The Importance of Video on Your Website’s Home Page

The impact of a video on your website’s Homepage can be significant. It plays a key role with conversions since it can give viewers an immediate and visceral experience on what it would be like working with you.  A video can also help with Search Engine Optimization and driving search engine traffic as well since you can optimize them with landing pages and strategic linking.  Not to mention the use your video may have with Social Media!

To evaluate the effect your video is having on conversions an important statistic to note is your “drop off rate”. When people first visit your website’s home page – what do they do? Do they immediately drop off or “bounce” and leave your site because they don’t like what they see? Or, even worse, they can’t find (immediately) what they are looking for? Video can play a key role in keeping and holding those web visitors and ultimately converting those visitors at a much higher rate.  Having a video professionally produced is helpful since it is imperative your audience understands the mission of your business and how it connects to their needs and can help solve their problems.   The quality of your video does matter, since your marketing video will directly impact how your business or service is viewed.

Imagine one of Skillman Video Group’s professional videos on your Homepage: flattering lighting scheme, rich color contrast, exceptional sound quality and editing. Each element enhances your vision, your mission, and your connection to potential clients. In your industry, you are the expert but when it comes to Video Production and Video Marketing, Skillman Video Group can help you achieve your goal of creating a greater connection with your viewers and thereby also improving the performance of your website.

An SVG video on your Homepage highlights whatever topic you choose, so prospective clients have a clear understanding of your business’ goals and achievements. Formal or informal, a video will catch the eye of the browser so he or she is able to make an informed decision about your services or products. Contact Skillman Video Group today to learn more about “video conversion points”.

FutureM and SVG: Video at the Speed of Twitter

What is FutureM?

A looking glass into the future of marketing.

Who’s at Future M?

Skilllman Video Group.

Shopximity invited SVG to tape their presentation at Future M, a marketing conference held in Boston focusing on the impact of technology on marketing. They asked us to shoot, edit, and upload a video of their presentation in 24 hours. They wanted to get the video up while the conference was still going on. It’s like a well-produced video tweet from Shopximity. For us it felt like a 24 hour race made possible by technology and our experience in fast production.

The SVG produced video should be up today. The idea of video at the speed of twitter is especially interesting to us. Instant video production might be perfect for clients who want to post while traveling or at events or any situation where time is crucial. With the world becoming more instantaneous, more 24/7, getting the word out about your company or event with near-instant professional video from anywhere will be expected. And it has to look better than the usual talk-into-the-webcam stuff you see on YouTube.

We’re going to stay ahead of this trend and keep providing fast, high-quality content.

This conference was the perfect event for us to tape. SVG believes strongly in pushing the boundaries of marketing. That’s why we embrace an integrated approach to video, social media, SEO, web design, and so on. Shopximity presented ideas about mobile technology as the new frontier of marketing. They have plans for integrating video content and interactive shopping on mobile devices. We’ll have to keep an eye on where this interactive mobile video marketing goes too.

Stay tuned to SVG’s blog for more insights into the future of video marketing.

UPDATE: Watch the video on our channel.

Ogilvy Launches Advanced Video Practice

Ogilvy & Mather, a well-known international marketing firm founded in 1948, that has worked with big-name clients like IBM, Greenpeace, Ford, and DuPont, has “formally launched a specialty video practice, a unit that has been in development for two years.”  The press release went out July, 21, 2011.

At Skillman Video Group (SVG), we know the value of video marketing for businesses who want to make their individual voices heard online, effectively and efficiently.

Even Ogilvy & Mather North America CEO John Seifert thinks the results of video marketing are “impressive…we are now making it a distinct practice area to reflect the changes and opportunities in our business.”

Video marketing has been so successful for the largest marketing firm in the world, Ogilvy, that they have created a practice group around it. SVG has been touting the benefits of video marketing for companies since it started.

The digital and social impact of video marketing for small business and large companies, alike, is enormous and becoming more noticeable. Maximizing the potential for the Three Cs, corporate video production in Boston, SVG combines Internet marketing and search engine optimization with compelling video content that reaches the intended viewers.

Read the full press release here: http://www.ogilvy.com/News/Press-Releases/July-2011-Ogilvy-Launches-Advanced-Video-Practice-to-Meet–Expanding-Needs-of-Clients.aspx

Social Video: YouTube Car

I wanted to share another example of B2B social video I found this week starring a car, a yeti, and the viewer. Back when YouTube was still seen as a place for funny cat videos and 80′s music videos they wanted to attract marketing creatives to the YouTube platform. YouTube developed “YouTube Show and Tell” to showcase creative marketing videos hoping to attract a community of agency creatives.

