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”.

Who Needs Social Media Marketing? Everyone.

Why has your video only received 42 views when YouTube gets 3 billion views a day? Users upload 20 hours of video onto YouTube every minute! How can you compete with that much adorable kitten footage? You might be missing the “Social” part of a well managed “Social Video” campaign.

Social Media acts like an international word-of-mouth campaign. People from everywhere can follow your company’s work through blog posts, yelp reviews, and so forth and pass word on to their friends. It’s about shares, not clicks. If you can get followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook, and linkers on LinkedIn you can get customers and partners. If you just have a website or just have a video you are missing out on some huge Social Media benefits:

1) Most importantly, a Social Media campaign it improves your company website’s SEO. Every page link, share, and repost will move your company up in search rankings, along with all the text and crosslinking your social media campaign already creates for itself. When you frequently use keywords in your Social Media updates that also raises your page rank. So when someone searches for “Massachusetts Custom Cheese Danish Fabrication” on Google or Yahoo your company will appear ahead of all others.

2) It engages your customers, partners, and prospects. Active Social Media transforms your company image from simply a website or banner ad, into a voice. It’s like when the owner of the restaurant greets you at your table, asks about your service, talks about the impending first day of school, and so on. He is forging a relationship beyond customer and company to encourage your return. Social Media creates a forum or comunity where your audience can interact with each other and with you. The audience becomes the content itself, not just consumers.

3) Visitors to your website will see that your company is active and invested in modern technology. If you don’t have a frequently updated blog or lack a Facebook landing page, they will assume your company is dated.

We believe that Social Media is key to marketing your company, not just for promoting your SVG-produced videos, but also for the reasons above. We set our clients up with a Social Media campaign that will promote their company, boost SEO, and encourages client retention. We can help shape your content, choose your SEO keywords, and find new Social Media services that cater to you and your clients. It’s so easy that there is no excuse for avoiding it especially when other companies and organizations have been using Social Media for several years.

This is why Skillman Video Group provides Social Media services to our clients. It is key to a successful marketing campaign. When combined with SVG-produced videos and web design your company gets a complete marketing package.

New Social Media, Branding, and Website Services at SVG

Is your company or organization looking for new marketing ideas? What comes after we shoot your video? SVG now offers a number of new services that might interest you. If you are reading this blog or following our tweets then you have already seen a few of our new services in action.

When was the last time you updated your website? Gitte Lindgaard of Otowa university found that web surfers judge your website within 50 milliseconds. In that time you have to show your visitors that you are active, up to date, and care about your image. If your visitors judge your website as old and unattractive they might go elsewhere. If your website still looks like it’s hosted on geocities it is definitely time for an update. Many companies update their website every two or three years just to avoid being seen as stale. SVG can build you a new website with a Content Management System that allows your to integrate your video and social media campaigns.

Do you have a social media campaign? Not only can you keep current customers up to date on new products, events, services, developments, etc. but you also show visitors that your company is active. SVG will set up your Blog, Facebook landing page, twitter feed, marketing emails, and any other social media outlet you want to investigate. SVG will collaborate with you to find the best social media outlets to reach your potential customers and open new markets.

Web design and social media play a huge role in our most important new service: SEO. SVG has an SEO guru who can leverage your blog, website, and video to boost your company’s visibility on search engines. SVG can help your customers find you on the web.

SVG works with our clients to develop your brand, website, and social media to create the first impression you want. We have the resources to give you a total marketing package — a serious advantage. You can read more about our services here. Take a look at our portfolio to see how we’ve helped other clients market themselves.

The Success of Web Video

Integrated video clips are becoming a standard feature of website design as businesses recognize the web video’s ability to present a product or service in a concise, engaging, and often personalized manner.  But many websites overlook the powerful marketing potential that an optimized, well positioned video can offer in addition to its assumed role of enriching site content.

Social Video Marketing is one of the most cost effective marketing strategies available, and clients can expect an exposure to cost ratio much greater than could be obtained through more traditional strategies like print or television advertising.  The content delivery service Limelight Networks recently revealed that for the first time, over fifty percent of internet bandwith usage is from videos.  Optimized video content can tap into this trend using social media networks like Youtube and Facebook, sites that receive millions of hits per day and do not charge hosting fees.  Skillman Video Group can specifically tailor a high quality video to keep your business at the forefront of the growing internet video phenomenon.

