Spectrecom Blog Entries - Andrew

WHY VIDEO PRODUCTION IS ESSENTIAL FOR ONLINE MARKETING

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:00:08 GMT

How Online Video Marketing Can Improve Your Business.

Last month Christiaan and I attended Chris Cardell's excellent 3 day Entrepreneur Summit to gain some insight into the latest business growth and marketing techniques. We're currently trading at 48% year on year increase in turnover – so we already know a bit about business growth. But although marketing has always contributed to our success, there's always more that could be done. You'll notice on this website that we're using video to promote ourselves and to humanise the site, and indeed over 45% of our video clicks belong to our home page player and the 'Meet the Team' page. Our new clients tell us that these videos are one of the reasons they chose to run with Spectrecom, so we know the videos work.

Now, I've been banging on about the benefits of online video since we started in business back in 2005, but as I sat and listened to Chris Cardell (and other speakers) promote the use of video as a major marketing tool, I thought how refreshing it was to hear how the far the concept has entered the mainstream. As it happened, it was Chris Cardell's own videos that persuaded us that we needed to attend the summit in the first place!

So what, from the speakers' point of view (they included Sir Bob Geldof, Gerald Ratner and Karren Brady) makes video an essential marketing tool? Well, I can't reproduce the summit here for you, but here are a few thoughts:

It's now very cheap to produce and easy to put online
Technology has evolved sufficiently to offer a great viewing experience
It can be distributed across multiple video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo, as well as an increasing number of trade directories that will to bring new visitors to your site
It allows you to communicate personally with a much wider audience than you could ever hope to achieve with networking and face-to-face meetings
It's available to view online, 24/7
Compared to traditional advertising, it's effectiveness can be easily measured
It's great for SEO
It humanises your website

I could add to this list, but that's for another time. However, you'll see us increasingly use video on this site to promote what we do in a variety of different ways, and we'll be testing and measuring the success of each of those videos. To start with, I'm going to be presenting a series of video workshops to look at the effectiveness of online video for different types of organisation and I'll be starting with student recruitment for higher education. This will go online in September and I'll be pleased to share our results with new and existing clients. If you want to view any of these new video workshops, or if you have any suggestions for specific subject areas you want me to cover, please e-mail info@spectrecom.co.uk with the subject headline "video workshops".

Waterloo Film Studios Update - 3 down, 1 to go

Mon, 17 May 2010 13:19:35 GMT

Spectrecom moved to new premises at Waterloo in January and we've been very busy transforming the building, originally a news distribution warehouse, into a fully integrated 4 studio complex.

Given that the premises was still essentially a building site and that the hospitality areas were rudimentary to say the least, we refrained from publicising the studios beyond the pages on this website. However, there's been a steady stream of clients using the new facilities - despite the limitations - and the good news is that we're almost there. Studio 2 became operational in mid-February and Studios 3 & 4 soon followed. The kitchens are finished and the 3 green rooms comfortably furnished.

We're now making good headway with Studio 1. At 2,000 sq ft, this is the largest studio and we've had to put in a new concrete base to level off the sloping floor (the image of a camera crew riding on a track & dolly, and hurtling down-hill into the cyc wall, just didn't bear thinking about!). So, like the other studios, we're building a 'U' shaped cyc wall, sound-proofing the walls and ceiling, and installing a lighting grid. This studio though, will also have a viewing gallery, and finally, with vehicle access through a shutter door, it'll need two giant steel-framed doors to be specially constructed. The first shoot for Studio 1, running for 5 days, is set for 7th June and we're comfortably on schedule.

To those clients who have already hired one of our studios, thank you for your patience and tolerance as we've continued to build (quietly, I hope) around your shoots. And if you haven't yet visited us, we're ready to welcome you and give you the guided tour.

And no, you won't need to bring your hard hat!

Spectrecom's 5th Anniversary

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:42:07 GMT

On April 1^st, Spectrecom turned 5 years old. Trading began in a small business unit at Faircharm Studios in Deptford with very limited funds, no staff and no customer base whatsoever.