To promote YTS&T they hired Devilfish, a collection of Boston artists to create videos depicting the interactive adventures of a miniature car named, appropriately, “Car.” With some clever eye-catching visuals “Car” demonstrates how to leverage annotation, cross-linking, comments, and other features of YouTube. This video seems to use them all. The videos are fun to watch and fun to play with whilst showing how to use youtube’s many interactive social video tools.

The videos are aimed at a strictly B2B audience: YouTube to Agency. They also supported the growth of a community of agency creatives and art directors on YouTube. Now, of course, YouTube is THE place to upload your social marketing videos. The “Car” videos were instrumental in attracting a young, artistic following.

This is another example of how merging social media with some high-quality video content can kickstart a marketing campaign. Skillman Video is experienced at working with companies of all shapes and sizes on more B2B social video campaigns.  Call today to learn more!

Four Reasons To Make A Social Video (Part Two)

Last time I suggested that you can reach a new audience with a social video and that showing your face on the web could create trust. Why else would you want to make a social marketing video?

Reason #3: Show, Don’t Tell

So you’ve advertised your service on your website, and boasted your daily achievements in your blog, and pitched at sales meetings. Maybe you feel like your potential customers and client still aren’t seeing your company’s work. If only you could show them somehow…

Video is a visual medium where you can SHOW not just talk about your company. With a 10-second shot you can tell your audience more about what you do than you can in a 10 minute pitch. For example you can show how students learn at your school instead of writing a book on it. Or you can show how to fix a window instead of writing a manual.

When you talk about data, and figures, and numbers to a client don’t you use charts and graphs? Why not use video when talking about your work? A video is worth  thousand words.

Reason #4: Fun

Making Videos is fun. Our clients always have a good time. It a pleasant change of pace from their usual work day. It also allows them to be creative in new ways by brainstorming story ideas, writing pitches, etc. Even the most awkward, camera-shy people are surprised to see that it’s not that hard to appear on-screen.

Some of our clients have used blooper reels from our productions at company events and given awards to their best on-screen talent. Call Skillman Video Group and let us help you take a break from work while marketing your company.

Four Reasons To Make A Social Video (Part One)

I am guessing that you are among the 200 million monthly viewers of watch video on the web. You have probably noticed that everyday more companies are posting video content. It’s become a powerful tool for marketing more than just deodorant. Are you missing out on video marketing? If you have your doubts about creating social videos for your company, read on.

Reason #1 – A Massive Audience

In the first quarter of 2011 there were 800 Million views of branded videos. If you are not producing at least a couple of your own branded videos, then you aren’t taking advantage of that potential audience. Even if you do B2B work or other specialty services and products, there is an audience out there that you aren’t reaching. If your video is only targeted at a small audience that’s even better. You might only get a 1000 views (which is minuscule compared to Rebecca Black), but more of those 1000 viewers will be interested in your company because you are speaking directly to their interests.

Are you attracting the best candidates for jobs? Are there B2B customers you haven’t tapped yet? Are your lectures being seen online? A few targeted video efforts will win you a valuable piece of the 800 million views.

Reason #2 – A Friendly Face

If you still shop at the Ma-And-Pop Hardware store down the street instead of the city-sized Lowes in the minimall, you know that seeing familiar, friendly faces is worth more to you than a President’s Day Sale and self scan checkout. The same logic applies to your potential B2B customers, recruits, students, and so on. How can you give them the feeling of a face-to-face interaction at a neighborhood store when you are 2000 miles apart?

Try a video. Introduce yourself. Talk about what you do. Tell your audience how you can help them. Be personable. Skillman Video Group can make it easy for you.

If you help someone fix a window with a free online video, they will come back to you for a number of related  services. If ten companies have a website advertising their services, but only one includes an approachable, helpful, honest person on video, that company is going to get the business.

We’ll discuss two more reasons for you next time, if you still need convincing.

Legal Marketing Videos at Wolf Greenfield

Last week we shot a series of marketing videos for Wolf Greenfield, a prestigious intellectual property law firm in Boston. Wolf Greenfield was one of our first law firm clients, and it was great to see everyone again.

