1. Employee education videos.  Also known as training videos.  Training videos make a great deal of sense if you have employees that work with your customers on a regular basis.  Maybe they provide customer service over the phone or they’re involved with sales.  Are they employing the right techniques?  If not, that can make a huge difference and impact your bottom line.  The fact of the matter is that people learn more effectively through watching and listening rather than just reading.  Our Orlando videographers and producers create work that increases productivity and builds on your investment.
2. Video product marketing.  Zappos is a popular online retailer that is seeing conversions increase through the use of product videos.  Their videos capture the quirky sense of culture their company is all about.  Employees share their sense of personality while talking about shoes and how they might look wearing them.  The personal engagement of the employees is a strong asset that can’t be overlooked.  Zappos has seen 6 to 30% conversion rates because of these videos.  As a result they’re creating 10 in-house video studios at their corporate headquarters.  This from a company that was founded only 14 years ago.  Granted, 10 in-house video studios is in no way, shape or form the norm for most businesses but the point of the matter is this company has only been in existence for 13 years and video is a huge part of their online success.  Putting constraints on your own company and not testing video’s strength…especially in this economy could be a severe detriment.
3. Homepage videos for your website.  It’s your best opportunity to greet your customer or prospect when they visit your company online.  Make it personal, engaging…but whatever you do, don’t make this an advertisement for your business!  In fact…make it about your client…talk to their needs!  Remember this…people want to do business with people they like.  So use your personality.  Be warm, inviting…if you don’t think you’re the most personable person to represent your company…consider someone else. The important thing to remember is to be real and to share your confidence with your clients and prospects.
4. Video content for your website.  Sure…you might already have a homepage video but don’t stop there!  If you do that doesn’t really take care of all your needs.  Provide educational videos about the services you provide.  If you’re a plumber produce a few “how to” videos.  These are tips that will add to your reputation.  It will speak to your experience and people will consider you an expert in your field.  Don’t worry about sharing information…what you’re doing is providing a service that people will remember.  Law firms all across the United States are starting to realize the importance of video.  As a result they’re providing video content on their website to help their potential clients.  In fact, Thomson Reuters did a study and found out that when consumers are looking for an attorney they visit on average 4.8 law firm websites.  If video is one of those sites the number is reduced to 1.8.  Providing valuable video content will benefit your small business.  Video testimonials are another great idea for website content.  When it comes to testimonials, text can not compete with video.  Taping a testimonial with a happy client adds wonderful content to your website.  It’s video that will be clicked on and watched by prospects visiting your website.
5. Tradeshow videos.  Let me add a qualifier here.  A tradeshow video can be successful but it has to be used properly.  Tradeshows usually have a lot of people…there’s activity, conversation, a lot of noise.  In order for a video to stand out you need to take those factors into account.  Use a large LCD screen, if you plan to showcase a video…SHOWCASE it!  Don’t playback a video in a 17 inch monitor no one will see or hear.  It won’t help you.  A large LCD screen is part of the experience, it’s something that people will take notice of and want to stop at your booth.  Make sure you have external speakers so that people will be able to hear your message.
6. YouTube.  YouTube has only been around for 7 years but it feels like it has been part of the American culture forever!  A small percentage of videos actually go viral..it’s kind of like hitting the lottery when they do!  Attaining viral status is no easy feat.  You can always post funny videos of your children or pets doing something but that doesn’t have anything to do with your business.  The important thing to remember is you always want to have your target audience in mind for any video you produce.  Despite the long odds in achieving viral status that shouldn’t stop you one bit from using YouTube as another avenue in your video marketing strategy.  There’s plenty of value though in using YouTube as an important element in your marketing strategy.  YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine in the world next to Google.  So people are using it to find products, services and how-to’s that are important to them.  Any industry should be able to take advantage of this.  If you’re a financial planner or a CPA you should consider producing videos that you can upload to YouTube in order to try to build more traffic to your website!  The key is the content.  Is it valuable?  Does it fulfill a need that your clients or prospects have?  There’s more to it though than just producing your video and uploading it.  Make sure that you properly title it, you also need to give it a description with good keywords and then tag it as well.  All of these details will help your prospects find you when they’re searching for your services on YouTube.
7. Next up…Facebook.  Facebook isn’t going away, just like YouTube isn’t.  It’s a part of today’s culture.  Creating a Facebook business page is easy.  In doing so you can populate it with the videos you’re creating for your website and YouTube.   The more likes you have, the greater the opportunity you have for people to view your videos and for their friends to be able to see them as well.  Create and share good content on Facebook and you have another excellent opportunity to grow your business.  But again…content is king, think about ways you can create video providing tips and educating your client base.
8. Broaden your exposure and share your videos through newsletters.  Constant Contact, iContact and Campaigner are just a few of the popular email marketing solutions that are serving small businesses just like yours today!  Providing valuable information about your company and the methods used to help your clients is a great way of keeping in touch with your customers.  All of these providers offer easy ways for your recipients to share your newsletter with their friends or business colleagues.  When video is used in emails click through rates are 2 to 3 times higher!  Video lends an extra air of authority and sophistication to your company’s reputation.
9. LinkedIn.  The great thing about having video produced for your company is that you can repurpose it on so many different levels.  YouTube and Facebook may get all the press, but LinkedIn is the world’s largest business related social networking site.  They have over 100 million members!  LinkedIn offers the ability to embed a video using the application, Google Presentation.  LinkedIn is one more tool to use, and one more avenue to further your video marketing efforts.
10. Today video is being implemented into press releases.  Companies like PRWeb are recognizing that their client base wants to take advantage of online video.   If you’re a small business owner that owns an Internet store or your selling a product or service where you aren’t restricted by your location, issuing a press release and using video to get your message across might be a very good strategy.  Summit Self Defense is a good success story.  This small business in New Mexico has seen leads increase 100% which are directly attributed to the releases sent through PR Web.  Owner, Robb Hamic is convinced that implementing video in the news releases is the right strategy.  “Video is perfect…the ability to embed video right alongside a press release is worth its weight in gold.  PR Web through its research has determined that the average viewer spends 30 seconds longer on a news release if it includes multimedia.

