Category Archives: Professional Services

Simple Ways to Boost Your Conversion Rates

Increase your conversion rates by understanding your customers and enhancing their shopping experience!

If you have ever worked on a shop floor, you may have heard the phrase ‘conversion rates’ and ‘customer conversion’ from your boss way more than you’d have cared to, after all, what does it even mean? Say a customer had come into that shop, had a browse and then looked at a product they liked, surely they are going to buy it, right? Wrong. Just because you may have a handsome face and the witty charm to help sell that product, it doesn’t mean that your customers are definitely going to go for it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t depend on you as a person or the product in question. Converting your customers into ‘buyers’ rather than ‘lookers’ is dependent on a whole host of things. Even though purchasing online and/or instore has its similarities, the process of conversion varies widely in terms of process. We look at how to boost your conversion rates to get the most out of your E-Commerce business.

ECOM

The idea of increasing conversion for your online business is ultimately down to the shopping experience. For example, let’s look at our ‘real-life’ customers on the shop floor, imagine you’re walking into a store in search of a new pair of trainers and when you step into the shop it’s absolutely sweltering (the shoddy air-con has broken and it’s the middle of a blazing record summer!). Once you’ve sweated your way through the first few isles and finally reach the trainers, you find that all the sizes are completely muddled up. Eventually, you find the trainers you like, but lo and behold… they have a thick mark all along the bottom of the right trainer (you rub this mark off yourself as you realize it is the only pair in your size). You decide to go for the slightly-marked pair of trainers you’ve just about fixed up and reach the till, only to be greeted with a grumpy, snotty, unwelcoming retail assistant who refuses to release even a meek ‘hello’ as you approach. Now, if you have stuck around this far into your trainer purchasing experience, I commend your will (or question your sanity…), nonetheless, you’re are now part of the 1-2% of customer converts that exist online. All seems a little dramatic, doesn’t it? However, you get the picture. At each turn, your experience as a customer was tarnished by the environment that the shop have created. It is the experience that you create for your customer that will encourage them to stay longer and hopefully up your conversion rates.

CRO

What Women (and Men) Want

No, we’re not encouraging you to electrocute yourself in order to be able to read your customers minds (like the noughties Mel Gibson rom com) in order to up your conversion rate. We do, however, encourage you to understand the minds of your customers through smart technology. Something as simple as Google Analytics will help you to understand where your visitors are coming from, how long they visit each page, where they are clicking through from, if they are returning customers and what words they are searching in order to find your site. This will help you gage where the glitches lie and therefore how to improve them directly. You never know, but something like this could help you understand something about your website that could never have known, such as the language in which you are using to drive people to your site or through each page. Simply changing one or two words to help customers reach their destination could help increase your conversion rate massively.

What Women Want

Be Business Savvy

Once you’ve understood where, what and why your customers are clicking on to reach the end destination you can work on how to get them to take the plunge and click ‘buy’ with a few savvy tips and tricks. This is not to say that customers aren’t interested in the product, of course they are, and sometimes they just need a little nudge to get them onto that long-awaited confirmation page. Unlike the experience of a physical shop, the customer can’t touch, try-on or try-out the product in front of them. It is your job to make sure the product you are selling is as detailed as possible, whether this is putting as many images or different angles of the product as is possible, detailing the description with size, dimensions and types of textile or maybe even adding customer reviews (providing you have enough content and are confident in the quality!). If your customer feels as though they have all the necessary details in order to make an informed decision, they’ll be more likely to want to buy.

 

Straight to the Point

With online shopping giants such as Amazon making the purchasing process for customers that one step easier with features such as ‘One-Click’, we have no choice but to step-up our Shopping Cart game. Though it may not be suitable for your site to have such a thing as a ‘one-click’ button, it won’t hurt to make the whole process shorter with smarter features to help nudge the customer to the final purchasing page. There are a few simple ways you can do this;

Adjust your P&P
How many times have you looked at a product online and thought ‘what a steal!’ because of the low price of your purchase, only to find that the postage and packaging costs almost double the actual product? It therefore makes the product seem less ‘worth it’… you may as well go to the shop and get one for cheaper WITHOUT postage fees. The idea here is to adjust the price of your products slightly higher so that the postage seems as minimal as possible. People are more inclined to pay more if they feel as though the product is worth it and priced well, even it is a little higher than they’d like. Who wants to spend all their money on stamps anyway!

