What You Need To Know if Your Company Wants To Produce A Video

Studies show that people remember merely 20% of what they hear, and only 30% of what they see, and an incredible 70% what they hear and see. * With this in mind, it's no wonder why video is such a powerful communications tool.

So your company has decided they need a video. Where do you start? What questions do you ask? How can you make sure the final product is what you are expecting? This article will give you the tools you'll need to have a professional video project you can be proud of.

First, let's talk about money. As with most things, you get what you pay for. Especially with video production, if you make a decision to hire a production company solely by picking the lowest quoted bid, you will probably end up with a video that is much less than what you expected. Remember, this video represents your company. Do you want your video to look like a high school A/V project? On the other hand, there is no reason to go crazy and spend ungodly amounts of money. It's important to find a company that gives a fair bid for the type of video you need and can produce your project in a professional manner.

Two Decisions

To start your video project, there are two decisions that you will need to make. First, do you want to hire an independent producer or a production company? Second, you will need to decide if you wish to receive your bid for production as a "Package Price" or "Piece Meal".

Independent Producer or Production Company?

Independent producers usually work for themselves and do not own any equipment. They generally rely on outside production companies to supply their equipment and crew needs. This means that if you have an immediate need, the producer is dependent on someone else to help service you. However, unless the independent producer is very busy, you should get good personal attention.

By hiring a production company, you can get a producer who is part of the production company that has the equipment and crew resources in-house. They can generally respond immediately to your needs. Depending on the scope of your project, a production company will either use an in-house producer or hire a freelance producer to coordinate your project.

Either way you decide, be sure you have an experienced producer to manage your project.

Two Ways to Hire

There are two ways of hiring a producer or production company to create your video: "Package Price" and "Piece Meal".

"Package Price"

A package price for the entire project is the way many videos are negotiated. For most situations it is the most logical. The client knows exactly how much to budget for, and the production company knows how much money they will have to work with.

If you choose this route, be sure to have a very clear bid with exactly what each side will be responsible for. The advantage for this is if the company requires to do more work than initially planned to finish what is described in the bid, they are obligated to do whatever it takes to complete the project. However, it is very important to understand that if you, as the client, request more than what is described in the bid, you would be expected to pay extra for your request.

"Piece Meal"

The other way to produce your video is "piece meal". Hire your production company by the day, or by the hour. This way, whenever someone is working on your project, you are paying for their time and only the time they are working on your project. Your producer should be able to give you hourly and daily rates and to estimate the total cost for the project according to your needs.

Your Producer

Whether you hire an independent producer or a production company, you should have an experienced video producer coordinate your entire project. Your producer should be available to you at any time to answer questions and to consult with you about any part of the production. Don't scrimp on your producer; they could make or break the entire project, and they should not be learning on your nickel.

Your producer's job is to manage the project from beginning to end. They are responsible for coordinating the scriptwriting, pre-production, shooting, and editing. Depending on where you live and his or her experience, you can expect to pay your producer between $350 to $1000 a day.

Scriptwriting

Scriptwriting is usually charged by a finished minute rate. For example, if your script is 10 minutes long and you are charged $200 per finished minute, your cost for a complete script should be $2000. A complete script should include all voice tracks and equally important, the video shot descriptions that match the voice track.

Shooting

Shooting is usually charged by the day. Depending on your needs, your shoot may be as small as hiring one cameraman with gear, all the way to having a complete crew that may include a cameraman, lighting director, audio technician, production assistant, teleprompter operator, make-up artist etc. Rates vary depending on your location, but it is standard to hire a strong two-person news style crew for $1,000 - $1500 per day, including professional camera gear, audio and a lighting package. On smaller projects, the shooter can also act as the producer.

Editing

Editing is almost always charged by the hour. For most all projects, a high-end digital (non-linear) editing system will handle your project beautifully. Depending on the system, you should pay between $100 - $200 an hour for editing, including an experienced editor that can make suggestions on how to make your project even better. Finding a Production Company

Looking under "Video Production" in the Yellow page directories is generally a good way to find a local production company. Remember: just because the size of an ad is bigger for one company than another, it doesn't mean the production company is better.

