Market7

Market7 Profiled In Article About ABCs of Online Video

We love talking about what Market7 can do for any enterprise executing on a video strategy. But it’s even better to hear firsthand from our customers how we help streamline complicated video workflows. In the current issue of EContent Magazine, writer Marji McClure, takes a look at the components of a successful online video strategy.

Market7′s Seth Kenvin is quoted regarding how video is evolving as a communication tool of choice in the enterprise. And Market7′s customer, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), is profiled for its use of video in providing content about industry news and events to its members. The profile includes details about how Market7 helps the organization’s relatively small staff produce large quantities of programming, which has included 60 programs in the first half of 2011 alone.

We’ve linked to many customer profiles on this site. Each demonstrates unique uses of Market7 toward one common goal – doing video better. We hope you’ll click over to EContent to read the article. Or if you subscribe to the print edition, check it out there, complete with pretty pictures, which include the TIA’s content in the Market7 Annotative Player. Maybe it’ll even help you start to crystallize your own corporate video strategy.

Using Video To Bring Existing Content To Life For Marketing

Marketing teams in companies of all sizes are faced with the constant challenge of keeping website content fresh, finding new ways to connect with and engage visitors, and creating recurring site visits.

There are some tried and true techniques, many of which focus on keeping content fresh. This often means creating newsletters from scratch, running a blogging program, writing white papers – you name it. But sometimes, getting this new content created can be a tall order. Usually, a team has to decide what the content will be, who will create it, what the messaging will be, deadlines, and on and on. This is a necessary evil in most cases, but it doesn’t have to be the only way content gets cooked up by your company.

Your company could well be sitting on content you don’t know exists. And video can help bring it to life.

Speaking Engagements

Companies of all sizes often participate as speakers at various industry events. A lot of time and energy is poured into creation of presentation content, rehearsing and travel. Only to have content reach the end of its life as soon as the event ends. To let the content live on and reach many more people, hire a local videographer to come record your presentation. Be sure to get the event organizer’s permission. Most will be fine with this or have their own videographer from which you can buy a copy of your session. Finding a local videographer is as easy as doing a Google Maps search. You’ll have many choices in most major cities. And you’ll probably only end up sending hundreds.

Customer Presentations

If you have a standard customer presentation that could translate well to your larger customer base, take the time to get it on video. Sure WebExes and in-person presentations are sometimes preferred, but consider whether the content you’re sharing could just as easily translate to a video session that can be shared with your customer. Keeping in mind how many times one company might give the same presentation over and over, what’s one more time to get it on video when you can completely control the message? Also great for certain startup fundraising activities.

Give More Context to Website Content

A white paper or brochure will serve its purpose, but consider the additional context you can provide by having a company exec introduce it with video. The video could also help to market the written content via YouTube, Twitter, in a company newsletter, etc.

Reach Remote Workers with Company News

This doesn’t really fit in the “reach your customer” category, but still makes good use of video for communication. Many companies, of all sizes, hold “all-hands” meetings to talk about major company initiatives, progress, challenges, etc. These companies also usually have scattered workforces who either don’t attend the meetings or are forced to listen in via teleconference, which is a less than ideal experience. Capture these meetings on video and stream it online in real-time or post the raw footage immediately following the meeting so remote workers can stay in the loop.

Customer Events/Parties

Many companies hold customer events or parties for customers. Want to help grow attendance? Capture some fun moments on video and create a montage that can be shared. Even if you’re not throwing Sean Parker-style parties, yours are probably still appealing to your base and showing them what they’re missing might help ensure they make it next time they get an invite.

Tradeshow Demos

It’s always helpful to be able to read about a product on a website. But seeing it in action adds a whole new level of understanding and engagement. When your videographer is done recording your company exec speaking at an event, have them head over to your booth to capture some live product demos that can be put up on the Web.

As always, not all of these ideas are for every company. But when you’re thinking about new ways to engage with customers or create fresh content, keep in mind that you may already have what you need waiting to be caught on video!

