Successful Video Marketing in Oakville

Until recently, the most important objectives for Oakville companies with successful video marketing strategies were to educate their customers, expand brand awareness, and increase online engagement. Today, it’s well known to Oakville marketers that online video production can also increase website traffic, leads, and ultimately, sales revenue. However, these results can only really be achieved by creating quality content with proven effectiveness; this is the first step to success with any video marketing campaign.

Trusting the part time wedding videographer in the office with projects with this kind of sales potential would be a serious mistake. Oakville companies that enjoy the most success with video marketing almost always hire professional video production companies to produce their content. In fact, Vidyard in partnership with Ascend2, recently fielded a survey and it turns out that 93% of North American companies outsource MOST of their video content production, another 21% outsource ALL video content creation, while only 7% create video content entirely in-house.

Being a corporate video production company in Oakville for over 20 years, we at Groovy Concepts understand the reason for such one-sided statistics on this matter. To begin with, it’s important to point out that, according to the survey, companies with the most successful video marketing strategies get the most ROI from customer testimonials. This can’t be that surprising since customer testimonials are a savvy way to provide viewers with the proof that they need that a company’s products or services are in fact “great”. Customer testimonials are seen as twice as effective as case studies, showing the psychological impact of customers vouching for a company’s products or services compared to a company boasting their own products or services.

The only problem for Oakville companies planning to dive in and create testimonial videos is that these are among the most difficult videos to produce… especially if your customers are scattered throughout the country or continent. From the video production standpoint, conducting professional testimonial interviews is an art form in itself. From shot set up, framing, lighting, and cinematography, to using the right choice of mics and audio recording equipment…. and let’s not forget post production editing, sound, and effects. A thorough knowledge of contemporary media aesthetics, branding and how these practices translate into the video production medium is also essential.

Then there is the interviewer-interviewee interactivity that is required at the shoot. Professional interviewers have the ability to put the interviewee at ease quickly, they help them to forget about the camera, and are able invoke powerful emotion, statements, stories and sound bites from their interviewees. Contrary to popular opinion, it is nowhere near enough just to send the interviewee a list of the questions in advance of the interview. Interviewing is a true art form, not to be entrusted with a novice. A video production company in Toronto that can provide a talented and experienced interviewer to an interview shoot is invaluable.

In Oakville, the keys to victory with video marketing begins with outsourcing your projects to a qualified video production company. Long past are the days where companies can get away with simply pointing a consumer grade camera at someone and hoping for the best. Today most viewers will only watch videos they find engaging and that have a high level of production quality. In the subject of “how can we afford to hire a professional video production company?”… the real question is “how can we afford NOT to hire a professional video production company?”.

Video Production Strategy in Oakville

Video production, marketing, and advertising requires strategy if you expect to achieve success and ROI with it. In a competitive market like Oakville, video marketing strategy must not be left to chance. Yahoo recently partnered with Nielsen & Hunter Qualitative to research exactly how to make video ads most effective, and their report yielded some strategic insights that should definitely be considered when planing a video marketing campaign in Oakville.

• Mobile alignment: According to Yahoo’s research, video ads must be optimized for screen alignment. In other words, viewing a landscape ad horizontally compared to vertically, can increase brand affinity by 20%. It can also raise purchase intent by 33%. Viewing a portrait ad vertically compared to horizontally can increase brand affinity by 80% and can raise purchase intent by 100%.

• Reaching Millennials: Comedic ads drove a 50% raise in brand familiarity with Millennials, compared to overall viewers. Dramatic/ emotional ads drove a 33% raise in brand affinity with Millennials. And informational ads drove a 31% lift in purchase intent.

• Auto-start native video ads: Compared to user-initiated video, this new research shows auto-start video ads in native environments achieve 51% higher aided recall, 10% higher brand familiarity, and 4% higher affinity.

It’s hard to argue with powerful statistics like this. When planning out your video marketing campaign, it’s important to optimize mobile alignment, target Millennials, and utilize native video ads following the results of this study. Incorporating these into your video production marketing strategy may just give your company the edge it needs to capture attention in the Toronto market and set you aside from your competition.

