The last type of online video is educational video. Unlike the previous types this video doesn't have to be focused as tightly on a specific goal to be successful. These videos don't usually appear on your homepage but instead are placed beyond the landing page for those viewers looking for more information. Educational video exists to educate but can also establish trust in your company brand and a sense of leadership. When users begin to go deeper into everything your site has to offer, educational video can give the information they are searching for while differentiating you from competing businesses.
Educational video can also act as a helper to your customer service team. The visitors can use to these videos to learn everything they need to know about your product or company and will mostly likely come back to you when they are ready to purchase. Using videos as part of your online support can help answer the frequently asked questions your customers might have in a format they are comfortable with. These videos can make a difficult process easy for your viewers by showing a step by step process and at the same time can build a relationship between your site and you visitors.
Unlike the other types of videos, educational videos guidelines for duration and content are pretty lax. It is harder to measure the success of these videos because it will not be based on the number of views like a viral or conversion video. The more important metrics to pay attention to are how many chapters of the video were viewed and how many time does the average viewer watch the video.
Here is an example of an educational video posted on the help section of the Twitter's website. It shows customers how to use the new Tweet button on their websites. Check it out.
References: Sevitt, Daniel "Online Video for Business" ReelSEO. http://www.reelseo.com/types-online-video-business.
Showing posts with label online video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online video. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Three Types of Online Videos and Their Uses:Viral Video
The three types of online videos can be distinguished in many ones, one of them being where they are placed in relation to a company's website. Mostly videos are located on the site's homepage, within a specific page on the site, or embedded from a third party site such a YouTube, FunnyorDie and CollegeHumor.com. Strategically placing the different types of videos help a business achieve different goals.
If online video was launched with the creation of Youtube, viral video was the first "breakout star" of the medium. The definition of a viral video is "a video that become popular through the process of internet sharing, typical through websites and email". In order for a video to have a chance to become viral but must either original. unusual, unexpected, funny or mysterious. Viral videos are almost impossible to create because they must have that "buzz" that will inspire people to not only watch it but share it with their friends regardless of the content. Viral videos are usually placed on third party sites in order to generate traffic back to a company's home page. The aim for this type of video is to be embedded on many different sites to reach as many viewers as possible. The only downside to the distribution and promotion of this video is lack of control companies have over these videos. If they are put on websites that have surrounding text or ads that aren't inline with the company's image, the unsavory content could give your company logo a bad reputation even if it does increase the popularity of your video.
T-Mobile pulled off an extremely successful example of viral video with this pre-planned flash-mob at the Liverpool train station in London, England. It has received almost 15 million views on their official Youtube channel alone, have you seen it yet?
References: Sevitt, Daniel "Online Video for Business" ReelSEO. http://www.reelseo.com/types-online-video-business.
If online video was launched with the creation of Youtube, viral video was the first "breakout star" of the medium. The definition of a viral video is "a video that become popular through the process of internet sharing, typical through websites and email". In order for a video to have a chance to become viral but must either original. unusual, unexpected, funny or mysterious. Viral videos are almost impossible to create because they must have that "buzz" that will inspire people to not only watch it but share it with their friends regardless of the content. Viral videos are usually placed on third party sites in order to generate traffic back to a company's home page. The aim for this type of video is to be embedded on many different sites to reach as many viewers as possible. The only downside to the distribution and promotion of this video is lack of control companies have over these videos. If they are put on websites that have surrounding text or ads that aren't inline with the company's image, the unsavory content could give your company logo a bad reputation even if it does increase the popularity of your video.
T-Mobile pulled off an extremely successful example of viral video with this pre-planned flash-mob at the Liverpool train station in London, England. It has received almost 15 million views on their official Youtube channel alone, have you seen it yet?
References: Sevitt, Daniel "Online Video for Business" ReelSEO. http://www.reelseo.com/types-online-video-business.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Marketing Advice from the Creators the Snuggie
Marketing with testimonials, short film, and promotional videos is no longer an option for the future but has already become a popular promotional tool. Video feedback is "marketing gold" especially when it is readily available to the online audience. Posting customer feedback via video on your website is a great way to get people’s attention while giving your company a good name. Another great way to use video feedback is in training or new employee welcoming videos. Interviewing current employees and asking them to tell how they’ve grown with the company inspires the new employees and gives training videos a personal touch.
The infamous Snuggie, the most popular late night TV product ever, has created their own video marketing strategy using video feedback submitted by others to promote their product. Allstar media has created the Snuggie Film Choice Awards and are requesting users to submit "commercial, short film, documentary or parody" videos to the Snuggie Fan Club website. The one who submits the best video will win a $5,000 cash prize as well as a trip to New York City with a possibility of being included in the newest Snuggie commercial. The company has already posted some of the less-insulting Snuggie video parodies found on Youtube on their website and they have generated quite a buzz. They also allow users to send pictures or videos of themselves or their friends in a Snuggie and post it on Allstar's Facebook and Twitter pages. Together with video and social media, Allstar Products Group are effectively selling Snuggies to all types of people around the world, no matter how ridiculous the product is.
