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How long does it take to create a professional video?

Photo taken during a video shoot with Plum Productions

Time is money and you want to know, how long should it take to get my video? You have every right to ask that question. You also have every right to get an honest answer. While we’ve had clients come to us because they were frustrated with how long it was taking to get their video from another production company, our goal is to be as upfront about timelines as possible. Timelines vary by several factors. Let’s dig into what can change the timeline and what you can do about it.

  • Deposit. Yes, we, like many other production companies, require a deposit to get started. This can sometimes slow the process down a little, depending on how large the client’s company is.
  • Before the Shoot.  You’ve decided to move forward and you hope to get your video in a week…is this realistic? Probably not, but it could be. We consider the time before the shoot to be the most critical and has the biggest impact on timeline. Here’s why: We base much of the rest of the video’s outcome on what happens before production begins. We hold a preproduction meeting to ensure we completely understand and everyone agrees to the direction the shoot is heading. We write scripts, plan the shoot schedule, etc. based on this information. A poor plan can result in a poor video, so we can’t stress how important a good preproduction meeting is for your success. This portion of the production usually doesn’t slow the process down unless things change directions and decisions can’t be made in a timely manner. Usually doesn’t happen, but sometimes it does.
  • The Shoot. The shoot is the shoot. It’s where the planning meets reality and stuff starts to happen. Typically we schedule a half, full or multi day shoot for a set number of hours. Again, this doesn’t usually cause any delays to the delivery time unless the client cannot schedule the shoot until someone has returned from vacation or needs to wait until a date in the future to begin shooting. That also applies to our schedule. If we’re already booked for the next several weeks, a new shoot most likely won’t get scheduled until after that clears up a bit.
  • Post Production. Here’s where time bends. Our goal is to always get you a finished product to review within about 7 to 10 days (unless otherwise stated during the shoot). Typically this is good for the client and good for us. It allows an adequate amount of time to be creative in the editing process while still keeping to a deadline. Where things typically slow down is when the client receives the first edit. That’s not a problem because there are usually several people involved on the client side to provide adequate feedback and list the revisions. There should always be revisions. We fully expect the client to want something revised, after all, it’s their video and they need to get what they want, right? Once we get the revisions from the client, we usually apply those concepts, thoughts, and themes to any other remaining video edits and make the changes to the first video. Believe it or not, one time we waited 6 months to get the revisions list. These things happen and when they do, they affect how quickly the client receives the completed video.
  • Final Payment. Once we’ve completed the required rounds of revisions the client will provide final payment and the final videos are delivered. Again, this can stall the delivery process if it takes a few weeks to process checks at your company. This isn’t common, but it does happen.

There you have it, several factors that can affect the final delivery time of your video. How long should it take to get your video created and delivered depends on schedules, payment timelines, and revision/feedback timelines. Our typical projects take anywhere from 30 days to 3 months…depending on the client. That said, one time we started and completed a project in 7 days…so that can happen as well. We can say with certainty that it’s very difficult to provide a highly produced, quality video in less than 30 days…and even more difficult is producing an delivering a video by last week (as is sometimes jokingly requested).

If you’ve been waiting for a video production company to complete your project and you’re outside those timelines, give us a call, we may be able to help or give you some questions to ask. Any other video questions?  Give us a call.

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Secret Weapon To a Successful Trade Show Exhibit

image of trade show

You are scheduled to attend a trade show as an exhibitor, and you want to get the most out of the show. What do you do to maximize the results of the time you invest in preparing? You can use video before, during, and after the show to maximize the impact of the show.

Pre-Trade Show Video Strategy

One often overlooked yet potent tool is the pre-trade show video. Understanding the attendees’ profile is key, and if you have their email contacts, you’re at a significant advantage. The impact of sending them a personalized invitation to your booth is greater than you can imagine. This strategy goes beyond mere attendance; it’s about creating a memorable experience before the event even begins.

Why a Pre-Trade Show Video?

