Saturday, July 21, 2012

Case Study | The Cancer Research Institute

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) asked us to make an info-graphic that "Explains" how Cancer Immunotherapy is changing the way we treat cancer. Did you know our own immune systems are capable of killing cancer wherever it is in the body? In many healthy adults , the immune system does this naturally. Check the info-graphic and let us know what you think?

www.ExplanatoryVideos.com

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Get LinkedIn With Us

We're finally getting our LinkedIn site going...


For those of you who don't know, Explanatory Videos is one of the newest competitors in an expanding market. We promote our clients' business and make it easily understandable by means of exciting yet concise web-based videos. 

We're now on LinkedIn so help us network and follow us by using the link below! 


http://www.linkedin.com/company/explanatoryvideos-com?trk=tabs_biz_home



Saturday, June 30, 2012

Video Marketing Secrets – 3 Essential Elements of a Successful Explainer Video

If you are thinking of having an explainer video produced, you want to make sure your investment does more than just play, it needs to do serious business.


So what separates the winners from the losers? After a long time of working on these projects I've seen that all truly successful explainer videos have a:


1. Clear and Concise Script
2. Professional Voice Over
3. Prominent Position in Webpage Layout


Notice there is no mention of "quality animation" anywhere in that list. It's not that the animation quality isn't important, because quite frankly, it is. Trouble is, animation is very much an artistic element and like all art, different styles appeal to different people.


An animation style that you love may seem mediocre to your clients.


Successful-Video-Marketing
"As long as the animation looks professional, helps add meaning 
to spoken elements and fits in with your branding, it is really 
only eye-candy."
Therefore, as long as the animation looks professional, helps add meaning to spoken elements and fits in with your branding, it is really only eye-candy. 


Bottom line is, if the underlying message is clear, concise and properly presented, even those who aren't wow-ed by the animation will find value in your video.


The first step in achieving this is to have a:


Clear and Concise Script


The script of an explainer video is hands-down, without doubt, socks off the most important element of the project. It is the beating heart of the project and the single most important factor to your video marketing success.


With that in mind: Use a professional script writer to produce your script!


This doesn't mean you shouldn't be involved in the process, but it is much more likely that an outside perspective of your product / service / message will produce a script that strikes a chord with first time viewers of your video. 


If a company offers a professional script writing service, use it. This way they can use their expertise to produce an effective product from the ground up.


Remember, the message is key, everything else is eye-candy!


Of course, once you have a clear message and motivating call to action, the next piece of the puzzle is to make sure you use a:


Professional Voice-Over


Not all voices are created equal, and the truth is, most of us don't have the skills required to narrate a video effectively.


Video-Marketing-Essentials
"Professional voice talent is not expensive, and a
small investment here can make a huge difference
to the final outcome of your video."
A professional voice artist can bring your message to life, inspire confidence in listeners and ensure the key details of your video are easily remembered. 


Even better, there is an enormous variety of voice-talent to choose from which allows you to easily find a voice that matches your brand.


You wouldn't accept un-professional animation in your video, therefore, isn't the voice which conveys your message of ever greater importance?


Professional voice talent is not a expensive, and a small investment here can make a huge difference to the final outcome of your video.


Prominent Position in Webpage Layout


Once the script, voice-over and animation are complete, your video is bursting with marketing potential. But in order for it to have the effect you hope for, it is vital that visitors to your website, blog or social media channel are able to find it in the first place.


Therefore, don't make people work to find your video. Make sure a visitor can see it when they land on your site without having to scroll down or navigate to another page. Make the video big, make it prominent, give it a big idiot-proof play button! 


"Don't make people work to find your video. Make the video big, make it
prominent, give it a big idiot-proof play button!"
For even greater effect, place some sort of call to action button near the video. That way, once someone has watched it, you make it easy for them to take the next step.


Videos work so well because they are engaging and convenient. Don't fall at the final hurdle by making visitors work to find your video or making it difficult to obey the call to action.


Of course, these three elements are not the only things which dictate the success or failure of an explainer video, but I guarantee that if they are missing, things just won't go how you want!



Kenny Simpson is a Creative Producer at ExplanatoryVideos.com


If you would like to have an explainer video produced and would like more information, click here to drop us a line and get a FREE CONSULTATION and QUOTE.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How to Use Video in Email - An Easy Step-by-Step Guide.

If you have ever tried to get these two super-powers of marketing to work together, you may have come across a common problem: it can be a total nightmare.

That said, the gain is definitely worth the pain, as the following stats from the "Web Video Marketing Council" demonstrate:



  • A vast majority of senior marketing executives—88%—report that email with integrated video improves campaign performance.
  • A smaller, though still sizable, majority of 76% say these campaigns generate high click-through rates.
  • Finally, 72% say "prospects are more likely to make a purchase or take other desired actions after viewing video content sent via email."

So how do you do it?

Frankly, there are a lot of different options for using video in email, but if you're looking for the quick, easy and reliable option, trust me when I say the instructions below are for you:


Instructions


Step 1) Go to YouTube.com and upload your video. You will need to sign in, don't worry it's all free. (see Image 1)


Image 1.


Step 2) Once your video is uploaded, go to it's page on YouTube. Now capture the screen image by pressing: "Ctrl + Prt Scr". (see Image 2)

Image 2.

Step 3) Open the "Paint" program in Windows. Once it's open, paste your screen image by pressing: "Ctrl + V". (see image 3.)


Image 3.

Step 4) Your captured screen image should appear in the program. click and hold the left mouse button to move the image around. Once you have the video in view, you want to click the "selection" tool and drag a box around your video image. 


Image 4.

Step 5) With your video selected, click "crop". 

Image 5.

