We recently shot a podcast session for TLC’s hit new show, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, which is set right here in Greensboro, NC. The show’s star, Whitney Thore, had a great personality and was fun to work with! Also along for the shoot were her mom, Babs, her roommate, Buddy, and her dance partner, Todd. We shot with two cameras for Discovery and TLC’s social media efforts.
Tag Archive for: web video
We recently had a fun opportunity to shoot and edit an episode for the Sports Illustrated Tailgate Tour 2015 at the Virginia Tech/Ohio State football game on September 7th, 2015. The video was shot, edited and delivered within 24 hours and is now live on the Sports Illustrated website!
Featured are Chef Michael Isabella, Pro Bowl NFL player Bruce Smith, and host Chris Arnold.
Click here to see the video on Sports Illustrated Campus Rush.
If you don’t know how to do something, the most popular go-to move is launching an Internet browser and quickly Googling your inquiry. Within moments, your answer is in hand and you immediately feel you have conquered the world. Google, which owns YouTube, reported that “how-to” searches on YouTube are growing 70 percent year-over-year for mobile users. If you are one of these people, welcome to Google geekdom.
Organizations can leverage the power of consumer habits and behaviors of searching for content on YouTube by creating how-to videos surrounding their product or service.
For example, a furniture retailer may create a how-to vlog (video blog) on how to properly clean microfiber sofas (all the moms with toddlers rejoice!); or an event planner may create a video on how to properly place silverware for a dinner party (because we all know which fork to use, right?).
Consumers are steadily turning to YouTube for videos to deliver information quickly and in an engaging format, especially when it comes to how to do something. Most of us can admit to being visual learners, and would rather be shown how to do something instead of reading. The explosion of YouTube info-centric videos is a testament to our disdain for long instruction pamphlets. Want proof? Just type in ‘Ikea furniture assembly’ on YouTube. Case closed.
If you want to create your own how-to videos, here are some things you need to do to get started:
- Keep it short! No superfluous, flowery language. Consumers don’t need the history of a sofa if they just want to know how to clean the cushions.
- Ask someone to watch your video to make sure your instructions are clear and understandable. If your test audience doesn’t understand it, you still have time to make important changes or edits to the video before thoroughly humiliating yourself online.
- Be sure to include text for those who prefer to read or just want to glance back at one of the instructions. You can do this by text pop ups within the video, or by offering a transcription of the video in the description area of your YouTube video page.
- Include keywords and optimization tactics for YouTube. Properly tagging and optimizing the description space can make your video easy to find, as well as allow it to rank higher than other results.
Remember, when creating how-to videos, you are representing your brand and product, so take heed when trying to do your own without the help of a video professional. For more information about how-to videos and Web videos, contact Gefen Productions to get your brand moving.
The folks here at Gefen Productions are at it again, winning awards for their clients. We are proud to announce that we’ve won a Bronze 2015 Telly Award!
“The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring the finest film and video productions, groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films, and outstanding local, regional, and cable tv commercials and programs.”*
This award series was launched in 1978, and we’ve won dozens of these awards in the past. However, this is our first award featuring hand-drawn animation special effects by our in-house editor, Lee Allred. This video was produced as a waste management promotional piece for B2B relationships for waste management company, Otto USA.
Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/87005903.
*From the Telly Awards website
There’s a lot to be said about re-using things. You can recycle old rubber tires and plastic water bottles, so why not re-purpose video content? In fact, if you leverage them correctly, they will provide content for your brand or product on a lot of different levels.
Say you’ve recently produced a commercial, product video or recruitment video. There can be life beyond the video’s original purpose! Here are some insights on how you can re-purpose video content professionally to increase ROI for your company.:
- Website Content: It has been shown that consumers vastly choose video over text when given the option of how information is delivered and your website is prime real estate. House your product videos on product pages, introductions to the company on the company profile page, happy customer videos on the testimonials page, and your employee recruitment videos on your careers page.
- Social Media: We’re not just talking about posting your video on social video streaming sites like YouTube, although that should be a given. Videos are excellent content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Studies have shown that videos and images yield higher engagement rates on these platforms than text alone. So, if you want your message seen—and heard—video is a shoe-in.
- Email Blasts: Email marketing is not dead; in fact, it’s still a very viable way to market your product or service, with over 97% of Americans checking their email every single day. The trick is to make people want to read your emails; but if you include a video to help spice up the message—and their inbox—you’ll see greater conversions and click-through rates. Add a saucy and provocative subject line to entice people to open the email and watch your video views soar.
In fact, a study by Experian found that of companies who included GIFs in their emails, 72 percent revealed that their messages have higher transaction-to-click rates.
- Vlogs: Vlogs, otherwise known as a video blog, may be the missing component your blog needs to increase traffic and engagement. Like we’ve mentioned earlier, consumers actively choose videos over text to receive information. If you’ve got a great video on cool product features, don’t tell your audience about it…show them.
Just because you used a video on social media doesn’t mean you can’t use that same video on your website or in a blog. Don’t be afraid to use your video content in multiple arenas, when appropriate.
With the invention of sites such as Hulu and Netflix, most of us know the feeling of losing track of an entire day as we binge watch our favorite series. No? What about watching videos of funny cats, product demonstrations, or those funny Buzzfeed compilations? It’s hard to meet anyone these days who doesn’t watch a lot of video, either online, on television, or on their smart phones. If you knew that consumers were spending several hours watching video every day, would you invest in video content marketing? According to research from eMarketer, you may want to carve out a chunk in your marketing budget for video content if you want to keep your brand in front of engaged audiences.
eMarketer recently revealed that consumers are watching 5.5 hours of video content on average and 20 percent of that time is spent watching digital content every day. That’s a lot of air time. Aside from wondering what people do at their jobs all day, it begs the question: how can you get in front of this trend and in front of your target audience?
