Skillman Video Group’s Video of the Week: Life in a Day
Welcome to Skillman Video Group’s Video of the Week Series. This week, the focus is not on a video but rather a video event. On July 24th, YouTube is sponsoring a global event: Life in a Day. Various directors and producers are asking everyone and anyone, not just current YouTube users, to film their day and submit it online.
YouTube has already established itself as one of the most popular and interactive user generated websites. Many YouTube users most likely already record their lives and post it online. Nonetheless, this is an extremely clever marketing concept.
The key is that YouTube is focusing on one idea, self-documentation, and taking it as far as possible. They are blasting this simple campaign all over their website and other outlets. They are extending the campaign to every possible person. If you do not wish to film your day, no sweat—YouTube will take a recording of you clapping your hands or singing a note.
Another important element of this marketing campaign is that it is engaging and interactive. YouTube takes engaging the audience to a whole new level. Their concept only works with people’s participation. Furthermore, YouTube is offering a superb prize: the best footage will be used in a film which will premiere at Sundance Film Festival and the people who submitted it will be credited as co-director.
While your company may not be able to offer a spot in Sundance, you can still use some of YouTube’s techniques. They focused on one concept thus making the message more powerful and less forgettable. They involve the audience and demand their interaction and input. Requesting your audience to film their lives may not work for you, but reaching out to them and constructing a campaign around their interests could. If you are considering marketing your company or organization through video like YouTube, contact Skillman Video Group today!
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!
Social Video Marketing and Sales Force Automation
Last week, Boston video producer and Principal of Skillman Video Group, Christina Skillman, along with our technology Partner Neil Saviano of CRM Boston, met with the management team of Capital Services and Supplies Inc (CSS) in Washington DC. Over the two-day meeting we discussed their current marketing and sales strategies along with new technologies available for increasing sales through Video, SEO and Internet Marketing.
Capital Services & Supplies HQ in Washington DC!
For any marketing program, it is essential to have a consistent message. Deciding on what this central message should be will not only help in the production of a marketing video, but in every aspect of a marketing program from the outside sales staff to print ads, catalogues, and the web. It is what we call your “brand”. We began our meeting at CSS by asking seemingly simple questions like “who are you?”, “what do you do”? and “what do you do that is different from your competitors?” Through this discovery process we can determine what their best strengths are and how to best use video and the Internet to market their services to potential customers.
We next discussed logistics for shooting the video (style, location, content etc). There are a lot of details that need to be taken into consideration when producing a professional marketing video, and we had to be sure every “t” was crossed and “i” dotted before we left! After we had a firm grasp on the marketing video, we next discussed the new marketing opportunities available to them through the Internet. Internet Marketing works in two ways. 1) Through SVG’s SEO services we can help bring people to your site and then 2) once they are on your site – how do we convert those visitors into viable leads? At SVG we call that the “video conversion point”. The content on your site HAS to be of sufficient quality to draw them in immediately and impel them to pick up the phone and call!
Going out to lunch on the last day on Capital Hill!
The two day meeting was concluded by Neil Saviano giving a presentation about their integrated call center and the ability to integrate video within their current sales processes and CRM software. By the end of the process Capital Services and Supplies Inc should have a complete and total integrated marketing solution that includes sales force automation, video and Internet Marketing. By utilizing all the technology that is available to them, Capital Services and Supplies will be differentiating themselves from their competitors and thus increasing their visibility in the marketplace. Call today to see what Skillman Video Group and our technology partners can do for you!
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: SVG’s Gerry’s Waterbed Emporium
Welcome to Skillman Video Group’s Corporate Viral Video of the Week. This week’s video is…. us. Skillman Video Group recently produced it’s own viral style video, “Gerry’s Waterbed Emporium”. When producing this video we focused on two key attributes, i.e. relevance and mass appeal. As a corporate video production company, it is important for us to set a standard for clean, professional video that can be taken seriously. Everyday, we see other video that does not meet our standards. If you own a television, chances are you’ve seen hundreds of cheap local furniture ads that are poorly produced and awkwardly scripted. It is something that everyone knows and universally mocks. Our video provides a familiar setting that has mass appeal, while clearly juxtaposing our services to the other guys. These are two of the most important tasks when making a viral video. You need to find a subject that is recognizable to a large number of people; if its not pertinent to them, they won’t watch it. It is also necessary for the video to relate back to you and your services. A video can be very funny, but if it’s not clear that you made it and why, you won’t see any of the benefits.
We had a lot of fun making the video. We shot in front of a green screen and super imposed the ridiculous backgrounds to give it that extra “cheesy” feel. We used goofy neon graphics to really sell the tacky style and even took a cheap shot at Ralph Macchio, but I think that’s fair game at this point. We wrote the original script and found a devilishly handsome young actor to capture to true essence of Gerry (hey if you write the blog post – you get to toot your own horn!). Pass the video on to your friends to help us reach viral status! “Do you want a wicked awesome viral video for your company? Then come on down to Skillman Video Group today!!”
