Posted on

Top 3 Ways Video Can Help Business During Coronavirus Outbreak

Hand signaling for help

With the Coronavirus pandemic affecting us in the United States, there are a few things you can start to do to prevent a complete shutdown of your business if you have online options for sales. Obviously, you can count on having to stay home to work, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t shopping and watching YouTube videos or television while they’re working. That means, they’ll see more commercials than they normally do.

That’s not all. More than likely, after working a while from home, they’ll be media fatigued. They’ll be tired of all the negative information and need a break. That’s when they’ll be turning to social media or YouTube to watch something they can control and less taxing or stressful on their emotions.

Instead of being stuck at home watching President Trump talk about the Coronavirus outbreak, they’ll be watching something more fun. The World Health Organization is hosting live broadcasts of their statements about public health and the current state of health care around the world. It’s a little overwhelming sometimes, think San Francisco or New York’s situation. The health system may be in trouble in the near future.

The stock markets are taking daily up and down turns as Coronavirus continues to spread. So what can you do to help your business during this odd time? Here are three tips we’d like to suggest you and your team create while taking social distancing seriously.

Top Three Ways Businesses Can Use Video During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Create Videos. If you’re a client of ours, we probably have a lot of footage that can be created into short 15 and 30 second ads that can be placed online, on broadcast television and other places to keep your brand top of mind. A lot of people are using video conferencing while remote working, but the bottom line is, they’re still at home. They are still working. They’re also watching TV or YouTube.

One thing we’ve heard is that people are afraid of having a video crew come over to shoot a video. We don’t blame you. And we don’t want to come to your space either! 🙂 People have asked us, “How can you create videos if you can’t shoot?” It’s not as difficult as you think.

Think Graphics and Animation. Graphics and animation videos are the safest way to create video right now. The benefits are: you can create what you want from scratch, you can change it easily, and you can have a professional narrate your video and create something from nothing.

The cons are few: it’s not personable and, depending on the level of animation, it can be come pricier. 2D Animations are the simplest (along with text, etc.) and typically are on the lower end of the investment scale. 3D Animation with high detail work will slide up the investment scale. Here’s an example of each type of video.

Example of Stock Video and 3D Animation


Example of 2D Animation

To Sell or Not to Sell. Now is probably not the time to sell to anyone. Unless you have a product that everyone needs or wants (think toilet paper or hand sanitizer because supply chains are running behind), you’ll want to send a message that is helpful, reassuring, and a reminder that you’re still around. If you’re reaching out with a video, please check that your audio sounds good too. The number one thing we hear people missing is the audio.

Reaching out with video might also mean creating short, personalized snippets for current clients or potential clients sharing how you might be able to help them. This needs to come across personable, relatable, and not like sales pitch.

Create a Strategy. Best case scenario this problem only lasts a few months and we start to move forward. Worst case, we might be looking at a year or more. Based on that we would recommend creating a strategy for the future. Create a strategy for the short-term and the long-term. What marketing activities should be done now and what should be done later?

We don’t want you to be one of the many who are choosing to do nothing. That is not a strategy and not a direction you should choose because many companies are working on what they need to do now and in the next several months. By focusing on the video strategy now, you can find and hire a video production company to execute it quickly when things begin to turn for the better.

One thing to keep in mind, when things start to move forward, they’ll happen quickly. Just like there has been a shortage of supplies like toilet paper and sanitizer, there will likely be a shortage of video production crews. You’ll want to line up those contacts now or you may be waiting while they finish up the work they have. We can see this happening based on our experience from other slowdowns in the economy.

Posted on

5 Ways to Use Video to Market Your Business

Five, Hands

We hear it all the time. “I know I need to create video to help us online, but what do I create?” While it may be difficult for some to come up with ideas, we’ve seen hundreds of ideas. So if you’re having a tough time, give us a call and we can help you come up with a few. More importantly, what type of video content will provide the best return on your time and investment?

