Top Questions For Video Production Studio

Social media should be a major part of your YouTube video marketing plan. The “why” should be obvious—the major players in social media (Google+, Twitter, and Facebook) attract billions of people. Talk about exposure potential! Also, it's easier than ever to share videos with social media.

The "Share" tab under every YouTube video features all the big dogs, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. All you have to do is click on the site you want to share the video to—that’s it!

Unfortunately, it's not enough to share one video on your social media accounts and pat yourself on the back. What you need to do is continue to make video and continue to share it. Your fans, followers, and customers need to know that they can come to your Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ page and find quality, informative, and entertaining videos. When used correctly, your social media accounts are the perfect complement to your YouTube Channel and drive quality viewers to your videos.

Don't Forget That YouTube is a Social Media Site

While most people think of YouTube simply as a video hosting site, there is a social media aspect that you can't afford to ignore. As you know, YouTube allows comments on videos. Because of this, it's imperative that you respond when someone comments on your video. Interacting with your audience can foster a sense of trust between you and your potential customers. It shows that you care and take the time to address their concerns and help them when they need it.

Another effective way to use YouTube as a social media site is to follow the channels of others in your industry, particularly those with clout. This can give you an idea of what's happening in your niche and is an excellent way to network. Virtual networking can also be done by commenting on videos within your industry. Leaving comments that are well thought out and interesting will help you be seen as an expert in your field.

Take it from Alejandra, one of our clients and Youtube's most successful content creators.

For more tips on how to make the most of your social medial accounts, call 703.962.1270 and speak with a member of our Virginia YouTube marketing team.

 

There is no perfect number of videos for your YouTube Channel. A lot depends on your goals for your channel and your specific marketing needs. However, we can give you some guidelines to help you decide when and what to add to your channel:

• Add on a regular basis. For you, this may mean once a week, once a month, or somewhere in between. But, no matter what timeframe works best for you, be sure to upload videos regularly. There are many types of videos you can add to your channel, and you have a better chance of keeping the attention of your audience if your loading schedule is consistent. You want to be a channel that subscribers can count on.
• Add with care. Just because we've suggested that you add video on a regular basis, please don't rush out and add video just for the sake of adding video. Any videos you add should be in line with your brand image and be of high quality. Videos that are performing poorly will have a negative effect on your channel, making it harder for your videos to be found—even those that are performing well.  
• Respond to comments. Let's say you've been good about consistently loading quality videos. Great! But it's not enough to load and walk away. Be sure to respond to all comments your video receives. Comments are an excellent opportunity to show that you care about your audience and your customers or clients. Also, the number of comments a video has factors into how well it ranks in search results.

For more YouTube video marketing advice, or to book time at our Virginia video studio, call 703.962.1270. Our team of professionals can help you every step of the way—from video concept to a web marketing plan, we've got you covered.  Check out a sample of our work: Alejandra's Organizing Tips.

Views are good, but what you really need to pay attention to is the engagement of your audience. In the world of web video, engagement refers to how long a viewer watches your video.

Gauging Audience Engagement

YouTube Analytics is an excellent tool for determining the engagement level for your YouTube videos. YouTube's audience retention report allows you to see:

• The average view duration for all videos on your channel
• The top 10 videos ranked according to longest viewing time
• Audience retention information for each of your videos

When you look at your individual videos, pay close attention to the absolute audience retention. This shows the views for every second of your video as a percentage. At the beginning of your video, the percentage will be 100, as this represents every person who clicked on your video.

Statistically, the first 15 seconds of any video have the highest drop-off rate. The high rate at this benchmark is common and can, in part, be chalked up to people clicking on the wrong video. However, if the drop-off rate is very high at any point in the video, even in the first 15 seconds, it's time to take a closer look at your video. People most often exit a video before it's over when:

• The description of the video doesn't match the video itself.
• The video is of poor quality—hard to hear or see.
• The video starts out with a sales pitch.
• There appears to be no entertainment value or information given in the video.

Fix Your Videos

Now that you know which videos are working and which aren't, it's time to address the issues causing low retention rates. Call 703.962.1270, and our Virginia web video production team can help you fix your company's YouTube Channel and realize success in your video marketing campaign.

There is a huge revolution going on in the internet world, which any smart business owner ignores at his or her own peril. According to recent studies, more than 20 percent of people in the U.S. (some estimates put this figure as high as 25 percent) access the internet exclusively on their smartphones rather than tablets or home computers. What this means is that up to one-quarter of all the “hits” on the Web are generated by people who are on the go, consulting their smartphones for directions, recommendations, or even brief snippets of entertainment while they're stopped at a traffic light.

 

What does this mean for your internet marketing efforts? Well, for one thing, it's a much different experience to watch a YouTube video on a smartphone than on a 19-inch LCD display. Details have to be clearer, sound quality has to be better, and the video has to make its point much more quickly. (As a general rule, mobile users won't watch anything that's more than one or two minutes long). If a person has just been in a car accident and needs to find a lawyer on his smartphone, he will choose the attorney whose video gets right to the point, with a minimum of fuss, special effects, and extraneous footage.

 

As more and more people trade up their cellphones for smartphones, there will be a corresponding change in YouTube “best practices.” Want to be ahead of the curve? Call the YouTube marketing experts at Gearshift (703-962-1270) to learn what we can do for you!

Well, it's possible that your associate is one of those screenwriting "naturals" who has a gift for evoking normal human speech and a cinematographer's knack for the proper camera angles. More likely, though, he just got a bit carried away with his assignment and hasn't quite grasped what's involved in shooting a law firm video.