We’ve stated many times that research and analytics is paramount when launching and maintaining a video production marketing campaign. Video production can be expensive and Toronto based companies must know which video genres catch the most attention and how well campaigns are doing as they go along. If you are planning a paid online video campaign to boost visibility and brand awareness you’ll need to set key performance indicators (KPIs) for that campaign. This kind of research and analytics is considered best practice among the top online marketers in north America.

Although views aren’t always the best kind of metric to measure performance, with over 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, it’s handy to have a benchmark to ascertain how well your video content is doing against others in the same vertical. Average # of Views per Video by YouTube Category (according to research by Tubular)

• How-to and Style:  8,332 views/ video average
• People and Blogs:  2,354 views/ video average
• Entertainment:  9,816 views/ video average
• Gaming:  3,050 views/ video average
• Education:  4,872 views/ video average
• Automotive and Vehicles:  5,673 views/ video average
• Travel and Events:  3,070 views/ video average
• Pets and Animals:  6,542 views/ video average
• Science and Tech:  6,638 views/ video average

A video’s view count can be a great indicator of how engaging your video content is, how well you have optimized your metadata, and how well it’s performing. However it is also very important that you also examine your watch-time metric, your subscriber growth, and other performance indicators.To make the most out of your video marketing campaigns make sure you are doing the following to attract as many viewers as possible:

• Build your subscriber base. A loyal fan base will watch almost anything you upload. DisneyCollectorBR has over 3.5 million subscribers which is why they get a huge amount of views.
• Adjust and revise your titles and description. This is one we’ve mentioned in the past. Test what works, and then test it again. Test your custom thumbnail images as well to see what works best.
• Make sure you upload your videos to the right category. This can be changed after you have uploaded the video.
• Pay for an ad campaign.
• Connect with other brands to expand your audience reach.

Researching statistics like the ones listed above can greatly help you in choosing the right genre of video to produce and can help make your video marketing campaign a successful one. We all know how competitive the Oakville market is and that everyone seems to be launching hefty video marketing campaigns these days. However with the right research and planning, your campaign can be a tremendous success making your company standout in this highly competitive city of Oakville.

Viral Video In Oakville

We receive lots of questions from our Oakville based clients about branded viral video (online videos that are heavily shared and talked about… mostly via social media). We all love watching and sharing viral videos and we all seem to understand the social impact of them. But few seem to really understand the potential business impact of viral video. Other than a purchase, there is no more intimate and influential metric than a social share, and brands who run successful viral video campaigns often earn back five times more from their investment than with any other form of content. Not only that but in some cases, viral video can launch the growth of a new product or service at an exponential rate. That said, creating a successful viral video takes one of the most sophisticated approaches in video production and marketing. The efforts and costs are well worth it if your video …well…goes viral.

The term “viral video” is so mis-understood that many brands have been derailed trying to achieve success with it. The reason is that the “viral” part of the phrase “Viral Video” cannot be created and can only be earned. Without the right knowledge, budget, campaign tactics, and a qualified production company, creating a successful viral video is a serious long shot. Before planning out a viral video production for your Oakville based company it’s important to know a few key components about this niche. Branded viral videos generally come in two categories depending on company objectives:

1. Modern infomercial
2. Branded entertainment

Modern Informercial

The modern infomercial is used mainly to drive direct response sales. If this is your objective, an infomercial or promotional approach is best. Brands such as Dollar Shave Club, Squatty Potty and FreshPet have attained a lot of success with this approach. Their sales-oriented videos have a very strong call to action and are usually presented in a comedic way. Dollar Shave Club’s viral video almost single-handedly launched the company now valued at $615 million, driving 12,000 sign-ups, and earning $100k in the first 48 hours. Squatty Potty’s video success actually out shined their Shark Tank appearance, earning them $15 million in sales with a 600% jump in online sales, 400% jump in retail sales, and quadrupling the size of the company. And as for FreshPet’s video, it is said that the the overwhelming traffic it received almost crashed their website. Needless to say, they’ve created more viral videos since.

