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KICKPICS Website - Professional Martial Arts Photography,(Video), found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjpI6u4Komo is an example of a photography website video. A photography website video needs two essential ingredients to work, both of which are well illustrated by this video. The video needs a set of quality photographs to show off in the video, and it needs to enhance the display by setting the video gallery to appealing music. A third important factor is the spacing between photograph to photograph. This video uses a gap of about 5 seconds. This is enough time to see each photograph, but not too much time so that the viewer will get bored.
While many of the photographs in this web video are of amateur kick boxing, the video as a whole is immensely popular on You Tube, having racked up over 100,000. The essential ingredient that makes this video so appealing, is the effect generated by the interaction of the background music with the photographs. The background music consists of a male and female rap song. And the repartee between the male and female rapper contrasts very effectively with the martial arts photographs. As we view a photograph of a man with his foot pressed against the face of his fellow combatant, we hear the male and female rapper engaged in an even more primal warfare, the combat between the sexes.
As we see photograph after photograph of martial combatants who are constantly seeking to find an opening in the guard of their opponent, we hear the male rapper trying to find an opening in the female rapper’s defense, as she puts up her guard. “I want you on my team,” he says, “So does everyone else,” she replies.
The photographic images enhance our appreciation of the rappers. As we examine a photo of a male boxer viciously kicking his opponent in the face, it reminds us of the vicious combat between the male rapper and the other men competing for the attention of the female rapper.
“Just let your guard down,” the male rapper says, “Don’t get mad, don’t be mean,” “Don’t get mad, don’t be mean,” she repeats. The musical combat reminds us that in this ultimate primal realm of combat there is a positive not a negative end. While kick boxing is me against you, the musical combat ultimately shifts from me against you to me with you. Once the male rapper can break through the female rapper’s defense, he can get to something soft and nice. And the female rapper who starts out as his combatant can become his friend.
Although the video is not meant as an advertisement for martial arts, it does awaken an interest in the field, as it shows us that the principles of martial arts apply to other struggles in life, including love. A viewer might decide he should take some martial arts training, as well, as that will sharpen up his ability to be successful with women. At the same time, the video is definitely liable to interest viewers in seeing the photography website. There is a link at the bottom of the video and the webmaster reports getting an overall 7,000 hits per month to his website.
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Elocal has invented the genre of short, (10-20 second), generic website videos which can be used by any business in the profession for which they are made. Because this is a new marketing approach, it is important to examine videos in the eLocal collection to try and determine what types of content are most likely to successfully attract customers to companies using this type of web video on their website or landing page.
The eLocal health insurance landing page video, consists of three short family vignettes. The vignettes are backed up by a wistful electronic synthesizer generated melody. The vignettes tell a story, but it takes a while to put the pieces together.
In the first segment, a young mother is holding her baby, in a well lighted domestic environment. Instead of the joy a mother usually feels when holding her young child, this mother is anxious, distant a bit distracted, and even bites her lip. There is a sad look in her eye. What could be the reason?
The second segment takes place as the sun is setting. A father plays with his two daughters on a hill top. One sister tries to touch the other sister, being held by the father. The father twists this way and that to prevent the one daughter from touching her sister. The whole scene is viewed from a distance, and the three players are silhouetted against the setting sun. In the third scene, the father, perhaps the same father is pushing his young daughter on a swing. If this is the same child as we saw in the first scene than she has grown up a bit.
The 20 second video displays three captions, which fit together to make two sentences.Putting them together they read: ” Can you measure the value of your family?” “Find out about your health options today.”
I had to watch the video four or five times before the captions and sequences all came together and began to suggest a story. The mother may have been anxious in the first scene because she had a medical condition and knew she wouldn’t live to see her child grow up. In the second and third scenes the mother is conspicuously absent and the father is playing with the children. The setting sun against which the father and children are silhouetted in the second scene might symbolize the waning life of the mother. In the third scene, the mother the father, is playing with his daughter, the absence of the mother suggests that the scenario actually occurred.
This interpretation of the video is supported by the somber, almost dirge like synthesizer music, which plays in the background. The suggestive plot line seen together with the captions suggests that the family did not have enough health insurance to pay for the mother’s catastrophic health needs. Perhaps if they had, the mother would still be living.
Other people might interpret the video differently. Like rorschach diagrams, the three scenes together suggest various interpretations to individual viewers. However, most of the interpretations are likely to be somber.
