How to use
video content?

Videos can now be easily distributed to your target market via the internet
This may be: –

• via a live webcast – webinar or product launch
• hosted on your site – product or service infomercial
• distributed on sites such as YouTube – viral social networking
• sent virally via email – email marketing as a download
• an advert placed on space you have purchased from a media agency

A recent BBC survey found that 43% of people in the UK who watch video online at least once a week
said they watched normal TV less. Online videos have become more popular and abundant over the past few
years due to vastly improved image quality and the increased use of broadband. What's more, people's habits
are changing: people expect to see video online. They expect to see a video on a website.

The viral nature of a video also means that your promotional message can be distributed much further
than conventional methods of advertising.

 

Why should you use
video content for
online marketing?

1 Using video content can increase sales
Video helped M&S to increase online sales by 30% (New Media Age , October 2009). It launched the online video
service M&S TV in April 2009 and has served more than 1 million minutes of content, with click-through rates up by 30% and
a sales uplift of 90% for some products.

2 Using video content can improve your customer's experience online
Adding product videos to your website not only improves the user-experience and for shoppers it increases the
likelihood of a sale.

3 Using video content improves your website ‘stickability’
Video gives your merchandise, product or service an added dimension, improves the customer’s shopping
experience, and adds great value to your online store.

4 Broadband speeds and
developments in technology
mean that online advertising
has now over taken TV
advertising
(BBC September 2009)

5 Online video is riding a wave
of popularity
Industry researcher Forrester Research reports
that 34 percent of all internet users view video
online at least monthly, and 53 percent have
seen a video online at least once.

Video Marketing

Video is fast becoming one of the best ways to market a business. Not only is video an attractive and
stimulating media platform but it is also a visually engaging way to promote a venue, product or service.
Videos are proven to capture the imagination of online visitors and often inspire conversion rates and
online bookings.

A study by Wharton Business School, in the USA, found that a well produced video increased information
retention by 50% compared to a printed brochure. This is because video is multi-sensory and the more senses
that are engaged the more information a person retains.

That same study analysed the effectiveness of video as a means of direct marketing. It was found that
video direct mail response rates can be up to 600% higher than printed brochures. Furthermore, when
video is used it can speed up the buying decision process by 72% in comparison to a printed brochure.

Also, in a survey* into teaching and communication methods, it was found that on average, respondents retain:

• 10% of what they read
• 26% of what they hear
• 30% of what they see
• 50% of what they see and hear

* Source: Learning and Teaching Styles, In Foreign and Second Language Education, Richard M. Felder, North Carolina State University.

Online videos

Videos can now be easily distributed to your target market via the internet. This may be via a live webcast,
hosted on your site, distributed on sites such as YouTube, sent virally via email or may be an advert placed on
space you have purchased from a media agency.

A recent BBC survey found that 43% of people in
the UK who watch video online at least once a
week said they watched normal TV less. Online
videos are now hugely popular due to vastly improved
quality and the increased use of broadband.
What is more, people's habits are changing:
people expect to see video online. They expect to
see a video on a website.

The viral nature of a video also means that your
promotional message can be distributed much
further than conventional methods of advertising.
It’s no good having a video if nobody watches it.
Here at CWM Studios we also focus on getting
your video seen by as many potential customers
as possible.

The most important part of your video is its
accessibility and ease of distribution, so as well as
producing top-quality online videos; we also
suggest the best-possible methods of distribution.

 

Your website is one of the very best places for your video

• Video provides your online visitors and users with attractive and informative marketing about your
  products, venues and services whenever they want it, anywhere in the world. Video can increase the
  average browsing time of online visitors and result in increased bookings, enquiries and online
  purchases.
  
  
• Online video can offer an excellent competitive advantage for your business, promoting your venue,
  products or services in a highly engaging and effective way.
  
  
• Furthermore, rich media content such as video can increase the page ranking of your website on
  search engines such as Google.

Viral and email marketing

Another benefit of online video is the ability to send your videos – for free, to anyone in the world via
email or by posting your video to social networks. Some of the key benefits of posting your video in this way are:

• Email is efficient to use and environmentally friendly
• Sent information can be received almost immediately anywhere in the world
• Sending information via email is free
• Posting to social networks enable people to easily share your video with their networks
• Social networks enable your video to reach a wider audience

Video links

Videos can sit in emails as video links – simple hyperlinks that when clicked, will open the video in a new
window and play automatically. This video link can say whatever you wish within an email ‘click here to
see video’ for example.