Three friends from my university days, Sarah Aynesworth, Steve Milton and Steve Ryan, helped me form the company. From the outset our idea was to combine a corporate video production company with a studio operation. It was an unusual business model but it stood us in good stead. In that shaky first year, whilst we were slowly building up our corporate video client base, when we could barely afford the coffee bills, the studio accounted for over 50% of our business and kept us going.

Steve Ryan left Spectrecom in 2007 to focus on his own special interests in Bristol, but Sarah, Steve Milton and I remain. Over champagne to celebrate our anniversary, we rather un-modestly agreed a few achievements that I thought worth recording here.

We felt that by and large, we'd succeeded in our intention to put corporate responsibility at the heart of our business, leading to very positive and tangible environmental benefits and training outcomes. For example, we were thrilled when one of our trainees, Georgina Studd, won at the First Light Movie Awards last year.

Something else worthy of note, we've retained our core staff from the early days, and we're delighted that Ben, Christiaan, Pearl and Jonny are still with us.

We made a success of the video / studio model too, resulting in our recent expansion to new studio premises in central London here at Waterloo.

Of course, a business is nothing without it's customers. Over the years we've built up a fantastic client base, won some major awards (including IVCA Gold) and become the UK's undisputed leading producer of University Recruitment Videos. So to all of those clients who have helped Spectrecom become what it is today – a big thank you!

Naturally we recorded quite a few more achievements, but by the time we'd got onto celebrating the upgrade to a much larger stationery cupboard here at Waterloo (it really is spacious), it was felt we were scraping the barrel somewhat. So finally, we toasted Byron Barrett who took over the Faircharm Studio operation from us (now Live Vision Studios). Byron is starting out exactly as we did 5 years ago, combining studio operations with corporate video production, and we wish him the very best of luck.

Where it all started! Andrew's and Sarah's desks at the Faircharm Studio on 1 April 2005.

Spectrecom is Expanding

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:33:27 GMT

When Spectrecom began trading at our offices and studio in Deptford in 2005, the idea of operating a small film/TV studio in Deptford was dismissed by doubters as being non-viable. Given the location in South East London, and with our comparative inexperience in studio management, it was easy to see why. However, fortunately it proved to be an instant success, and we were right in at the deep end with our very first shoot – the music video for Miss Dynamite's Judgement Day. In the earlier years especially, when the corporate video side of our business was still growing, our studio provided much-needed regular cashflow and stability. To view some of the productions we've hosted here in the last few years, just click on the video above.

However, as our business has continued to expand, we've outgrown our space and recent visitors have seen just how cramped our offices and studio facilities have become. Small picnic tables have become an all-too-regular supplement to our office desks! So I'm very pleased to announce our relocation to much larger premises in Waterloo on 4th January 2010. Construction work has already begun and soon we'll be able to offer our clients:
•    4 x sound-proofed studios, 2 with drive-in access
•    4 x green rooms
•    3 x make-up rooms
•    3 x wardrobe rooms
•    3 x production offices
•    2 x kitchens
•    Shower facilities

I believe that our studio at Deptford was so successful because not only were the hire rates attractively low, but we also kept the pricing structure as simple as possible. The support facilities, lighting, studio manager – all were included in the basic hire rate. And of course, we had a memorably striking green room. So we'll continue the successful format with our new studios. Although yet to be confirmed, I expect that we'll be able to hire the smallest (420 ft²) for less than £400 per day, and the largest (2,100 ft²) for under £900 per day. And all of this just 5 minutes walk from Waterloo Station. We'll be publishing full specifications, studio images and prices on this site in January.

New Waterloo Studios

And what of our studio in Deptford? It remains open for business in the short term, although we plan to re-assign the lease and sell on the basic contents as a going concern once the Waterloo Studios are fully operational. We'll be happy to consider any reasonable offers from interested parties.

In the meantime, may I take this opportunity to wish all of our clients and friends a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Should an MD work 'in' the business?

