Online Video Platform

King Fish Media, Hubspot and Junta 42 recently conducted a study looking at how marketers employ online video in their business activities. The first part of the report I'd like to focus on is Social Media Usage.

• 75% of the companies included in the survey have a social media strategy.  I would be interested to see how many are well developed and how many simply say "post on Facebook and Tweet", but I digress.
• 75% of respondents say their companies will increase investment in social media marketing over the coming year.
• 20% of them are redirecting funds from other, more traditional marketing strategies, to keep up with customers who are switching to social media.
• 85% handle their own social media marketing with in-house staffers, as opposed to hiring consultants.
• Only 30% have run an ad campaign on a social media site.
• A shockingly high number of respondents (43%) have never done any kind of ROI measurement.
• Respondents are using social media with a variety of intentions, with customer relations being the number one reason.

Stay tuned for more nuggets from this research. Want to dig deeper into the numbers and the behaviors behind them? Pose a question in the comments and we'll address it in a future blog post.

This has very little, if anything, to do with online video production or software that helps you distribute your video content online. It was, however, sparked by what I've seen around the Cantaloupe office and in the offices of our clients.*

I'm curious - what inspires and motivates you to do what you do everyday? What makes your role (in the workplace or another aspect of your life) special or your job rewarding (beyond the paycheck, or perhaps simply because of what it enables you to do)? Where do you get the energy to do all that you do?

* On a daily basis, I watch my co-workers get excited about the stories they are able to help our clients tell. I watch them go above and beyond to make sure all aspects of the video will wow their clients. I watch as our clients talk about what they are doing and how their companies make a difference. It's amazing to watch what gets people out of bed each morning and I invite you to share your passion and excitement with us in the comments below. 

Cantaloupe is expanding!  You may know us best as an Indianapolis Video Production company, but we have been doing work for our clients all over the country & even outside of the country for the past 5 years.  Now we are focusing on the Windy City!  We have been creating online video for many clients in Chicago over the past year... and now we are making it more permanent - we have found a resource to represent Cantaloupe in the Chicago market! 

It wasn't an easy position to fill - we needed a great personality, with experience in the Chicago Marketing community, that had a solid understanding of the needs of online marketers.  Someone with talent and experience to build relationships with clients and enthusiastically promote our video marketing solution. 

We finally found her!  We'd like you to meet Abigail Salch.  We like to call her "Chicago Abbey"

She's a Chicago native that has been working in the marketing industry for - well, we don't want to show her age.. lets just say 10+ years.  In addition to being a marketing whiz she is an avid biker.  She recently did some crazy week long bike ride across Iowa!  ragbrai.com/

Welcome Abbey, we look forward to seeing more of you.. give her a shout if you are in Chicago, she'll be a great resource to help you with your online video marketing needs!

Over the past five years, Cantaloupe has worked with hundreds of client on thousands of online video stories. Some have been brief projects to meet specific needs, while others have been ongoing engagements. 

I received an email the other day that - to paraphrase - said: Do you still shoot and produce videos? Why, yes. Yes we do. But that's not all we do. 

Cantaloupe has evolved ('ripened' as founder Jon DiGregory would say) from our early days of shooting video for the web. We still tell compelling stories for our business and non-profit clients, but that's only one slice of what we do.

Cantaloupe has been peeling back the rhine of what makes for well produced, delivered and measurable online marketing video campaign. We've broken it down into bite sized chunks that provide an organic recipe for success.

Take a look at our 5-ingredient process that begins with strategy, moves on to production, publishing, distribution, measurement and back into strategy. Yes, Cantaloupe continues to help our clients tell compelling, authentic stories online and off, now ensuring that it closely aligns with your business goals and unique flavor.

