Quite simply, more decision-making executives (c-suite) are waking up to business video because we (business video producers) are making life easier for executives by distilling key messages and information into a carefully crafted few minutes.

Instead of having to wade through lengthy documents or numerous pages of a website they can watch a short video that gives them the executive summary - the highlights and key points.

So, if your target audience is business owners and director level executives it is crucially important to employ a video company who understand how to communicate your messages effectively.

As a producer it's my role to take the time to understand your business and the issues you face that you can address using a video.  It is then up to me to identify the key messages and create a narrative that represents the spirit or essence of your company and attracts your clients to you. 

After all, your time is best spent using your expertise to run the business - to do what I do best I need to gain your trust and be given the space and resources to to make a short informative and engaging film. 

More often than not I receive a phone call or email asking me to quote for producing a video to promote a companies products - a sales video.  After we have discussed the viewing behaviour & preferences as above we are commissioned to make a film with a more gently promotional message - no hard selling.  

The video will often be the first thing potential clients see so the information has to be about who you are and why you do what you do.  If they like what they see they are more likely to spend time reading more detailed information on your website.

So think of a promotional video as an executive summary - with the benefit of case study testimonials - something like this...

 

 

If a picture paints a 1000 words, just how many words are contained in a video that actually has 25 frames (different pictures) in every second of film - 30 in the USA
Video has a language of its own that is made up of 3 elements:

• The words you hear
• Your interpretation of the pictures you see
• The unspoken moods or emotions you feel through non-verbal communication - the wink of an eye, a smile, negative body language, a false smile that is only seen in the mouth but not in the eyes.

 

Today I was sent a video to comment on. I'm assuming that the idea of the video is to promote a company who designs and creates domestic interiors - kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms etc. What I see on viewing the film is one minute of nicely shot images filmed in a showroom and set to music.

It's not that it's bad - there are some smiling faces of staff and customers and a range of images that suggests the calibre of client they are targeting - all set to some happy music.

My point is that this could be so much more. It's 2 dimensional because the first element - words - is missing entirely. There is no narrative, no story to hook me in and carry me along. I don't feel that I know who the company are or whether they really do a good job - anyone can hire actresses or models to smile in front of some nice shiny products.

With little additional effort a short clip from a senior representative of the company or a respected figure talking about the products might give the viewer an insight into the 'why' behind the company - it's culture and ethos.

Two or three short clips from customers would tell me how much they like doing business with that company and why they chose to buy from them.

I always try to include client testimonials in a promotional film. The viewer can see that they are genuine interviews and are likely to trust the content - a great soft sell for your business.

Here's a short film we produced for AEG at Taste of Christmas that follows these principals - resulting in an easy to watch film that doesn't feel like a sales message

 

 

Using Posterous Spaces iPhone App for the first time. It looks like a good way to share, especially video & photos - if you have more to say than 140 characters
Any thoughts?

Richard Flewitt
business video expert
New Edge
01949 861848
07836 523765

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Creating engaging communications for internal use is vital if you need to keep staff and colleagues up to date on company news, incentives and relevant information such as sector trends and trainng issues.

In this case study Amplifon UK CEO Steve Fleming explains the benefits to Amplifon in using video for all their major internal communications.  He also describes how his relationship with New Edge, as long-standing business video production company is like a partnership - working together to identify key messages and deciding on the best way to deliver them so that the staff want to watch and engage with the
content.

 

The CEO of Phase Vision was synical about using video to promote the company's 3D white light optical inspection and measuring equipment. Persuaded by his marketing team to make one film with New Edge business video productions as a trial, he talks here about how he is totally converted to video and has since commissioned 2 more from New Edge.

Do you have stands at exhibitions? Listen to this story then get in touch with New Edge to see how we can help you attract visitors and stand out from the crowd

Use your clients and customers to 'sell' for you in Sales and Promotional videos.  People buy from people - Richard Flewitt from New Edge business video productions explains:

 

YouTube for Business, what’s the catch?

Numerous facts and statistics are being quoted, then re-quoted about the power of YouTube as a promotional vehicle for your business.  What is beyond doubt is the fact that a very significant number of people are now using YouTube as a search engine; it became the number 2 search engine after Google as early as August 2008, and some say that there have been months in 2009 where the number of YouTube searches has overtaken Google.

This means that videos that are correctly titled and key-word tagged are being found by people searching for information, and if you have no videos containing information about your products or service, or sharing your thought leadership online you are missing out on a very large slice of visibility for your company.  Type ‘business video production’ into the YouTube search bar and you will see how visible New Edge videos are on the first page.