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:44:49 GMT

It’s often suggested that a managing director of a company should concentrate on working on the business rather than working in it. And as time’s gone on and our business has grown, I’ve increasingly come to recognise the value of this. Sales forecasting, profitability, systems, staffing, strategising for the long term – they all require focus. But it’s also important to retain a creative overview to ensure that the company retains its identity and quality of programming. Besides, much of what we do happens out on location away from the office, working for and with clients. For that reason, I still like to go out on shoots and work in a variety of different crew roles where I have the skills and experience; directing, producing, camera work, art direction. It helps me to stay in touch with the realities of work on the front line as it were, but just as importantly, it allows me to indulge my passion and my reason for setting up this business in the first place: filmmaking!

The last few weeks have seen me involved in a number of very different but personally rewarding projects. At the end of August I was directing the last day of filming for a video celebrating the 45th anniversary of Lancaster University. The video was hosted by the university's charismatic chancellor Sir Chris Bonington and the university team, led by Nick Fragel, have been a dream to work with - model clients who know what they want, and who have worked diligently and thoughtfully with us to help shape their film into something quite special. Were it always thus!
Two days later I revisited one of my original filmmaking roles to work as first assistant director on a studio shoot for a music video. Spectrecom was asked by New York-based Humble TV to produce the UK shoot for the official video of The Uprising, the latest hit single by Muse. The video was completed in the US and the result is a highly imaginative video that you can catch here on YouTube.

A week later we were shooting at Abbey Road studios to make the video for the song, All You Need Is Love for BandAged / TOG’s, Terry Wogan’s fan base. And two days after that, I managed to fit in another role, this time as camera operator on a one-man job. I was in Venice to film Cunard’s Queen Victoria sail in, and then off to the Fincantineri shipyard at Monfalcone to record the building of the new Cunarder, Queen Elizabeth.

So, a number of different roles and projects, and the chance to get out and about. And to produce this shamelessly name-dropping blog. But it's now back in the office, overseeing installation of a new CRM, preparing for sales exhibitions and a seminar to be hosted here in the studio next week, and planning for next year. I'm very definitely back to working 'on' the business.

Internet Video Marketing Seminar

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:27:12 GMT

I recently wrote an article to make the case for online video. I believe that most websites can benefit from short video clips profiling a company's key people, their products or their services. And to that end, Spectrecom will be launching 2 new online video product-based sites over the next month. These will be showcased at an interactive presentation we'll be delivering in our studio on 17 September 2009. This seminar will be aimed at small business owners who want to know more about internet video marketing, and will be of particular interest to potential affiliate partners thinking of reselling our new services.

SME's & Online Video

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:15:11 GMT

Earlier this week I submitted an article to the online networking site Business Scene. The article heralds a new phase in our drive to educate and cater for the SME sector, and specifically, to open up new markets for what has traditionally been known as 'corporate video'.

We launched this site in January, and our analytics have shown us that 46% of all the traffic that lands on our home page then goes straight to our team profile videos. This bears out what I've always suspected - that a website is the shop front to a company, and that as such, it's entirely natural that visitors should want to meet our people. The proof has been in the pudding. We've won business or attracted affiliate partners purely on the strength of our online presence. I believe that most websites can benefit from short inexpensive video clips profiling a company's key people, their products or their services. So in my article you can find out exactly why I think we're just at the beginning of the web video revolution.

Video & Student Recruitment

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:08:55 GMT

Spectrecom has started work with another 5 universities this summer: York, Lancaster, Sussex, Newman and Goldsmith’s. The videos are predominantly for recruiting students online, and it’s now becoming such an effective marketing tool that it’s being seen as an essential part of the recruitment strategy. The universities that started using online video a couple of years ago have been delighted with the upswing in recruitment that they’ve delivered. I’m especially pleased that we’ve been asked yet again to produce work for Durham and King’s. They’re great clients to work for, and it’s good to see that they’ve been getting fantastic results with their videos.

So what of our most recent work? We’re often asked if, since we specialise in university films, our work doesn’t become a tad, well, samey? The answer is an emphatic ‘no’, and this summer we’ve been working with a number of new ideas and, where the budget allows, more high-end equipment and shooting techniques. For example, we’re incorporating more tracking and crane shots into our work, and we’re shooting more on HD than ever before. And in a move that shows single-campus sites at their best, 4 universities are going to benefit from an aerial shoot courtesy of our partnership with FlyingTv. Beyond that, our story-telling also remains imaginative. Steve Milton has just finished a film for St Mary’s College at Durham in pure student-led documentary format, and it’s resulted in a highly watchable and enjoyable film.

