Shoot It. Send It. Sell It.

[ditvideo]

Which Studio is Right for You?

The last couple weeks, we covered two fairly important topics, namely how you can convert part of your house or office into a DIY video studio, as well as how to find the right spot for on-location filming. The only thing we haven’t spoken about yet is how to find the right film studio for your project. There will be times where you may find that your DIY home studio and on-location filming just aren’t what you’re looking for. If what you need is a more controlled environment where you have greater editing power over your sound and visuals, then maybe it’s time you find a studio. Professional studio spaces often have a number of advantages such as soundproofing, a green screen(s), props, various sets, proper facilities, and access to a variety of editing software. One of the biggest issues however, is finding the studio that’s right for you, which is what we are going to give you a hand with today!

It may sound obvious, but the first thing you should do before picking a studio is make sure that you’re informed. A good first step would be to start doing some research and compile a list of studios you may be interested in. If you are completely new to the process and don’t know exactly where to start, consider asking friends or acquaintances in the industry if they know of any studios that may suit your needs. This is especially important if the aforementioned friends have actually used the studio’s services before. Let’s face it, a website can say a lot about a film studio, but a firsthand account can arguably tell you more. If you don’t know anyone who has utilized a studio, don’t worry! You can still try asking a studio for the number of some of their clients to get a better idea of their work. You should also make sure to find some samples or past work from each studio on your list so you can see their work quality for yourself.

While keeping yourself informed is critical to finding the right film studio for you, it’s equally important that you make sure your studio is informed as well. Every studio is different and will have its own pros and cons, so take the time to properly let them know exactly what you’re looking for. Also, see if they’ve ever done a project like yours before. If they haven’t, it doesn’t necessarily have to disqualify them from your choices, but extra care has to be taken in making sure that they fully understand how you want your project to turn out. It’s for that reason that we recommend you find someone who has had actual experience with projects of your type. After you have established that the studio has a good idea of what you are looking for, see if you can ask for a film treatment. A treatment (to put it simply) is essentially a much lengthier type of outline that comes before a film’s first draft and contains various editorial and directorial votes. The reason for their length is because they usually will extensively describe each scene, which is why it is important to see if the studios you’re looking at can produce a treatment you are on board with.

Finally, after you’ve refined your list and gotten a good sense of what kind of studio you’re looking for, you should make sure to compare the locations you have and see which one suits your other needs better. Make sure to look at and compare each studio’s rates, rental options, staff, facilities, distance from your home/hotel, and anything else you may find important to your filming process. Some of these may initially feel trivial, but don’t leave anything up to chance. You may find that even the smallest factors can have a huge impact on filming a project. Yes, proper facilities may seem like something you shouldn’t be too picky over, but you’d be surprised how much smoother a production will run when everyone has proper access to things like bathrooms, electricity, and internet. Additionally, you may not be too concerned about your studio’s distance from your home/hotel, but extra distance travelled is extra money spent, which cuts into your budget. You naturally should avoid being over selective, but don’t hesitate to be thorough, cautious, and know exactly what you’re looking for!

[ditvideo]

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

In our last post, we talked about some steps you can take to help make your own room/office space a functional DIY video studio. However, as convenient as it is to have a place you can always produce content in, sometimes your craft calls for you to film somewhere else! Whether you’re a filmmaker, vlogger, or video marketer, you can’t always expect to film from the comfort of inside your (or someone else’s) studio, so it’s important to know what to expect when filming outside. Before you bust out the cameras though, you need to make sure you know how to look for your ideal filming location, which is what we will be discussing in today’s post. Finding a location to film in may seem like a really simple task, but we find that it can easily have its fair share of obstacles and aggravations. That’s why we’re going to take a few minutes to go over some basic tips that will help you in your location scouting.

 Before even going outside, the first thing you should do in your location scouting process is to consult your script. Make sure that whatever location you decide on is appropriate or relevant to the context and setting of your work. Your film/video has a story or message to tell, so you should make sure that your surroundings are not going to distract from that, but instead add to it. Additionally, make sure to pay attention to the time that your external scenes are supposed to be shot, and visit your potential locations at the appropriate hours. If you have a scene to film during a dusk setting, it would be a little ridiculous, not to mention counterproductive, for you to only visit it at noon. This isn’t just a lighting issue either. Due to the fact that traffic, civilian activity, and city maintenance have varying peaks throughout the day, it would be in your best interest to scout your location at the appropriate time so you know what to expect.

Since we mentioned lighting, let’s discuss what might be the most fickle part of this process, the sun. The sun, while wonderful in so many ways, has an obvious habit of making filming outside a bit complicated, mainly due to the fact that it doesn’t wait on your schedule and will proceed to change your lighting on a whim. Therefore, some discipline and time management skills are essential to making sure that filming stays on schedule and gets done right. Along with visiting your location(s) at the appropriate hour, make sure to take note of the lighting tone and your general orientation to the sun. After figuring out what position and hours work best for you and your scene, make sure to consistently film during those hours to avoid any break in continuity. Plus, take some time to locate and avoid/dim any highly reflective surfaces that may cause unwanted glares on camera.

After covering everything lighting related, its time to move onto the equally delicate process of make sure that your sound is of decent quality. Just because the scenery looks good doesn’t mean that the video won’t sound terrible and ruin your work. We know we say it often, but audio can be a defining factor in any video/film and it should be taken seriously. When scouting your locations, take note of the surrounding background noises. Make sure to listen with and without your mic’s headphones and check for any interference that you may pickup. Since sound dampening isn’t really much of an option in this scenario, monitoring things like traffic, pedestrian noise, and various nature sounds is key.

 Next on our list of external forces to look out for when location scouting is the weather. You can track the sun and avoid loud sounds all you want, if the weather isn’t right, it won’t work for your shot. Aside from the fact that a change in weather may not fit the director’s vision or aesthetic, there is also the matter of potential damage to your equipment. Excessive sun can cause cameras to overheat, strong winds can topple equipment and ruin audio, and don’t even get us started on video cameras and rain. Our point is, check the forecast in advance before filming, and if you have to film during difficult conditions, take the steps needed to prevent any damage to the equipment or crew. If it’s overly hot, make sure to keep you cameras shaded and covered. Too cold? Keep your equipment wrapped in blankets or coats to preserve the batteries. Rain got you down? Make sure that essential equipment is always covered and stored inside when not needed. Whatever the issue may be, it’s important to be prepared.

This actually leads us into our last piece of advice for this post, and that is to be thorough and considerate. Are your batteries charged? Do you have extra ones? Do you have backup options if one location doesn’t work out? Did you make sure to get permission to film at your location if needed? These are all the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself. It may seem overly cautious, but there are a number of things that can stunt your video’s progress from the comfort of your own home, let alone outside. Believe us, nothing is worse than your camera running out of battery, only for you to realize you left the spare on at home.

[ditvideo]

Setting Up a DIY Recording Studio

When it comes to producing video content, few things can be more aggravating than having an idea but not having a proper location to film it. Inspiration doesn’t have a schedule, so it’s ideal to have a place you can always access for filming. Unfortunately, renting time at a studio isn’t always convenient, given the expenses and scheduling that often need to be taken care of, and expensive production equipment can really put a dent in the bank. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to turn a regular spot in your home or workplace into a convenient DIY video studio for your videos!

