How TikTok Has Changed Video Marketing

Despite its many controversies, TikTok has persevered due to its immense popularity. It’s changed how people consume and create content on the internet, revolutionizing the digital world. In this blog post, we will explore how TikTok is transforming the video space and what it means for content creators in today's digital world.

To compete, just about any social media site you visit has taken notes on how TikTok is set up. Meta adapted by adding “Reels” to Facebook and Instagram, Twitter has created a For You-esque tab that it defaults to, similar to TikTok’s “For You” algorithm feed, specifically tailored for the individual. TikTok has been so successful, they officially have more active users than any other social media site, according to statistics from November 2018 saying that one billion people are using the app worldwide.

However, TikTok has changed not only the social media scene but how people prefer to consume media. TikTok’s maximum length for a video is 3 minutes; more often than not, the more optimal/popular videos are anywhere from 24 to 34 seconds. As a result, people tend to talk faster and more informally in their videos, and edited videos are faster-paced. As a direct result of how TikTok’s base consumes media, it has caused the average attention span to decline from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2022!

As a video production company, we’re also adapting to these changes in social media. We’ve been recommending shorter videos to our clients, creating stronger hooks (with sound effects), and editing videos to match a much faster pace. No one wants to watch a 5-minute video nowadays, unless the video targets a specific audience or serves a particular purpose (like an informational explaining your user portal or how to use a product for your client’s benefit).

TikTok is often considered a “younger generation” platform, but don’t underestimate it. It’s a social media powerhouse! True, about 10 to 19 years old make up 32.5% and users 20 to 29 years old make up 29.5% of its base, people from ages of 30 to 39 make up 16.4% and 40 to 49 year-olds make up 13.9%, and those above 50 make up 7.1%. This implies that the TikTok user base is aging up!

Not only that, but TikTok is an easy platform to start a technique that’s called “domino marketing” or “cross-posting,” where you post a video to TikTok, then take that video and post it to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. It has become a hub for creative and interactive video content, making it an ideal platform for businesses to reach out to their target audiences in a creative and fun way, especially if they’re Gen Z or Millennials. So, is your audience on TikTok? What are they watching? How do we best represent your brand in this evolving digital age we’re in? Let’s talk!

Three Video Tips to Boost Results

Video is an immensely powerful tool for conveying emotion and connecting with audiences. Studies have shown that businesses using video are more successful in engaging their customers and creating a strong emotional connection. This is because videos have the ability to capture the attention of viewers, communicate complex ideas quickly, and evoke strong emotions. By leveraging the power of video, businesses can create meaningful connections and build lasting relationships.

Exciting cinematics is one of the most powerful tools you can use to bridge the gap between your business and your clients. Landing page videos are able to increase conversion rates by 80%. That means videos can lead directly to sales.  Video allows you to communicate with your audience in a more effective way, while also providing them with an engaging experience. By communicating visually, you can create a human connection that will increase trust and loyalty between you and your clientele. 

How can you ensure the video you create will clearly resonate with your audience?

To improve your video content results, we’ve provided three essential tips below!

TIP ONE: KEEP IT SIMPLE!

• Our brains process visuals at a high-speed rate of 13 milliseconds! Because we absorb information and emotions faster through visual content, it’s best to avoid long-winded amounts of dialogue on-camera. Let the visuals speak to your story and illustrate your message!

TIP TWO: THE GAME OF THREES

• Threes are satisfying. Beginning, middle, end. Three notes of a chord. Three blind mice. What other ‘threes’ do you know? The same applies to communication and storytelling. If you have a live-video coming up, try to think of three key points to share with your audience. This isn’t always a “rule,” but it’s a good place to start if you’re trying to create your own video content!