Let’s begin with how your customers research and make buying decisions. Most of the time customer acquisition and customer buying habits are similar. Customers start out not knowing who you are or if you’d be someone they should call or visit. If they become aware of you, they may become aware of how you might be able to solve their problem or improve their life somehow. Then, they start to do some research. They find other companies who can do the same type of work and decide on the one, two, three or more to contact to get an idea of who might be the best fit for them. Once they’ve done all the research, they pick up the phone and make the call. Once they’re a customer, you begin the trek of retaining them by keeping them happy.

We think there’s more to video than just creating it. We believe there has to be a long- and short-term plan to creating and using your video. One of the most important factors is knowing how you’ll measure success and whether it is worth the investment. Sometimes, in our meetings, we tell our prospective clients that creating a video isn’t worth the investment based on what they need, how they are measuring success, and how they’ll implement the strategy. If we find it is worth the time and effort, we talk about how it will be used. Knowing how it will be used is critical to the success of a video. Let’s dig into the types of video and how it can be used.

Educational Blog-Style Video Content

Educational Videos or Topical Videos are simply short videos that answer a specific question someone might want to know the answer to. We typically see this type of content with professional service businesses. Think financial planners, attorneys, estate planners, fitness trainers, etc. If there’s education to be sought by your prospective client/customer, this is the type of video you should consider pursuing. The other thing to consider when creating this type of video is what is the problem you’re trying to solve? For example, if you’re a financial planning firm and people want to know answers to questions regarding their money, if they find you to be highly knowledgeable and trustworthy, they’re more likely to make the call. So educational content is typically used for those who want to convey a high level of trust and illustrate a depth of knowledge.

Explainer Videos (Live Action &/or Animated)

Explainer videos are just that…they explain what a product or service is and helps the buyer understand how they should use it. These can also be referred to as a demonstration video. If you’re trying to connect with the viewer (on a more personal level), you might consider using a live action video. For example, in the video below, this product explainer video helps the viewer understand the problem it solves, how to set it up, and who might purchase it. This is the type of video you might need if you were trying to help someone make a decision. They’ve landed on your page or they’ve spoken to you already, have enough information to be informed and now they want to understand a few more details. These types of videos typically live on a website homepage (landing page) or YouTube or anywhere someone might discover your product/service by searching for it (don’t forget about Amazon).

Location Tour Video

Sometimes your space is so beautiful and captivating, it becomes important to show it off in a video. For example, in this dental practice, it’s one thing to say, “I’m great with kids!” but it’s whole other level to show how cool your space is and how cool you can be with the kids. That’s what this dentist in Port Saint Lucie did with this video. Notice how he shows off the space talks about how much kids love it? Notice how the kids are having a great time while visiting the dentist? What you don’t know is that they sometimes have a hard time getting the kids to leave after they’ve had their checkup! What a problem to have, right?

Video Reviews (or Testimonials or Customer Story Videos)

In most cases, when a customer is happy they don’t always tell everyone, but they should. Why would they want to hide great service? Well, it’s just not as easy as that. You have to ask them. Ask your best customers, your best advocates, to tell their story about how you helped them. They will most likely be happy to do it. Take this example of how one company helped Bill reduce his debts by negotiating with the debt collection company on his behalf. By listening to his story, one can understand how stressful it must have been to live through the experience before they negotiated on his behalf. Video reviews should be used when the prospective buyer is about to buy, meaning, one of the last steps of the buying process. This might mean after a website visit you could follow up with one of these videos or on the testimonial section your website.

Commercial Video

Commercial videos hammer home the point, “You should buy this.” It’s direct advertising and typically pushes the viewer to take some form of action. This can be done directly, softly, or through stories, but are highly effective. This type of video is typically shorter in nature and appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. This is a video that should push a viewer into your sales funnel. It is critical to target your audience as directly as possible while using this type of video because if it shows up in front of the wrong audience, you’ll have a zero return on the investment of time or dollars. Speaking the language of the viewer becomes critical as well. The example here is the Tater Gator. This was used on end caps and websites where the product was sold to help the viewer understand what the product does and how to use it.