Contact us today if your company is considering using video as a business tool.  Our team has helped companies of all sizes meet their goals and objectives through video training and marketing.

• Camera  (There are some shoots that call for multiple cameras as well as multiple camera operators) One other note…depending on the camera, there may be lens packages involved as well.  
• Tripod  (and appropriate tripod plate for camera)
• Recording Media For Camera  (While some cameras still shoot on tape, there has been a real movement in the last several years to record on cards, either solid state cards or other assorted memory cards, thus creating a tapeless…and faster workflow)
• Laptop and External Storage Drive to Back-Up Media  (When working with solid state cards, a good strategy in the field is to back-up the media to a storage device, this is an essential step especially when re-using cards during the course of the day.
• Batteries for Camera
• AC Power Adaptor for Camera  (On some shoots it’s necessary to have constant power to the camera, for example when taping an especially long seminar session, in productions like that changing batteries can be an issue)
• Monitor Batteries
• Script  (The script is the blueprint for your marketing or training video.  It provides the structure and foundation for your video project)
• Audio Package (which might consist of a mixer, hard-wired lavaliers, wireless microphones and or shotgun microphone)
• 9 Volt or Double A Batteries
• XLR Cables for Microphones
• Headsets
• Cables for Camera and Monitor
• Stingers (we in the video world like our own unique names) or extension cables for lighting instruments
• Lens Cleaner and Cloth for Camera Lens
• Lighting Kit
• Diffusion, Gels, Scrim and Filters for Lighting
• C-Stands (a c-stand is a all-purpose production stand which can be used for lighting and audio equipment)
• Flexfill (or bounce card for lighting)
• Make-Up Products for On-Camera Talent  (On some shoots it may be important to have one dedicated person, a make-up artist for the shoot).

This by no means is a complete list of every piece of equipment or gear that is used during a corporate video shoot.  In some cases, more equipment is used, as well as other advanced pieces.  In other instances there may be some shoots where everything on this list isn’t needed.  Each video production is different and unique. The one constant is the attention to detail that is required for shooting and producing a successful video.

Let’s get right to it!