TIP THREE (there’s those threes again): LEAN IN

• We encourage our clients to lean in. If you lean in, other people will gravitate toward you. If you pull away from your business, people will mirror you. If you’re not branching out, who’s going to miss the awesome chance to work with you? There are valuable moments and opportunities to connect with your audience on a hand-designed video platform. People are on their phones a million times a day. They are zooming through your social media, website, your “about us” page, your products page, and your blog at an incredible speed because they take it in, and then they move on. They have little time to spare. If it’s too much text, forget it. This mainly applies to those who are visual thinkers. Which type of thinker are you? Which type do you think your clients are? Time to ask. You may have questions, but questions lead to new discoveries. Discoveries lead to new opportunities. Opportunities lead to growth! Lean in. Give us a call to learn more.

Did you catch my use of ‘threes’ at the end?  

Subtle Perks About Video Advertising No One Thinks About - The Power of Angles & Editing

When you think of the advantages that video advertising has over traditional forms of advertisement, cinematography, and editing might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, many subtle perks of video advertising make it even more powerful. A few of these are the use of cinematography and editing.

When done right, angles and cinematography can significantly impact viewer engagement and attention. They can also be used to communicate emotion in a much more nuanced way than other types of advertisement. With the right camera movements, lighting effects, and color grading techniques, videographers can create impactful visual storytelling without relying so much on dialogue or subtitles. When it’s done right, you shouldn’t notice it; it will feel organic.

Of course, we have our most commonly used shots, like the following:

• The Close-up

• A great way to depict emotions and feelings in a person’s face, bringing out the story or message more clearly.

• The Medium Shot

• A popular shot used in films is the waist-up view, which allows actors to communicate gestures and emotions effectively.

• The Long Shot

• A shot showing the subject’s whole body and range of movement, such as dancing or walking.

• The Establishing/Extreme Long Shot

• This shot is often used to show a landscape or place where the scene will take place. We often use this shot at the beginning of our about us videos to establish the company.

Then there are angles that evoke certain feelings. Not only does this help advertisers get their message across more powerfully, but it also makes videos stand out from other forms of advertisement. By strategically using angles and cinematography, advertisers can create captivating visuals that will stick with viewers long after watching the video. 

For example:

• The Low-Angle Shot

• A shot that positions the camera at a low angle creates the illusion of making the subject or setting seem grand or even threatening. It can emphasize a particular person’s power or portray a grim situation. This technique is often used in films and television to heighten the drama of a scene and draw viewers into the moment. This technique also effectively conveys emotion and creates an impactful message in commercials. We use high angles all the time to make our clients feel powerful!

• The High-Angle Shot

• On the other hand, the high angle represents powerlessness; depicting the subject in a vulnerable or powerless manner can evoke a maternal instinct from the audience, which enhances their sympathy towards a character. This perspective diminishes the subject and can make a person look smaller than reality. You might see this in a marketing commercial, where the client is struggling to make sales Though there are always exceptions to this rule.

Editing plays a huge role in how you want your target audience to feel. Everything from the pace of the edit to the color grade can affect how you want your audience to feel. An oversimplified example of this would be, say, an ad that starts off with a prospective client down in the dumps because their computer is having technical issues. The color grade here might be greyer and less saturated. The pace of the edit might be slower as well. And when the IT company comes in to save the day, the color grade might become more saturated, the music might change to something more upbeat, and the editing pace picks up. Editing can change the tone of just about anything, like making The Shining seem like a comedy or Mrs. Doubtfire like a horror film.

The next time you’re at the movie theater, think about the camera angles and editing and how you feel about them. You’ll be surprised by the meaning you take away from it.

These are just a few examples of the age-old and tested techniques we employ. When chosen wisely, camera angles, cinematography, and editing can be used effectively in commercials to convey a message and promote products in unique ways. The key is for filmmakers to use their creativity and try different approaches when selecting their shots to make the most out of their projects that make the most sense in the context of the brand, product, and/or service.

Combining Video and Traditional Marketing Techniques for Maximum Impact

As we are rolling into 2023, it's important to have a marketing strategy in place to ensure your business is setup for success this year! 