P&P

Upsell, upsell, upsell!
Flashbacks to those earlier staff meetings, back in the day of your shop floor retailing days, clutching a large coffee with the piercing sounds of your manager (once again) exclaiming that, today, you must ‘UPSELL!’. Easy on the shop floors, but how do you do this sat at your desk all day? Well, offering your customers the opportunity to purchase things in bundles. For example, game stores do this well. Selling consoles on their own at a high price or offering the customer to purchase the same console and for only a little extra they have the opportunity to receieve a selection of games. This type of upsell works a treat as the customer feels as though they’re getting the best deal. Offering smaller items on the way to the checkout page that could be of interest to them and the products they are currently purchasing are a good way to shift things that may not be able to sell by themselves.

A Penny for Your Thoughts
What a difference that little penny makes… Trust us when we say, making a sale at £99.99 will sell far better than the same product at £100.00. Customers want to believe that they’re not spending too much, so to take your product down to the next bracket of 10’s will most definitely contribute to your customers shopping experience.

Penny

App-ify it

If it is suitable for you and your business, moving into the world of apps or even online shopping is a sure-fire way to make this process easier for your shoppers on the go. However, make sure your viewing layout and action buttons are just as mobile friendly as they are desk top friendly. Follow the same processes as you would with your online version!

Safe, Clear and Easy

If customers are new to your sight, they may be dubious as to your credibility. Assuring your customers checking out are secure with their purchase, whether that’s giving them the option of money transfer services such as PayPal or working with secure money payment services will allow the customers to go through with that payment with their minds at ease. Finally, keeping your final stages extremely simple is crucial in reducing the dreaded ‘cart abandonment’. Clearly display actions such as ‘Go To Cart’, ‘Checkout’ and ‘Pay’ with areas marked in bold such as billing and delivery addresses. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised in the amount of sites with uneasy and complicated paying processes and how easy it is to lose customers because of it. Going back to our beloved ‘real shop’ customer experience, if the shop is windy, muddled and complicated and every corner you turn you can’t seem to find that blasted paying desk, you’re probably more likely to dump the contents of your basket there and then and storm out (okay, maybe a little dramatic, but infuriating nonetheless…).

Secure

With this list threatening to never end, there are so many more ways in which you can increase and improve your conversion rate. As a wise Grasshopper once said ‘to understand the customer, one must check over its analytics, have smart layouts in place and BECOME the customer’. Well, maybe not all of that, but relevant all the same. If you would like more advice from some of our ‘wise grasshoppers’, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or drop us an email so we can help you to improve your conversion rates!

The ‘App-Conomy’

Why you should get involved and utilise applications for an ‘appier business or career

 

Apps

 2017: arguably, the age of the online revolution. Amazon, Google or Apple (the top grossing businesses in world, and all tech companies) are the proof that the online economy will soon be the only economy.

That is not to say that businesses ruling in tangible products or services will be ruled out of the equation, but the way they are delivered to the consumer is changing rapidly before our eyes. It is time to get on board with the ‘App-conomy’.

 

Have a look at your smartphone (from an educated guess and assuming that this is your mode of communication) and check out the applications that you currently have. The likelihood that you have a mixture of music streaming services (Spotify, Apple, Tidal), social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and/or other interactive apps ranging from eBay, Uber and TripAdvisor, for example, is extremely high. No, I am not psychic, nor is this a mere coincidence; it is the future of consumer interaction.

 

The Proof is in the Pudding

By now you will have heard of Mark Zuckerburg, the genius mind behind the multimillion phenomenon that is Facebook, but have you ever heard Garrett Gee? In 2013, Gee sold his revolutionary QR scanning mobile application, whilst still studying at university, for $54 million. Yes, you read that correctly… To this day, he travels the world with his wife and two young children whilst not even making a small dent in their earnings. As you can see, there is big money in the application building world, so get your thinking hats on, because who doesn’t want to travel the world for a living?

Facebook Logo 

How Can These Apps’s Benefit You?

So, you may not be the next Garrett Gee, however, there are plenty apps to increase your productivity at work. Whether you’re part of a large corporation or a small start-up, there are so many ways to organise your day with simple swipe of your smartphone or tablet. There are many ways to test and trial which apps suit you and potentially your business. Whether it’s Adroid or iOS, if you click onto the application store you are sure to find categories specific for your needs. From creating documents, analysing and tracking or even using social media to launch your business ideas, there are categories for everything. So decide what your goal is for using a certain app, get browsing in that category and test a few out over a few days or weeks.

