Monday, June 24, 2013

Vine and Instagram for Small Business Marketing

Social media tools like Vine and Instagram allow you to upload short video clips and share them with the world. Learn how Vine and Instagram can help your small business by sharing creative video clips that are short, sweet, and to the point.


First, you’ll need to get up to speed. Although these apps do pretty much the same thing, there are a few differences:



The Basics



  • It is important to create these videos and share them with your client base because, even if they aren’t particularly related to some aspect of your business, you’re still putting something out there. People enjoy watching videos as they have a more personal, informal, and fun side than the typical content that businesses have on their social media sites. These videos allow you to showcase a lighthearted side of your business and garner personal connections with your customers. When people feel personally connected to a brand, they’re more likely to follow, like, and friend your business.

  • Instagram and Vine can actually help you with little to no effort on your part. Since they’re both about sharing, commenting, and liking, your clients actually end up doing most of the work. These apps encourage your client to do your marketing for you, especially if you’re a visual-based company because they’re the ones spreading the content for you. Whatever you post on these sites gets passed around by your customer, ultimately expanding your client base.

  • Hashtags are your best friend. If you hashtag correctly, you can drive the right type of clientele to your page. These hashtags can also facilitate direct sales (in the case of businesses selling products) as they allow you to communicate immediately (once you receive a notification) with the customers, and interact on a personal level.


What types of videos can I make?



  • You can create videos to preview your products and/or services. You may choose to create interest with a sneak peek of an upcoming product or service, or showcase it in its entirety. Depending on how efficient your video-making skills are, a short snippet may be the way to go.

  • Create comparisons of products. Use the stop motion features on the apps to help create videos that create comparisons between two products. Now you can show your audience how your product compares in a quick video.

  • Make mini commercials. You may not have the budget to hire a production team and create the grand commercial of your dreams… but you’ve got a phone and an imagination. Why not make mini commercials for your product or service? If you take the time to plan and execute something worth watching, your customers will show their appreciation by passing it on to others.

  • Use videos as announcement tools. Need to spread the word about an upcoming sale or contest? Make a quick and exciting announcement video to spread the word like wildfire. Don’t forget to add all the appropriate hashtags to maximize exposure.

  • Customer testimonials. These are probably the most valuable little videos you can make to help your business. People want to know what other people think of you – so why not show them in a mini testimonial? Show your customers that others are proud clients of yours and willing to tell the world about your business.

  • Company profile snippets. Again, get a little personal with your customers. Show them a mini tour of your facilities, impromptu interviews with your staff, demonstrations of your services, etc.

  • Sometimes, you don’t even have to post a video that’s related to your business; just a cool and interesting clip will still get you the attention you need. Check out this cool video: https://vine.co/v/blrW6wMzEpa


What do you think of social media sites like Vine and Instagram? Have you ever used them to promote your business? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!



Vine and Instagram for Small Business Marketing

Monday, June 10, 2013

Video Marketing for your Small Business

As professional video production costs have become more reasonable, businesses are beginning to adopt video as a primary method of communicating with their customers and potential clients. Many are realizing that video marketing is an essential tool required for growing your small business, and are finally taking advantage of it. Video marketing not only helps to promote and sell your business, but is also capable of providing you with exposure to other business opportunities.


Videos help your small business gain the type of exposure that text and/or images may not achieve. According to Forbes, “65% of senior executives have visited a vendor’s website after watching a video”. It’s no secret that videos are more engaging than text or images – why not take advantage of this?


Videos set you apart from all of those static ads; they keep your viewers’ attention better than text and/or images ever could. Essentially, “video equals higher viewer retention, the information retained in one minute of online video is equal to about 1.8 million written words”.


By increasing your exposure through video marketing, your small business’ website is now able to acquire more online traffic. How effective is video marketing?  “About 46% of people say they’d be more likely to seek out information about a product or service after seeing it in an online video.”


Video not only helps you gain exposure for your small business, it also helps you with branding your company. Whether it’s a company profile, product demonstration, or testimonial, video marketing can help you project your image in an engaging, informative, and not to mention visually appealing way.


When doing an online search, videos generally show up on or near the top of the first page of results. This is because “having video on the landing page of your site makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of Google”. Video marketing allows you bring in more traffic to your website, especially if you add tags and/or categories to your videos. Creating more traffic to your small business’ website is an essential part of growing your company, and video marketing will help you achieve this.


Video marketing can also provide a more personal touch than text and/or images on your website. By creating a video, you’re showcasing a more personal side of your company (especially with direct addresses to camera, the inclusion of employees, and testimonials). Videos basically allow you to interact with your clients as they provide a way for your customers to get to know you; this is very important for small and/or local businesses.


Here at Keywest, we are experts in video marketing for your small business. Our videos are designed to help promote businesses, gain exposure, engage audiences, and boost your company’s success.


This is what we’re known for:


Keep it short and simple.


