Proliferation

Feb 05
0

Different Video Ads for Different Platforms

By | digital marketing, SEO, Utah, video production | No Comments

Video advertisements are always with new and entertaining ways to represent their brand, and as a result, we get some of some of the most powerful and appealing ads of the time. Even though the purpose of these ads are to promote s specific cause, brand or product, there are many that still are captivating even if you are not a target for the ad.

Watching these ads, you might also notice that depending on the platform, they may also be structured differently. This is because different platforms call for different ad styles, and it’s important for marketing companies to understand this so that they don’t create something that won’t perform on certain platforms. Here are the different types of video ads and what platforms they work on.

Out-stream Video Ads

We’ll begin by talking about out-steam video ads. These types of ads are generally used as stand-alone content, meaning that they can go out without being accompanied by any other sort of content. One of the biggest benefits of out-stream ads is the ability expand your company’s reach and build significant brand awareness. You’ll find that out-stream videos will drive online purchases and target key consumers as well. You’ll most likely find out-stream ads on TV, on companies’ personal webpages, or on different social media platforms (i.e. YouTube, Instagram and Twitter).

In-stream Video Ads

In-stream video ads are the most commonly seen advertisements today. These ads are described as linear because they run in line sequentially with content or material you are searching for. Marketing companies will usually divide these ads into pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll videos that play at the beginning, middle or end of a video you are trying to watch online. You’ll find these ads on video sharing platforms such as YouTube, and streaming platforms like Hulu and HBO ⎯ here are some explanations on these video ads:

Pre-roll ads are ran before a video starts. This can be beneficial to the marketing company because the ad is the first thing that the viewer will see: Although they can be skipped, if marketing companies craft an engaging ad from the beginning, you’ll likely reel in some potential consumers.

Mid-roll ads are played while the video is being viewed. These ads will most likely play in the middle of a video, and although they may be intrusive, it is unlikely that a viewer will click away due to the fact that they may want to finish their video.

Post-roll ads are amongst the most ineffective type of ads simply because they play after the content has finished and a viewer has no motivation to watch them. Marketing companies tend to avoid these types of ads and favor mid and pre-roll ads.

Some Guidelines for In-stream Video Ads:

Make these ads 15-30 seconds
Disable fast forward options
Use a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio (16:9 is the most commonly used)

In addition to YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and HBO, social media platform Facebook has also adopted in-stream ads.

Marketing companies have to know what kind of ads to use for each platform, because the right ad will lead to the desired results. If your brand needs help with advertising, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Fusion 360 Agency. Marketing is what we do best and we’re always ready to help your brand make its digital footprint in the industry.

Feb 04
0

Four Secrets to Online Success

By | digital marketing, SEO, Utah, video production | No Comments

When you post any sort of content on the internet, it can go one of two ways: you can reach a good number of people and see a significant amount of interaction, or you can witness your post disappearing into the merciless void that is the internet. What it all comes down to is how much time you take to prepare your content; online success doesn’t come easy, and social media marketing companies know that it takes a lot of work to see good results.

It’s important for brands to prepare and optimize their content wisely if they hope to claim any online success, but we realize that there are some companies out there that may require the assistance of professional social media marketing companies. Here are four secrets to online success that will help your brand blossom and give you the results that you’re looking for.

Understand Your Own Vision

The first secret to online success is taking the time to understand your own vision. In order to achieve great online success, both the brand and the social media marketing company need to know what their goals are and how to accomplish them.

Know Where Your Customers Are

Online success also comes down to pinpointing where your customers are spending their time online. Of course, this depends on your services and or products. If your brand sells sporting goods and supplements, you’ll want to target other pages and users in the sports industry. Once you start to pick up steam, you can begin recruiting affiliates within that community to help advertise your brand; online success is all about branching out.