Another study from LiveClicker found that about 57 percent of retail brands reported that they saw average order values increase when users watched just one video they had produced. Sales also doubled when people watched 10 or more videos.
Video content comes in any forms, including but not limited to pre-roll ads, corporate videos and promos, video blogs, commercials, recruitment videos, question and answer segments, interviews, and product showcases.
Videos are a powerful sales tool because they can give consumers a more comprehensive look into the product, how it works, its features and functionality, which is much more than pictures alone can do.
For example, online shoe retailer Zappos understands the power of online videos. For each and every product, Zappos has created product videos that showcase the item, provide a detailed description, and give consumers an up close and personal look at the product they are trying to sell. Consumers are able to visualize the item fitting into their lives, feel more comfortable with the quality of product, and feel confident in their purchase.
Getting consumers to watch a video is the easy part; the trick is to convert them into customers. Your strategy can either make a video nothing more than an entertaining piece or a critical part of your sales toolbox. Be sure the point of your video is clear, there is a definitive call to action, and that it keeps your audience’s attention.
For more information about video content marketing and how to increase your sales, contact Gefen Productions to get your brand moving.
If your company’s website content is a total snore, there’s still hope for you to create an enchanting experience with your would-be customers before they hop off your site and go on to greener pastures. The path to replacing content is a simple one: Add more videos.
Quick and informative videos not only add unique content to your site, they also provide fast content without having to read paragraphs of information. Who has time for that? You may think there’s no way to incorporate videos into your paper printing company or sock manufacturing business (we’ll use these for examples), but here are five easy ways to do just that.
- Instructions and tutorials. If you are trying to learn to use/do something, it’s best to show, not tell. Having a link to a video attached to your product will give customers immediate access to your website, Vimeo or YouTube channel, where they can learn how to use your product. For example, if you sell specialty paper, give them a tutorial on how to antique the edges for a distressed look, or how to correctly load transfer paper into their printer. For the sock enthusiasts, give them tips on how to keep them in pairs (pinning in the wash!), avoid blisters, or discuss appropriate wear (such as running vs. dress wear).
- Product demonstrations or features. This is the show-and-tell portion of your website. These videos offer an opportunity to demonstrate something about what you’re selling. The paper printing company might demonstrate how their paper is made, or how the printers work in their offices. The sock manufacturer could show the high-quality process of how their socks are made or the staff behind the magic-making in an interesting learning video. These videos also give you the chance to show how your product or service stacks up against the competition.
- Drawings or giveaways. What better way to host a drawing or giveaway than to debut a fun and informative video with all of the rules? Have fun with these! The idea is to get as much participation as possible, because ultimately, contests are just another way to market your business. Use screenshots, b-roll and other clips to spice up the video.
- About Us sections and company profiles. Rather than talking about yourself, why not show your viewers who you are? These are especially fun for employee bios, which are much more interesting than stiff and generic information next to a Lifetouch-esque headshot (does anyone actually read those anymore?). Embed a short biography video on each employee’s profile page on your website, and give them an opportunity to introduce themselves. Likewise, have the CEO or President show viewers around the office in a video housed on the About Us page.
- Media coverage. Don’t forget to show off your media coverage! This is especially important with any television coverage. If you only have print or digital coverage, that’s okay! Simply put together a video slideshow or take quotes from articles you’re mentioned in and create a fun animated text video. Gather some testimonials and sprinkle them in for a boost of validity.
There are a lot of different ways to incorporate video into your website content. After all, a study by Unruly discovered that those who watch videos are 97% more likely to make a purchase after viewing it and become 139% more aware of your brand! For a professional looking video, hire a video production company to shoot and edit it for you. You’ll save time and money.
Tag Archive for: web video
Gefen Productions has been a leader in video production NC since 1983. We stay up-to-date with new innovations and production technologies. As a result, the service we offer our clients is unparalleled.
Our experienced crew offers complete video production services, putting your vision into motion.
Our capabilities include video production for web, corporate communications, broadcast, news and entertainment. We can take a project from concept to completion, or provide individual services such as shooting, editing and formatting video for the web.
PROVIDING YOU WITH QUALITY VIDEO SERVICES
- Pre-Production – Scripting, storyboarding, set design, casting
- Production – Complete location and studio video shooting capabilities
- Webcasting & Live Streaming – Simultaneous broadcasting live or on demand
- Still Photography – Professional still photography services
- Studio – 1600 sq. ft. studio located in High Point, NC
- Post-Production – Editing, animation, motion graphics and voiceover
- Compression – We can deliver any format for Web or desktop
- Duplication – Complete DVD and CD duplication service
- Equipment Rental – Video cameras, monitors, lights, dolly, teleprompter and more
- Video Crew For-Hire – We can provide a professional video crew to meet your needs
Watch our Demo!
Ready to get started? CONTACT US HERE!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Gefen Productions produces web videos. From shooting & editing to formatting the video to play well on the web, we can do it all. In fact, most of the videos we produce are posted to the web. Your web video should stand out, look great and convey your message. We have produced hundreds of successful web videos and can help you produce one, too.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]