We are sure in your world of business, your industry is ever-changing, and your competition is putting tactics in place to change with it. Businesses are becoming more aggressive in their strategies to keep up with their audience’s preferences and needs. Studies show more people are leaning more and more toward watching visual mediums, partly to take in information faster and more effectively. Online videos account for more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic in 2022, 15 times greater than in 2017 (Cisco). We help our clients strategize to gain, maintain, or keep momentum, in this fast-evolving market, ensuring their business is #1 in their client’s hearts and minds. According to Wyzowl, in three years, the percent of businesses using video increased from 63% to 86%. We will help with your video content so you can keep ahead of the game.

By pairing video strategy with traditional marketing techniques, you can effectively connect one-on-one with your clients.  Video paired with traditional marketing can be an effective way to reach your 2023 New Year's goals and grow your business. With the right combo of video and marketing, you can create engaging content which will capture the attention of your target audience and drive sales upward. In this article, we'll discuss how video strategies are used in tandem with marketing tactics to help you reach your 2023 goals and grow your business.

Video can provide a more meaningful and emotional connection with audiences than written or audio content. Video can create a connection between people by conveying emotions, stories, and ideas in a visually powerful way. How do we decide what your personalized video tools will look like?  Well, we ask innovative questions to understand the best video solution we can formulate, building a customized plan around your business needs. For example, we are working with a marketing firm to assist an Aerospace provider.  They have three key audiences they are targeting.  We’re producing three distinct videos to ensure their clients can “see themselves” working with them. We are visually translating the heart of our Aerospace partner’s business through each video we produce.  We specialize in following your mission track, business needs, and marketing recommendations to provide strategic video content which will bolster your campaigns.

Whether you’re looking to help your audience better understand what they can expect working with you, what they will they gain, or what they can learn from partnering with you, we tailor our videos to your company objectives and “Voice”. Our customizable video strategies can help you write and produce engaging content to gain your business exposure, build relationships, and connect with your audience emotionally. 

After reading this, are you thinking about utilizing video or wondering how it may be a good fit? We are here to help maximize the impact of your sales and marketing efforts. What are your growth goals for this year? Let’s talk!

Showcasing Your Business in Style by Adding Drone Shots

We recently worked on a video project with Windows of Texas. They had a big home project. A client was adding an addition to their house that included an indoor patio, fire pit, pool, movie room, a third garage, and a music studio. The homeowner wanted high-end sliding glass doors for the indoor patio, movie room, garage, and music room. Windows of Texas was up for the challenge. Owner, Mike Vinez, wanted us to help showcase their beautiful work on this home virtually. We wanted to give the video an extra "wow" factor. We collaborated with Mike to make this video a “Mic-Drop” video. We recommended using a drone in production to capture not only the sliding doors but all the windows Windows of Texas installed. Windows of Texas also has an all-star team of installers, and we wanted to showcase their experienced team. Mike is also extremely knowledgeable about how refurbishing windows not only changes the view of your world but keeps money in your pocket during the summer and winter. This was the perfect house to show off Windows of Texas in its entirety, utilizing our 4K cameras and drones!

Drone footage can add dramatic views and increase production value to your video. In turn, the visuals add value to your business through the eyes of your prospects. Our video for Windows of Texas starts with a drone shot to showcase that production value right off the bat and draw in viewers. 

Believe it or not, drones have been around for more than a decade now. In 2010 a French company by the name of Parrot created the "AR Drone." It was the first commercially successful consumer drone controlled by a Wi-Fi connection. But it wasn’t until five years later DJI would come out with the Phantom 4 with object tracking capabilities, making for smooth shots of people, cars, and buildings from above.

You might be thinking, what can Drone footage add to your video that a camera on the ground cannot? Well, if you think about it, 10+ years ago, to get the same bird's eye view of a person, place, or thing, you would have had to rent a helicopter to get that shot! Already potential customers’ subconscious is saying, "they cared about their work to get those shots."  In reality, getting that footage is far more affordable than it was in the past.  Drones have made aerial video so much more accessible, opening new ways to showcase your business or product in several different creative ways. 