 The first thing you’re going to have to think about is your studio’s location. Make sure that you try and pick a spot that’s free of any external or background noises, as well as isolated enough that you won’t be experiencing interruptions mid-recording. Additionally, make sure to consider what backdrop you’ll use for your videos, as the audience is obviously going to be seeing it often. Some may consider utilizing a blank white wall in their house or office as a backdrop. While this solution may be a simple one, using a blank wall can appear rather boring and also leaves your videos susceptible to potential glares and reflections. Ideally, you’ll want to acquire an industry-made, collapsible backdrop for your space, which should be fairly simple to do, seeing as their prices can be quite affordable. If you’re on a tight budget and need an alternate option, don’t worry! You can use seamless paper (in roll or sheet form) and tape it over the wall you will be shooting in front of. You can even use a taught sheet and hang it behind you while you record, so long as you pick a solid color. Some of you may not want to use a backdrop and would prefer to use a more natural background from your home or office, and that’s fine! We’re not going to tell you how to produce your content. However, make sure that whatever background space you use isn’t too boring or overwhelming. As we mentioned before, your audience is going to be seeing it a lot, and we don’t want what’s behind you distracting from your content. The last thing we’ll mention about location is setting up. If you can, try and always keep your DIY studio set up. Doing this not only saves you some time and effort, it’s also convenient when you get a spontaneous idea! Let’s face it, when inspiration strikes, you want to start filming while the juices are still flowing, not setting up your equipment.

After you figure out where you’ll be filming, it’s time to take care of the sound in the room. We mentioned before to take care and avoid any spots that may experience a lot of background noise, such as potential feedback or civilian activity, but we did not address echoes. Echoes and reverb are often cool effects, whether natural or simulated, but unless they actually pertain to your video’s subject matter, it’s best to avoid them. If your location happens to have an echo, then you should make sure to deaden the room a bit. Buying a sound-dampening panel or acoustic foam is a great and almost immediate solution, but what if you’re still on that budget we spoke about earlier? Not a problem! Try hanging some blankets or comforters in front of the walls and moving a couch or two into the room, you’ll find that this helps with sound dampening. You’re goal is to keep sound waves from reflecting off the walls all over the room, so adding some padding and some furniture can help keep that from happening. Also, since we’re on the subject of sound, it seems like we should also discuss recording audio for a minute. Yes, you can always just use the microphone on your camera, laptop, or phone, but we really, really suggest that you acquire a microphone. We’re not saying that you need a super high-grade mic that costs several thousand dollars, but we can’t stress how important audio is and how it can make or break a video. A full-fledged studio microphone is not absolutely necessary, especially if you’re just starting, but a portable ambient recorder or even a microphone attachment for phone can do wonders for a video’s sound quality. If this is not currently an option, consider making it your first upgrade when it becomes affordable. Also, when you’re recording, make sure to have different devices set up for audio. That way, you have options when it comes to picking what sounds better.

Now that we’ve covered your location and sound setup, let’s talk about our final piece of equipment…lights! Lighting is an incredibly important and influential part of any filming process, so you need to be careful with what you pick. Overhead lighting creates unattractive shadows and wrinkles on your face, and while the sun’s natural light is beautiful, it isn’t exactly willing to work off of your schedule. Therefore, your best option is to avoid either and invest in some studio lights. Your studio lights don’t need to be extremely expensive and you won’t need more than 3. If that isn’t an option, feel free to utilize household LED lights and whatever DIY lighting tricks you may find online, believe us there are plenty (maybe even a whole blog posts worth). Just make sure that the bulbs are the proper balance and wattage.

Some of you may be concerned as to why we didn’t mention any real specifics regarding what camera equipment to use, and that’s because we think that’s the one piece of equipment that may have the most flexibility. If a studio-grade camera is something you can acquire, then by all means do it! However, given modern technology, that’s not as necessary, seeing as even phones and laptops can film in 4k. So, if you need to use a device that isn’t a standard video camera, don’t sweat it. Heck, we do it all the time! What’s more important is that you use proper technique when filming. In the end, if you collectively utilize all the tips we gave you today, you might find that your own personal studio isn’t so far out of your reach!

[ditvideo]

‘TIS THE SEASON: WHY ADVERTISE ON THE HOLIDAYS?

It’s that time of year again! With Halloween just around the corner, we’re all preparing (if not already prepared) for the inevitable onslaught of holiday marketing that’s sure to come. Yes, Halloween ads have already been in full swing, but we all know that we’ll steadily be seeing holiday themed advertisements for the next few months. Unfortunately, we also know that the holiday ad onslaught can get a bit overwhelming, especially when not every ad is a winner. However, if you’re worried about releasing a holiday ad for your business, don’t bow out of the race just yet. In fact, an appropriately made holiday ad can do your business a lot of good!

During this time of year, we think it’s safe to say that a number of us tend to feel the holiday spirit, whether we like it or not. While the atmosphere undoubtedly shifts between October and December, the holiday season also consistently remains about celebrating and spending time with those you care for. Needless to say, when making a holiday ad, this is something you should always keep in mind. You can’t just put a Jack-O-Lantern in your commercial and call it a Halloween ad, you need to make sure that you’re on the same plane as your audience. A holiday ad is a chance to potentially show a more emotionally driven side of your business. Instead of doing your usual routine, why not make a more lighthearted and fun ad and have some fun with the holiday atmosphere? How about an ad that focuses on the feelings of joy and generosity that seem to be so contagious this time of year? Whatever your choice, just have fun and embrace the holiday spirit. It may seem strange for your company, but ads like this can feel much more personal for the audience, which in turn can make you seem more genuine and relatable. It also seems appropriate to mention that your employees may be very busy during the holidays, so taking some time away from the rat race to film an entertaining commercial with their peers can serve as a good way to take a break and boost moral.

Now that we’ve covered a less tangible way to please your audience, let’s talk about the other part of the holidays that everyone famously loves…. the shopping. While the bulk of the shopping can be seen around Christmas and Black Friday, there’s no doubt that the holidays inevitably cost us a few pennies more than we’re usually willing to spend. Therefore, this season is a great time to promote any sales for your business! Yes, you could arguably do a sale whenever you felt like it, but the timing wouldn’t be the same. During the holiday season, people are constantly on the lookout for sales, especially when they have a long list of people on their gift lists. You want to make sure that your business is one that they can count on, as well as afford, when the holiday shopping blitz comes around. After all, it’s all about giving to your fellow man, right? Regardless, everyone loves sales and has them on their shopping radars, and you want your business to be on everyones’ radar, simple as that! Also, keep in mind that the people who take advantage of these sales aren’t necessarily one-timers. In fact, a number of your customers may be drawn to your business because of a sale, but remain loyal patrons due to the quality of your product.

In the end, making a holiday ad may not fit the motif of every business out there, but it doesn’t hurt to try. While there is certainly distaste for poorly done or excessively badgering holiday ads, avoiding these pratfalls is not as difficult as it may seem. If you remain genuine and just try to embrace the holiday spirit, you may find yourself understanding just what it is that your audience is looking for. We’re not telling you to just sit back, close your eyes, and wish for it, we’re just saying that maybe your shouldn’t overthink it. Just take the time to remember how you like to feel on the holidays and work from there…. or maybe we’ll just write a blog post focusing on how to do that.

