We are proud to announce that we have won a Pollie Award (politcal advertising award). Here is the press release:
Caldwell, NJ – Publitics is proud to announce that it has been awarded a coveted Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC), the industry’s highest honor bestowed upon political consultants at the national and international level. Publitics, in partnership with production company Finite Visual, was recognized in the category of Best Internet Advertising for a Municipal/Local/Mayoral Campaign for its exemplary work during the 2020 political season.
The award winning work was a digital video series entitled, “Progressive Goals” that helped Montclair Mayor Sean M. Spiller highlight accomplishments in an unexpected way.
“2020 was the most challenging year in our lifetimes – for our country, our families and our work. Political consultants experimented, innovated and delivered for their clients,” said Rose Kapolczynski, AAPC President. “The record-breaking number of entries demonstrates that competition was tough in an election cycle that saw more money raised for campaigns than ever before. While the work might have been done at the kitchen table, with dogs barking in the background and a video chat that wouldn’t end, consultants made it happen for campaigns at every level. Huge congratulations to all the winners for being recognized for their contributions.”
The AAPC announced this year’s winners during the 2021 Pollie Awards Virtual Ceremony on April 29, 2021. Over 650 of the industry’s leading professionals were in attendance.
Hey All – One question we get a lot of questions about is how to add a video to Instagram that is longer than one minute and we found this super simple video that explains how:
Our Creative Director, Paul Morgan, had the great honor of filming Madison’s Operation Santa which brought Santa on an antique firetruck to every street in Madison on November 27th, and creating a video which conveys some of the spirit shared that day:
Enjoy! And thanks to all in town who participated!
You know that meeting with a potential client that went beautifully – where there was a great flow, you said exactly the right thing at the right time, and it just felt amazing? Well, that’s what a good video can be for you – the perfect pitch , everytime, for years to come. And that’s what we collaborate with you to create. We first meet with you to help identify and coalesce the key points and then turn them into questions that you answer on the shoot day. There’s nothing to memorize, you just speak from the heart, and that is the most compelling case anyone can make. Contact us to begin creating your perfect pitch video!
Here is a great video which explains how to post a video to Instagram without Instagram cropping your beautifully shot 16:9 horizontal aspect ratio video into a cropped square video:
2019 was a great year – we finished up strong with video projects for Quest Diagnostics, Osmotica, and Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots Festival, amongst others. And some cool super secret projects are in production now which we will share about when we can. Thanks to all our clients and see you in the year 2020!
Some exciting news – this video we created for Mariam Savaria and Linda Romano is a finalist in the NJ Ad Club 2019 Jersey Awards in the category of Best TV Commercials. The awards are June 5th – we will keep you posted – And if you would like to chat about video for your business just let us know!
We have exciting news – we are now able to upload your property videos directly to Zillow and the video will appear with property in search results and property details, with all the ranking benefits of video. Here’s a recent example.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Social media marketers have long suspected that Facebook prioritizes video uploaded directly to Facebook versus video shared from another source, like YouTube. A new study confirms the suspicion.
Few, however, thought there might be a 10X difference.
Social media analytics provider Quintly analyzed 6.2 million posts by 167,000 Facebook profiles over the last half of 2016. In each month, Facebook native videos performed better in average interactions and shares, averaging 110% more interactions and 478% more shares.
Our Creative Director, Paul Morgan, was interviewed on The New Jersey Real Estate Show Podcast hosted by Tim Waller. It was a great opportunity for Paul to share his philosophies on the importance of video in real estate and his take on video tours, agent profiles, and where video is headed.
Uploading your video directly to Facebook (called “Native” video) results in much better engagement including views, likes, and shares, than any other type of post, including posts with YouTube videos embedded. Even factoring out the autoplay function of Facebook it outperforms other posts by at least 2-to-1. Read full article here.
Need help with a video for Facebook? Contact us to discuss the different types of videos that work well on Facebook to increase engagement and sales.
Aerial video is a hot topic recently with the booming aerial drone industry. It’s important to chose a licensed, experienced pilot, who has a good eye for the shots that will best highlight the property and it’s features. We use top of the line drones flown by our experienced, FAA licensed drone pilots/cinematographers. You can see examples of our work and if you have any questions, or would like more info, please contact us. Thanks!
This article is Part 2 of a two-part series on what the numbers say about why and where you should use video marketing. In the first part I covered three main points on why it is a marketing mistake to skip video marketing:
85 percent of buyers and sellers want to work with an agent who uses video.
Homes listed with video get four times the inquiries of homes listed without video.
Including video in emails doubles the click-through rate and reduces opt-outs by 75 percent.
