Mind Your Manners

Because NICE matters…

Our mothers taught us to be polite.  Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ were the norm.  A sad casualty of our speedy worldwide communication system is that common courtesy, especially in business communications, has withered.

Clients often call us to schedule meetings about video projects, live events, and other communications initiatives.  We give them input, creative approaches, estimates and our time…whatever they need.  And with some of these clients, a week later they are nowhere to be found.  Despite a cadre of communications tools at their fingertips, they won’t use a single one of them to get back to us when we follow up.  Kinda disrespectful, don’t ya think?

It only takes 10 seconds to reply to an e-mail and say:

• still working on it
• waiting on client input
• project is dead
• we went with someone else (we really hate that one, but it’s better than nothing) 

So be nice!  Be respectful!  You are NOT so busy that you can’t spare 10 seconds to get back to someone that you contacted in the first place. 

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

Make Your Live Event Look 

Like a Rock Concert

Even in the age of world-wide instant hyper-connectedness, we still have good old-fashioned meetings every once in a while.  These may be something small with only a few people, or something really big with hundreds or thousands of people.  Most every meeting does have a stated purpose:  win new customers, convince the sales force to work harder, get employees on board with new programs, introduction of new company policies…the list is endless.

When you get all these important people in the room at once, take a little time and think about how best to win them to your way of thinking.  Here are a couple of thoughts:

• What is the value of getting as many people as possible won over?
• How much does their “buy in: mean in real dollars?
• How much would you invest to win them over?
• Is their adoption of your ideas important?  If so, how far would you go to sell them?

After you answer these questions, you can get an idea of how much effort you need to put forth.

Videos are always a good motivator in that setting as well a myriad of new technologies to really drive up the “wow” factor.  Here is a video on some new technology that allows 3D mapping on to surfaces – like buildings, people, objects, set pieces in an arena, trade show booth, etc. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=XVTga6GmbGw&vq=medium#t=74

There is no limit to how much you can do in a live event.  From big name rock bands, to flying saucers, to pyro technics, and broadway caliber theatrical staging.  There are companies who specialize in corporate live events.  These guys keep up with the new technology and can explain the value of it…or call us.  We can help bridge the gap between you and these uber-techno presentation elements and help you make sense of it all.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area

http://www.davidseayproductions.com

LED- the new age of video lighting

For many years we used incandescent lighting fixtures to light video shoots.  They used lots of power, blew circuits, generated lots of heat, and made extra work for the make up artist who had to constantly mop sweaty brows.

Once again, technology helps make life a little easier with the advent of LED lighting. They draw such little power that you can battery power them and there is no heat.  Best of all, they create a soft nice lighting for interviews, something we do ALOT of.

We use a FloLite 1 x 1 panel which is perfect for an interview setting  http://www.flolight.com/led-lighting/microbeam-1024-high-powered-led-video-light.html  we put a chimera on ours and use a low-power back light and bada bing…you have a beautiful soft natural lighting source.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

SOCIAL MEDIA- at least do this

Social media is here in a BIG way, and it’s here to stay. 

What does this mean to you and your business?  Social media is simply another tool to help sell your brand, and it’s a good one. 

It’s estimated that for a small company to run a social media strategy it will take about 30 hours of work per month.  But if you don’t have a dedicated person to handle your social media, who has that kind of extra time in their schedule?  Here’s something you can do with social media, that will get you in the game without a huge investment of time:

Produce a good video and put it on your company home page, YouTube, and Vimeo.  That, in and of itself will increase your SEO score by 50x, and establish a good visual branding presence. 

Since video is such a powerful branding tool, produce a good one.  Hire an experienced producer with a proven track record.   However, if you are considering doing the video yourself, you’ll likely do more harm than good by branding yourself with an unpolished “home-made” image.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

Marketing Schmarketing – Just get sumptin’ out there.

Ok, no one really says that … with considerable evidence to the contrary.  In our video production practice, we see how some companies have very low standards in terms of public perception.  It’s as if they don’t know how important managing their image and branding is, or else they just don’t care.  All too often we sense an “it’ll do” kind of mindset from corporate marketers.  No Bueno.

Last week, my friend George Lacy and I got together for lunch (www.lacydesign.com) and we had the most interesting conversation about marketing.  The gist of it is that Apple is perceived worldwide as the most cutting edge, highly creative hardware and software designer ever.  The reason we think this is because Apple told us this - through skillful marketing.  Why, George asks, don’t more companies try to copy that?  It was his opinion that companies say they want to be innovative and creative, but when it comes right down to it, the majority are too apprehensive to initiate that kind of change.  Companies who overcome this fear however, are rewarded with huge market shares and greater acceptance. I agree with George’s theory.

What is your perception of these companies who invested heavily in marketing?