Personal referrals sometimes are your best bet. But remember that this video will represent your company, so be sure you are referred to a professional video producer with experience and not cousin Billy who has a consumer camera and wants to get into the video business.

You can also search the Internet. One of the best sources for lists of production companies on the web is at http://www.mandy.com. There are many others sites with lists, but this one seems to be the best. Using search engines like Google to find production companies that have a presence on the web is also a very good source.

Awards

Has the production company won any awards for the videos they have produced? There are regional and national awards that producers can enter their projects. If your production company has won some critical acclaim, it's a good chance that they would be a good company to produce your video.

Quality and Format

Other than the producer's expertise, the quality of the final product depends largely on the equipment used to shoot, light and edit the video. For most corporate video projects (marketing, training, communications, etc.), commercials and television programs, the Betacam SP or DVCAM formats are the smartest choices because of their widespread compatibility. There are a number of new excellent broadcast digital video formats, like DVCAM, that are just now emerging on the market. From a client's point of view, Betacam SP or DVCAM or one of the new professional digital video formats (DVCPRO, Betacam SX, Digital Beta) will give you broadcast quality images. Even though Mini DV is quite an incredible format for the prosumer market, it doesn't have quite the quality of the professional formats.

Meeting the Producer

When you initially talk with your producer, be sure to ask some questions. But more importantly, the producer should ask you most of the questions and listen to what you want. This is your company's video and it's up to the producer to try to get in your head to give you a product that you want, not what the producer wants. Be aware if the producer tells you what you need without listening to what you are saying. At the same time, ask the producer for recommendations that would enhance the project beyond your video knowledge.

Set up a time to meet with the prospective producer. Meeting at your location is usually most beneficial. If you want a marketing or training video for your widget, it would be important for the producer to see the widget. Bring copies of videos you would like to emulate and tell your producer what you like and don't like about these videos. Be sure the producer brings sample tapes similar to the project you want to do. Look at past projects your producer has completed. You should also call the producer's past clients to get feedback on their professionalism, work quality, and personality to understand what is was like to work with them.

Q and A

Your producer should listen to what your company's goals are regarding the video, ask a lot of questions, then give suggestions for the best way to produce your video within your budget. Often, your production company won't know anything about your business and vice-versa.

Questions to Ask Your Producer

What can I do to keep my costs down?

A good producer will help you keep the project within your budget. Some of the more common ways to save money are:

o shorten the length of the program,

o use fewer professional actors, and

o keep the shoot days to a minimum.

Holding a pre-production meeting to coordinate the project could save hundreds of dollars. If the shoot is scheduled at your company's location, try to do everything possible to facilitate the videotaping process. For example, if you are creating a marketing or training video for your widget, let your manufacturing line take direction from the video producers and allow disruption of their work.

What kind of experience does the producer have?

The experience of the producer relates directly to the quality of the finished product. Be sure to see examples of video work that the producer has personally produced.

Are there any extra charges?

Ask up front if there will be any extra charges. Some common extra charges: taxes, tape costs, mileage, travel expenses and duplications. It's important to understand that if you, as a client, make changes to the project that require additional work from the production company not originally agreed upon in the proposal, expect extra charges to apply. What will you need from me?

You, or a representative from your company, will need to be an accessible contact person to help coordinate approvals, schedule shoots, and answer questions to help make the production process as smooth as possible.

Questions Your Producer Should Ask You

What do you like and dislike about other videos?

What do you want to achieve with this video?

Who is the target audience?

What do you want the audience to do after watching the video?

How will the tape be shown?

How many shoot locations are there?

Will we be shooting during business hours?

If we are shooting during business hours, are there any logistical concerns?

How long does the video need to be?

Will a company executive need to be on camera?

Do you need a professional on-camera talent or voice-over?

Who will write the script?

Will you need extra graphics or animations in the video?

Are there any other materials that need to be included in the video, such as photographs?

Final Points to Remember

An important point to remember, especially if you are a rookie at using video, is that communications is key to the success of your video. Your production company should be available at any time to answer any questions you may have. Your producer should be kept informed of the project's status and what the next steps are.