Come Up with an Endpoint

Aside from just understanding your vision and ensuring that your short-term goals are met, successful companies also need to have an end goal in mind. Without a specific long-term goal in mind, you’re going to find it harder to motivate your brand and create quality and optimized content. Long-term goals serve as guidelines for everything that is produced within your company.

Go All in with Your Time

Lastly, you can’t achieve online success without going all in with your efforts. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is treating their online efforts as a part-time job. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your online presence won’t be either. The best way to achieve online success is to treat your social media like a full-time job ⎯ if you can do that, you should have no problem seeing positive results.

If you’re looking to achieve online success but don’t know where to start with these secrets, contact our talented social media marketing team at Fusion 360 Studios. We can help grow your brand to its full potential.

Feb 03
0

Three Common Flaws You Will See in Lower Quality Videos

By | SEO, Social Media, Utah, video production | No Comments

DIY video production has become more and more popular as we’ve been exposed to higher grade video equipment, editing software and production equipment. As a result, in an addition to seeing a significant increase in the amount of video content that goes out onto the internet, we also see more videos that should be high-quality but are not.

While it is true that anyone in the world can upload video content to the internet, it’s also worth noting that not every video online is going to be good or even decent. The fact of the matter is, the online videos you see that are truly high-quality are likely produced primarily by super talented professionals and video production companies.

You can’t deny that when you’re watching a poor-quality video that you just want scratch your eyes out or maybe even plug your ears. Unfortunately, in a time where we have fancy cell phone cameras and software available to create visual masterpieces, everyone becomes a self-proclaimed video expert, photographer or professional. We are here right now to help anyone to recognize common flaws and make sure they avoid making the same mistake themselves.

Not Using Proper Microphones

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in video production is poor audio recording. Just like you would invest in a good quality camera, you should always make sure to use a high-quality microphone when filming anything! Your audience doesn’t want to listen to static, poppy, unintelligible dialogue, and neither do your editors.

There are countless options when it comes to microphones; video production companies trust brands such as Rode, Audio Technica and Shure to capture crisp, clean and audible sounds.

Using Too Much Digital Zoom

Zooms and Close Up shots are crucial in video production, but there is a better way to get a closer look at that important object or person than always using the digital zoom on a camera. One other huge mistake that DIY video production individuals may make is not taking the time to physically get closer to a subject for zooms and close-ups. When you zoom in digitally, you’re basically taking the same image and stretching it out, which can lead to pixilation and a loss of quality.

Professional video production companies recommend that you get up close and personal to capture intense and beautiful close up shots; you won’t sacrifice quality and your video won’t look bad.

Editing Mishaps

This is probably one of the worst things you can do in the world of video production. Uploading footage with mistakes in the editing is probably the best way to ensure your video’s failure. You have to take all your clips and run them through an intensive editing team to clean them up; even the best video production companies have to edit their work together, and it is definitely nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, double checking your work in the editing process will not only ensure that your video comes out crisp, but also a second set of eyes on the work. This second set of eyes might provide some good feedback and thoughts on how to make the video look even better.

So, if you’re looking to create a successful visual masterpiece, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t make these three common mistakes. If you need help creating a high-end video for your brand, make sure to give us a call here at Fusion 360 Studios ⎯ video production is what we do best, and that will show in your next production.

Jan 31
2

How Movies from Before 1970 are now in HD

By | digital marketing, marketing, SEO, video production | No Comments

You may have noticed that some of your favorite old movies are available to watch in high definition or HD formats. With HD media players like Blu Ray players and streaming boxes, more and more old movies have been available to watch in HD. Many people have wondered how this is possible since HD cameras have only been around for about 20 years. Well, converting these old movies to HD is not as complex of a process as you might think. Video production companies have done some research on this process as they have transitioned from using film to HD digital cameras to produce their own video content. Here is how the process of converting films into HD is done.