  1. Build Relationships:  In the business world, the statement of “know, like, and trust” is powerful. A warm, inviting introduction video can set the stage for building these potential relationships. By giving attendees a glimpse of who you are, you increase the likelihood of them stopping by your booth, initiating valuable interactions.
  2. Humanizing Your Brand: Today digital interactions are the norm, showcasing the human element of your business is vital. People prefer dealing with other people, especially when it comes to resolving issues or making significant decisions (think sales). A personalized invitation video can add a human touch to your trade show presence, making your brand more approachable and relatable.
  3. Stand Out: While some exhibitors might reach out via email, very few leverage the power of video invitations. By adopting this approach, you distinguish yourself from the crowd. Creativity in your video content can further enhance your visibility and appeal, even as video invitations become more common.

The more personalized the message the better, but here’s a good example of what one client did prior to a trade show they were attending.

“Hi, I’m (insert name) from (insert company). You’ve registered for the upcoming trade show and you’re probably starting to identify which booths to visit to make the most of your time at the expo. We’d like to invite you to stop by and enter …  “

Use Video During the Trade Show

Why stop at sending them an invitation? Using video throughout the trade show can significantly enhance your impact at the show. Here are a few ideas:

  • Expo Display Videos: Create engaging content to display at your booth. It will attract and retain attendee’s attention. You’ll find attendees strolling by looking at your video, giving you the chance to engage in a conversation.
  • Don’t Rely On Audio: If you chose to create a Trade Show Video, remember that it’s going to be noisy during the event. You won’t want to feature or rely on interviews or narration to do the job, you’ll need strong visuals and engaging words on screen to capture their attention.
  • Use Pain Words: Putting a transcript on the screen is nice, but using graphics highlighting the pain your typical clients have will capture their attention.

Post-Show Videos

After the show is over it’s time for the follow up. That’s usually where others drop off and don’t perform well. Make it easy on yourself.

  1. Thank You Message: Create a post-show thank you message thanking them for attending and visiting your booth. Use the contacts you’ve gathered and send a “personalized” note. Personalized means general enough to speak to anyone who visited, but specific enough to resonant with most visitors.
  2. Contest Announcement Video: Typically, exhibitors have a giveaway or prize they’re awarding. Engage attendees with a contest and announce winners through a video, adding an interactive element to your presence.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are several more things you can do with video before, during and after the trade show but these will get you started. A key takeaway is that most people won’t do any of these things. They’re content to just talk to people and hope they call them after the show. Hope shouldn’t be a strategy. Use video to engage before, during, and after the trade show to maximize your efforts in gaining new sales.

If you need help creating ideas, creating concepts, or just want to get started creating a video for your trade show event, give us a call. We’re happy to help.

 

Related Articles: 

Why Your Trade Show Booth Needs a Video

7 Benefits of Video in Business Marketing

47 Interactive Trade Show Ideas

 

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7 Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs Video

In 2005, three men started a video-sharing website. In 2006 Google bought it from them. Eleven years later, YouTube has more than 300 hours of video uploaded every minute. And if that isn’t staggering enough consider these additional statistics:

As a frontrunner in an ever-evolving digital community, video changes the way companies are engaging with target audiences. From formal studio productions and ‘garage band’ tapings, drone videography, 3D animation, and 6-second bumper ads, businesses are leveraging the power of video as a critical component in marketing strategies. With Cisco predicting that video will account for 80% of web traffic by 2019, there are multiple reasons why your business needs video now.

Company Connection – Video makes a business human. Through words spoken, tone of voice, and visual expression, potential customers get to know business owners and employees. This perceived development of a relationship creates a connection that builds trust and confidence in the company.

Efficient and Effective – Consumers are busier than ever before. Short on time, living in a fast-paced, multi-tasking world, video can respond to a question more quickly than a written explanation. When time is a crunch or attention-span is limited, a 3-minute video can sell a product more thoroughly than a 4-page written document.

Product Demonstration – Video is a user-friendly way to sell a product. It can visually compare features against a competition, showcase benefits, clear up ambiguous assembly instructions, and demonstrate usage. Video can be paused and replayed as needed, making it a quick resource available with a simple click of the mouse.

Testimonials– A powerful way for people to see and hear firsthand from other clients or customers how great the product or service was for them. While a five-star rating on Google and Facebook is great, video shows the users face, projects their emotions through tone, and generates feelings that what is being said is truthful.

