video marketing Tag

January 2, 2018 In Business, Marketing, Strategic Planning

What’s on your back burner?

When managing a company is your responsibility, a lot of important detail work gets put on the back burner.

So what’s simmering on your back burner?

Updating your web site with fresh page content?
Better utilizing social media?
Updating the navigation of your site?
Making sure your web site if properly protected?
Preparing trade show materials for your soon-to-be-released product?

Or maybe it’s larger than that. Perhaps what you don’t have the time or energy left to do is revamp your marketing strategy to bring in new business.

Interestingly, what’s relegated to your back burner can have a huge impact on the very thing that’s stressing you out right now. Such as your last quarter ROI.

That’s because when your marketing is taken care of strategically with a practiced eye towards your industry, your job gets a little less intense as your ideal customers begin to take notice of what your company can actually provide to them.

What you do

Carve out a 90 minutes to meet with us when the time is right for you. Tell us what you don’t have the time or the people to do, and what results you’d like to see. Give us your parameters, financial and otherwise.

What we do

When you say go, we do the work, providing you with feedback, details and a few fine-tuning decisions along the way. We don’t make assumptions. We research your niche and come up with several positioning approaches that tell your story to the right people — in a compelling and memorable way. We also adjust to your budget and your timeframe.

What we do is eye-opening. Don’t be surprised if we uncover a few fascinating things about your own rapidly shifting marketplace that raise your eyebrows. Or help you determine how your company can make the most of its sweet spot through well-placed ads in carefully researched places you may not even be aware of.

It all starts with a 90 minute meeting.

Say when.

November 20, 2017 In HD Video Production, Marketing, Video Production

Creating a compelling video

Videos have super powers.

If done right, they can engage, entertain and educate an audience like nothing else can. That’s because using visuals, spoken voice, music and good editing, videos can break through to your audience intellectually and emotionally.

Videos forge a connection and built rapport.

Or – not.

It’s just as easy to miss your mark, losing an audience by packing in too much information, boring them with nothing new, or coming across as out of touch.

Finding the right mix of intellect, humor and emotional appeal is a delicate balance. The magic is difficult to explain, but — you absolutely know it when you see it. And when a video hits the right mark, making you laugh or want to watch it again, your impulse is to share it.

And that’s when you know you’re onto something – when a video gets shared. That’s the goal.

So, how to create a video with super powers?

It starts with clear vision, a great central idea, and excellent writing.

Then the magic really happens in production. All the elements come together; music, sound and narration, timed perfectly with effective visuals.

In a world where even thoughtful articles are skimmed rather than read thoroughly, videos should be concise and on point. And off-beat, funny, irreverent …or charming. Humor can be very effective and memorable.

What’s especially great about video today is that technology is making video more accessible than ever. You don’t need a six-figure budget to create a great video.

How to make your video affordable:

Talk with us, for starters. We do our video work in house.

Use simpler video formats. Videos don’t have to be movies with actors and special effects.

Animation is compelling and can be very simple.

Include video with other marketing services such as websites, landing pages and enhanced listings. Use it or versions of it in lots of places. That can help keep costs down, too.

Yes, Virginia, videos really do have super powers. So by all means, consider a video as a part of your marketing strategy. Consumers like video, use video, share video, and remember video. And that means video brings marketing power to your site’s SEO.

March 17, 2016 In Brand Development, Branding, Business

See the Fork First

More than a few famous poets, authors and songwriters have waxed poetic about the point along the road where one has to decide which direction to take.

At FocalPoint, we think the key to making the best decision about the road less travelled, the road not taken, or the fork in the road is NOT the crucial part of your journey. We think that first you have to SEE the fork, and recognize it for what it is.

That’s a huge thing in marketing and communications strategy. Many, many organizations misstep by failing to see that there is a critical decision to be made at a particular juncture — and do not understand the importance of the fork in the road.

How does one develop the insight to take the right path? At FocalPoint we set out these reminders for ourselves:

Stay focused on shifting currents
Be open to change and stay nimble
Be accessible and approachable
Consult with others and listen
Understand the way it always was is not the way it is

Recognizing the significant, life-altering twists in your company’s path is difficult. It helps having a company by your side to help you anticipate change.

Together, we can decide which new direction to take to forge ahead.

March 27, 2015 In HD Video Production

5 Key Factors That Make or Break Your Video Production

1. Audio
This list is not any particular order, however, I feel like audio does need to be at the top for a reason. A video with bad audio is unbearable. That’s really the bottom line. I don’t care if you are using an iPhone to shoot video or hiring a video production company like Focal Point, great audio MUST be a top priority. There’s nothing that will make someone abandon watching a video faster than poor audio. Do whatever you need to do to get this right. The investment is worth it and anyone with a video production background will tell you the same.

2. Lighting
Every type of video production will involve some sort of lighting. You can make a video without sound, without camera movements, but you can’t make one without light. This means getting the lighting right is critical. When it comes to products, correct lighting techniques are extremely important to capture the features. When it comes to shapes and textures, proper lighting can be used to create just the right mood for the video production. Knowing how to correctly light a scene takes practice and certain skill set. If not done properly, bad lighting can mean more time in the video editing room and more cost to the client.

3. Storytelling
In order for your video marketing efforts to be effective, a story must be told. Instead of thinking about how the “sell” is going to happen, start with a plan for the story that needs to be told. Often times, the most memorable video marketing pieces barely mention or show the product. Certainly if you want your video to be one people will share, the story must be compelling and well thought out. Outline the story first and if you get that right, the rest will fall into place naturally.

4. Pacing
Video pacing and rhythm can have an incredible impact on the audience. The pace of a video typically falls on the shoulders of the editor. The same shots can come together a different way and give the video an entirely different feel. Consider questions like – should the video production have a quick pace to evoke a sense of excitement and action? Or does it make more sense for a more relaxed, slower piece with longer shots? Answer these questions and make sure the video editor or video production company knows exactly the feel you’re looking for.

5. Shot Composition
Understanding the right type of shot for the right situation is a very important aspect of any video production. Should a close up or medium shot be used? How should the person or product be framed? If you’ve spent any time around video, you might have heard of the rule of thirds. This is a method for creating shots and one that takes times to understand and perfect. Knowing all of the shots that must be captured and getting it all right the first time is huge. No one likes to do a retake, especially the clients.

When It All Comes Together

When everything comes together, the result is a very powerful video production that captures the audience, tells a story and compels some time of action. Once piece that I am particular proud of that the Focal Point team produced is this video for Shiel Sexton telling the story of the construction process for the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana. Now that we’ve covered the 5 key ingredients, notice the audio, lighting, storytelling, pacing and shot composition used to make things come together. This is an absolutely beautiful building and I hope you’ll agree that we captured that beauty along with a compelling story in this video.

Palladium from Focal Point on Vimeo.

Contact Us for Video Production in Indianapolis

On of Focal Point’s core services is video production. We’ve been able to work with some great clients in the Indianapolis area and beyond. Take a look at some of our videos on Vimeo here to get a feel for the quality of work we’re able to achieve. Let us know if we can help you plan and product your next video production by contacting us here.