 

Global Company Based Apps

It is not just social apps that can assist us in both day to day life and business ventures, whether its getting connected through LinkedIn or showcasing your business with Instagram. These apps have created an online database that allows us to monitor everything we are doing at all times: there is simply no excuse not to utilize this technology to its full potential. Whether it is Uber, a taxi service that offers cheaper journey’s in most major cities to take us too and from work, or Trip Advisor, which encourages us to compare hotels and restaurants, allowing us to make sure we are in the right place when taking a potential client out and Skyscanner, which allow us to compare and book any flight at a moments notice. You don’t have to have your own app or business in mind to take full advantage, you can utilise the app world through your current job or career by simply using it to organise your workday or load.

App connection

Your Own App Based Business

Whether you already have an idea or app based business in mind, or you tried browsing for an app that simply doesn’t exist (and it should!) there is no reason why you could follow in Gee’s footsteps of permanent holidaying in the Caribbean. Treat your app like a business you would as though you had a team on payroll behind you. If this is a new business, rather than creating an app for an already existing business, you need to think about the finer details.

Create a business plan, have a brand or image in mind and think of the level of usage and how much you can offer it to the consumer, as though it is a tangible product on the market. Don’t forget to utilise social media. For example, fitness mogul Kayla Itsines, who became an online sensation with her ‘Bikini Body Workouts’ and meal plans, grew her business through social media. She grew a consumer database through apps such as Instagram and Facebook to promote her fitness routines. Once she had a strong following of people interested in investing their time and money into her brand, she launched her own app, at a price, so that people could gain access to more detailed and effective work out plans. This is one example of a sure fire way to get the most out of your own app based business by utilising others to grow a consumer database.

There's an App

So, whether it is an app to brighten up your day or lighten the workload, the use of applications in any small or large business is a sure fire way to bring you to the 21st century. So, if you need an ‘appily ever after and you aren’t sure where to start, give one of our experts a call today. We’re ‘appy to help!

 

(Disclaimer: we apologise profusely for the terrible puns we have inflicted upon you throughout this article)

Generation Now

THE POWER OF THE ONLINE BLOGGER

10 years ago, if you muttered the words ‘blogger’, ‘vlogger’ or ‘YouTuber’ in the presence of a business professional, you would probably be greeted with a bemused look upon their face. 20 years ago, those words merely didn’t exist, let alone become a valid stream of income. YouTube, the main platform for the 21st Century ‘blogger’, has enabled people to connect with the rest of the world by simply using home-recorded videos created by someone with a hobby. A savvy blogger filming themselves doing a simple review on a product or a tutorial on how to create ‘the perfect red lip’ has now snowballed into creating some of the highest earning, self-employed, influential people all over the world. We delve into the lives of these savvy business men and women, and how it can help you.

How do they make money?

To begin with, YouTube was just a platform to give people the outlet they wanted to show off their talents or hobbies, expanding from written online blogs. The more views a video would receive and interest it gained would entice advertisers to place their commercial on said video. For example, an advert with the latest type of lipstick may be shown on a bloggers video of a make-up tutorial, providing that blogger attracted a substantial amount of viewers. Advertisers then pay YouTube, who take some of the cut and then pass on the rest to the video blogger who created the tutorial. However, these types of earnings may look like pennies compared to the impact these ‘YouTubers’ are making.

Branding and Merchandise

Many YouTubers have moved on from the traditional income stream of advertising (although, don’t get me wrong, some of the biggest names online get a hell of a lot from one major company advertising on their video). Some of the most popular bloggers are now a household name and create bigger income streams from the likes of branding and merchandise. This can include partnering with big brands to creating their own brand. Some have gone on to release sell-out books, make-up lines, fashion labels/brands and even just branding their own imaging on merchandise can earn them a big buck. Some partner with major brands in order to promote themselves and sell a product and most of them create videos with a certain product to talk about, in which case, they have to label the video as an ‘#AD’ (by law).

 

Stars of the show

You think we’re joking? Well, just to make you more familiar with the process, we present to you some of the ‘stars’ of the show…

Zoella (Zoe Sugg)

One of the most influential YouTubers on the internet. With a whopping 11.2 million subscribers to her channel and over 840 million views on her videos, anything she promotes, sells. She has more followers than Barack Obama and had an invite to have tea with Prince Harry, but this isn’t merely enough. Some of her accolades include a sell out beauty collection with Superdrug in 2015 and her own book ‘Girl Online’ selling over 80,000 copies in the first week, making her the fastest selling debut novelist since records began. She began her blog in 2009, sat in her bedroom of the family home, because of this she is now known as one of the biggest influencers for young people in Britain with an estimated net worth of £3m.