Search Engine Optimization – As a form of rich media, video can increase the quality of SEO and ranking. In addition to hosting video on the company website, the same media can be hosted on other platforms including YouTube and Wistia. Video can be recycled for use in backlinks, blogs, and articles, all the while increasing consumer engagement and length of time spent on your site.

Sales Conversion – Seeing is believing and that is a key function of video. Online and offline, the product market is saturated with choices. Video supports functionality, features and benefits, and quality. A visual sales pitch, 64% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after watching a related video first.

Social Shares – Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest tools for lead generation. A well-informed or entertaining, engaging and relatable video is likely to garner more social shares than a simple written article. As one qualified target audience shares content, the opportunity for increased awareness is significantly and positively impacted.

 

Video has broad-reach capability to get in front of potential customers without investing extra time or manpower. It can make the smallest company seem large, a large corporation seem approachable, a simplistic product unique, and a complicated product easy to understand.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth 1,000,000. Optimize your digital presence by including video as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Contact us today.

 

Guest Blog provided by: Larry Goldstick. Larry is the principal owner of Capture Digital Marketing. Capture Digital Marketing is a full service digital marketing agency based in Jupiter, Florida. For more information contact Larry at 561-630-3699 or la***@ca*******.com

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How to Disrupt Your Industry Using Video

Set of 5 doors all with gray door and one red

You’ve heard it before, whether from your web developer or from a marketer… “You need video for your website.” While it’s true, video helps, video isn’t always the only answer. BUT, if done correctly, video can be the difference maker in standing out in a crowd of competitors. Let’s dig into a few stats and reasons why this is so.

First, think about the last time you purchased something online. Did the product page have information about the product? Of course it did.  Did the product page have photos of the product? Most likely. If the page didn’t have photos, would you have purchased the item? Most people we ask say they would not purchase an item online that didn’t have a photo to see the product. Did the product page contain a video? If it did, do you remember the video? Do you remember what or how they educated you on the product? Did they show you how to set it up, highlight certain features, or show it being used? Most likely, if the product page had a video and you connected with the product and video, you purchased the product.

Therein lies the effectiveness in video.

The video was effective in helping you process and retain information about the product so you can make better decisions. In fact, it has been shown that people are somewhere between 65% and 85% more likely to purchase a product after viewing a video than having not viewed a video about a product or service.

According to Eyeview, a video marketing agency, by including a video on the landing page, conversion increases by 80%. Even Hubspot Blog Post states that “54% of consumers want to see videos from brands they support in comparison to email newsletters (46%) and social media images (41%).”

Common Types of Video (and we have done all of these):

  • Product Demo videos showing how to use the product, how to set up the product, or just why you should buy the product.
  • How-To videos
  • Testimonial videos … who better than your clients to tell potential customers why you’re awesome!
  • Explainer videos that show the viewer why they need your product or service and what you can do for them.
  • Expert Interviews
  • Event Videos
  • …the list can go on and on.

Now you know why it’s important, how does it help you become a disruptor? Great question. One of the things we hear is that after creating the video and posting it (or several), they become viewed as an expert in their field. Our clients know a lot about their subject and can demonstrate that with authority on a video. Viewers can feel and sense this experience when watching. When they do, the viewer will feel confident in calling or buying.

Being a disruptor means you have to do more than know your subject matter. Being a disruptor means you have been doing what you’re doing for so long (or with enough outside experiences) to see an opportunity in the marketplace. Imagine that you have been doing your job for 15 years, you know it inside and out, and realize there is a gap in services or processes that might be taken advantage of. Imagine the expert talking about how to use this opportunity to help the consumer. Bam! Disruption begins. The person on camera suddenly becomes a person to be reckoned with.

The next time you see an opportunity in the marketplace that you can solve or fix, this might be the time to create a video and highlight your strengths! Let us know if we can help in any way.

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Why Multi-media Works

Multi-Media Photo from a Plum Productions Shoot

Why Multi-media Works

There are several reasons why you should use multi-media on your website. In this post we’ll cover the reasons to use multimedia, what effect it has on your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), how it affects branding, and the various types of multimedia available for use on your website.