Television is a huge part of our lives and we are very accustomed to top quality programming. Today's audiences are sophisticated and expect broadcast quality video productions. If your video is anything less, your message and image will suffer greatly.

Remember to ask questions, be sure you are asked a lot of questions, and go with your gut feeling. Chances are you will end up with a great product and have a fun time in the process.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions. Greg Coon

Eyecon Video Productions

Dallas, Texas

214-368-3932

Toll Free (877) 704-1517

greg@eyeconvideo.com

http://www.eyeconvideo.com

*Source: Harvard Business Review

Greg Coon is the President of Eyecon Video Productions, a professional video production company based in Dallas, Texas.

All About Ad Retargeting

Thousands of sales are lost every month. In fact, researchers estimate that upwards of 98% of visitors leave a website without contacting the company. Typically the first visit someone makes to a website is for research purposes. The visitor isn't ready to make a purchase yet. Studies have shown that it can take up to seven individual visits before a visitor is ready to take that next step.

Simply put - it isn't enough to bring visitors to your website. You have to remind them who you are and what you do. That's where ad retargeting comes in. Retargeting can help transform researchers into prospects and eventually clients. For small businesses that lack the major advertising budgets of large corporations, retargeting offers a cost-effective way to maintain brand awareness.

To give you a clearer picture of what ad retargeting is and how it works, here's concrete example:

The Initial Search Let's say a law firm is looking for a new IT consultant. The law firm's office manager searches for "outsourced IT for law firms." One of the results leads to an IT consultancy with a creative web design that highlights their qualifications.

Don't Let Them Forget The office manager is impressed with the website, but wants to evaluate other options. Like the 98% we had mentioned before, the office manager doesn't take any action other than browsing a few pages. After 2-3 minutes, she's off to another one of the search results, perhaps never to return.

In a Prospect's Consciousness Because the IT consultancy set up re-targeting, the office manager doesn't forget. Retargeting places a cookie in the visitor's browser. The browser "remembers" that the office manager visited. Now she sees ads for that IT consultancy when she goes to websites like CNN, Mashable, and even YouTube.

Top of Mind When They're Ready to Engage The goal of the ad is to remind that office manager of the IT consultancy and how they can help her. Without retargeting, the office manager might forget and never contact the IT consultancy. With retargeting, she sees the ad frequently. After the typical six to seven touches, she goes back to the IT consultancy's website (by clicking on the ad, of course!). When she visits the website again, she sees an offer to download a resource on what type of IT solutions law firms need. She fills out a form to get the resource, and now the IT consultancy has her email address for a direct follow-up.

Retargeting: Maximize ROI of B2B Website A strong website design is only the beginning. Serious firms need to consider how they can draw visitors back and encourage them to take action. Ad retargeting is a great, cost-effective way to maximize the ROI of a B2B website design.

How Collaboration Works Between Marketing Department And Website Development

At this point of time, after more than twenty five years since the internet became mainstream, it is no longer a question whether a company should have a website or not. By default every company, ranging from one person companies to businesses that employ thousands of employees, has a website. The more important question marketing managers of a company should ask is how good or bad is their website. The number of customers who do not seek out more information about the company they are buying products from is a minority.

Customers And Website Communication

With a large number of customers depending on a website for information, it is important that no company ignores the importance of website to their website. In many ways, a website is almost like a salesman who is working round the clock, advising prospective, current and past customers what exactly is the company offering and why they should buy them. A website can be as interactive as one wants it to be or it can be extremely dull out of sheer ignorance.

It is not just about the appearance and presentation of a website that matters. Most customers would not know about the company web address. Of course, website address is printed and advertised on the company products, in ads and of course marketing material and business cards. However, the website address is not really something that people can remember unless it is something that they use every day like Facebook.

Inevitably, every customer turns to search engines like Bing or Google to look up the website they want to reach. Customers start by typing in search words that they think represents a particular company website. So, there must be some kind of a link between the words the customers might possibly use and the website that you have built. This is probably the most difficult part because it requires a fairly heavy dose of research. The marketing department has a tough task cut out for them because if they unable to find those keywords that will link to their website, customers may not find the company website at all.