We shot simple talking head recruiting pitches for the client’s website to attract scientists to a career in IP law. Associates, shareholders, and technical specialists at the firm prepared pitches that were so convincing that the SVG crew almost applied to law school.  Luckily we think we will stay within the legal video marketing business so the court rooms and patent offices are safe for the time being.

What made the shoot so successful was that the client was very well prepared. Each interviewee prepared a short one-minute pitch which they practiced with their marketing team. Everyone knew his or her “lines” which meant that not only was the shoot fast and efficient, but it was fun even for the most screen-shy people. Preparation also allowed each participant’s personality to shine through because they didn’t stumble to find the words. A well-prepared client gets the best videos.

If you are nervous about appearing on screen or getting the best value for your video content investment, you can talk to SVG. We help prepare clients for their screen debut.

Behind the Scenes at the “SEO Guru” Shoot!

Earlier this week, the Skillman Video Group crew ventured to the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford in order to shoot a humorous video on SEO and social media. The video stars our very own SEO consultant, Francis McGovern, as “the SEO guru,” a mysterious Internet marketing expert who lives in the woods and speaks in riddles. Also featured are our interns, Zack and Eli, as young professionals confounded by the complexities of online marketing. We worked hard, but also took time to have fun and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

Although the video is clearly meant to be comical, it does exemplify a problem faced by many business owners. Certain aspects of SEO and social media marketing can be complex, especially to those without extensive technology experience and training. SEO consultants or firms may compound this issue by using a lot of industry jargon, rather than taking the time to explain concepts in a clear, non-technical manner. At Skillman Video Group, we pride ourselves not only on our comprehensive Internet marketing knowledge, but also on our ability to elucidate this information for our clients.

Our team of expert editors is currently hard at work perfecting “The SEO Guru.” Stayed tuned to the Inside SVG Blog, as well as to our Facebook and Twitter pages, to be one of the first to see it!

YouTube to Introduce Live Streaming

YouTube has announced plans to begin offering live video content on its site within the coming weeks, via a special page called “Live.” This means that concerts, sporting matches, educational lectures, and various other events will soon be viewable on YouTube in realtime! For now, the ability to share live content will be limited to a select number of partners. This restriction is understandable, as YouTube wishes to maintain a certain level of quality on its site. However, the company does plan to extend Live significantly over the next several months. It is not clear whether YouTube will eventually allow all users to stream live content, but we suspect this will be the case.

YouTube’s announcement has major implications for the world of online video. Although a handful of live video sites, such as UStream.com, are already up and running, these platforms simply cannot match YouTube in terms of brand recognition or financial backing. Live will cause more consumers to be drawn away from their televisions and toward their laptops, netbooks, iPads, and mobile phones. In terms of online marketing, businesses can benefit considerably from streaming video. For example, a small technology firm attending an industry conference could stream that conference directly onto their YouTube channel, drawing in many visitors who otherwise may never have stumbled across the page.

At Skillman Video Group, we see a great deal of potential in live streaming video. Consumers clearly enjoy instantaneous access to content, and we trust that an industry leader such as YouTube will implement this feature competently. This is an excellent opportunity to be on the cutting edge of an emerging technology! Contact us to find out more about live streaming video, or for general questions regarding video marketing strategy.

View the YouTube Live page here, and check out some of the upcoming events that are going to be broadcast!

The Internet Video Grader

If you are wondering how well your firm’s website is utilizing video content to attract customers, there is now a free and easy-to-use tool that will answer that question: the Online Video Grader. All you need to do is enter the URL of your company website, as well as the URL of your YouTube channel (if you have one – this part is optional). You will also be asked to indicate the size of your company, as it is only fair to be compared with others of a similar size.

Once you enter the required information, you will be provided with a detailed “Video Report Card” via email. The report is dividing into 17 sections (or 6 sections, for those who do not submit a YouTube channel), with titles such as “Videos on Your Homepage,” “Videos on Your Website Found by Google,” and “Total YouTube Views.” Each section receives a corresponding score from 1-100. Accompanying text will explain what your website is doing right, and where it could use improvement. Fundamentally, your site will receive higher scores if your video content can easily be found by search engines, and if large numbers of viewers have been interacting with that content already.

Once you receive your “grades,” it is time to start making refinements so you can get the most out of your video content! It is important that your website is optimized for the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo; this can be the difference between drawing many new customers or facing stagnating sales. However, the implementation of these changes is not always straightforward.  Contact the search optimization experts at Skillman Video Group for help putting into practice the suggestions generated by the Online Video Grader.

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