Branded Entertainment

Branded entertainment is used primarily for brand awareness, social shares, and growing your audience. If this is your objective, branded entertainment is your best bet. This form of viral video gives you the opportunity to more narrowly define your brand while tapping into the younger demographic. If tens of thousands of people share your video, your message can become part of culture… which is really one of the ultimate goals for any brand. The Coca Cola Happiness Machine video is a powerful example of Branded Entertainment. In this hidden-camera style video a Coca Cola machine dispenses free Coca Cola bottles… and then balloon animals, then a pizza, and then even a long sandwich to a delighted student dining hall. The Red Bull Kluge video is another great example of branded entertainment. The Red Bull brand is now synonymous with extreme sports in the minds of the public, and extreme sports videos were some of the first to go viral on the Internet. This one has it all and is brilliantly executed.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the fewer resources you are able to put towards your viral video, the less your chances are of breaking through the clutter. Viral video is a highly competitive form of content and opportunities for easy breakthroughs are much less common today than they were five years ago. The rule to follow is to always plan the campaign budget to be three times that of the production. You should always develop a plan for paid advertising, influencers, video SEO and PR once you’ve created your concept.

Also, remember to test your viral video before you launch. This is the only way to know if your video is going to work. Create multiple versions of your viral video as a YouTube Ad and use different titles, thumbnails, and edits that change the shots around. Try using different calls to action as well. This should provide all the data you need for figuring out which version of your video is most engaging. If engagement is low on the most optimized version, then you may need to re-shoot some shots or segments to fix what is lacking. The producers behind some of the top viral videos of all time literally wrote and tested more than 100 title variations of their videos. This pre-launch testing is also a great way to solve any creative arguments within your team as data doesn’t lie!

Viral video production is certainly not the easiest form of content to undertake and it’s results can be mixed at best. Oakville companies should tread carefully when considering this kind of video production. Viral video can be compared to music production. There are lots of musicians putting a lot of hard work into producing their music but very few songs become smash hits. Unfortunately, that is the reality of viral video. That said, if your video does go viral, your Oakville company or brand could be on the fast track to global success and exponential growth.

Live Video Streaming in Oakville

Building a community around your Oakville based company and connecting with your audience is paramount. Research has shown time and time again that video production is the key to attaining this. In fact, live video streaming is now becoming more and more of a wide spread tool for Toronto companies of all sizes. Live video streaming has been utilized for many years but due to costs for this kind of production, it has only really been viable for large (and sometimes medium size) corporations. From insider video announcements to live Q&A sessions, product launches, press conferences and more, live streaming has the power to take your brand awareness to the next level and build on your existing audience. Although live video streaming has been out of reach for most micro size to small companies throughout Oakville, today there are apps that can allow anyone to tap into this effective form of video production.

One such app that is taking the live video streaming world by storm is Periscope. Another very popular platform is Facebook LIVE video and Instagram has also recently added live streaming videos to their offerings.

The Periscope app was acquired by Twitter in February of 2015. Since that time, it’s become one of the leading live video streaming apps available. Periscope enables you to go live using your mobile device. The app basically enables anyone to become their own on-the-fly broadcasting station, streaming live video to any viewers who join their broadcast. Periscope truly takes advantage of its mobile platform, incorporating notifications as well as social sharing (on Twitter), live discussions and feedback. Although Periscope has been used mostly by vloggers and bloggers, there are many ways Periscope can be utilized for business and it can really allow you to showcase public speaking abilities.

Once a live broadcast is over, your audience can watch a replay, and even send feedback through the Periscope app for up to 24 hours. After that, the broadcast is taken down from the app. That said however, each of your broadcasts can be saved to your mobile device and then published and shared online just like any other video. Best practice here is to post these Periscope videos to the platform that is home to your primary video audience (i.e. Youtube, Vimeo, Daily Motion, etc). Posting your Periscope video gives it a place to live that lasts longer than 24 hours and it also gives you an opportunity to promote future Periscope video broadcasts.