Starbucks

Harley Davidson

Home Depot

Facebook

Google

So it comes down to this:  Whoever steps out of their comfort zone and pairs a great product with an equally innovative campaign – wins.

Video of course, plays a significant role in defining image. It is a wonderfully powerful, image creating tool that can be used in multiple marketing channels (broadcast ads, YouTube videos, company website videos, and social media)  IF created by people who know what they are doing.  If not, it can do terrible damage.  Hire a professional video production company to help market your image!!!!

David and Kathryn Seay are professional video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area

www.davidseayproductions.com

3 Surefire Ways to Make Video Work for Your Business

Video will help your business do better.  Period.  

Here are three ways our clients use video that consistently works.

1. CORPORATE IMAGE:  

Video can show who you are better than any other medium, so use it to your advantage.  If you want to be known as the low-price leader in your industry, create a video that touts your ability to deliver your products at consistently low prices.  If you want to be known as an upscale provider, create an upscale video that shows your ability to deliver the absolute best, even though it’s at a higher price.  Perception is reality, and it’s up to you to control your image. 

2. SOCIAL MEDIA: 

This has become vital in today’s world.  People are finding out about goods and services via Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Angie’s List by searching with their smart phones.  And it’s a proven fact that people stay on a site longer when there is a video to watch.

3. TRAINING: 

You have a clear idea of what you want your employees to do, how you want them to act, and the way you want them to handle their jobs.  Somehow you have to clearly communicate this to your work force.  Videos, along with computer-based training courses, make sure the right information gets out to all of your employees.  People tend to learn more by watching rather than reading, their retention rates are better, and your employees will master their jobs faster and more effectively.

Video works.  Use it.

• Note:  Unless you are an experienced video producer, DO NOT try to create your own video.  You’ll most likely do more harm than good.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area

www.davidseayproductions.com

The Single BEST Way to Build Your Image

            Video

It’s simple - with a video people see who you are, watch your products being used, being built, being purchased, etc  They hear from satisfied  customers who benefit from using your services.  People love to watch videos so make the most of it!  It’s a golden opportunity to sell them on your company,

Videos will also improve your search engine scores too.  A website with a video scores 50 times better than a website without.  And with so many people searching for content with smart phones, you will get more hits on your site and more converted customers.

Using a video will also define your brand better than any thing else.  Video is a dynamic medium that leverages movement, music, color, lights, the written word, the spoken word, moving visual effects etc. that will that can be customized to “sell” you.

A good video is an investment that will work on your behalf for many years.

Note: video is a tremendous force in helping shape your image, but it can also work to your disadvantage.  In the wrong hands, these powerful production tools do serious harm to your image and to your company.  Use a professional producer!

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

Smart Phone Videos for Business….SERIOUSLY?

It's tempting, but don't do it!

With the advent of smart phones, we have all become walking video production facilities.  Our phones shoot, edit, and upload video quite easily and for some things that’s great.  If your kid scores the winning goal at soccer, if there is a really cool surprise party you want other friends to see, or if something so cool happens in front of you - by all means shoot like the wind!!!!

If however, you start planning to shoot a video - a company video for instance -and a smart phone is your camera of choice, do yourself a favor and rethink that approach.  These devices are not meant for such an application.  Your video will look like it was shot on a phone, and will project the message of  “cheap.”  Certainly not what any respectable business should want. 

If you need to do a super quick e-mail blast to your employees about a particular company situation, then a smart phone video would work fine because that info is disposable and for a utilitarian purpose only.  But under no circumstance should you EVER send anything like that to a client.  When you send them any video content, hire a professional to do it, show them that you respect them, and don’t want to make them watch a company marketing piece that is sub-par.  

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

Video Shoot: Client Preparation

      

 

So your company is about to do a video and who do they put in charge of it?  YOU!

This is much easier than you might imagine, particularly if you choose a reputable video production company.  An experienced video producer will handle the majority of the project, including taking care of any problem areas.  They will also give you regular project updates. 

Here are a few things you will need to have ready to get started:

Project Overview:         Everyone involved will need to know what the video is for, when it needs to play, and any special concerns or objectives that need to be met.  It’s best to write this up and give it to your team members.  Be sure to all your points are addressed clearly so you can talk easily about it during conference calls and meetings. 

   

Content Outline:           The outline includes the main points of the video and is by far the most important thing you will need to do.  It will go to the scriptwriter who takes these broad topics and turns them into a compelling script.  Don’t be surprised if the video producer suggests cutting it down some - it’s very easy to try to accomplish too many goals with a single video, and the outline phase identifies this issue.

Graphics:                      Most companies have graphic standards - a set of “do’s and don’ts” having to do with using your logo and company images etc.  The production team will need this information so have it ready early on.

