There has not been a new post in quite some time. That’s not because there’s been a lack of activity to talk about, just that I’ve been eyeball deep in client delivery AND starting a new FT job. Thankfully these two activities go hand in hand. It’s a little different than the norm. Here’s the story.
I am now the Marketing Strategist (since January) at the Vertek Division (Randolph, VT) of Applied Research Associates, which is based in Albuquerque, NM. They’re an engineering and R&D company that solves large national problems from divisions nationwide. I spend about half of my time developing their digital marketing presence around certain products (specifically a small robot for police and military use) within their overall ARA web scope. The other half of my time I continue to offer freelance communications and media services locally and within the national snowsports world. These clients are invoiced from ARA rather than me personally, but that’s the only difference. I have basically been “acquired” as a business entity by ARA (my word not theirs).
There’s been a lot of growth at Jay Peak lately. What hasn’t changed is the authenticity and commitment of the folks who choose to call it home. Doing a handful of these story tellers this winter for their website, social outposts and on-site cable channel. What story do you want told?
Gregg Blanchard who heads up the popular ski industry marketing blog Slopefillers contacted me regarding the recent online firestorm bestowed upon Snowbasin Resort in Utah.
We changed our mind. After a few weeks of talking about taking a special Christmas photo of our daughter Kaylin in order to print and send Holiday cards, we did this instead. Used the various photos and point-n-shoot vids on the home camera. It’s greener, makes for a memory reel to watch for years, and features the most popular member of the family that everyone wants to see. Happy Holidays!
Cameras don’t make videos. People do. Well, sort of.
I just recently got my hands on a new Canon XA10 and have outfitted myself with three different microphones, a new tripod and found a used camera bag that will hold all the cords and cables as well. There’s always a learning curve when you upgrade to new equipment and the fastest way up that curve in my experience is to watch tutorials and put the equipment to use in the field. We are now underway!
Tight editing keeps viewers watching.
I generally have three primary deliverables as far as video is concerned:
Marketing driven storytelling that focuses on turning unstaged real life and real people into tightly edited and entertaining videos across your online channels. Any topic.
Business overviews to allow for customers to “press play” on your homepage and learn it all.
Newsy segments from either a journalistic or branded point of view. Read more
You did it. You made a video. You’re going to put it online and the world will be your oyster. Not so much.
Youtube is a search engine of its own and one that holds very high regard in the older brother Google. It’s basically two search engines. Not able to get first page penetration for your site on Google for your desired keywords? You may have better luck getting first page via a video or at least good ranking in video search results. But how?
Name that puppy with a purpose. We’ve all seen “Yellowbus.mp4″ video titles being uploaded and shared by well intentioned marketeers. After the time is spent concepting, shooting, editing, rendering and uploading, missing the final step of dressing up your video with a keyword relevant title, a description with a link to your website and lots of relevant tags, means the overall ROI of your time and effort is being compromised. Don’t compromise yourself. That’s bad. Read more
Sure, I could go out and buy this stuff on my own (to replace my beater setup) and then maybe find time and clients to use it with while also being employed full time, but where’s the fun and/or publicity in that? There was lots of interest in my recent video tips post (based on site traffic), so now seemed like an opportune time.
My goal with this challenge is to educate the curious about the tools needed to undertake video in-house (if you also have the skills/time to produce it) as well as potentially find a local business or organization that wants to have some on message video stories to share across their digital platforms for a very low time/money/brain power commitment. Read more
If you are like me, then you have found yourself with a need for compelling video to share online either for your company or as a service to provide to a client. Challenges arise. Professional video production can be quite expensive and time consuming. Plus, very few other people in the world can tell the story you want told. It also takes a very adept touch to capture real life stories without getting in the way and making the participants feel like actors. This post is designed to help Marketing Directors and PR Managers operating under budget constraints (and without pro level equipment).
Here’s what you need.
Good soundbites. Get people talking. Capture the sound without lots of wind or white noise and make sure the light is at least acceptable. Do not have them regurgitate your promotional copy. Get them relaxed and telling stories or providing a unique view. Use a microphone.
A tripod. Don’t have a tripod? Use a rock. Use a desk. Use anything. Do not handhold the camera unless you are capturing action.
A camera that has a microphone input. Audio is king.
