Video is a Vehicle

My new car! A 2008 Honda Fit (Photo credit: annstheclaf)

It is widely accepted the video is the "new, most powerful, engaging ...etc."( blah blah blah) medium to "build your brand, connect with your clients, educate your employees" ( yada yada yada).  It isn't really that surprising.  We have a long establish affinity for the audio visual experience.  Whether it's tv, movies, or commercials, we're no strangers to the moving pictures. 

  Every new client I meet asks the same question, "How much does it cost to do a video?".  Not an unreasonable question and I wish there was a simple answer.  Video production is not like putting a hammer to a nail.  There are a number of elements to consider. How long do you want it to be? What's the source material? Do you want animations or is it live event? What is the ultimate goal of this video? I like to use a travel analogy.  If you ask me, "How much does it cost to make a video for XYZ?"; I'm going to ask you " How much does it cost to get from LA to New York?".  The answer depends on how do you want to get there.  Plane, train or automobile.  Do you want to fly first class?  Do you want the all leather interior? ( Heated seats are optional).   

BC 251 - Video Production 2012 (Photo credit: wcn247)

  The goal of a integrating video into your branding and  marketing strategy is to connect and build an audience.  Online video is a storytelling tool for audience building and engagement.  Actively keeping that in mind is the first most fundamental fact when you've decided to start down the path of   Like the travel analogy; you have to know and have the intention to get to WHERE your going before you dive into how your going to get there. 

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Crappy Content is the Road to Success

1.   There are countless articles and tips that talk about how the real key to marketing success is creating "great content".  But the truth is that before you can create great content, you have to create crappy content.  Great content doesn't happen over night.  It takes time to develop your voice.
2.   If you are the perfectionist type, like myself, all the talk about creating killer/ epic / great content can be pretty intimidating.  There is the part of you that wants to get it absolutely perfect the first time.  But the fact is, if you aren't already in the habit of creating, you can't you jump straight to "creating great stuff".  While developing your content strategy you need to go through the learning curve of creation. 

3. Get into the habit of creating. Iterate and improve as you go.

4.   I believe that you have to get into the habit of creating first.  Create an a regular schedule. Even if you don't share it at first. Challenge yourself. Find your routine and improve as you go along. This isn't a new idea, but I don't think that it is an idea that gets talked about nearly enough.  You have to start where you are and put yourself out there.  Give yourself permission to create crap.  You are going to learn and improve along the way.

   
   

   
   

   
   

    This is a great video by Marie Forleo of Marie TV.  In it Marie shares the evolution of her video content.  It starts out very rough.  With a just webcam and the willingness to start where she was, she began creating videos. I love how you can see the progression.  Marie explains how the show matured and production value increased as she brought in more people.  It didn't happen over night.  Marie's video is a great real world demonstration that the key is in the starting.  That's the path to great content.

   
   

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• Why Marketers Need to Rise Above the Deluge of Crappy Content

Video is Digital Storytelling

Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why Video is on the Rise

   The conversation about online video has been on a steady rise for the last few years. Really it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Our culture has had a fascination with moving pictures for over a century. Who doesn't remember watching cartoons as a kid? Movie, television...video is just the latest in a long line of visual media. What make video different today, compared to just a few years ago, is that video is a medium that is available to everyone. The barriers to entry are rapidly disappearing.  Now, more than any other time in history, anyone can share their story. And stories are what the people want.

Online Video is simply a form of digital storytelling.  People want to hear stories that inspire them, that move them. As a business owner or community organizer you are a storyteller; and, people want to know what you are about. The question you have to ask yourself is, how do you want to move them. Maybe you want to move them to take action. Move them to buy your product or service. Maybe you just want to make them laugh. Today, it's possible, with a camera and a laptop, to do just that.
 
 You think you don't have a story to share. I assure you that you do. You are a storyteller. It doesn't need to be this polished, scripted infomercial. People what to know the real, raw story of you. Your video isn't about the this highly polished piece of marketing material. It is about you and the reality that YOU bring to your story. I'll spare you the comparisons to "reality TV". Instead, think about the Discovery Channel. People tune in to see crab fishermen, and coal miners, and a litany of dirty job. These aren't meticulously scripted pieces of entertainment. They are real stories and they are interesting because the are authentic.

