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12 Big Video Marketing Numbers You Can’t Afford To Ignore

If you haven’t jumped aboard the video marketing train yet, it could be time to revise your marketing strategy.

Whether you work for yourself, manage a medium sized business or run a large multinational corporation, there is plenty of compelling evidence that suggests video marketing is the next big thing.

Here are 12 big numbers that suggest that video marketing is taking off in a big way, and a nice retro Sesame Street video to go with them, just for fun.

 1.8 Million

According to Dr. James McQuivery at Forrester Research, that is the value of a 60 second video.

1.8 million words is the equivalent of around 3,500 typical web pages. Do you really have that amount of time on your hands, and what’s more, would your visitors have the patience or inclination to wade through that much information? Even if you wrote one page every hour, it would still take you 150 days to make the same impact as a one minute marketing video.

100 Million

That’s the amount of web users who watch video online every day. Okay, so many of those people are going to be watching the latest funny cat video or hilarious footage of people falling over, but they still have the desire and capacity to watch video.

45.4%

That’s the number of Internet users who look at least one video over the course of a month. On average, web users are exposed to 32 videos each month and they are becoming more and more receptive to this type of advertising.

90%

This is the percentage of people who find video useful when they are looking for products or services or just casually browsing the web. Video can persuade in a way that other media cannot. It engages more of the senses and takes viewers on a journey. For 60 seconds or more, they are captivated (if your video is good) and much more likely to take positive action. Reports show that products and services accompanied by a video are much more likely to sell.

16 Minutes And 49 Seconds

That’s how much time web users spend on average watching video ads. However, it’s the reason why people watch video that is important rather than the time they spend watching them. People generally watch a video because it grabs their attention, but in the case of marketing, it can also save them time. A video saves a busy executive or a consumer on the move from wading through pages of text. They can grab what they need about your company, product or service in one easy hit.

Video is a great way to harness the power of the elevator pitch in a much more effective way.

80%

80%, according to the Online Publishers Association, is the percentage of web users who remember a video they last watched in the past 30 days. Even better, out of that 80%, 46% took action after the video ended. Here are some interesting numbers:

• 26% sought out more information about the video subject

• 22% visited the website that was named in the ad

• 15% personally visited the store that was presented in the ad

• 12% bought the product that was presented in the ad

64%

This is where things really get interesting. 64% is how much more likely your visitors are to make a purchase or make an enquiry after watching your ad. 64%! Additionally, visitors who view video ads tend to stick around for 2 minutes longer than they would on a website without a video.

403%

A real estate group in Australia, reported that property listings featuring video receive 403% more enquiries than listings without.

59%

According to a study carried out by Forbes Insight, 59% of senior execs would rather watch a video than read text. Further studies also showed that 65% of the execs who watched a video were likely to click through to the respective website. 45% of those execs reported that they got in touch with the vendor to find out more about their services. 50% of those who viewed the video went on to make a purchase.

96%

And it’s not just online videos that make an impact. A recent study carried out by Implix showed that a video included in an introductory sales email could increase click-through rate (that’s the amount of people visiting your website from a link) by 96%.

200%

A survey carried out by Forrester Marketing Group found that explainer videos could increase click-through rate by 300%.

10 Seconds

That’s how long you have to hook somebody in with your video. Consumers and busy execs – they don’t have time to hang around. They want to dip in and dip out and you need to keep them around long enough to be compelled to make a sale or get in touch. According to research carried out by Visible Measures, 20% of your potential customers will click away from your video in 10 seconds or fewer.

Want 403% More Engagement? Let’s Talk.

Effective video marketing means engaging your target audience from the very start. At Stormnet Media, we work with the magic 10 second window of opportunity to ensure you keep your audience interested and compelled to take action.

Sharpen your business message with a marketing video that will put you leaps ahead of your competition. Speak to our video marketing experts today. There is nothing to lose and 403% more profit waiting!

Written By Ian Stainton. Ian is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  - ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+. 

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How to avoid the biggest pitfall that will ruin your video

One of the most valuable skills that I’ve acquired over the almost 30 years of being in the ‘video business’ is that of scriptwriter. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of great skills to be gained in this industry such as cameraman, animator or editor but without a good script or creative idea the whole thing is a non-starter.

Now, while I’m not likely to be composing any prose that will be studied for eternity by school children or writing the next Hollywood block buster, clients appreciate the friendly, direct and conversational tone that I try to achieve. When writing for video one of the biggest challenges that I always face when putting together a script is avoiding the use of jargon.