Video Depositions
We’d like to highlight a new service at Skillman Video Group, Video Depositions! A “deposition” is defined as “The sworn testimony of a witness taken before trial held out of court with no judge present. The witness is placed under oath to tell the truth and lawyers for each party may ask questions. The questions and answers are recorded. When a person is unavailable to testify at trial, the deposition of that person may be used. This can also be part of the pre-trial discovery (fact-finding) process.”
Legal depositions are yet another area exponentially improved by the medium of video. Video provides the judge, insurance adjuster or jury, the ability to both see and hear your claimant tell their story in a controlled yet powerful format. This can especially be relevant in personal injury cases. For example, we recently completed a Video Deposition for the personal injury law firm of Parker Scheer LLP. Our camera crew spent a half day with a team of lawyers from the firm, interviewing the claimant about the accident and its immediate and long term impact. The video was later edited down to the most essential and meaningful facts of the case. What are the important facts of the case? How has his life changed since the accident? Thanks in large part to the power of the claimant’s story, as told through the video legal deposition, the case was settled out of court just a week later. Call us today about our Video Deposition Service and see how it can help your upcoming case!
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!
Corporate Viral Video Of The Week: Pedigree Dogs
Welcome to week two of Skillman Video Group’s “Corporate Viral Video Of The Week” series. Let’s review some of the characteristics of a successful corporate viral video outlined in last week’s blog. The most important rule is of course to keep it simple. Too many characters and too much back and fourth dialog is too much work. The average, cubicle bound, corporate viral video viewer does not have the time to get caught up in an elaborate story. This week’s video is from Pedigree Dog Food and it exemplifies many of the traits that make viral videos successful. This video was added last week and it already has over 700,000 hits. They opted to go as far no dialog at all. Instead, they focus on the physical feats of the dogs. The video is fun and lighthearted without trying too hard. The video also has a cool bit of production work. By showing the dogs slow motion while using a camera with a high frame per second rate, the viewer is able to see every minute movement of the dogs. The slow motion technique is very effective in this video. It adds a clearer view and a heightened anticipation to the dogs’ tricks.
Naturally, the videos that go viral are the videos with the most mass appeal. Companies are constantly trying to make videos that are funny but also work for a broad audience. This video exemplifies one of the sure fire rules to achieve that mass appeal: Put a dog in your video. If the words “dog”, “kitten”, or “puppy” are in the title of your video you’re almost guaranteed a million hits. Everyone loves to see dogs perform zany antics; you can’t help but smile. The video with the most mass appeal is the most successful viral video. Check back in for next week’s Corporate Viral Video Of The Week. Or call Skillman Video Group to see what kind of viral video we can do for you!
Corporate Viral Video of the Week: Coca-Cola Happiness Machine
It’s clear that here, at Skillman Video Group, we believe using video is the most effective way to market your company online. Video provides a platform that is both personal and visually stimulating. We then use search engine optimization techniques to route as much traffic to your content as possible. However, in the case of “Viral” videos, it is the content itself that generates the massive volume of viewers that are so desired in online marketing. When executed well, viral videos can provide a substantial amount of attention for your company. Amusing time wasters like Chocolate Rain or Miss Teen South Carolina are great example of videos that have gone viral. However, using the appeal of viral video for corporate promotion is something that many companies strive for but only a few have managed to succeed, even without the use of sputtering sentence fragments or the soothing baritone of Tay Zonday.
In many ways, the key to an effective viral video is to keep it simple. The most successful corporate viral videos provide a brief smile and enough interest to pass along to a friend. Corporate viral videos do best with little dialog so it’s important to not be too wordy. This week’s corporate viral video of the week is the Coca-Cola Happiness Machine video. This video was posted on YouTube on January 12, 2010 and already has over a million hits. It is an example of a strong corporate viral video. The concept is simple and the focus of the video is the action rather than the script. Often, companies will try too hard to be funny and miss a large audience because humor is subjective. The Coca-Cola video won’t make you laugh out loud, but it will keep you smiling and has mass appeal. Another technique used in this video which makes it successful in the viral format, is that it’s not over produced. The hidden camera or home camera look is very effective with viral videos, it provides a more personal and intimate tone that we associate with Internet video and distinguish from television.
Ultimately, the successful corporate viral video does not express an overt point of view, but provides a moment of harmless levity in an otherwise dull corporate day. And therein lies the art. Check back soon for SVG’s “Corporate Viral Video of the week”, or contact us today at 1-800-784-0149 to see how you can create your own viral video!
