I’m not saying I broke my chair by doing something irresponsible or life threatening or trying to race down the parking lot or anything.
No.
I sneezed.
I sneezed and broke my mother-flipping chair. How does that happen? HOW?
Let me explain it as best I can. My desk is in the front, you might think I was the receptionist, but I’m not. Thankfully, for them at least, I would be a terrible secretary.
“What paycheck?”
I was doing some writing (it is in my job description as ‘writer’) and I was wedged up to my desk nice and snug. I was sitting more towards the edge of my chair and typing out something as I was listening to some music on my Bose headphones.
“Makin’ my way downtown, walkin’ fast, faces pass and I’m home bound!”
Without warning, I had a surprise sneeze. Not a super violent sneeze or anything, just a normal sneeze.
Immediately, I heard a small pop. I thought the quick action had popped the lever out of its place. You know, the little lever on the side on the chair that makes it so the chair will either lean back to stay up straight.
So I didn’t really think anything of it. I do like my chair up straight so I tried to lean forward to put the lever back into place.
When I tried though, the lever was already in place and the chair was wobbling wildly.
I still had my headphones on at this point, so I took them off to maneuver easier without a cord wrapping around me. When I took off the headphones I could hear my coworkers calling out to me.
Coworker: “Are you okay, out there?”
Me: “Uh, yeah.”
Boss: “Did you fall over?”
Me: “No. I think I broke my chair.”
Coworker: “What? How?”
Me: “Um, I’m not sure.”
So I finally wheel back a little and realize how bad the wobbliness really was. It was obviously broken more than I thought it was.
I overturned the chair and found this.
Yeah. I broke metal. METAL.
Now sure, I’m a big fella, like a pretty big fella. I’m 6’2” and look like I’m about 250 to 260 pounds when in actuality I’m heavier. My shoulders are incredibly broad and if I really put my mind to it I probably could be some sort of heavy weight lifter. It’s not for me, but I could do it.
So now I’m in my new job and within the first month of being here I broke my chair, by sneezing.
About this time is when I try and merge this anecdote into some sort of marketing or video production “life lesson”, so I’ll give it a try.
Don’t be caught feeling comfortable in what you’re doing, whether it be video scripting, writing, animation, marketing, or creating; a sneeze might come along and force you to stand all day with a cardboard box propping up your keyboard so you can type.
Because you’ll look like a full-fledged moron standing next to a broken chair.
Today businesses are struggling to raise brand awareness and achieve monthly sales. Without an online presence those goals are not easily reached, if they are reached at all. 90% of online shoppers said they found a video helped in making and buying decisions, 80% of internet users recall watching a video ad on a website in the past 30 days and 64% are more likely to make a purchase.
But why?
THE HUMAN BRAIN CAN PROCESS VISUAL CONCEPTS QUICKER. In a study last year, scientists found that the human brain can process an image that has been seen for just 13 milliseconds. Which means that the brain can process visual information 60,000 times faster than the time it takes for the brain to process text. This is why visuals can be used as a strong communication tool to gather potential consumers. Even the earliest versions of man communicated with each other through cave paintings. Those evolved to pictures with full meanings, to written text and have ended on video, the collaboration of visual and sound sensory. These two senses are the most basic form of understanding and are still the most effective means to present ideas to consumers.
IT WILL IMPACT LONG-TERM MEMORY RECALL. Reeling in your audience with stimulating images can lodge an idea inside the heads of consumers. That idea then calls the person to action. That action can manifest by a retrieval cue, based on an ad they saw before a YouTube video started, that stirs the consumers memory and redirects them to your website or your product on an online store. Video images are essentially being used as prompting that trigger the retrieval of long-term memory.
ONLINE VIEWING IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. The number of video content posts from companies and individuals has risen by 94% in the United States and the average viewing session on YouTube is now 40 minutes and watch time on mobile devices have more than doubled since last year. 89 Million people in the United States alone with watch 1.2 billion online videos today and 52% of them say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchases. Any device that connects to the Internet now allows companies, large and small; to promote themselves in creative ways and let untapped revenue streams flow into their company.
