The Power Of Two
The Power Of Two
Many agree with internet entrepreneur Guy Levine. Online video marketing has seen a rapid growth over the last two years.
Relatively cheap new technology means that it is now possible for almost any entrepreneur to produce a video.
A crew of two – one behind the camera, one in front of it – can shoot a presentable 10-minute video in only half a day. No more than another half-day to a day may be necessary to edit it.
It takes two people just two days using anyone of a number of affordable, commercially available video editing packages for the PC or Mac. You could even see if you can get away with the free Windows Movie Maker. And, if you’re savvy you’ll have find a camera operator who’s also a good editor.
Since anyone can do it, everyone is doing it – at least badly. Millions of kids are sticking rubbish onto YouTube but the corporate video market is still one of dire quality, offering no value to the viewer but puffing the ego of the CEO.
The challenge is no longer to make your own film, but to make a film of such high quality that it stands out from the mass and attracts the limited attention span of the jaded viewer.
Large corporate have been doing this for a while, but most small businesses have missed just how affordable good quality video has become.
This is a ‘call to action’ for business owners to turn video producer-directors – no experience
necessary.
Here are a few tips I have discovered, on how to get that professional look that attracts attention, from having a go myself:
• KISS – Keep It Short & Simple – remember you have to catch and hold the attention of someone with a million better things to do
• Make something that is of interest to the market you want to attract – don’t make something that makes you feel important yet has no meaning for the rest of the world. See our DIY Public Relations video for a prime example.
• Consider future proofing – if you want people still to be watching your video in two years time, better to make everything in high definition video (HDV) rather than standard (SDV). You never know what new media might be just round the corner that makes today’s standard practice look very quickly dated.
• If you intend doing the presenting yourself, consider a short media presenting course – many who are very impressive in person can come across as a bit artificial on camera if they have not learnt a few basic tricks
• Alternatively, you can hire someone with professional presenting skills for as little as £100/$200 a day at places like shootingpeople.org or talentcircle.org – there is no need to splash out on a “celebrity”
• Choose between seasoned veterans, who will charge more but will probably bring their own equipment, or the cheaper option of hiring ambitious young assistants, who are keen to work their way up the career ladder but who are more likely to expect you to provide all the gear. Many of the latter may well be more interested in getting a credit than in the fee. Again, try shootingpeople.org and talentcircle.org
• Consider buying the rights to use commercially available music – it can be surprisingly cheap and it usually makes more of an impact than home-produced or royalty-free music
There are also a few traps to avoid.
• Do not make the false economy of relying on the microphone built into your camera, because it always sounds amateur – better to invest in a decent clip-on radio microphone, which will make all the difference to the quality of the finished product
• Do not buy or hire expensive lights – just look on eBay under “video lights”
• Be wary of using inexperienced people for critical shots. A less experienced, but far cheaper, crew will make more mistakes. Chosen well, perhaps after a trial, this risk can be reduced. However it might be worth paying for a professional if you’re filming something that can’t be readily reshot
• Do not expect perfection your first time – or waste your resources trying for it. Have a couple of trail goes first, which can also double up as test of your proposed crew.
You will probably find that your first project as a producer/director will not be your last, and, as with most things, that you will get better as you go along. So do not be obsessive about getting everything right at any price. Instead, be open to learning from your mistakes and just enjoy the process. That sense of enjoyment will usually come out in your video and may give it the edge you need.
The Power Of Two - To learn more about this author, visit Guy Kingston's Website.
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“E-books – old hat; sales copy – boring; we've got video!”
Many agree with internet entrepreneur Guy Levine. Online video marketing has seen a rapid growth over the last two years.
Relatively cheap new technology means that it is now possible for almost any entrepreneur to produce a video.
A crew of two – one behind the camera, one in front of it – can shoot a presentable 10-minute video in only half a day. No more than another half-day to a day may be necessary to edit it.
It takes two people just two days using anyone of a number of affordable, commercially available video editing packages for the PC or Mac. You could even see if you can get away with the free Windows Movie Maker. And, if you’re savvy you’ll have find a camera operator who’s also a good editor.
Since anyone can do it, everyone is doing it – at least badly. Millions of kids are sticking rubbish onto YouTube but the corporate video market is still one of dire quality, offering no value to the viewer but puffing the ego of the CEO.
The challenge is no longer to make your own film, but to make a film of such high quality that it stands out from the mass and attracts the limited attention span of the jaded viewer.
Large corporate have been doing this for a while, but most small businesses have missed just how affordable good quality video has become.
This is a ‘call to action’ for business owners to turn video producer-directors – no experience
necessary.
Here are a few tips I have discovered, on how to get that professional look that attracts attention, from having a go myself:
• KISS – Keep It Short & Simple – remember you have to catch and hold the attention of someone with a million better things to do
• Make something that is of interest to the market you want to attract – don’t make something that makes you feel important yet has no meaning for the rest of the world. See our DIY Public Relations video for a prime example.
• Consider future proofing – if you want people still to be watching your video in two years time, better to make everything in high definition video (HDV) rather than standard (SDV). You never know what new media might be just round the corner that makes today’s standard practice look very quickly dated.
• If you intend doing the presenting yourself, consider a short media presenting course – many who are very impressive in person can come across as a bit artificial on camera if they have not learnt a few basic tricks
• Alternatively, you can hire someone with professional presenting skills for as little as £100/$200 a day at places like shootingpeople.org or talentcircle.org – there is no need to splash out on a “celebrity”
• Choose between seasoned veterans, who will charge more but will probably bring their own equipment, or the cheaper option of hiring ambitious young assistants, who are keen to work their way up the career ladder but who are more likely to expect you to provide all the gear. Many of the latter may well be more interested in getting a credit than in the fee. Again, try shootingpeople.org and talentcircle.org
• Consider buying the rights to use commercially available music – it can be surprisingly cheap and it usually makes more of an impact than home-produced or royalty-free music
There are also a few traps to avoid.
• Do not make the false economy of relying on the microphone built into your camera, because it always sounds amateur – better to invest in a decent clip-on radio microphone, which will make all the difference to the quality of the finished product
• Do not buy or hire expensive lights – just look on eBay under “video lights”
• Be wary of using inexperienced people for critical shots. A less experienced, but far cheaper, crew will make more mistakes. Chosen well, perhaps after a trial, this risk can be reduced. However it might be worth paying for a professional if you’re filming something that can’t be readily reshot
• Do not expect perfection your first time – or waste your resources trying for it. Have a couple of trail goes first, which can also double up as test of your proposed crew.
You will probably find that your first project as a producer/director will not be your last, and, as with most things, that you will get better as you go along. So do not be obsessive about getting everything right at any price. Instead, be open to learning from your mistakes and just enjoy the process. That sense of enjoyment will usually come out in your video and may give it the edge you need.
The Power Of Two - To learn more about this author, visit Guy Kingston's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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