Because elocal’s 20 second generic videos are made to be placed on the website of anyone in a chosen profession, they often avoid using real shots of one particular company, perhaps so the videos won’t be considered to be misleading, when used by two different companies in the same profession. In this web video, however, the film depicts a scenario portraying people who need health insurance, and not portraying the insurance company itself. eLocal apparently felt comfortable using real people to portray members of a family with inadequate health insurance to cover their needs.
The question one puzzles about is how people will interpret the story, and if this will motivate them to buy health insurance. I don’t believe too many people will interpret the storyline in the way I did. The video emphasizes family relationships. People viewing the short video might be inspired to contact the insurance company because they believe they must have insurance for their children’s sake. Or else they must have health insurance for themselves so they will be healthy to take care of their children. These lines of thought might be aroused by seeing the video, and subsequently inspire the viewers to contact an insurance company.
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More and more businessman with company websites are realizing that a web video, which greets visitors to the web site, makes the web site more personal reaches out to visitors in a stronger way and increases the conversion rate. What are the essential elements of a web video that will turn clicks into customers. That is the central question.
Making a web video for a given profession will have unique requirements. However, many of the qualities which make a video work for one profession will also apply to website videos in other professions. In this article, I will be comparing three web videos that were made for the landscaping profession and are posted on You Tube.
The ATC website video posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIpt0JebTc tells the story of a day in the life of the ATC company. The background music of this video is the song Takin’ Care of Business by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The song describes the 9-5 daily schedule of workers who push the time clock. The video describes the story of a typical day of ATC landscape workers. In the morning, the workers conference, they stand around the foreman who gives then a pep talk. Then they clap hands and head to the trucks. Then one by one the trucks pull away. Next we see workers busy with various landscaping chores, mowing the lawn, trimming a bush, and setting up a wooden fence behind a garden. The scenes feature good quality landscaping work and attractive lawns and gardens. When the video is over, we have come to feel that the workers of ATC are decent hard working fun-loving guys. And we would trust them with our landscaping.
The second web video, is constructed of amateur video footage and still photos, arranged and set to music by a professional video production company. This video is compounded of stills and video segments of landscapes the company has made,along with some shots of company workers actively engaged in landscaping. The video features still and video shots of landscapes the company made, and some shots of company workers at work. The music is upbeat universal style background music. The video is not as personal as the first video. It seeks to build trust with the viewer by presenting the quality of the company’s landscape work.
The third web video is also professionally made. The video contains slightly oriental sounding background music. Presumably the music was selected becasue of the asociation between gardens and the orient. The introduction features an off screen narrator who talks about the qualities of the company, followed by a series of before and after photos of various landscaping jobs the company has done.
Studies have shown that trust a shopper has for a company is a very important factor in determining whether or not he will do business with that company. Trust, it has been shown can override considerations of the quality of the work the company will produce. And for obvious reasons, a company may do quality work but if not trustworthy could cheat an individual customer. Whereas a trusty company will always be expected to do well for a customer. So which video wins more trust? Clearly number one. At the end of that video, we feel like we know the company and the workers. Whereas in video two the workers appear in a few still life shots, and in video three not at all.
What other factors are essential parts of these three videos, clearly the shots of quality landscaping. While the first video may inspire trust by introducing the crew as decent hard working and fun loving guys, the shots of quality landscaping, manicured, well cut lawns, well trimmed beds and a sturdy garden fence are also necessary, as they allow the viewer to connect his faith in the workers with the quality work they do. Both the second and third videos also present the quality landscaping work the companies do.
What general conclusions can we draw from these three videos? First, a video which inspires trust in the viewer, by showing the workers as well as the work, is more likely to be successful in winning customers. Secondly, website videos must also present examples of quality work in the profession, so that viewers can connect the faith they have in the company with the belief that the company will do quality work in their given profession.
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For the last three years, eLocal has been creating generic mini-website videos that can placed on the website of anyone in the profession for which the video was made. The videos are produced in quantity and are sold at whoelsale prices and have made website videos affordable for even the small businessman. This strategy has made the businessman feel good, but the question is whether these little mini website videos are drawing in the traffic.
If these videos are drawing traffic, which ones, or which type of content, in this new genre, are most effective at converting clicks to customers. In this article, I will be looking at the eLocal Garage door video # 2 found at: http://www.youtube.com/elocalvideoexamples#p/u/5/pd0xn7w5VD
This video might be aptly called the garage door dance video. In style, it is patterned after a number of videos, which use either repetitive sequences or motion graphics to display the product making a repetitive motion. If the motion is one that people enjoy doing or seeing, then they might become hypnotized by the video, as they gaze at the product dancing around the screen.