Here is one of the Snuggie parodies from Youtube.
References: Jeffries, Adrianna. "Snuggie Hopes to Recruit Youtube Parodymakers to Make its Next Viral Ad" ReadWriteWeb. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/snuggie_hopes_to_recruit_youtube_parodymakers_to_m.php
The infamous Snuggie, the most popular late night TV product ever, has created their own video marketing strategy using video feedback submitted by others to promote their product. Allstar media has created the Snuggie Film Choice Awards and are requesting users to submit "commercial, short film, documentary or parody" videos to the Snuggie Fan Club website. The one who submits the best video will win a $5,000 cash prize as well as a trip to New York City with a possibility of being included in the newest Snuggie commercial. The company has already posted some of the less-insulting Snuggie video parodies found on Youtube on their website and they have generated quite a buzz. They also allow users to send pictures or videos of themselves or their friends in a Snuggie and post it on Allstar's Facebook and Twitter pages. Together with video and social media, Allstar Products Group are effectively selling Snuggies to all types of people around the world, no matter how ridiculous the product is.
Here is one of the Snuggie parodies from Youtube.
References: Jeffries, Adrianna. "Snuggie Hopes to Recruit Youtube Parodymakers to Make its Next Viral Ad" ReadWriteWeb. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/snuggie_hopes_to_recruit_youtube_parodymakers_to_m.php
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Night of Lux
The Video Editor worked with Elizabeth Wahler of Kiere Media to create this video showing highlights from "A Night of Lux". Walher hosted "A Night of Lux:A Fashionable Fight Against Cancer", a charity event benefiting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, on May 13, 2010 in Corona Del Mar.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tips and Tricks of Online Video
Creating successful and engaging online video is difficult. Here are some tips on what to avoid during your online video production process.
1. Keep It Short.
Promotional videos are meant to be short and sweet. “When is the last time you watched a five minute promotional thing on the Internet?” asks Tim Plum, the owner of Plum, a video production company based in Chicago, IL. “I bet the answer is never.” If the videos go too long viewers don't get hooked and will click away before your message is delivered.
2. Remember Your Production Values.
If you disregard the importance of production values, your videos end up looking unprofessional and turn the viewer off. Cheap looking videos can distract viewers from the message you are trying to convey. Make sure all aspects of the video are professional looking such as lighting, sound, camerawork, and backgrounds. No one is going to take a video seriously if it looks like it was shot in back of someone's garage with a shaky camera with a built-in microphone.
3.Hire a Professional.
If you are hiring a video production company, think twice about going with the cheapest choice. You might save a couple dollars but your video could end up suffering. These companies often have poor taste in font choices, colors, narration, or music and the finished product will reflect this. "You want your video to look fresh and cool" Plum says, "not hacky and slightly wrong."
4.Stay on Topic.
Keep in mind what you want your viewers to feel and think after they watch it the video. Do you want them to take action or remember anything in particular? "Clients tend to want to sneak in a lot of other messages", says Plum. Don't overload them with too much information. Keep to information that supports the goals of the video instead expanding on every little detail about your company. Make it simple and don't go off topic.
5.Viral Isn't Always Right.
Often time companies try to go viral but don't realize it is extremely difficult pull off successfully. "It’s easy to make a bad viral video" says Plum. Feel free to try something crazy and different but make sure your goals are clear. Although viral videos are "cool and hip and mind-blowing", you can still be a hit without being "the next viral video".
Resources:
Dreier, Trou. “Five Online Videos Don'ts.". 20 July 2010. OnlineVideo.net.
1. Keep It Short.
Promotional videos are meant to be short and sweet. “When is the last time you watched a five minute promotional thing on the Internet?” asks Tim Plum, the owner of Plum, a video production company based in Chicago, IL. “I bet the answer is never.” If the videos go too long viewers don't get hooked and will click away before your message is delivered.
2. Remember Your Production Values.
If you disregard the importance of production values, your videos end up looking unprofessional and turn the viewer off. Cheap looking videos can distract viewers from the message you are trying to convey. Make sure all aspects of the video are professional looking such as lighting, sound, camerawork, and backgrounds. No one is going to take a video seriously if it looks like it was shot in back of someone's garage with a shaky camera with a built-in microphone.
3.Hire a Professional.
If you are hiring a video production company, think twice about going with the cheapest choice. You might save a couple dollars but your video could end up suffering. These companies often have poor taste in font choices, colors, narration, or music and the finished product will reflect this. "You want your video to look fresh and cool" Plum says, "not hacky and slightly wrong."
4.Stay on Topic.