Jargon is defined as “special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand” and this is the whole problem – most people want to be able to understand what you are saying in the easiest and most simple terms – especially when it comes to video.

In a recent survey by the BBC the biggest thing that puts people off buying technology is high tech babble and jargon. Unfortunately this cuts across most industries with almost all having their own special words for things.

Here’s a very funny spoof video that I love that’s overloaded with jargon:

The upshot of all this that people simply don’t buy stuff if they don’t understand it. I’ve seen lots of videos for things that I’m genuinely interested in but don’t understand the benefits because the person who wrote the script focused on jargon packed features instead of telling me what it could do for me.

Let’s look at a (real) BAD example:

“[XYZ Product] analyses disparate data streams into market equipped opportunities by amalgamating data from numerous feeds. By then purging, supplementing and evaluating it the [XYZ Product] will deliver business intelligence, insight and a set of key performance indicators to allow you to expose mission critical opportunities for growth and development”.

Amazingly, this is a genuine line from an online product video (that shall remain nameless) that almost gives you a headache hearing it! This is the sort of utter nonsense that’s like have a full time ‘sales prevention officer’!

Instead, this is what it should have said:

“[XYZ Product] works with your data, wherever you have it to help you make better decisions, offer better products and sell more of them.”

Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and just ask “what can you do for me?” – it’s a simple idea but trust me it works. If this is central to your thoughts and you steer clear of jargon then you’ll be heading in the right direction.

Unfortunately some phrases I’ve heard all too often in videos offer nothing but a barrier to understanding. Typically, they sound quite impressive but don’t mean anything. Here are a couple of the worst culprits:

Customer Focused – This is a meaningless phrase as by definition all companies are ultimately customer focused because that’s where the money is. What’s usually meant by this is to provide a good service. While you can’t just say this you can use testimonials to provide the social proof you need to prove it.

Full-Service – this is another phrase to avoid. Firstly, no company is ‘full-service’ and secondly it often confuses people as to what you actually mean. Phrases that are obviously not true don’t endear you to an audience.

We Give 110% – We know that this means that you’ll go above and beyond the level required but again it’s just meaningless jargon. It’s so overused that it can have the reverse affect and give a negative and untrustworthy signal to a buyer – so don’t do it.

Also think benefits – people don’t (mostly) care if your product has an ‘overhead grimble thruster’ of if you are the ‘market leader’ – they just want to know how they will benefit. So don’t be afraid to ditch the Jargon and be a simple script-writer… your audience (and your bank manager) will thank you for it.

Written By Ian Stainton. Ian is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  - ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+. 

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Animation Case Study – Motorola

The Challenge

When Motorola came to us they wanted to showcase the features of their new mobile phone in a way that was easy to understand and without using voice over. Motorola were in the process of launching lots of new devices to the networks and were struggling to find a clear way to quickly show the innovative new features of their phones in a way that was engaging and persuasive. They had piles of technical specs, drawings, production prototypes and a wish list of all the final features but no actual phone. In fact there would be no phone available until after initial launch.

The Brief

The brief was fairly simple – design and create a 90 second animation that would show-off all the phones features in a new and innovative way. However, they wanted all of this without us ever actually seeing a working phone and they wanted it delivered in under 4 weeks. They could see that we were full of good ideas and had helped other businesses boost sales with animated videos, but even by our standards this was going to be a big challenge. Usually with a project like this we’d get to see a prototype so we could understand how the software would work which would enable us to translate this into the animation. However, we were running blind so we despatched our creative team to set-up camp in Moto’s ‘war room’ so we could talk to the various techies involved and develop a clear idea of just how this thing worked.

Motorola’s audience were what they termed as ‘early adopters’ and ‘fire-breathing-achievers’ so we were briefed on the demographic of the audience so we could ensure that the animation was aspirational and appealing. The video was to be used by their sales teams, on their website as well as part of a TV campaign in some European territories.

Creative Process

Because of the short timeline we needed to define the animation quickly. This required us to come up with three different concepts for the animation so we could present these to Motorola’s marketing team and then decide on the final style and direction. Working with such an open brief our creative team produced the concepts in record time. Fuelled by ‘Red Bull’ and copious quantities of coffee all of the ideas definitely had a feeling of energy and passion.

