maine web development, web design, internet marketing

Have you seen these crazy looking things? They look like an empty crossword puzzle and they keep popping up all over the place.

These are QR (Quick Response) codes. Popular in Japan, they are quickly making an impression in the United States. With your smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry etc.) you can download an application and scan the box and receive more information about a topic or article. Each box brings you to either a website URL, phone number or text. QR codes are not only ‘way super cool’ but they are a neat way to integrate more of your marketing efforts.

How do you scan or read them?

You will need a smartphone with a camera or scanner or a webcam, internet access and a QR code reading software or program. I am currently using the i-nigma app for my iPhone but there are plenty of others like ScanLife, Kaywa and many more. Once you have the reader installed you can just scan the QR code by taking a picture with your camera or scanning app on your smartphone. Once you have scanned it you will be brought right to the text or website included in the code.

What people are using them for

People are using QR codes for lots of marketing efforts. They are easy to create with sites like QR – Generator, Create QR code, QReate and Track and many more.

Here is a list of a few things businesses are using QR codes for:

• Integrating Marketing Efforts – To get a measurable return from print advertising, companies are including QR codes in their print ad to go to specific landing pages on their website to get more information about the products and offers in that particular ad.
• As Business Cards – At a recent conference I attended each attendee had a unique QR code on their conference badge. Instead of swapping business cards you could scan attendees badges and have all of their information at your fingertips.
• Private links to more information – Print magazines, blogs and websites are using QR codes as private links to very targeted entries with more information. If you are reading an article about eating healthy there could be a QR code for 100 items to add to your shopping list for better eating. QR codes are making print more interactive.
• “Secret Messages” – Like in a Christmas Story when Ralphie uses his Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring, businesses can use their QR codes for secret planted messages and teasers. In the Lost Finale (in select markets) during a commercial for True Blood, a QR code flashed across the screen. It happened so quickly that only those who had DVRed the show would be able to scan it. The QR code brought you to a secret preview of the next season. This was perfect targeting for these two unique audiences who love solving puzzles.
• To send traffic to their Google Local Listing – As you may or may not know, every business that registers with Google has the option to have a free Google Places listing. In that listing you can add photos of your business, more information and even select online coupons. Google and business are using QR codes to direct traffic to those free listings. Google is sending businesses QR codes to put in their windows and promote the Google Places listing.
• Discounts and Coupons – Businesses can easily add links to coupons and discounts in a QR code.
• Real Estate Listings – See a house or office space you want more information on? Scan the QR code on the For Lease sign or handout and be brought right to the online listing for that piece of property.
• Payment and Event Entry – Companies like Starbucks have been using QR codes as payment, an alternative to swiping customers Starbucks cards. Live Nation has experimented with using QR codes instead of paper tickets to various shows and events.

That is a list of just a few things I have seen QR codes used for. As you can imagine, more ways to incorporate them are being created each day. They are interesting and I enjoy seeing how people are finding a use for them. If you have any interesting examples you would like to share, please do!

If you have not met Steve Garfield yet, you really should. Steve is so smart, generous with his time and a patient teacher. Steve can help you with all things video and his new book, Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business, is getting rave reviews all over the internet. Steve was kind enough to take some time away from his heavy book promotion schedule and be the next interview for our Spring Inspirations Series.

Steve, your book Get Seen is a bit of a playbook on all things web video related. You discuss everything from types of cameras to get to content to shoot. What was your favorite part about putting all your thoughts together in a book?

My favorite part of putting the book together was just sitting down to keyboard and telling stories…well really typing in stories. These are great stories and examples that people can learn from and be inspired by to create their own videos

What was one thing you surprised you when putting the book together?

What most surprised me about writing the book was not the writing of the book, that I totally enjoyed, it was when I was finished. David Meerman Scott, editor of the series, told me now the hard work starts, all the work that has to go into marketing and promoting and getting the word out on the book.

We here at Hall work with a lot of small to medium sized B2B business. Is there a place for B2B companies to produce online video? What kind of content can they put together?

When I hear the question, “should a business put video on the web to talk to other businesses?” I can’t believe it’s a question. When you come down to what businesses are, it’s people, and people do businesses with other people. Video is the best method that businesses can use to show the people who work in your business, show how you’re authentic, and really gives examples of product demonstrations. Video lets people who visit your website learn what the people who work there are like. There’s so many ways and creative ways you can use video in your business.

I think a lot of businesses are scared to try video content because it seems very expensive (camera, editing software, microphones et el) . Does video content have to be expensive?

Have you read my book? The whole thing it says is that video does not have to be expensive and you can just get started with a WebCam that’s on your computer like the MacBook Pro or a flip camera or a Kodak Zi8. Video does not have to be expensive. There is a great example at http://Chevrolet.posterous.com of how they use what I’ve been calling casual video to share people’s thoughts and impressions of their new cars. It’s an amazing example of using casual video, something that’s not expensive, by a major company.