Online video marketing is fun and exciting, for sure. It's also important to ask if your video is working for you as best it can. To assess the impact of incorporating your video stories and content into your social media marketing strategy, here are five metrics to keep an eye on:

1. People. Think quality over quantity. Are people viewing your videos? Are the right people in the right places viewing your videos? Are they sharing your video stories and helping you extend your reach?
2. Stories. Have you told a variety of stories that paints a well-rounded picture of who you are and what you do? Are they tied to goals that are, in turn, measurable? Are your stories being talked about by clients, prospects and viewers you didn't even know were listening?
3. Perception. How has the sentiment toward your brand changed since using your video stories? Have your videos helped to handle objections normally encountered during the sales process or at other points in your relationship.
4. Actions. Have your viewers responded to your on-screen and in-video calls to action? Are these stories aiding their buying decisions?
5. Profitability. What product sales can be traced to your product stories? What are the costs related to the production of your video stories compared to the benefits you have experienced?

Your stories provide the basis for brand affiliation and make people want to use and interact with your product or service. Getting your video with the right message in front of the right people in the right places will help you to meet your marketing and overall business goals. 

To see how Cantaloupe's Backlight provides you with insights into the metrics of your online video, request a demo here.  

We've talked about how to make your online marketing videos talk-worthy or prepare them to go viral (on a moderate scale). It's important to integrate stories into all of your content marketing - on your site and across social media channels where dialogue, interaction and sharing occur.

Here are five ways to create and use video stories online:

1. Determine trending topics. Relevancy is key. Leverage interest around hot topics with new, creative insights. Remember that your story has to be consistent with your brand and messages and allow this to enhance your other online and offline efforts.
2. Source stories from customers. Let others tell stories related to your product and brand. Create brand advocates and highlight the real-world impact of your product or service.
3. Incorporate a human-interest element into your videos. People are attracted to people like themselves. Be authentic and help your audience put themselves into the shoes of your customers.
4. Allow for interactions and additions. Using social media outlets as distribution channels allows your audience to interact with you and your brand. It provides the opportunity to post comments, share with friends and become personally invested. 
5. Enable easy sharing quickly and broadly. One of the major attractions of social media and online video marketing is the ability for users to share your content when and how they desire. Using a video player, such as the one included in the Backlight video management platform, that includes share features encourages and assists with the sharing of videos.

Want more tips on making video content compelling?  Contact me and we can discuss the process we use for developing a video strategy for clients, and how we do our story development process to ensure we produce engaging, compelling videos.

I just read a paper from Omniture talking about Steven Slater, the flight attendant who stormed off the JetBlue flight in dramatic fashion recently. In the post, it was noted that he has amassed 200,000 Facebook fans since the tantrum incident (more than many corporations can boast). Really? Why?

Simple. We find Steven's story fascinating. It's being described as "urban myth quality". His story is one we can relate to. It's compelling content. It has all of the attributes of good content marketing. 

To make your content talk-worthy on social media platforms, develop strong stories that are in line with your brand, including its voice, language and visuals. When you create your online marketing videos, make sure you incorporate these elements to create powerful stories that your audience wants to hear, engage with and share. 

1. Add emotion. Just telling your audience the facts about your product or service won't get them to care. Find the connection and make your product or company's story resonate with your audience.
2. Identify with the protagonist. Stories must motivate your target to connect with the man character in some way, perhaps by stepping into his shoes.
3. Memorable. Stories have a beginning, middle and end, making it easier for viewers to remember your video's message. Familiarity increases memorability, add your own twist.
4. Easily adapted. Stories can be changed and embellished by the teller to suit his or her purpose. This makes stories more dramatic and increases the audience's ability to empathize, personalize and share your message online and off.
5. Sharable. This can occur in the old fashion way where one person tells another or it can happen through social media and electronic channels. Using the proper video player to support your message will aid your video in going viral.

Want more tips on making video content compelling?  Contact me and we can discuss the process we use for developing a video strategy for clients, and how we do our story development process to ensure we produce engaging, compelling videos.

 The once bold dividing line between television and web content is rapidly becoming blurred.

More and more people are replacing there television watching habits with the convenience of online options.

A large number of companies have new offerings of hardware gadgets that enable you to watch online video on your television.

Sezmi, Boxee, Roku, and Kylo are all companies introducing innovative products that enable users to take advantage of the convenience and affordability of web video, right on their flat screen.