Granted, video marketing is an added expense: often affordable, but still more costly than photos. So what do you do if you’re on a limited budget? Here’s what the statistics say about how to focus your video marketing for the biggest return on investment. (Unless otherwise noted, all statistics come from the 2013 Google/NAR study, “The Digital House Hunt.”)
Focus on community videos and listing videos
Of homebuyers who use video in their search, 86 percent use it to research a particular community, and 70 percent use it to tour the inside of homes. These two uses are far and away the most popular. And as Stephen Schweickart points out in this post, community videos offer high return on investment because they’re “evergreen” content you can use again and again.
So if your video budget is limited, focus on producing community videos and video house tours. Can’t afford both? Find a videographer who can produce videos that combine listings and community information. You’ll still nab the lion’s share of the video audience, but you’ll probably spend less than you would to produce both types of video separately.
Syndicate to YouTube
With a 51 percent audience share, YouTube is now the top video research destination for house hunters (yes, even more popular than listing websites), so make it your default upload location for listing videos. Set up your own channel; organize videos by playlist; and use search-friendly keywords or the property address in your title, description and tags to make it easy for buyers to find what they need.
YouTube is also a popular destination for agent videos: “Find an agent” searches on YouTube are increasing 46 percent year over year. Of course, you can’t post a written bio on YouTube – you’ll need a video bio to capture that audience. Video bios can run from the very simple to the elaborate, with prices to match. Something simple will get your name on YouTube, which is the most important step, but a more polished video will probably garner more views and shares. Not sure what makes a good agent bio? Read this helpful post from Debb Janes.
Share, share, share
There’s not a specific statistic about this, but search engine optimization experts generally agree that you’re more likely to get found online if you post quality content in a variety of locations. So if you really want to get noticed, post your videos on YouTube as well as on your own website, your local MLS and your social media pages.
This may sound intimidating, but it’s actually pretty simple. If your video is already on YouTube, you can just paste the link into a Facebook or Twitter post, and the video will embed automatically. Most social sites also offer FAQs or tutorials that walk you through video uploading step by step. And, of course, you can always look for a videographer who offers syndication options, listing Web pages or MRIS integration.
However you go about video marketing, justget started. As the numbers show, you can’t afford not to!
Kathryn Royster is the communications coordinator for HouseLens, the nation’s largest provider of walk-through video house tours. Her personal real estate passions are old houses and getting in over her head on restoration projects.
I have experience working with many different mediums; text, photography, web, but none of them compare with video when it comes to making a connection. People read text, look at photos and websites, but they watch video. Note that they “look at” other mediums but actively “watch” video. Video feels live, video feels real, video is like being there. And given the chance to read about something or watch a video, people just love to click that play button. And the most amazing thing happens then – they get the information they are seeking but most importantly they are watching the person on screen and making a connection. So if you have a business, you want more clients, or you want more sales, video is an amazing tool to help people feel at ease and feel ready to contact you. Read more about our video services for businesses.
Why do web videos result in higher conversion rates? Because it makes a connection with the user and helps them feel comfortable and even confident that they have found the solution they are looking for. Here’s how:
Searches are Searches!
Yes – when someone does a search online they are searching for a solution. They want to find what they are looking for and feel good about their choice.
They Want You to Be the One.
Users want to find something. They are on your site. They would like for you to be the solution so they can be relieved of their search. What are they looking for? What can you tell them or show them that will let them feel that they have found it? Your website content, layout, message, etc are critical to attract users and give them the information and feeling that they are in the right place but even after reading all your copy, descriptions, testimonials, the user may not quite be sold.
Video is a Closer.
Video allows for users to see in “real life” your product or service, make an emotional connection, and get that soothing flow of satisfaction that comes with successfully locating what they are looking for. Their search is over, and they are grateful.
Other mediums are better at initial introductions – I suggest first using text and photos in the site to allow the user to feel they are in the right spot before suggesting a video to them – but once the user has the base level of confidence that you might be the one, then you hit them with the video! Video converts best when it is in the role of the finisher, the closer, the stud. So make sure to support important pages on your site with video to help users get that soothing flow of satisfaction and motivate them to contact you or buy your product or service.
Contact us to discuss how video can help your company!
While YouTube can be a messy user experience there’s no denying it’s global impact and search engine tastiness (Blog: Search Engines Love Video). So, we recommend that videos be posted to YouTube as well as other venues. But when you post a video to YouTube please remember to configure the video for maximum relevancy by doing the following simple but oh-so-important steps:
Give it a title related to the topic. For example, for a real estate video in the given town such as “Video tour of 123 Main Street in Madison NJ – Real Estate Homes for Sale”.