[ditvideo]

KNOWING YOUR VIDEO METRICS PT. 2

Hello and welcome back! This week’s blog is going to be our third entry discussing video metrics. Two weeks ago, we explained why video metrics and analytics could be a great tool for improving your videos. Then last week, we took some time to go over a few basic video metrics and what they specifically mean. As they say, “third time’s the charm”, because this week we are wrapping up this series and going over a couple more basic video metrics you should always monitor.

Our first metric of discussion today is Social Sharing, and as the name implies, it generally refers to the amount of times your content was shared on social media sites. If your content has one or more social media pages (and it probably should), you should generally be able to find out who shared your content quite easily. With Facebook, for example, the number of shares your content received will generally be listed right on your post, and the same can be said for Twitter. What about keeping track of shares via your site, however? Let’s be honest, keeping track of several social media pages can be a bit hectic at times, and you probably don’t want to spend all that time logging into each of your profiles just to check on one videos view and share counts. Well, luckily for you most sites actually provide you with instructions on how to embed a share button onto your site! Not only does this give your viewers a streamlined way to share your content, it also allows you to track and record your shares without ever having to leave your website. Maintaining a presence in social media can certainly be a daunting task, but it goes without saying that social sharing is a crucial part in achieving a wider reach for your content. Yes, there is generally maintenance involved, but you will be exponentially increasing your content’s range. Who knows, you may even find new demographics that are interested in your content.

Our second, and final, video metric for today is Conversion Rate and it is incredibly important. Conversion rate measures the number of viewers that followed through with your video’s call to action. Naturally, if your video doesn’t exactly have a call to action, or has one that isn’t exactly quantifiable, then this metric may not really apply to you. However, if your call to action requires/involves a download, clicking a link, getting in contact with the content creator, or anything similar, then this metric is essential since it lets you know if your video is actually doing its job! Remember though, while your conversion rate may help you understand/modify the effectiveness of your videos, you still need to make sure that you’re directing your audience towards your course of action yourself. For example, you should always make sure to include links to your call to action on your webpage or with your video. If it makes things easier for the viewer, then it can’t hurt!

There you have it, a brief list and explanation of each video metric that we at DiTVideo found to be the most important to any video content producer. Remember, you’re not forced to use any metric you don’t want to, but you should never forget that each one could easily provide you with hints on how to better your content.

[ditvideo]

KNOWING YOUR VIDEO METRICS

If you read our entry from last week, you’ll recall that we briefly discussed video metrics and why utilizing them can be beneficial to your website. However, we didn’t get the chance to go over what each metric means, which is obviously an essential step to understanding video metrics. So, without further waiting, let’s take a look at some of the most important video metrics and what they mean!

 The first metric we are going to discuss is view count, which we’re sure all of you already know about. This metric is fairly self-explanatory and demonstrates how many people have viewed your video(s), giving you an idea of your content’s reach and potential fans. While this metric is far from the only one you should be paying attention to, it is objectively the quickest and simplest way to see how your videos are doing and if they are improving. Additionally, if you’re completely new to video metrics and aren’t sure what to do, getting into the habit of checking your content’s view count is a great place to start! Just be prudent and remember that while view count does a great job of informing you of your content’s reach, it won’t be able to give you more in depth information, such as who watches your videos and for how long.

 The next metric on our list is play rate, which indicates the percentage of viewers who clicked on your video when landing on its webpage. This metric is incredibly important because it helps you understand whether your video is contextually relevant to the page that it’s on. If your video happens to be embedded on a webpage whose subject is not really related to that of your videos, chances are that your play count won’t be particularly high. Furthermore, your play rate can also be an indicator of whether or not you’re hitting your ideal demographic. If you’re getting low play rates on your videos, consider finding a more appropriate page to embed them on. Mastering your play rate comes from knowing the audience that loves your videos and knowing where to find them.

 Following play rate, we have Engagement. This metric shows you how much of your video people are watching and, thusly, is a good indicator of the quality of your videos. If people are dropping off midway through your video (or earlier), it can mean that it just isn’t holding their interest. This could be caused by a number of issues such as your video being too drawn out or not beginning with enough engaging content. Whatever the reason, you can attempt to counter your low engagement by using analytics to pinpoint the spot in your video where your audience loses interest. It should also be noted, however, that a lower engagement level may not be all bad news. If you happen to post an instructional or tutorial video, it may be possible that your average viewer’s question was answered early on in your video. They may not have seen all of the information your video had to offer, but it still provided them with the answer to a question that they had, which is obviously good news, since it gains you a potential repeat viewer. Knowing this, you should always remember to not focus all your attention on one metric and to keep a positive attitude.

 The final metric we’re going to discuss today is comments, and we have to say, this one is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, many people believe that keeping track of the comments section on your video’s page generally serves as a bit of a demoralizing act. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that, thanks to the Internet, people are free to say pretty much whatever they want with little to no repercussion, no matter how negative it may be. Hyperbolic insults aside, however, we think it wouldn’t be in our best interest to ignore this metric. Aside from being another easy way to get a general feel for your audience’s reactions to your videos, the comments section can be a great way to see if your content has started any dialogue. Yes, there is always the potential of finding spam, insults, and unrelated conversations in the comments section, but if your video spurred a meaningful discussion among your viewers, then you should certainly count that as a win. The comments section can be very useful for gaining an understanding of your audiences opinions and sentiments, it’s just important that you learn to wade through the comments that aren’t useful and take everything with a grain of salt.

 While that may be all the time we have for today, don’t worry, we will be revisiting this subject again. Until then, the four metrics mentioned above are a great starting point for any beginner to habitually check and maintain. With a little bit of practice, checking your content’s video metrics will be a natural part of your site/channel’s process, and you’ll thank yourself for it.

[ditvideo]

WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING VIDEO METRICS AND ANALYTICS

So, you started a video channel or website, put your videos up, and waited for the comments and views to pour in. Now that you’ve started getting some results, you may be wondering what you can do to bump your content’s popularity. Well, if that’s the case, then we have one question to ask you: Are you taking advantage of online video metrics and analytics? Before any of you start groaning at the idea of having to add an extra step of maintenance to your site, give us a minute to explain why these resources are an excellent tool for upping your videos’ popularity and quality.

Before we start, lets quickly explain what video metrics and analytics are. Video metrics are essentially the measurable data of a video and its performance online, while analytics are the measurement of the data to better understand the content. Video metrics are often provided by a number websites that host videos, but you can also download various software programs that can provide you with even further info on your content. There’s a number of different metrics involved in online video analytics, such as view count, play rate, audience engagement, video comments, and which sites are sharing your videos, each of which has its own use. Now that we’ve cleared up the definitions, lets get to explaining why video metrics and analytics can be such a useful tool.

First off, utilizing video metrics and analytics allows you to better understand, and subsequently, cater to your audience. Video metrics lets you know which of your videos are being watched, how much of each video is being watched, and even when people decide to skip through or exit the video. That information alone gives you a better understanding of what it is people like or dislike about your content, allowing you to adjust it accordingly if you so choose. Additionally, your analytics can tell you which social media sites share or link to your video. Not only does this give you an idea of your content’s reach and expansion, it also gives you the opportunity to potentially target these sites and use them to your advantage. For example, you could use your content’s popularity to fuel your own social media campaign, or you could even create a profile on whatever sites find you popular and begin posting on there as well!