The undergrad students have all gone home now, but we’re continuing to make the best of the weather as the sunshine allows, shooting campus buildings and grounds, and capturing the flavour of local attractions and surrounding areas. The next big push will be to prepare for the Fresher’s season at the end of September when the universities will be alive with activity, the weather will still be friendly, and the new students will experience their first taste of university life. It’s the best time to record the combination of a thriving, enthusiastic student environment, sport and activities, and surroundings that are still passably green and leafy. Not surprisingly, it’s usually the busiest time of our year, and we’ll be there yet again to capture the event for those future students still fretting over their A levels.

Video & SEO

Mon, 11 May 2009 16:46:32 GMT

According to Nate Elliot of Forrester Research in the United States, thanks to the introduction of Google's "Universal Search" feature in 2007 - which incorporates results from news sites, videos and maps right into the body their search results, online videos are now 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of search results than text pages!

Statistics like these are helping to drive an entire industry dedicated to video optomisation and businesses around the world are beginning to take note too. A Permission TV survey, for example, recently revealed that out of 400 company executives, a whopping 67% said online video would be a primary focus of their 2009 online marketing campaign, with 52% expecting to start or extend online video projects in the second quarter of this year, up from 32% at the time of the study in December, 2008.

However, appearing on the first page of Google isn't the only reason why videos are great for SEO. Video content can also easily be used to build those crucial inbound links that every successful website needs; they can be uploaded to social media sites where they'll be viewed by a multitude of online viewers and become part of larger online discussions; and RSS feeds can be created, allowing users to subscribe to videos on your website, notifying them as soon as new content is available.

Clearly, companies and organisations who continue to focus on traditional online marketing methods alone will miss out on a proven, increasingly high-impact marketing tool and soon find themselves behind the competition.

Law Firm Videos

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:06:46 GMT

A recent US study by Findlaw has revealed that when consumers search online for a law firm, before they pick one to contact by phone, they'll visit an average of 4.8 different websites. However, if the sites they choose to visit contain video, this reduces dramatically to only 1.8. The same study also showed that “58% of consumers indicate video increases their likelihood of contacting a law firm”.

Compared to the United States, only a relatively small minority of UK law firms currently host video on their website, but with statistics emerging like these, firms who continue to rely on traditional marketing methods alone will be missing out on a proven, high-impact marketing tool and will soon find themselves behind the competition. But why is video so persuasive and such an effective conversion tool for law firms?

Primarily, it's because a well-crafted, professional video, which captures the true character of a law firm and its people, enables potential clients to get to know a firm's staff in person, prior to making any commitment. Visitors want information before they pick up the phone or fill out a form and if done correctly, video is by far the most compelling and efficient way to do this. Videos can also help inexperienced prospective clients overcome the intimidation factor of contacting a law firm by taking some of the mystery out of the legal process. In an increasingly crowded online marketplace for legal services - where hundred's of websites are vieing for people's attention - video is also a great way for any law firm to stand out from the crowd.

However video marketing also offers a number of other benefits. In addition to providing information for your site visitors and adding a human face to a website, videos can also be optimised for high visibility on video sharing sites like YouTube, Google Video and Yahoo Video. The content will then be viewed by a multitude of online viewers and can act as an extremely powerful element of any marketing strategy. Also with the introduction of “Universal Search”, videos rank consistantly high in normal Google search results, as well as Yahoo, AOL and Ask, whose searches also now incorporate video.

Put simply, video can deliver a level of confidence in any law firm, large or small, to trump any other marketing effort and it should always be considered for inclusion in any firm’s marketing plan.

Effective Fundraising Videos

Thu, 07 May 2009 10:16:26 GMT

Video Production – How To Produce Effective Fundraising Videos

In yesterday's blog entry, I looked at 10 reasons why charities and NGOs should be producing videos to accompany their fundraising campaigns and how video production is one of the most powerful mediums for communicating the work of non-profit organisations. Today, I'm going to look at how produce to an effective fundraising video.