In the 20th century, most movies were shot on 35mm film; bigger budget films were shot on 65-70 mm film. What people don’t realize about film is that it actually has a very high “resolution.” Film doesn’t contain pixels, it contains grains. So it can be difficult to compare analog film to a number of pixels because there are no pixels. If you had to compare them, a 35mm film translates to about 16-20 megapixels but it depends on the quality of the film. Let’s say a film translates to about 16 megapixels. 16 megapixels equals 4920 x 3264. That means old 35 mm quality film can translate to a 5k resolution in digital video. Now that’s impressive!

It’s important to remember that film and digital video aren’t really equal mediums but can be compared to serve as a frame of reference. Most old movies aren’t even scaled up as big as 5k because they don’t need to be, but it’s worth noting that they probably wouldn’t look as good as a digital camera that has native 5k resolution.

So now that we understand how high the quality of old films actually are, it’s easy to see how video production companies can go back and re-master these films in HD. As long as the original negatives have been preserved properly, it is fairly simple to re-master these films to watch them on HD media players or streaming devices. Video production companies like Sony will use restoration specialists to make sure old films are restored as best as possible and to protect the original film negatives.

When scanning film, it takes about 2 days to scan a 90-minute movie shot on 35mm film in 2k. If you are wanting to scan it in 4k it can take almost four times as long. That would mean it would take about a week to scan a 90-minute film in 4k if the negatives are in good condition.

Thanks to video production companies and restoration specialists, these old movies can continue to be cherished for generations and can be just as beautiful as if you were watching the scene being shot live. The next time you watch an old film such as Gone With the Wind on your Blu Ray player, keep in mind the process that made it possible for you to watch the classic film right in such high definition.

Jan 28
0

Social Videos vs. Brand Videos

By | Social Media, Utah, video production | No Comments

Video content is one of the driving forces of today’s digital world, and with the ever-expanding video styles, it is confusing when you try to distinguish the difference between all the entangled video formats. You might feel confident in recognizing and defining a social video, but what about a brand video? And are you sure that brand videos are never used as a social video?

Well, if you are confident in answering that, then hats off to you but if you have any uncertainty, then let a video production company, like us, start unraveling for you.

Difference

As mentioned before, it’s not hard to recognize a social video, but that might be because you are likely seeing them as you are peruse through one of the many social media channels. Immediately, you’ll see that these videos are shorter in length — whether it be a 5-second ad on YouTube or a 10-15 second story on Instagram, the content is delivered quickly. These videos can be a little longer if they are making a formal post then they can run up to a minute or two depending on the type of post, but rarely will they ever exceed a two or three-minute mark.

These videos can be behind the scenes, short PR blips featuring something new, interviews, and videos that enclose some kind of question or giveaway. The majority of the content posted on various social channels by companies may not need a high-quality video from some video production company but occasionally it might be nice to promote something that requires a higher level of production. Typically, a higher-quality video like this would be a little longer and be used specifically for branding purposes, but usually social videos are just used for current consumers to interact with and stay engaged with the company; the brand videos purpose are a little different.

Brand videos are used to help potential client and customers to learn more about a company. Usually, a company that is making a brand video will reach out to professional video production companies to help them create the quality these videos need. Essentially, brand videos create a first impression; even when an individual or client may be familiar with the company before they see a brand video, the video will likely provide new information and therefore create an impression. These videos can be a little bit longer and usually feature the company as a whole or a specific product. While some brand videos are used as commercials on television, you’ll actually find brand videos on companies’ websites and being used in presentations with potential clients.

One Better Than Others?

To summarize, the main difference between a brand video and social video is their purpose. While there are obvious differences in length, quality and style, the social videos are used for engagement and navigating traffic to the company, and brand videos are used as a formal way to present valuable information about the company and/or product. It really is not a question of whether one is better than another, they are both different and should both be utilized. Creating the majority of social videos might be able to be taken care of in-house, but brand videos will have a lot more success (which is critical, obviously) if a video production company assists.