B-roll. Capture other footage to mix in with the soundbites that illistrates what is being discussed. Directly or indirectly.
Establishing shots. Where is this happening?
A medium and an audience. How will you distribute and who is it aimed to interest. Think about this before. Not after.
Editing experience. If you have never done it, do not expect your first projects to turn out well or be quick.
Editing software. There’s cheap/easy all the way to expensive/advanced. Storytelling can be done with any. Results will vary.
Edit and render soon after you capture. You’ll remember the clips better. Now is news, too.
A primary website that will allow you to feature it where you want to. Not just Youtube or Vimeo.
Here’s what you don’t need.
Zoom. Do whatever you can to not use it. You can create pans and zooms in editing that are smoother. Use sparingly.
1080p. If you are shooting with a consumer camera and distributing online, 1080p is overkill. 720p is plenty. Your hardrive will thank you.
Fancy graphics. They only look good when done by people who do them for a living.
A Mac. Yes, FCP is the pro standard editing software, but some of us are stuck in situations with other operating systems.
Note – If someone wants to buy me a Canon 5D or 7D and a Mac – I’ll make you some videos.
More than 2 types of transitions. Use sparingly.
Hours of raw footage. Make editing easy. Shoot with a purpose.
A script. Those are for Hollywood. Low budget video that is scripted, stinks. Have a communications goal. Edit to taste.
1GB files. Making 3 minute video? You can keep it high res and less than 250 mbs.
Lengthy and deep approval processes. If you have that, then you should be willing to spend the money to go high-end professional.
Long shots or long videos. Quick cuts and videos less than 3 minutes are winners.
Video is the most powerful communications method in existence. Just because anyone can press record does not mean anyone can create quality video for business. That said, it’s also not rocket science. Telling a story just like the TV news does is cake. Want to add it to your marketing mix or want to stop paying through the nose for simple stuff? Happy to help you do either. See some of the recent videos completed for New England Culinary Institute or those produced on my recent 3 month RV trip.
We left Tucson about 2 weeks ago and have since spent time in the Florida (pronounced flor-i-ta) Mountains of New Mexico, the Davis Mountains in the Big Bend of Texas, the Hill Country of Junction and Austin and now find ourselves just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The grass is now green, it’s humid, and there are many signs for alligator attractions, which is a nice change of pace. After boondocking in Austin to see our friend Jess (and running out of battery power on the last night) our current spot is feeling like an oasis of amenities.
Welcome to the Gulf Coast RV Park on the west side of Beaumont, Texas. This is a stopover/monthly park just off I-10 adjacent to the massive Ford Park entertainment and athletic complex. It’s in good shape, has modern amenities, and is very straightforward. Beaumont is not a tourist hotspot per se so the park focuses on being exactly what the traveler needs. Everything is clean, orderly, works well (even the wifi is fast) and there’s a free breakfast. It also has a new website that is only 5 pages in total. It’s bare bones but functional – so we gave it a boost. The video capsule below can be featured throughout the site and will allow guests to feel at home before they get here, which is a major factor for RV’ers trying to decice where to roost. This will be on their homepage shortly.
Next we are headed east for quick stops near Baton Rouge and Mobile, before seeking our next longer term video trade spot on the Florida Gulf Coast. If you get an email from me pointing you to this website, ask yourself – what would you like to communicate with video in trade for a single camping slot? Also consider that I’ll be contacting your competition. Embrace the opportunity – don’t let it go down the street. No website is complete without compelling video. So let’s get you some for the cost of simple camping trade.
The other people as crazy as us on the continent
Side note - I’ve been keeping this site to work related posts, but wanted to give a quick shoutout to Jed, Jillian and Juliet from Alberta. We met them in west Texas and spent a few nights camping as neighbors in Davis Mountains State Park. The first and only young family we have run into. Best of luck the rest of the way guys!
They were towing a small antique trailer and were seeing the sights of the west and south over the winter with their baby and pup. Hopefully we busted some American stereotypes along with those we surely upheld. Check out their blog if you like.
Look us up if you are ever headed to Vermont and let’s have a look at those curtains!
RT @WillMcAvoyACN: If we are fighting wars on terror, Christmas, women, drugs, and poverty, we are getting our asses kicked all over the pl… 18 hours ago