1. Identify Your Target Audience – Before you start to think about the content of your video, it's absolutely essential you determine exactly who it is aimed at? Is the video to target people who already support your cause, prospective supporters or even government legislators? What specific demographics do you want to target? Teenagers, young adults, or middle-aged professionals? How far and wide do you want the film to be seen? Is it a local, national or international issue? And most importantly, exactly how do you want your audience to think, feel and act once they have seen your video?

It's crucial that all of these questions are answered and that your objectives are crystal clear, as this is what will determine the kind of video you'll need to produce.

2. The Content - The key to successful fundraising videos is always compelling story-telling. If the video is to provoke action and inspire change, an audience must be able to make a genuine emotional connection with what they're seeing. Being transparent and demonstrating tangible impact is also crucial. Potential donors will want to see exactly where their hard-earned cash will be going, who it will be spent on and why. It's also useful to substantiate any claims you make with expert opinion.

3. Duration - The length of your film will of course depend on a number of factors, but less is often more, particularly if you want the video be successful online. People lead incredibly busy lives in the 21st century and you have to ask yourself how much time you are expecting people to give up to watch your film. You don't want them to switch off before the call to action.

4. Distribution - Videos are incredibly versatile and once produced, can be streamed online, duplicated onto DVDs, used in one-on-one meetings or as part of fundraising presentations and events. However you choose to your film, for maximum possible exposure, it's very important that you incorporate the video into your organisation's website, preferably with access to it from the homepage.

However, you should also distribute your video across ALL of your online marketing channels. That means sharing the videos via online networks, video-sharing sites, blogs, Facebook and My Space accounts, where they quickly become part of larger online discussions, commented upon by multitudes of online viewers. There's even a special section on YouTube dedicated to non-profits which includes enhanced promotion and a direct fundraising option via Google Checkout.

A number of sites are also emerging that specifically host fundraising videos and when used in tandem with these sites, videos can be an exceptionally powerful medium for conveying the importance of any cause.

Although fundraising videos can be produced in-house using consumer camcorders and basic editing software, for a fundraising film with real impact it's always best to work with an experienced video production company who can get the best out of contributors and tell a truly emotive, visual story.

Fundraising Videos

Wed, 06 May 2009 16:45:54 GMT

Video Production – Why Non-Profits & Charities Should Produce Fundraising Videos.

As the credit crunch continues to bite, charities and non-profit organisations around the world are under increasing pressure to hit their fundraising targets and to increase their marketing and outreach activities, even while their budgets are being squeezed. Video production is one of the most powerful alternative mediums for communicating the work of non-profit organisations and as more and more people have access to the internet, it's one of the most effective solutions around.

Here's 10 reasons why:

1) Nobody likes to read dry lengthy reports, packed with statistics.

2) Video can tell powerful, emotional stories that move supporters to take action.

3) The human brain processes and remembers visual images MUCH faster and for FAR longer than printed text.

4) Videos are far more authoritative than the written word. People tend believe what they can see, far more than what they read.

5) Video production is increasingly affordable and accessible. A high quality video can be made for a relatively small amount of money

6) Videos are incredibly versatile and therefore highly cost-effective, allowing any organisation to make the most out of their marketing budgets. Videos can be streamed online, duplicated onto DVDs, used in one-on-one meetings or as part of fundraising presentations and events. The right video can serve an organisation's fundraising needs for a long period of time and the footage can also be easily re-edited for use in future productions.

7) Once produced, a video can save a charity or NGO huge amounts of time, which can be used for other important fundraising and outreach activities.

8) A compelling video can help raise an organisation's profile and visibility, as well as hard cash.

9) A number of sites are emerging that specifically host fundraising videos and when used in tandem with these sites, videos can be an exceptionally powerful medium for conveying the importance of any cause.

10) Videos can be specifically tailored to appeal to hard-to-reach demographics.

In my next blog entry, I'll be looking exactly how to produce and propagate an effective fundraising video.