The idea that was chosen centred around a piece of music that Motorola had the rights for by the ‘Black Eyed Peas’. The challenge from here in was to now show how the phone used an innovative navigation wheel to access and play music without any voice description. It was decided that we should create a 3D animated model of the device and overlay the video with highlights to show the finger gestures that could be used. This was then to be combined with graphic representations of some of the features such as the music library.

Animation

The animation process was extremely complex. Firstly we had to build an exact copy of the device in 3D space. It needed to be a perfect representation of the phone in all aspects, from the dimensions through to the different surface textures and materials. Normally we are able to import CAD files that our software uses to build the model, however on this occasion we had no files to work from and had to build it from scratch. This process normally takes a couple of weeks to complete but with the clock ticking (and yet more coffee) we had this completed in 48 hours. We did have a bit of luck along the way, normally we wait until all the surface materials are confirmed, but on this occasion we second guessed a few to save time and luckily for us they were all spot on.

Once the animated model was completed we then build the animation environment. By this we mean the ‘universe’ in which the model sits. From this point we can start to add lighting and decide on how we are going to move the actual model or the camera viewpoint. This is all done with what are called wireframes so as to make the manipulation and rendering time faster. As soon as these have all be decided we can then add in the final textures to complete the model moves.

On top of the 3D model sits a few layers of video effects. Using a programme called ‘After Effects’ we then add in some of the animation details – in this case the gestures and images that represent things such and the phone’s music library. This is all edited together with the soundtrack and sound effects to give the animation the final touches.

End Result

The end result was an animation that helped Motorola successfully sell in the device to all the major networks and operators as well as retail outlets. The animation was used online and across Europe in a number of TV campaigns.

Hopefully you’ll have got an idea as to how things can be turned round very quickly and an idea of the processes involved in creating an animation. All in all with this job we had a lot of our resources working on it at the same time so we could hit the tight deadline required. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any project then we’d love to hear from you.

Written By: Ian Stainton

Ian Stainton is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  - ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+. 

 

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Explainer Videos – The Best Of The Best

We’re always looking at the explainer videos of others for inspiration. Here is our compilation of some of the best we have come across…and one of the worst so you can see how not to do it!

1. Chipotle – ‘Back To The Start’

We love this video and in fact it is quite unique in many ways. There is no script, there is no clear product and the story takes the viewer through a number of emotions from start to finish. There are the cute cylindrical piggies at the start (Ahhh), then there is the realisation that the piggies are off to meet their doom (Oh) and possibly a little anger and guilt about mankind’s wanton destruction of the planet.  And then Chipotle makes the world right again with their clear ethical message that makes us want to buy their products and perhaps stroke a cylindrical pig on the head. This video is simple, it’s quirky and it features a Willie Nelson Coldplay cover. What’s not to like?

2. TED Education – ‘One Is One…Or Is It?’

Explainer videos don’t have to be selling a product or promoting a service. Just take a look at this video from TED Education. Now, if you had taken the same subject matter and published it in text form, you probably would have lost a good slice of your audience. But add pictures, colour, music and animation and it’s a complete different story. Video can transform a subject and make it intriguing, memorable and engaging and TED has worked the medium perfectly here.

3. MINT – ‘The Best Free Way To Manage Your Money’

Mint is a shining example of why some services are best suited to animation rather than a live video shoot. Mint had quite a complex product to advertise and they needed to do it in such a way so that they gained the trust of their audience. After all, their product pulls information from their customers’ bank accounts. They needed a video that would show clear screenshots of the product in action and a clear message on how secure the service is. They do this perfectly by taking advantage of animation that instantly familiarises viewers with the arrangement and design of the product.  

4. The Dollar Shave Club – Live Action Explainer Video

The moment The Dollar Shaving Club’s video starts, you know you are onto something a little edgy. With the slogan “Our Blades Are F***ing Great,” you immediately realise you’re not watching an ad with a corporate message. Wacky, memorable and fun, this video was designed to appeal to 20-30-something men who would be interested in ordering a steady supply of affordable razors online. We think they have done an awesome job!

5. Poopouri - Warning! Do not watch if you are easily offended. 

When we first saw this live action explainer for a product called Poopouri we thought it was a spoof product or an April Fool’s prank. But no, just take a look at the reviews on Amazon to see for yourself that Poopouri is very much alive and kicking and doing rather jolly well for itself. It really does go to show that there is a market for anything, but that video can make those awkward or embarrassing products much easier to advertise.