Most importantly, however, is that taking advantage of video metrics and analytics can flat out make you a better content producer. Let’s face it, if you know who your audience is, what they like, when they’re watching, and where your videos are reaching, you’ve pretty much set yourself up for success. With all of that information at your disposal, you can be more confident in yourself as a video content creator. You won’t be asking yourself “what did I do wrong?” or “what do I need to change?” anymore, because you’ll already know. Use that knowledge correctly, and you’ll start making better and more focused decisions. Plus, it’s always nice to remember that using these resources gives you a leg up on any of your potential competitors who aren’t.

Overall, we think that using video metrics and analytics can be a surefire way to improve your content’s standing on the Internet. It naturally still involves working hard and producing quality work, but it provides a lack of uncertainty which many users would find really refreshing, including us at DiTVideo. Hopefully, we did a good enough job at piquing your interest, and we hope that you’ll start experimenting with these resources so you can see the improvements for yourself. However, don’t think that we’re totally done here. We know that there may have been some terms or concepts in this entry that we didn’t fully get to address or explain, but don’t worry, our next post will give us a more in depth look at each metric and what they mean. Until then, keep making videos!

[ditvideo]

ON THE FENCE: TWITTER’S NFL LIVE STREAMS

Sometimes, when you have a good idea, the only thing more disappointing than having that idea flop is finding out that it’s just…. ok. The reason for this is because both highly successful and failed ideas have one thing in common: they leave some sort of lasting impression and are often subsequently talked about. Like they always say, all press is good press. The real issue is when something is underwhelming, but still maintains enough quality in it’s art or achievement of its goal that it can’t be considered “bad.” When an idea falls into that zone, it doesn’t leave you with much to talk about, and if the idea isn’t being talked about then it’s just being forgotten. So, what idea are we talking about specifically? Well, none other than Twitter’s NFL Live Streams.

If you haven’t already found out, Twitter has been streaming the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games broadcasted by NBC and CBS for the last few weeks, and things have been going just fine, but that’s really the most that can be said at this point. It’s strange too, because if you look at what Twitter did well with their live streaming, you would think that their future looked very favorable. First off, Twitter’s stream quality received a good amount of praise and rightly so, as the video’s resolution was generally very good. Additionally, the convenience that Twitter provided was wonderful, with viewers being able to access the live stream on the go with their phones and laptops or via one of Twitter’s app providers (such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire, or Microsoft Xbox) without having to enter any extra authentication. It really makes the broadcast, and in turn, the sport, much more accessible to its viewers. The social media giant also received good reviews on the quality of the tweets posted in the stream, with content and subject matter all remaining appropriate seeing as it was curated by humans and a preset algorithm.

That being said, Twitter’s situation doesn’t look so promising when you consider a number of other factors. Twitter’s debut NFL Stream was the Bills vs. Jets game on September 15 and earned them a total of 2.3 million viewers. While this is still a number the company should have pride it, it should also be noted that last year, Yahoo!’s free NFL streaming service netted them 15.2 million viewers for just one game in October. The average amount of time spent on the Yahoo! stream was also higher than Twitter’s, with the average times being 30 minutes and 22 minutes respectively. Also, keep in mind that the regular TV broadcast of the match had 48.1 million viewers. Yes, we recognize that it’s expected for the televised broadcast to have exponentially more viewers, but you can’t help but be less impressed with Twitter’s viewer outcome when you really look down the line.

Number of viewers aside, the functionality of the stream also left some things to be desired. While the tweets section of the stream was well monitored, a number of viewers couldn’t help but be bored or annoyed by the fact that there was no way to refine the tweets being shown. Instead of being able to apply a filter to narrow down the tweets to just your friends, players in the league, or sports commentators, viewers have to sift through all of the tweets being written during the stream. There were also complaints about the feed lacking any in-game poles and how clicking on a user’s hashtag would remove you from the feed rather than open a separate window. While the stream’s overall visual quality was good, it didn’t provide anything that really made you feel like it was Twitter providing the stream. When it came to watching the stream on Twitter’s app via the use of a provider like Apple TV, the complaints were generally the same as the viewers who watched it on their phones or computers. People namely complained that the tweets section was uninteresting or that the video experienced some rendering issues as well as some moderate lagging, a problem that was experienced by all platform users. However, there is one question that really makes you wonder why accessing the stream this way is even worth it. If you have a TV already, why would you go on Apple TV to access the Twitter stream when you can just watch it on your TV? Seeing as the games are broadcast on non-cable channels, the use of other providers seems a bit useless when those channels are fully accessible. Furthermore, Twitter’s 10 game—and $10 million—deal is only with CBS and NBC, meaning they won’t be able to stream games that are broadcast exclusively by the NFL network. This mean’s that Twitter TV really doesn’t provide any advantage to the user over regular access television. Finally, drawing on the point we just made, the fact that Twitter won’t be able to stream NFLN exclusive games is potentially a severe hindrance to its streaming success. This Thursday’s game is NFLN exclusive and Twitter’s inability to broadcast it won’t just mean that there’s no revenue from that game, it also makes it more difficult for viewers to habitually tune into the app or site to watch their streams.

Again, our aim here isn’t to shoot down Twitter’s attempts at streaming, we just think it’s important to be realistic about their current situation. Yes, they did not run into any disastrous issues, but their performance wasn’t stellar either. The company saw an impressive 34% increase in average viewership between week 2 and week 3 of the 2016 NFL season, and that’s great, but the aforementioned shortcomings of the service and the upcoming NFLN exclusive games may prove troubling for the success of their streams.

Sources:

http://fxn.ws/2cCY7qk

http://bit.ly/2d6Rk7E

http://slate.me/2cPbNkC

http://nyp.st/2cQ5DxF

http://mklnd.com/2cEHfQC

http://on.recode.net/2cOHt9D

http://bit.ly/1N6ttP3

[ditvideo]

YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT: YOU SUCK AT COOKING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We feel like we haven’t made mention of a content creator that we’ve been excited about in quite some time, so today, we thought we would do another “You’re Doing It Right” segment. These segments revolve around a content creator who is/has been producing content of noticeable worth, weather it be in terms of information, entertainment, or both. Regardless of the subject, these are individuals who have shown an adeptness for producing quality video content and knowing their demographic, and today’s topic is YouTube’s highly popular channel You Suck At Cooking.

Having joined in December of 2014, and releasing his first piece of content in January of 2015, You Suck At Cooking has developed quite a reputation for its videos. The channel currently has 376,292 subscribers, along with 23,904,467 views, in its repertoire. Given the short period of time that this channel has been around (at least compared to many of its peers), we think that it’s doing quite well for itself, and its videos are evidence of that. For those of you who are unfamiliar with You Suck At Cooking’s channel, let’s see if we can’t get you caught up. The channel could easily be described as a cooking show that barely meets the requirements for constituting as a cooking show. Each video, generally ranging between 30 seconds to 5 minutes, picks one dish or type of food that is generally fast and simple to prepare, and shows you the steps you need to take in order to make it a meal. This is the main reason why we said that this channel does the “bare minimum” to constitute as a cooking show, because the amount of preparatory work shown for the dishes being made is essentially minimal, and the steps explained are extremely brief and concise. Despite its rapid fire attitude, however, You Suck At Cooking does a great job of properly showing any layman (including ourselves) how to feed themselves with the least effort possible. This, at least for many of us, is quite the special characteristic on its own, as we know plenty of people who don’t like having to cook for an extended period of time or concern themselves with a meal that is too complicated for their skill level. The channel’s charming lack of trimmings and needless frill when discussing simple meals is just extremely helpful for those of us who want to cook something quickly or easily, without having to watch what we consider to be filler content/screentime on a normal cooking show.