Legal:                            Your legal department might need to be involved in crafting any messaging your company sends out.  Give them a heads up beforehand so they can be aware of due dates and production schedules.

Fullfillment:                  Where do you want the finished product to go?  If you make DVDs, where will they be shipped? Do you have a fulfillment house? If it’s a web-based delivery, your web designer will need to know so they can create a video splash page.  They will also coordinate with the producer to get the proper type of video file.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers based in the Dallas Fort Worth area

www.davidseayproductions.com

Remove Spam from your IPhone

So Long Spam.

This doesn’t have anything to do with video production, or brand marketing, but it’s incredibly useful information.

It’s my lot in life to receive about 200 junk e-mails per day.  On my home mac, I found a way that to handle them easily using a software called Spamseive  http://c-command.com/spamsieve/   This software doesn’t stop the amount of junk you get, but it separates the wheat from the chaff and automatically stores the spam it in its own separate folder. Easy peasy.

The Iphone however was a different story.  Spamsieve didn’t have a version for that so the spam just poured in. and I had to sift through all that crap.  Someone told me that Gmail had an incredibly good spam filtering algorithm.  So here is how I use gmail and iphone to eliminate spam:

1.     set up a g-mail account

2.     Forward the mail from your current e-mail account to your new gmail account

3.     On your Iphone, set up a new mailbox to check your new gmail account

That’s it!  You’re done!

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area

www.davidseayproductions.com

The Best Editing Goes Unnoticed

                     

Editing is the critical lynchpin of video production.  Academy Awards are even given for editing - that’s how important it is.  Would you be surprised if the main goal of a professional editor is for their work to go unnoticed?  Well it is.  If the editor does their job well, the viewer becomes so engrossed in the story that they don’t even notice when a close up happens, or a wide shot stays wide, or a cutaway gets inserted.  It just seems natural and what you expect to see.  That’s an editor’s goal … make it natural.

Sometimes the difference between a good video and a great video comes down to a single frame, which in video is one 30^th of a second.  It’s amazing what can happen in that short time:  a person’s eyes can twitch, a head can turn, a breath can be drawn, bodies can move, backgrounds can change, a word can start, etc. etc.   If any of these actions are left untreated it will hurt the quality of your video.  It takes a skilled editor with a keen artistic sense to work their magic, remove these offending points yet still keep the story on point.  Therefore, editing is a true art.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

www.davidseayproductions.com

Sound Design for Corporate Video

There are 2 parts to every video:  What you see, and what you hear. 

In our video production practice, our clients are keenly aware of the visuals and help make critical nuanced choices when selecting fonts, colors, transition effects, motion graphics, etc.  When all that is complete we often hear “I love it! Let’s compress it and get it on our website!” Not so fast.  We’re not done yet.  There is the other half of the video that’s been neglected.  The sound.

Have you ever seen one of those “behind the scenes” documentaries on filmmaking where they show a scene from say, Jaws and take the music out?  If you haven’t it is the strangest thing to experience.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2K-YedETiI 

Without the music track, it looks like a couple of guys out on the boat.  Add in that famous music and suddenly the hair on the back of your neck stands up and you are on the edge of your seat and scared to death.  With your company video it’s unlikely you are trying to scare anybody like that, but the point is clear:  What you hear is just as important as what you see. 

Here is a side-by-side comparison of a corporate video with sound design and the same video without:

Without Sound Design: http://youtu.be/p6j-rdKAPb8
With Sound Design:  http://youtu.be/txA8HSx1dpM

Listen carefully and take note (pardon the pun) on how the music builds and crescendos at just e x a c t l y the right time.  Also pay attention to the visual effects and what you hear when you see them.   Kudos to Johnny Marshall for creating such a killer sound design.  www.marshallsounddesign.com.

Sound designing your next video is a smart move.  It’s the best way to turn a good video into a great one.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas, Fort Worth area

davidseayproductions.com

5 Common Sense Sales Tips

                      

Sales and marketing can be a complex puzzle to put together, but follow these simple, common-sense steps and you will be well on your way to increasing sales and earning life-long customers.

1.     Know your customers and provide what they want.

2.     Be a low-maintenance vendor … do what you say you will and don’t bother your clients with a million questions.

3.     Be helpful … understand your customer and come up with ideas about what will help them, even if it does not involve you or your product.

4.     Embrace new media and social media … they are the new ways to help you move your brand forward.

5.     Keep the customer’s needs before yours … if they get what they want, magically you’ll get what you want too.

We put these concepts into play with our video production business.  As a result, we have customers that we’ve worked with for years.  If you do these five things and nothing more, I think you will be miles ahead of your competitors and well on your way to a having a healthy, successful business.

David and Kathryn Seay are video producers in the Dallas Fort Worth area.