Category Archives: Video
The Inspiration Behind Lovell Communications: Part 4.
by Paula Lovell on March 14, 2013 | no comments
in Lovell, Public Relations, Video
Laurel Staples’ Better Woman blog is casual and informative. She does a great job with her video and audio production. Check out some of the successful businesswomen she interviews.
The Inspiration Behind Lovell Communications: Part 3.
by Paula Lovell on March 7, 2013 | no comments
in Lovell, Public Relations, Video
Laurel Staples’ Better Woman blog is casual and informative. She does a great job with her video and audio production. Check out some of the successful businesswomen she interviews.
The Inspiration Behind Lovell Communications: Part 2.
by Paula Lovell on February 28, 2013 | no comments
in Lovell, Public Relations, Video
Laurel Staples’ Better Woman blog is casual and informative. She does a great job with her video and audio production. Check out some of the successful businesswomen she interviews.
The Inspiration Behind Lovell Communications: Part 1.
by Paula Lovell on February 21, 2013 | no comments
in Lovell, Public Relations, Video
Laurel Staples’ Better Woman blog is casual and informative. She does a great job with her video and audio production. Check out some of the successful businesswomen she interviews.
How to “Work It” When the Red Light Goes On: Four Tips to Help Your CEO Deliver a Good Performance on Video
by Paula Lovell on February 12, 2013 | 3 comments
in Media Relations, Video
Some corner office executives are “naturals” when it comes to public speaking or communicating in front of a camera – some, but not most.
Most CEOs are too busy running their companies to set aside time for “talking head” training or even a rehearsal prior to a video shoot. Here are four tips to help you coach your CEO when he or she needs to deliver an important video message to employees or 
other stakeholders.
- Do your homework. It takes a bit of advance work before you should ask your CEO to sit down in front of hot lights, a camera and a room full of crew members. When she finally starts talking or reading a teleprompter, she should feel pretty comfortable in her environment. Prep the room: Keep the lights off as long as you can before the CEO steps in front of the camera. Turn up the air conditioner the entire time you are building the set and until just when the CEO walks in (it’s going to heat up fast when you turn off the A/C to reduce noise fluctuation.) Have bottled water, cough drops and tissues handy. Use a “stand-in” who is about the same size as your CEO so you don’t waste time checking out your camera shot, lighting and audio. Introduce everyone in the room and allow the CEO time to chat with the crew, if that’s her style. Then take time to explain that you are taping the session and there will be plenty of time to stop and start over.
- Assert yourself and be candid. It’s awkward telling your CEO that he really DOES need powder on the shiny spot on his head or that he is swaying back and forth, slouching or mumbling. Too bad; it’s your job to make the CEO look as good as possible, and it’s certainly easier to do it on the front end than later in the editing room. And don’t assume CEOs know all the rules around giving a good performance. Remind him where to keep his eyes focused while talking, to slow down his speech, to enunciate his words and to smile. In most, but not all, situations, a smile is important; and it usually takes a lot more grin than the CEO instinctively offers. He will feel like he is grinning ear to ear but say to you later, “Why do I look so dour and unhappy?!” Do whatever you can to get him pumped up with energy and a pleasant smile before the camera rolls.
- Beg for a rehearsal. About half the time you won’t get it, but try to schedule at least twice as much time on the CEO’s calendar than you think the shoot will take. Even if you don’t get many practice runs, at least you’ll have time for a lot of “do-overs.”
- Try my rubber band trick. Unless you do it every day, almost everyone is nervous in front of a camera. It’s important for that energy to show up as enthusiasm, commitment, excitement and confidence; not twiddling of fingers, rocking back and forth, swiveling in a chair or – I kid you not – cracking knuckles. I like to have an executive stand, rather than sit, for a lengthy taping or to read from the teleprompter. It looks better from the mid-chest up, but you don’t want waving hands flying in and out of the screen. Offer a rubber band for the CEO to play with during the taping. It will give the CEO something to transfer energy to, but you’ll never see it on screen.
It’s tough for anyone who isn’t a professional to relax in front of a camera. What are your tricks of the trade?