That being said, this is not the only thing that makes You Suck At Cooking such an awesome channel, because this show also has its fair share of filler content in each of its episodes, they’re just shorter and extremely entertaining. For example, the creator will often use the preparatory stages of a meal to add plenty of humor into his videos by utilizing both jokes and his natural talent for video editing. One of the channel’s videos, which showed its viewers how to make zucchini noodles, had the video’s narrator explaining how to properly “milk” a zucchini before using it in a dish. Another video had the narrator pause while cutting a cucumber so that he could demonstrate the proper way to cut a “working” cucumber guitar, complete with excellently timed audio samples. Even the channel’s newest “Corn on the Cob” video has a hilarious section where the narrator explains how to shuck corn, with methods that include utilizing a badminton racquet, the spokes of a moving bicycle wheel, and even a golf club. It should also be noted, that the creator explains on their channel page that their main method of filming is with the use of an iPhone, so we naturally have a bit of a soft spot for this content.  

So, as we can see, You Suck At Cooking earns our praise because the creator puts out video content that, as mentioned before, is informative, entertaining, and aware of its audience. However, we also have to say that the channel has earned our respect due to its consistency. The creator has not only successfully released one hilarious video after the other, they have also been releasing them in a very timely manner, with new videos being posted roughly every one to two weeks. Combine that with the fact that his videos maintain a consistent level of entertainment, while simultaneously not deviating from their original structure, and you have a really solid formula.

Overall, we’ve become fans of You Suck At Cooking’s channel because it seems to be nailing all of the key components it needs to gain traction and success. Informative and streamlined tutorials for a useful skill? Check. Plenty of humor to keep the laughs going? Check. An aesthetically pleasing format and consistent work ethic? Check. Our admiration and envy? Well, that’s also definitely a check.

[ditvideo]

ON THE ROAD WITH DiT VIDEO PT.3

The DiTVideo team is going on a trip again! This week, we will be traveling to the wonderful states of California and Illinois so that we can film some material for one of our clients, and we’ve been really excited about it. Therefore, we thought it was only appropriate that we post another “On The Road With DiTVideo” entry, in anticipation of our trip. In our previous entries, we went over things like basic route selecting and figuring out exactly what you need to pack when utilizing a trailer. This time, however, we wanted to make a note of what you should do if you happen to go on a trip where you do not have access to your usual equipment. Sometimes, getting to your destination requires a flight, and that can mean having to leave a large amount of your gear behind, especially if shipping your usual gear is too expensive or not worth the trouble/risk. Plus, in a context such as this, limiting your gear is certainly not the only issue you need to consider. In fact, trips like these often require a great amount of planning to make sure that they go smoothly. If you don’t take time to properly prepare, you may find yourself far from home and realizing that you overlooked something you were supposed to take care of.

First, let’s start with the equipment dilemma, as this one is obviously one of great concern when planning for a flight. The first thing you need to establish is how much you can carry on the plane with you. For example, sometimes you may find yourself only being able to bring one piece of carry on luggage with you. This will often happen if you purchase a ticket for a flight whose layover spot is your final destination. In any case, make sure to figure out how much you can afford to carry. Second, take a minute to figure out what you can carry onto your flight. We know you’ve heard this warning time and time again, but it really is warranted. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what types of batteries are or aren’t allowed on flights, and even the ones that are permitted often have to be packed or safely enclosed so that they aren’t shorted, punctured, cracked, or in contact with other potentially harmful items. Without the proper precautions, you may find yourself leaving important items at the airport, and kicking yourself about it, to boot.

So, you figured out how much, and what, you can carry onto your flight, that’s good, but you also seem to find yourself lacking in some equipment you really need. Sometimes it’s inevitable that you’re going to have to leave some important equipment behind, and as stated before, shipping it is not always the best option. So what’s the best plan of action from here? Talk to your client and the studio space that you are recording at. It doesn’t matter if the studio was pre selected or if you picked it yourself, always make sure you find out what they have in stock when it comes to equipment. Studios and production companies can often have varying degrees of involvement in your production depending on what they specialize in. Some studios are simply a space for you to shoot in, while others are not only in possession of spare equipment you can rent, but also an entire production team! Naturally, the studio you select is entirely dependant on your needs, which is why you should always do some thorough research on the location. After properly informing yourself on the matter, you can then iron out all the details regarding packing for your flight and reserve any aid or equipment you may need upon arrival!

The final tip we are going to mention for today is one that we cannot encourage enough, and that is: always have a production book with you. When it comes to drafting a production book, every important shred of information, and maybe even some not-so-important info, should find its way in there. Things like travel information and times, required equipment, rented equipment, cast and crew, scripts, daily schedules, and potential food locations, are excellent examples of what you should be included. Honestly, even if you are unsure about something being included in your production book, it may be best that you include it anyway. While it may feel very tedious, constructing an informative and organized production book is your main resource for staying as efficient as possible. Furthermore, along with keeping your team informed and on task, your production book is going to help your client, or anyone else who isn’t directly on your team, gain a better understanding of your process and what they should be expecting out of the finished product. We don’t doubt that many of you are capable of staying organized and efficient by yourselves, but it’s important for us to remember that we are all humans capable of making mistakes. Thankfully, many of these mistakes can be fixed or avoided entirely with the help of this coveted resource. You know what mistake is really hard to fix? Writing a production book when you’re already on set and realize that you have a question you can’t answer. Do us, and yourself, the favor. Write a production book.

As usual, there’s always more to learn when it comes to video production during travel, but we hope that this entry provides some of you with just a little more knowledge than you had before. Even if you knew some of this stuff prior to reading it, mental reinforcement of important information can only do your body good. Trust us, when you’re no longer worrying about scheduling or where your crew is going to eat during lunch, you’ll find that your work will only benefit. Until next time, and happy filming!

[ditvideo]

TO IMITATE, OR NOT TO IMITATE.

About a week ago, Instagram released a new “Stories” feature that provided its users with a new way to share their content. The popular site’s update allows for its users to upload spontaneous photos and videos from their day into a compilation (or story) that can be seen by their followers. The poster’s content then appears at the top of their followers’ homepage/feed (where it will remain for 24 hours) and, when selected, will play a slideshow of the poster’s content, providing a visual timeline of their activities. Yes, we know, it’s Snapchat. It’s pretty much just Snapchat and everyone knows it. From the inability to comment on a poster’s story, to the 24-hour time shelf life of each story, the similarities are uncanny. However, we have to say that the addition actually works pretty well and we have no real issues with its functionality. Even if it’s incredibly similar to one of its social media peers, it’s always nice to see a company add to their product with some fluidity. That being said, this new development did spur a few concerns and instances of “food for thought” among our team. We may not have many issues with the app’s functionality, but we can’t help but wonder what effect this change (and a number of others) will have on the diversity and structure of the social media world. 

We all know that, in the business world, it’s not at all uncommon to see one company imitate a competitor and adopt one or more of their features or products, and the world of social media is no different. In fact, it’s almost impossible to ignore the fact that, over the years, a number of popular social media sites have started integrating aspects of their competitors into their own system. The examples are plentiful, and just about every one of your favorite social media sites has done it. Consider Youtube’s live streaming feature. The site began its foray into the streaming world in 2011, and now, in 2016, we find that Facebook and Twitter (utilizing its acquired company Periscope) also provide their users with streaming. Another good example is when Instagram decided to do away with their “photos only” philosophy and gave users the ability to post videos “a la Vine.” How about when Twitter took a page from Facebook and added autoplay to their videos? Or when everyone started to use Facebook’s like system? Remember when hashtags were only found on Twitter?