When you’re choosing which video to create, remember to think about why you’re doing it. If you are doing it to get your name out there, we highly recommend you stop what you’re doing and ask yourself how you’ll measure it’s success. If you are not sure how to do that, ask us. We’ll be happy to share with you a few of our tips to know whether it’s worth your time, money, and energy to take on a video project. Sometimes doing what you’ve been doing is just fine…and sometimes it’s time to elevate your game. Have more questions? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have!

SOURCE: Demo Duck. https://demoduck.com/video-for-business/
Posted on

Animation versus Live Action Video: Advantages and Disadvantages in Corporate Video

This is similar to the old question, “Paper or Plastic?” Both will do the job but each has a benefit. So to think it doesn’t matter, we would disagree. If you’re about to create a corporate video or a product video, you’ll want to consider your options carefully. Whether you’re creating a video for a retail endcap, your website, or social media, there are benefits to both Animation and Live Action video.

First, let’s define each. Animation can be a variety of things. It could be one of those whiteboard videos you’ve seen where a hand draws all the content out for you. It could be simple 2D graphics (as in the video below), or it could be complex 3D animation. Sometimes this can be a little confusing so it’s good to review what each looks like, why you might want one versus the other, and how to get what you need. Let’s get started.

Let’s start with 2D Animation.

When we refer to 2D animation, we basically mean graphics. Graphics can be more intricate or very simple, but in the end, they typically add value to the message that is being conveyed. For example, the video below is an example of how 2D graphics can be incorporated to show the story about a product or service. Each time the graphics come up on screen, you understand how and what the device is measuring while people are exercising. The goal of each animation is to show who each number is connected to and what it is measuring. When the numbers appear, you can see that it is measuring in real time what their heart rate is doing at that very minute…illustrating exactly what the product is doing. A perfect paring!

Examples of 2D Graphics incorporated into a video. See 0:05, 0:10, and 0:25 seconds.

3D Animation

On the other hand, a 3D animation is something that is created to illustrate an object or thought that is difficult to replicate or cannot be shown without using a microscope or destroying something real. For example, in the examples below, we have a consumable supplement that will breakdown in the body. While saying that is easy to understand, it’s even better when you can show how that works.

3D Animation appears at 0:16 seconds.

At around 0:16 seconds in, you can see how the supplement will breakdown the body slowly over time providing maximum support and nutrition. While the rest of the video is mostly some stock video and 2D graphics, this video used high impact, colorful 3D animation to support what was being said.

In this example, a lending company wanted to target realtors by describing the all to familiar pre-approved buyer. Realtors sometimes hear that a buyer is pre-approved for one amount, but in reality is actually pre-approved for much less. To make this funny, they asked that we destroy a house and show what they’re really pre-approved for. The tough part is destroying a house…so, it’s time for animation.

Both can be appropriate for any video, the key is knowing what you need and deciding what is the best way to get there. We can help you decide or you can tell us…but know that creating a custom animation matching exactly what you need has it’s own time element. Instead of shooting something and using 2D animation, a 3D animation simply reduces shooting time and increases editing time. By adding 2D animation, you can accomplish what you need and maximize your investment. 3D animation allows you the flexibility to add visuals to your video without having to take the time to shoot, create something new, or destroy something large. Use what makes sense…and know that we can help you either way.

Live Action Video

Live Action video is simply video we shoot and edit together to create the story you need. Live action video is the most common type of video we and most other video production companies use to get the job done. There is no better way to help people understand who you are as a business than putting the very people who will help the customers/end users on camera. Every time we do live action video, our clients tell us that it has helped them improve the relationships they have with their clients because there is a visual and emotional connection with their employees, directors, etc. and the end users, clients, or customers. When clients of ours use video reviews (or testimonial videos) to help tell the story, it only improves the relationship and, ultimately their repeat business.

When you’re ready to create your next video and you want to spice it up a bit, ask us how we can use 2D or 3D animation in your live action video to help you share your message. Let us know if you have any questions!