Video Production | Episode XI Studios

There is no question regarding the power of using video to not only promote your product but also yourself in the Real Estate market. As attention spans get shorter and shorter online – you need to be as compelling as possible via the most entertaining medium. There is a reason people would rather watch the movie that read the book.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Morgan Brown a Marketing Director with Turnhere.

“How can real estate professionals use video in their marketing?

With such a large percentage of home owners starting their search for property online, using video in online listings is the first thing that comes to mind. Pictures are nice and descriptions are helpful, but there is no substitute to video for giving a user a firsthand experience of the property with a well-done video home tour. In addition to using video to highlight listings it can also be used to showcase neighborhood attributes and provide a profile of your business and team.

For example if you are a Realtor in the East Bay of California you can use video to highlight the quaint neighborhood of Rockridge and its beloved walking streets lined with local restaurants and shops. This content is ‘evergreen’ and helps people evaluating your listings get a true sense of the surrounding area.

Is appropriate for every listing?

I can’t think of a listing where it isn’t appropriate. Even properties that don’t have the most curb appeal can benefit from a video by capturing the attention of just the right buyer. Listings that are moving fast already and perhaps properties that rely less on online research for sales are exceptions to that statement.

Videos too expensive for most Realtors, right?

Professional video production is totally affordable for nearly all marketing budgets. Compared to traditional marketing channels it’s a bargain. It’s much cheaper than print materials, flyers, radio, TV, outdoor (bench and billboard) and other marketing vehicles.

What makes a good web video?

I think there is a big misconception out there that it is easy to make a good video. The fact is making good video that is compelling, authentic and relevant to the viewer is difficult. To wit, of the millions of videos watched on YouTube each day the average view time is less than 10 seconds. This is a direct result of most video not meeting the needs of the viewer.

When the viewer gives you permission to talk to them by clicking play you have to deliver, and deliver right away. To make good video for the Web (which is much different than traditional broadcast video advertising i.e. a :30 second TV spot) it needs to focus on three key things: authenticity, delivering a compelling message, production quality which makes it enjoyable to watch and drives action.

Bottom line is that web viewers have near-infinite choice for their attention and are typically skeptical. This means that your message has to be compelling, relevant and real. Over-produced sales pitches or videos that don’t meet the viewer needs are big turn-offs online.

What are some ways you can leverage the video content you create?

The nice part about video is that it’s a highly portable piece of content so you should look to get it out on the Web to get as many eyeballs to it as possible. Using a smart distribution strategy can put you in front of the right people at the right time. Whether it’s putting your video up on YouTube, Facebook, Active Rain or making it shareable via email and embeddable in a widget the idea is to get your video out there to where the viewers are.

Can you give us some examples of some of your favorite videos on the web? (Not those kind of videos…)

My favorite videos are ones that are compelling and interesting. They take a piece of everyday life and show it to you in a different way. I love to see the stuff that you don’t get every day in mainstream media. Show me the true character of a city by doing a tour of all the BBQ joints in town or show me the kitchen of the hotel that cranks out 1,000 four-star meals a day. Give me a clip of the author talking about why they wrote their new book. One of my favorite videos is the author David McCollough talking about how Washington escaped from the Red Coats at the site of the Brooklyn bridge – amazing insight that I would never get. I also love the videos of Mentos and Diet Coke so it goes both ways. Videos that give me a unique, authentic perspective on life are the ones that I love.”

Online video is big and getting bigger. So much so that it’s rapidly changing the communications landscape. And we have some great models to work from.

Online Video is Getting Bigger – Fast

Here’s the proof, drawn from a recent ComScore study:

• Over 133 million Americans watched online video in July 2007 – or 74% of US internet users.
• They watched more than 9 billion videos, 27% of them on Google sites including YouTube.

There’s so much nonprofit video out there on YouTube, DoGooderTV and organizational Web sites. Here’s how distribution breaks out:

• YouTube captures 40% of the current market – This most popular video hosting site receives 50,000 video uploads and streams some 50 million videos to about 6 million viewers daily.
• MySpace, a social networking site, accounts for another 25%.
• The remainder consists of major Internet players like Google, MSN, Yahoo and AOL, and niche venues like the nonprofit-focused DoGooderTV, each of which capture a fraction of the overall market. My guess is that audiences for these niche players will grow fast and furious.