As we said, these instances of imitation are copious and haven’t been much of a surprise the last few years. We’re also sure that some of you would argue that, not only are some of these imitations minor (like a site’s adoption of autoplay for their videos), but they are also being done to try and help improve each respected site so that they function better and are more versatile. Plus, everyone knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we agree with you… within reason of course. We know that this is simply the result of a competitive industry, but we can’t help but wonder if this continuing trend will have a severe impact on the diversity of social media sites in the future. Let’s be honest, most of the social media sites we frequent started out with a “shtick”, or a specific feature, that we as users found interesting. Youtube was for videos, Twitter was for concise personal updates, thoughts, and news, Instagram was strictly for photos (with Vine being its eventual short lived video counterpart), and Facebook was arguably an adequately balanced version of all three. However, if we look at these sites now, we can’t help but notice that they have all started to stray away from the characteristics that made them unique. Don’t get us confused; we are not concerned because we are angry that these sites copied each other. We are concerned because, when every social media site does pretty much the same thing, where is the fun in using them all? It just seems terribly redundant to have to manage a handful of different sites when the variety between them is constantly diminishing. Yes, maybe one day there will be a supreme social media ruler, an amalgamation of all our favorite sites that everyone will have to use to stay connected, but that presents its own version of monotony.

We aren’t saying that we have answers on how to shape the future of social media, we aren’t even saying that this decrease in diversity will continue for sure. What we are saying is that it’s important to acknowledge these shifts and changes, because, not only do they impact our (and potentially your) industry, but they also have a direct effect on the integrity and uniqueness that was previously present in social media. We don’t speak for everyone, but we can’t help feeling that a lack of diversity just makes everything much less worthwhile.

[ditvideo]

KING OF LIVE STREAMING?

At the DiTVideo office, there are certain buzzwords that, even uttered at the lowest volume, will cause our team to quickly divert their attention to the speaker. These words are extremely important to us, because each word is a company, topic, item, or form of content that has great impact on our industry. Three of those buzzwords happen to be Youtube, live streaming (yeah, it’s two words, we know), and mobile. So, imagine how we felt when, this year at Vidcon, YouTube revealed that they released a new mobile streaming app. Yeah, it was like Christmas in June.

Now, the app is obviously still going through its trial phase, as it is currently only available to a very small group of content creators, but Google has expressed intent to conduct a general rollout in the near future. The new feature apparently blends seamlessly into the YouTube app, with the option to live stream appearing as a button in the corner of your screen. The user just presses the button, selects/takes a thumbnail photo for the stream, and then they’re good to go! Additionally, live streams will have the same features as standard videos on YouTube. You’ll be able to search for them, receive recommendations, access playlists, and protect them from unauthorized use.

Some of you may be wondering why we are so excited about this new feature. Afterall, live streaming has been available on YouTube since 2011, and mobile streaming apps like Facebook Live and Periscope seem to have already beaten YouTube to the punch. Yes, we have seen apps like this, but we have never seen one operated by YouTube. The online video giant is an extremely accessible and easy to operate site with an enormous amount of users, and now, all of these users will have the chance to experience and produce their own live streams. This, coupled with the fact that YouTube’s “peerless infrastructure” should allow the feature to function incredibly fast and be extremely reliable, will cause live streaming to become exponentially more organic for the average individual and will raise YouTube’s potential demographic. The new live streaming option also does a lot for it’s users in the way of content creation. Now, users don’t have to be confined to whatever room or limited area their computer is in to release a live video, which allows for more spontaneous and varied videos. Furthermore, because of YouTube’s aforementioned accessibility and simple mechanics, content creators will have no problem being able to stream highly important, or even historic live events to their users on the fly. Consider all of the elections, protests, performances, mournings, celebrations, or any other impactful event that our world has been experiencing in just the last few years. Now, imagine if one person had the ability to show events like these, in real time, to millions of people at once. Pretty nuts, huh?

Overall, we think our excitement for YouTube’s live streaming service is well warranted. At first glance, some may think that it’s just another competing feature in the online video wars, but we see it as a huge opportunity to further connect our world on a level we previously thought impossible. We don’t make jokes when we stress how huge YouTube’s outreach is, and their new live streaming feature could mean a huge shift in not only content creation, but also how we gain information and experience events. All we really know for sure here at DiTVideo, is that we’re excited to see how this opportunity plays out.

[ditvideo]

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONFERENCES, CONVENTIONS, AND SUMMITS

Last week, the DiTVideo team attended the Social Media Strategies Summit in New York, and as you can imagine, we went strapped with plenty of business cards and excitements. However, despite the fact that we made sure to take advantage of every informative and interactive opportunity there, we couldn’t help but wonder if there were any of our peers who weren’t jumping at the chance to attend events like these. So, we figured this might be a good time to write a post about attending them! No, this isn’t a lengthy how-to guide on event attending (though that’s not a bad idea), this is more of a quick rundown of a few things to keep in mind and why you should be attending the aforementioned conferences, conventions, and summits.

First thing you need to remember is that everyone is there to network, and you should be too! So, as you can imagine, it goes without saying that you should bring plenty of business cards to any conference, as they get traded faster than Pokemon and give you a direct line of contact to a potential client and/or partner. Always remember that the exchange of business cards doesn’t have to be a whole song and dance ritual and that casual conversations and encounters are a great context for handing one out. Sure, a proper business setting is always nice, but you would be surprised how many of your peers will happily take your card after some friendly banter during lunch or a smoke break. Making connections with others is one of the main reasons you would find yourself at a conference or event, so frequently putting your info out there is the best way to optimize your reach. Additionally, try bringing some examples of your work or product(s) and keep them handy on you. These could be videos, written appraisals such as articles or reviews, or anything else that could give your new contacts a better idea of what you do and how you operate.

Second, always be aware of the fact that you are at these events to learn too. These environments provide you with a bevy of different resources to help you access more information about your industry, other relatable industries, and potential partners and companies. Make sure that you take some time to look over the event itinerary and pick out a solid chunk of time to go explore any case studies, lectures, or workshops that you feel might benefit you or the company. If it seems like it might be enjoyable, go check it out! After all, these events are extensive, varied, and you're not strictly obligated to stay at any lectures you walk into. Basically, you have nothing to lose from checking out as much as possible, so make sure you strap your boots on and go exploring!

Finally, it’s time we mention the act of following up. If and when you acquire the contact(s) of a new potential client(s) or partner(s), make sure that you take the time to contact them after the event. Yes, getting someone’s contact info is always a victory, but not following up has a high probability of stopping your progress right in its tracks. The individuals behind the business card are the real prize, not the card itself. Some of you may be curious about what the ideal amount of time to wait on a follow up is. Well, we’re sure everyone has different opinions, but we at DiTVideo like to wait three days before we take the initiative of following up with a contact. Not too eager, but not trying to play hard-to-get, always a healthy medium.

It may seem intimidating or time consuming at times, but we really do suggest that you try to take advantage of events such as these. Sometimes we forget how many people can be involved in our respective industry, and it’s generally very refreshing to attend a conference and see such a plethora of people invested in the same things as you. Plus, once you realize that everyone is there for the exact same reasons you are, it makes it much less stressful and much more manageable. When you find yourself in a sea of opportunities, it’s just wasteful to not at least cast your line.