Recruitment 2.0

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:03:35 GMT

In the last few years, there's been a revolutionary shift in the way that prospective students learn about study opportunities, as colleges and universities across the UK increasingly turn to video production as a recruitment tool. However, to take full advantage of any videos an institution creates or commissions, it's absolutely essential that the video content is also distributed across a variety of online marketing channels and that students are communicated with on their own terms. This means sharing videos via popular online social networks like Facebook and MySpace and creating branded channels on video-sharing sites like Youtube and Google Video. If done correctly, the content will be viewed by a multitude of online viewers and act as an extremely powerful element of any marketing strategy. Colleges and Universities who rely only on traditional marketing methods such as student fairs, education agents, hard copy publications and other one-way communication channels are missing out on a powerful new recruitment tool that in most instances is entirely free and will soon find themselves behind the competition. Many people in the education marketing industry are already calling this the era of "Recruitment 2.0". Let's take a look at how a number of institutions around the UK are already embracing these new technologies to boost their admissions:

Warwick University regularly uploads video content to both their YouTube Channel and MySpace Profile to reach out to potential students. "We are bringing the academe to audiences in a very new and exciting way," says Tom Abbott, content editor at Warwick. "This is a rich window into what the university experience is, which may be impossible to articulate in a brochure."

Durham University also run a popular YouTube Channel, which drives enormous numbers of potential students and parents to the university's main website. "We're experiencing a 12% increase in overseas applications at the moment and are really excited about the part that our online presence has played in this. Much of the research on courses, student life and the local area is now of course done via the web. Statistically, our video portal has been receiving up to 40,000 clicks per month and we're continually hearing that it's been one of the best conversion tools we have for applications, particularly students from overseas, who often have to make the most educated decision on where to apply based on what they see online and in prospectuses", explained Durham's Web Marketing Officer, Claire Croft.

Westminster University and the University of Plymouth prefer to concentrate their attentions on Facebook. Both of their profiles contain a number of videos about life at the University:

It's also worth taking a look at what American universities are up to, because in this area, they really are leading the way - often engaging with prospective students for up to 2 or 3 years prior to actual enrollment by creating loyal online communities around their institutions and re-purposing video content whenever possible. Both Duke University and Stanford University operate popular branded YouTube channels, which feature hundreds of different videos, ranging from professional produced promotional films to user-generated content.

Here at Spectrecom, we're the UK market leaders in education-recruitment video marketing, and have worked for years with some of the biggest names in higher and further education to recruit new students and manage institutional reputations. To find out more, please visit of the Education Recruitment page of our website.

CSR & Video Production

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:33:37 GMT

I attended the Corporate Register's CR debates at the Royal Institution on 27 March 2009 where the main topic under discussion was the effectiveness (or otherwise) of written CSR reports. As the debate was drawing to a close at the end of the afternoon, several members of the panel and audience (including heads of communications from Shell International and Virgin Media), made the point that if we're going to get our message across, then as organisations we need to depart from traditional print media and engage with digital media and online platforms. Several specific ideas were advanced, and I thought it would be helpful to produce a list of 10 top reasons why video can be the most effective form of CSR communication.

Nobody likes to read dry lengthy reports, packed with statistics.
The human mind is programmed to remember pictures and images far better than the things we hear or read.
Video can have an emotional impact that the written word struggles to match.
Videos are far more authoritative than the written word. People tend believe what they can see, far more than what they read.
Video production can help bridge a communication gap between the generation that spawned corporate social responsibility and the younger generation whose responsibility it will be to sustain it.
Video provides a human face to an organisation. People connect with people.
Video streamed online is an environmentally friendly communications tool. Not only does it cut down the need to travel for presentations, it reduces paper usage and DVD production.
CSR videos are great for SEO. They can be repurposed and propagated online, driving highly-targeted traffic to your website.
A range of new online platforms are emerging to provide your film and your organisation with the visibility and the reputation it needs ( www.csrtv.co.uk, www.csrtube.net)
The video production process can inspire employers and employees to take part, helping to improve team cohesion.

Video in a Recession?