If you want to see some examples of brand videos, then check out this video from Smith or this one from Apple — they both explain who their companies are and a critical aspect about what makes them unique. If you want to see a social video, well, go to Instagram and look up a company of your choice and there you go! For any other video questions or inquires for a video production company, visit Fusion 360, today!

Jan 27
0

Five Simple SEO Tips

By | digital marketing, SEO | No Comments

SEO is one of the fundamental aspects of a successful business. Today, more people are using the internet to search for everything, from services to establishments, company’s need to have a strong online presence if they want to stay relevant. So, how do small businesses even begin to pave their path if they don’t have any SEO experience? Luckily for aspiring businesses, SEO companies are available to help with any SEO needs — that is, if they’re able to fit it into their budget.

When you start implementing SEO content to increase your online presence, there are a several ways to optimize your SEO work. Five of our tips are listed below.

Look into SEO Copywriting

Copywriting is all about creating content that helps promote your brand through keywords and hyperlinking. The one mistake that small businesses make is not taking an initiative to market themselves to potential consumer bases through online marketing. One of the simplest ways to do this is by creating a blog and writing pieces that are based off keywords you’re looking to rank in, as well as keywords that are being searched frequently when it comes to your industry. You should also link back to your website in each blog, that will help potential clients find their way to your site.

Strong written content needs to contain well-researched, relevant keywords in order to rank online. The best way to determine what these keywords will be is by brainstorming potential keywords and using a keywords research tool such as AdWords.

Urge Current Customers to Leave Reviews

Reviews rank well on search engines because they provide unique content which they can crawl. The more reviews that your company has, the more unique content you have to help your ranking. One simple SEO tactic is to have your customers leave a review about your brand, product or service to help you achieve a higher ranking through unique content.

Track Your Analytics

Programs such as Google analytics help track where your users come from as well as how they are being directed to your site, and this information in vital in crafting your first SEO strategy. It’s important for new businesses to take advantage of Google analytics to measure real-time results and help decide where investments will be best utilized. SEO companies use this software when it comes to monitoring data for their clients, so your company should too.

Up-to-Date Online Content

Marketing companies are experts when it comes to this, and it’s important for small businesses to take the same approach. Strong SEO comes from more than just blogs, a good website with relevant backlinks and keywords is also an effective way to rank your brand online. Your website should be strong on all platforms — including mobile — so you should consider looking into web services provided by most SEO companies. Aside from your website, you should also buff your social media accounts and any business listings.

Lastly, Be Patient

This is the simplest yet most frustrating SEO tip: be patient. Nothing happens overnight, especially not SEO rankings, but the trick is to be persistent with your methods and you’ll see improvement overtime. Marketing companies know that SEO is the most important aspect of being successful and every company has to start somewhere. If you’re looking to hire a marketing company to take care of your SEO needs, look no further than Fusion 360. We’re ready to help take your brand to new heights.

 

 

 

Jan 26
0

5 Social Media Algorithms Tips You Need to Know

By | digital marketing, SEO | No Comments

Building a decent sized following on social media is a lot easier said than done. Whether you’re looking to grow your following base or simply hit a certain amount of likes and shares on each of your posts, you’re going to have to put in some serious work to get the results that you’re looking for. What makes getting the attention of potential followers so hard you may ask? Social media platforms are always changing or “evolving” their algorithms, and this can make organic growth near impossible if you aren’t constantly adapting to these changes.So, do you give up or keep trying to catch up to these evolving algorithms?

If you’re feeling hopeless, you could always turn to social media marketing companies, such as us, to help grow your account. However, if you’re wanting to build your following yourself to gain some experience and a sense of accomplishment, here are tips that many social media marketing companies use to stay up-to-date with social media algorithms.

Relatable, Relevant and Retweetable (Shareable)

This may sound like an obvious tip, but so many brands forget about it; social media marketing companies make sure to always bring up aiming to creating content that is shareable when speaking to potential clients. Most social media platforms promote content that is relevant. If the content happens to be relatable to a large group of people, it becomes worthwhile to share via Twitter, IG or Facebook.