So online video is big. But what’s the best way to put online video to work to strengthen your nonprofit marketing?

Pros Share Online Video Guidelines for Nonprofit Marketers

Here are some critical guidelines for jumping into online video:

1. Online video is an expectation, not an option, for online audiences 25 and youngerHigher ed marketing guru Bob Johnson suggests that online video is an expectation for most 30-and-under nonprofit audiences (definitely for prospective college students).
2. Keep videos short and sweet – 30 seconds to two minutes max Video length is a classic case of less is more, advises Alia McKee of Sea Change Strategies Direct. Obviously, a good edit is crucial.

   She also recommends that online video should complement – not replace – other communications channels.

3. Know your audiencesThis is definitely one of the ten commandments of online video production. You craft your messages and graphics to your audiences. Don’t forget to do the same with your video.

   The imagery, soundtrack and text you select must appeal to your target demographic. Video is more “in your face” than text or graphics so if you strike out, you strike out big.

4. Make sure your video is more than moving, talking delivery of traditional content. Bob Johnson warns against oh-so-deadly talking heads and other staged approaches. Use video to show, not to tell – that’s the beauty of the medium.
5. Tap that funny boneMost online videos that succeed in high pass-along rates (and viral distribution is a key strategy to increase views), usually include some humor or satire, say the experts at Online Video Services.

   Remember how Hillary Clinton grabbed attention when she spoofed the widely-viewed “Sopranos” finale on to motivate participation in her campaign song contest. Not only was she covered everywyere, she was credited with a seldom-seen-before sense of humor.

   But be careful in being funny. Humor is delicate. and the right timing and broad appeal have to be spot on. Testing humor is a good idea; a bomb can be fatal.

6. Don’t forget the call to actionIt’s great to build awareness and support but you’re stopping short if you don’t include a clickable call to action at the close of your video. This Greenpeace video offers engaged viewers the opportunity to act with a simple click at the very moment they’re processing this very powerful video. Grab ‘em when they’re hot.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY7875_rv1s
7. Work it: Put your online video to work in multiple versions and venuesForget the stand-alone gala dinner video that never again sees the light of day. Your organization should milk your video productions for all they’re worth.

   Your videos, in some form or another, can be projected in your org’s waiting room, at a gala and during programs, as well as distributed online via video sites, your own site,and your blog and e-news. The possibilities are nearly endless, suggests See3’s Michael Hoffman.

8. Budget $1,000 per minute of finished content for a professionally-shot and edited videoThe OVS experts feel strongly that quality counts, cautioning that you get what you pay for. OVS estimates the cost for a professional video shoot, including editing, at $1K for each minute of on-demand finished content. Live Webcasts are much more costly.

   Another firm – Charity Docs – produces online on-demand (e.g. not live) videos for a flat fee of $2,500.

© 2002-2008 Nancy E. Schwartz. All rights reserved.

Episode XI Studios, a video production company in Charlotte, NC recently completed a video project for the Bed & Bike Inn in Gold Hill, North Carolina. We learned that there was yet another place in North Carolina that we had overlooked, and it is now our mission to educate Charlotteans about what is right here in our own backyards. If you have been looking for a weekend getaway that’s not really far away, this is a perfect spot.

The Inn has accommodations to suit every taste, from those who want to enjoy the rustic atmosphere of the log house, to the more modern and updated Grove House, or rough it in the cabin.

Only an hour from Charlotte, the Bed & Bike Inn is close to more entertainment options than we ever knew about. We highly recommend visiting Historic Gold Hill and enjoying a meal at Miss Ruby’s Restaurant (yummm).

Uwharrie Tours, owned and operated by the Inn’s owners, offers winery tours, moonlight kayaking, antique shopping tours, pottery tours, and much more.

We thought that the best part of the Inn was the quiet surroundings and the opportunity to just relax on the hammock and take a nap (when we weren’t shooting the video, of course). Speaking of the video… click here if you’re interested in seeing the finished product.

Video

Randy Davis
Episode XI Studios