VIDEOS ARE IDEAL FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. Videos are ready made to engage consumers and get them to click through to your website. In 2010 a marketing survey found that when marketers included an explainer video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% to 300%. Those numbers only multiply when applied to Facebook and Twitter. Videos are easy to share and easy to engage your key demographic.
There are many other statistics on video content and it’s effectiveness online and they further prove this point; an online presence is critical in today’s market, but that presence needs something to push and prod the consumer towards your company. Utilizing video to quickly explain to and easily share with consumers can dramatically increase the draw to your company and allow you to grow. Don’t be left behind as the online market changes the way consumers pay attention to companies and their products. Change with the market and get ahead of your competitors.
Obviously you need to check out this New YouTube Video we created for YouTube Video Marketing Ads
It is not easy being this creative, but somebody has to do it. We came up with this YouTube video for one specific purpose. That is to create YouTube Trueview ads.
Awhile back I blogged about the need to create a Video for YouTube specifically. You can not just take a commercial you have been using for TV and start running YouTube ads to it. That does not make any sense.
If you are going to dabble in YouTube ads you really need to create a video that is customized for YouTube. Trust me on this one. I am constantly running youtube ads and testing what works and what does not.
Did you notice how we used the skip button? Did you notice how we spoke to the audience and acknowledge that they were on YouTube. This stuff works.
People are tired of us bombarding them with our messages. For example…When was the last time you got a call from a salesman. How nice were you? Or when was the last time somebody texted you asking if they could call you? Now that is just weird.
Things are changing and you will want your video marketing to adapt to what people want.
So while you are here I wanted to show you a couple of other videos that we have created for YouTube.
This video was created to rank for the keyword “How basketball got started.” You will notice if you type that keyword into YouTube that is the first listing that will come up. There is a trick to this and you can read all about it by jumping over to Yincmarketing.com
They will explain how to rank video and how you can dominate YouTube within your niche. This goes right back to creating the right type of video.
Good Luck
hope you enjoyed this short blog about our New YouTube video ad
Best Whiteboard Animation: the Best Form of Edutainment
When it comes to trying to sell your product to consumers, especially in the current economy, you may become frustrated with their short attention spans, fast-paced lifestyles, and tendency to hum simple tunes while plugging their ears and clutching their wallets in a vice grip. If only there were a way to trick potential buyers into learning everything they need to know about a product or service all under the guise of being entertained! Well, you’re in luck! Whiteboard animation is the best way to entertain your audience while educating them about your business and all the many ways you can help them better their lives. Here are just a few examples of why whiteboard animation takes the cake when it comes to edutainment:
Improved communication of ideas
Whiteboard marketing videos don’t necessarily need to be promotional. If you have a complex set of ideas that you need to convey to potential buyers or even employees – whiteboard can help to improve learning and increase message retention. The symbolic illustrations in whiteboard videos make complicated ideas easier to understand and therefore, remember.
It’s a different kind of media
With all the many media inputs consumers are bombarded with every day, people have grown skeptical of anyone who even remotely reminds them of a salesman, whether or not they’re actually trying to sell them anything. You could have a product that will make peoples’ lives significantly easier, but if they’re not willing to listen to a sales pitch, you have no chance. Whiteboard animation bypasses message filters in the brain with its visual storytelling method. The creativity and artistic illustrations in a whiteboard marketing video can get through consumers’ thick skin, ensuring your message will reach the intended prospects.
It has an impressive teaching resume
When it comes to education, whiteboard animation has been used as chapter summaries for textbooks, to teach languages, demonstrate new software or products, or teach employees company policies or appropriate workplace conduct. Whiteboard animation has the unique ability to incorporate several different kinds of media including photos, illustrations, audio, animation, even other videos. People tend to find the variety of media in whiteboard videos much more engaging than a traditional advertisement or talking head promotion.