Alfie Deyes

Or ‘Mr. Zoella’ is the other half to Zoe Sugg. Both popular YouTubers in their own right before becoming a couple, Alfie commands a subscribing audience of 5.4 million and over 435 million views to his channel ‘PointlessBlog’. For young viewers, this channel is about fun challenges, games and… eating candy on camera (Yep, you heard us correctly, this particular ‘candy eating’ video, that was uploaded less than a month ago, boasts almost 2 million views to date).

Pixiwoo

In 2008, Samantha Chapman, previously a make-up artist, sat in front of her webcam, ‘bored one day’ and decided to start filming make-up tutorials online. Her sister, Nicola, then joined her in the venture and together they produced the channel (and now brand name) ‘Pixiwoo’. Aside from their YouTube channel creating a sizable stream of income, they also have their own range of cosmetic brushes and worked with some big names within the fashion and celebrity industry, whilst also running a five-day make-up course from their studio in Norwich.

These are just a mere few of the hugely successful Bloggers/Vloggers/YouTubers/Influencers, whatever you want to call them! Below are some of the rest that are extremely powerful in their own right.

Samantha Maria

Subscribers: 1.8M

Views: 151M

Formerly known as ‘beautycrush’, this influencer began creating fashion, styling and make-up videos and now, with her boyfriend, run a sell-out fashion label ‘Novem & Knight’ and still earn off creating personal and sponsored videos.

Patricia Bright

Subscribers: 955k

Views: 84M

Previously working in finance, Patricia now runs a hair extension brand alongside her blogging as well as being a brand ambassador for Loreal.

Tanya Burr

Subscribers: 3.6M

Views: 311M

Alongside Zoella, she has been a ‘cover girl’ for one of the best selling glossy magazines in the UK and has a sell-out make up range in Superdrug.

In The Frow

Subscribers: 522k

Views: 28M

‘Inthefrow’ is a brand created by Victoria, a writer, photographer and editor. She is now an ambassador for Loreal alongside Patricia Bright whilst running a successful written blog and online YouTube videos. Known as a ‘lifestyle’ blogger, she talks about high-end fashion, make-up, food and travel.

 

What does this mean for you?

The above are some of the most sought after names within the online industry – and outside. So making this work for you and your business could really prove difficult. However, we are just demonstrating the sheer scope of media and culture that these names possess. It is these people that are the future of advertising and how, you, as a business owner, could be able to connect with your costumer in the most efficient way.

Reaching Out

We are a big supporter of producing great quality content and videos for any business. Connecting with the blogging community now has a huge advantage in many ways. You could start your own blog, depending on what type of business you have. Creating an authentic way to connect to your target market and making that translatable through both yourself and your products could be a double win for you and your company. If you aren’t as fond of the idea of creating your own blog or you dealing with a business that is on a much more grand scale, then doing your research and reaching out to the influencers of today could seriously win you big interest from consumers you didn’t even know existed.

Authenticity

More often than not, some YouTubers won’t agree to advertise something that they haven’t tried or they are not passionate about. Sending out products to relevant and popular Bloggers that talk to your target audience could lead to an unsponsored ‘ad’ with them talking about your product simply because they love it. Free. Advertising. What more could you want? It could consist of paying for one of your ads to appear at the beginning of their videos (depending on the popularity of the blogger, this could be a costly affair), or even paying for a sponsored ad where you partner up and/or pay the blogger to advertise your product or service on their channel. But remember, keep it authentic, only target people you think will understand the product and love it as much as you do!

Happy to help!

Want to create your own professional video or learn more on other great marketing ideas? Please contact us today! We look forward to helping you get the most out of your business.

5 Things to Consider when Creating your App

Headache Free App Development

With smartphone users completely bypassing the Internet in favour for the mobile app, it has drastically changed how businesses run their marketing strategies; deal with customer habits and monitor data more closely. It has allowed businesses, whether small or large, to interact more personally with their consumers in order to keep growing their company, simply based on the habits of customers usage times and how they use certain apps. With the global usage of smartphones taking over desktops in 2014, it is certainly the time to make sure you are thinking wisely about how you will utilize this area of your business.

So, lets talk about you for a moment. Your business idea is taking off in spectacular fashion and you have got so many queries about how to book, how to get hold of you, look at what you have to offer and more, so you decide to create the perfect application to represent your company whilst letting customers interact with your business whenever they need too. You have spent a considerable amount on your website and making sure that the content is just right, so why would you skimp on the app? (You wouldn’t!) To make things a little easier for you, we have suggested a few things to think about when creating your new app.