In this video, the repetitive motion is the electronically controlled garage door opening and closing. The direction of the moving door is controlled by a button being fingered by an off screen participant. The door moves up and down to the rhythm of a funky repetitive synthesizer tune which plays in the background. On close examination, it appears that the 20 second video was made by splicing 3 segments of the same segment together, with some added material. The video closes with a dark background on which the name and phone number of the company is displayed.
So is this video effective as a web video. It must be said in its favor, that pushing the button to control the movement of a garage door is a favorite motion for many people. People finger the button before leaving on a trip or vacation or a visit to a movie or restaurant. They finger it again to close the garage after returning satisfied from a dinner with friends or a movie. They finger it before going out to earn money. Admittedly, at times it can become a nuisance, and because of this we now have electronically controlled garage door buttons. But in general, the electric garage is one of the modern conveniences that people appreciate. And they part they like the most is when they hit the button and the door begins to move in the direction they want. This eLocal video decided to capitalize on the enjoyment of this motion, by presenting a video which only contains that motion.
One way this video might have increased its effectiveness is if they had presented a completed garage door move. People like the completion of the garage door close as well as the start. The part they hate is the long time it takes to get to the end. This video only shows a short segment of the move, albeit the exciting moment when the door curves around the guiding rails as its motion changes from horizontal to vertical or visa versa.
In addition to failure of the video to have presented a more complete move, the display on the screen is a little cramped. We see a finger pushing the button, we see a close up of the door rising up and down and its reverse and little else.
Assuming the cinematic effects were perfect, the central question is whether the idea of this video itself is a good one. Assuming the video was successful at displaying a fun aspect of operating a garage door, will it sell the garage door? Logically, it will. I conclude that the idea of this video has some merit, but the cinematic effects are incomplete and cramped.
What is the take home lesson from this video. Showing a fun aspect of owning or operating a product a company is trying to sell can be a good one. The display should be as more complete than this display both temporally and spatially.
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eLocal, always a step ahead of the competition in the Local Search market, has pioneered the use of the generic mini web videos for business promotion. I call them generic, because each of the 10-15 second online videos can be used by any business in the profession for which the video is made. eLocal markets them as “custom” web videos because each one is made for one particular profession.
The mini videos are appropriate for mounting on a web page or landing page, and have adapted well to eLocal’s local search marketing strategies for the small businessman. It is interesting to examine the videos, and see what content eLocal is using to attract customers.
At http://www.youtube.com/elocalvideoexamples#p/u/1/HCbsWFgCPE0 you can see eLocals #1 auto body repair video. This 13 second video clip shows us cars riding down a country road on a bright sunny day. We see what looks like green pastures, and a country farmhouse in the background. Along comes a convertible sports car, with a driver in a driving cap, only one little detail is out of kilter. While sports cars are always small, this one is so small the driver can’t fit into the driver’s seat. He is forced to sit on the back of the car, with his feet in the driving area, as he leans over to grasp the steering wheel.
The background music for the video is a modern jazz guitar piece. The chords obviously contain discordant 6s and 7s, jazz chords, which add notes that are not in the normal 1,3,5 progression. The chords serve to amplify the theme of things not fitting into place. On a grander scale, the old open air sportscar riding down a country lane is reminiscent of earlier days in the automobile revolution, when cars still did not quite fit into roads meant for the horse and buggy. The video caption reads, “Having car troubles?” As the clip ends, the music fades out.
The caption and part of the scene are out of focus. This may have been deliberate. It might have been the intention of the videographer to liken the out of focus caption and out of focus video with the out of kilter car. [/spin Nevertheless, the lack of focus detracts from the professionalism of the video.
[spin]This video , which takes place in the bright of day, contrasts with eLocal’s other autobody repair video that shows a car breaking down on a dark deserted freeway, at night. While that video focuses on a common emotion of fear, which motorists can identify with, this video attempts to downplay the fear and panic element often associated with a car breakdown. The soothing music invites viewers to calm down and take a stoic look at their car troubles. It seeks to minister to the victim of a malfunctioning vehicle, and in this way to attract them to make contact and use the services of the advertising company.
What do the two videos have in common? They address the emotions related to car problems. In this way the online video attracts the customer, who can feel that this company understands how he feels.
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Putting a web video on page one of your web site, is not about information, it is not about product presentation, it is about trust establishment. As this article will explain, giving surfers a chance to see you, the owner, face to face in a web video, will immediately begin to establish trust in you, and facilitate their decision to want to do business with you
It may be a rude surpirse to know that people can have turst in someone who is unethical or even criminal. Having trust is more about believing in another person. . However, the degree to which one person trusts another is a reflection of belief in the other person’s honesty, fairness and benevolence. Important for establishing initial trust in business is that fact that a failure in trust is more easily forgiven if it is due to t a failure in competence rather than a lack of benevolence or honesty. As a result, sometimes a business providing, at least temporarily, inferior services may fare better with their customers than a company providing superior services, if people feel the first company is honest and means well.