Online Marketing Videos

At Skillman Video Group we believe, when used correctly, online marketing videos are of the most successful and cost effective way to market your company on-line. We will soon be releasing a case study on our new service, Social Video Marketing. Social Video Marketing combines the use of high quality video marketing with Internet marketing technology to convert web visitors into new leads.  As we have mentioned before, Internet Marketing works in two ways.  1) getting people to first come to your site through SEO and social media and then 2) once on your site, the content must be engaging enough to compel the casual visitors into a valuable lead.  This is what we call at Skillman Video Group the “video conversion point” .  Combining the power of the video medium with the power of the Internet gets our clients the best return on investment possible!   We focus not just on producing the highest quality video, but also  on the importance of routing as many viewers as possible to that video thereby expanding your presence in the marketplace. By using the right keywords and tags, we make sure your videos can be found on the web. Also, by incorporating a  blog posts and web announcements on your site, you can keep your content fresh and Google relevant.

We started implementing these techniques ourselves in October 2009. Google ranks website traffic and searches on a scale of zero to ten, with nines and tens being the Facebooks of the world. When our new site launched in October 2009, our website was ranked a zero by Google. Our old html site was static and we weren’t generating leads from the web. In October 2009 we started an agressive Internet marketing plan using the services outlined in our soon to be published Case Study.  By the time our case study had concluded, we were coming up as #1 in 9 targeted key words.  Within 6 months of us launching our new program, our paged jumped to a number four ranking on Google, a very impressive feat for a company of our size. The results of this online marketing effort is that our traffic is up, our content is fresh, and it’s helping our business grow. For example, our recent blog post on Video Legal Depositions was the direct source for Duane Morris LLP locating our services (please read about that job below) though a Google search and booking us just a day later. Our Social Video Marketing program is the most efficient way to market on the web. Our online efficiency techniques direct maximum traffic to your site, and our quality videos tell your story in the most effective and dynamic way possible. Call us today about your Online Marketing Video!

Legal Marketing Video Shoot at Duane Morris

Skillman Video Group recently went on a video shoot at the national law firm, Duane Morris LLP. Duane Morris hired SVG to shoot a Legal Marketing Video of their Boston office for their web site. SVG shot a series of interviews with the firm’s partners discussing their practice areas and experience for both internal….and external marketing purposes. Duane Morris will be using the videos to market their attorneys to potential clients, as well as to use for recruitment of new hires.     The partners discussed both personal and professional topics and we concentrated on their areas of expertise, their goals for the firm, and even personal interests and hobbies.

Marketing for any law firm begins and ends with their attorneys.  If your lawyers are essentially your product, then video allows a law firm  to showcase those lawyers in a personal, intimate way.  By allowing potential clients to see and hear your attorneys speak about their experience and goals  – you are allowing them to build trust and repore with a client before they pick up a phone to call!  In the legal field, where personal relationships are crucial, video marketing is the only medium that can clearly and accurately represent your services.

It is also important that your legal marketing videos look and sound professional.  Lighting and audio are key components to any video shoot.  If your attorneys look or sound unprofessional, it will do a poor job marketing their skills and abilities to the public!  Producers at Skillman Video Group are adept and not just lighting and audio, but also directing the on-screen talent.  Speaking on camera is sometimes very difficult for those who are not used to doing so in their every-day job.  Our producers will work with the on-screen talent to make them feel comfortable and help them look and feel their best.  Call today to learn more our Legal Marketing Videography and Video Production services!

Corporate Viral Video of the Week: Awareness Test

Welcome back to Skillman Video Group’s Corporate Viral Video of the Week. This week’s viral video is the London government’s Awareness Test video. This video was first released two years ago, however, it has maintained a steady hit rate since it’s debut and has over eight million hits on YouTube. This video does a lot of great things. One of the most important aspects of this video is that it’s interactive. By asking you to count the passes, it ensures undivided attention from its audience. Visually, it is a very interesting video. The constant movement and weaving of the players catches the eye. The white shirts and arching passes keeps you focused on the action of the players. The production work is very simple. The whole video is only one shot. As we’ve mentioned before, the at home, hand held camera look is very effective in viral videos. This is because it’s reminiscent of a sense of accessibility that’s associated with distributing content over the internet. The “re-wind” feature adds to that at home, viral feel.