On the move – iPhone, iPod and MP4 downloads

More and more portable devices such as MP4 players and iPods can
play video. You can offer downloads from your video links to allow the
customer to keep your video on their computers or download them to
their portable video players so potential customers can take your
videos with them in their pockets.

Whether your future customers are on their way to work, on the tube
or are just out and about and have some spare time, portable video
content is excellent entertainment and our videos entertain their
viewers with your marketing messages embedding within them.


Video hosting
Once your video has been produced, it is vital to get it to your target
audience as effectively as possible. Video hosting and streaming ensures
that your online audience has access to your video and that it loads quickly and
plays smoothly.

Ideally, videos should be hosted on media hosting servers and not on web hosting servers,
which can cause disruption to your media site and slow down and limit access to your web pages

Why use video?

Five ways video
could help to
improve your business


1 Showcase what you do to prospective customers
Video is perfect for communicating the depth and quality of your product or service and the enthusiasm or
expertise of your staff. If you are a professional services firm, then your people are your greatest asset and they can
clinch an enquiry with a good pitch. It’s ideal for hotels, spas, or restaurants as you can immediately communicate
the experience. Also, web-based video content has a higher click-through rate than images alone.

2 Grow traffic through search and social media
Like images, video can be tagged and found through Google and other search engines. You can also use
social media (Facebook, YouTube etc.) to place your video where prospective customers can find it and be led back to
your site. Make sure that you make it easy for visitors to share and pass on your video content to their friends.

3 Help your customers get the most from your products or services
If your product is complex and customers need help to get the most out of it, video is an easy way to explain
how it works, for example – and also to reduce the number of post-purchase queries.

4 Create compelling testimonials
If you can persuade your best customers to wax lyrical about your product or service on camera,
you have a winning asset.

5 Generate pay per view revenues from valuable content
If you already charge for provision of specialist content on your website – maybe as a training company –
consider whether you can offer pay per view videos on your site. If this is a step too far, use video as a trailer
for long-form DVD video content.

 

Video Production Process

CWM Studios has a clear process for video production, which ensures that you are involved, informed and consulted at each and every stage of the production process. We try to ensure that the process is efficient, enjoyable and fulfilling for everyone.

For example, here's how a video project might run:

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Stage 1 – Initial Meeting and Quotation

We will first speak to you about your video project and what you are hoping to achieve with it and to learn more about your organisation. We will then quote for the work and outline some ideas of how we would approach the project. This can either be done formally, with a full pitch, or less formally, with a written quotation.

 

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Stage 2 - Pre-production

When the formalities are agreed, you will be assigned a project manager and their first task is to understand fully the aims of the video, and to start work on planning the video.

During the pre-production, we will look at the style of the video, the main messages of the video and develop a script and storyboard. Depending on the video, each of these could be an individual document which will need to be signed off at each stage.

In any event, we will make sure that you are happy with the plans before filming begins.

If you are working with a presenter, they will be selected during pre-production. Locations for filming will be chosen, and filming will be scheduled. Our filming days are carefully planned to ensure that we gather all the necessary footage, and to make it easy for everyone involved, from our client, to interviewees and presenters.

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Stage 3 - Production

Production is the filming phase of your video project. Our camera crews will film the content required to create your finished video. We have worked in a variety of locations and our crews are used to working with people who may not have appeared on camera before.

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Stage 4 - Post-production

Once the filming is complete, we will create a draft edit of your video based on the script and storyboard. At this stage we will record any voiceovers required, introduce music and work on any graphics (2D or 3D).

Once the draft is done we will review it with you and get your feedback. We will then work on the video to create a final version.

When you are happy that the final version is what you were looking for, we then create the final formats that best suit your requirements.

 

Photography

Whether it be in our studio or on location, our photographers are there to capture truly stunning photographs.