From a philosophical persepctive, trust is defined as a heuristic decision process or rule, which allows another person to process un otherwise complex situation in away that avoids unrealistic efforts in rational thoought. . Lets break this definition down. Heuristic processes are trial and error approaches to problem solving which begin with the most accessible solution, and go on to another solution, only if the first solution doesn’t solve the problem. What this means in terms of business is that if a customer finds himself interacting with a business owner that he intrinsically wishes to trust, because the owner appears benevolent, good natured and well meaning. Then the customer will prefer to trust the owner and do business rather than get involved into complex rational thought about what might go wrong in the business relationship.
And now, what does this have to do with putting a video on page one of your web site. And here’s the answer. When a surfer goes onto a new web site, and thinks about doing business with someone he’s never met, he can rapidly be won over by a short online video of the owner talking with him. If he likes the look and personality of the owner than he will immediately wish to trust him and do business, because that will be the easiest solution for him to take.
And this realization leaves us with one more important take away lesson. A front page video needn’t trouble itself with a description of company services or products. It just has to provide a reason for the surfer to trust the owner. A short 40 second passionate description, by the owner saying that he established the family potato chip business 30 years ago because he wanted to provide people with a crispy chip that wouldn’t lose its favor in the package, will win trust right away.
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Pacifico Del Mar, a lovely eatery perched on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, has no need to exert itself to find entrancing and majestic visual images, with which to craft an enlivening restaurant video. Challenged by the enormity of the imminent Pacific panorama as seen from the restaurant’s outdoor patio, the indoor dining hall is yet unabashed, as it bathes visitors in the shimmering rays of the changing pacific light reflected off artfully designed modern wall hangings, that surround the dining area. And as if that weren’t enough, visitors are reminded of the neighboring sea by a centrally placed aquarium set aglow by a display of muted spectral lighting.
Rising to the challenge, the restaurant compliments the beauty of the outdoor setting, with the beauty of their own creations; richly textured and flavored dishes, that present the hidden bounty of the sea as stunning works of culinary art.
The colorful and tasteful Aquarian offerings are politely accompanied by terrain delights such as the restaurant’s filet minion, and their famous award winning selection of wines from California and around the world.
Despite the richness of this visual scenery, the restaurant does not fail to present an equally vibrant narrative to balance out their well done visual video presentation.
The narrator reads from a carefully and effectively prepared tribute to the culinary sea side retreat, and gracefully takes the viewer through the physical and nutritional purlieus of Pacifico Del Mar. Without missing any of the establishment’s rich natural resources, the video does justice as well to the artistic food creations prepared by the Chef, which match texture and appearance to taste.
After completing the presention of the resounding beauty of the seaside eating haven, to the backdrop of light, oceanic almost Hawaiian music, the video closes with a lyrical tribute to the restaurant by the sea where “sky meets sea and flavor meets satisfaction.” The music fades as we are treated to one last glimpse of the Chef’ superb artistry, a mouth watering fish dish, grilled to perfection, about to be presented to a lucky guest.
The well balanced video is posted on San Diego Restuarants.com, along with a friendly review and informative details about the restaurant. An online chat and reservation link is posted near the restaurant video and it should come as no surprise to anyone that this well placed well made web video and landing page are attracting scores of visitors to this Pacific paradise.
Moral of this article, a gentle and artistic narration can enhance even the best made restaurant videos
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If you aren’t sure if a video will enhance the selling power of your website, consider the reulsts of research about eBay sellers with and without embedded videos. The studies have show that eBay listings with a video attract more attention and also provide more information to potential buyers. What the studies have shown, therefore, is that if multiple ebay merchants are pushing the same product, the seller with an embedded video will have an advantage A video is capable of giving more information about an item that a still photograph. A video is capable of giving ore detail and information than a photograph can and thus provide satisfaction to a shopper who wants to know everything he can about the product before buying.
Likewise, a video embedded in a web site adds a personal element that increases the marketing power or conversion rate of the website, its ability to turn surfers into potential buyers. And what’s more, a web site video, that reaches out to your visitors can also be posted to You Tube and allow you to extend your marketing to the web.
