Month: January 2017

The rise of video marketing is indisputable. But why exactly are businesses eager to grow their online presence by incorporating videos? The answer is simple: there are so many benefits!

Most businesses have already rolled out video marketing campaigns and are seeing success, so those that haven’t need to seriously consider it. This is the perfect time to get started since the industry has had time to collect data and find obvious trends in favor of utilizing the power of video.

Still a bit uncertain if it’s the right move?

4 advantages to video advertising that experts at Cinecut Creative have seen other local businesses benefit from:

• People Actually Watch. The first point against video advertisement production usually involves the fear of getting zero views and having the effort go to waste. On the contrary, people are consuming videos at such a high rate that businesses are sure to see results if they’re distributed effectively. YouTube alone gets over 4 billion views per day!
• Marketing Gone Mobile. Many people experience the world through their mobile phones, and industry experts suggest that online video accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic. This means that if a business creates a video marketing campaign and distributes it through social media and other mobile app platforms, they are likely to be seen!
• They’re Engaging for Viewers. Use the human senses to your advantage here! There are emotional benefits to using sights and sounds to tell a story. These emotional benefits lead to a greater connection between the brand and the customer, which is ideal for businesses looking to make lasting connections.
• It Works. Including videos in emails will first increase open-rates by about 5.6%, and then click-throughs following the video increase by 96%! The numbers don’t lie, and the experts tracking the trends agree that video marketing is a worthwhile investment.

There are more good things to brag about when it comes to video advertising. For those interested in hearing more, give us a call at Cinecut Creative today!

Video marketing is here to stay so businesses who have not already jumped onboard should seriously consider doing so. There are so many benefits to launching a video marketing campaign that it pays for itself in the end!

Stuck on how to get started? Have no fear! Our video experts at Cinecut Creative have all the details for Triangle business owners looking to get in the game.

Check out these 10 tips and reminders for creating a successful video marketing campaign:

1. Target the Audience. Really get to know them. What do they like? What are they searching for? All of these details will come in handy for directing video production techniques and distribution methods.
2. Decide on Content. Based on what the target audience wants, deciding what content to produce will be a bit easier. Try to cater to their needs as much as possible to keep them engaged.
3. Observe Other Campaigns. Another good way to get started is to check out other video marketing strategies that are already successful. What elements are they employing? What sort of release schedule do they run with?
4. Use Storytelling Techniques. People love stories, whether short tales with a clear beginning, middle, and end within two minutes or a longer saga over the course of a video series.
5. Create Video Channels. Create a YouTube channel where videos can be organized and archived for easy user access. Also, YouTube is a huge platform that offers video campaign assistance to make it even easier!
6. SEO Optimization. Videos are nothing without being viewed. How will users find them? By using keyword searches in popular search engines. Make sure to load the video’s title and description with keywords the audience is searching for!
7. Distribute on Multiple Platforms. Simply uploading a video to YouTube is akin to casting a very short net. It will get views, yes, but it will potentially get even more if it is also shared through other social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
8. Calls to Action. Don’t leave the audience hanging! End the video with a clear call to action so they know where to go or what to do next!
9. This is more for internal operations. Always communicate with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands their role in producing, editing, or distributing the videos.
10. Have Fun! Ultimately, the goal is to spread brand awareness and give people a glimpse into why your business’s services or products are really going to help them. In addition to awareness, spread some cheer and see how far it goes!

Don’t wait any longer to get started! Ready to dive in? Connect with us at Cinecut Creative today!

We live in a world overflowing with content that begs for our attention, and for video marketing this can pose a challenge. How do we know if the campaign is being seen, if it’s entertaining or even successful?

Luckily, people are pretty consistent and there is an age-old method that never fails: the art of storytelling. People respond to stories in profound ways like being motivated to purchase a product or service, or even challenging themselves to change behaviors or thought-patterns. However, it is possible for video storytelling to veer off track so it’s important to remember a few key points to ensure success.

3 key points to remember for storytelling recommended by video production experts at Cinecut Creative are:

• Use Storytelling Structure. This means using the traditional storytelling arch containing a beginning, middle, and an end. It’s a simple formula that can reduce complex stories or ideas into understandable content. Also, it’s a great way to keep the audience engaged throughout the video. So, introduce characters, create some conflict, then come to a fulfilling resolution.
• Keep it Relevant. It’s possible to create a visually stunning video that’s comparable to a feature-length film in its composition, but if the story being told isn’t relevant to the business then it will fall short of the desired outcome. Focus on telling stories that reflect the brand’s values and aligns with the mission statement, or better yet that directly incorporates the product or service being marketed.
• Make it Authentic. Real people telling their real stories are way more effective than hiring actors to endorse a message. People are more likely to relate to the ‘everyday’ person who expresses how a business’s product or service improved their life. This streak of authenticity will spark a connection with those who view the video. This will encourage them to engage with the brand on a personal level.

Videos are a powerful tool for businesses to incorporate into their marketing campaigns. Using storytelling techniques will ensure that viewers are engaging with the video content. For more information about video production or editing, contact our experts at Cinecut Creative!

For most businesses looking to grow their online presence, video marketing is a go-to strategy to get started. But, there may be some who’ve uploaded a few videos that aren’t getting views, aren’t seeing many results, or perhaps they’ve plateaued and need a few tips for a boost to the next level.

There is good news for those stuck in a rut since many video and search engine gurus are releasing tips and tricks to help businesses see the results they’re aiming for.