Branding Multi-Media

From a broader sense, we recommend using various forms of media to strengthen your brand. This doesn’t mean add media just to add media, rather add media with purpose. If you are going to add a photo, why are you adding it?

What purpose does it serve and how does it improve or amplify your branding message. The more styles you use (not necessarily on the same page) the better your branding can become.

Types of Multimedia

There are several types of multimedia you can use on your website.

  • First up are images. Whether its free stock photos, photos you’ve purchased, or photos you’ve taken yourself, photos add to your story. If you add images, there are a few rules you should follow and we’ll get to that later in the SEO section. Another form of multimedia are slideshows.
  • Slideshows that are embedded from Slideshare or other web slideshow sites can enhance your image by providing multiple images in a very compact space.
  • Videos. We obviously have a lot to say about video, but here are some things you may not have known. Videos are more likely to show up on the first page of a search engine results that that of photos. Think about that. What’s the value of having your information on the first page of search results? Video isn’t the only thing that can or will get you there, but it is more likely than a photo. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post photos. This post would suggest it is a mix of multi-media types that is important. Are you going to click on the video below? Probably. Will it keep you on our site for at least 3 more seconds? More than likely.
  • Audio. Podcasts, streams, etc. Audio plays an important role to some. Some people are more audible than visual. Those audibles love to listen to things (podcasts, music, etc.). Give them what they need every once in a while. Plus, this additional form of media will only help your brand if done correctly.

Time on Your Site

hourglass measuring timeOne of the benefits of having multiple forms of media on your website is that you keep people on your site longer.

Longer is better in terms of SEO. Google and the like feel that the longer one spends on your website, the more informative and important it is to the visitor. If every visitor stays on your site for a minute and a half, this would suggest there was a reason for doing so.

That’s where the “crawlers” and “bots” come in. They comb the website looking for reasons people stay on the site. When they find several forms of media (including video), the report back that the site is informative.

Optimizing SEO

Image of Storyboard Script SketchOne step we would recommend you take is to optimize your website as much as possible. All that means is that you tell the “bots” what they’re finding. You’re giving them a road map and overlay of your site.

For example, if you’re placing a photo on the page, you should include alt text. Alt text is what should show up on the page if the photo cannot load. So if you are posting a photo of a child on a swing on a playground, the alt text might read, “Child on swing at a playground.”

This applies to embedded video as well. You should also name the file (audio, video, image) with terms and words that match what it is. Google is getting smarter and smarter, and they can now process a photo and know what it is. If the name doesn’t match, it may throw out the photo or the website.

Make sure the name of the file is relevant. Also, include an image description if possible. Finally, there are several other things you can do to your website to help with SEO, such as, keywording, title tags, H1 Tags, descriptions, etc.

All of this is too much to get into on this post, and probably needs an SEO specialist to help you. (We know a good one if you need).

 

Related Posts:

How to Make a Corporate Video Production Successful

Sources:Why multi-media content is so good for your website and blog

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How to Use Drone Video In Your Business Video

phantom drone image

Aerial photography has become almost a must have for modern marketing videos. The easiest and least expensive way to get these types of shots today is by using a drone. Recently it has become less and less expensive to achieve drone shots for videos; however, they can still be quite intimidating for first time users.

The toughest part is usually figuring out what kind of shots you might want to include in your next marketing video. If you are lost on where to start, here are four ideas to get you started.

The first is a group shot. A group shot using a regular camera is a good way to get everyone in the company in one shot. But a group shot using a drone is a good way to get everyone in one shot, plus the office, plus the neighborhood surrounding the office. It can also be a good way for your employees to let out some energy. Have them jump around, wave, or make silly faces as the drone races higher into the sky.

The second way a drone can be useful is for super steady moving shots. One of the best things manufacturers included was the stabilizer. The stabilizer is what makes your footage look so smooth, even if the operator is jerky with the controls. Because of this stabilizer, it can even be used as a handheld Steadicam! We’ve used a Steadicam in this video. See if you can spot it!

Steadicam rigs can be expensive, but if you already have the drone, why not use it for more than just aerial shots? It is especially good for quick shots that have to be mobile and where there is little time to set up a steadicam rig.