Step 6) Now click the "Resize" button. A window will pop up with some resize options. Select "Resize by Pixels" and make sure the "Maintain Aspect Ratio" checkbox is selected. For use in email footers give the image a horizontal size of 175 pixels, use a larger size if you are going to use the image in the email body. Click OK.


Image 6.

Step 7) Download the following "Play_Button" image by clicking the following link, left click on the image and select "Save Image as...":


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qk_b5KVgY6eIS3v1dRWr39a6UUbgr-0NtbxSuVvHwDAkNlgzG4XTU-Cov533lrzXG2x2ywxSY8k


Once downloaded, select "Paste from..." in Paint and select the "Play_Button" file. Drag the graphic into the center of your video image. (Tip: If you put the graphic in the wrong place, just undo the move by pressing "Ctrl + Z")


Image 7.


Step 8) Save the image. Give it a name and select "JPEG" from the "save as type".

Image 8.

Step 9) Open your email client and compose a new email. Paste the image you created into the email. Select the image and add a hyperlink which links to the YouTube page your video is hosted on. (Tip: Don't forget to add "alternate text" which will be displayed even if your image is blocked).


Image 9.


Step 10) Send your email! You can also paste the image and hyperlink into your email footer meaning every email you send is promoting your video.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

How to Create a Explainer Video for Your Startup

This article focuses on the creation of live screen capture videos of someone demoing the website, but I think a lot of this same methodology can go into creating any sort of introductory video a company uses to explain their site. The first step, as with any project, is to plan, and the first questions you need to ask yourself before you even start to storyboard include "What do we want to accomplish with this video?" and "How detailed do we want to get?"

Once you figure out the content, length, tone, and medium of your video, then move on to storyboarding. Storyboarding is an important step in creative processes such as these because it is much easier to visualize the end product before putting any real technical effort in. Filmmakers don't just storyboard as a way to outline their plot, they use it to do early edits to the film before wasting any time shooting stuff that will never make it past the cutting room.

www.ExplanatoryVideos.com
By getting a storyboard of your production down, you may realize it's too long, too boring or not informative enough; you can determine these flaws by showing the storyboard to anyone unfamiliar with your product and then use their feedback to make alterations.

"The more detail in your storyboards, the easier the editing stage will be," writes Stu Green, author of the post on Webdesigner Depot. "Your storyboard will help you stay organized throughout the whole process, and if you ever get lost while producing the video, the storyboard will get you back on track."

If you plan on doing a straight screen-capture demo, don't just wing it; make sure you script out what you're going to say as you demo the site. Additionally, spend a few extra bucks on a nice microphone to record your voice - quality audio goes a long way in video production.

There is a healthy list of options for software to record you screen-capture videos with, including Screenium, Jing, CamStudio, iShowU and Captivate. One nice option that I find is overlooked these days is the screen capture abilities included with the standard version of Quicktime on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. For a low budget product, Quicktime can get the job done, but if you wan't something a little more pro looking, one of the aforementioned applications will help also.

Videos such as these can go a long way in helping to rope in new visitors to your site. These can also be useful for an early stage company looking for a quick and unique way to explain their concept to potential investors. However, if your looking for something much more profesional have us work on your next explainer video at www.ExplanatoryVideos.com

Monday, June 18, 2012

What are the Different Types of Explainer Videos?

1.   Start-up Videos
Every Start-up business needs an effective marketing strategy to get their name in the public eye and start getting clients. A well produced video is an effective tool to introduce your business to your target market. Placed on your website, it increases conversion rates since people are more inclined to watch a video that meddle through loads of text.

2.   Product or Service Demonstrations
Its not easy trying to explain a complex and technical service. It takes a lot of skill to clearly communicate your idea so your customers can understand. Companies pay consultants thousands and even millions help them explain what they do. We are a new breed of storytellers that bring simplicity and effectiveness to your communication needs. What used to cost tons of cash and take months achieve, can now be done at a fraction of the cost in less time.

3.   Educational Videos
As kids we first learnt to communicate through gestures and visuals. Visual Communication is an effective medium in educating students, employees, managers or people in general. We need education but it can be boring at times. Our videos get people excited about learning again.

4.   Story Telling Videos
We believe every business has a story to tell. The benefits you offer and what makes you unique needs to be explained clearly to convince people to buy from you. If you’re not clear about this aspect of your business you’ll always underperform even if you’re the best at what you do.
We can help you tell your story in a practical and believable way.

5.   Training Videos
A well-trained team is one of the most essential elements to the success of any organisation. We can create training videos that are engaging and effective in equipping your team with the information they need. If your training video is boring, people wont pay attention and will easily forget what’s being said. This can be a waste of valuable resources and time, as you will have to constantly train or replace your team. You can save time and money when you get an effective training video from us.

6.   Presentation Videos
To make a great presentation you need good communication skills. We all know how nerve-racking it is to stand in front of people to present you idea. We can take away the fear of making presentations by creating videos that can do the job for you. When you use a video you don’t even have to worry about making mistakes or fumbling your words. How cool is that?

Four simple steps to make your Explanatory Video

We learn
An ExplanatoryVideos.com producer will conduct a free consultation and ask you key questions about your business to discover your message and the meaningful details about how you want it communicated to your audience.
We Script
Our creative team of writers and graphic designers takes your message and creates an entertaining script and storyboard that explains all of your key points that after your approval will appear in the final video.
We animate
Once you approve the script we go to work illustrating your business your customers and all of the situations needed to tell your story, with music, sound effects, and voiceover. A creative director makes sure that your video is clear and focused on your product, service, or concept throughout the iterative process.
We Deliver
After putting the finishing touches on the video and making sure all the elements look and sound great, we present the finished explanatory video to you for a final review. If everything meets your requirements we deliver your video in the format of your choice, ready for your audience to enjoy.
www.ExplanatoryVideos.com