Production Stills from recent projects...
Who are we?
BizVid Communications is a San Diego based video production company owned by Bill Gruber and Caz Taylor. Together we have over 50 years of video production experience and we like to blog about video production, marketing and business.
Posts Tagged ‘internet’
Is Social Media a Fad?
April 25th, 2011
A couple of days ago, my partner and I attended an informative seminar on the impact of Social Media. We went because, like many, we are not sure if this phenomenon is a fad or the biggest paradigm shift since the Industrial Revolution. And, if it is a paradigm shift, how can it best be used to further our business.
Consider some interesting statics.
- This year, Gen Y out numbers baby boomers and 96% of them have joined
a social network.
- The number of years to reach 50 Million: Radio – 38 yrs; TV – 13 yrs;
Internet – 4 yrs: Face Book achieved 100 million in less than 9-months;
iPod app downloads hit 1-billion in 9 months.
- As this article is being written, some 100+ hours of video will be uploaded
to YouTube.
- 25% of search results for the world’s top 20 largest brands are links to
use-generated content.
- There are over 200,000,000 blogs and 54% of bloggers post content or
Tweet daily.
- 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands.
- 78% trust peer recommendations…..only 14% trust advertisements.
- Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI.
- Ashton Kucher and Ellen DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the
entire population of Ireland, Norway, Panama and Israel.
- If FaceBook were a country, it would be the fourth largest behind the U.S.,
India and China.
These were just a few of the statistics discussed and each of them point to undeniable evidence that social media is here to stay and is exponentially growing.
We learned that the smart business person will use social media to engage their customer base through the use of text, pictures and video. More importantly, it should be used not as a vehicle for a campaign, but rather as a means to build relationships. It is easy to leave a company but hard to leave a friend.
Social Media builds friendships that will grow your business. The paradigm shift has happened and we at BizVid Communications intend to take full advantage of what it can offer.
Website Video Tips for Your Growing Business
January 23rd, 2011
If you’re looking for ways to present your company in its best light and pave the way for big success in 2011, the wise use of video may be just what you need. This is particularly true when you also harness the incredible power of the Internet. From our perspective as video producers of hundreds of projects over several decades, the burgeoning Internet frontier has morphed the already proven video into a virtual gold mine for companies. It has become an incomparably powerful tool for company websites and for social media video applications.
For nearly every client whose “show me” mentality has increased in the midst of economic challenges, a well-crafted video can offer a virtual version of who you are and what you can do for them better than almost anything else. Google, YouTube and other researchers suggest that 136 million people watch web videos monthly. 54% of Internet traffic is now video-related and websites with video hold attention an estimated ten times longer than text-driven sites. But, that’s enough of the facts. Here are a few tips for building customized website videos into your website.
You can get an attention-grabbing, professionally produced video on your site, beginning in the two to three thousand dollar range. This would allow for what we call a “talking head” or a voice-over announcer (it could be the president, business owner or just a designated spokesperson). If the company head does not present herself or himself well, find someone who does. This video will be an invaluable first impression of your organization.
When BizVid does not have a specific talent in mind for a video we’re producing, one of the resources we use for voice-over talent is Voice123. There you can listen to many voices from the comfort of your own computer and select the voice that best fits your company criteria. You can then negotiate the pricing with the talent directly. As an aside, often talent will try and convince you to pay them in renewable flights or union scale, or based on coverage. We always try to buy our talent out-right, on a one time, full usage basis. If you have a strict budget of only a few hundred dollars, hold to it. Announcers are pretty hungry these days.
Statistics suggest that the average viewer watches videos which are 2.7 minutes in length. As such, you should keep your content brief. Hire a scripting pro or take ample time to write things that clearly identify your vision and how you can benefit the viewer. This is a time for simple, yet powerful messaging. A well written and effectively delivered message can do wonders for your branding and your image.
You can have your videographer shoot select scenes in or around your company, provided they are visually captivating. As a warning, proper lighting takes time and special equipment. A dimly lit scene makes your company look unprofessional. We don’t have time in this article to cover the numerous tricks to good lighting, but be assured that a well lit scene and/or spokesperson goes a long way in presenting yourself professionally.
Sometimes, if a budget is tight, we may recommend previously created video segments (or still photography) to insert at appropriate times within the production. This content can include landscapes, scenes of people from all walks of life, generic animations and so forth. You can buy several scenes for a few hundred dollars. Of course others may choose the same scenes that you want to use in your video, but there are thousands and thousands of such scenes out there, so it is not worth worrying too much about. Two good resources for this are iStockPhoto and ShutterStock.
We have not even touched on the more in-depth videos to build your brand, deliver a more specific message, or introduce a product or service. There is so much more to say, about other presentation approaches and post production/editing tips, but so little space remains. Fortunately, your Carlsbad Chamber is planning a Web Video Seminar in the first quarter. Ask for details, then be sure and sign up. BizVid Communications will be among the presenters and we’ll be sure to look for you there.