Budgeting

This is the first thing on everyone’s mind when doing anything for his or her business. How do you prioritize and know how much you should be spending on certain aspects of our company in order to receive the best outcome in the long-term. Unless you are highly skilled at the application making process, the chances are you will need someone to help you design and create your app, so you can create a professional finish. With this in mind you will need to choose this person (or people) carefully and make sure that they know exactly what you have in mind and what your budget is. You may have many extravagant ideas about how you want this too look, but there is nothing worse than building up your dream app then realizing it will cost an arm and a leg to create it.

Access

It not is only about the design of your app, but you will need to think about who can access it. The professional dealing with the creation of your app should talk with you about this, but you will need to think where it will be more appropriate – The App Store and/or Android – and how much you will set the at pricing for your customers; will they pay to download it? Or can they download it for free but then pay for the content they use once it has been downloaded? You will need to think about what is more appropriate for the type of service that you offer.

 How to use it

The worst thing you could do is alienate your consumer with a difficult to use app. As you can imagine, in this day and age, technology is moving so quickly and much more advanced, which means people are becoming more and more accustomed to instant gratification with the use of their smartphones and desktops. If you believe that your app has the perfect design and looks exactly how you want it to, but it is confusing to navigate, chances are, you won’t keep your clients interests engaged for long.

Maintenance

Your business is like a tree, ever growing and changing flawlessly with its surroundings. This is how you want your app to represent your company. You can do this by making sure that your app is constantly being updated, refreshed and renewed with new content and developing your app every time your company makes another step or simply just needs a refreshing new face. If your app is left alone and never developed, you will notice a drop off of loyal consumers, this is because we get bored and want to know that your business has always got something new and fresh to offer. Even the smallest changes make the biggest differences. If you have create a good relationship with your app developer, the chances are, they will be happy to help you grow your app and will grow to know the best techniques to help drive your cliental straight to it.

 The Finer Details

Finally, this may seem like a blaringly obvious point to make, but it has to be said… Make sure the quality of your app is of a high standard. This application will, most likely, end up becoming the face of your business, so you want to treat it with love, care and respect. Making sure that every little detail is considered and you know exactly what your customers want to achieve from your app is crucial to keeping them engaged in the long run. The app has to represent your business and the amount you care for the customers needs. If your app is slap dash and just out there for the sake of it, then it might look as though you aren’t genuine about your intentions and could ultimately effect the way your business is viewed.

We hope that this has helped you become more aware of applications and how important they are becoming to every business, anything from a small fitness and nutrition one woman/man show, to a large media empire. No matter the size and aspirations of your business, there is always place within the market for you to make YOUR mark with a fantastic and engaging app. If you have any queries and would like to contact us about your app ideas, please get in touch with us today.

 

Killer Online Video Strategy Tips

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How to get your video seen and drive more sales

If your business has any online presence at all but you haven’t embraced the potential of video marketing, you may be missing a great opportunity to introduce yourself and your products to thousands of potential new buyers. Thanks to the huge variety of video hosting services available, the ease of editing and the proliferation of inexpensive, high-quality cameras, video marketing has never been easier.

But there’s a big gap between deciding to enter the world of online video and knowing how to make the most of it. Whether you’re a beginner at video marketing or still trying to get your videos to take off and go viral, there are a few key tips you’ll need to know.

Keep It Short

Viewers interact with video marketing very differently from other types of web content. If you write a blog post or article, a reader might skim it, or read part of it, come back later and finish it. An image is usually noticed subconsciously. By contrast, a video demands the viewer’s complete attention.

However, viewers aren’t willing to give their full attention to a video for very long if it doesn’t deliver something that captivates them. Studies show that most videos begin to lose viewers at around the 30-second mark. Only a small percentage of viewers will make it all the way to the end of a two-minute video. That isn’t to say that your video needs to be less than 30 seconds long, but it does mean that you need to make sure not to waste your viewer’s time.

Stay On Target

The need for brevity means that a successful marketing video has to stick to its key point at all times. A good traditional video begins with a question — hopefully one that the viewers see as a problem they don’t have a solution too. The video promises the viewer the answer to that question. The end of the video needs to leave the viewer convinced of your expertise in your field and eager to see what your business or product are all about.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Although the question structure is a tried and tested method of video marketing, lots of successful marketing videos haven’t followed it. For instance, widespread use of Vine, an intuitive video app for smartphones, has made creating stop-motion animation easier than ever. Some of the most successful marketing Vines are simply very short animated films featuring the company’s product. In an internet saturated with explainer videos, something that showcases your personality and creativity can really stand out.

