Customer testimonials are typically hard to get. I thought I’d list a quick way that I have gotten video testimonials from customers in the past using flip cameras and dropbox.

1. Step one buy some video cameras Kodak Playtouch ($179) or Flip Cameras ($80) with your loaded logo (as of today you still can) – see picture to the right.
2. Step two send the cameras to your clients with an email & document asking them to find a quiet room that’s well lit.
3. Step three ask them to turn the camera on, sit in front and read the questions aloud and then answer (its also helpful to send a “best practices how to record”).
4. Step four ask them to upload the raw footage to your dropbox folder you have just shared with them – or ship the camera back.
5. Step five edit the video down to under 1:00 in total time.
6. Step six load the content to your site with appropriate tracking codes to see who watches and what they do next (don’t forget a call to action).
7. Step seven ask for their final approval and tell them to keep the flip as a gift.

Marketing should exploit the immediate connection and effectiveness of using video in their referral process. Video is an effective and simple way to make a connection. These types of clean videos come across as very honest as there is very little “production”. I’ve gotten five testimonials completed in 30 days using this method.

It might be obvious to some but the web is becoming a broadcast system. People love consuming content this way and it really has an impact. You don’t need large budgets or time to enable this component of your demand generation marketing engine.

Here is a quick app showing you how to create your scripts and offers the script template download. Comment below if you have any questions.

I was going through a demo with a new client yesterday and we had some spare time after the session so I went a bit more in depth into our V2 area over at my.visiblegains.com, of which you can create a free account! For the demo I wanted to create an application from scratch about the snow storm we just had yesterday. I used my webcam to introduce myself, found a couple of pictures I took of the snow and recorded a brief video saying thanks for watching. It was great, completed it in a demo and all of it was under 10 minutes to turn images into a quick video. Here is the final:

Here is a break down of the files, it’s a quick video, then three images of the snow with some voiceover I recorded using my laptop mic right into the builder and then a quick video saying “thanks.”

Yes I know I work for the company and I’ve been working with this tool but the fact that this was so easy and quick really blew me away, and it seems to be doing the same for the people I demo for. Again you can check it out here: my.visiblegains.com

For one reason or another, you don’t have the right video footage to tell the story. How do you overcome such a hurdle? Easy, use images.

I know what you’re probably thinking… “If I wanted to create a boring PowerPoint presentation, I would have done just that, I want to make a video.”

Well, the use of still images with a common technique called the Ken Burns effect is capable of creating a pretty engaging video. Named after documentary film producer and director Ken Burns, the Ken Burns effect is the technique of slowly zooming into or panning over an image to create a video like experience. This technique is best used to emphasize specific segments of an image and can really help communicate the story you’re trying to tell.

Watch this short example taken from a Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks. It’s a nice blend of both video and imagery.

So, the next time you’re stuck without any video footage, find some images and add a little Ken Burns. You may be surprised with the outcome.

P.S. – In the latest release of our product, we’ve included the ‘Ken Burns’ effect with all image elements. Very cool, check it out!

VisibleGains 2.0 Beta

Video is a wonderful medium for digital marketers to use when communicating. Properly employed it increases engagement and conversion.  When stepping into the world of using video for sales and marketing,  it is helpful to understand the different formats that can be employed.   In general there are three approaches to creating video

1. Talking head,
2. Voice Over,
3. Animation.

They can be used individually or in combination.  Most important is to understand which format works best for each marketing and sales goal

Talking Head:

• Approach -  Person, often an employee, speaking on camera
• Benefits    -  Puts a face and some punch into the message.  Authentic, helping to develop trust.
• Examples  -  A customer sharing their success story.  Product manager addressing frequently asked questions.  Chief Technology officer doing a “chalk talk”.  Sending a video holiday card to your clients.
• Cost -  Inexpensive, as you can self produce this content.  Important to simplify approach to make it easy to produce.  Often can combine with Voice Over to make it complete.

Voice Over:

• Approach – Use of images with narration over the image
• Benefits -    Easily engage viewer by combining pictures (including words) and sound (often voice). Great way to simplify a message (and force you to do it).
• Examples  -  Demonstrating a complex product (but not needing an end to end video).  Telling a short (60 second overview) of what your company does, especially for product companies (including those with virtual and physical products).
• Cost/Time  -  Very inexpensive.  You can get stock graphics and photos, use a person within the company as the “voice talent”.  Not hard to iterate and can be done pretty quickly.

Animation

• Approach -  Like drawing a cartoon, but it has “full motion” with sound or voice
• Benefits -     Very engaging, when done well. Similar to images with voice over but a bit more complex and rigid
• Examples -   Similar to those for image with voice over.
• Cost -           This requires an outside expert (unless you have an animator in-house) with longer lead times and expense

The beauty of video is that it enables the business marketing and sales teams to use pictures, people and sound to engage the viewer and create a personal connection.  This is an advantage over just using the written word.  Watch a few news shows and you will see the first two formats used individually or together.  See how effective they are and also how much information is communicated in a short time.
If you have other formats, ideas or examples,  it would be great to have you share them.