The third kind of shot is the “reveal.” What is a reveal you may ask? A reveal shot is when you start close to a subject and then zoom out to expose the surroundings. You can also perform this shot the opposite way…but with a drone, this shot can be taken to the next level. Because a drone can be flown so high, and so far away, you can reveal much more than you could with a simple zoom out from a traditional camera. You can zoom out to reveal an entire city, or zoom in to reveal a tiny flower hidden in the middle of an industrial park.

The fourth and final shot is the neighborhood view. This shot is great for showing off the location of your office. It is a great way to show customers where you are located within a bigger city or town. Just be careful about those FAA regulations that prohibit flight in certain areas. Just a few years ago these types of shots would have been impossible for smaller companies to achieve, but thanks to modern technology anything is possible! Using a drone can give you unique shots that cannot be achieved with any other equipment…well, maybe a helicopter, but who has a budget for that? This video starts right out and ends with a beautiful sweeping visual:

Use a drone for your next marketing video, and take it to the next level!
If you’re not certified to fly a drone, or want someone to take care of it for you, give us a call. We’re Part 107 Certified with many hours of flight time. Drone shots are a cool addition to stellar video; don’t be fooled by those who use drone shots as the primary visual in the video…drone video should be used to accentuate and add value.

 

Related Content:

Corporate Video Trends of 2024 That Every Business Must Know

Fun use of Drones at Red Bull

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What Type of Video Should My Business Have in 2018?

What video should you have on your business website? That is a great question. One that depends on what you want to do with it. Many of our clients tell us they want to create a video to tell their story. But, telling the story isn’t what they really want. What they really want is to increase the number of incoming calls or increase sales. That’s what they really want. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients and have found the best way to get what they really want is to ask a lot of questions.

One of the questions we like to ask is, “Why are you making this video?” It helps us understand the purpose and end goal of the video. If you are looking for more phone calls or purchases on a website, a direct call to action must be present. If you are looking for a feel good piece that shows the world some of the good you do, a call to action does not fit.
Another question we ask is, “How will you measure success once this video is complete?” This helps us understand some of why we are doing this and what will qualify as a success or failure. We want to work toward success and know what a failure looks like before we start.

So, what types of video should you have for your business in 2018? There are several types we’d recommend, but each business needs to identify which video needs to be created first and why. This list doesn’t mean you have to do all of them, rather, pick the ones that make the most sense for your business. That said, these are the business videos we are being asked to create for most businesses and the trends that match.

  1. Corporate About Us. Every business should have an About Us video. Here’s why. The first thing people do when searching for a business is research. That’s why Google will return information about a business or topic the first time you search. After that, Google assumes you want some more details and may return other sites that are more granular. During the research phase, your customers want to know who you are, can they trust you, and feel compelled to pick up the phone to call you. The About Us video answers the following questions:  (a) Who is this company, (b) Can I feel comfortable working with them, (c) Can I trust them, and, (d) What experience do they have? Here’s an example.
  2. Testimonials. No one can tell your potential customers that you do a great job better than your existing customers. If you tell them, the potential customer will most likely think, “Yes, that’s what you want me to believe” or “Yes, that’s nice, but you’re trying to sell me on your services.” But, if your existing customer is on your website telling a potential customer how good of a job your business did for them, they’re more likely to believe it. Whether you create one video with several different people giving testimonials or several videos with one testimonial in each, your existing customer should be telling this story. Here’s a different way to share your client testimonials. 
  3. Video Blogs. Also known as a vlog, a video blog is a way to show potential clients that you are professional, understand your business and how it helps your clients, and positions you as an expert. Pick topics that you know and title each video with a question or include terms that potential clients would search related to your business. For example, if one was looking to find a sales trainer, the potential client might search, “How do I improve my sales process?” If they search this and the title of your video is the same, you have a greater chance of showing up in the results than someone who posted the video titled, “Sales Information.”  Here’s an example.
  4. Promotional Pieces. Promotional pieces are just that…a video to promote your business. More than that, a promotional video will provide a visual as to what you do. For example, if you are a kitchen cabinet manufacturer, you might consider a video that highlights the showroom (see video below). The promotional piece is the standard video you see on television, websites, and ads that run on YouTube, etc. These are expected by consumers, but don’t always make the difference in making the sale.