Fill in the description with the description you would on a product details page or in a property details page. Include a link back to your website or to the property details page with a call to action like “More information on this property: www.123mainst.com”.
Tag it.
Use the advanced settings to set the location and film date.
And once it is posted go into the “Subtitles and CC” and correct errors in the transcript.
Search engines (and people!) love video and by executing the simple steps above both will be able to find, and enjoy your video. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. Thanks!
Including a video as part of a product landing page on a retailer’s website could increase the average order value by 50%, confirms a new survey from Liveclicker. Further, vendors who uploaded a video to most of their product landing pages saw a 68% increase on their average order value (AOV), compared to retailers who uploaded a video to just a few of their product or pages.
We already know that 71% of marketers confirm that video converts better than other forms of website content, and Liveclicker’s research, which surveyed retailers such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, and Newegg, strongly suggested that product videos did indeed lead to a higher conversion rate from customers who had viewed them on the individual landing pages.
Product Page Videos and Sales: Highlights of the New Report
Almost 60% of retailers surveyed confirmed their average order value (AOV) increased by at least 50% for customers that watched a video on a product page.
The AOV for retailers with video embedded on 50-75% of their product pages was around $300, compared to $177 for those with video on only 0-25 percent of product pages.
Retailers that uploaded video to most of their product pages reported that conversion rates were nearly 80% higher than those of retailers with product videos on less than 25% of their landing pages. Retailers with videos on 25-50% of product pages report 31% more conversions.
Retailers who include videos on their product landing pages see a sales conversion rate of around 9%.
Customers who watched 10 or more videos spent 119% more than customers who watched just one video.
More Product Page Videos Lead to More Revenue and Sales
So, adding an explainer video to your product landing page is a good thing, and, unless you produce some truly atrocious content, it’s going to provide at least some value to the potential customer. But can it really make a difference to your bottom line? Liveclicker’s research seems to suggest that it absolutely can.
88% of respondents to the survey confirmed an increase in conversion rates for product pages that contained a relevant video. In addition, 35% of respondents reported very high increases in conversion rates, well over the usual site average. Also, retailers that added video content on the majority of their product pages stated that they had seen a 79% higher conversion rate compared those retailers who had added just a few videos.
There also seems to be a direct correlation between revenue and fresh video content, with respondents indicating that more videos plays brought in more sales. For each 1% increase in video plays in the last 30 days before the survey, average monthly revenue increased by more than $13,092.84.
Social Sharing & Mobile: The Key to Product Video Success
Just because you have placed a product video on a particular landing page on your site doesn’t mean you should ignore the benefits of the social sharing of that content.
Unless there is a very good reason (and if you think of one let us know in the comments below), then always post those videos to your social accounts on high-traffic sites like Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other sites. You should also post to YouTube and build your audience, and their engagement there too. Those brands taking part in Liveclicker’s survey confirmed that posting to each additional distribution channel increased video plays by an average of 21,160 per quarter, and also generated a quarterly average of $50,513 in revenue.
The report also highly recommends that brands optimize their websites for all mobile devices, stating that in Q2 of 2014, mobile made up over 25% of product video plays.
Optimization Product Videos to Increase Conversions
Based on feedback from the report, Liveclicker offered the following optimization tips to brands and marketers who want to increase conversions from landing page product videos:
Suggest Related Video: Make sure the videos are easy to find on your website, and offer suggested videos to keep customers in the buying cycle.
Keep Product Videos Short: Keep your product videos short and to the point. Liveclicker suggests the ideal length for this type of content is around 30 seconds, unless the products themselves are complex and have high price points.
Optimize for Mobile: Liveclicker confirmed that mobile devices accounted for a quarter of e-commerce video plays in Q2 2014.
People love to watch video online and not just for idle entertainment. Users actively search out video content to help them learn more about a product or service, and video significantly increases the likelihood they will buy.
Here are some pretty compelling stats:
A webpage with a video is 53 times more likely to gain a page-one position in the search engine results.
Forrester Research
Viewers spend 100% more time on pages with videos on them.
Marketing Sherpa
Viewers are 85% more likely to purchase a product or service after watching a product video.
Internet Retailer
Equally important, video allows potential clients to get a feel for you and your business, allows them to make an emotional connection, and helps motivate them to contact you.
Is your company using video to it’s fullest?
We can help create compelling video for your website to improve engagement and increase sales. Read more about our video production services for businesses or contact us to discuss adding video to your website.