So there you have it. These are just some of the ‘best of the best’ posts we will be featuring in coming months and we would love to hear from you if you have your own nominations.

Oh wait…we promised you the worst explainer video too, didn’t we? 

Well, here it is and we almost can’t bring ourselves to even share it, but it does highlight how bad an explainer video can be. Is it the jarring voice over? Could it be the amateur Powerpoint slide style animations? Or is it the drab colours or the annoying sound effects? Or is it that now and again the brand name ‘Chitrr’ sounds like something completely inappropriate that only Poopouri could deal with?  We’ll leave it to you to decide.

Stormnet Media – The Home Of Truly Great Explainer Videos

So, why didn’t we feature one of our videos in our ‘best of the best’ collection? Well, it’s not really up to us to decide, but we do know that our captivating explainer videos go on to do some amazing things for our clients. Like the videos you see before you, we take the time to understand a business, the target audience and the best way to make a connection in around 60 minutes.

Think you’ve got a great story for video? We’ll turn it into something spectacular. Speak to us today and find out how our video production services can help you to make an impact with your audience. Call us today on 01527 910050 or request a quote and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

 

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Explainer Video Case Study – Bisbell Magnets

Bisbell Magnets have been manufacturing and supplying magnetic products and magnetic materials since 1971 and they are now one of the leading companies in their field. Their innovative products and commitment to quality were deserving of a very special explainer video.

In fact, they ordered two!

There are effectively two sides to the Bisbell product line – premium quality knife storage and their versatile range of magnetic materials. Bisbell Magnets wanted a separate video for each that would showcase their products and their many features and benefits. They also manufacture bespoke products and wanted their videos to highlight this.

Getting To Grips With The Brief

Bisbell were really open to ideas and for there to be a fun and fresh element to their videos. Their knife storage products are diverse and range from classic designs perfect for the professional kitchen to funky neon designs that would look great in the contemporary home. Their magnet sheeting products are also the perfect solution for stores looking for a versatile advertising solution.

We love speaking to clients to get a feel for their business and what they hope to achieve with their video. It’s probably the most important part of the briefing process as it allows us to share our expertise and ideas and to get a firm idea of what the client needs.

Writing A Killer Script

It all starts with the script. The script forms the foundation of the video production process and is the first glimpse a client gets into how awesome their video will be. At this stage we work out the script for the voice over and also work out some animation ideas so the client can really get a feel for how the video will play out on screen.

Most of the time, we produce explainer videos for products or services that solve a problem. The purpose of the video is to tell viewers how their problem can be solved, and we often only have 60 seconds to do that! But when you consider that we need to hook viewers at around the 5 second mark to watch the video to the end, we often have our work cut out for us. The good news is that we have an expert creative team that have written hundreds of scripts over the years!

Getting To The Heart Of The Problem And Solving It

So, the problem for Bisbell customers was that they needed somewhere to store their expensive knives or some way of changing their advertising displays quickly and easily.

Remember, we only had 60 seconds to get the message across. Here’s how we approach most explainer videos:

• We describe the problem.

• We agitate the problem a little more.

• We reveal the solution and deliver it with impact.

• We leave the viewer with a powerful call to action that compels them to take action immediately.

We worked closely with Bisbell to understand the problems of their customers and the solutions available. They wanted a video that would present their products in a fun and enticing way that they could use on their website, in client offices and at exhibitions.

Choosing A Captivating Voice Over

The voice over stage is crucial to the sound and feel of the video so we choose the voice over artists we work with very carefully. We are quite lucky in that we have forged strong working relationships with three dynamic and professional artists who have worked for prestigious brands such as Apple, Jaguar and Hyundai.

Bisbell Magnets decided to work with Emma Thurston – an excellent choice. She’s the voice of many ads including those for Littlewoods, Hyundai and Natwest, to name a few. Getting the voice over just right is important for both the client and our animation team and it forms the wireframe that we use to build the animation sequence around.

Bringing Those Ideas To Life

Whilst every stage of the video explainer process is exciting, it’s the animation stage that really brings everything together. We start by generating the assets that will be used in the video. For Bisbell this involved creating kitchen and shop scenes, recreating animated versions of their products in the minutest detail and including the branding that would ensure their video was absolutely unique.

We then develop the characters and animate them so they can interact with the background scenes we have already created. Then we add in any funky text, animated slogans and other elements that will ensure the video is totally awesome in every way.

