How one client uses their animated, explanatory video..

This is a video we did for a client. Check it out then read below about how the client is using the video and how it helps them communicate their message.

We interviewed Bob Walters of Burroughs Payment Systems and this is what he had to say:

Switch: How does this video help you meet your business objectives?

Bob: We like the video because it helps explain a business process that people are generally unfamiliar with. The process itself really isn’t complex, but it’s a dry topic that can be explained in just a couple of minutes, and upon seeing the video, most people say ‘oh I get it now’.

Switch: How are you using the video?

Bob: We are re-vamping our Burroughs.com website, so we hope to have the video posted on there by next week. In the meantime we have it on YouTube and I’ve been sending that link to those who are interested. I have discovered some corporate systems do not allow their employees to access YouTube, so having the video on our corporate site will help promote it.

The video is also a good opener for presentations. When I am speaking to a group for the first time to explain the concept, I start with the video; it loosens up the audience and gets people in a more open frame of mind and you can still see that hint of a smile on their face when I fire up the PowerPoint slides.

Switch: Who is your target audience:

Bob: This product is deployed in retail establishments, and a part of the prospect base is the retailer, so the whimsical approach fits well in this model because it’s partially a B2C model. The other part of the prospect base is banks, and that’s purely a B2B model with probably more conservative thinking and maybe less effect.

So that’s how Burroughs uses their video and just one example of how you can use yours too. Video helps to explain things in a more fun and engaging way that works in both B2C models and B2B models. If you’re interested in a video for your business just fill out the short form to the right and you’ll hear from one of our Web Video Specialists in no time.

Introducing Our New CEO……… Kelly McKenna!!

The exciting news was just announced to the company yesterday - a new CEO has been chosen!

Kelly McKenna was offered the position this past weekend and the whole company is just buzzing with excitement! Andrew had been looking to hire a CEO so he could focus more of his attention on sales and marketing and he’s found the perfect fit!

So without further ado, please welcome Kelly to her new role here at Switch!

“I am excited and confident that Switch will be a very successful company because of the skills & expertise each person has and I can’t wait to begin working with everyone in the great capacity that my role as CEO will allow!” she said.

Here’s a little background info on Kelly and her experience with Switch until now:

Before being promoted to CEO in January 2010, Kelly worked with Switch as a Web Video Specialist. She has successfully sold many videos to clients all over the world as a Sales Executive and also took on a number of project management responsibilities in the form of client relations. Kelly has played a significant role in the growth of each of our departments and the company as a whole.

She graduated from Quebec’s Bishop’s University with a degree in Psychology & Business but knew she had to see some of the world before doing either. Along the way she sailed the Caribbean seas, learned about languages in Japan, and achieved a LIFE dream in Ireland. Living and working abroad with a family isn’t always easy, but it can also provide unique opportunities.

Raising three children abroad inspired Kelly to create www.mumstown.com, a community based social networking website to help people share local information. The website grew and became a nationwide success earning Best Internet & ICT, Best Innovation and Community Awards. She pitched the business on Dragon’s Den and eventually sold the business to investors.

We have no doubts that Kelly is going to take Switch Marketing further than it’s ever been! We are all very excited to have her as our new CEO!

Happy Holidays from All of Us!

Introducing MK Lynde

Meet MK.

She’s our company photographer. She does all kinds of photography including commercial, wedding and portraits, but she specializes in Spherical Projection Equirectangular Panorama photography. What’s that you ask? Well it is 180 by 360 degree photography mapped onto a rectangular which shows every possible view of any given scene. You can check out some awesome samples on her website http://www.mklynde.com/

MK has an interesting and expansive background that includes model testing in Toronto and Australia, film production stills in Los Angeles and teaching at Georgian College right here, close to home. She is also a licensed optician!

“I moved to Creemore with kids so they could ride bikes and play outside,” she explains.

When asked why she likes working for Switch Marketing she said, “Because they are local, hip, progressive, active, creative, talented AND they are 10 seconds from my house.”

Introducing Kelly Metheral

This is Kelly Metheral. She has just joined our team as Lead Sales Support.