Production Values Are Important, But Not That Important

Just like a small business itself, a small business’s marketing succeeds or fails on the strength of the personal connection between the company and the consumer. Given this, audiences don’t necessarily expect to see highly-polished video production. Whether or not your video demonstrates mastery of the subject is far more important. If you have the money for it — and it can be cheaper than you think — using an online video production company can be a good idea. You’ll make your video easier to watch and easier for viewers to understand. But while good production values can help enhance a good video, they can’t do anything to save a bad one.

Mix and Match

One of the great advantages of online video is how easy it is to integrate into other types of online marketing. For example, if you’re funding a new product with Kickstarter, a video can help attract backers. Don’t be afraid to incorporate video into existing marketing like blogs of Facebook pages.

If you’d like expert help to make your video production a success then talk to us here at Stormnet Media. We help organisations of all sizes achieve success with stunning video production. Contact us on 01527 910050 today.

How Video Will Grow Your Business

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Grow your business with a persuasive video…

Video marketing has been one of the most important internet trends of the last few years. For a cynic, it would be easy to dismiss it as just another fad. It isn’t, though — new methods of video production and hosting have changed the face of marketing, putting powerful tools within reach of independents and small businesses. Video marketing can take the form of viral videos to be shared on social medial platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, explainer videos hosted on your business’s own webpage, or components of other marketing initiatives such as Kickstarter campaigns.

Video marketing can make a huge difference in getting your message out to potential customers, but it’s most effective if it’s done wisely. Like any form of marketing, video marketing is fundamentally about storytelling, and good storytelling has several important characteristics.

First, a good marketing video won’t take any longer than necessary to make its point. Studies demonstrate that videos start losing viewers as they get longer, with some dropping out as early as the 30-second mark. That doesn’t mean that a marketing video has to be short; it just can’t be any longer than it needs to be to make its point.

The basics of a clear marketing video message are simple. The video needs to begin by explaining what’s known in marketing circles as “the question” — the problem that the product intends to solve or the audience to whom it’s being marketed. Next, the video needs to demonstrate expertise. This can mean showing the creator and the product at work, or it can simply mean showing you speaking clearly and authoritatively about the subject.

Establishing authority is important, but it isn’t the only important part of creating a marketing video. To be really effective, a marketing video has to end with a “call to action” — something that spurs the viewer to take the step you want them to. This could be as simple as clicking on a link or as complicated as purchasing a product.

Second, a good marketing video has to represent the personality of the company or individual it represents. Video marketing gives you a chance to communicate directly with potential customers — to let you embody your own brand. Paradoxically, slick production values can actually interfere with your ability to communicate what it is about your product that makes you stand out.

This isn’t to say that good production values aren’t important in a marketing video. An experienced explainer video agency can make an important difference in communicating your message. In order to communicate your point, your video has to be easy to watch and understand; professional audio, lighting and camera work can make a difference here.

The real key to success is to communicate the enthusiasm and passion that drive you and inspire your product. This is the chief advantage that an explainer video has for the small company or lone businessperson; its unmediated nature lets producers speak directly to consumers.

A video that goes viral can reach thousands upon thousands of users, more than almost any other form of marketing in the same price range. Most videos, however, don’t reach such a huge audience. This doesn’t mean that they’re unsuccessful, though. By communicating a clear core message and demonstrating your commitment and energy, video can completely transform you online marketing strategy — which, in today’s world, means completely transforming your business.

Here at Stormnet Media we produce videos that work. There’s no guesswork, just clear thinking and a passion to make your video work. For a no obligation quote please contact us on 01527 910050.

How to Make Your Web Visitors Watch All Your Video

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Engage with your web audience for maximum clicks…

If you’ve decided to take your first steps into web video marketing, you may be spending a lot of time thinking about how to make people click on your videos. While it’s definitely important to get people to watch your marketing video, it’s equally important to make sure that they watch it all the way through. Even videos that are successful at attracting viewers may not necessarily be successful at retaining them. Here are a few reasons why:

Length

It may sound surprising, but studies show that videos begin to lose viewers as early as the 30-second mark. At over a minute, a significant number of viewers will have simply stopped watching. You won’t be able to retain all every viewer, no matter how interesting you make your video, but these figures do serve as a reminder that marketing videos need to be brief in order to be genuinely effective.

Clarity

The best way to get people to stick around through the length of a video is to make sure that they know enough about the payoff that’s coming at the end to know that it’s something they’re interested in. If you start your video with a question, make sure that your audience knows that you have the answer and you’re going to share it with them. If you’re explaining a process, make sure that even before the first step your audience knows where you’re going.

