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D.O.A. (Death of Autoplay)
You have read all these posts and now have a non-shaky video with crystal clear audio you are ready to post it online. I am sure all the readers of this blog are committed workers and would never try use office hours to do things like…fantasy football research for example. I always want to be honest with you readers, and since my bosses don’t read this blog, I will admit I check out what is going on in the world of fantasy football. Like I have told you video is crucial and fantasy football sites have noticed this as well. They have started embedding videos into their posts. As a consumer I love the videos, but as someone covertly searching for for fantasy football info I hate how they play automatically. Auto-play is the dilemma that brings us here today. Many many companies have their videos start playing as soon as the page loads. They figure the audience will be happy to not have to tax themselves with clicking play. They have complete disregard for those of us trying to…
I’m a little unsteady: Eliminating shaky video
Movie aficionados will know that a secret Blair Witch sequel was unveiled at Comic-Con on July 25. Since this blog is nothing if not topical, the topic of shaky video seemed appropriate. For those unfamiliar with the 1999 cult-classic The Blair Witch Project, the movie is “found footage” from campers terrorized by some witch. I don’t know. To be honest, I have never seen it. But I have seen enough parodies and heard enough people talk about it to have a pretty good handle on things. The only thing you need to be concerned about is that most of the video is super shaky. Last month, I talked about how bad audio is the quickest way to ruin a video. Second on the list is having unsteady video. We all have been forced to sit through clips of soccer games filmed by parents who appear to be on the fifth espresso of the morning, or concert videos taken by people waving their hands around like they just do not care. Obviously, these videos are not to be confused with professional…
Audio killed the video star
It would be reasonable to assume that the most important element in video production is visual. This is a mistake most video beginners make. We have all been forced to watch friends’ Insta videos or Snapchats from concerts with completely over-modulated audio. For me, bad audio is neck and neck with shaky video as number one video killer. Part of the reason bad audio is so prevalent is that you don’t know it is happening while you are recording. The simplest way to fix this problem is wearing headphones. It is really easy in theory. However, smartphone recording does not allow for this, but I said in my first post your smartphone is plenty good enough. Unfortunately, this is one instance where you have to sacrifice some functionality for the price and convenience of smartphones. The following tips will help you get the best audio possible while recording on your smartphone. Use an external microphone – Your phone’s internal microphone works fine if only one sound can be detected. When was the last time you were in a setting with…
The five W’s and H of video production
Anyone who has taken a journalism class is no doubt familiar with the five W’s. For those of you who chose to make money instead of pursuing journalism the five W’s are who, what, where, when, why and how. I am adapting this idea for storytelling to video production. This post is meant as a follow up to my first post on why you should get into video, so check that out before reading on. Who – Before doing anything figure out who your audience is. Your final product will be radically different if you are making something for colleagues or customers. For me, deciding on an audience is the single biggest determining factor for what you will create. What – This seems obvious, what is the content of your video going to be. It absolutely is important to know what your content will look like. I mentioned storyboarding before. The planning will save you a lot of time. Draw out what each shot will look like. I won’t lie to you, this is going to seem very tedious. You…
Rebuttals for the most common excuses for avoiding video
When I first found out that I would need to blog as a part of this position, I was nervous. I looked around at what other people were blogging about and I didn’t feel like I had anything to add to that conversation. That was until I went to the latest Social Media of Kansas City lunch. It was a presentation by Sarah Redohl from Little Big Video on how to make videos “like Google.” As my background is in video I was very excited to see this presentation. Many people come up with as many excuses as it takes to avoid jumping into video. This post will cover many of them, but it is important to remember that video has the highest conversion rate of any medium. After watching a video for a product, people are 144 percent more likely to add it to their cart and 85 percent more likely to buy it. Think about your own time online. Video has become expected. Not only that, but each app has its own standard for video length. I will…
If you build it…you have to tell them about it
“If you build it, they will come.” That might have been true in “Field of Dreams” but it’s not always the case with social media profiles and other digital marketing platforms. Your customers may not realize that you have a Facebook page, Twitter profile or other digital marketing. So what can you do? The short answer is that you can tell your customers which platforms you have and where to find you. The long answer involves three things: in-store signage, cross-promotion and word-of-mouth marketing. In-Store Signage One of the best places to tell your customers about your digital presence is in the store. Remind them about your website or to follow you on social media while they are already there. Some might have a smart phone with them, so they can log in to their own Facebook or Twitter profile, and start following you right there on the spot! With social media, it’s important to remember to include what platforms you are on and where to find you. The best way to do this is to include the custom URL…
Your Store’s Branding
Birds do it. Bee’s do it. But what the heck does marketing have to do with it? Insects, birds, wind and even water are all vehicles for pollen, and they make cross-pollination possible. In nature, cross-pollination can produce stronger and more vigorous plants than those produced by self-pollinated plants. For example: butterflies need pollen for food and plants need butterflies to spread pollen, so each species has developed traits to aid in these goals. Plants that attract butterflies have developed very bright colors while butterflies have developed a strong sense of sight to see the colors. Without cross-pollination, this symbiotic relationship couldn’t be possible. Now think of your marketing strategy. What vehicles are you using to spread you marketing message to your customers? Website? Weekly print ads? Bag stuffers, text messages, email, Facebook or Twitter? When you try a new vehicle do you put it to the test with help from other vehicles or do you have a “sink or swim” philosophy? Our department has witnessed many times a key to a successful campaign is one that uses a cross-channel strategy to…