There are however technical issues that can come with using live streaming apps like Periscope and Oakville executives shouldn’t dive into tackling a live video stream without professional support. Just as with any other professional video you’re planning to produce, it’s always best to hire an experienced corporate video production company like Groovy Concepts to handle your live stream. Spending the money is well worth it to avoid embarrassment. You certainly wouldn’t want your video to cut out in the middle of the broadcast which is a typical occurrence for vloggers.

Common amateur mistakes can be disastrous! For instance, if someone happens to call you during your Periscope Broadcast, you’ll be knocked offline, your broadcast will be over, and your audience will be annoyed to say the least. Always remember to block your calls temporarily prior to a live broadcast on Periscope. Also, not knowing the range of your Wi-Fi network can also knock you offline very quickly. Don’t go walking around in the middle of your Periscope Broadcast unless you know the range of your Wi-Fi network and that you are well within it. Also, some rooms have better signal than others… stick to filming your broadcasts from these rooms wherever possible.

Disastrous technical issues can be avoided completely when an experienced professional video production company is involved. Ideally, it is always more reliable to simply hire a reliable company with access to professional live video streaming production equipment. At the very least it is advisable to get a full consultation and in depth how-to from an experienced professional. That said, using an app such as Periscope correctly can allow your Oakville based company to tap into the power of live streaming video and can even extend your audience reach throughout the globe.

Social Video in Oakville

Video is quickly becoming the norm on Facebook and brands and corporations throughout the world are working extremely hard to capitalize on this platform to drive interest and sales to their products and services. What this means for Oakville companies is that if your video production marketing campaign doesn’t include Facebook & Instagram, you’re missing out on huge marketing potential. In January 2017, Facebook reported its financials for 2016 and provided a ton of important facts about the importance of video for Facebook and the huge amount of engagement it generates.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, said that “2016 was a great year for Facebook. Our community continued to grow and our business is thriving.” The results confirmed a steady revenue increase of 44%, as well as a 21% growth in monthly active mobile users.

But what about with Facebook’s video feature? Has this been paying off for the social networking site? It appears so as Facebook viewers now watch an incredible 100 million hours of video every day.

Zuckerberg confirmed that “Video is an important part of the Facebook experience”, and the company is continuing to invest in video. According to Tubular, typically 1.8 million videos are uploaded every week, generating 31.6 billion views.

Zuckerberg also confirmed that the Instagram (owned by Facebook) “community continues to grow,” but he didn’t update the 400 million monthly active users that was announced back in September 2015. He did state that the new looping Boomerang app for the platform reached #1 in the App Store in more than 70 countries. Instagram also launched a new video channel so viewers can catch up on big tent-pole events like New Year’s Eve, and College Football.

During the announcement, Zuckerberg was followed by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, who shared a recent case study. Microsoft Xbox optimized video content for Facebook and Instagram for the launch of Halo 5. The video marketing team behind the campaign understood that viewers watch video differently on mobile than on television, so Microsoft created content that would rapidly capture viewer attention (in 3 seconds or less) even if a viewer watched without sound. This tactic drove over 380 million impressions and 49 million video views, and apparently “increased purchase intent by 10 points in the US.”

Facebook and Instagram’s video features have grown leaps and bounds already but are heading towards exponential growth in the future. These platforms can no longer be ignored by marketers. But I know what you’re thinking: “Ah, great…so now, on top of creating clever online video campaigns, we now also need to plan out and create clever video campaigns customized for Facebook and Instagram too? How can we find the time for all this?”. This is where Oakville video production companies like Groovy Concepts come in. What makes Groovy Concepts different from other video production companies in Oakville is that we have a keen understanding of media trends and provide full concept, script and campaign development so that across all platforms your videos will capture viewer attention in under 3 seconds; essential for social video. Our unique concept development process insures high video engagement without having to overextend your marketing team in the production stages.

In this ever evolving world of online and social video, Oakville companies should definitely be looking at adding Facebook and Instagram to their video marketing campaigns. Corporate media specialists like Groovy Concepts are just a call or click away to help you in the process.