Keep in mind what you want your viewers to feel and think after they watch it the video. Do you want them to take action or remember anything in particular? "Clients tend to want to sneak in a lot of other messages", says Plum. Don't overload them with too much information. Keep to information that supports the goals of the video instead expanding on every little detail about your company. Make it simple and don't go off topic.
5.Viral Isn't Always Right.
Often time companies try to go viral but don't realize it is extremely difficult pull off successfully. "It’s easy to make a bad viral video" says Plum. Feel free to try something crazy and different but make sure your goals are clear. Although viral videos are "cool and hip and mind-blowing", you can still be a hit without being "the next viral video".
Resources:
Dreier, Trou. “Five Online Videos Don'ts.". 20 July 2010. OnlineVideo.net.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Video on website
In the next 5 years video on websites will grow and GROW! Think about this more and more text listings are showing up for your keywords which makes it tougher and tougher to rank high organically. In comparison videos are far and few between. Lesson learned: Place keyword rich videos on your site and you could easily find your video on page one ranking naturally. Call us for advice on how to do it!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tips to Producing Corporate Videos
When planning for a corporate video there are a number of questions to ask yourself before you start the script writing.
1) Who is the intended audience? What do they look like, male, female, age, education etc. How will they receive a video? Perhaps a brochure or a one on one is a better training tool. If you are still convinced that a video is the best way to proceed then ask yourself the next question.
2) What does your audience need to know? People will always ask the question what’s in it for me? So if your audience senses that watching a video and learning from it are important to their job, career, or livelihood; they are vested and will listen and watch intensively. Remember, it is not what you want to say or show in the video but it is really all about the viewer.
3) What format for the video is best for my audience? The format can be constructed in many ways. Interview style, news format, a tour, an overview of reinforcing bullet points and recaps. What is popular these days on the internet is realistic, almost clandestine amateur looking video. Most advertising gurus know this and have actually produced some highly effective amateur looking video; made to look natural like some regular guy shot it, but of course the power of Madison Ave. is behind them.
Once you have answered the above questions and understand the planning phase of a corporate video, the next step involves the scripting phase
4) Now you can move to the scripting phase. I always suggest to my customers to jot down concepts on a blank sheet of paper [Here is an idea for educating bank tellers how to count money: take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of it on the right side is where the script or the ideas are written down; on the opposite side is where you would write down what you want to show when those words are being said: a video shot showing teller in front of client counting money.] It is best to quickly write down your ideas, the actual words of the script can come later. Try to get others to contribute ideas and concepts that should be covered in the video.
5) Prioritize those thoughts. simply number in order, then begin the scripting phase. You can do this yourself or you can hire a professional who does this all the time. The difference in the script will be amazing, and could be the difference if the video is effective or not. An option our company suggests is that the client writes the script and then let our wordsmiths clean it up and add the polish needed.
6) Remember every script (video) must have an objective. What do you want to accomplish? In our bank example we want to train tellers the proper way to count money. How will we be able to tell if the video is effective?
Follow these guidelines and you will have the bases of a great video.
Steve Kosch, President The Video Editor, Inc. Newport Beach
1) Who is the intended audience? What do they look like, male, female, age, education etc. How will they receive a video? Perhaps a brochure or a one on one is a better training tool. If you are still convinced that a video is the best way to proceed then ask yourself the next question.
2) What does your audience need to know? People will always ask the question what’s in it for me? So if your audience senses that watching a video and learning from it are important to their job, career, or livelihood; they are vested and will listen and watch intensively. Remember, it is not what you want to say or show in the video but it is really all about the viewer.
3) What format for the video is best for my audience? The format can be constructed in many ways. Interview style, news format, a tour, an overview of reinforcing bullet points and recaps. What is popular these days on the internet is realistic, almost clandestine amateur looking video. Most advertising gurus know this and have actually produced some highly effective amateur looking video; made to look natural like some regular guy shot it, but of course the power of Madison Ave. is behind them.
Once you have answered the above questions and understand the planning phase of a corporate video, the next step involves the scripting phase
4) Now you can move to the scripting phase. I always suggest to my customers to jot down concepts on a blank sheet of paper [Here is an idea for educating bank tellers how to count money: take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of it on the right side is where the script or the ideas are written down; on the opposite side is where you would write down what you want to show when those words are being said: a video shot showing teller in front of client counting money.] It is best to quickly write down your ideas, the actual words of the script can come later. Try to get others to contribute ideas and concepts that should be covered in the video.
5) Prioritize those thoughts. simply number in order, then begin the scripting phase. You can do this yourself or you can hire a professional who does this all the time. The difference in the script will be amazing, and could be the difference if the video is effective or not. An option our company suggests is that the client writes the script and then let our wordsmiths clean it up and add the polish needed.
6) Remember every script (video) must have an objective. What do you want to accomplish? In our bank example we want to train tellers the proper way to count money. How will we be able to tell if the video is effective?
Follow these guidelines and you will have the bases of a great video.
Steve Kosch, President The Video Editor, Inc. Newport Beach
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