Directness

Some successful marketing videos have a rambling, conversational tone, and you might think that it’s a good idea to imitate this. It’s certainly true that the personal touch is one of the big advantages of video marketing, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend your video wandering around the point. You can get away with this kind of thing once you already have an established brand, but if you’re just “meeting” your customers for the first time, you want to make sure that they know you’re not going to waste their time.

Passion

In a world where hundreds of videos are competing for your viewers’ attention, you can’t afford to create a video that lacks commitment. Production values are good, but the beauty of internet marketing video is that it’s available to people who don’t have the budget to hire a website video production company for every aspect of the job. But no matter what your budget, if your video suggests, even for a second, that you aren’t enthusiastic about your product, viewers will pick up on it — and if you’re not convinced, why should they be?

Production

That said, production values do make a difference. A well-shot video is easier to watch and easier to understand. Making sure that your set is well-lit and that your microphone records clear, natural-sounding audio can help you get your message across. Viewers aren’t necessarily looking for Hollywood production, but they won’t keep watching a video that makes them work hard just to see what’s happening or understand what’s being said.

Individuality

The boom in video marketing has been a huge help to small businesses, but it has downsides as well. One of these is widespread competition. Another clever marketing gimmick isn’t enough to stick in the typical viewer’s mind any more. Your video, more than anything else, has to demonstrate what it is about your business that is unique, whether it’s your product, your methods or simply your personality. Even before you start production, it’s vital to sit down and identify this point, because you’re going to want to start hammering it home from the first second of your first video.

If you’d like an engaging and effective video production then we’d love to help. Contact us for a free no obligation quotation today on 01527 910050

Video Production for Vine

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Why you should consider Vine for distributing video content

Since its arrival for iOS in January 2013, Vine has quickly become the most popular mobile video app on the market, with versions available for both iOS and Android and a Windows phone version in the works as well. Vine doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but it’s simple and easy to use. For Twitter users, it has one huge advantage: studies show that Vine videos are far more likely to be retweeted than others — four times as likely, according to a study by Unruly Media.

Since Vine only permits six-second video clips, it may seem that it doesn’t have much application for video marketing. In fact, however, even six-second clips can be very important marketing tools, and several companies have made extensive use of Vine in their online marketing campaigns. The principles behind video production for Vine are just like those behind any other viral video, only more so.

As with any marketing video, the key to a good marketing Vine is clarity and simplicity. Each video needs to clearly communicate one idea; a complex message is unlikely to come across in only six seconds. This has several implications for video marketing.

First, it means that Vine is a great boon to companies with a physical product to sell. A six-second Vine can show a product from all angles in a way that a photograph can’t, and is more likely to be retweeted than a YouTube or similar video. It’s also a great way to show the product at work.

One unique way to do this is using Vine’s interface to create stop-motion animation. Vine records only when the user is pressing the screen. When the user’s finger is off the screen, however, the video doesn’t end, but simply waits for the user to press it again. As a result, Vine is one of the simplest tools for stop-motion animation in the world of video production. Several companies have turned products into the stars of their own videos using stop-motion animation.

The second similarity between Vine and ordinary video marketing is that videos need an artistic or comedic element that will make them stand out. Unless the product itself is visually arresting in some way, the video needs an easily-graspable visual hook. Bear in mind that not all viewers will have audio switched on, so it’s better to produce something that doesn’t need a spoken explanation to be understood.

Like other marketing videos, six-second Vines often serve as teasers for another product — perhaps a full-length article for a longer video, while a Vine can even serve as a teaser for an ordinary explainer video. Short Vine videos can also act as links to contests, giveaways or other tools to draw users to your main site.

Lastly, Vines have a very short life cycle, even compared to other types of viral video. If you’re going to make Vine a central part of your marketing strategy, you’ll have to produce them steadily, not just once. Produce them regularly and you’ll build recognition as a company whose Vines are worth watching out for.

Just like other forms of viral video, then, Vine has its own strengths and weaknesses. Its simplicity, versatility and simple integration with Twitter make it easy to learn and use, and the fact that the app is free means that production costs are kept to a minimum. It’s easy to experiment with Vine production until you find the presentation that suits your product and your potential customers perfectly.

If you’d like to get an awesome and creative video for use on Vine to promote your business and boost profits then speak to your video production experts at Stormnet. Call us on 01527 910050 or contact us using our form.

Video Production Process Explained

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Video production process explained in 6 easy steps

With no hidden costs or nasty surprises, Stormnet clients of all sizes and budgets enjoy a stress-free path to a broadcast-quality marketing video that delivers measurable results.

From family-run businesses to large major brands, we deliver the same care and attention throughout the video production process.