Quick Tips on How to Conduct a Video Interview and Prevent Heartburn Back in the Editing Suite
by Paula Lovell on September 18, 2012 | 4 comments
in Video
We produce videos for many of our clients; many are testimonials and the interviewees are not accustomed to being videotaped. I wanted to share some tips on how to get the best responses from the people you interview. Most of the time, people are nervous in front of a camera and, as the one asking the questions and trying to get good footage, it’s the interviewer’s job to put them at ease. Here’s how I approach it:
- Decide in advance what you want your subject to say, and don’t be shy about asking a question 15 different ways to solicit an answer that is going to make an effective sound bite. I always explain to my interviewee that I am likely to ask a question several different ways, but it’s only so I will have a lot of choices in the editing room … not because they have not given a good answer.
- Give the interviewee a little advance coaching. Even if he or she has given interviews before, it’s nice to remind people to:
- look only at you and not the camera or anyone else in the room;
- not to worry about making a mistake because it can always be edited out;
- pause right before they answer each question;
- don’t begin their answer until they are looking you in the eye (not up in space trying to think through their response);
- don’t rock or sway in the chair (shame on you if you give them a chair that moves);
- ask for a pause if they want to restate or reframe an answer.
- Write down your questions prior to the interview, but don’t refer to them unless you must. When you look down at your paper, it reminds the individual being interviewed that this is on camera, not a casual conversation. Memorize the topics you want to cover so you don’t have to interrupt the flow and shuffle through your papers.
- Listen to the other person’s answers; not your questions. If you’re a novice, this is tough because you are nervous about how you sound. In most cases the questions are edited out so you can bumble around all you want and nobody will know the difference. In fact, sometimes it really helps ease the anxiety in the room when you aren’t too rehearsed and you stumble a bit yourself.
- If you are lucky enough to have a professional shooter, let them have as much input in regard to the location of the shoot as you do. They have an eye for composition (and for making sure it doesn’t look like a plant is growing out of the subject’s ear on camera.) Likewise, give the crew adequate time to set up. They need to scope out the room for potential visual and audio challenges that could foil you on the post-production end.
- Get your crew to over-shoot B-roll. As time consuming as it is, you can almost never have too much B-roll to cover the jump cuts and edits you will need to make when you put the piece together. Likewise, don’t forget to get “room tone” to help you later on when you get down to editing.
Does anyone have other tricks of the trade to share about getting good video testimonials?
Operating Room Videos Are Exciting
by Paula Lovell on August 14, 2012 | 7 comments
in Healthcare, Marketing, Video
At the end of a long day in the OR, shooting for a hospital client, almost anything can happen.
Enhance Your Online Healthcare Marketing with Video – PART II
by Scott McIntosh on January 12, 2012 | 1 comment
in Healthcare, Marketing, Video
As I discussed in my previous post, in order to maximize online discovery of your healthcare marketing videos, take advantage of social media platforms and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Video SEO is all about using the proper keywords in your video titles and descriptions. To get a feel for the most popular keywords being searched at any given time, use the Google Keyword Tool or YouTube Keyword Tool to pick out the highest trending and most relevant keywords that relate to the content of your video. Then attempt to use these keywords within your video titles and descriptions.
Once your video is completed and you’ve chosen your keyword optimized title and description, upload the video to YouTube as it’s one of the most popular search engines itself. YouTube allows for a title, description and keyword set to be entered with each entry. Because search engines are unable to decipher the contents (spoken words, dynamic text, etc) of videos, it’s important to use titles and descriptions – using your keywords – to describe the subject matter.
Take full advantage of YouTube’s description box by placing a link back to your main website. After all, the overall purpose of this effort is to market your healthcare services – what better way than to drive people to your main website. I recommend placing a link to your site in the first couple lines of the description box and including the “http://” portion to ensure it is recognized by your browser as an easily clickable link. Here’s an example of a link in the description on the Lovell YouTube channel:
Don’t stop there, however, because as Google stated with their recent announcement of “Search plus Your World,” search and social media are being merged to help Google better tailor search results to individuals. This means that social media has become an important part of SEO and online discovery. Maximize this by sharing your video on your social networks (including Google+). You should also embed your video from YouTube onto your main website, blog, inside your press releases (if possible) and in your email marketing newsletters. This will drive all traffic to view the video on YouTube which will increase your view count. This is important because Google takes into account the amount of views per video when deciding on its popularity. The more popular a video, the better the chance it has of showing up in the top of the search results when your targeted keywords are searched. And by sharing your video on social networks, you also increase the chances of discovery from users of those networks.
What pros and cons have you seen when using video as a part of your marketing efforts?