4 tips from our video gurus at Cinecut Creative to help take business videos to the next level are:

• Use Storytelling Techniques. This is pretty simple to accomplish, and can be incorporated in many ways. Some videos fall flat because they aren’t engaging, or viewers don’t necessarily see the point in continuing to watch. By providing them with characters involved in a story arch, the door opens up for them to stay tuned for the next installment in, what may come to be, a video series.
• Add an Interactive Transcript. These are awesome and tie-in directly to the video itself. It’s a JavaScript plugin that displays a scrolling transcript aligned with the speech in the video. Users can click on any word of the transcript to jump to that point in the video. This enhances the user experience and keeps them engaged with the video content.
• Add Closed Captions. HMTL5 makes this an easy addition, so the video editing process won’t be derailed by including text. This can help increase the amount of time viewers spend with a video, since our brains naturally want to read text when it’s displayed. Also, it can benefit viewers who may not have access to sound at the time of watching the video.
• Use SEO Tricks. When the video is being uploaded and distributed, litter it with keywords. Use the title and description areas to incorporate tags and keywords that the bots will crawl through and display in user search results.

Utilizing these ideas will surely help any video get a quick boost in visibility and promote viewer engagement. Need more information on how to incorporate these ideas? Contact us at Cinecut Creative!

Videos have taken the digital marketing world by storm and there’s no wonder why. Businesses have seen a substantial increase in conversion rates from utilizing well-planned video marketing campaigns.

Most campaigns will start with a quick explainer video that details the important points viewers need to know about a business’s services, products, and goals. These videos are great for business owners looking to expand their outreach and create more connections with potential customers.

Our video production experts at Cinecut Creative share four tips for businesses to remember when creating a great explainer video: 

• Keep it Short. Social media and internet users are constantly bombarded with text and video content. The average viewer has an attention span of about 8 seconds, which ultimately means they’re not interested in lengthy content that doesn’t address them immediately. Most explainer videos are between 60-120 seconds, providing a hook to keep viewers interested enough to keep exploring. Also, the less information they hear, the more they’ll remember.
• Write a Good Script. Since there’s not a lot of time to get into copious details, a good script will include essential information. Address the target audience, acknowledge their pain point, show how the business can step in for their benefit, and what they should do next. This will leave the viewer with a basic understanding while keeping them interested in moving forward.
• Be Entertaining. Dry videos are probably as much fun as a dry lecture, right? Try incorporating some humor, animations, sound effects, or other special additions to keep the video appealing to the viewer.
• Choose Appropriate Visuals. There’s a distinction between entertaining and distracting. Many successful explainer videos incorporate visual information that either aligns with the message directly or upholds it subtly. This means there’s not too much going on that is distracting or simply irrelevant.

Explainer videos are a great place for businesses to start when launching a video marketing campaign. They can help to spread a message clearly and easily! Interested in producing an awesome explainer video? Then Contact our videography experts at Cinecut Creative in Raleigh!

Making the decision to integrate video into your current marketing strategy was a great one. But now where do you start? There are plenty of results to be excited about, but having a solid plan to ensure those results are seen is the most important.

The best way to see success is to create a living marketing plan to drive video production and distribution. Start simple and allow room for growth because the first round of statistics might show where improvements are necessary.

Our experts at Cinecut Creative share four ways to create a video marketing strategy that is sure to see success: 

• Start with a Mission Statement. Knowing exactly what you’re producing, who you’re producing it for, and what you expect from it are the key points to focus on in the beginning. Determine the target audience and form a thorough understanding of their needs and how you plan to address them.
• Determine Video Content. Depending on what your business’s overall goals are will determine what types of video content are best suited for the job. For example, simple product descriptions to boost brand awareness might include a how-to video of some sort. It could be either something basic like how to use it, or how it was innovated in the first place.
• Decide Who Will Produce It. Will production occur in-house or will it be outsourced to another company? Along with filming, there are many other roles that need to be filled such as who writes the script, who organizes the shoot, who edits the content, etc. Having these roles clearly defined and filled in the beginning will eliminate any strife down the line due to blurred lines in responsibilities.
• Measure Their Performance. Instead of feeling intimidated by user data, allow it to empower you! There are key insights into whether the video content is working or not. These insights provide more direction for where to take the campaign overall or maybe how to tweak the next video.

Don’t settle for a basic marketing strategy that puts you on par with the competition. Instead, put time and effort into planning so that no time or money is wasted on creating purposeless content. Need help? Contact our video production experts at Cinecut Creative!

Online video consumption has increased dramatically over the past few years, and if your company isn’t using it by this point you’re simply missing out on numerous benefits. It should be noted that posting any old video on a website won’t automatically generate more traffic. There are specific formulas that search engines and browsers utilize to generate relevant content from a keyword search.

So, what does this mean for those posting video content? Simply put, it means there are tips and tricks to help boost SEO rankings that will result in more clicks, views, and conversions for your company overall. A video doesn’t need to go viral to spread a message, but it does need to be seen!

3 tips recommended by experts at Cinecut Creative for generating and posting online video content to see a boost in SEO performance: 

• Use Relevant Keywords. Analysis of the target audience should give insight into what they’re searching for and how they’re searching for it. What words and phrases are they using that can be repeated in the video’s title or description? Another note: keep the title concise and beef up the video’s description with more keywords. Search engines will analyze both when delivering content from a keyword search.
• Don’t Forget the Thumbnail. It may seem like a trivial little picture, perhaps even random. But consider this: it’s the first visual glimpse into your video that a viewer sees. If it is in any way misleading or seemingly unengaging, the viewer won’t click. It’s possible to choose a frame from your video to promote as the thumbnail. Try and make it a relevant still with compelling information that would convince a viewer to click to see more.
• Include the Video’s Transcript. This ties into using relevant keywords. A transcript allows the opportunity for search engines to decide if it’s relevant enough to include in search results. If the title and video descriptions don’t provide enough keyword optimization, the transcript can help to deliver.

There are numerous other ways to better optimize SEO performance and rankings for your video content. Give is a call at Cinecut Creative to learn more!