[ditvideo]

HOW TO ADD VIDEO TO THE WORKPLACE

In our last entry, we discussed how adding video to your employee training program could benefit both you and your employee. However, just because you add video to your program doesn’t mean that everything will work itself out. In fact, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind when making your training video, and doing otherwise might cause your video to do more damage than good. So, now that we have covered why training videos are efficient, let’s talk about how you can make them efficient.

When making a video of this nature, you always have to keep one word in mind, and that word is “consistency”. You should always make sure to not be contradictory or send mixed messages during your videos. Express your company's ideals, mission statement, and goals and make sure to stick by them. Your brand is important, it's literally your company’s personality, so make sure that you define it directly, concisely, and with confidence. Additionally, make sure that the visuals and audio you utilize in your video blend well together and match in tone. Just because your video may be pretty and has exciting visuals doesn’t mean that an underwhelming voiceover won’t turn it into a snoozefest. Speaking of visuals and audio, make sure that you don’t skimp on the budget, time, or effort when it comes to these two factors. We’re not saying you have to be James Cameron or anything, we just know that quality is extremely important when delivering a message through video. A lackluster set of visuals or a boring voiceover will not only be offputting to your employees, it can easily distract from the message you are trying to express and potentially cause loss of information or miscommunication. Don’t be afraid to put some real time and effort into your training video, because by the end of it, you should always be proud to show someone your video.

When laying out the plans for making your training video, we also highly recommend that you use a script. It doesn’t matter if you already know what you are going to say, making a script for anything video related is a great habit to get into. A script will keep you organized, reinforce your message to yourself, and help greatly when it comes to post production editing. You may think you memorized exactly where all of your visual and audio queues/transitions sync up, but trust us, you have no idea (I promise you we have made that mistake before). Just do yourself a favor and take the time to organize your work!

Another good way to set a positive tone for your training videos is to have already trained employees actually partake in the video. It’s not completely necessary and it’s understandable if you want to hire professional actors (some people just can’t act and that’s ok), but it makes your company look more close knit and personal, which can be very comforting to a new employee. If you do not use your own employees, make sure to at least utilize actors. Having someone speak to you or act out protocol in a video is much more engaging than a simple voice over or text and helps your staff retain information.

Our final tip, at least for this entry, is that, when making a training video, you should try and split up the content into linear sections or chapters. First off, this will obviously make it much easier for your employees to absorb all the information they need, because they can do it at their pace and not all at once. An extensive training video can be very daunting, not to mention potentially boring, to a new employee with a lot to learn. Help them out by letting them learn in installments. Second, utilizing a section/chapter system gives your employees the option to easily jump to a specific subject at will. This is not only a very helpful feature for studying protocol, it can also help the employee gain a quick refresher in the future if they happen to forget something.

Overall, training videos can be an exceptionally helpful and effective tool for keeping employees up to speed with rules and regulations, but you need to make sure that you are doing them right. Your training video directly represents your company and its principles, so make sure that you utilize this medium to provide a positive and welcoming environment to your employees. In order to have an efficient, profitable, and positive workplace you need to provide the proper resources, and video can help you do that!

Links:

http://voicebunny.com/blog/create-employee-training-videos-dont-suck/

http://www.digicast.com.au/blog/bid/85610/How-to-Make-the-Best-Workplace-Training-Video-for-your-Employees

http://www.uscreen.tv/7-steps-to-plan-your-employee-training-video/

https://www.panopto.com/blog/14-ideas-for-using-video-employee-training/

https://trainingmag.com/3-ways-use-video-effective-employee-training

http://www.uscreen.tv/make-employee-training-interesting-by-using-training-videos/

[ditvideo]

TEACHING THE RIGHT WAY THROUGH VIDEO

If you’re a business owner, or someone in charge of employment at your business, then you know that there are plenty of stresses that come with the process of hiring new employees. Yes, it may seem straightforward and simple to many, but the truth is, as an employer, you want to make sure that anyone you let aboard your business is competent, dependable, and knowledgeable, and that’s not always an easy task. Even after the potential newcomer has been hired, as a manager, you should be making sure that the employee’s work is going well and that they are being properly informed about any current or new procedures in their work day. Many of you are saying that these prerequisites can be met via employee training, and you would obviously be correct! We at DiT Video certainly believe that properly training your employees is one of the best ways to develop an efficient, profitable, and high quality company. Our issue today, however, lies in the medium with which the training is being delivered. Unfortunately, many companies still neglect to incorporate one critical form of media in their employee training. A medium that could actually greatly improve their results. Can you guess what it is? Yeah, it’s video. Duh.

Many employers, managers, or business owners still utilize written documents/manuals to train their employees, but why should they consider the idea of utilizing video in their employee training regime? Well, first of all, when it comes to absorbing new information, it can be extremely helpful to have a video illustrate a concept or procedure for you. Not to mention, it can easily speed up an employee’s learning process, since they’ll be spending less time trying to imagine various concepts/procedures after reading pages of text, and more time having everything perfectly explained right in front of them. Furthermore, video is arguably more engaging than text. Now, we want to remind you again that we at DiT Video love the written word, but we can’t help throwing this scenario at you. Say you are a new potential employee and are told that, before doing anything, you need to study your company’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and make sure that you understand how to do your basic work duties. How would rather go about doing this: reading a written document or watching a video? Both contain the exact same usage and number of words, but whereas the written document will be just black text on white paper with (maybe) a handful of pictures, the video can provide you with active and fully fleshed out scenarios, encounters, and actions.

Some of you may also argue that there are plenty of companies that also utilize live courses or lectures to help train their employees, thus, still incorporating the aforementioned aspect of having procedures and operations demonstrated to the employees. That’s all well and good, but there are two critical disadvantages to this form of training. First of all, when the courses are over, the employees don’t necessarily have anything to go back and study if they have future questions or concerns. Yes, these courses allow time for questions and comments and such, but what happens if the questions and concerns arise a day or two after? Whatever packets or “study guides” the employees may have received post-training can only help so much. If you had training videos in this scenario, you could easily store them on an employee portal or database, which would allow your employees easy and unlimited future access. The second disadvantage with using live lectures or courses, is that they need to be rescheduled and paid for every time you need employees trained. Videos can help you save money, because once you’ve recorded your training video and saved it for your employees, it’s not going to pack up its stuff and leave.

Look, we aren’t saying that videos have to be your one and only method for training your employees, but we wanted to take a minute to go over the inherent advantages to incorporating the medium into your system. Videos can help employees stay engaged, informed, and all around well prepared. This develops efficient workers, which in turns reduces mistakes, increases productivity, and improves quality. We know the difference that video can make in a company, (believe us, we’ve seen it) and we just want to make sure that you do too.

[ditvideo]

YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT: TACO BELL

Yes, you read that right. We’re talking about Taco Bell this week. No, we’re not talking about their food (as much as we may or may not enjoy it), we’re talking about their social media marketing. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the fact that Taco Bell has been doing exceptionally well in the social media department since they started posting in 2011. Lately, however, it seems as though they’ve really been hitting their stride. Afterall, we are all still reeling from the recent Quesalupa campaign, remember that? Yes, you do. Don’t be a liar. Anyways, what is it that Taco bell does so well when it comes to marketing their product through social media? First of all, they use all of the core sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Second, they take the time to use each site properly and not just post the same, slightly-tweaked, content on all of their platforms. So, as per usual, let’s do a overview of their methods!

