Shooting video on location isn’t always the best option for a number of reasons. SpotOn Productions’ Studio B is a cost-effective option allowing clients to shoot their video in a clean, controlled environment.
Take a look inside Studio B to see if it might be a good option for your next video project!
When it’s time to choose a video production company for your video project, there are a lot of things to consider. You want to make sure that the company is a good fit for you, and that they have the experience to handle your video project from beginning to end.
Take a minute to learn what’s important when it comes time to choose a video production company.
We know you don’t wake up every day thinking about how to make a video, but we do!
Take a minute to learn how to make a video with SpotOn Productions:
There are certain ways to market your business in a smart way, and these smart ways involve a lot of pictures because we humans tend to fall for images more easily than words.
Now with the advent of digital marketing, it has become super essential to involve the use of pictures and photos in your marketing plans rather than just trying to capture your target market with catchy phrases and taglines. Also, image-based marketing has proven to boost the rankings of the websites.
The sphere of digital market is full of competitors, even local and foreign competitors who’re all there on the digital platform offering their brands. The point I’m trying to make here is that your brand has to stand out from the clutter if you want to survive the increasing competition. Now how can you do that? One way is to align your existing marketing tactics with some outclass commercial photography.
Let’s discuss the infinite need and importance of commercial photography in digital marketing.
If you exist in the digital market of today, you must be using some photos to present your brand. But have you tried giving those pictures a professional touch? The difference is obvious between a professionally taken picture and an ordinary one. The thing is you must capture the attention of those potential customers out there before your competitor steals them from under your nose. So don’t delay in seeking the help of a commercial photographer and see how professionalism enhances the effect and presentation of your brand.
If you want to lead the competition in the digital marketplace then it’s about time you stop using stock images. You won’t be getting very far in the race with them. Learn the value of individualizing your business. Add some personal touch to it so that your brand stands out from the rest of the competition.
Rise above the competition. That’s what everybody in the digital marketplace aims for, but only some are able to achieve it. And who are these champions? The ones who dare to make a slightly more expensive investment. commercial photography may cost you more, but then look how attractive the end result is – your brand will be the top of the mind brand among the consumers.
Presentation is all that matters in digital business. People buying on internet are mostly youth and they aren’t always interested in reading lengthy textual passages, unless their buying medicine of course. The only other way to hook their attention and captivate their interest in your brand is the use of images that encourage them to click the buy button.
All in all, images are indeed worth thousand words, if and only if they’re attractive and meaningful. Now that’s something you get from commercial photography. If you’re interested in bringing a revolution in your digital business then feel free to contact SpotOn Productions. We know what the digital buyers look for in brands, and we surely know how to turn a digital customer into a loyal buyer. Our commercial photographers put in their best efforts to make sure that our photography makes your brand emerge victorious in the intense digital business competition.
Liberty Township, OH – Through a first-time grant from SpotOn Productions, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County now has a professional video which has helped them recruit more than 50 new volunteers committed to helping improve the lives of local children.
In addition to being one of the area’s premier video production companies, SpotOn Productions has also had a presence in the community through staff members volunteering their time to serve on local non-profit boards and helping with various community events. They began to see that non-profit organizations had pressing needs for communication tools, but rarely had the budget to afford them. This was the inspiration behind the SpotOn Non-profit Video Grant.
“We wanted a new way make a meaningful difference for one local nonprofit, by creating a video that would have a great impact for their organization”, said Ian Murray SpotOn Productions president. “We also knew that the grant had to be of significant value to result in a high-quality professional product.”
SpotOn Productions announced the availability of the grant, and quickly received 32 applications from local non-profit organizations. After a rigorous screening process, the SpotOn team selected Big Brothers Big Sisters as the recipient of the inaugural Non-profit Video Grant. The Butler County organization was thrilled with their selection.
Marvin Torres, Vice President of Marketing and Outreach stated, “I applied for the Non-Profit Video Grant because we have a great story to tell but it’s often hard to communicate it through words alone. I knew SpotOn provided a medium that could truly illustrate the power of mentoring.”
