via Companies Throw Their Weight Behind Online Video – eMarketer.

First, why 2-3 minutes for videos? Ultimately, it’s because we’re all subconsciously programmed in some way for that amount of time. Music singles are rarely longer than 3 minutes. We’re all familiar with YouTube, and the average video length of the most popular ones, is less than 3 minutes.  People want to be in control, and will sit through a video when they can see that it’s length is something they can tolerate.    More relevant is the length of movie trailers, which are almost always less than 2.5 minutes – really, check for yourself. They are carefully crafted to draw you into the movie (some better than others) within that 2.5-minute limit.

So the lesson here is to create a 1-3 minute introduction video as your lead generation to draw people in and get the most interested to follow you back to your site for either more videos, perhaps an accompanying white paper, or other related resources on your site.  Or even better, when they share your video with others, say on Facebook, Twitter, etc.!   (Check out how the Opera Company of Philadelphia Video we produced has over 1 million hits in just 2 months!)

Utilize the SEO power of You Tube! The reason for this is YouTube allows you to insert a lot of keywords into your description and tags, and YouTube videos rank well (meaning, very visible) in Google searches.

This reminds me of the old days of SEO when you focused on putting lots of tags on web pages to improve ranking. Now people put those tags on videos. But remember, you want to drive people back to your website for your lead-generation purposes. So be sure to have a video library ready for your viewers to watch, put them on your website, and be sure to include a sign-up form for viewers to get more information (not to mention, to build your lead-generation database!)

Have a question?  Give us a call at 1-877-280-7245 or email us to schedule a time to speak.

Emilia Andrews

We’re pretty excited about the opportunities and can’t say enough about how Creativity is truly the Innovator of Progress.

Can’t wait to catch you up on all the great news!

Til next time,

Emilia Andrews

You really need to identify your time commitment for your social media efforts.  If you have something powerful, something that works, and is free… You probably don’t see the true value behind it.  However, I bet if it costs thousands of dollars, you would!

Social networking, like any form of networking, is about dedicating time. Checking in, updating your profile status, and logging out is not going to get you business leads.

If you want to use Facebook to destress… that’s just fine!  There are millions addicted to Farmville (personally I can’t stand it)!   But please know that not everyone is using it strictly for fun.  Make the most of these applications and tools and start the process by creating a plan, an integrated media strategy.

Try to make the most of your social media networking experience and define your goals… even on a weekly basis.  Some of these goals can include:  adding at least 5 more colleagues or friends to your base, researching friends of friends to see who would be compatible with your goals, studying the behaviors or habits of those you’d be interested in learning more of and much more.  Have a purpose with your research of use them to your business advantage.

If your business is considering investing in the time to get involved in social networking, the following are social media sites you may want to consider:

•    Traditional Social Networks: Facebook, MySpace
•    Social Media Submission Sites — Digg
•    Social Bookmarking – StumbleUpon, Delicious
•    Microblogging – Twitter
•    Photo and Video Sharing – Flickr, YouTube
•    Review and rating sites – Amazon, Epionions, Yelp
•    Blogs and Wikis

Good luck to you and your social media endeavors.  And while you’re at it… be sure to include Social Media Marketing in your marketing plan!

Til next time,

Emilia Andrews

A year ago, it would have seemed crazy to leave an established Super Bowl TV crowd, especially this year with the Colts/ Saints match-up.  But in just 12 short months, online viewers, users and consumers have experienced the excitement that’s brought on by social media.

Integrated media is more than just showing your online video on your website or You Tube.  Integrated media is taking your branded messages, NOT just one message, and delivering it across multiple platforms and achieving the most creative goals you could have ever imagined!

When marketing initiatives include more than just brand and ad exposure, marketing managers and corporate communications teams can literally all work together and create a seamless message system under the same house.  What?!  You mean inter-departmental flow!  Say it ain’t so!

Yes, that was a bit sarcastic, but we’ve all experienced what it’s like when one hand doesn’t speak to the other!