At the advent of the internet it was assumed that video would become a significant component in short order. Millions was invested in “web television” start-ups such as Digital Entertainment Network and Dreamworks’ Pop.com. However due to multiple factors (remember dial-up?) they died a quick and ugly death. Perhaps the sting of those failures is the reason that video has not been given it’s due. Well, it’s time to give props to video. And not just because we all know and use YouTube but as it turns out, search engines love video, too.
In fact, SearchEngineWatch.com recently noted that “One of the most influential search movements of the last few years has been the integration of different types of content directly into the SERPs. If Google sees it as relevant to a particular query, you’ll now see images and videos outranking the organic page listings and visually dominating the page.”
What that means is that if Google sees a page with video and considers it relevant, you will often see that video ranked above standard HTML content. In fact a Forrester study found that a webpage with a video on it was 53 times more likely to gain a page-one position in the search engine results. Note the word “relevant” so making sure to correctly distribute, tag, host, and populate the host page with reinforcing copy will make all the difference in that ranking.
By the numbers: why you can’t afford to skip video marketing
There’s a huge untapped audience out there just waiting to watch your content
Kathryn Royster Contributor
Jun 30, 2014
Real estate agents are playing second fiddle to the Internet.
According to the 2013 Google/NAR study, “The Digital House Hunt,” 92 percent of homebuyers use the Internet to help them find their next home (by comparison, 87 percent use an agent). What’s more, the average homebuyer spends three weeks researching real estate online before even calling an agent.
The takeaway? Homebuyers are turning to the Internet before they turn to real estate agents, so you need to have an online presence if you want them to find you and your listings. But just putting up a website and feeding your listings to the local MLS isn’t enough. Homebuyers are increasingly turning to video for house hunting, and video is proving to be one of the most effective ways to corner the online market.
Still not sold on the idea? Maybe some statistics will convince you. By the numbers, here’s why you can’t afford to skip out on the video marketing revolution. (Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are from the Google/NAR study.)
Buyers and sellers want video
In 2012, the National Association of Realtors found that 85 percent of buyers and sellers prefer to work with an agent who uses video marketing, but only 15 percent of agents are actually using video. In other words, there’s a huge untapped audience out there, just waiting to watch your videos. And since video-savvy agents are still very much in the minority, joining the video revolution gives you a major edge over your competitors.
Video increases leads
A study by international listing website Domain.com found that video increased listing inquiries by 403 percent. That’s inquiries, not just views. In other words, properties listed with video generated four times the number of quality leads.
That’s not surprising, given the information density and memorability of video. You’ve heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words? Well, Forrester Research found that just one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words — that’s the same as roughly 3,600 Web pages of text. And according to the Online Publishers Association, 80 percent of viewers remember what they’ve seen in online videos.
If you want buyers and sellers to not only remember you and your listings but do something about it, video is the way to go.
Video makes email marketing effective
If you’re like most agents, e-newsletters and email blasts are a big part of your marketing tool kit. We all know, though, that email marketing has its weak points. Plenty of people just delete marketing emails without reading them — and those who read the email won’t necessarily click through to your website or listing. You’re also struggling constantly against opt-outs.
Video can help on both fronts. Forrester Research found that including video in marketing emails doubles click-through rates. And according to marketing automation firm Eloqua, video reduces email subscriber opt-outs by 75 percent. Add video to your marketing emails, and you’ll not only hold onto your audience, you’ll get more engagement.
Are you sold yet? Come back next week to find out how to focus your video marketing efforts to get the biggest return on investment!
A good movie trailer is a magical thing, showing us just enough to tease and excite us, putting us in a tizzy to see it. And just like a good movie trailer a real estate video should show just enough of the best parts (but not too much) to generate excitement so that the buyer doesn’t feel that they’ve seen the listing, but that they WANT to see the listing. A real estate videos job is not to satisfy the buyer, but to tease and excite, motivating them contact you to arrange a showing.
Often times we will see a video of a real estate listing that is exclusively aerial footage. And while some properties do look compelling from that perspective for a handful of shots, no property does well with footage that is exclusively birds-eye view. Here’s why, the viewer just can’t make a connection with the listing. Unless they are a superhero a person needs to be able to see the house from human eye-level to make an emotional “I see myself there” connection. That’s why we love aerial footage when it is incorporated into a ground level film and used to enhance the drama of the space.
Here are two examples of restrained, yet effective use of aerial video for real estate:
We work with the most experienced and professional aerial drone operators in the area to create compelling real estate videos. Contact us to learn more.
When we arrive at a listing of yours for a film shoot we start with a walk through and in-depth conversation about the listing. How does the space flow? What are the highlights? What is the ideal buyer demographic? We get a feel for the home and what sort of pacing, music, and style will connect with the ideal buyer. Then we shoot and edit with that buyer in mind.