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:42:23 GMT

What with our membership in the Telegraph Business Club and London’s Business Junction, I ‘m doing quite a bit of networking these days. As an ice-breaker, people invariably start off with something along the lines of, “So, how’s business treating you in the recession?” Some have even suggested (and I can’t help thinking, somewhat tactlessly) that perhaps corporate video is a bit of a superfluous and unaffordable luxury in times like these. Well, if we’re talking about an expensive and glossy morale-boosting boast-fest for the AGM, I might be inclined to agree. But I would also agree with the worldly-wise Rob Vincent of Radley Yeldar. Speaking in the March edition of Televisual magazine, Rob commented on recession-driven trends, saying that ”Videos that are all about rhetoric, hype, spin and style over content are not what people are looking for. It doesn’t mean that creativity is out of the window, but it needs to be appropriate creativity”. In other words, a targeted message is still extremely important, and video is one of the most cost-effective ways of conveying that message. This is particularly true where online video is concerned, and respondents to a Televisual survey repeatedly made the point that the internet is where we’re seeing the biggest growth in the use of corporate video.

One of the emerging themes from all of the industry briefings I’ve attended over the last year (and there have been quite a few!) is that in a recession we need to market our businesses as never before. And yet, for many organisations, this coincides with a squeeze on marketing expenditure. We’re being asked to do more with less. Clearly then, if we’re going to achieve greater marketing impact with our dwindling resources, we’re going to have to do something differently. And for many, this means turning to the internet. Now, you won’t be surprised to learn that I happen to think that online video is one of the most cost-effective ways of reaching, and communicating to, a targeted audience. We’ve been around long enough to see this happen in practice. The videos we made for Durham University are routinely getting around 40,000 views a month, and applications, especially from international students, are up as a direct result. Aside from marketing and promoting products and services, video is a cheap way of getting all sorts of messages out there, from charity fund-raising drives to public sector campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of targeted initiatives. Of course, it’s not just video on a home site that does the all of the work, that same video can play on YouTube, Google, Facebook, MySpace and online directories like FreeIndex.co.uk.

At Spectrecom, we’ve seen the requirement for online video, as opposed to DVD, increase to 85% of our production output. And it’s comparative low cost has seen enquiries rise significantly – yes, even in the recession. We’re approaching our financial year end, and this rise in online video has helped us to increase our sales turnover by 38% compared to last year. And there’s still two weeks to go …

£600 Marketing?

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:26:11 GMT

Back in 2006 we had recognised that online video was going to see massive year on year growth and we set up a small satellite website, streamwebvideo.com, to focus on one-off video clips. It was rather an amateur affair and without any ranking on Google, it was promoted through pay per click. But we did get some good enquiries and produced some good work on the back of it, but it didn’t take long to see that we had to move up a gear. For a start, we needed to bring the whole company into the mix, trading on all of our existing work. So we decided to put online video at the heart of our operation and to promote it from our main site.

We continue to look carefully at the way internet video clips are being used online, and at what people are prepared to pay for professional results. We settled on a one-off all-in fee of £600 for a 90 second clip. Below this, video users might just as well buy a small camera and film and edit the clips themselves. How long would that take? How good would it look? Where would the video go, beyond your own website?

It depends what you’re trying to communicate of course. If you’re trying to sell that grandfather clock in the garage on eBay, your own video would probably be suitable for the purpose, but if you’re trying to promote your company on the internet, and the video results are poor, you can imagine what that would do for your image.

Look at it another way. Business owners, including one-man bands, usually make a significant investment in their websites. The video is going to be one of the most important features on the website – if not the most important. So it makes sense to take the professional route to ensure the best results.

In the video production business, £600 would be considered about as cheap as it gets, and I did worry about damaging our brand by putting the package together. However, right at the centre of our brand is our ‘Video for All’ statement, which means just that – making professional video available to all who want to use it. Moreover, our business model allows us to offer it. We compete with some of the UK’s largest production companies, and they have considerable operating costs. But the Spectrecom studio is based in Deptford, not Soho, and we’re an incredibly lean and mean operation. We have our own in-house staff and equipment to help make sure the budget gets spent on the films we make, and not on fancy offices and coffee machines (Matt take note!*).