For those interested in reaching a broad audience, video marketing on the internet seems to be a bright-future option.

To learn about the five hurdles of online video and how Cantaloupe.tv can help, click here to register for our webinar.

 
Getting started with online video isn't as daunting of a task as some people make it out to be. There are really three things that you need.

 First of all you need a camera, you have to get yourself onscreen somehow. How much you want to spend on that camera is kind of up to you. Video quality isn't really as important as the content, which is one of the other things you are going to need.

Content is king. If you don't have anything relevant to say, it doesn't matter how good the video quality actually is. You can get away with shooting with something like the Flip HD or even using the iPhone 4, which shoots pretty good looking HD video. I'm actually using the iPhone 4 for a different series. The third thing you need, the first two being a camera and content, is probably some form of computer. You don't want to do a whole lot of editing in a Vlog. You  want it to be very conversational and honest, but doing a lot of editing takes that away.

You are still going to need to get it up on the web somehow and other than the iPhone 4, which has some editing and posting capabilities, you are going to need something to get the video from the camera to the computer, polish it a little bit and get it up to YouTube, your website, blog or wherever you are going to put it. I really suggest using a Mac. They are very easy to use and come installed with iMovie, which is a very easy to use video editing system. You can add some lower thirds and graphics without learning something like Final Cut Pro, which is what I use.

If you have any questions or topics you'd like addressed, email me at justin@cantaloupe.tv or find me on twitter: @justingutwein. I hope this is helpful to you, I will be diving deeper into cameras and content in some later episodes. Thanks a lot!

My goal with this series is to help the average person start producing video content for their web presence.  

“No more long, cumbersome marketing documents – no more boring presentations. Video is how companies and business should communicate." 

That's a pretty powerful quote, especially coming from IBM. They're not talking about online commercials, rather web-based video content that helps feed information to their key audiences. They're replacing old-school business practices of creating binders of typed prose with online marketing, communication and training videos.  

We all did this exercise as children. We ask a question of an adult and get an answer. We then follow it up with "why?". Another answer from the ever-patient adult. "But why", we ask.

When did we stop trying to dig a little deeper and begin taking things at face value? I've watched clients' faces when I've put on my kid hat (not my kid voice - let's not get those confused) and asked, "but why" in a meeting.

Yes, you want to do a video about X, but why? What's the story? What's the business goal it serves? What's the objective this video or the larger online marketing campaign? Why now? What is the larger plan that this marketing video fits into? Why this particular audience (you do know who your audience is, right?)?

Answering the 'why' questions will help reveal the deeper objectives of the video and will help us craft the most effective online video for you. Ask yourself "why" when you are making decisions about your authentic video stories. Ask "why" of your coworkers when they pitch the next great story idea. And don't be afraid to ask your Cantaloupe video production team "why" when we recommend your next video strategy and series to you.

 

 
Thanks to the folks at GapingVoid, we're reminded that there's no secret sauce. There is no magic bullet. There is no one canned plan that will satisfy all tastes and cravings when it comes to your business and message.

Every marketing project requires a unique recipe for the just-right outcome. Authentic style video stories is one ingredient. Your distribution channels are another. Stir in a little of your company's singular flair and all of a sudden you have the winning recipe you've been craving.

Let the chefs at Cantaloupe whip you up a strategy for online video marketing that will set off the taste buds with your clients and prospects.

The Cantaloupe folks are a unique variety. They challenge one another and keep raising the bar. They do this with their work, on the parking lot basketball court and now on they have decided pushups is the next mountain to scale. This has spread from our production team down the hall to our founder's office and around the corner to our fearless leader, Stacy*. 

Someone found an iPhone app that promises to help you do 100 pushups in a sitting within 6 weeks (the disclaimer graciously reminds users that it might take a few 6-week training cycles for some of us). Day 1: you do as many pushups as you can and enter it in the app.From there it guides you through a steady pushup regimen that moves you closer to the app's target of 100 pushups.

Anyway, as I was laying on the floor after a measly 16 pushups, I mentioned needing to blog today. Stacy's response: "pushups!" Pushups on a web video blog? Makes perfect sense to me. Let's see what we can do with this.