What content should you put in your website video? Not only is there no one answer, there is also a whole spectrum of concepts to choose from . At one pole are videos with the potential to go viral. These are videos with exciting content. They might be musical, funny, bizarre, novel or shocking. IF successful they can have a meteoric rise to popularity, and then decline in popularity over time. At the other end of the spectrum are videos being referred to as “evergreen” videos. These are videos with content that would be described as useful and interesting. The CEO of Little5min.com discussed the growing interest in evergreen type videos on the web. Examples which he enumerated included how to videos, such as you might see on howto.com, and more recently biography videos.
Websites, which contain how to videos concerning topics related to the websites purpose, i.e. how to unclog a toilet on a plumbing site, are liable to maintain interest for a long time. Plus, these types of videos add content to web sites and will help to improve their rankings.
So to be sure adding a video to your website or other selling platform will increase its marketing power, but what type of video you embed, and where it stands on the content spectrum is your choice.
Thanks to Winmax Video for sponsoring this report. Winmax is a video production company specializing in trade show videos corporate videos and other types of business videos.
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It is common knowledge within the business community, that adding a video to the website will increase the conversion rate of the site resulting in more sales for the company.This increased return makes it worthwhile to spend some money to create the video. Professional production companies are happy to help meet businessman’s needs. For the few extra dollars it takes to create a web video the owner can expect an even greater return from his investment.
Whether the business owner makes a video himself or with the help of a video production company or a combination of the two, he will be better off giving thought to the type of video that will be effective on his web site.This is where it makes sense to learn from the professionals and examine the types of videos that video production companies put on their own sites. In this article, I will be examining the web video on the web site of Winmax Video of California, a producer of website videos, corporate video and other professional business videos.
Notice, right off, that the Winmax Video is placed towards the top of the page, towards one side, and in clear site of any surfer who reaches the site. This is appropriate placement of the video. It immediately alerts the visitor to the fact that there is a video, and he has a choice of listening to it or surfing the rest of the site.
Thirty seconds to slightly more than a minute is a good length for a video. Modern day, fast paced Internet surfers, want quick concise information.
Now consider the content of the video. The intro of a web video must capture the attention of the surfer. The video opens with a motion graphic explosion. Immediately after attracting audience attention, the video must provide the viewer a reason to watch the rest of the video. Winmax adds a graphic of an intergalactic star cluster with a brief line of “interstellar” type electric synthesizer organ music. The clip suggests the cosmic importance of the work of their firm.
The body of the video should get right to the point. This video introduces the company name and function in the first sentence, with content backed up by captions
Depending on the budget and desire of the company making the video, some or most of the content of the body can be illustrated by graphics and motion graphics and or sound effects. It is important that the graphics do not in any way detract from the content of the video. If they can provide a little added spice to the content, a little enlivening of the day, then they have done their job.
A web video should conclude with a call to action. This video states: Contact us today and ask your Winmax representative how we can grow your business,” direct and to the point.
At the very end, the web video should present a caption containing the company name, location and contact information.
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Businesses that own a personal website, are rightfully concerned about the conversion rate of their websites. What percentage of people who surf onto the site will contact the business? What percentage of people recruited by the web site will become customers? One of the relevant areas of discussion related to this topic is assessment of the impact that addition of a web video will have on the website conversion rate.
A successful marketing company that specializes in web site conversion rates, had the following suggestions for businessmen seeking to boost their website’s effectiveness. Conversionrate.com offered three reasons why a video might boost the conversion rate. First, it improves the customer’s ability to relate to what is being offered. Secondly, it presents the opportunity to demonstrate the product in a more convincing fashion; visual plus aural communication added to the printed word. Thirdly the video media reaches out more personally with web visitors.
Conversion.com offered the following downsides, which can make or break web videos effectiveness. First the video should be easily down loadable. Consideration must be given to the viewing connection speed of most visitors. Secondly, videos are experienced in real time, as opposed to web pages, which can be scanned and read at the viewers leisure. So videos force surfers into a real time frame, which is trendy, but still not to everyone’s liking.
Finally, conversion .com offered the following three suggestions to enhance video effectiveness. First, viewing the video should be an option, but not an obligation. Secondly, the video should be short, not more than a minute. And finally, the video should specifically support the conversion goal, and not just be a cool add on to a website.
Importantly, videos add content to webpage’s, which in and of themselves will help to boost ranking. Therefore, in addition to having an intro video, a growing number of web sites have how to videos, some home made, which demonstrate or explaining how to accomplish goals the web site is dedicated to acheiving. A pest control website, for example, might have a video explaining to customers how to clean their homes to keep them free of bedbugs.
Thanks to Winmax Video of California for sponsoring this report. Winmax is a video production company specializing in trade show video , corporate video and other corporate and business videos.
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