eTown Videos Blog

Archive for March, 2011

Why it is important to optimize your site and videos for mobile devices

Consumers are passionate about their mobile devices, in fact, Google’s Jason Spero, Head of Mobile Advertising, reports that 15% of all Google searches are now done on mobile devices. Hubspot, a software marketing firm in Boston, did a study which shows that 80% of business people browse the web and check email from their mobile devices.

What does this mean? It means that consumers are looking for your products and services (cars, restaurants, video production services, clothing, computers, etc) on their mobile devices and the number of consumers doing so quadruples every year. If your website or web video is not mobile ready then you might be missing out on sales opportunities because mobile web visitors will find your site difficult to view and move on to the next search result.  Interestingly enough, Google says, that 79% of its largest ad customers do not have their websites optimized for mobile viewing. In my view, that’s not necessarily surprising but it is an opportunity for small and mid-sized companies. Read the rest of this entry »

Why restaurants would benefit from a video tour to attract more customers

In a soft economy, many consumers are cutting back on things such as shopping, movies, and dining out. But cutting back does not mean consumers have chosen to abandon an evening out on the town completely. However, consumers have become more selective when deciding where to spend their money and where they would like to dine.

With perhaps fewer consumers eating out, how do restaurants differentiate themselves from other fine dining establishments in the area?

During our research, we have observed that some have added slide shows to their restaurant website.  While the pictures are beautifully shot, I notice that many of the restaurants show an empty establishment.  Perhaps not the best choice of images when introducing your restaurant to new customers or reminding existing customers to stop in again.

I feel you want to highlight your restaurant with a web video while the restaurant is busy with customers. Read the rest of this entry »

Using animation and 3D graphics to create an immediate impact with a 60 second promotional web video

Here is an outline of the points which I address in the video blog:

1. Industries which may be difficult to visualize need a different approach in video production
2. Benefits of video animation and graphic design in web video
3. Identify your target audience during script and storyboard development
4. Outline your unique selling propositions
5. Focus on clarification and specificity
6. Use images and messages that worked well for you in past online marketing campaigns
7. Integrating an attention grabbing video with graphic animation and your corporate identity

How does eTown Videos  process pricing requests?

How much does a video production cost? It’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions we receive here at eTown Videos.  I thought I address the question with this video blog.

Please enjoy this  brief video blog post and feel free to comment or contact me with any questions.

Earlier in the year, I had posted 8 Questions You Should Ask When Selecting a Video Production Company, this is the video blog (or vblog) which accompanies the video. As a video production company, we are of course fully aware of the fact that many visitors prefer video over text based websites which why we’ve begun adding video blogs to the eTown Videos Blog website.

Below, I outline the points which I convey in the video, however, to receive the complete message please view the video blog. This is the first video blog or vblog (I’ll be using those terms interchangeably). Please visit the eTown Videos Blog for future video blogs.

Video blog outline: Read the rest of this entry »

The iPad and corporate video communications is a great match

As an enthusiastic Apple iPad user, I was indeed curious to hear and see what Steve Jobs had in store for us during the iPad 2 announcement yesterday, there certainly was no shortage of media coverage about the event. Is there ever any media coverage shortage when Apple announces a new product?   In a nutshell, I like the new design, faster chip, and the addition of FaceTime. Although I was hoping for a retina display on the iPad 2, just like the iPhone 4. We’ll have to wait for the iPad 3. Read the rest of this entry »

Can a small business benefit from web video marketing without a website?

If you are considering having a professional web video produced for your business then it is not necessary for you to have your own website. I am not suggesting that you don’t get a website at all, but if you currently do not have a website for your video or if you are currently upgrading your website, that should not be an obstacle to getting a promotional or marketing video produced. An obvious question arises. How do you promote your products and services with your web video when you do not have a website? Your video can be uploaded or hosted by several free online hosting companies. YouTube is probably the best known video hosting platform, but there are several other venues such Google Places, Yahoo Video, MetaCafe, Viddler, Blip.TV, or Vimeo that will host your business web video for free. At the same time, it is recommended that you optimize your video for search engines so that you are found when  people are looking for your products and services. When selecting a video production company you may want to inquire if they have experience with SEO (search engine optimization).  This is of particular importance for businesses who currently do not have a website or a website that is temporarily down for an upgrade. These video hosting  companies also have plenty of bandwidth, and there are several advantages versus hosting the video on your own website if you chose to go that route.

What does SEO actually do for your web video? Read the rest of this entry »

We would like to congratulate Lisa Bruno, the winner of our “funniest winter story” contest.

Thank you to all who participated, it was fun reading your stories on eTown Videos’ Facebook page .
Here is a photo of our lovely winner, a photo of the actual event,  and her story. Here’s her story:
“I have a story! 2 years ago we had a state of emergency ice storm. Read the rest of this entry »