This would be our recommendation for the top 4 videos you should have for your business in 2018. If you were to ask us what other videos you could create, we would have a much longer list. Event videos, tour videos, product videos, animations, …and the list goes on. These are the minimum 3 or 4 every business should have.

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Product Videos: How Much Can They Really Impact Marketing?

Product Video micro pop popcorn image

Using Product Videos In Your Marketing

Product videos have become an essential aspect to any marketing strategy. Videos appear in 70% of the top 100 search results, and viewers are at least 50% more likely to buy a product after watching a video for it. The business community is learning the importance of this for their marketing…and they are getting smarter and more creative to boot.  The best part, this leads to more interesting ads for consumers to watch. Not a bad thing!

Online video is so popular because people would much rather watch a video about a product than read about it…and video manages to span every demographic. Even if someone can’t read, they can still get the information a company wants to give them from a video.

Companies that normally only sell parts are posting how-to videos to their websites to attract customers, and to show them how to use the parts that they have bought. Here’s the cool part, people who start watching these types of video tend to stay on the site a little longer (maybe to the end of the video). Google likes that. This tell Google that people are interested in the stuff on this website and therefore gives that site a bit more ‘search engine juice.’  Add to that, the ability to share the video to multiple social media sites further increases the reach, and the affect of a marketing video.

You should know, however, simply uploading a video to a company’s website or YouTube channel doesn’t always work. Increasingly, creative companies are making their videos interactive, so that customers can click on something in the video that takes them to a corresponding web page. This is usually done on YouTube to bring the viewer to their site.  Some companies are even using Facebook Live to capture potential client’s attention.  It’s critical that any of the services you use work on mobile devices as well, since many customers do most of their ad viewing on their cell phones or tablets.

Clarify Your Message

One of the important things we do when making video is to incorporate the needs and wants of the client in the video. Novel idea, right? So many production companies try to bulldoze their way to create the video they want, but why can’t we just create what the clients wants? That’s our philosophy. When the client gets to add their needs into the video, they’re more likely to share it and show it off! That’s good for us…and good for them. Does it convert to product sales? Many times it does. When the video does a great job of highlighting why someone needs the product and clearly explains the result of using the product, more units will sell.

With product videos, placement is the key. Our clients currently place their videos on endcaps in retailers nationwide in order to catch prospective buyers in the moment of buying. When using video online, the best part is that one can now customize who sees the video based on their location, demographic, and recent purchases or items they’ve viewed online. This increases sales because the type of individual who might need the product will see the video, making it a relevant item to them. To simplify, doing this makes their videos more relevant to the people who live in an area, fit a demographic and have already researched similar items. That’s effective!

Key Takeaway: Remember when considering making a marketing video for a product: Hire a professional! They are there for a reason. Local video production companies are the best for this. They know the area well and how to maximize locations, spaces, and how to show off your product in just the right manner. They should show the product from several angles while highlighting the product’s best features! You might even try to include people who know a lot about the product, such as current customers.

Video marketing is fast becoming an essential tool to a good marketing campaign. Take advantage of it now, before any competition does!

 

 

Related Posts:

Hotel Video Production Marketing Strategy

Best Practices in Creating Product Videos

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Do We Have to be on Camera? Why People are the MOST Important Part!

womans face

Human brains are hardwired to recognize faces. When a video has a person talking in it, customers are more likely to connect with the video. When the audience can see the human behind the voice, they are more likely to trust what you are telling them. Speech is perceived by more than just auditory cues, we take in visual ones as well.

As a species, we are hardwired to be judgmental. Many people do not trust the information they read online. A study done in 2009 found that rather than trusting the people with the most expertise in a subject, people are more likely to trust those they believe have their best interests at heart. Psychologists at Princeton discovered that in only a tenth of a second, we form impressions of strangers from their faces alone, and our brain then responds based on how trustworthy we find their face to be.

In video, it is important to note that just having a trust worthy looking person is not going to make your audience listen to the message presented in your video. Remember, speech perception relies on both visual and auditory cues. The combination of both a great speech and a trustworthy face, among other things, is what will make your video the most compelling.

