The reason for this blog post is two-fold. As video-makers, we want to create videos that people enjoy and watch time and again. Statistics also suggest that 20% of people will read your website, but 80% will watch the same content as a video (Forrester Research). Is this because videos are more interesting?
So what can we do to make that memorable video?
Planning
Yes, planning a video to be memorable is a great first step. What’s unique about this video and how will it engage with people? Maybe it’s a funny video about cats, or maybe it’s an interview with a man who, despite everything, decides to build a helicopter by hand.
So what should you consider? Think about who the video is for – is it for your customers, or for a wider audience?
Duration
The length of a video matters – a lot. Statistics show that a web video should be around 2 minutes long max. to gain the most engagement. Make a 15 minute video customer testimonial video – where the main part is 10 minutes in – and you’ll see a big falloff in conversions – people just get bored after 2-3 minutes – that’s just it. Keep to a short duration, and you’ll see the effectiveness of the video improve.
The Story
Everyone loves hearing a good story. It’s one of the oldest forms of communication – and one of the best. The format of a story, with a beginning, middle and end, allows the viewer to get the information in an understandable form. Tell a good story, and you’ll be on to a winner.
These are just some of the considerations you should make when planning your next video. A memorable video will often be watched repeatably and, when shared with others, can make for a truly successful video.
Do you have any tips when it comes to making a memorable video? Share them in the comments.
It was my pleasure to speak at the recent Soton Digital mini-conference and networking group that’s for anyone involved with Digital Marketing based near Southampton.
My talk was “7 reasons why you can’t ignore video marketing”, which essentially tackled the notion that while everyone is talking about video, few are embracing it.
I shared some of my research, experience and using some examples, tried to demonstrate that with a little planning and common-sense, video is still a very exciting and often un-tapped medium.
I’ve included my slides in an attempt to share the wealth – enjoy.
We’ve recently finished working on a video for a brilliant cause; Blog It For Babies, the digital campaign for Save the Children’s Build It For Babies appeal. This appeal focuses on mothers and children living in some of the remotest parts of Bangladesh, and the money raised will be spent on building clinics that allow women to give birth in a safe and clean environment. The aim is to reduce the horrifyingly high infant mortality rate in the region.
Build It For Babies has struck a chord with the blogging community, so we asked bloggers to send us self-shot clips showing their support for the campaign. We then teamed up with Annie Spratt, a prolific blogger, Save the Children fundraiser and all round excellent person, to create a feature that was informative, emotive and would inspire people to get involved.
Here is the finished result.
Thanks to Annie and all the bloggers who got involved. We are so proud to have been a part of this campaign, and have our video featured on the blog it for babies homepage.
If you haven’t seen this – you’re in for a treat. Tipp-Ex have used YouTube annotations to the max to produce an interactive YouTube advert (thanks for the tip Family ).
Just watch:
So how did Tip-ex do it? Following on from their previous “Hunter vs Bear” campaign that received 50 million views, they’ve followed up with this “Hunter and bear’s 2012 birthday party”.
We gather that there are (via adverblog ) “46 different scenes available and 8 scenes that will require interactions”.
Why will it be successful? It’s fun and it’s going to get shared (we’re sharing this right?). Also, it does something clever. It’s not ramming Tip-Ex down the throats of all who watch it. The hook is the story. When people are talking about the hunter vs bear video, someone is inevitably going to ask “what’s it all about” and the reply will have something to do with Tip-Ex.
As the client, Bob Thacker, senior VP-marketing and advertising at OfficeMax, says on the Buzzman website:
“The secret is respecting the consumer. You are interrupting their life. All advertising is unwanted, so if you’re going to crash the party, bring some champagne with you.
We’ve been selected to speak at the upcoming Soton Digital. Soton Digital is a new networking group based around Southampton, Hampshire.
It’s for anyone in the digital marketing industry. Based on the success of the first #SotonDigital event, a mini conference is launching on Friday 25th May 2012 – from 12.30pm.
We’ll obviously be talking about video. That’s about as much as we can divulge at the moment, but we’re really looking forward to meeting everyone there. If you’re attending, let us know in the comments!
If you would like to come and haven’t got a ticket – you had better get a move on, as there are only 20 remaining. Sign up to Soton Digital now!
Simple and clear video from Facebook introducing Facebook offers. (via Headstream ).
Promoting your new app, or feature on your website is much better explaining with a video. Need help with yours? Check out our Promo app video service or drop us a call at 023 80 002244.
Years before Skysoclear was even a twinkle in Ross’s eye, Steph used to work in the London offices of a very well known Birmingham based confectionary company. Occasionally, she’d get to work to find a delicious chocolatey snack left on her desk, and when Easter rolled around, everyone was given an Easter egg as a token gesture of appreciation.
So we thought, what better way to introduce ourselves to the local businesses than with a bit of Easter cheer? We decided it’d be friendly to deliver chocolate eggs to likeminded people who we may be able to work with at some point.