We get a lot of questions from our clients and associates in Oakville about video production procedure and how we go about writing our scripts. Script writing for a video is of course one of the first steps in the production process and requires a substantial amount of skill and experience to be done right. There are many variables involved in creating a great video script. Here are a few rules of thumb that we always follow in writing our scripts.

The term “elevator pitch” has become a popular catchphrase in business. The idea is to find a short summary that quickly and simply defines what you do and/or what your company does should you find yourself sharing a short elevator ride with a person of importance to your business. In a situation like this, you would be prepared to pitch your products or services to that person in that short period of time in the hopes of procuring new business.

In many ways, a video can be seen somewhat like an elevator pitch in that you must capture someone’s attention quickly to deliver your message (or pitch). Although there are exceptions, for the most part we approach our scripts from that perspective. We know that a video has upwards of five seconds to grab attention and compel a viewer to continue watching. Within these crucial first seconds, the viewer must get a clear idea that your company and brand are awesome and that your products or services are something they need…. NOW. A balanced combination of voiceover narration, compelling video shots and/or animated titles and text, are some of the many elements that can be written in to achieve this.

With video, one size does NOT fit all so we always keep the target audience (client’s target customers) in mind when developing our scripts. This comes down to having efficient dialogues with our clients and developing a thorough understanding of their target customers. Additional market research is often necessary on our part. The goal here is for the target audience to be able to easily identify with what is being expressed in the video. We ask ourselves the question: “What is the problem that this product or service solves?”. Often, creating a simple scenario or case example can help viewers get the point quickly. From there we present the solution. We explain what makes this product or service ideal and why the viewer should choose our solution over the competition. The solution needs to create a desire for the viewer to act fast.

In terms of duration, today the most effective marketing videos are between 30 and 60 seconds. 90 seconds and beyond is where you start losing viewers unless your content is really exceptional. Keeping a video to within 30-60 seconds means really keeping your information and content to-the-point. Narrations, actors’ lines, shots, call-to-action text, etc. must all be properly planned out to fit within this time rage. It helps to keep sentences and on-screen text short and to use simple language…. no insider-industry jargon…. always use layman’s’ terms. Once the working draft is complete, we read through the script and time it with a normal speaking cadence to confirm that the duration falls between the preferred 30 – 60 seconds. Revisions are then done as needed and the process is repeated until we’ve achieved the right duration for the script. This works very well if the video has narrations throughout and also helps us imagine how the visuals will play out on screen. It’s also important to allow for the right amount of time for the call-to-action shot at the end (the next step the viewer can take to get started). When the working draft is complete, we submit it to the client for feedback and apply any necessary revisions. As soon as the client approves the script … it’s lights, camera, and action time!

Script and concept development is the first step and a decisive factor in whether a video will be great or if it will be a flop. If you are interested in joining the millions of companies world wide that are enjoying the benefits of having video in their marketing plan, contact a reputed corporate video production company today. Remember, video is no longer just some luxury marketing tool in it’s infancy, utilized by early adopters. Video marketing is essential NOW. And it all starts with a great script!

It’s 2017 and as usual in early February, Oakville companies of all sizes are hitting the ground running launching new marketing campaigns for the opening quarter of the year. Thanks to the winds of change and modern technology, marketing tools and trends today are very different than they were in the past. With so many media platforms available in 2017, the attention span and patience of your audience is limited. Your target customers need to be able to engage your content quickly and understand your message in double time if you are to have any hope in converting them. And no other form of content is as effective in pulling this off as quality video content. Video as an integrated part of your marketing campaign ensures that your target customers will absorb your message in a way that will leave them wanting more.

Statistic – According to Forbes Insight, 50% of executives who viewed an online marketing video went on to make a purchase for their business.

If this statistic alone isn’t enough to convince you of the importance of video in your marketing campaign, here are 5 more reasons to make video marketing part of your company’s 2015 New Year’s resolution:

1. Captivating – Nothing holds attention better than a quality video. From animation and motion graphics to real-time demonstrations and interviews… the creative possibilities of video are endless.