Of course, like any online content, if people find your video then choose not to watch it, or to click away within seconds, any benefit you gained from positioning is lost. 

The catch with YouTube for business is therefore threefold:

• Your video has to be relevant to the search
• It has to be presented in an engaging style to keep the attention of your viewer
• You have to inform, educate or entertain – selling is a big NO

There are two ways that you can use business video on the web, and you need to decide on your video strategy before choosing the most effective style for you.

Attraction
If  you want to promote your brand, make your company more visible and drive people to your website then you need a short film that people will like enough to pass on to their network and friends.  This is how the most successful viral videos work.  A great recent example is the Surfing Sheep! Film that had more than 250,000 views in the first month.

It’s short, fun and entertaining with a subtle corporate branding and strap line at the end.

Information
If your reasons for using video are to share knowledge, be seen as a thought leader or an expert, to inform or educate, then you will rely on viewers finding you by using key words, appreciating your content, and subscribing to future videos you make.  YouTube has been described as the new encyclopaedia where you can learn how to do just about anything.   According to Forbes research, two thirds of c-suite executives view work-related videos online at least once a week, and 27% cite video as their preferred format for information gathering. 
So get in on the act and share your knowledge! 

This type of information/education film is much less likely to become viral so you have to work harder to spread the word, posting your video links on social media sites, Ecademy, LinkedIn, Facebook etc to attract viewers to your YouTube channel.  The more views and ratings it gets, the more visible it will become to others on YouTube.  Although the number of views will be less than a viral film, your viewers are much more likely to be people who are genuinely interested in what you do, what you have to have to say, recognise your value and eventually buy from you.

With both types of video it is crucial to think carefully about a detailed description, a relevant title, key word tags, and of course always include a link back to your website.

You know that a business video will help you to promote your organisation, or disseminate information to employees or clients - so when is the right time to engage the services of a professional? Do you create a brief and tell the production company what you want, or do you seek out their expertise to help you come up with the right video for you?

To many people the idea of presenting to a camera is extremely daunting.  It doesn't have to be. I believe that you should appear on camera as you do in reality - the real, natural you.  The first mistake most people make is to assume that because there is a camera looking at them, they need to act like a television presenter or broadcaster - Wrong! Others who are familiar with public speaking usually believe that the process of delivering to a camera will be easy.  How many times have I heard people tell to me that talking to a camera won't be a problem for them as they regularly speak to groups of 100s of people at a time - then spent a couiple of hours working with them to deliver a short presentation to a camera. To attempt to help people who would like to present to a camera in a more natural and comfortable style I have created a series of short video tutorials.  The first one investigates the difference between presenting styles on screen and to a live audience: The rest of the series can be viewed here on my YouTube channel [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un3_ILcSnpA&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Don't get caught in the trap of creating a video so that you and your colleagues can pat each other on the back and say 'don't we look good, aren't we great' Instead you should be thinking about your customers issues and needs that will be solved or improved by using your product or service. How can you help to make their lives easier or better. It sounds dramatic I know, but think about it - what is the end result of a customer coming to you instead of one of your competitors? For me the answer is easy - now I've taken the time to talk to my customers and find out. Our clients say that they appreciate working with New Edge because of the added value that our expertise in video communication brings to a project. Have a look at these Video Testimonials from the home page of the New Edge website to see what our clients have to say: People buy from people, and a set of video testimonials like this lets your clients do the selling for you. Viewers can tell that the video is genuine and not set up in any way. Contrast the natural style of this film to the ‘Daz’ washing powder adverts we all know and love to hate: Do you really believe that the lady in the advert did not know Danny Baker was about to knock on the door? Compare this style with the video testimonials and interview with the MD in the general overview film we recorded for Blue Chip. For most of you the key messages of this film are very specific to IBM server maintenance, but imagine that the film was your clients talking about your business. Here is another example from the optical sector for No.7 Contact Lenses.  Imagine that you own an independent optical practice – what would you feel about using No.7 as a supplier after watching this film? My only criticism with both these companies is that they have decided to hide the videos on a back page of their website only accessible through the menu. I believe that these messages should be ‘shouted it from the rooftops’ in a prominent position on the homepage - they are a great introduction to the company, it’s ethos and it’s values. This type of film suits the British approach to business perfectly. You get all the information you need to make an initial judgment about the company, which is qualified by significant personnel from well known brands speaking on the company’s behalf. In contrast here is a video demonstrating a typical approach from the US. Do you believe that the presenter is from the company? Is she an expert in financial services? Do you feel informed enough to make a judgment on working with the company? If you are in any doubt she is clearly a busy lady – here she is again selling artificial turf…. And again as a retail expert What do you think, am I right? I’d appreciate your views