Search Engine Optimization

This is not the only challenge that the marketing department is going to face. The words that the customers use may be fairly generic and could apply to hundreds of companies in the same industry. So the key job here is to ensure that the customers will find your company when they search for what they want, instead of a competitor company. This process of getting your name right at the top of the search engine results is called search engine optimization.

Linking the words and getting your website on top of the search results is a collaborative effort between web developer and marketing department. Marketing is something that is an integral part of any company. Except for maybe some specific tasks like advertising and content creation marketing management it is within the part of the main company system. However, enormous financial and time benefits can be derived by having a third-party company involved in web development and its maintenance.

When it comes to having your company website built, the choice comes down to freelancers and website development companies. If you are a company then it simply makes business sense that you deal with another company. The key difference is the standard difference you would find between a person and a company. With a person you are looking all the problems that you tied to working with a single person. However, when you are dealing with a company you can expect the same level of professionalism that you would extend to your customers.

The Best Birds to Get When You Have Children

The most important thing to consider about having a pet is that it requires all the care and attention that any living creature needs to be happy and healthy. Since this obligation falls squarely on the shoulders of it's human family, the time and commitment you can realistically give to caring for an animal should be your first consideration.This aspect of pet ownership is the basis on which you decide whether to trade in the artificial pet for a real live one.

Before acquiring a pet it is essential for parents to discuss with their children the responsibilities, time and work required to care for a pet as well as the wonderful benefits. Needless to say children will be focused on the positive and enthusiastically agree to the negative which is why rules should be set before a pet is purchased or adopted. Be aware, though, that no matter how carefully you lay the groundwork, parents must be prepared for setbacks through negligence or forgetfulness and the children will require monitoring and reminding to carry out whatever pet tasks they have agreed to. In the beginning parents should expect to compensate for any failures of the children to carry through with their pet duties but with patience, persistence and instruction a rhythm is established and the pet soon becomes a beloved member of the family. It can be the first step for your children to learn the values of caring and investing in a relationship.

Small Birds Make Good Pets For Families

By even casual observation of birds in the wild one can deduce that they are social creatures as they arrive at the backyard feeder in families and groups of families. In captivity birds readily transfer this natural need for socialization to their human family and easily bond with people who give them time and attention. My family had the opportunity to observe this first hand when my son found a baby bird that he successfully raised.

If you are still reading this article you are probably thinking that a bird would be a good addition to your family. Then the next thing to consider is, among the many species of pet birds available, which would be the best choice for you and your children.

Finches and Canaries require the least amount of interaction and are good birds for very young children who are fascinated by their beauty, lively activity and captivating songs and sounds. Since they are more solitary by nature than other species they are quite content in their cage and require less human interaction.

A good choice for young families, and my favorite, is a Budgie or Parakeet. Though these little birds are very sociable they are independent and can be happy alone in their cage if provided with interesting toys and accessories to keep them stimulated. Because of their small size their cage requirement is minimal as is their daily care. In summary, I would say these sweet, perky little birds are great family pets, especially for busy families including those with young children who have been taught to approach the bird with a quiet voice and to handle it with gentle care.

For older children who really have the incentive to care for birds and learn about them, a Cockatiel is a great choice. They talk, whistle and readily imitate up all kinds of sounds. They will provide hours of fun and entertainment with the cute and silly tricks they quickly learn. They really like their freedom and look forward to times of not being stuck behind bars. Because they form strong bonds with their caretakers they require a great deal of attention. For these reasons the amount of time you have, on a daily basis, to be with your pet bird is a very important factor when considering a Cockatiel for a pet.

Hopefully, this article has been useful and informative as the first step for anyone thinking of acquiring a pet bird. Feathered pets have many unique and endearing qualities that make them a wonderful addition to any family that is willing to love them and is committed to providing for their needs. They, for their part will provide companionship and open a window to the world of nature that no digital pet ever can.