Each Cantalouper is starting at a different place on the road to the same goal - 100 pushups. Your prospects are starting at different points of awareness about you, but are also moving toward a single goal - signing a contract or buying your product. 

There are those who are in pretty good shape. They know all the great things you can do for them and are nearly ready to knock out all 100 pushups (make the purchase). There are others who know of you - they can do some pushups - but need more work (attention, conversations, information) before they're able to hit your goal for them.

Then there are those who (like me) can just do a few. These are the prospects that are unaware of you or underaware of what you can really do for them. They need lots of work - perhaps a couple 6-week training cycles - in order to get where you want them to be.

Where does video come into play, you ask? Video is their training tool. It keeps them engaged with the program and keeps them progressing toward your goal, toward the purchase or contract, toward the day when they can do 100 pushups without collapsing on the office floor.

What type of training regimen (message or video story) does the individual need? That depends on how "in shape" they are when you engage with them.  Make your online video conversation personal to who you're talking with and where they are. Move them along at a steady pace so they don't pull a muscle, get overwhelmed and take a seat on the sidelines.

*Jon was a little slow with the camera phone, so there's no evidence of us on the carpet, but I will tell ya, Stacy has some guns on her!

Have a challenge you'd like to see the Cantaloupe team take on? Post in the comments. We'll grab a camera and post it on the blog for all to see.

Kevin and JD traveled to Florida with with three camera packs.  They were given full access to the campus to make sure that any angle they wanted to shoot was shot.  This is a great example of using an interesting story to promote a product.

I came across the following blog post on The Ike. Cantaloupe has hung it's hat on disposable, timely and relevant content. We've preached the importance of this approach as part of a successful online video campaign - something Ike has come to see the real value in. Enjoy...

Years ago I would have cringed at the thought of spending, time, and money on any communications tool, tactic, or strategy that would literally be old news within a day.

But here I sit, engaged, enlightened, and excited about the development and acceptance of disposable content, specifically video. Right now video has gone from high production, high dollars to hi res, low budget and yet more impact. Video has simply become more accessible.

We've set an expectation that Cantaloupe's team will provide new (hopefully useful) information about online video marketing, video SEO and creative online communications everyday through this blog; day in and day out. We've trained you what to expect from our content and when you can expect it online.

We didn't post on the Cantaloupe blog Thursday and - let's be honest - I bet you went all day without thinking about us. You might not have even spared a thought about web video as you read through your RSS feed. It's ok. My hurt feelings will heal - after all, it's my own fault.


Out of sight, out of mind, right? Right. It's the same with our blog followers, as with our clients and yours. When we don't blog, you don't think of us or how we can help your business reach it's goals. The same holds true for each of our clients' businesses.

Determining your video distribution schedule and plan is important. Sticking to it is more so. Your audience might miss you the first month you don't release a new video in your epic-sode series or when your video newsletter doesn't arrive on Monday morning as it always has, but they'll soon get over it and move on to something else that caught their attention.

Give them a reason to revisit your site by releasing new episodes of your stories regularly. Give them a reason to come back to your blog to see FlipCam stories of your current projects and a behind-the-scenes of your company that you always post on Fridays. Give them a reason to look forward to opening your email because they know it contains a video about how you are making their lives easier. Set the expectations and don't allow your audience to forget you (like you forgot about us yesterday).

Need help figuring out the right stories, distribution channels and pacing? Let's talk!

Working with Jon DiGregory tends to make one look for creative, unique angles that just make you smile. This video - recently posted to YouTube and enjoying it's 15 minutes of viral video fame - did just that. What made me smile more (being the information junkie that I am) was the behind-the-scenes video.

The "Guy Walks Across America" video is popular not just because it's a trek past many of America's landmarks. It's a creative approach that obviously took a great deal of heart, soul, sweat and maybe even a few tears. All said and done, this almost-2-minute video consists of 2,770 still frames and was shot over a grueling 2 week period.

Watch the online video, then see what it took to take this from a crazy idea to reality.



And this is why I'm in awe...