All you're really trying to do, in the course of your shoot, is to capture your lawyers, staff, and possibly clients talking about your areas of expertise and the services your firm offers. What you'll wind up with on the front end may seem like a confusing jumble of commentary and camera angles; but, on the back end, after the footage has been edited, you'll have a coherent, engaging, two-minute-long video that you can upload to YouTube.

The reason a script is a bad idea is that it inhibits spontaneity during the shoot: if everyone only says what they're supposed to say, and even the cameraman feels constrained to execute artsy pans with vaselined lenses, you'll wind up with something very tense, very unnatural, and very short. Once your editor gets to work trying to salvage the footage and extract usable bits to incorporate into the finished video, you may find that you've only captured about 20 seconds of viewable video, and it's back to square one - this time without a script.

At Gearshift, we know that scripts are vastly overrated when its comes to YouTube videos - usually the best, most engaging, and easiest-to-watch videos are those that are shot without a working script because lawyers feel free to be sincere and say what they want to say. Questions? Call our YouTube marketing experts today at 877-477-7883 to set up a free consultation!

 

YouTube allows you and others to see how many times a particular video is viewed by another party. YouTube has the ability to identify irregular playbacks or spam and delete these views from your total view count. Thus, you can be reasonably assured that the number of views shown on your screen is more or less accurate.

While it is would be nice if one of your videos went viral or obtained a really high number of views, it is important to remember that your goal as a local business advertising on YouTube is not to be seen by people all over the world or simply rack up the view counts. Instead, your goal is more targeted. You want the business video that you put on YouTube to attract local customers for your business or clients for your firm.

In addition to views, you want to know where your new customers are coming from. You want to ask how they found out about you. You want to know if the money that you invested in creating a great online video was worth it and is actually translating into paying customers or clients for your business.

For more information about the importance of view counts and how to tell if your YouTube video is working, or for information about how to create an online video, please contact our Northern Virginia online video specialists at 877-477-7883. Please also read our FREE book Are You a Small Business Trying to Get Found on YouTube?

When it comes to enticing viewers to sit through lengthy, intrusive commercials, TV networks are fighting a losing battle. Not only can consumers now record shows and skip the ads; they can also (in an increasing number of cases) watch shows on their computers or portable tablets and avoid most, if not all, of the commercials. Even a person sitting in an armchair watching traditional TV is much more likely to wander to the refrigerator for a snack or press the “mute” button during a three- or four-minute commercial break than to watch the ads intently.

Of course, the big four networks aren't going to go down without a fight; ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox – not to mention hundreds of local affiliates nationwide – need to retain their primary source of revenue, and they will continue to take the manufacturers of “ad-zapping” technologies to court. But, if you're a business seeking to advertise your services, you can do so much more cheaply and effectively by producing videos and uploading them to YouTube. Don't know how to get started? Call the professionals at Gearshift for a free consultation! Or if you still need more convincing, check out our portfolio featuring many YouTube and Television commercials.

Choosing a gym is a personal choice for many patrons, and fitness centers can benefit from the sense of personality that video provides.  Greater awareness of the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle have many Americans interested in exploring a more active lifestyle. Many Americans use the Web to research ways in which they can improve their lifestyle, and video is an excellent way to introduce them to the benefits your gym provides.

 

Web video is an effective way to introduce your staff of personal trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists and wellness experts to prospective clients. Along with presenting your staff in a personable manner, video allows you to simultaneously show off your facilities, gym philosophy, and approach to healthy living.  Showcasing group training events such as yoga and Pilates classes, as well as organized indoor sports and conditioning, can help keep customers interested and involved all year long.

 

Gearshift is a full-service video production studio serving the DC area.  Gearshift uses the latest in photographic and video technology combined with years of creative experience.

 

Contact Gearshift at 877-477-STUDIO to find out more about how your gym can benefit from an effective online video campaign.

Restaurants benefit from Web video just like any other small business. With video, you can tie together the things that make your restaurant a unique spot in which to dine, in a very inviting way. You can highlight your ingredients, your menu, your location, and your passion for a great dining experience with the depth and creativity that radio or print simply can’t deliver alone.  Not to mention that the effectiveness of online marketing makes tracking your advertising dollars easy.

Whether your establishment is new to the restaurant scene or you’re expanding into new locations, an online presence will keep customers informed of what you have cooking. With the restaurant and social applications for today’s smartphones and the “checking in” feature for Facebook, more and more foot traffic is generated by putting your business online.  Visibility on the Web is key to working with potential customers’ sense of spontaneity and a great video can make all the difference in choice.  

Gearshift is a DC video production studio with experience in putting area restaurants on the map.  We will bring creative expertise and sensibility to an online video campaign that will make the most out of your restaurant, your food, and your location - basically everything that you bring to the table! 

Contact Gearshift at 877-477-STUDIO to find out more.

The answer is “yes”.  You can, and should, track the return on investment (ROI) of your online videos. The great thing is that you can monitor the results of your Web video using real time information.

You’re not just tracking ROI and an actual cost-per-view.  With online video and Web marketing, businesses have an ability to become adaptive to their customers.  The ability to target demographics to location, education and professional interests helps businesses reach new customers. An understanding of who is visiting your website and seeing who clicks through your video creates its own value in terms of your advertising budget, and will help you learn how to turn new customers into repeat customers. 

Gearshift is a DC area video production studio that understands that marketing campaigns should make more than sense in terms of investment.  After creating an accessible, effective video,
Gearshift will provide you with the tools not only to track your ROI, but to build a Web video campaign that maximizes your marketing dollars by using easy to understand reporting and real time feedback.

Contact Gearshift at 877-477-STUDIO to learn more about a smart approach to tracking ROI.