Some Tips For Making Your Talking Head Video Sing

Businesses keep finding new and interesting uses for video. While communication using the medium is expanding, a popular format that continues to prevail largely relies on “talking heads.” These videos generally consist of a company exec shot up close, delivering a message in the way of a prepared script or interview. The challenge with this format is that it is much too easy for content to quickly become boring and unwatchable. It is not necessary to call any company out with an example of a bad talking head video. We’ve all seen them before – or maybe even have had the cringe-inducing displeasure of starring in one. Done poorly, these videos are long, dry, static and disengaging. Done right, they are pleasing to watch, keep the viewer’s attention and effectively communicate a message.

With this in mind, here are some tips to help you elevate the quality of your next talking head video:

Avoid cuts to dry content. Even the most basic of today’s video editing tools allow for professional-looking text overlays to emphasize information like executive title or displaying a key quote over video content that is running. This technique works better than cutting away to static slides with information because it doesn’t break momentum and divert the viewer’s attention. Also experiment with different backdrops or supporting onscreen content via green screen.

Don’t let scripts sound like scripts. What’s the best way to get viewers genuinely excited? Sound genuinely excited yourself. It’s not always easy for an executive without a lot of onscreen experience to feel comfortable surrounded by a crew, bright lights and expensive equipment while his or her peers look on. Often when this happens, the talent is just struggling to get through the script without making a lot of mistakes or giving their nerves too much leeway. So how to overcome this challenge? Work on the script far in advance and have it finalized weeks – not days or hours – before a shoot. Encourage your talent to become familiar with the script and practice it with inflection and emotion to overcome the monotone delivery that often accompanies lack of preparation.

Change angles often. One shot left alone for five minutes will quickly become boring for the viewer – unless they happen to be REALLY interested in the content. Change camera angles and shot composition throughout the video to keep the content fresh. Think about how evening news anchors will turn to different cameras throughout a broadcast, for example. Here are some samples of different styles of video that use varied angles and zooms in different ways. All of them are effective.

The first is a video created by Jason Jenkins of Flowmotion Media and recently shared in the Creative Cow forums. It’s a great example of the typical kind of video that businesses need to produce, and done very well.

Dr. Lichtenstein Bio

The next example is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and comes from MTV, which can always be counted on (or blamed, depending on how you look at it) for breakthroughs and introduction of new trends in shooting style. This video is from MTV’s Punk’d. Pay particular attention to the various shots of @aplusk in the opening segment – some of which appear at the same time.

The MTV way of doing things might not be appropriate for a lot of businesses. But consider that it might, depending on your audience. Always think about the style that will appeal most to your viewers.

Keep it short and simple. There is sometimes a tendency to over-communicate in corporate video. Maybe this is a function of too many departments or marketers being involved in a script, causing it to become too cumbersome. Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that video can be just one of several tools used to tell a story. Video can be what the viewer sees first and complemented by brochures, case studies, more lengthy podcasts or other web content. Here’s a short and simple example from the masters – the pharmaceutical industry.

Consider the amount of information that is communicated here in just under a minute: identifying an audience, a need, a solution, proof of the solution’s success. And, of course, calls to action in the way of encouragement to check out a more detailed magazine ad, web address, 800 number and suggestion to consult with a doctor. This video does a lot of other things right too, from interesting camera angles to a tight script. Is it a traditional talking head video? Perhaps not. But it does feature a main spokesperson that just so happens to be out of the studio and on location. Maybe this is the right idea for your business too (e.g. Sell outdoors equipment? Then get out of the studio!)

As noted throughout this post, not every style of video is for every company or audience. But no matter what your goals, there are ways to improve how you tackle the talking head video in your organization or for your clients. Hopefully some of the above tips will help. Know that this is not an exhaustive list. What are some ways that you’ve successfully executed on creation of a talking head video? Let us know in the comments!