Another compelling feature of our videos is the editing to specifically chosen music to convey the proper feel. When we edit the video we don’t just lay the music over the video like most companies, we painstakingly edit the video TO the music, which makes a much stronger emotional connection.
Some Examples of Different Styles:
A cozy home with neat little details perfectly suited for a first time home buyer:
A hip, stylish home targeted towards a cosmopolitan buyer:
Targeted towards a traditional, upscale, family oriented buyer:
A bold, dramatic home for someone who wants to be impressed every time they enter:
A condo to attract a couple seeking a care free, European lifestyle:
When considering the style for your company or real estate film it is important to keep in mind the perceived context of the piece. For example when someone watches a company overview video they expect and appreciate a polished piece. When they watch a product review they expect to see something a little more lo-fi. So keep this in mind when shooting a testimonial or anything that requires some “street cred”. Don’t let “from the heart” pieces start to look contrived. And for that matter when you looking to impress someone go ahead and impress them, use high end cinematography, sound, production value – the viewer knows the source and wants to see your best. When talking with your production company make sure to cover the basic style of the piece to be sure it will set the right tone for maximum credibility and impact.
5 Reasons Why Online Video is so Persuasive
by Susan Weinschenk, PhD
#1 — Movement in peripheral vision grabs attention – video online is movement, and so will automatically grab attention more than anything else on the screen. (More on this in Susan’s blog article, “…Peripheral Vision – Keeping You Alive or Channel Surfing?”)
#2 — Speakers and listener’s brains sync up – published research shows that the brain patterns of listeners synch up with the brain patterns of the speaker they are listening to. This means that a video of someone talking is going to be more powerful than just reading words on a page. (More on this in Susan’s blog article, “…Speaker and Listener Brains Sync.”)
#3 — Video compensates (somewhat) for the asynchronous problem – other published research explains how synchronous behavior bonds people together. “A lot of online communication is asynchronous — the communication is not occurring simultaneously in real time,” said Susan. “Emails, Facebook posts, twitter posts, are asynchronous. Chat is synchronous. Synchronous communication is, in general, more persuasive. Video can be synchronous (think Skype) or asynchronous (think TED talk or YouTube). But video does have the advantage of allowing you to hear and see an actual person, rather than the more removed reading of text. In this regard it is the most powerful of the asynchronous media.
#4 — Video can convey emotional information, not just factual – In Susan’s book, Neuro Web Design: What makes them click?, she talks about how important it is to speak to the emotional “mid-brain” if you want to get your message across and have your message be remembered. Video has the advantage (over just reading text) of communicating social and emotional information, not just facts.
#5 — Video combine all the powerful elements together – “The technology for video is finally getting easier and easier to create and integrate online,” says Susan. She mentioned that she’s a big fan of Video Genie , who’s new technology platform allows customers to easily make a video testimonial and post it to your site (you get to moderate it, i.e. watch it before it gets posted). “I’ve talked a lot (in books and other posts) about why testimonials and reviews are so powerful (it’s the principle of social validation),” she says. “Video testimonials are social validation on steroids. Social validation, brain syncing, emotional content… you just can’t beat this for persuasion.” Another interesting example to Susan is Vokle.com: “It allows anyone to host their own video talk show, live, with people calling in.”
About Susan Weinshenk, Ph.D.
Susan Weinshenk is the Founder and President of the User Experience Institute. (Previously she was the Chief of User Experience Strategy, Americas at Human Factors International.) She has over 30 years experience in the field of human factors/usability/user experience (UX) – including as author, trainer, researcher, consultant, presenter, and developing user-centered methodologies around web design and e-commerce Her most recent authored books are 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About PeopleandNeuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? . (She also has a companion blog at whatmakesthemclick.net and a podcast series on user experience.)
You know what users dislike the most? Being misled. Being told something is going to happen if they click on a link but when they do something else happens. For example, say you are looking at real estate – you look at the pictures, read the description and you’re intrigued, then you see an icon with words like “watch the virtual tour” and you think “Oh great, video!”. So you click on it, but when the page launches you see that it’s not video. In fact, it’s just a slide show of the pictures you just looked at. You were expecting to have a richer experience but instead you were shown something you already looked at but with some scanning and elevator music. Would anyone click on a link that said “Click here to see the same pictures you just looked at but with some scanning and elevator music”? No, of course not, so we suggest providing users with an enriched, emotionally connecting experience with beautiful, high-definition video shot on location. And we’d be happy to help you with that, of course. In the meantime, check out the video we just made for a beautiful home in Madison, NJ. No, for real, it’s video!