Now, Pepsi is able to:

• increase their social media campaign through integrated media aps
• increase their sustainability with a global message that reaches the world within seconds of posting
• interact with their very customers by encouraging brand engagement and excitement
• AND they are able to increase their global community initiatives through this Pepsi Refresh Project… And who doesn’t need money these days?!

The Pepsi Fresh Project is about getting the global community to nominate projects that need funding in local communities.  You upload your video / project profile, gather as many votes as you can by reaching out to the social media atmosphere and the top projects will win finding from $5k multiple times per month up to $250k a few times every month.

I’m looking forward to seeing the engagement levels and watching how the campaign pans out for Pepsi. Hopefully it’s a massive win for them!  But still wonder if they should have kept the Superbowl ad to tell the TV viewers about this campaign?

Let’s see how Coke responds?!  Good Luck Pepsi!

Til Next Time…

Emilia Andrews

Beholder Productions

It’s quite different from past years in that budgets aren’t fully solidified and corporate clients find it very frustrating to think ahead without a budgetary guideline.

In an effort to help our clients, partners and continue to be a general source of information, Beholder created an informative Whitepaper that offers research information and suggestions on how to Leverage Video in 2010.

For more information, visit:  http://www.beholderproductions.com/BP_whitepaper/

We look forward to working with you in 2010 and continue to offer you marketing, learning, training and entertainment solutions through quality video production, motion graphics/ animations, web and interactive media services.

Call us toll free at 1-877-280-7245.

Til next time…

Emilia Andrews

Wilde Media programs enables a multi-platform viewing presence including TV, web, and new media applications.  Meaning, us, the viewing audience, does not have to be confined to one location to watch a new show.  We have developed our viewing preferences to be available when we are… not when the networks air the program.  ie:  here comes DVR, online video… like Hulu, etc., plus the fact that many TV shows are now sharing their placement.

I mean, I can watch “Family Guy” on Fox, TBS, myPHL, etc. and that’s only in the Greater Philadelphia market area.  How many other stations that I’m not even paying attention to?

SO… I found a few testimonials as to how major industry leaders are tackling branded integrated media head on…

“Vertical networks are emerging as one of the most important advertising innovations in online publishing. Pairing established media brands with high-quality long-tail content is the first thing I recommend to publishers as part of an overall ad revenue strategy.”

Greg Stuart
Author and former CEO
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

“We recognize that vertical networks, networks that combine content from or across a complimentary group of web properties – are the next logical evolution for publishers seeking to expand their advertising solutions for customers. They are quickly becoming an important way to develop scale for our marketing clients.”

Beth Comstock
President, Integrated Media
NBC Universal

Even though these quotes focus on the producers/ publishers, it gives clear guidance as to how brands and marketers should evolve and review their strategies to avoid the viewers ability to skip their brand all together.

As we continue to develop and produce our programs, we look forward to the ability to work with your brand and develop some great synergy between the program’s format and your brand message.

Til next time,  you can reach me at emilia@beholderproductions.com to review your marketing goals and the various programs that will work well for you.

Emilia Andrews

Hope you had a pleasant and peaceful Memorial weekend?!  Mine was jam packed with 60th and 70th birthday parties, dancing my anniversary night away, a kids sleepover party, a BBQ, and a trip to the local carnival.  And with all of this, I plugged away on my cell phone a few characters at a time to let my followers know what I’ve been up to.

Best part is my twitter account is connected to my facebook… so:  cell phone text message = tweet = facebook status change… all done with a click of the send button.

I found a pretty cool blog posting on one of my twitter followers blog page.  Please check this link out:  http://mytwittertips.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/25-tips-increase-follower-twitter/

So, once we get twitter down… I ask you to click on this link and  follow me at http://twitter.com/emiliaandrews

Til next time, get to tweetin’!

Emilia

The panelists included execs from PointRoll, Hulu, Digitas Health, WebMD and Tremor Media.  All of whom gave great background on their company’s situation as it stands right now in regards to online video.

Now, I’m not going to recap what happened, as it was a long evening… and you really should plan on attending one of their next meetings.

But the conversation truly surrounded the complexities of planning around a medium that was created for immediate gratification (web); however, the learning curve required by advertisers/ sponsors & agencies is missing.