Market7 Release From July 26 ’11

Most recent release responds to a lot of suggestions from field to make our service work better:

• highlight where to click for commenting on a video so that first time users don’t watch video in our player and write feedback by email without realizing they can easily leave contextual comments right within the video
• simplify presentation of player by reducing the controls that show, specifically having per-comment tools only reveal when moused over particular comment
• allow a specific comment to be shared proactively calling attention of someone who has to take action on it
• when sharing Annotative Player page, avail sharing video at current playhead location within video — when combined with including a message in sharing action, this can effect private commenting for eyes of some but not all project team members
• when sharing any video.Market7 page, be able to add new people to project and then the first time they log onto the project they’ll go directly to the shared page (instead of the project’s home page)

Here’s a demo:

Suggestions from our users are the best way to improve our service, and this release reflects their value, which we greatly appreciate!

We Run Down Some Of Our Favorite Unique Video Uses For Business

If you’re responsible for getting video produced for your company, chances are you’ve been involved in some very common uses: marketing, training, internal communications and TV advertising are a few. Video is tried and true for these distinct purposes. But what are some other ways that your business can use video that might not be immediately obvious? We pulled together an overview of some of our favorite unique uses gleaned mostly from conversations with customers and our own experiences with the companies that have become part of our daily lives.

Say Hello

In tough economic times, welcome receptionists may be a tough cost to justify. Or maybe your business is spread out across a campus with customers and employees coming and going in many different locations with no personnel to staff them. No matter what your situation, a video receptionist just might be a great fit. Your virtual receptionist can be programmed to place a call to a contact your guests are there to see, offer directions or simply fill in when your actual receptionist is out to lunch.

Say Thank You

Anyone who’s donated to their alma mater has received some form of thank you. Maybe it’s a bumper sticker. A simple thank you note. A pin. You get the idea. Harvard Business School recently decided to thank its donors with a 4-minute (really well-produced) video that detailed all of the advancement and progress it has  made, in part, because of its donors. (The video can’t be embedded, but you can check it out here: http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/giving/thankyou/thankyoudonors.html)

Offer Help

Ever spend way too much time staring at a diagram in a user manual that came with a product you own, trying to figure out what they’re trying to tell you? Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re always helpful. By using video to show your customers how to accomplish specific tasks with your product, you’re providing a positive experience that could make them a customer for life. And you might even be cutting down on calls to your tech support line too. It’s a win, win. Check out the Hobie Cat Company’s treasure trove of video owners manuals for its extensive line of kayaks: http://www.hobiecat.com/kayaking/spotlight/video-owners-manual/.

Show Them Who They’ll Be Working With

Recruiting probably falls among the least unique use of video for business. But this is really something that every company should be doing. Sure, you can attract resumes and make a hire with the typical online job ad. But you just might have an easier time finding someone that fits nicely into your company’s culture with a great recruiting video, like what Facebook created last year (see below). Want to make things even more interesting? Encourage your applicants to submit video resumes in response. InterviewClips.com is one site that offers this type of functionality.

Sell, Sell, Sell

A retail business we’ve been talking with wanted a better way to inform customers about product options in the store. By installing video-powered virtual salespeople terminals, customers with specific questions about products can get quick, easy answers. These terminals can be especially useful for businesses that don’t necessarily have room for a lot of product on the floor or deal in complicated subject matter that makes it difficult to train (or afford) a full sales staff.

How is your business currently or planning to use video in unique ways? Let us know in the comments!

Market7 CEO Guest Posts On Important Pre-Production Practices At OnlineVideoPublishing.com

Ask any enterprise marketer how they’d approach a video production project and you’re likely to get very different responses.

While there is no one best path to successful video production, there are some important pre-production practices that anyone should consider before they touch a camera. And Market7 CEO Seth Kenvin has laid them all out over at Larry Kless‘ OnlineVideoPublishing.com. You can check out the article right here. Give it a read to see how you may be able to improve your production planning to maximize quality and impact for your next project.

Market7 Powers Streamlined Video for SolarCity

Back in October 2010, Robert Scoble of Building43 sat down with Market7 for an in-depth interview about video.Market7.com and what it takes to make video production efficient. Recently, Rackspace’s Building43 approached one of Market7′s first customers, SolarCity, and asked them to pen a blog post about their experience with us.

