The Most Common Mistake in Web Video Marketing

BOOM! A great marketing idea hits you like a truck.

The video in your head looks amazing. The message is smooth, the visuals are compelling, and it fits nicely within your budget.

It’s inspired, imaginative, and clever. The team adores your creative vision. People toss around the word, “viral”. Your video will soon exist.

But should it?

Most marketers and advertisers get their ideas like this. Inspiration strikes, a vision is pitched, the production team brings it to life. What’s the problem here?

I’m going to tell you the biggest reason why most web video marketing is doomed from the start.

The Cost of Online Video Production

The prospect of getting a business video produced is littered with potential hurdles, and the first one is a biggie.

Cost.

Most businesses have no idea what is takes to produce a professional video. There’s a very simple reason for that.

Asking, “How much does a video cost?” is like saying, “How much does a car cost?” They can be dirt cheap or obscenely expensive.

But don’t worry. Just like most people have a certain price range for a car, there’s a common price range for video productions as well.

Here are some fairly thorough write-ups detailing the costs of video productions.

Where Your Customers Went

Each month: 168 million online viewers watch an average of 10 hours of video online. That’s 26 Billion views every month and climbing.

The first, “Online Video Continues Ridiculous Trajectory”, provides a nice synopsis on some ComScore numbers. A few choice quotes pretty much makes my point for me.

…the average video watched is now 3.8 minutes in length…

In terms of web visitors, 3.8 minutes is an eternity, and most webmasters would kill for an attention span like that. If everything else we’ve said before today hasn’t already convinced you to jump into online video, then zero in and focus on just this metric. What would it be worth to you to hold your visitors’ attention for four minutes?

"People can copy the format, but they can’t clone you."

Our job is fun. We get to meet passionate people from across North America and learn about who they are and their life’s work. Pennie Hunt is a great example of somebody interesting who taught us things even as we worked together.

Nobody at Sunpop previously knew there was an industry such as Pennie’s in Wyoming Health Resources Network; but now it makes perfect sense. It’s even better when the video is really making waves!

In a recent email, Pennie sent us the following:

A Sunpop Video in the Wild

We made a new video (and a new friendship) with a recent client named Jean Carpenter Backus. Ever since, she’s sent us multiple emails as more and more people are “meeting” her through the video.

We don’t usually share the specific positive responses we often receive, but the latest blog entry talking about Jean is so compelling, we have to share the link.

The post: Ricci Neer writes “How I Met Jean Carpenter Backus”

Big things tend to happen when you have as much to offer as Jean does. Wish I could take all the credit, but we just pulled back the curtain.

Why All the Fuss: Online Video for Small/Medium Businesses

I came across a decent little article at www.seopointz.net about online Video for SMB’s. (small / medium businesses).

It’s been said before, but bears reiterating: Online video can level the playing field for the small business people of the world, by providing an affordable and interesting way to showcase points of differentiation from bigger competitors.

When strong content and production values meet an affordable media that can spread your message exponentially…

Yah, it’s time to make a fuss.

Sunpop’s New Expansion Studio

We’re truly thrilled to finally announce the successful launch of our expansion recording studio in Toronto, Ontario. After working with Rick Henry and Debbie Armstrong for many months already, I can say with confidence that they are recording clients who display the same level of unposed authenticity and comfortable credibility that typifies a SunPop production. These people really get it, they’re already out of the starting gate and making great shoots happen.

I’ve long recognized that the travel barrier is the main obstacle holding most people back from choosing to hire SunPop Studios, and so it’s really exciting to have such a skillful team in the fifth-most populous municipality in all of North America.

We’ll still be doing all of the actual editing here at SunPop Austin, so my personal studio will continue to work our magic on the Toronto footage using all the techniques we’ve invented and refined over the years.  This frees up Rick and Debbie to give their undivided attention on optimizing the conversational recording experience into the best it can possibly be for our clients.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Rick, Debbie, and the expansion studio, why not watch both of their online video introductions on the SunPopCanada.com homepage and the About Us page and meet them yourself?

TheStreet.com Cites SunPop: Why Your Business Needs Web Videos

Steve Cooper discusses the rising need for quality website videos, citing myself and two other experts in his four page article. It’s absolutely worth the read if you’re interested. I was particularly tickled by the first statistic, indicating that the website video industry is expected to nearly quadruple its earnings in the next four years.

This enormous growth is itself compelling news for business owners, as Edward Royce says, it’s time to get serious about web video “because competitors are going to do it.”

The article also reiterates the same point I’ve been making for years: a lot of people claim to be a production studio, pointing to their cameras and computers as evidence, but none of that matters to you and your potential customers if they use mediocre techniques to make impotent videos.

So check the article out if you want to get a better sense of where Web Videos are right now and where they’re going, as well as gaining some insights into the process.

Down with Posing! Up with Lomogra-huh?

I want to give you a quick glimpse into one our creative inspirations. It’s a method of taking pictures that results in breathtaking images, compositions, and “moments of truth”.

Lomography seems very “zen” to me. I don’t mean that in a spiritual way. Just a natural, effortless approach to taking photographs.

How many of you have posed for a picture and stared at the camera for an uncomfortable amount of time until it finally flashes. The results? Predictable.

Do you shoot pictures that way? Holding the camera eye level with the subject. Making sure you don’t cut off anything. Everyone looking right at you and smiling.

*click* … booorrriiinnnggg.

But don’t feel bad. Most of the camera carrying public takes pictures like that.

Chances are you have a digital camera. If you want to take more real, dynamic, or interesting photos, give this stuff a shot. (lame pun intended.)

Put yourself in the right place, time, frame of mind and boom – you can get awesome images. Success has less to do with how hard you’re trying, and everything to do with how flexible you’re willing to be.

Somewhere there’s a metaphor in there for smart video marketing. You figure it out. I’m going to take some pictures.