1. Always know what the objective of your video is. That may seem like a no-brainer but let’s take a closer look at that statement. First off, you want to narrow the focus of your objective. By that we mean a video shouldn’t try to accomplish too much! If it does, you’re tackling too much and the video will be watered down. Concentrate on what’s important. Write a simple sentence or two defining what the objective is of your corporate training video. Now granted, a larger company may have several agendas in mind. In that case, their may be different modules that need to be identified and segmented. A video targeted to new employees, another going over safety procedures, a third possibly discussing core values, etc. The point of the matter is that you would never want to tackle all of those in just one video. Small businesses in Orlando probably won’t have that same problem, they may just want to concentrate on one thing…Sales Closing Techniques. So always identify your video’s objective.
2. Hire the right company! Did someone just say, “Well duhhhh”? Not every video production company does the same work. Some specialize in weddings, local video commercials, some may do nothing but legal depositions. The important thing here is to ask the right questions. How many training videos have you produced before? What companies have you worked with? Do you have a sample of the last project you produced? What is your current workload…will you be able to meet our deadline? Can we speak with some of your clients? Asking these questions provides peace of mind. Also pay attention to their responsiveness. Do they answer your emails the same day or within 24 hours? Do they ask good questions? All of this matters!
3. Be organized. Details are everything in video production, so nothing should ever be left up in the air. A good video production company will ensure that this doesn’t happen. Planning, scriptwriting, and time management are essential.
4. Site surveys are a must. When a video production company insists on a site survey it’s for good reason. Video producers take on a large responsibility when awarded a contract. It’s up to their firm to ensure that the project is smooth and successful. If the production is going to be shot and recorded at the company’s location, it’s a essential that a site survey be done. We need to look at everything, the layout of offices, where we can get the best sound if recording interviews and make sure ample power is available for lighting.
5. Make sure to have release forms. Depending on the nature of your video, release forms are a good safety net to have. Large companies should definitely have release forms in any video they are having produced. If you’re a small business producing an internal video, they’re still a good idea. If you’re interviewing employees, it’s smart to have it in writing that that employee is giving their permission to be in the video. It just releases your company from any potential liability. Most video production companies have experience with this and have forms on file.
6. Don’t use copyrighted material! This is huge, you just can’t do it. Your boss may come up to you and say that we need to use the theme music to such and such movie for the video that’s being produced. Or someone may have an idea to use a scene from a movie to emphasize a point in your instructional video. It doesn’t matter that it’s only for internal use, it’s against the law and you can experience huge fines. Granted, if a video is for educational purposes it can claim “Fair Use” but there’s too many grey areas to be comfortable in making that decision. It’s always better to be safe than risk paying a $150,000 fine!

Naturally this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to successfully producing a corporate training video. Planning, making smart decisions and doing alot of work up front will safe you time and headache during the production.

In some cases it’s not that there’s anything technically wrong with the video…but it’s the message and delivery that’s flawed.  I attribute it to lack of experience or poor direction from the Orlando production company that was hired to produce the work.  What I’m referring to specifically here is when a small business owner is creating a marketing video for their website. Often times they may elect to be in the video themselves and deliver the message personally on camera.  Great idea…in fact it’s something I’m a big proponent of.   That is…when it’s done right.

When it’s done wrong it comes off as nothing more than a commercial.  A bad one at that.

Here’s an important point to really hold onto.  People don’t want to be sold to online.  Anything that even resembles a commercial is tuned out.  Ask yourself…what do you watch?  If you’re on YouTube will you watch something educational…that’s entertaining or will you watch a product or service that’s being hawked with a hard sales approach?

Here are 5 key elements to producing effective video for the web.

1.  Be authentic.  It’s important to be yourself…don’t be the loud spokesperson you see on late night TV.

2.  Share knowledge.  People that are visiting your website and watching your video are your potential customers…don’t hoard what you know, share what you know!  Supply useful and valuable tips in your videos.

3.  Tell a story.  What’s more appealing; hearing someone say, “At Acme Company we have 20 years of experience serving our clients…”  or  ”20 years ago I wanted to create a company that was bold…a company that did things a little bit out of the box…”

4.  Share yourself.  This is an extension of point 3.  When you can tell a story and share a part of yourself, you have the viewer’s attention…and probably their business.  Telling something personal about yourself isn’t easy but you’re distinguishing yourself from the competition.  Think about something along these lines…”Logan’s Plumbing is a family owned operation…it has been for 55 years.  ”I’ve got to admit in 1986 when my father died, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take the helms of the company he had worked so hard his whole life to develop…”  Don’t go overboard with this approach, but it is a very effective way to get the viewers attention at the onset.

5. Write a script with bullet points…and don’t be afraid to stray from it.  Canned messages are exactly that…canned and not fresh.  This part here can be a little tricky…especially for the novice.  Tell yourself you have 60 seconds to deliver your message…you need to decide on one key objective.  Concentrate on that and build an outline with bullet points.  The end result will be a video message that will be sincere and in your own words.  The dynamic of your message will be totally different from one delivered from a teleprompter.

Whitney Media Productions is an Orlando video production company focused on quality, communication and creating meaningful relationships with clients throughout Florida and across the country.  If you have an upcoming project and you’d like to request a quote, please fill out our contact form or call us at (407) 489-4168.