That post, by SolarCity’s Bradley Robinson ran today and you can check it out here. The focus of Bradley’s post is how Market7 has helped streamline video production at the company. Key takeaways include:

• Market7 has made the video editing process easier than ever before for SolarCity
• The traditional video production process was cumbersome and error-prone, but Market7 helps to overcome challenges
• The first time SolarCity used the software and invited members to a project, they had a a 100% success rate of users accessing video and figuring out on their own how to add comments to the stream. Even “non-technical” SolarCity team members had a positive experience with Market7 and were able to quickly understand and use the software.
• After implementing this solution, SolarCity will never go back to paper edits.

Access the post by hitting the logo below. And, by the way, interested in solar  and its many green and financial benefits for your home or business? Check out www.solarcity.com! These guys are heating up (sorry…) across the country!

Know Your Audience (And The Screens They Use Too)

I spent time this month at the annual Cable Show in Chicago. This is where cable operators, programming networks, technology vendors and more gather to talk about the latest trends, issues, show new tech capabilities and more. One of most discussed topics at the event was the opportunity that exists to deliver content that meets multi-screen demand. Essentially, as more consumers walk around with video-capable smartphones and tablets, how will the industry deliver programming to these devices?

Along these lines, we’ve had more than a few discussions with customers lately about how they’re adapting the creation process to accommodate viewing that’s extending beyond traditional TV and PC screens, to mobile devices.  Here are some interesting takeaways:

More Devices = More Viewing Opportunity. Many companies used to justify a lack of video content by pointing to a small potential audience. As I write this, I’m surrounded by three screens (TV, PC, smartphone), all capable of competently displaying video content. So now, even on the go, my smartphone makes me a constant potential audience member. (And there are many more like me.) Ready or not, the audience is there, waiting to be engaged.

Different Screens Demand Different Content. Maybe you already recognize the opportunity to deliver content that can be viewed across a variety of devices. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should just repurpose all of your existing video for viewing on all platforms. When creating content, consider the size of your viewer’s screen when thinking about video length, shot composition and your video’s purpose. And think about the circumstances under which they’ll be viewing. For instance, a long training video might work better for TV or a PC during the workday. But a training recap or refresher might work better delivered to a phone for the commute home. Sure, anyone might be willing to compromise and watch Avatar on a 4” screen if they really want to see it at that moment. But will the same be true for your video? Make the viewing experience comfortable and purposeful.

Be Smart About Tech Requirements. We don’t want to get into a big discussion about codecs here, but remember that not all video can be displayed on all devices or with available bandwidth. For instance, if your video is set up in Flash, you’re going to lose iPad and iPhone users. If your file sizes are large and/or you’re not using adaptive bitrate streaming you’ll lose those that don’t have a good 4G or 3G connection. Pay attention to the browsers being used to access your site and prepare accordingly.

You have more opportunities than ever to reach viewers with video content. Use these opportunities wisely and watch your view count grow!

Character Empathy Is Key

Flying Virgin America, laptop on tray-table, DishTV showing above that on the screen built into seatback, watching makingof, and struck by what’s at ~7 minutes into this video, thoughts from screenwriter Craig Mazin about how he practices his craft.

For me, the best way to write for characters is to be a little crazy yourself, the way actors are a little crazy, because actors have to sort of subsume their own sense of identity into somebody else’s, an imaginary person’s. When you’re a writer, you don’t have to do that quite so publicly, but you do have to sort get a little schizoid about the work, because when you’re writing characters, you have to think like they think. The only way you can think like they think is if you understand who they are fully, and the only way you can understand who they are fully is to really, really create another person.

This is just an extension of what we did as kids and made up imaginary friends or took little action figures and created desires and motivations for them and conflicts. Then you just be real about them as best you can, if you’re writing that sort of movie. Try and be true to the person that you’ve created, and they theoretically will turn out interesting if you’re true and real to them, but you have to do the work. You have to do the work, and you have to understand people, be a little bit of a psychologist

Such empathy in core to software product management as well, in our case concern with the perspectives, motivations, capabilites etc. of  various user personas in parallel Craig Mazin’s thoughts about characters being written. Providing software for media production, we love these sorts of opportunities to relate our respective crafts.