Enhance Your Online Healthcare Marketing with Video – Part I
by Scott McIntosh on January 5, 2012 | 3 comments
in Healthcare, Marketing, Social Media, Video
The healthcare industry is growing quickly as 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day. According to a study completed last year by Google, 57% of the Boomer generation have searched online for health information. A survey done by the National Research Corporation in 2011 showed 20% of respondents rely on social networking for health information and of those, 94% use Facebook as their number one source. Are your healthcare marketing efforts keeping up with these trends?
One way to capture online attention and enhance your marketing program is through use of online video. Websites containing video consistently show a lower bounce rate and increased time-on-site versus sites without video content. Video also helps with search engine optimization efforts as sites with this type of content, according to Forrester Research analyst Nate Elliott, are 50 times more likely to appear on Google’s first page results than sites without video content.
Creating Online Marketing Videos
With the increase in simple high-definition cameras, as well as easy-to-use video editing and distribution options, video has become a more affordable option for healthcare marketers. Those looking to create videos should start with a list of potential topics. Your videos should cover topics and stories that your potential customers would be interested in. Nobody wants to see a glorified commercial for your hospital on their Facebook page, but a video teaching how to look for signs of pending health risks may be of interest. Here are a few recommendations:
Healthcare Marketing Video Ideas:
- Customer testimonials and inspirational stories (beware HIPAA regulations)
- Preventative medicine and health tips videos
- New technologies and hospital techniques
- Inspirational videos from YOUR hospital community showing positive events and trends
Editing Marketing Videos:
Once the appropriate footage is captured, simple editing software can help make your videos web-ready. Most new computer models come with basic video editing software or you can download a program such as Camtasia Studio to create your final product. Another option would be to hire a healthcare marketing firm or video production studio to assist in the production of your videos. This kind of consultant can also advise a hospital how to maximize their video efforts (on the hospital website, through social media, at locations throughout the hospital, through local public service announcements, etc.).
Remember to keep videos short as attention spans, especially on the web, are not what they used to be. Optimal length should be under two minutes but attention must be grabbed in the first 10 seconds or risk users clicking away.
Online Discovery
To get your videos discovered, ensure you are taking advantage of social media and search engine optimization. But we’ll discuss that more in Part II of our post on Healthcare marketing videos. Stay tuned next week and please let us know any questions you’d like answered in next week’s post by using the comments section below.
Google+: Circles and Huddles and Sparks, Oh My…
by Sam Sudano on July 21, 2011 | 2 comments
in Networking, Social Media, Video
If you have been keeping an eye on social media buzz lately, chances are you’ve heard about Google+.
The exclusive social media network launched a trial version of the site in late June and has already exceeded over 18 million users. The Google+ website informs curious social media goers that the network has reached its maximum capacity, but if you know someone with an existing account, you can access the trial version through an invite.
Once inside the realm of Google+, figuring out where to start can be a little overwhelming. You’ll want to begin by adding friends already on the platform to your network. After connecting with them, you will be able to see their posts and status updates on your newsfeed. Google+ as a social network seems similar to its predecessors: groups, chat, news feed, link-sharing, and group messaging, but it has a few distinctive features:
1. Circles – Categorize your contacts into groups like friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. You can update to select groups and control the information each one sees. It’s easy to move contacts from one Circle to another and the names of your Circles are not shared with contacts.
2. Sparks – Select a topic you are interested in and have relevant articles, videos, photos, and more sent right to your inbox. Rate content on the Web with “+1” buttons to better tailor the content you receive. Alongside “re-tweet” and “like” buttons on sites, “+1” buttons are now appearing next to content. Sparks uses this feedback to create a user recommended search engine. They combine this with media monitoring to deliver you the news you care about. Businesses are expected to use this feature in their advertising endeavors. Ford has already signed up, and the healthcare industry is expected to follow suit.
3. Hangout – Interact with up to 10 of your friends using a cloud video conferencing platform. One network has already conducted the world’s first Google+ press conference through this tool. Although only one person can create a Hangout, everyone present in the chat has the ability to send invites to others using a specific URL. Hangouts are visible to you and your friends’ Circles, so if you make the Hangout public, you may have some unexpected guests. Play nice…you can’t kick anyone out of a Hangout once they’re already inside.
4. Huddles – Bring up to 50 friends together with the Google+ group messaging application. This has also been made into an application on Android phones and lets you select individuals or invite an entire Circle to chat.
Overall, I thought that Google+ was easy to navigate and I loved the Hangout feature. Does Google+ have what it takes to pull users from the social media networks they already use (and love?).