For more information about bird cages and accessories please visit my website.

Hopefully, this article has provided helpful information for anyone thinking of acquiring a family pet and why feathered friends certainly have a lot of enduring qualities to recommend them.

Transform Your Backyard Into a Paradise

After trying for months to sell my house, I decided to tough it out and stay for a while. With the housing market in a slump, I decided to make my home more live-able and appealing so that my family could enjoy staying here. I also wanted a fresh look and wanted to turn something into a new space, so I could feel like I had something new.

I started with my backyard, and began to turn it into a better living space that we could really use. My plain backyard would never be the same!

I wanted an outdoor seating area, first. We had an unused area over by a small creek in the backyard, and I placed outdoor furniture over in a flat area, by the creek bank. I needed a larger item to pull the eye over to the area, so I got an arbor- style swing that created an entry way, beside a tree. This looked really beautiful, but it needed details to finish the look and create space boundaries.

I ordered a raised planter and put fall flowers in it, so that it had bright yellow and burgundy colors. This matched my lawn furniture, too. The raised wood walls of the planter gave it the boundary walls that I was looking for. It was really coming together.

My two last purchases were a centerpiece and lighting. I bought an outdoor firepit for the center of the circle that I created. My lids love roasting marshmallows over it, and they said they feel like they are camping in the backyard, since we use it every weekend. This is really fun for all of us.

To finish it out, I got some solar lights to help us see where we are going, when the moon isn't at its fullest. The trees in our yard block light, so we needed some outdoor lighting. I found some real quality lights at a great price that went right over my flower box. I found some other decorative ones that fit beside my gazebo, and went with its design. These turned out to be great finishing touches.

This new outdoor space is a real paradise for my family. We are always out there, in the warm or cool weather, since the firepit keeps us cozy. During the last meteor shower, we enjoyed the night sky while keeping warm outside after dark. With the solar lights, no wiring was needed and the styles of the solar lights looked amazing by our new yard-scape.

If you are looking to finish a new space in your home, don't forget about the outside! You will enjoy the new area and get a lot of use out of it. Take a look at all of the improvements in firepits, outdoor lighting styles and shapes and patio furniture accessories. You will be amazed at the variety of choices.

Autoresponders For Passive Online Income - How To Write And Set Up Your Autoresponder Sequence

Setting up your autoresponder messages is a part of getting your systems in order to build a profitable online business. Most of us fall down in this area, but I encourage you to take the time to do this properly. I was confused about the difference between autoresponders and broadcast emails when I was just getting started online, so I'd like to clear that up here.

Broadcasts are the email messages we send out to share information that is time sensitive. For example, if I am hosting a live teleseminar and want to invite my list, I will send out a broadcast both the day before and the morning of my call. This allows people to get the details they need so they can make the decision whether or not to attend this live training. We also send out broadcasts to announce a new product or course, or to let people know that something will increase in price at a specific time.

Autoresponders are the email messages that are evergreen, meaning that they will be timely and relevant for years to come. You will want to write these and set them up in your system so that they go out to your list whether you are around or not. This is a magical way to be able to grow your business and increase your income in a passive way. Allow me to explain how this works in more detail.

When someone opts in to your list they are taken to a thank you page. When they check their email they can then receive the first message in your autoresponder series. This message will thank them for requesting the information and give them a link to their free giveaway you have promised. This is the beginning of your relationship with this person, as well as an opportunity for you to build trust and share your expertise on your topic.

Now that they are in your marketing funnel, they will receive email messages from you based on what you have already written and set up. I recommend starting out with ten messages, to be delivered once each day for the first ten days your new prospect is on your list.

During this time you will give them your very best tips and information on how they can achieve success in the area you are working in, links to your blog posts and articles where you go into more detail on your topic, and offers for your own products and those of affiliate products and services that will help them further their knowledge and understanding.

I hope you can see the power of this technique. You have leveraged your time by writing a series of emails that will automatically go out to your prospects without you ever having to do anything else. Over time you will add even more messages, at the rate of about one per week through the first year.

Autoresponders make this business one that gives you an excellent rate of return with passive online income.