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• Digital storytelling: Making your online presentations memorable
• The secrets of a master digital storyteller | Susan Young

DVD on Demand

  Lets begin with the end in mind, distribution.  You've finished your feature and sadly distributors aren't beating down your door.   You can shelve it, cut your losses and move on.  Option 2...self-distribution.    A great tools for this is CreateSpace.  CreateSpace, formerly know as Customflix, is and Amazon owned company ( thats important, but I'll get to that in a bit).

  CreateSpace provides a "DVD on Demand" service.  Basically,  you send in your master DVD, cover, and disc art; then, CreateSpace creates an e-Store. You set the price and your movie is available for sale online.   You also have the option to make you film available on Amazon and Amazon Video on Demand for digital download. All of this is free.  So whats the catch? For each sale, CreateSpace retains a base price of $4.95 plus 15% of thee-Store sales price ( from Amazon sales its 45$)  Heres how it breaks down according to their site:

For example...

If you sold a DVD with a list price of $25.00 through a CreateSpace eStore, you would earn a royalty of $16.30. The calculation is as follows:

---

List Price	$25.00
Our Share	$8.70 (see details below)
Your Royalty	$16.30 (list price minus our share)

---

% Share for eStore	$3.75 (15% of $25)
Fixed Charge	$4.95 (one DVD-R in amaray-style case)
Our Share Total	$8.70

It seems a little steep I'll grant you.  Only getting $16 out of $25 doest seem like a jip.  Not quite like hitting the lottery.  I'll ask you to consider the hidden costs.

The Hidden Cost

  I was telling a fellow movie maker about CreateSpace, CustomFlix at the time.  His father chimed in saying that they would be better off doing bulk duplication and selling them themselves. That would bring the cost down to about $3 bucks a piece.  Spending the $3 is better than "losing" $8.50 right ?  Well I'll ask you to consider the following. Unless you have your own DVD replication system, you're going to have to use a service.  There are plenty of them out there.  Lets use Disc Mkers.  To doa run of 100 DVDs, with case and art  you're looking at an inital investment on about $300.  Not too bad.  Now you've sold a DVD.  You need to collect the payment.  Selling noline, you're looking at a credit card transaction.  You need to package it.  You can't just slap a shipping label in the outside cover.  You still have to pay for shipping. Not to mention the costs involved with setting up your online store and the opportunity cost of running to the post office.  Whats the cost involved with doing a return of a defective disc?  If you do the math and you're looking at a break even point of about 15 units.  That is to say, if you know, I mean KNOW, you can sale 15 copies of your flick, mass duplication is the way to go.  (By the way,  you can bulk order from CreateSpace for the $4.95 base price.)  Remember, we're talking about a movie your were reach to resign to the closet.  Here's the beauty... theres nothing saying you a can do both.  There is an added bonus to using CreateSpace.

An Amazon Company

Image via CrunchBase

  As I mentioned CreateSpace is an Amazon owned company.  Getting you project listed for sale on Amazon via CreateSpace is just a few simple clicks.  Why is this useful?  Amazon also owns IMDB!  In order for your project to be eligible to be listed on IMDB it must meet certain criteria, including:

• Released on video or prints have been made available to the public (See exceptions below on limited distribution titles).
• Listed in the catalog of an established video retailer.

  Listing in on Amazon easily fits this requirement.

Image via Wikipedia

Conclusion

  So there you have it.  Easy to setup.  No backlog of inventory.  Logistics, packaging, and customer service are taken care of. Increased credibility with the backdoor onto IMDB.  And is free. CreateSpace provides a compelling all-inclusive, non-exclusive option for distribution. 

   That said, CreateSpace isn't a magic bullet.  There is no "one" best option. It is simply a one of the many tools at our disposal to expand our reach. If it isn't already, Createspace should definitely be a part of your distribution matrix.   When venturing down the road of self-distribution its in our best interests to take advantage every opportunity.  CreateSpace is a good start.

   

Learning the Art of Drama

Mortal Combat Viral Hit Demonstrates Bright Future for Web TV Series

Mortal Combat Viral Hit Demonstrates Bright Future for Web TV Series