Torres continued, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the finished product which magnificently told the story of our agency. The video was so well done that it was chosen by our National Office to be featured at the 2018 National Conference to agency leaders across the nation.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County has used their new video primarily to attract new volunteers and donors. To date, the video has prompted 130 new volunteer inquiries which in turn has resulted in the organization signing up more than 50 new volunteers to serve as mentors to area children.
SpotOn Productions plans on awarding another Non-profit Video Grant in 2019.
SpotOn Productions is an award-winning photo and video production company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1988, as Murray Multimedia Resources, they have a rich history of providing creative development, video production, photography, and post-production services. Referral and repeat business is a large part of their customer base. Their clients include large corporations, agencies, small businesses, nonprofits, education, government, and more.
“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
Videos are rapidly taking over the internet and the ripples are being felt elsewhere too. Marketing, training, orientations and briefings among other things are now employing videos to get the message across. However, a video is only as effective as the concept behind it. This means that the amount of effort that goes into making the video, the same amount has to go into planning for it. This blogs enlists the reasons why a strong concept is just as important as a sound execution.
With competition in businesses growing around the world, companies are now searching for ways that allow them to target their consumers more effectively.
One of the ways that studies have indicated for us is the idea of strategic marketing. Although the theory is quite simple, a vast majority of business executives overlook the significance of a properly drafted strategy.
This applies to every aspect, even videography. Be it training or marketing videos, they have to be backed by an illustrious strategy.
The strategy and concept provides the basis on which the entire idea stands. Strategies involve answering broader questions like who the target audience is and how it is to be targeted. More importantly what you have that is different from others and how will the results be measured.
All these elements come together to make an effective video that communicates at its best with the respective crowd.
A video concept generation activity requires numerous individuals from multiple departments to sit together and pool in their ideas. Strategy provides them a common platform to begin with and work their way up the ladder.
A meeting which has members of the video production company, the marketing and sales teams as well as some of the high-level executives can churn out a multitude of ideas that can give rise to one incredible video message.
This is less of an importance and more of a recommendation. The data vs. instinct debate has been raging on for quite some time and while instinct holds its own relevance, data always trumps the gut feeling when it comes to decision making.
Data allows more substantial analysis and results to be generated, presented and acted upon providing a greater success ratio.
Once all these factors, a sound strategy backed by data and a constructive brain storming session has been completed and the best way forward has been determined, the concept and final video usually turns out to be a masterpiece in terms of the efficiency and productivity that it brings along with it.
These are some of the most important reasons why it is important to have a video based on strong conception. These concepts are generated in brain storming sessions that are summoned after a data backed strategy for the marketing or training video has been created. Put a good concept behind the video and the chances of it achieving its target increases considerably.
“Videos provide the opportunity to marry the power of ideas with the power of images.”
Videos have established their dominance at the top of the content food chain. Statistics show that more than 50% of all content on the internet is now videos with the percentage expected to grow to more than 70% in the coming years. Social media giants like Facebook have said that in five years, all their content will be videos. There has to be a reason marketers are growing crazy over videos. It has to do with human psychology and how they find videos more informative and attractive.
Corporate videos include trainings, presentations, testimonials and alike. However, just making a video is not a guarantee for success. An effective video has to have a few essential ingredients. We list the most important ones here:
This refers to the entire crux of the video; what you’re trying to tell your target audience. It so happens that during the course of a video the central idea or theme is lost amongst the flashes and expensive graphics and what you end up with, is a video that leaves the viewers confused. As a result, the message you intended to get across remains stranded and loses its purpose. It is, therefore, imperative to first develop a central idea and then base the elements of your video around it.
Having laid out a theme and decided the course of the things that will be portrayed in it, the next step is to ensure that all the parts are placed in a proper order. This is important to ensure that viewers don’t get lost as scenes or frames switch. It is essential to establish the story in such a way that it keeps the person immersed until the very end. For such an experience it is vital to make sure viewers can connect the dots without extra effort.
Execution refers to minute details that go into producing a video, for example, the edits, the graphics, the content selection, and arrangement etc. Sometimes a clear message and a powerful plot can be ruined by unprofessional and childish execution on part of the editors or even the actors, if any. Taking all the factors in a synchronized manner is what guarantees an effective end product that is actually worth your money.