A LOT has changed since 1984, when MTV first televised the Video Music Awards. Thirty years ago, record labels often spent millions of dollars on videos by top directors to promote the sale of albums. Then label executives would submit the videos to MTV and pray that the network would put them in its rotation.
Along with their disc-jockey counterparts on FM radio, the gatekeepers at MTV and rival channels like VH1 could make or break a song.
Not anymore. These days the Internet is the medium for music videos, and legions of music fans surfing the Net determine if a video becomes popular: YouTube, not MTV, is the platform.
It has supplanted radio as the main way American teenagers listen to new music, a survey by Nielsen shows. So musicians and directors angle to invent striking films with the potential to go viral, even as their production budgets have shrunk.
On Sunday night at 9, when MTV’s awards show is broadcast live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the first time, it will celebrate an art form that seemed to be in decline a decade ago but, directors say, has undergone a renaissance in recent years with the rise of YouTube and broadband connections. This change in medium has subtly altered the aesthetics of videos, too, freeing directors to take more risks.
The videos are more important than ever to the marketing of bands, label executives say, with directors constantly looking for some trick — a comic idea, a clever bit of storytelling, a dose of sexual titillation or a shocking image — to attract attention and persuade millions of people to watch the video repeatedly. A wildly popular video on YouTube, besides generating an additional stream of revenue for labels from ads that precede videos, often persuades radio programmers to champion a song, which in turn spurs sales of albums and singles, music executives say.
Though MTV continues to show videos on some of its channels, like MTV Jams and MTV Hits, it is now the YouTube hit that labels covet: hundreds of millions of views translates into a steady surge in album sales.
“We are in a true video revolution,” said David Saslow, the general manager of Atlantic Records, which has a nominee for video of the year in “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. Video, Mr. Saslow explained, has “almost never been as important as it is now, because if YouTube is the stereo of the day, when you go there, there needs to be a compelling and artful reason to stay there.”
Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Records, Taylor Swift’s label, echoed Mr. Saslow’s point. “You put a flag up and say, ‘Hey, we are here,’ but you’d better have something compelling enough that it does go viral.” He said the old model, with MTV executives force-feeding the public a playlist, “has completely flipped 180 degrees.”
Stephen Friedman, the president of MTV, said that this year, longer cinematic pieces seem to be in vogue. “The story telling and the visual complexity is dazzling,” he said. “It’s ambitious in a way we don’t always get.”
Of the five videos nominated for video of the year, the one most viewed on YouTube, “Thrift Shop,” by the Seattle rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, cost the least to make, $15,000. Yet its comic tone and absurd images jump-started the career of these artists, persuading radio programmers to champion their song.
Another nominee for top video, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, went viral online because its original version featured nearly nude female models prancing around a nattily dressed Mr. Thicke. That blatantly risqué ploy helped Mr. Thicke earn the first No. 1 pop hit of his two-decade career.
Two other nominees — Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors“ and Ms. Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble“ — are expensive and lengthy cinematic pieces by arty directors, one telling the story of a lifelong love with surreal imagery, the other depicting a disastrous affair in flashbacks. Mr. Mars’s video, by contrast, focuses on a live performance, a throwback to an older style.
In the Internet age, a viral video can advance a career, even without radio play. Psy’s “Gangnam Style” video made him a star outside South Korea before American stations started spinning the song. Many indie bands, like Atlas Genius, have been signed by labels on the strength of low-budget videos.
Along with the deft use of Twitter and Facebook accounts, YouTube videos have become critical to creating a band’s image.
“It’s all part of the business card, if you will,” said Jeff Rabhan, the chairman of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University. “It’s the music, it’s the image, it’s the video. That’s the band’s calling card.”
Directors speak of lower budgets but greater artistic freedom. They are no longer restricted to a three-minute format, nor do they need to worry about obscenity rules.
“Now we are on the Internet, and there are no rules, it can be real art,” said Anthony Mandler, who directed Ms. Swift’s video. For her song, Mr. Mandler went with a five-minute video that begins with a long soliloquy from Ms. Swift before the music starts, then features dozens of dark, fast cuts depicting flashbacks to an ugly affair with a cad.
Diane Martel, the director of Mr. Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” said record labels were exerting less control over the video content than they did in the 1990s. “I am free to make work I have a lot of control over,” she said. “At the top of the chain, you don’t have people trying to curate complicated, thoughtful work.”