Kelly does a little bit of everything around here, but she is most helpful to our sales reps around North America by following up with our leads and keeping our clients happy. She went to George Brown College, and is a native to our area. She runs a farm not far from Creemore with her husband and three children, and is no stranger to hard work! “Switch is a very motivating environment,” she says. “I love the challenge here and the feeling of being part of a strong team.”

Welcome Kelly!

Introducing Shelby Hilson

We are please to have Shelby Hilson join Switch Marketing as our Social Media Director.

Shelby has had a passion for writing since a very young age and always knew that she’d make a career out of it one day. With a degree in Media Studies from the University of Guelph and a diploma in Journalism from Humber College, Shelby has had articles published in both magazines and newspapers including Outpost, Our Homes and The Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin, as well as a number of university publications. Her love for writing combined with her knowledge of online media is what brought her to Switch Marketing. “I love working for such a passionate and dedicated company that enables me to show my true talents through blog writing, script writing and social networking.”

Why eLearning Sucks

Here is a presentation on why eLearning Sucks. It’s a powerful presentation about learning and how engagement contributes to effective learning while eLearning puts engagement second to academic rigour.

So why does eLearning have to be like a lecture? The best learning is from experience!

What do you think of this presentation? Let us know!

Sand Animation

Here is a really cool video of an Ukraine’s Got Talent contestant and her artistic performance telling a story using sand.

We think the combination of animation and sand is awesome and we hope you do too.

Enjoy!

High quality videos for YouTube and your website

I just watched a great Web Video Secrets Podcast presented by Web Video University hosted Dave Kaminski on how to get the highest quality videos on YouTube and on your website.

Dave states that if you are using normal video the best dimensions for uploading to YouTube is to render the video out of your video editing software at a resolution of 640 x 480 or 480 x 360. You used to have to change the embed code in YouTube or else your video would look strange. Now all you have to do is click the little ‘Customize’ icon to the right of the embed code and you will see that YouTube now has 4 different screen size options to choose from. When you select the screen size that works for you, YouTube will automatically change the embed code to the selected screen size.

If you are doing a screen capture video there are many ways to get the highest quality video for YouTube or your website. The easiest way, which is demonstrated by Dave in this podcast, is to change your recording settings in a program like Camtasia to record to a .avi file instead of the default .camrec file. You then want to make sure that you are recording your screen shot video at a screen size of 640 x 480. Once your done recording and editing the video you will need to render it out of Camtasia at a resolution of 640 x 480 as a Windows Media File (.wmv file). After the .wmv is uploaded to YouTube you will need to force YouTube to show a really high quality version of your video by going up to the tool bar where the Youtube web address is and type in this command: &fmt=18 at the end of the address. Then YouTube will magically display the higher quality version of your video but this will not fix the embed code. The get the high quality video version embed code copy and paste the displayed embed code into your blog or website and after the URL to your video but before the ‘&h1′ paste in the following magical command: &ap=%2526fmt%3D18

But wait, you will have to do this twice in the embed code, the first time is for your internet explorer brower and the second time is for Firefox internet explorers. Then you will have the highest quality video for your website or blog posts.

A great lesson in perfecting your web videos! You can learn more about web videos at Web Video University.

Marketing Video Production for the Uninitiated

Marketing video production has become a booming business in this day and age of video love. Google and one of their newest acquisitions, YouTube, have made online video an almost daily activity for more than 50% of the Web’s daily users. It didn’t take long for marketers to realize that this medium would be ripe for the picking for almost any marketing message you can imagine. The only question was how.

The Web’s marketing messages bear little resemblance to television, as they are much shorter in length and geared for incredibly specific purposes. They also are much less expensive to produce, and can be done in a matter of days, instead of longer production schedules that television is accustomed to.

There are flavors for everyone, and you can have videos produced for your site, seminar videos, event videos, product demos, training videos and almost anything else you can think of. There are now firms galore that will deliver up video for your every need and budget. They cover everything from scripting your video, editing, sound and visual effects. Your marketing video production will have the look that only professional production firms can offer, and put you miles ahead of your competitor’s videos shot on their phone!

Take the time to investigate whether or not a professional marketing video production is right for your business. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you discover!