Here are a few key points:

1)  Content – advertisers are looking and demanding for professional standards; not UGC – User Generated Content.  I can’t blame them… I mean, what advertiser wants to put their brand up next to “kid skateboarding and breaking his leg.”  But it’s no longer a one hit wonder either… that’s the You Tube’s of the world.  The web media networks enable the viewer to now become engaged to the point of wanting to come back to the same portal/ website and continue that experience.

2)  Storytelling – to piggyback off of #1 – the content needs to be in the lines of how the industry “used” to produce.  Tell the audience a story.  Take the time to prepare your content and think about it’s relevance to the market.  Build the brand of your programming content and even though it won’t be a 20MM hit off the bat… it will bring a following.  A following that the web can rely on, expect and in the long run, the web can be patient enough to have a “If you build it, they will come model.”  Now that doesn’t mean online media networks won’t have to do their due diligence when it comes to marketing and advertising their content – they sure do.  But with a story, comes an audience.  To have a goal in mind, which is to build that audience base… is what advertisers crave.  Longevity and recognition.

3) Traditional vs. New Advertising – the traditional web ad model – the Pay Per Click model…  is done.  Everyone on the panel agreed that it is an archaic method of building your brand.  And that’s why most advertise… to build their brand.  There are at least 50 different means to market your product or service on the web… and many more to come.  The differentiating factor is what metrics based system does your firm/ agency follow – and is it the right way to go about it.

For example,  you may have an ad right next to the online video playing.  The average length of time we find folks staying on sites with online video to be at about 22 minutes.  That’s the length of a traditional half hour program – minus the commercials.  That entire time that the viewing audience was engaged with the online video program, they had your ad sitting next to them the entire time.

Let’s break this down further… in a standard TV show – your spot may air once for 30-seconds.  No one clicked on it… they just saw it.   However, online, they saw the same program, and saw your ad on the page for the entire 22-minutes.  At the same time they watched the program.  Now… they may have NEVER clicked the ad… but they were engaged with the program… your ad was part of their EXPERIENCE… which in turns leads to the ultimate behavioral model – which is INTEGRATION.

OK… I can go on and on… and if so… give me a call and we’ll set up a time to chat.  But for now, I’m excited that our model for Beholder’s professional standard productions and the distribution and online media network we created through Wilde Media Network is on the right path… if not ahead of the curve as compared to those who were on the panel.

You see… because we create and control the content… we have the luxury of working with the brands to help create an integrated brand experience that the big boys… NBC, Fox, etc.  just can’t do.

Advertisers – be open – do what you say and truly think outside of the box.  You might find the results to go beyond your expectations.

Til next time…

Emilia Andrews

Beholder Productions is a full service integrated media production company. www.beholderproductions.com

I actually felt bad for this woman.  She had all the weight of the world stacked up against her, as audience members jeered, judges rolled their eyes and sarcastically asked what kind of talent did she have, and the viewing audience couldn’t help but just assume that based on her looks, she had no talent.

Well, she sure enough proved us all wrong!  Her voice was amazing and the response was even more enlightening.  Today, in a rough economy when all many have left is a dream… Susan Boyle fulfilled hers.  She sang her heart out and helped everyone across the world to stay focus and reach for theirs.

If this story tells you anything, it’s that in our global society and throughout various cultures, perception is everything.  And if you aren’t running within a certain periphery of that perception, you will be ignored.

Take the Susan Boyle story and apply it to your business.  Have you been strumming along your business life, hoping for a chance?  Or have you made steps to move forward, make a statement and crafted a presence to catapult you, your products or services to your target audience.

For businesses, we don’t have the “Britian’s / America’s Got Talent” forum.  We have to create our own strategies and solutions.  Not sure where to start?  Give us a call or visit our site at www.beholderproductions.com.

We can help you with your vision and make it come to life.

Til next time, write down your dreams, vision, and goals and see how they can become an outline to guide you to a new direction.

Best…

Emilia Andrews

www.beholderproductions.com

Beholder Productions – An integrated media production company focusing on marketing, training/ HR and broadcast solutions.