Ms. Martel said the choice to use topless actresses in the first version of “Blurred Lines” was an example of that latitude: nudity is no longer off-limits. Interscope, Mr. Thicke’s label, never blinked at the idea, she said. Though the video has been criticized as misogynist, Ms. Martel said she wanted to portray the women as using the power of their physical beauty to mock the clothed male singers. She had them look with disdain at the camera.
“It’s a romp; it’s for adults,” she said. “They are actually ridiculing the men. It’s hysterical.”
Still, Ms. Martel and Mr. Thicke, knowing the nude version would most likely be pulled from YouTube and be available only on Vevo, made a second version, with the models in skimpy clothes. It is that version that is nominated for video of the year.
Philip Andelman, a director whose video for Duck Sauce’s “It’s You“ is nominated for best visual effects, said videos centered on a band simply playing a song are becoming scarcer. More directors, like Mr. Mandler and Floria Sigismondi, who made Mr. Timberlake’s video, are trying to tell stories. Some recent videos leave the band out altogether and use the song as the soundtrack for a short film with no dialogue.
Cameron Duddy, a director of Mr. Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven,” said he pitched the singer on several wacky story lines. His previous viral video with Mr. Mars, for “The Lazy Song,” was a low-budget lark, featuring five men in chimp masks dancing with the singer in his bedroom. (It has had 411 million views.)
In the end, however, Mr. Mars wanted to present a hard-rocking image and opted for a grainy performance video. He and his backing band performed the song live dozens of times, playing along with the recorded track, so Mr. Duddy could capture the feel of a live performance. It was filmed on an old VHS camera, like a DIY punk video from the early 1980s.
“He wanted it to feel as if someone’s dad filmed it,” Mr. Duddy said.
Perhaps no video in the last year did more for a group than “Thrift Shop.” Shot on the cheap in Seattle at various thrift stores, the video became a viral hit on the Internet before the song started to climb the charts on FM radio. That success persuaded many station programmers to add it to their playlists and drove sales of singles, said Zach Quillen, manager of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
“We spent zero dollars to market that video,” Mr. Quillen said. “The music video was a commercial for the band.”
Mr. Rabhan of the Clive Davis Institute said: “If a video goes viral online, that will get you on the radio, and it used to be the radio that drove the message. What it speaks to over all is the notion that there really are no longer gatekeepers. MTV is not the gatekeeper. Record companies are not the gatekeeper. Fans decide what they want and like, and if they so choose, radio will follow, and sales will follow.”
We’ve all been cornered by this guy at a cocktail party – the guy who goes on and on about himself without once relating to you and your experiences. Underneath it all he just wants you to be impressed by him but that isn’t the result, is it? In fact you can’t wait to get away from him and tell anyone who will listen about the jerk you just got stuck with (and to stay away!).
So… you definitely don’t want your business to be like him, do you? Of course not, but unfortunately many overview videos out there are just that – what is sometimes called a “California Monologue” where someone goes on about themselves without once relating it to the listener. For overview videos to work they need to constantly relate how whatever feature of the business is being highlighted benefits the viewer. Keep relating it back to the viewer, how it will help them, entertain them, simplify their life, etc. For example if you talk about your years in business tie that to confidence customers have in you. If you talk about variety of products tie that to how every customer can find what they want. You get the picture. A good “Connector” keeps the listener in mind and constantly ties the topic back to them. Do likewise, and succeed with your overview video.
Inman News Blog – Real estate video: It’s not OK to suck
Commentary: Affordable equipment, tools and apps set the creative bar higher, not lower
Marc Davison
Marc Davison Contributor
Sep 4, 2013
June 2013. 183 million Americans viewed more than 44 billion videos.
20 billion of them were ads created by national brands.
I’d like to inspire your brand to join the movement.
Inspiration
I’m a regular reader of Ad Age. I rabidly consume brand blogs and marketing articles dispensing the best of what the brightest minds in my field offer.
Video, a medium I’m passionate about, is often discussed. Ideas, techniques and advice dispensed in these publications differ greatly from the “it’s OK to suck” advice often presented in real estate.
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You deserve better advice than that.
True professionals seek to operate at their best. They continue to hone and refine their skills, their output and their team. Your video does not have to suck. Ever.
Bad videos kill a brand.
Decent videos aren’t memorable.
But great video is worth its weight in gold.
I’d like to inspire you to greatness.
Story
Forget rules. Focus on goals. Captivating the viewer should rank as your highest.
Storytelling is a construct brand marketers rely on to captivate. And video is now their chosen medium. Dove’s story of natural and inner beauty explodes through this video, positioning Dove as an agent of change that inspires women to feel confident about themselves.
Samsung’s story is simple and effective in this viral video built around a supernatural kid with razor-sharp aim. The product and brand are brilliantly positioned, and the viewer never feels as if he is being sold anything.
