Chicago Video Production

There’s a conversation happening online this week about which video format, viral or episodic, works best for brands. This blog has mentioned a few times the power viral videos have for brands. With one well-made, funny, clever, and original video, anyone can become a household name over night. Although viral status is usually reserved for independent content creators and “Average Joes” who happen to whip out their camera at the right time, brands have been working tirelessly with online video to get that kind of instant media attention. Most recently, Jamba Juice created a McDonald’s parody that started appearing all over the web.

But what happens when a video’s viral status fades away, and someone else takes the crown? Because virals don’t build a habit in their viewers, they go just as fast as they come, and viewers simply get used to finding different videos to entertain them. However, if a brand were to invest in a series of videos, they have the opportunity to build a relationship with their viewers that would bring people back to the brand’s content on a regular basis.

On the other hand, a video series sometimes needs time to gain popularity, but still only attracts a content-specific audience. Virals can reach practically anyone, and can gain millions of views in a very short period of time. In both cases, brands offer users entertainment value that is otherwise hard for businesses to pull off.

So which format is best for your business? It’s a question that’s just about impossible to answer. You can try to create a viral video, which would be cheaper and easier, but if it doesn’t gain online popularity it becomes practically worthless. Or you can invest in lengthy video series, which might not make as large of an impact, but will have more time to find an audience.

Perhaps an ideal common ground can be seen in Hell Pizza’s Deliver Me To Hell series. The company only produced eight videos in total, and used them to create a game on YouTube. It wasn’t as long as the typical online video series, but it engaged customers for a relatively long period of time. Likewise, the videos were so fun that they became an international hit.

In short, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. But don’t break the bank trying to find an audience. As the old saying goes, anymore more than a handful is wasting.

What makes your business special? If a person visits your company’s website, how long would it take them to figure that out? What if your company isn’t special? Unless you have a monopoly in your industry, chances are you have competition whose work is similar to yours. Whether or not your competition is better than you is irrelevant, as long as you can find a way to separate your business from the rest. Differentiation should be the goal for practically every business.

One way to make your business stand out is to produce a corporate overview video. A short movie that explains who you are and what you do. It’s a great way to seperate yourself from that other shop down the street, especially if they haven’t made their own video yet. Not to mention a video’s impact on SEO. If your site has video and your competitor’s site doesn’t, chances are you’ll be higher than him on Google. So who do you want to be, the trend setter or the trend follower?

Below is a pretty good video for Chicago DMC, a destination management company. The video is flashy, edited well, and moves faster than some action movies. However, the video can be made more personalized. The video mentions the company’s “experts” but never introduces the viewer to them. There are some bold claims made in the video, promises about affordability and service guarantees, but the piece relies on these key words and carefully placed imagery to engage the viewer. There’s no doubt that this approach will work, but the video isn’t perfect yet. It still needs that human element.

Below is another overview video that can use some improvements. Sod Solutions, a company that sells and produces turfgrass (EXCITING!), created a video that explains the company’s philosophy and methods of operation. Like the previous video, this one only consists of a narration over video and images. However, Sod Solutions’ overview actually introduces viewers to some of the company’s employees and describes their background. It also doesn’t rely on stock footage and photos to fill up the video, but actual footage filmed on the job and within the industry. It isn’t as flashy, but it gives an accurate and detailed description of the company.

The last video is the best of the lot. Alteva is a Philadelphia-based information technology shop that develops networks for businesses and technology products. The video is easy to watch, introduces viewers to company employees, demonstrates some products, and doesn’t rely on any stock footage to fill the gaps. Who ever put that video together is a real pro.

Obviously, the more detailed a video is the costlier it will be to produce. However, practically any video is better than no video. As long as the content is honest, thorough, concise, and pleasant to watch, potential customers will value your company’s efforts to introduce them to your business. If you want Video One to produce your company’s overview video, mention this blog and we’ll take 10% off editing fees. And make sure to check out the overview video we did for Connor Floors, the biggest name in basketball… flooring.

The hair industry requires a lot of trust. People are sensitive about their hair. Everyone’s had a bad haircut and no one likes them. Whether they realize it or not, hair salons are in a unique position to use video to their benefit. Salons don’t just sell a haircut, they sell an experience. When people come to Chicago for the first time, it can take them a long time to find a stylist they like and trust. With videos, salons can streamline that experience.

For instance, one of Chicago’s hottest salons, Sine Qua Non, has a great video that demonstrates all the work they do for young, beautiful models. Unfortunatley, the video isn’t anywhere on the salon’s website, even though it has the potential to be a great marketing tool if it were easy to find online. Not everyone would think to do a YouTube search when looking for salons.

A salon video can be a product demonstration too, as shown by Chicago’s Philip James Salon in this video about Fusion hair extensions.

Above all, stylists can film themselves working with a client. A video like this would work both as a product demonstration, but also as a testimonial. By filming himself, the stylist can explain what he’s doing and his client can give an immediate review of his work. This builds instant rapport between the viewer and a stylist which would otherwise be earned through a direct experience.

Salon videos can also become quite popular if viewers find their content useful. Below is a video with Ian Daburn from Vancouver’s i.Daburn Salon in which he creates Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham’s famous “Posh Bob” or “pob”. The five minute tutorial has landed over 1.5 million views. Who knows what that did for the salon!

It’s a shame that some of the city’s best reviewed salons don’t have videos associated with them. Although a positive review on Yelp is certainly helpful for any business, that doesn’t mean the business is a good match for all potential customers. Connection Salon and Tsubo Chicagomake big claims on their sites, but they have no way to back them up. If a customer has a bad experience at one of these places, that customer is not lost, they might be a source of negative word-of-mouth.

A well made video can be just the right boost for a struggling stylist or salon. If you’re talented but haven’t had enough clients lately, demonstrate your work on YouTube. Want Video One to help film and edit your movie? Mention this blog and we’ll take 10% off editing fees.

A great way to establish trust between your business and potential clients is to answer as many questions about your business as possible. If you can answer a customer’s question before they even ask it, then they will recognize your awareness of client needs. A lot of websites for products and services have FAQ pages which list frequently asked questions. These are often helpful, but text FAQs are gradually becoming outdated. It’s time more people used video. It’s time more people were like Roger Rombro.

Rombro’s video isn’t particularly exciting. But by using multiple camera angles and changing imagery, it’s easy to watch. It lets Rombro tell a personal story about his life and business, which creates an immediate relationship with his viewers. If that’s not enough, the video’s information box actually says he made the videos “to build trust with prospective clients visiting his website.”

But how do you figure out what questions customers have for you? Well, the best way is just to listen. And with the Internet, listening is easier than ever. People can create a profile on Formspring.com, a social network where anonymous and public users can ask people questions. Likewise, businesses can also get questions sent to their email, Facebook, or Twitter. Below, vlogger Dan Brown reads questions sent to him over the Internet. He acknowledges who sent him the question and then replies to it. Can it get more personal than that?

Brown’s video walks a tight rope of helpfulness and annoyance. He is eccentric, wild eyed, and his hair is unkempt. Perhaps this is natural for people from Nebraska. All in all, it’s kind of exciting and easy to watch. And the truth is, practically any FAQ can be watchable, if done right.

Below is a FAQ video for Ambit Energy, a natural gas provider. The video is a large, monotonous, talking head. However, since they’re less than a minute long, it ends almost as quickly as it begins and people walk away knowing a little bit more about Ambit Energy, whether they want to or not.