We spoke with Chocolate Craft, an Alresford-based chocolatier, about some bespoke Easter eggs, and snuck a card with a QR code inside.
The QR code linked to a video showcasing what we do and how the Easter eggs were made. A few days before Easter, we had fun gamboling around Southampton with our Easter Bunny ears on*, delivering the eggs.
If you got an egg from us, we’d love to know what you thought.
And here is the video, in all it’s chocolately glory. Enjoy!
I don’t know if any of you have seen this yet, but this is true storytelling. Caine’s a 9-year-old boy who started making a cardboard arcade inside his dad’s used auto part store – using many of the textbook entrepreneurial practices successful companies use today.
While the filmmaker Nirvan Mullick contributed to the story by arranging a flashmob, there’s nothing fake here – it’s all genuine and you come away with high emotion, the feeling that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
When we meet customers for the first time, they come to us with a sense of what they think their video should be like – that it should have an intricate and complex format, wizzy graphics and expensive visual effects. No. Simple storytelling works – and that’s something we can agree with.
We’ve recently had the pleasure of working with the myhotels group. Each of their boutique hotels in London and Brighton delicately balance award-winning design and unique experiences with a distinctive local flavour.
We were tasked with capturing the local flavour of one of their hotels, myhotel Bloomsbury, but instead of focussing on the hotel itself, we left the lobby and explored the local attractions, places to be entertained and highlighted what you can do while you’re in the area.
We chose to film in timelapse, which essentially means seeing a “sped-up” version of the world. It involves taking a series of photos, one every 4 seconds or so. Marry that with a soundtrack provided by KIDDA, and you’ve got ‘Letters from myhotel Bloomsbury’.
Imran Hussain, Director of Marketing at myhotels group said:
Working with Skysoclear was a dream. No job too big… Or small for that matter! They understood our brand and our direction and completely brought it to life.
Their grasp of digital was empirical to the success of the project.
It was great to work with a hotel group that had the willingness to try something new, to experiment – not a lot of people are doing this. This is what sets myhotels group apart from its competition.
Last week, we gave a talk to Southampton Solent University students, sharing our experience in running a video production company and helping students plan for their futures after graduating.
Last week, we said goodbye to the Design Chapel, our home for the past twelve months and hello to our new office. We are hoping 2012 will be a year of big things for Skysoclear, and moving to our own space will definitely help spur us on.
We are now based on Cumberland Place, right in the heart of Southampton.
Our office move hasn’t been the most straightforward process; our new digs needed a lick of paint to freshen it up, and we had no office furniture to speak of. So last Saturday, armed with all kinds of decorating paraphernalia, and an Ikea Family Card, Steph and our lovely friend Dee, sorted it all out. We are now the proud renters of a beautiful fresh studio with a big sash window, and the owners of a couple of desks. It still needs a few bits and pieces, but we can’t wait to out our stamp on it. Going to work has never been so exciting!
We are currently sorting out our Internet access, so please bear with us, it’ll be business as normal in no time.
We have just finished shooting a video for Whitehorn & Guard, Estate Agents based in Hedge End and Bishops Waltham, Hampshire. They were after a video to help promote their new Keep Track service, a web based sales tracker that enables vendors to stay updated with every step of the sales process.
Filming took place over two days, in a number of different locations, to help illustrate the flexibility of the service. This gave us a real insight into how their offices are run, and enabled us to meet as many of the staff as possible. Beneficial, as instead of hiring actors, to keep the authenticity, Whitehorn & Guard were keen to use their own personnel in the video. After all, who better to explain the benefits of Keep Track, than the people who know it inside out?
So, how did we prepare for the shoot?
We worked with a copywriter on a script which was displayed on an iPad, akin to an autocue. Scripting a video ensures the desired message is put across accurately and concisely, and ultimately saves time.
We also developed a storyboard so that everyone involved had a clear picture of the video’s structure. Visually prototyping in this way allows everybody to understand the direction and helps us decide on locations and shots.
Everyone at Whitehorn & Guard were very friendly and accommodating. The atmosphere was relaxed and this made the shoot a lot of fun. We are editing at the moment, but keep an eye out, as it will be ready to share next week. And in the mean time, why not take a look at a few more of our behind the scenes photos?
Next week marks a new start for all things Skysoclear. We have shifted focus from predominantly web to predominantly video, we have a brand spanking new office in the heart of Southampton, and Steph is stepping up and taking a more active role in the company looking after the marketing and administration side of things.
So what does this mean for you?
There are now two of us working to make your productions as awesome as they can be. With Steph on hand to organise and promote the business, Ross is freed up to do what he does best, meeting clients and getting out and about filming.
We’ve got two exciting projects in the pipeline, which we can’t wait to share, but we now have capacity to do more. If you need a helping hand find us on twitter @skysoclear or email hello@skysoclear.com.
It’s amazing how many decisions are made in the storyboarding process – locations, actors, situations – takes at least a couple of rounds to get right.