All the above-mentioned elements combined are responsible for embedding your message in the minds of the viewer. Regardless of what you were attempting to achieve, be it introducing a product or service, explaining a new concept, or maybe just demonstrating how something works, if you follow a set framework, the end product remains etched in the minds of the viewer for a long time, and there is a high probability that they come looking for you the next time they require the same.
Establishing a strong theme, laying effective plots and elements to show its execution, then knitting it together with immaculate editing and topping it off with meaningful content are the keys that unlock a new world of influence for you.
“Visual marketing doesn’t just sell a product or service – it sells an experience around your business.”
– Rebekah Radice
The human brain is wired to process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. It is estimated that in 2018, almost 84% of all internet communications will be visuals because these posts are more effective in grabbing consumer attention as compared to posts with text only.
Keeping these statistics in mind, marketers and brands are increasingly indulging in visual marketing and technology, as always, is playing a vital role in facilitating the rise of photo and videography.
Technology has transformed every industry that it has been exposed to and marketing has been no different. From high-tech LCD billboards to 3D holograms, from digital media to aerial marketing, the shift has been substantial. This piece revolves around the use of drones in visual marketing, however. What benefits does it have for your photo shoot or video if you use a drone to capture some aerial shots? Let’s take a look at a few of the most notable.
A drone allows you to capture large areas in your shots, things like entire office campuses, parks or even the neighborhood. It enables you to take shots of large groups of people like a picture of the entire department or even the whole office for that matter. Furthermore, the camera on a drone is not stationary, it can rotate. Additionally, the drone itself can fly over considerable distances allowing you to get some impressive aerial shots for a marketing campaign or a training or orientation video.
Previously the options available for taking aerial shots were limited. You could use a helicopter or air balloon, which were too expensive. You could use a crane which was dangerous and expensive to hire and limited the number of shots you could take because it could only be deployed in certain areas. With drones however, life is a lot easier. They allow videographers to capture high-resolution shots virtually anywhere because drones are small, maneuverable and much cheaper than hiring helicopters or cranes.
You might assume that a small drone camera could never be able to provide the quality of visuals that might be in the domain of large professional cameras. The good news is that this is in fact not true. Drone cameras are extremely sophisticated and come with a wide variety of options to capture a wide range of shots at different resolutions. The still, crane and orbit-by shots are just a few examples of what you can do with a drone and it’s camera. It has the capability to add the ‘oomph’ factor to your video making it even more attractive than a conventionally shot video.
Drones can be employed to shoot a wide range of videos; be it motivational, promotional, training or any other type your business might require. Having the benefits of being cheaper than other options while allowing diverse capture options, drones are a piece of technology that has left us all in awe. To get the best results however, it is recommended to acquire the services of a professional production house.
Video marketing has shifted our perceptions in modern times massively. The staggering statistics that accompany videos are worth a read. Today, 50% of all internet traffic is videos, a number that is estimated to increase to almost 79% in 2018. Almost 93% of all marketers now rely on video content to market their products. The largest segment influenced by videos is millennials. And they are a lucrative target audience because the figures suggest that starting this year, this generation will be spending $200 billion annually. That is a piece of the pie you don’t want to miss.
So what makes videos so effective as a marketing medium for millennials and the population in general? We analyze some of the reasons:
There is something about videos that keep your customer interested for longer periods of time. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg has said that its users watch 4 billion videos every day. 4 BILLION! That’s a huge number. Millennials find video content much more attractive than any other form of marketing. A video somehow makes life simpler. Reading a tutorial is boring, watching a video based on it is much more interesting. A video is more relatable. A live person explaining a concept is much easier to comprehend than written definitions that sometimes fly right over your head.
The giants of the social media and marketing world agree. Zuckerburg has pointed out that most of the content on his website will be videos.
Facebook and Instagram news feeds are like quicksand. You open the app and you go on scrolling forever. Much of this is achieved through videos. Once you come across a video it is hard to ignore. Therefore, as a result, you play one video after the other. It is no surprise that videos make up a substantial chunk of consumer traffic on the internet.
Most viral campaigns shot by major players in the market, be them automotive, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), jewelry, sports, or anything at all, are now moving to videos. The greatest third-party endorsements from brands also go to video bloggers. One YouTube channel, Dude Perfect for example, has a massive 24 million subscribers, bringing them big money and advertisement deals from some of the biggest names in the business.