So what does the client get for their £600? Well in practical terms, a project consultation for starters, a 2 hour shoot at their premises or elsewhere, up to 90 seconds of edited video clip with titles and music and one draft edit approval, our branded video media player, and advice on propagating the video on various social networks and directories. But the marketing consequences for the client can be enormous. Not only do they get a show-stopper for their website, possibly adding that all-important human face to it for the first time, but in terms of online marketing potential they get access to a whole new range of sites and directories, and all the interest that generates to help drive people to their own site. In 2009, there can’t be many better ways to invest that £600!

*NB: Matt has taken note - he gets his fix in the morning before work.

a.greener@spectrecom.co.uk

Inspiration for Showreel

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:51:17 GMT

For our new website, the main imperative was to feature online video as much as possible – not just loads of video clips of our films, but in a way that showed people in the non-video production sector just how valuable and important video on a website can be. The first thing we asked Webstars to do was to develop a new bespoke media player for us. We were thinking along the lines of the BBC iPlayer, something that offered a great viewing experience and that allowed the video to be shared with other sites for online propagation. And we wanted a media player that would not only work across our site, but that we could supply to our customers.

On our homepage, the media player would take centre stage. The film it showed would have to encapsulate something unique, and something special about Spectrecom rather than the work we produce. Last August, we went up onto Blackheath on a sunny Friday afternoon (probably the only one last summer!) to put all of our creative heads together and to decide what the film should look like. Steve even brought his kids with him, and amidst the fun, and later the drinks, a brief slowly emerged.

As always with any brief, we identified the messages we wanted to get across in the 90 seconds available. We felt that a fly-through would be able to show off our studio, hospitality and post-production facilities, introduce key members of our staff, show our work behind the scenes, and of course, allow us to screen some examples of our work. The film would have to be high-end (we opted for ‘cinematic’) so that in itself, without us having to resort to clichés like ‘creative’ and ‘quality’ in our narrative, we could simply show what we are capable of. It’s a bit like a personal ad boasting of GSOH. Don’t tell me, prove it! Just make me laugh. And finally, the film in its whole had to say something else about us, something that emerges which is more than just the sum of its component parts. We wanted this to be ‘honesty’, and in this case, being open and honest about who we are. In other words, we weren’t hiding behind the anonymity that a website can engender, where you get to see only the parts they (whoever ‘they’ are) want you to see. And for me, this precisely sums up the power of online video.

a.greener@spectrecom.co.uk

The New Website

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:02:52 GMT

Our old website was built back in April 2005 when Spectrecom first started trading as a limited company. At that stage we were just excited to be in business, and the website included aspects of just about every television programme, film and corporate video Sarah Aynesworth, Steve Milton and I had ever been involved with. It was a competent but aspirational site and made us look bigger and more accomplished than perhaps we really were at the time. However, we soon started to develop a reputation in key production areas, notably online video, CSR, and student recruitment for colleges and universities. But as our website grew organically, it failed to reflect our emerging brand.

We commissioned Webstars to build this new website back in July last year and from the outset, the emphasis would be to nail our brand and to focus on our online video offering. We needed to demonstrate just how powerful online video can be, and to do that, the obvious solution was to feature video on our site about ourselves. On our old site we had a team page with a picture and a profile of each staff member. After the studio page (which was always ranked in the first three on a Google search for "green screen studio") we found that the team page was receiving by far the most clicks on our site, sadly far more than our corporate video pages! It taught us that people want to know who we are and our roles in the company. OK, maybe some of our visitors were maybe just being a bit nosey, but we do, after all, work in a collaborative medium, and clients want to know what they can expect from our staff. The maxim, "people buy from people" remains true, and we've recognised that online video has a big part to play in that.

Even now, I remain surprised by our competitors' sites, where they routinely screen their showreel material but very little else. Don't get me wrong, they produce some great films, but they just don't use video to tell the story about themselves and their company. It's as if to say, “we want you to buy our online video, but we won't be using it ourselves”. More to the point, how can a visitor look at a glossy showreel on a video production company's website and say, "Yes, I can do that, I'll put that on my site". Of course, they can't – they don't make videos.

So with our new website we wanted show how videos should be used on a website by our clients. We decided to place video about ourselves right at the heart of the site. That's something that visitors can see working for us, and that they can copy. In my next blog, I'll be talking about how we made those videos about ourselves.

a.greener@spectrecom.co.uk