2. Accessibility – Video enables you to communicate with your audience in a way that is engaging as well as easy. Whether on social media, YouTube, or on your own website, customers like the idea of a video that tells them exactly what they need to know and which also combines compelling images, narration, and music for a fuller experience.

3. Time Saving – Video has the power to communicate complex ideas in a quick and powerful way. As mentioned earlier, the attention span and patience of your audience is limited (in the social media world in particular). Very few people are willing to give the time of day to read some dry, long-winded case study about how a client saved 15% (or more) by switching car insurance providers. But deliver the same message in a 30 second to one minute online ad that is both amusing and informative and you’ll notice a huge difference in engagement.

4. Cost Effective – Seeking a strong return on investment? Video is the investment for you! When produced properly, video is the next best thing to personal selling and depending on the abilities of an individual sales person, video is often better. Online video has the power to sell people on your products and services on a global scale, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You would need a sales force of epic proportions on the level of sci-fi to be able to match this impact.

5. The Power of Storytelling – Customers buy from people and companies they know and trust. Getting to know you better and understanding who you are and why your company does what it does, helps to build trust. When produced properly, video tells your full story in an honest and highly complimentary manner that not only converts more customers but can also allow for your brand to even become iconic in time.

It’s 2017 and with broadband capabilities continuing to increase throughout much of the world, the scene has been set for more exponential growth of video consumption to an ever increasing number of platforms and devices. Video is no longer just some luxury marketing tool in it’s infancy utilized by early adopters. Video marketing is essential NOW. And those who aren’t already on board or who aren’t planning to get on board, will soon come to the realization that their marketing tactics will have been left in the dust of the early 2010’s allowing for your target customers to laugh and say the old cliche … “That’s so 5 years ago”!

When it comes to your business – hire a professional

In 1985, a year after the Apple Macintosh computer was launched, the first desktop publishing program, Pagemaker, was released for the Mac. It launched a world of professional page layouts and home-made garage sale flyers, all on a home computer.

Suddenly everyone was a graphic designer! The number of brochures being produced soared, but the number of bad brochures soared as well.

Today we see the same phenomenon in the world of video. Small, HD video cameras and inexpensive desktop video editing software have legions of people producing and editing videos.

It’s certainly suitable for hobbyists to edit short videos and post them on YouTube for fun, but in the business world that can lead to disaster. A poor quality video can lead to an unsatisfactory impression of your company and brand. You can’t go back and make a new first impression.

With video becoming an increasingly vital component of  commercial websites, your business requires the production values that a video professional brings to the job.

Online video is the business card of the 21st century

As Canadian businesses shift more of their attention online, it’s more important than ever to understand the key trends being seen across the internet.

10 Online Video Trends Every Marketer Needs to Know

1. According to ComScore, Canada continues to lead the world in online engagement,  with visitors spending an average 45 hours per month online, representing a fertile ground for digital marketers and advertisers.
2. 181 million US internet users watched nearly 40 billion online videos in January 2012
3. Smartphone penetration has reached 45% in Canada. Mobile content and online videos are finding new followers from the corporate world.According to Forbes Insights: “59% of executives prefer to watch video over reading text. Younger executives in particular appear more inclined not only to view video, but also to share it over the business-oriented “social” web. Their growing influence is likely to make business-related video even more prevalent in the coming years.”
4. Nearly 85% of the internet audience viewed online video.
5. 90% of shoppers find video useful when purchasing.
6. People who view an engaging online video are 64% more likely to buy or explore the brand.
7. Video traffic on mobile devices is now 50% of wireless network traffic.
8. People using mobile devices – such as iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad – view online videos two and a half times longer than desktop users.
9. In a keynote address at CES in January, YouTube’s VP of Global Content, Robert Kyncl, predicted that video would soon be 90% of internet traffic.
10. More videos are uploaded in 60 days than the three major US networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) produced in 60 years

If 90% of all internet traffic will be for video – will people really bother with a website without video? Companies that don’t embrace video are at risk of being left behind.

Online video is no longer “the future”. Online video is here and it’s the newly accepted norm.