To ensure the best value for money we can offer, we leave no stone unturned when it comes to researching your project. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals, so we’re not precious about realising our own artistic ambition. Your video is all about your business.

You’ll benefit from regular consultation and communication throughout the process, leaving no margin for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of your brief. If you have any feedback or suggestions along the way, we’ll work hard to incorporate them in your video.

And if you’re worried about supplying a script or creative brief, you can relax. We’ll take care of it as part of the highly-recommended service we provide. From the storyboard to the editing room, we have experience in all the key creative fields to ensure your video surpasses your expectations.

Here’s how we do it…

Step 1: It’s all about you

It’s our mission to understand your brand as well as you do. Everything from your brand personality to your customer expectations is thoroughly digested before we do anything else. This helps us design a killer brief together that’s precision-engineered to meet your business goals.

Step 2: A compelling script draws your customers in

In order to meet your business objectives, you need to engage with your audience and capture their imaginations from the very first frame. We’ll create a water-tight script that speaks to your audience with flair and imagination. A script written specifically to further your business needs.

Step 3: Great design makes a more memorable video

Armed with a killer script, we go to work on designing the right look and feel for your production, based on all the research we’ve done about your business. This is where we develop storyboards, illustrations and mood boards to really give you a feel for how your video is shaping up. And of course, ask for your feedback before progressing.

Step 4: Live action sequences add credibility to your message

Live action sequences are great for helping your audience to see themselves as part of your message. And we’re experts in broadcast-quality, cinematic on-location filming. Using the latest technology, we promise a pin-sharp picture quality delivered in smooth HD (high definition) all shot with the utmost care and attention to detail.

Step 5: Professional editing puts your message at centre stage

Trusted by a long list of independent film producers, directors and agencies, our fully-equipped digital editing suites are where the raw footage, audio and ideas are consolidated into a slick, compelling, high-performance finished film. Expect crystal clear sound and broadcast-standard HD picture quality. During the edit we can also add effects, voice-overs and 3D animation to ensure your film is truly unforgettable.

Step 6: Are you ready to hold your own premiere?

Your video is finished, and ready to start working hard to meet your objectives. Delivered in all the formats you will need, including full HD for TV and web formats, you’ll be able to launch immediately and start reaping the benefits. And to help create awareness of your new film, we’ll even provide some FREE video blogging as a customer courtesy.

If you’re ready to start building your business using video, visit our contact page, or call our friendly team on 01527 910050 today.

How Long Should an Explainer Video Be?

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What’s the sweet spot for an explainer video?

So you’ve decided that an explainer video is going to help you get your ideas across to thousands of new potential customers – if not more. You know the topic you want to cover, you’ve selected the points to get across, and now you’re sitting down to write your script. You don’t know it, but you’re also about to make a big mistake.

It’s a simple mistake and a common one: you’re going to make your video too long. It’s easy to see why this can happen – almost by definition, no one is going to make an explainer video without being enthusiastic about the subject. Add to this that people tend to be bad at estimating the length of a speech or conversation and it’s no wonder that most videos run over their optimum length.

What may surprise you is just how short that optimum length actually is. Video hosting firm Wistia studied the average length of time viewers were willing to watch the business videos on their site. The results showed that viewer attention dropped off sharply the longer the video was – fewer than 10% of viewers made it to the end of hour-long videos. But, strikingly, the numbers were relatively low even for much shorter videos. Fewer than 50% of viewers made it to the end of videos in the 2-3 minute range.

In fact, the data suggests that the optimum length for an explainer video may be in the 30-60 second range. It may not be much, but you can fit a surprising amount of information into a minute – and you have a much better chance of communicating your complete message to the viewer. This is especially important for business videos, which are typically trying to convey a single unified message. An explainer video abandoned by the viewer halfway through is as bad as one not watched at all.

If you have decided to create a short video, then, you’ll need to use some simple techniques to package your message in a manageable format. The simplest – and one of the most important – is to break up your message into as many smaller chunks as possible. The second is to front-load the video with material that keeps the viewer interested. Even short videos run the risk of losing viewers part of the way through, so beginning with the point will help you grab the viewer’s attention.

In some cases, of course, it simply isn’t possible to compress your message into the short space of a one-minute video; if this is the case, you’ll simply have to run the risk of losing some viewers, trusting that the ones who do make it all the way through your explainer video will come out the other end well-informed.

If you’re looking for explainer video production then contact the friendly experts at Stormnet Media. We create persuasive and powerful explainer videos that boost sales. Contact us today on 01527 910050 – we’d love to help.