It is easy to see that videos are the next big thing. They will be dominating the internet very soon and if you’re a marketer or a business looking to draw in customers, video content marketing is the go-to platforms. One thing that needs to be taken into account is that adding video content should be accompanied with upgrading your website so that it doesn’t slow down under the extra load because as effective as videos are in keeping customers interested, a slow loading website turns into a major throw off within seconds.
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup Co. said, “To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.” In today’s fast paced work environment, companies are looking for new ways to communicate information to employees, in a format that saves time and increases consistency of message. Enter video! Video is the best way for management, HR, and internal communications professionals to deliver information to their workforce. Video is an engaging way to deliver a consistent message to employees. These tips will have you creating high quality, effective internal communications that keep your staff up to speed on company information.
Memos and emails are one way to ensure that all employees get the same information, but they lack engagement that can help employees retain information. Video provides a nice change of pace when delivering important company information. Video provides an engaging, personal touch that can reinforce key messaging, and utilizes a different part of the employee’s brain to process that information.
Don’t skip the script! Before you start on a new video, you have to know what you want to say. By doing strong pre-production work, you can establish the who, what, when, where, and why for every training video. This ensures that your video messaging will achieve your desired outcome; from new product training, to changes in HR policies.
Writing a script ensures that you capture all the information you need to convey, and that your information is well organized. Scripting also gives you the opportunity to ensure that your team is on board with the content and language that will be used, and is branded, non-marketing messaging, consistent with other company communications and in-person training.
It’s inevitable that training videos become long very quickly. There is a lot that can be done to ensure that you get all the major points across without turning your video into an employee snooze-fest. Keep your videos visual, and cut out anything that isn’t essential. You can always point employees to detailed in-depth information from other sources. Have a number of people review your script to see what is non-essential and can be cut to keep the length down.
If you find that you have a lot of essential information that needs to be presented, consider chaptering your video. By chaptering, you can break your content down into a number of shorter, more consumable videos. This allows employees a break between videos, and allows them to consume the videos at a pace that best suits them.
It’s easy when you’re working on a video create content that stands alone. Be careful to ensure that you’re video messaging is constant with company wide training programs, culture, values, and branding/messaging. Training should be constant across the entire organization, from different departments, to different locations. This ensures a cohesive workforce with consistent messaging.
While it’s important to communicate key information to your workforce, that doesn’t mean it has to be dry. Look for opportunities to create entertainment value in your training videos. Adding some flare and entertainment can communicate brand authenticity and create higher engagement. When the audience is entertained, they pay closer attention, have higher engagement, and are more likely to retain and learn the information being presented. When appropriate, have some fun. Just make sure you know your audience, and that any humor is brand appropriate.
Just because your company training videos aren’t going to your customers doesn’t mean you should lower the quality of the videos you create. Companies often skimp on production value when creating internal videos, thinking it’s an easy place to pinch pennies. Creating high quality content will capture and keep the attention of your workforce. Treat your employees the same as your best customers…don’t create poor-quality training videos. Show your employees you care about their learning. Invest in your people!
Online learning is becoming a huge opportunity to engage and educate people. You can apply this to your employees; from a simple Google Forms quiz, to a complete online learning platform. Let your employees know that you’ll be testing them in advance. This will motivate them to pay attention. After viewing the video, you can include a link to an online quiz, or even a post-play screen that includes the quiz over the content employees just watched. This can ensure that employees are learning the key information from your videos. You can also include post-viewing surveys to get feedback from employees on things that are working or areas for improvement.
In today’s world we track everything! Tracking results can help with continuous improvement. When possible, put your videos on a platform with quality analytics tools. Analytics will allow you to see when viewership drops off, whether around a specific topic area/time frame, or even entire chapters that employees are skipping. Armed with this information, you can start working to evaluate engagement behavior and how you can improve in the future. By continuing to improve your strategy, you can help make your training videos more engaging and more effective for your staff. It’s your job to get employees high-quality training videos so that they can learn the content you want them know.
Ian Murray is the President at SpotOn Productions, a full service, award-winning Cincinnati video production company, serving Greater Cincinnati and Greater Dayton from Liberty Township, Ohio.
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