The first of Taco Bell’s social media platforms that we should look at is Facebook. According to information gathered by ReelSEO and Tubular (these guys come in clutch), out of the 251 Million views that Taco Bell has received since 2011, 75% of them come from Facebook. What’s more, Facebook is responsible for 92% of Taco Bell’s video views from the last year! That’s 188 Million out of 203 Million views! The reason for the platform’s success is that Taco Bell uses it as a “catch all.” In this case, it means the Brand’s Facebook basically acts as a sort of combination of all of its other social media platforms, which seems only natural since Facebook has a wider spectrum of uses and allows for plenty of cross platforming. Taco Bell’s Facebook posts pictures, like on Instagram, and comments/interacts with fans, like on Twitter. The company even uses the site to post short videos and Gifs like it’s peer platforms, so they can hit just about every avenue possible. The only thing they don’t seem to post much of on their Facebook is longer videos, but that’s where YouTube comes in.

When it comes to YouTube, this is where Taco Bell posts all of their long form videos. In fact, a large number of the Brand’s most recent and past commercials can be found on their channel, both in their regular and abridged formats. However, the company also uses the site to post “derivative” or alternate content that is related to, or cut from, their Television commercials. This allows them to use YouTube as a sort of testing ground for their content, potentially providing them with insight on which formats and ideas work best. Furthermore, they use the channel to promote fan interaction and submission. The most recent example being their Live Más Scholarship Video Series, where fans could send in videos describing their pursuits, goals, and passions with the chance of potentially receiving post-High School financial support from Taco Bell. Overall, Taco Bell has a great grasp on YouTube and has done well to avoid simply making it an advertisement graveyard.

The next two platforms on Taco Bell’s social media list are Twitter and Instagram. What we love about Taco Bell’s usage of Twitter is that, aside from the occasional Gif, the Brand’s profile is mostly used to talk to fans and other companies. We’re not talking about bland, cookie cutter answers to fan questions either. We’re talking about funny one liners, snarky comments, and generally funny posts. Taco Bell really took the time to appeal to their Millennial demographic, and that’s a smart move given that Twitter, and just about every other social media site, is mostly compiled of that age group. Plus, you just have to give points for fan interaction and engagement, since that’s always a huge part of building a likable and positive brand. Speaking of fan engagement, that actually happens to be the company’s strong suit when utilizing Instagram. Here, Taco Bell posts much of its Twitter content (that isn’t specifically text related) and makes sure to keep their posts regular and consistent. Afterall, Twitter and Instagram definitely share a hefty demographic overlap. Hey, it’s not complicated or fancy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not smart. Not to mention, it got them a 33% engagement rate, which is the highest of all of their platforms.

As a whole, Taco Bell really has it put together in the social media and marketing departments. They effectively use a multitude of platforms, properly advertise to their demographic, and consistently post content that engages their fanbase and gets their products out there. Your opinion on their food can be whatever you like it to be, but you best show some respect for their marketing team.

Sources and Links:

http://www.reelseo.com/taco-bell-facebook-video/

http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/taco-bell-quesalupa/

http://www.lotus823.com/social-media-marketing-lessons-from-taco-bell/

http://www.momentology.com/6249-social-media-strategy-taco-bell/

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-marketing-examples#sm.00000xs68y67e9d7nuxc6ulso8yop

https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/blog/marketing-taco-bell/

https://www.audiense.com/spotlight-taco-bells-social-media-strategy/

https://www.youtube.com/user/tacobell/featured

[ditvideo]

ALL YOU NEED IS MARKETING... at least a little bit.

Have you guys heard of the show Horace and Pete? Well, if you haven’t, that’s fine, because neither have we until today. Believe it or not, Horace and Pete is the newest show by self-producing giant and comedic genius Louie C.K, who released the show on his site in January of this year with each episode priced at $2-$5. Take a minute to wrap your head around that. A show produced, directed, written by, and starring LOUIE C.K flew under your radar, and the show has been out since JANUARY. How is that possible? Even if you aren’t a fan of C.K, or comedy in general, it seems a bit hard for someone to not have heard about this at least in passing. The comedian has become one of comedy’s greatest and has been making people laugh for years (and hopefully many more to come) throughout numerous stand up specials, television shows, and various appearances on multiple talk shows. Plus, Horace and Pete boasted a stellar cast, including Steve Buscemi, Alan Alda, Jessica Lange, Edie Falco, and Steven Wright to go along with C.K himself, even the theme song was written by Paul Simon! The show also received generally positive reviews from critics and viewers, with people commending the show’s format, style, subject matter, and dialogue. So, it seems safe to say that not having any idea of this show’s existence seems a bit difficult for those who have turned on their TVs in the last year, but that seems to be the case nonetheless. Why? Well, unfortunately, the answer is this: a lack of advertising and marketing.

As we have mentioned, Louie C.K has been a master of self-production for the last several years and has been selling his tickets and distributing content on his own site since his Live at the Beacon Theater stand up special in 2011. This was a great step for C.K, as it showed his dedication to his art and appreciation of his fan base by cutting out the middleman, with companies like Ticketmaster or Livenation no longer acting as a nuisance for ticket buyers. However, in the case of Horace and Pete, C.K released this original show without any previous advertising, press release, or even so much as a mention of its existence until the literal day it came out. Even then, the only acknowledgment of the show even being released consisted of a short announcement to his fans/email subscribers on his website. Additionally, the show cost C.K about $500,000 an episode to create, with the comedian having to take out a line of credit after the first four episodes. The decisions may have been bold, but the quality of the content was great and the fans were loyal, so C.K was convinced that early sales of the show would make up for the money that he was down. Unfortunately, the severe lack of marketing may be what prevented fans from coming together and keeping the project afloat, because many of us had no idea it even existed. What’s worse, it was announced earlier this month on C.K’s website that the show would, in fact, be cancelled, bringing an end to what many called a truly unique and original mini-series. It should be noted however, that C.K did state he planned on pursuing more advertising for the single existing season of Horace and Pete, and that he even strongly considered selling it to another outlet in the future. So, while this means that we probably won’t be getting any new Horace and Pete episodes, we can at least take comfort in the fact that the mini-series will be more widely accessible and viewed by a larger audience, and we are strongly in favor of that.

We know that some of you are wondering why we didn’t talk more about the show itself more extensively. Well, first of all, we haven’t seen the show in it’s entirety (some of us haven’t seen it at all!), but we also wanted to write this entry to emphasize the importance of marketing your content properly. Louie C.K is truly one of the generation’s greatest comedians, and we are huge fans of his work, but this is a perfect example of how a quality piece of content, that under any other circumstance would probably become a hit, suffered greatly because it wasn’t marketed properly. As much as we wish it wasn’t true, finding buried treasure is exponentially more difficult if you don’t have a map to get you to it. So, we have two big favors to ask of you. The first, and real core of this entry, is to always remember to market your work to your audience, even if you have a large and extremely dedicated group of fans, you need to let them know yourself that your work exists. The second favor, is to please, please go check out Horace and Pete, we really don’t think you’ll regret it. When you’re done with that, hit us up and maybe we can actually have a real pow-wow about the show. We’re looking forward to it.