your video will go viral. People choose to pass on videos for several different reasons. You can read about them here. But, increasing your search results is the first step towards increasing viewership for each of your videos.
It’s interesting to sit back and watch the ebb and flow of the marketplace. Regardless of your industry, markets will inevitably undergo various shifts and changes. Video production is no different. The way in which the public consumes video content is much different now than it was seven years ago. DVRs, video hosting sites, smartphones, the iPad, etc. have all contributed to this changing trend.
As a result, video producers have had to rethink how the content is created. Now, viewers want fresh content on a regular basis. They want something that feels authentic. They want businesses to converse WITH them, not sell TO them. They want valuable content that proves helpful in their own personal and professional pursuits. This change in viewer tastes means that businesses need to produce video content regularly, which is a good thing for a video production business. But it also means that businesses can’t afford to spend too much on each video. I’ve worked on a great number of video projects that involve three to six weeks of pre-production (research, pre-interviews, creative strategy sessions, script writing, etc.), five days of shooting, and up to sixty hours of post. This kind of video still has its place, but what about a client who is interested in producing a video podcast, or a quick online welcome video, or a product demonstration, or a testimonial video?
As a result of this shifting trend, we have developed a series of corporate video packages that are designed for the business interested in updating their video content on a regular basis. The packages are attractive and affordable, but most importantly, they maintain high production standards. If you’re interested in learning more, there are several ways to get in touch with us. You can leave a comment here, follow us on Twitter, become our fan on Facebook, or sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter.
This is probably how it happened: Thousands of years ago some cattle owners were watching their cows graze in the fields when suddenly, cows from another herd wandered over and got mixed up with all the other cows. Confusion and chaos soon followed, because the cattle owners had no way of differentiating one cow from another. All the cows looked similar. No single cow stood out from the herd. In an effort to alleviate this problem, one wise individual decided that the best course of action would be to mark his cows in some distinctive way. Thus, the tradition of branding livestock was born.
Is it any wonder that we use the same word (brand) to refer to a company’s identity as well as the burn mark on the backside of a cow? If you are involved in marketing. there are some important lessons to be learned from the process of cattle branding.
THE BRAND MUST BE UNIQUE. Sure, the letter “T” or “X” could be used as a mark to brand cattle, but it wouldn’t be very distinctive. It would be easy for other cattle owners to copy your brand, mark their own cattle with it, and then claim your cows as their very own. Livestock owners understand that in selecting their brand, they must find something different; something no one else has; something meaningful; something that is reflective of themselves in someway. Is your company identity something distinctive? Does your brand stand out from the others? Or is it easily copied?
THE BRAND INDICATES OWNERSHIP. The reason why a rancher brands his livestock is so that others will know to whom that animal belongs. All anyone has to do in order to determine ownership is to look at that symbol. When you build up a brand, your company takes ownership. The executives, administrators, sales people, customer support staff, etc. are all part owners. When the public sees your company’s brand, do they know immediately who owns it? Are you building a brand with great visibility?
THE BRAND IS PERMANENT. Once that brand is burned onto the livestock’s skin, it’s there to stay. It’s a permanent symbol defining ownership. Remember, that once the public develops a certain attitude or position toward your company, that brand may be hard to change. Your brand is your company’s identity. It defines who you are, and often, it is defined by how people perceive you. What are you doing to help increase positive perception toward your brand?
, a DVD set of early short films. To me, it’s fascinating to watch these motion pictures to get a glimpse of people and places long since gone. Thanks to film, they are preserved forever, including the people in this 1922 Kodachrome film test. 