Specialising in the following areas:

• Product photography
  
  
• Catalogues
  
  
• Calenders
  
  
• Glamour
  
  
• Fashion
  
  
• Portfolios
  
  
• Sports
  
  

Our photographers are fully equipped with a full complement of professional digital photography equipment including 35mm & medium format digital cameras and portable strobe lighting.

 

Website Design

We specialise in creating unique, exciting and accessible web pages that really allow your business to succeed on the web.

Whether you want your website to showcase your business, to sell your products online, or simply to share what you do with the rest of the world, our web designers can provide carefully tailored solutions to suit you.

Our website designers will liaise with you at every stage of the design process. By carefully balancing web page design with structure, we create visually appealing, robust and useable websites that quickly become a tangible asset for your business.

An exciting new technology that has the taken the web by storm is the advent of web-based video content. Sites such as YouTube have pioneered this technology and shown the world just how effective this medium can be. CWM Studios specialises in creating professional quality video content designed specifically for this medium, and can integrate this seamlessly into your website. For more details on video content creation please see our section on Video Production.

 

Graphic Design

At CWM Studios we have our own dedicated in-house graphic design department. Utilising the latest technology in combination with our experienced designers we can create truly unique and spectacular design work to suit a variety of styles.

We have the technical expertise to adapt and design content specifically for different media including print, web and video.

Specialising in the following areas:

• Advertising and marketing material
  
  
• Product packaging
  
  
• Websites
  
  
• On-screen graphics
  
  
• Corporate logos and branding
  
  
• Photo Manipulation

Audio Production

At CWM Studios we realise that video and audio go hand in hand, and that good audio production can make or break a video. That's why our audio engineers have years of experience in recording sound for video, both in the studio and on location.

Rather than using expensive library music, original music scores can be created as part of our television productions or as stand alone pieces for radio commercials etc. We pride ourselves on producing unique music for clients that matches their needs.

 

Video Production

At CWM Studios we understand the need for exceptional quality video, and providing true value for money. That’s why all of our video production is tailored exclusively to our clients' needs.

Our team can handle your entire project from concept to completion, giving you the benefit of our years of experience within the media industry.

We have our own TV and audio studios and our production team has filmed on locations around the world and has many hours of studio and live television broadcast experience.


Corporate Videos
Video is one of the most effective ways of communicating your corporate messages, products or services.

Webcasts and Webinars
Have you or a colleague ever needed to be in two places at once? Or are you losing too many man hours to seminars and conferences away from the office and is it all costing your business too much? Then look no further than an organised webcast or webinar available as an efficient, cost-effective alternative.

Training Videos
One of the most effective ways to train people is to show them exactly how it should be done. A professional training video with voiceover and instructional graphics is the perfect teaching aid and can be used again and again, saving your organisation time and money.

Infomercials & Home Shopping
Our production team have been involved with product and service videos (infomercials) and home shopping for a number of years and can produce effective infomercials for ecommerce and home shopping solutions.

Television Commercials
With less than 30 seconds to capture the audience's attention, it is vital to find new and innovative approaches to advertise products and services. Working in collaboration with our clients our production team can produce adverts that ensure your business gets noticed.

News and Discussion Shows
From simple head-to-camera interviews to news programmes and discussion shows, we can capture all the action.

Music Videos
We have produced music videos for several bands for promotional use and viral marketing.

Showreels
A good showreel is important to any presenter and can make the difference between even getting considered for a job or not.

Internet Television
Our production team can produce specifically tailored content optimised for web viewing.

Courses & Staff Training

With years of combined experience in the television and music industries, we are able to provide training in all areas of the media. From camera operation, producing and directing, right through to audio and broadcast engineering and media presenting.

We also run structured media training courses at our HD television studios. The courses cover various different aspects of media and broadcast, and are designed to give hands-on experience using industry standard equipment and processes.

 

IPTV & Web Streaming

With its low cost, huge choice and today's easy accessibility, Internet TV is quickly becoming the future.

User-generated content and social networking sites have sparked this phenomenon, and now all kinds of businesses are realising the true potenial of this medium. It is now possible to reach audiences in their tens of thousands with specifically targeted media content, for a lower cost than would have previously been possible.

At CWM Studios we have been heavily involved with the development of this rapidly growing new media and can provide tailored solutions for both on-demand and streaming media content.