SALT Animations

Social Media Specialist Chris Brogan on the Importance of Video to Businesses

SALT Animations — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:52:54 +0000

How a bad video can kill your company’s credibility

SALT Animations — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:50:44 +0000

Video is everywhere. It’s on the web, captured by professional filmmakers and videographers, or snapped hastily on an iPhone or webcam. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s professional and what’s caught out “in the wild” as technology has made it easy for us to shoot, upload, and spread a video in mere minutes. For businesses, this is important because video is fast becoming the new standard for online communication. With video, you can help improve your brand. But video also comes with a caveat. If your video is shoddy, distasteful, or just plain junk—you’ll quickly turn off your customers and potential customers. But nothing comes close to quickly killing your credibility (or your business) than amateur video showing your business at its absolute worst.

The video below is a perfect example of this.

Now sure, FedEx is a massive company and will most likely move on without suffering lasting damage. But still, the video is damning. It’s been seen on YouTube more than 8 million times. FedEx became aware of the video (how could they not) and “disciplined” the employee. But that’s FedEx. What if this had been your new startup, or your employee, or your small business? Tough to think about, isn’t it? Be aware, if you’re going to preach “customer satisfaction” and “customer service” as virtues of your brand, be prepared to go all in, all the time. If you’re not committed all the time, you’ll get caught.

So, remember, video is everywhere. Forget this at your peril.

Brand Success With Online Video

SALT Animations — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:55:46 +0000

Online video sharing sites (YouTube, Vimeo) have seen an explosion of user-generated traffic in just a few years. According to a July survey published by the Pew Research Center, 71% of online adults reported watching videos on a video-sharing site. In 2006, it was 33%.

What does this all mean to your business? It’s fairly straightforward. Businesses looking to make an impact with their brand need to look to video as a tool in increasing their brand awareness and to generate excitement among their customers.

Conventional videos can be a great option for brands that have tactile, real-world products. What to do, then, if your product is a little more abstract or more technical? That’s where animated videos serve the brand and its customers. Through the use of animation, businesses can tell their brand story in a way that engages, informs, and entertains, while delivering content in a format quickly becoming the standard online.

What’s better, telling your story with text or with video? More often than not, your customers want video every time.

In Three Years 90% of Internet Traffic Will Be Video

SALT Animations — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:04:52 +0000

Currently, 51% of Internet traffic is video. Cisco’s David Hsieh, VP Marketing, Video & Emerging Technologies, in the video below, predicts that within three years, the percentage of Internet traffic from video will be close to 90%.

What does this mean to your business? Users don’t want to read through pages of information about what you are selling or about the benefits of your product. They want see it. And they want it short, simple and clear. Videos, including animations, are powerful tools that provide users with worthwhile content, in a format they expect and demand.