At Envirron Video Productions, we tailor our videos and drone production around your business goals.  Call us today to hear how video can be utilized as a platform to elevate (pun intended) your work. 

QR Code Campaigns and Your Business

A massive challenge for manufacturing companies is training. You have to ensure people are well-trained for the safety of your employees and your company’s standards. Training can be a considerable expense and time commitment. According to Training Magazine, extensive cost and time expenditures have been dedicated to training. Average training expenditures for large companies increased from $17.7 million in 2019 to $22 million in 2020.

At Envirron, we are looking to provide manufacturing QR code videos to cut costs and increase message retention and time efficiency.

Our video team will provide a manufacturing video to capture training segments to help save time in answering follow-up training questions that can be quickly addressed on-site through their own devices.  Employees who have a question about machinery on-site can easily access the QR code video to obtain the answer themselves.  The video production will clearly demonstrate the distinct process or step.  This video can also have extended use when explaining a process or “how-it-works” tutorial to a client.

This video illustrates how a training video utilizes and strengthens client relationships. We worked with an innovative industrial crating firm called DFW Crating, which ships crates worldwide.  They were getting a series of questions and calls from their clients, i.e., “how do I open my crate for use once it arrives”?  We created a quick QR code video to serve as a virtual and visual solution to help answer their clients’ questions. We developed the script/video with creative music, voice-over, and subtitles for the best engagement. 

The result is a high-quality video that works as an extension of the company, so they can focus more of their time on growing the business.

Depending on the project's needs, length, and budget, we tailor our quotes to our client's specific goals and budget for the best results. Contact us to discover your video production solution today! 

The Telly Award Experience

At first, when I signed up for the Telly Awards, I was a little intimidated. The Telly Awards has been around since 1979, and the judges who shortlist (for the People’s Telly) are some of the top professionals from advertising and production companies, networks, and content studios. If that wasn’t enough to make me nervous, those people included judges from some pretty recognizable companies such as Adobe, Netflix, Dow Jones, A&E Networks, Nickelodeon, ESPN Films, Vimeo, and more. So to have our submission ‘shortlisted’ by these judges was incredibly humbling enough as it was.

Once we were ‘in’, I still set my expectations low, but I was not without hope. Our video production work with Hi-Line was what I feel was one of the best videos we’ve done, where we had writing, animation, drone footage, lighting, music, and a great opportunity to shoot some awesome action shots. 

Learning about the announcement turned into a funny story… At first, there was a glitch in the Telly award’s system, so the announcement didn’t reach us apart from a “thanks for participating” email.  We thought we didn’t place at all.  We proceeded to let everyone know we didn’t win but we’re honored to be recognized among many high-quality video production companies.  We thought that was all she wrote until I received a letter in the mail (15-minutes after announcing we didn’t win) reading that we had, in fact, won the Silver Telly Award!  Our entire video production team was ecstatic!  We are thrilled to be here in Dallas, Texas, creating wins for our customers through our video work and being a part of the wins too! 

The video we created was for a strategic app for an industrial company.  This industrial video was designed to have high-impact and engagement, hooking the viewer immediately and letting people know exactly what their company is all about in less than 2-minutes.  See for yourself!  

It was awesome working with Hi-Line Inc on their video production, and we love that we get to share this Telly Award win with them!  

Contact us today to learn which video may be the right fit for your business, and possibly become an award winner, too!  

5 Reasons Why You Should Use Video

Video is the Swiss Army Knife you need to stay ahead in modern-day marketing. Video works as a key tool for communication, emotion, and engagement. It allows us to convey information faster than text.  It builds and strengthens your relationships. Your message creates a bond with your audience in a way they won’t forget. Here are five reasons why you should consider budgeting videos in your marketing campaigns!:

1. Video Connects with your Audience, Boosting Conversation & Sales

Video can extend a personal connection to your target audience and explain how you're here to help them fulfill a need or solve a problem quickly.  It's just as good as being there in person. That’s right, video is the ultimate time-saver and works highly in your favor.  For starters, embedding a product video on your landing page can increase conversation rates by 80%! 

