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.

Win a Free Animated Marketing Video!!!

Welcome to Switch Marketing’s First Ever Video Contest!

Video is the most engaging marketing method online and we think everyone should give it a chance and see the results it can bring. So we’ve decided to launch a contest on Twitter where the company with the most votes WINS A FREE VIDEO!

All the details are below along with contact information should you have any questions.

If you’re wondering whether this is a contest worth trying for, we’re obviously going to say yes! There are more than $11,000 in prizes to be won so we’ll leave that up to you.

When:
March 1 - 15, 2010

Grand Prize: A FREE 2-minute Plus, animated web video for your company. The video will be produced by Switch Marketing in the 8 weeks after the contest ends. This package is worth $8,000 !

Second prize: A 1-minute Plus screencast video for the business that comes in second. This package is worth $3,000!

Why:
Video is the most effective communication and marketing tool online. Having a professionally produced video that explains what you do, who you are or how to use your product(s)/service(s) is a great way to brand your business, increase traffic to your website and boost your conversion rates.

How:
To get started follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/switchmarketing

Then send out the following tweet to your followers:

Win a free animated marketing video! Follow @switchmarketing & RT this to your followers. http://twttr.me/dbqR

Once you nominate your company by following us and retweeting this message, we will DM you with a link to fill out a short form with a bit more information.

Once you fill out the form you can start asking for some Twitter love from your followers.

Ask your followers to vote for you by Tweeting the following message on Twitter:

I vote for @company to win a  free animated marketing video from @switchmarketing because….
That’s it!  So easy!

The Rules:

1. All votes must be received by midnight EST on Monday March 15, 2010 to count.
2. All nominations must come from a @switchmarketing follower.
3. Your followers can only vote for you once each.
4. The winner of the 2-min Plus Explanatory web video from Switch Marketing will be announced on Tuesday March 16, 2010 at 2 p.m. EST via Twitter.
5. Video projects that we are currently working on are not eligible to win this contest.
6. Switch Marketing reserves the right to use the winners’ videos on our website portfolio and video sharing sites.
7. The winner can then contact Shelby at 1-877-297-6090 ext. 725 to claim their prize.

All questions can be directed to Shelby at videomarketing@switchmarketing.com

Psychology Behind Simple Video

There’s no doubt that videos are cool and fun to watch - certainly more fun than reading page after page of text let’s face it. It’s become rather well known that having a video on your website that explains what you do, what you offer, why people should choose you or how you work, will get a better response from your audience.

But, why?

Aside from being more exciting than text, there are underlying reasons hidden deep within the brain that make video an extremely valuable tool for business owners.

Let’s start by looking at it in terms of time. You have about 8 seconds to capture the attention of a visitor to your website. If they don’t leave by then what are the odds they are going to leave understanding, let alone remembering your message?

Well, if you only provide text or audio, your visitor will only remember 10% of what they read 72 hours later. How much will they remember if they watch a video? Wait for it…..

68 percent!   

To understand this a little more we looked into recent research being done in cognitive psychology and found out that the brain works in a pretty fascinating way. We discovered that when trying to captivate an audience’s attention, keep their attention and send them home with a message they remember, there are three important factors to keep in mind.

1. Keep it simple.

Only include relevant information and movement. Our brain stores working memory, which only has a certain capacity. Non essential information will take up that space and distract from the learning and this is why we make sure our videos aren’t too busy - to keep the viewer focused on the message.

2. Know your audience.

Your viewer’s prior knowledge is important to know. That’s because new knowledge is built on that foundation. Also it’s much easier to retrieve at a later time, when it’s attached to   something they already know and understand. This is why we use analogies in our videos so often. 

3. Use powerful learning tools.

Dual coding theory is key! What is it?
Combining audio and visual information together for the purpose of learning.

Don’t forget that your viewer will remember 58% more when you teach through both these senses.

As our attention spans get increasingly shorter, the time you have to captivate your audience and explain what you do also becomes shorter.

That is why simple, explanatory video is such a powerful business tool.  Don’t forget to check out our final video on December 10th that you can share with all your video friends!

Our Video Packages

Finally a video to explain our videos!

You may know that we offer four different packages, but do you know the difference between each one? We found this a bit hard to describe in words and thought hey, why not make a video? After all, videos do make things a lot more fun and easy to understand, right?

So here it is. If you’d like to learn more, see our pricing or inquire about a custom made video for your business just fill out the short form on the right, and we’ll get right back to you.