Another great attribute is the “ Aha!” moment. Without slowing the video down or changing it in anyway, the viewer sees something they completely missed the first time (I know I did). This is the kind of mind trick video that people love to forward to their friends. In this case, the “Aha!” moment has the added bonus of being hilarious. They were not afraid to be silly and it paid off. Check back in for next week’s Corporate Viral Video of the week or contact Skillman Video Group today to see how your company could use a viral video!

Video Press Releases

Skillman Video Group is now offering a Video Press Release service! Video press releases (VPRs) are essentially an a video version of a traditional press release.   They are a fun, easy, visually stimulating and high-tech way of keeping either previous, potential or existing clients updated on your activities. VPRs can be used by businesses to inform,  shape public opinion, or to promote and publicize individuals, commercial products and services, or other interests.  In a few short minutes, you can provide your clients with a first hand look of  any new events, products or services that your company is offering. You can send these press releases out in emails, put them on your website, or post them on your social media profiles. Video press releases are also a great way to keep your blog or website fresh and interesting with new content on a regular basis which is important for SEO.  As a basic example of a video press release, check out the video from our recent shoot for Kitchen and Countertop Center of New England in Providence, RI shoot (below).   The idea is to keep the VPR simple and easy!  What is your company doing that is newsworthy or relevant to your clients?  Call us today to do your own video press release!

How can a testimonial video help you?

As we stated in earlier posts testimonial videos are a great way to market your products,  services or live event to potential customers.  Video is simple, powerful tool to build trust and rapport with viewers before they pick up the phone to call!  What a better way to communicate how good you are then  to have your audience see AND hear why you are so good from your previous (happy) clients.

Networked Events recently used Skillman Video Group to produce a series of testimonial videos for their web page and e-mail marketing campaign.  The videos were both posted to their web site as well as incorporated in their monthly e-newsletters.  The participants were all asked the same three questions and there answers were later edited and compressed for the web.  Simple “talking head” or interview style videos are extremely cost effective yet powerful in their delivery.  Here is an example of a testimonial video we produced for Networked Events in November 2009.  It was shot at the Liberty Hotel (in Alibi) in downtown Boston.

A simple “hot shoe” light was mounted to the top of the camera (similar to what you might see used by a news crew) and attached to a battery pack  to help boost the image .  “Hot shoe” lights are are fantastic for live events because they are extremely portable and don’t need to be attached to a electrical outlet (which frees the camera person to roam around if needed).  Incorporating light is very important in professional video production because it allows the camera to record a high quality image….even in dark settings (such as a restaurant or bar).  Another important component to professional video production (of all kinds) is the audio.  What good is a testimonial video if the audio is muffled, garbled or too low to be useful?  By attaching a professional wireless microphone to the speaker, we were able to record high quality audio despite the fact that we were in a crowded, noisy room.

Utilizing such professional production equipment is what allows Skillman Video Group to produce high quality videos regardless of the environment we find ourselves in while shooting.  As we have stated many times it is very important to look and sound your best in any marketing endeavor your pursue and customer testimonials are no exception.  Contact us today to see how we can produce professional testimonial videos for your web site

Sales Force Automation & Video – A Force that Makes a Difference

by Neil Saviano, President of CRM International

CRM / sales force automation software works with companies to help them build their existing business with current customers as well as maximizing new customer development.  Lately video has entered the sales arena as a powerful tool for reaching new and existing clients. Video brings your business or service to life and is an important tool in your marketing and sales arsenal.  The addition of video to technology-driven process actually becomes a part of strategic tactics companies must implement in order to stand out over their competitors.  We chose to partner with Skillman Video Group because we saw similarities in our approach to helping clients grow their business. Our solution integrates CRM with web and e-mail marketing.  We saw Skillman’s application of video to web and e-mail marketing and immediately recognized the potential synergy with our CRM and sales force automation solution.  A powerful example is using our CRM software to e-mail video files produced by Skillman Video Group within an automated sales and marketing process.  This is exciting for us as we introduce our clients to a new tactic within their marketing mix.

All told, staying in touch with customers and prospects is more vital than ever as most markets have escalating competition from areas not seen in past marketing eras.  This is combined with an environment where many products and services are reduced to a commodity and finding a way to make  a difference in the market place is paramount to success.  Learn more about process-driven CRM from our solutions partner, CRM Boston.  www.crmboston.com