So, how can you get people to want to listen to your video? There are a few items that are critical to building the trust you deserve. First, you must be authentic. Be you. Don’t try to be someone you are not. If you look, sound, or feel uncomfortable, it will show, and many viewers will see, hear, and feel it. Second, demonstrate your integrity by showing us how much you believe in what you are saying. Again, if you come across as fake or phony, it will show. A good analogy is a dog’s behavior when certain people walk into the room. Some people are deathly afraid of dogs and the dog can sense it immediately. We humans have learned to do something similar…to sniff out false and bogus people. Some are better at it than others are, but we all have this ability. Third, people don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you care. If you are genuine in caring about your viewer, they will sense it and feel a higher level of comfort in listening to you speak. Finally, speak the truth. Don’t sugarcoat or exaggerate…these all come across counter to the previous three and will completely destroy your credibility.

This can be applied to all parts of speaking, but with video, you need to be aware of more than just your speech. Your background shouldn’t distract from your message. You are what they should be paying attention to, not the bookshelf of what’s happening outside the window behind you. Add text to the screen to help reinforce what you are saying. It also focuses the viewer on what you are saying and subtly tells them, “This is important!” Have confidence and be positive while on camera and use transitions when speaking. It helps the viewer follow along when you say things like, “Now that I’ve covered XYZ, let’s move on to ABC.” This transition tells the viewer where you are and what to expect next. Sound like English class all over again? Good! It should.

Having just a trustworthy face is not enough to make people want to listen to your video; however, neither is just having a good speech. If you take the time to focus on all aspects of your video, including what’s in the background, what you’re wearing, and even the music that is playing, your video will have a much better chance of being listened to and acted upon. You want to connect to your audience, so give them what they need. Comfort, trust, integrity.

As always, we coach clients how to perform better on camera during our shoots. When we have someone who is struggling on camera, we do our best to help him or her relax and speak clearly. After all, you know the subject matter, just talk as if you’re talking to a friend. We’ll do the rest! Let us know when you’re ready to get started.

 

Source: Wistia Blog. (2017). Why Videos Featuring Humans are Easier to Trust. Retrieved from: https://wistia.com/blog/make-trustworthy-videos-with-humans on September 28, 2017. 

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Video Length: It Depends on What You Measure

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Video Length – What’s Right?

Some research has shown that there is a direct and consistent relationship between the length an ad is and an increase in brand consideration and awareness. So the question is; how long should an ad be? Is the attention span of the potential customer shrinking down to nothing, or is it still possible to get them to willingly watch a longer ad?

For brands who are mainly focused on awareness, the shorter ad format may prove more effective and efficient than a longer video. With a shorter video, the brand stays top of mind. They are good for raising awareness and for creating signals that influence more frequent searches.

However, with the use of more complex stories it is possible to create a more meaningful connection to the brand that is being advertised. For a brand that wishes to move beyond simple awareness or to make a deeper connection with their consumer base, a longer story may be necessary.

The most important thing a brand can do is measure and compare their results to their critical overall business goal. Is ad recall or brand favorability more important? With shorter videos, customers typically show greater ad recall, whereas with longer videos there is less ad recall but more brand favorability. Whichever is more important to your brand should dictate elements of length.

If using a longer video format, it is important to state the brand early enough in the video that the customer will see it before, and if, they decide to skip the video. Generally, only a quarter of customers who view longer ads make it all the way through to the end, even for the most compelling ads. It is important to create a story that weaves the brand throughout the ad, instead of just popping up a logo in the beginning of the video. Oddly enough, just showing the logo generally reduces the view through rate of the ad.

With all of these things to consider, it is important to remember that a great story can still grab today’s audience, even with that pesky skip button beckoning to be pressed. The pressure that the skip button presents may push companies into believing that everything has to be faster, faster, faster, but that may not be true. Shorter ads may actually lessen the attention given to the company, while longer ads take the time to connect with the viewer, and possibly even change their minds.

Deciding on video length is important based on many factors, and not only those listed above. If you want to get into a more length discussion, give us a call.

Related Articles:

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How Long a Video Should Be (from Vidyard)