It’s simple
Whiteboard videos use a simplified manner of illustrating to give information to the viewers. The simplistic illustrations combined with voice-over narration promote the feeling of storytelling – in most cases taking the viewer back to the innocence and simplicity of childhood. The presence of a hand in the video, or live drawing, makes the video seem more realistic and viewers are better able to fully understand and retain the message. Whiteboard animation keeps your audience captivated by engaging them in the artistic creativity. Illustrations, combined with a pleasant background tune and professional voice-over make up a deadly trio of advertising – consumers just can’t complain about something so easy.
Ha! That’s hilarious. Advertising does work. In fact, it worksso well that every single person in the entire world – minus the aborigines, the lost tribes and the Gods Must Be Crazy kind of families – has been influenced by some kind of advertising.
If during a moment of weakness while you were cleaning out your inbox, and you happened to read one of the mass emails you so often receive from your dear old granny, you recognize this short story:
A man wakes up in the morning after sleeping on an advertised bed, in advertised pajamas. He will bathe in an advertised tub, wash with advertised soap, shave with an advertised shaver and have advertised juice, cereal and toasted bagel (toasted in an advertised toaster) for breakfast. He’ll then put on advertised clothing and glance at his advertised watch.
He will ride to work in advertised car, call in to let his office know he’s running late from his advertised cell phone, and sit down in an advertised desk chair when he gets to the office. He’ll work at his advertised computer, and write with an advertised pen.
Yet this man hesitates to advertise (or market his business), saying that marketing and advertising don’t work. Finally, when his unadvertised business goes under, he will advertise it for sale.
It’s a funny little story, but it packs a lot of truth – and without further adieu, here are three huge reasons your small business needs to advertise:
Inform Consumers
In a way, advertising saves you money by eliminating sales lost simply because the consumer didn’t have enough knowledge of your product or service. You can use advertising to educate potential buyers so they can comparison shop early. If they come to you having been educated – you know they are there to buy.
Existence by Awareness
If people don’t know about you, then your company is just as profitable as it was when it was only a glimmer of an idea in your eye. Consumers are aware of the companies with the most aggressive advertising campaign. Sure, these companies might get a reputation of being annoying, but at least people will think of them if they ever have a need for car insurance.
Brand Recognition
Aside from Harley Davidson and Starbucks, none of these logos tell you what they represent – yet you already know. Why?
Advertising can seem expensive, especially if you’re in a very competitive market and are scrounging for ways to keep your prices down – however, without advertising, your consumer base will be limited to a few locals, faithful friends, and super supportive relatives. But the truth is that your return on your investment will make having an advertising campaign more than worth it. If you’re not sure where to start, maybe Granny can send out a few mass emails about your company for you? Heaven knows her reach is endless.
When it comes to video hosting sites, everyone is aware that YouTube takes the cake (ok, so your grandparents are still a little unaware). However, there are other options out there. Here is a list of 5 video hosting sites that will host your marketing video just as well, but still fall in line behind the infamous YouTube.
1. Vimeo
YouTube continually outranks Vimeo because you just can’t beat free. Though Vimeo does offer a free account, there are many restrictions. Their paid account offers several high-tech video editing and hosting options that even surpass YouTube standards.
2. Wistia
If you only have up to three videos, Wistia will host them for free and give you access to all the Wistia features – including their ‘heat map,’ which measures viewer engagement every second.
If you have more than a few videos, Wistia offers a couple different options: for $23/month you can host up to six videos and $79/month gets you unlimited video hosting along with 200GB bandwidth per month.
3. Dailymotion
Despite it’s restrictions – video length is limited to 2GB and 60 minutes and upload quality is limited to 1280*720p – this French video-sharing site is a great competitor to YouTube. Daily motion allows users to watch, upload, and browse videos via tags, channels or groups.
4. Veoh
Veoh is a solid, reliable video sharing site with an added bonus of zero size restrictions. Veoh accepts several different formats and once uploaded, your videos are easy to embed them on your website or blog. There is also an active community where you can connect with other users, rate videos, leave comments and participate in forums.
5. Flickr
It’s true, this popular photo site is not only for images. A free Flickr account allows up to two video uploads per month with 90 second max length and 150MB size restrictions. A paid account giets you unlimited videos, but the same length and size restrictions apply.
