I recently had the amazing opportunity to write a guest blog post for my friends over at Someone Creative discussing the importance of quality online video. Here is a link to the original post.
Online Video: Does your website need it?
Why You Could Use A Web Video [INFOGRAPHIC VIDEO] from Lumeo Inc on Vimeo.
You may have noticed that over the last few years video on the web has become an integral part of how information gets delivered to the world. Whether it be breaking news, a clip from last night’s sitcom, live stream event coverage, or a homepage introduction to a new company, online video has become a part of many of our lives–especially on our mobile devices. There’s some amazing statistics out there on how much online video has grown and is still growing.
For example:
- 80% of executives are watching more online video today than they were a year ago.
- Mobile viewers watch video about 3X longer than those using a desktop PC.
- By 2013, over 90% of internet traffic will be video based.
- Companies using online video for promotion have seen sales lifts from 20% – 40%.
- Vistors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not.
(Source: wecapture)
These are some astounding numbers! One more for you: 85% of the US internet audience watches videos online. The 25-34 age group watches the most online videos. (Source: Hubspot, nielsen) So basically, what I’m saying is if your website doesn’t have some kind of video content, you’re missing out!
Lets make a video!
So dust off the ol’ shoulder-mounted VHS recorder, grab the work light from the garage, and lets make a dark, shakey, tough-to-hear video… right??
Please don’t…. for the benefit of us all, please ‘don’t try this at home’. I can really only think of one thing worse than not having any video on your website, and that’s having low quality video on your website. I think there’s been a misconception out there that hiring a production company is just too expensive that it’s not worth it. I disagree. Based on all of the statistics, if done correctly, this could be a wonderful investment no matter what size your company. That being said, I don’t necessilry think you should be putting 50-75% of your annual marketing budget towards video production–it just doesn’t need to cost that much.
Dive in
Like many other services, usually the more you spend the better ‘product’ you’ll get. Being that the barrier to entry in the video/filmmaking industry has become so low however, you’re able to get amazing quality for well under $50k (arbitrary number, but you see what I mean). This can be a blessing and a curse as I must caution you to the fact that you may find many folks out there who will call themselves ‘filmmakers’ and ‘videographers’ but simply have all the equipment and none of the knowhow.
It’s always helpful and more cost effective if you can work with your creative team–marketing, strategy, etc–before looking for a production team. Most production companies are all-encompassing but there is cost associated with pre-production and planning. Let them help with that as they’ll bring a different perspective to the conversation, but make sure your branding experts are helping keep within your guidelines and let the production company handle the logistical part of the pre-production.
Questions to ask
When searching for a videographer/production team, here’s a few good questions you can ask:
- Do you offer storyboarding? This can be helpful for you to visualize the video before production starts. It’s not a requirement but is a great option.
- Do you do your own editing or hire it out? Editing is how the video can really come together, although it is not essential the same person who is shooting the video is editing it, it can be a great way to not have to do so many rounds of editing/proofing.
- How big is your crew? While a multi-person crew is imperitve for big productions that have tons of moving parts, this is not necessary for smaller production shoots and can be a huge money saver–1-3 people on a production day should be the limit.
- Do you own or rent your equipment? This will often depend on the scope of the project, but if you see a rather large fee on the quote for rental equipment, it’s ok to question it and find out what specifically it’s for. Anyone you hire should have the basics–cameras, lenses, lighting, etc–and should only be renting rare, esoteric gear like sliders, steadicams, and other accessories.
- What happens after the production/shooting day? I find that the post-production process differs for many. This is why the pre-production process becomes so important because if everyone is on the same page, the editing after the shoot is easier and faster. Just make sure to be reasonable about turnaround time–remember, videos are big files and they take a long time to render, compress, and upload in addition to the actual editing process.
Questions you’ll be asked
Every production comapny is different (obviously), but here are a few things you should already know before ever talking to a potential production team:
- How long do you need the video to be? Keep in mind that many people have a low attention span and unless you’re producing more of a story or documentary style video, it shouldn’t be much longer than 2-3 minutes–1-3 if it’s on the home page of your site.
- How many people will be on camera? Ever simultaneously? This will be important to the videographer for equipment purposes–i.e. camera/lens choice, lighting, audio recording.
- What’s the background going to be? Obviously a very broad question, but very important if you’re having any ‘talking heads’ on camera. Does a solid white background work? Or would you rather a colorful, soft focus, more natural background?
- Where will the filming take place? Will you need a studio? Can it all be done at your office? Will there be location scouting involved? This can get pricey if you start needing permits and/or clearance etc, so be aware of the fact that you may have to pay some extra fees to be in the place(s) you want to be.
- When do you need the final video? As I said before, please be reasonable about deadlines and timeline. Video production is a multi step process that shouldn’t be rushed. There should be pre-production, production, and post-production in that order. Involve your production team early in the process–even if they’re not helping with creative–so they can be in the loop on everything that’s important.
Final Thoughts
Online video is going to continue to grow and it’s only going to get more important in getting and retaining customers. Think outside of the box. Don’t think you’re quite ready for live action video? What about an infographic or well designed presentation with voiceover? Many production teams–including myself–have the resources to do any type of online video you want, you just need to ask!