Videos don’t need to be epic. Or expensive. This six-second Vine from General Electric reflects the wonder and passion for science and discovery that lies at the heart of the brand.
The mistake real estate pundits make via their just aim, shoot and post advice is an insensitivity to how exiguous the result of that process brands you. The mere act of banging out a video without attending to modern practices, standards and attention to quality does not cast you as savvy, modern and progressive. Today, anyone can do that.
The truth is that the affordable equipment, tools and apps that we all have now set the creative bar higher, not lower, than ever.
View this six-second masterpiece created by an amateur on Vine submitted to Cavendish Hotels for its Valentine’s Day video contest. Compare it to these professional videos by Bacardi Rum or Oreo. It’s on par, if not better.
Juxtapose these brand stories and strategies against the typical video produced in real estate, which often entails agents touting their attributes, narrated home tours, or behind-the-wheel market updates. Given the subject matter the real estate brand marketer is gifted with — homes, neighborhoods, lifestyles — there’s so much more that could be done.
Ideas
Consider the examples above as a jumping-off point. As I’ve stated, to create the type of video I’m suggesting, you can’t follow a template. Be original. Local. Brand-centric.
Consider hiring a creative to oversee this. Someone with professional chops who can conceptualize, write, film, edit, curate and post great content.
Consider building a street team of local interns — skater kids, for example, paid to shoot, edit and submit slice-of-life videos for your website, Facebook, Vine, Instagram or blog.
You won’t regret this.
Idea No. 1: Local stories. Nest Realty, named by Inc. magazine as one of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in America, launched five years ago. Video was a critical component to building this brand. Take a page from its “Love Where You Live” campaign told through people who reside in its local markets. Every broker in America should have a library of videos like Nest‘s.
Idea No. 2: Contests. Re/Max Results in Minneapolis hosts a film festival every year. Submissions are not relegated to “real estate” content. The story this tells is of a local real estate brand that supports local arts and culture. I love that. Check out the 2012 winners.
Idea No. 3: Home tours. Every home has a story left untold by typical home tours. Not the homes Raj Qsar and his team at Boutique Realty list. Through a simple construct and a few props, their videos tell the story of homes filled with life. They also scream sensitivity and flair about Boutique’s brand. The soundtrack makes it all that much more perfect.
Idea No. 4: Mini movies. You may recall this action drama produced for Neo Property of Australia that went viral in 2011. That same year, Los Angeles agent Eric Lavey took a less sensational and far more clever approach. He hired student filmmakers and produced mini films that would fit any agent’s budget. They’re simple, well done and stand out against all the basic virtual tours, still photos and basic home tours all his competitors make.
Idea No. 5: Local hangouts. Create 60-second videos of local hangouts, places and people. Cafes. Bookstores. Cycling and running trails. Places to view the sunset. An interview with a local golf pro. Yoga instructor. Dog trainer. I’d record local high school teams. Teachers. Principals.
Every one of these subjects serves one of your greatest needs: They give your viewers deep insight into the community. And they also become part of your viral marketing. What better way to disseminate brand vibe to locals than to capture their essence on video and promote them to your world?
Your video strategy doesn’t have to suck
The dumb-it-all-down movement in real estate is pandemic. This strategy aspiring influencers use to build affinity with the real estate agent community is beneath you and your profession.
Reject it.
True professionals seek to operate at their best.
They continue to hone and refine their skills, their output and their team.
Your video does not have to suck.
Ever.
Marc Davison is with 1000watt, a design, marketing and strategy firm focused on real estate. Reprinted with permission from 1000watt blog.
– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/09/04/real-estate-video-its-not-ok-to-suck/#sthash.9tahDH6u.dpuf
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videos embedded. Even factoring out the autoplay function of Facebook it outperforms other posts by at least 2-to-1. 
People read text, look at photos and websites, but they watch video. Note that they “look at” other mediums but actively “watch” video. Video feels live, video feels real, video is like being there. And given the chance to read about something or watch a video, people just love to click that play button. And the most amazing thing happens then – they get the information they are seeking but most importantly they are watching the person on screen and making a connection. So if you have a business, you want more clients, or you want more sales, video is an amazing tool to help people feel at ease and feel ready to contact you. Read more about our 
And just like a good movie trailer a real estate video should show just enough of the best parts (but not too much) to generate excitement so that the buyer doesn’t feel that they’ve seen the listing, but that they WANT to see the listing. A real estate videos job is not to satisfy the buyer, but to tease and excite, motivating them contact you to arrange a showing.
Susan Weinshenk 