At Keywest, we understand that our audiences may be easily distracted. After all, there’s so much on the internet, how do we really know what’s worth watching and what isn’t? Forbes asked about the “preferred length of work-related videos, nearly half (47%) the senior executives in the survey said between 3-5 minutes”. This is why we know that it’s best to keep your video short and simple – you’ll get more views and audiences will stay captivated for longer.


It’s all about quality, not quantity.


We understand that it’s all about providing a better product, rather than several sub-par videos. It is important that your video is excellently produced as it becomes a reflection of your brand and a representation of your business. “Professionally produced video optimized for eCommerce outperforms user-generated video by 30%”


We meet your needs.


Keywest understands that it is YOUR video. We will listen to your concerns and opinions to ensure that your video is a direct reflection of your company and the image you want to project.


We work within your budget.


Keywest understands how important budgeting is and, more importantly, the repercussions associated with going over budget. That’s why we pride ourselves on customer service and flexibility – we always try to accommodate your budget as best we can. We offer an array of services and can customize your production to fit your budget requirements.


Check out this sample of a small business video:




Video Marketing for your Small Business

Monday, June 3, 2013

Use Animation to Spruce up Your Corporate Video

Looking for a corporate video to spruce up your business? Animation is not only an excellent alternative to live action, but also a method capable of showcasing concepts that don’t even exist yet.


KEYWEST VIDEO – Many companies are utilizing corporate video as a means of promoting themselves, especially through website video. However, an alternative to the mainstream live-action videos is the possibly of 2D and/or 3D animation. Animation is no longer confined to the realm of childish cartoons and silly shorts. Animation of the 2D and 3D kind is becoming widespread and an ever-evolving tool for those in the video production industry. It allows for a high quality product that provides the client with flexibility, efficiency, and full control over the creation and execution of their vision. Maintaining flexibility, efficiency, and control are incredibly important to any business as there will undoubtedly be several individuals involved in the production of a company video, ensuring the right message, content, and image is portrayed.


– Efficient


Animation can sometimes be more efficient in comparison to live action video. This is especially helpful if your business has fast-approaching deadlines and time constraints. Live action includes many elements, such as scripting, camera, lighting, sound, directing, talent, voiceover, editing, color correction, music, and any sort of logo animations or additional graphics. However, animation includes scripting, illustration, animation, voice-over, editing, music, and sound effects. Both have very similar elements, yet animation does not include the hassle of coordinating and booking talent and locations. Since there is much less pre-production involved, animation proves to be more efficient in terms of beginning the project much sooner than one including live action footage. If your business is looking for a hassle-free production, animation may be a better route.


– Flexible


Animation also permits much more flexibility than live action productions. Flexibility may be an asset to your business if you’re looking to play around with a few styles and types of animation. You can include any and all sorts of elements in animation that generally would not be possible in the instance of a live action production. Most importantly, the element of flexibility allows animation to illustrate concepts that may not even exist yet. There is also flexibility in terms of styles, depending on the content that you are interested in showcasing. You may choose to utilize the traditional cartoon-like animation, whiteboard animation, infographic animation, 2D and 3D animation, or even a combination of these.


– Adaptable


Not only does animation permit flexibility in terms of the concept and initial stages of your business’ video production, the element of adaptability is present in all stages of the animation production. Animation allows for complete control over your vision. You can tweak and modify as much of your animation as you would like without having to re-coordinate and re-shoot your production (as in the case of a live action video). In the event that your product changes or you choose to remove or incorporate something new, animation allows you to perform such modifications much more easily than a live action production would. Nothing needs to be scheduled or arranged with other individuals as you are in complete control of the entire process.


– High Quality


Your business needs to always be on the frontline of innovation. It is important to keep up with the ever-changing technology in this world and many live action videos soon become outdated in terms of video quality. With animation, video quality is no longer a concern. Animation provides a high quality look and feel, especially with the incorporation of 3D elements, and even more so if executed correctly by an experienced motion graphics artist. Animation can even be combined with high definition live action footage if necessary, depending on the look and feel desired by the client. Your business will benefit from animation for a greater period of time.


– Showcase non-existent concepts, inventions, prototypes, procedures, etc.


The most advantageous feature of animation is that it allows you to showcase something that may not even be in existence as of yet. If your business has potential concepts, inventions, prototypes, procedures, etc. that would be otherwise nearly impossible to showcase in action/motion, animation is a great option for illustrating these. Animation can provide a visual element that never existed before and hopefully better illustrate your product or concept than before. Since you control everything seen on screen, you are able to illustrate what you want in the exact method you desire.


Animation is an excellent tool, especially if utilized wisely. If your business needs a great alternative to live action footage, animation is an excellent option for you. Check out our motion graphics artists at Keywest.


For further information please visit http://www.keywestvideo.com



Use Animation to Spruce up Your Corporate Video