Once we have completed the visual elements of the video, we move on to what we call the final audio pass. We add a cool soundtrack, stunning sound effects and other audio elements that really bring everything together.

Presenting The Final Cut To The Client

Bisbell Magnets were delighted with the results and after a few minor tweaks they signed off their videos and we handed full control and copyright them them. Their videos how have pride of place on the Bisbell Magnets YouTube channel and we are sure they will continue to bring in new business for many years to come.

Boost Sales And Revenue With Your Own Explainer Video Production

We mean it when we say we can produce a video for any business, any product and any service. And that video will add a new dimension to your marketing strategy, helping you to pitch and persuade in a unique, exciting and innovative way.

Speak to us today for a free and informal consultation. We offer professional video production for any channel and any audience and we would be delighted to learn more about your business and how we can make video marketing work for you. Call now on 01527 910050.

Written By Ian Stainton. Ian is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  - ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+. 

 

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How Video Changed Our Lives Forever

It’s the decade everybody pretends they want to forget, but if you grew up in the 80s, it’s the one that brings the fondest memories. It was the decade that brought us big hair, The Goonies, Hypercolor t-shirts and Pacman, and it was the decade where video entered into our lives in a big way.

Bringing a video recorder home to the family for the first time was a moment of great trepidation. This brand new piece of shiny equipment was all the rage apparently and it could make time stand still. Oh how we rejoiced when we could watch Hannibal con BA into drinking the milk over and over again. And what would life have been like if we didn’t have to sit frantically adjusting the tracking just as JR Ewing was shot by an unknown assailant. {{{SPOILER ALERT}}} It was Kristin Shepherd, Sue Ellen’s sister.

Do You Remember Your First Time?

Can you remember the very first video you watched at home?  A quick straw poll around the Stormnet Media office revealed some all time greats and some very red faces! ‘The Breakfast Club‘, ‘Firestarter‘ (starring a very young Drew Barrymore), ‘Back To The Future’ and ‘The Care Bears Movie‘ were just some of the confessions from our team. 

Owning a video recorder also gave us access to an exclusive new club – the local video shop. Armed with our own personal luxuriously laminated card we could choose from hundreds of films, TV shows and pop videos.  Okay, so you needed a small wheelbarrow to get them home, but for just one night, or the entire weekend if you were feeling flush, they were ours!

Play It Again Sam…And Again…And Again

One of the best things about owning a video recorder is that we could record and watch our favourite TV shows and pop videos to our heart’s content. Where once we would sit in our bedrooms recording the Top 40 and frantically hitting the pause button before the DJ’s voice ruined our compilation, we could now capture everything for posterity on videotape.  Well, until the tape got chewed up or wore out anyway!

The Ads That Shaped Our Childhoods And Our Futures

Of course, one of the downsides of recording TV programmes on video was that the ads came along for the ride too. If the ads were great, it wasn’t usually a problem but there were some truly annoying ads that would have us reaching for the remote control quicker than you could say “Agadoo”.

The video revolution was a great time for advertising firms. They knew that the majority of people would sit through the ads and in those people they had a captive audience and got double the exposure (or more) for the price of one time slot. TV ads started to become slicker, longer, told stories and were talked about the next day in the playground, on the train to work and around the dinner table.

Who can forget this gem from Toshiba? We challenge you not to be singing this long after you’ve finished this article.

The Secret Of A Good TV Ad Or Video – Make It Count And Make It Memorable

At Stormnet Media, we know we only have one chance to grab the audience’s attention. That’s why we put our all into making every video we produce count. Every second, every frame and every word is carefully constructed to get deep in the mind of the viewer and to stay there long after.

Old Spice have got it just right with their latest video.

It’s got clear branding, it’s got humour and it’s got sharability – nope, that word isn’t in the dictionary but it’s a very important aspect of video production. We want your video to be liked, shared, pinned and retweeted and most importantly, we want your video to do great things for your business or organisation.

Be The Next Big Thing In Video – Speak To Us Today About Our Video Production Services

Whether you need an explainer video to explain your product or business in style or you are looking for a slick world class corporate video that will ensure you stand head and shoulders above the best, our video production team is standing by to assist. Call us now on 01527 910050 or use our contact form to get in touch. We’ve worked with some big names and some little ones too, but the result is always the same – a unique and powerful video that ensures you are remembered for all the right reasons.

Written By: Ian Stainton

Ian Stainton is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  - ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+. 

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