First off you need to make sure the companies you contact produce the type of projects you have in mind.  There are some companies that solely produce wedding videos.  Some specialize in dance recitals or other “event type videography”.  This type of work is challenging in its own regard but don’t make the mistake that any video production company can tackle a marketing or training video project.

Prepare a list of questions.  Ask any company you contact to talk about their specialty area and the last five projects they’ve worked on.  Did they write the script?  Is it possible to see the project in its entirety?  This is important because it’s easy for companies to put together a good “sizzle reel” but does their work have substance?  Beyond special effects and fast paced editing can they communicate an effective message?  If you’re a corporate manager and this production will entail working with senior management…make sure the company you’re interviewing has that type of experience!

If you’re producing video for the web make sure the groups you contact understand the nuances and subtleties of video marketing for the web.  Is it possible that you can talk to some of their recent clients?  If they stumble or talk about privacy matters that just might be a red flag. Another important aspect of web video marketing these days is Video SEO.  Any company you’re considering should understand some of the basics of Video SEO and some best practices when it comes to YouTube.

Making the right decision takes time.  Do your homework, ask smart questions and you’ll be on your way to a successful project.

First off…you have to take the good with the bad.  It’s true…some companies are blocking YouTube at work.  But should that alone impact your decision?  I would suggest not simply because of the statistics and case studies that exist showing that small businesses are succeeding with video…many of which are using YouTube as a hosting site.

B2C marketers might not be as effected as B2B marketers.  But still, people that are corporate decision makers have the responsibility to find vendors offering the products and services their company is in need of.  Nielsen did a study showing that 44% of online video content is viewed at work.  For video marketers that has to be good news.  Any small business interested in using YouTube as a video marketing tool is making the right decision.

On a separate note…companies blocking social media sites are sending the wrong message to their employees.  They’re telling them they don’t trust them.  It also suggests that those companies may lack accountability.  If in fact employees are abusing sites like Facebook or YouTube they aren’t getting their work done…good management should have certain metrics in place that measure an employee’s productivity.  Social media restrictions can also be construed as being short-sighted.  Leading companies are using social media today to their benefit, communicating with their customers and adding an interactive value through videos and updates.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

Sure…you hear people say that all the time, but proof is in the numbers. Zappos is a prime example.  They’re an online shoe and apparel shop that incorporated in 1999.  In that short time, they’ve experienced incredible growth.  Last year they were acquired by Amazon.com for 1.2 billion.  Zappos is creating videos in house to the tune of 60,000 product videos last year alone! A recent report was released using Zappos as a case study in the state of e-commerce video today.  I hope you find the information valuable.

Trust.

Trust is only achieved through backing up your words with the appropriate action….and follow through.  Not just once mind you but over and over. That’s how trust is earned. Today each and every one of us are inundated with too many false promises and grandiose statements….all with the intention of a quick sale.  I don’t know about you but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Being honest, straightforward and transparent is a good start for any relationship.  But trust goes beyond proper ethical behavior.  Building trust in business requires quality work at a reasonable rate.  It’s about being flexible and having your clients best interest in mind.  Any company can offer a great introductory special or incentive to bring in new business but if that’s all there is that’s nothing more than window dressing!  I’ll take substance over that any day.

By optimizing I’m talking about the things you can do in order for search engines to find you. Naming your video is just one of them. So for example…. If you’re an event planner and you’re using web video marketing as a tool to bring in additional business and you’ve produced a video don’t name the video, “XYZ’s Event Planning Services” and upload it to YouTube. People are not going to find it! If you’re looking for new business, those prospects will not be searching out the name of your company. Instead think about keywords. If you’re an Orlando Event Planner…call it that. When uploading your video to YouTube you’ll be given the option to rename your video….so call it something like, Orlando Event Planner – XYZ Event Planning Services. The first three words are important…after that include your company name and your phone number. I can tell you firsthand that this works. Whitney Media Productions has uploaded 6 videos to YouTube following these directions and all 6 are posted on YouTube’s first page when searching “Orlando Video Production.” There are literally hundreds of video production companies in the Central Florida area. 

YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine on the planet. It is no longer just a site where people are uploading videos of their Dachshund performing somersaults. It’s being used for business. Find out for yourself…check out Blendtec. They had a budget of $50 to start it’s transferred to 96 million views and a 700% increase in sales.

Video is powerful when used effectively…. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call. 
Hope everyone’s having a great day!