Since this is a Spring Inspiration blog series…who is inspiring you these days? Who’s blog do you have to read every day or who’s videos do you think are ‘doing it right’?

Like I said in the answer above. Chevrolet is doing it right. They are doing casual video and putting it on a blog that isn’t their main site. That’s so site visitors have the right expectations when viewing the video. They know what they are getting won’t look like corporate car commercials, but it’ll be authentic and real. Timely too!

Other than pick up your new book, is there something we should keep an eye out on from you in the future? Any fun projects coming up?

I love teaching and I’ve got a super secret project coming out that I can’t talk about. Stay tuned for that.

---

Super secret project! Sounds exciting! Thanks again to Steve for taking time out of his schedule to talk with us.

Want to know more about Steve Garfield and Video?

Read: Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business
Check out: SteveGarfield.com
Watch our archived webinar:

Show, Don’t Tell! Using Video to Tell Your Story If a picture’s worth a thousand words, how good is video? Video is more accessible than ever and no form of marketing has a more dramatic effect on the user. Learn about the types of typical videos and how to market them effectively to capture the interest of leads and drive sales.

“Why don’t you post some videos of yourself on YouTube?” “You really should set up a Facebook fan page to promote your skills.” These are some of the things that I said in a conversation with my drummer friend this week. As you might have read in my last post, he is a social media skeptic. The same might be said for a band called Simple Minds. They are a highly successful live act, but only in Europe. The band hasn’t toured the U.S. or been offered record distribution in North America in almost nine years. They have minimal social media presence, so perhaps a Facebook page or YouTube channel would help in these matters. With a solid following, they could tap in to the eighties nostalgia market.

I digress.

A lot can change for the subjects above if they took the time and made the effort to market themselves with online video. Online video can be the quickest, cheapest and simplest way to generate traffic to your website and create exposure for your brand.

Whatever your vision is for introducing web video into your marketing plan, one thing is clear – it must capture the viewer’s attention in a matter of seconds. Here are some technical and marketing items to consider when using online video for your small business:

Editing

Because hiring a film crew can sometimes be costly, you might want someone in your organization to learn the basic tools involved in film editing. Editing takes care, time and patience, but with a well thought-out strategy, the video concepts you come up with will become easier to produce.

1. Final Cut Pro/Final Cut Express: The best of the best. Final Cut gives you the most options in terms of effects, editing capabilities, titles and much more. The Express edition is more consumer driven and user-friendly when it comes to converting videos for web optimization.
2. iMovie: Apple’s proprietary software. The iMovie editions up through “HD 6″ acted very much like a less feature-enriched and less professional version of Final Cut, but worked seamlessly with all of Apple’s iLife applications. Since the introduction of iMovie ’08, the software is geared more towards web uploading capabilities – perfect for the short web video marketing pieces you might want to create. iMovie is bundled with new Macs.
3. Adobe Premier Elements: A direct competitor with Final Cut and iMovie and one of the most popular programs for those using Windows machines.
4. Windows Movie Maker: I hesitate in recommending this software, but it’s a) most likely included on your PC (if you’re a PC) and b) it’s free! Movie Maker will undoubtedly provide the basic tools you need to edit and promote your work, but won’t offer nearly the same amount of features as the programs above.

It’s important to point out that online video doesn’t need to have human interaction to be an effective marketing tool, but it does need to tell a story. Graphics, images, animation and even a PowerPoint presentation, with the right amount of music and voice over, can be just as exciting. If you think you’re a boring person or no one in the company is eager enough to jump in front of the camera, then the latter might be the way to go.

The Importance of Audio

Chances are, if you’re using low-cost digital video equipment like Flip Video, your audio will be spastic and produce sound in a variety of levels and qualities – especially if you jump from scene to scene or location to location (and if your subjects use highly different methods in projecting their speaking voice). Your video editing software can also take care of audio, so you’ll want to focus on maintaining proper levels throughout the video clips and make sure your subjects are speaking clearly and succinctly. Many viewers will be listening with headphones, so any burst of loudness will create an undesirable jolt in their experience and soft-spoken dialogue will be a turn-off to the viewer almost immediately.

If you’re using a camcorder, a good way to avoid volume fluctuations and overall audio weirdness is to attach a shotgun microphone. Shotgun mics work with a “narrow acceptance angle,” which in loose terms means that there’s lower risk for interference (air conditioning vents, people walking and so on). Hopefully, the videos you shoot will be in 1080p HD, so you’ll want professional-sounding audio to go with that crisp, professional-looking video.

Branding & Messaging

Branding in online video is almost an oxymoron, because users now have complete control over what they watch (see: DVRs). Distractions on the website in which the video resides and placement of the video on the web page also come into play in the overall viewer experience. The first question you must ask when molding the messages in your video is “What kind of response do I want to elicit from the viewer?” This can be a very hard question to answer, but perhaps better approached with these other questions:

• Do you want the viewer to take immediate action? Such as visiting your website, downloading media, or commenting on a blog?
• Do you want to retain the viewer in the long run? For instance, will your video be the first step in the purchase cycle?
• Do you want the viewer to provide you with their contact information (a qualified lead!)?