We know students process and retain visual information faster than any text. Ninety-one percent of educational institutions agree that video increases student satisfaction. The same principle applies to your target audience. Wyzowl shows that 73% of consumers would prefer to watch a short video about a product or service as opposed to the 11% who would rather read a text-based article. Believe it or not, rarely does a consumer not engage with a video when presented the option. In fact, for information-intensive products or services, consumers typically visit a product/service page video 2-3 times before making their final decision. 

This is why we help companies transfer information from text to video from client onboarding to training videos and more. We utilize video every day in our sales process, sharing the work we've done for previous clients to engage new prospects, creating an ‘About Us’ video for ourselves, and 

quick social media videos!

2. Social Media Is a Useful Tool to Reach Out and Engage With Your Audience 

It's in our nature to want to help people, grow and nourish relationships, and enjoy the feeling of having others engage with us. That's why social media outlets like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram are valuable tools to add to your sales utility belt. According to Wyzowl, people are twice as likely to share video content with their friends and colleagues than any other type of content.

 Eighty-eight percent of marketers agree that YouTube is the top choice to post their video marketing campaigns, followed by LinkedIn. Although keep in mind that TikTok is on the rise, up 13% from last year. If your product or service is better suited for a younger audience, it's the obvious choice!  I use it even as a millennial myself, and I can't tell you how many exciting products and services I see on TikTok. But I'm mostly there because I'm a sucker for cute dog videos. Guilty as charged!

If your audience is more specific, there may be key markets to tap into and specific audiences to target on YouTube, Facebook, or LinkedIn.  We will speak with your marketing teams or even connect you with our strategic partners to uncover the best fit for your business.

3. Videos Show Excellent ROI!

Regarding your ROI, video is one of the most profitable. Ninety percent of video marketers find video provides a positive ROI.  We like to think of video as a multivitamin for your business. It provides all kinds of nourishment, like increased website traffic, helping our clients better understand your products or services, increased lead generation, reduced support calls, and increased brand awareness.

4. Websites Enjoy 41% More Web Traffic

Speaking of website traffic… video is one of the best tools to bring attention to your business. Here are a few reasons why:

• The longer someone spends on your website (possibly watching a pretty neat video), it signals Google's algorithm that your website has valuable content.

• When ranking your website on Google, the algorithm looks at the amount of incoming traffic you have. According to Cisco's Forecast Highlights for 2021, video traffic on the web was projected to be 81% of the consumer internet traffic, up from 72% in 2016

• Uploading your videos to YouTube and optimizing them for SEO makes you more likely to rank higher in Google searches. Since Google owns YouTube, they love ranking their own site number one. Usually, the top 3 or so results will have videos suggested, so video is crucial to launching you ahead of the competition!

5. Video Appeals To Mobile Users

According to a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, mobile ads have seen better click-through rates than PCs in recent years. Due to apps like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Snapchat only allowing shorter videos (2 minutes or less), consumers are 88% more likely to sit through a 30-second ad on their preferred platform. Plus, your video has the added benefit of being shared quickly since companies like Apple have made sharing so quick and convenient.

The demand for mobile video ads is expected to grow even more. North America is its largest consumer, accounting for 44% of all video ad impressions.

Geo-location is also an effective marketing tool that's possible through mobile devices. Based on the Factual's 2019 Location-Based Marketing Report, almost 9 in 10 marketers said location-based advertising and marketing showed higher sales, growing their client’s customer base by 86%.

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There are many more reasons why video is important. We personally enjoy the subtle creative decisions that make your video uniquely yours. The music, how you speak to your customer base, how it’s shot, and the color themes we use all have your brand standards in mind. So as your audience is watching, they understand more subconsciously about your business than they would reading about you. That's why Envirron Video Productions is here to help you start your video journey!