Another important part of the branding process is the health of the video’s hosting location. The best place for housing videos on your website is a dedicated media section, devoid of any distractions (such as irrelevant links or ads). Then there’s YouTube, of course, where you can create a company channel with its own avatar and background consistent with your website’s graphic design elements.

Don’t discourage viewers from watching all the way through. You only have a few seconds to capture their attention, so be imaginative.

Future

The emergence of new technologies and capabilities for online video for small businesses is a weekly occurrence. More and more, web users are looking for the quick fix – and in many cases, prefer video over reading text. Our computers will eventually become our televisions, so businesses not in the business of producing TV shows will have to take it upon themselves to market themselves with video.

More advanced blog posts about the future of online video will include hiring a media production firm, video search engine optimization (VSEO) and online video editing. Look out for them.

I have a talented drummer friend who is very active in the music community of New York City. He gets gigs by answering ads on craigslist, through word-of-mouth, and general networking. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a website, his MySpace page is updated on an infrequent basis, and he refuses to take part in any type of social media. I am constantly urging him to invest in a Flip Video or Kodak Zi8 camera, start filming his gigs and drumming demos, and then post the footage to YouTube or Facebook – and promote it with a blog or Twitter (or both!). These ideas are always met with great skepticism (“what about my privacy?”) or excuses (“I have no time!”) and the conversation usually ends with nothing happening. Who knows – he could be missing the chance to record with T-Bone Burnett, Jack White, or Jay-Z. Hopefully some day he’ll embrace the new social technologies and get some more exposure for himself.

All of the above can very well be said for many small business owners. Some would offer that they don’t have the time, resources, or manpower to introduce online video into their marketing efforts. Much like my musician friend above, small businesses must be wary of their marketing spend. Fortunately, a lot of the tools used in marketing with online video are free (or very affordable) and a 5-10 minute piece can pack in a lot of information, while also being entertaining, informative, educational, and engaging. Below are some tips you can use when incorporating video as part of your marketing strategy:

Equipment

Sound. Lighting. Vision. In this order of importance. These are the three essentials when making sure your video project is not lacking the quality people expect from online streaming media. The video devices you use rarely have decent on-board microphones, so acquiring a viable sound solution is a must. If viewers immediately notice the sound is not up to par, they will tune out… immediately.

It’s also wise to follow the general rule of thumb for lighting, which is to provide your filmed subject or space with 2-3 times the normal lighting in a room or environment.

Finally, be sure to check out the affordable HD video camera options currently available on the market. As I mentioned above, the Flip Video and Kodak Zi8 cameras produce very nice results for web-ready content. You can also check out the new Zoom Q3, which adds higher quality audio to the equation. Of course, there are a plethora of higher-end digital video cameras out there that would produce more professional looking images, but it all depends on your scope and budget.

What to Film

1) Yourself!: Are you an industry expert? Do you want to take a break from writing blog posts? Do you have a message or knowledge that you think would be better communicated through visuals and the spoken word?

2) Your employees: What better way to personalize the B2C or B2B relationship than to profile the people who do the actual work. This could also open up opportunities to start regular video blogging amongst your team of experts – providing a constant flow of fresh content to the web user.

3) Product demonstrations: Companies have innovative products that are made in ultra-cool ways. Wouldn’t it be nice to demonstrate how these products work and how they’re made, in addition to the drag-and-zoom options of a photo slideshow? It’s also a good way to boost sales (wink-wink).

4) Celebrations: I’m not talking about company birthday parties. I’m referring to customers celebrating your business. Get customers to film testimonials and post them on your website or Facebook page. Capture your products and services in action – a dog enjoying a new line of chew toys, a solar panel instillation team preparing a house for green energy, or your dry cleaning business accepting an award at an event for excellence in social responsibility.

Prepare

Before your organization dives into online video, make sure you don’t become a deer caught in headlights. First, you’ll want to outline and script each shot of your film – even if there’s only one shot and one subject. There’s also the task of storyboarding. This involves the rendering of the action taking place in each shot. Storyboards can be done on a napkin or made to look beautiful by your graphic designer. Whatever you do – have a plan! These processes of preparation are all part of that plan.

Finally, discover why you are making these videos. What do you think visitors to your website or social media sites will want to see? The two main purposes of online video in your marketing plan are to engage and to tell a story. Will these videos achieve these things? Know your audience before they get to know you.

Promote

There are numerous ways in which you can promote your videos once it goes live. Since YouTube is the fourth most visited website in the world, it would be wise to create a company-branded YouTube channel. If your company has a Facebook page (the second most visited site – now with 400 million users!), you can also post them there and announce their existence on Twitter, the company blog, newsletters, and your website. Online videos can also be optimized for search engines.

Speaking of search engines, I will discuss SEO as it relates to online video in the next blog post about video for your small business. I’ll also get into editing software and techniques, audio issues, and the importance of branding and messaging in your video content. Stay tuned…