The algorithm favors content that can produce numbers and get more people involved in the platform, so make sure that your content follows these three r’s.

Memes are highly successful when it comes to all of these characteristics, especially if you hop on a trending meme.

Urge Current and Potential Followers to Enable Push Notifications

This tip is a sure way to beat the tough algorithms if anything. Think of the algorithm as a middleman; you post your content, and then the algorithm decides whether it is popular enough to include on home pages and trending pages, and also decides if it should be placed at the top of a feed. If you don’t already have an established presence, this tip is going to help your posts get as much attention as possible.

Social media marketing companies urge their clients to establish themselves with their existing following base, and there’s no better way than by having them see your every update.

Promote Your Posts

As we’ve mentioned previously, establishing yourself is going to be a tough task during the beginning of your hunt for social media glory. One way to beat the algorithm or at least catch up to it is by paying to promote specific tweets or posts that you feel are going to do well. Social media marketing companies use this strategy when building up their newer client’s social media accounts, however you should also be wary of overspending on promoted posts.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all offer companies the opportunity to promote their posts and it is definitely something that should be taken advantage of.

Interact with Your Audience

As a brand, you shouldn’t be afraid to reply to your audience through posts. In fact, doing so may help your content rank better, especially if you have a good chunk of people commenting and replying to your posts. Not only this but interacting with your audience will also help establish a relationship and keep them coming back to engage with future posts. The more engagement you can produce through interaction, the better the algorithm is going to treat you.

Don’t Forget the Tags

Lastly, use tags in your captions and posts; tags allow your post to pop up on different threads and discussions depending on who you tag, and this can easily boost your engagement rates as well as your following. Social media marketing companies, of course, are careful not to overdo it, and only tag people who are relevant to the post and who they know can bring some potential followers their way.

Tagging doesn’t have to be limited to individuals; you can tag other companies and brands that may be relevant to your post.

Algorithms shouldn’t be something to be intimidated by, as they can actually help your brand if you know how to keep up with their many changes. If you’re in the market for a social media marketing company to help grow your brand, contact us here at Fusion 360 Digital Marketing Agency! Our talented, award winning staff is ready to help take your brand to the next level.

Jan 25
0

The Creative Process for a Brand Film

By | video production | No Comments

Videos are 50 times more likely to drive organic search results as opposed to plain text and therefore are essential in promoting a company’s message, product or service. It’s also worth noting that 65% of decision makers within a business visit a marketer’s website after viewing a branded video. As you can see, video is the driving force of modern marketing, which is why we have been seeing an increase in video production companies ⎯ people just don’t consume media like they did a few years back.

Let’s break that last sentence down: In 2019, video is expected to represent 80% of all internet traffic. That’s insane, especially because there are already statistics out there that show that only 20% of site visitors read text; the other 80% would much rather watch a video. If your company has been neglecting using branded videos because you don’t know where to start, it’s time to look around for some of the best video production companies to help you keep up with the evolving world of digital marketing.

Here are some of the steps involved in the creative process of creating a jaw-dropping brand film that will help get your company’s name out there and build your client base.

Planning Your Video

The first step in creating a brand video is planning. This stage consists of different steps that prepare your vision for the storyboard. One of the very first things you should do when in the planning stage is to determine who your target audience will be. Video production companies don’t just blindly create branded videos, they determine who it is they want to reach and what markets they want to tap into.

Once you’ve nailed down your target audience, it’s time to research your competitors to see what they’re doing right and what weaknesses you can capitalize on. Video production companies study various branded videos to see what they can do to their own videos in order to make them successful.

These first steps are the most crucial and are required before you get to the real fun stuff. Here are the creative steps that you should take after pinning down your audience and doing your research.

Script Writing

Like any other video, your brand video is going to need a strong script to help the video production team understand the story and direction you’re wanting to take. Video production companies need to put their best writers forward, and everything needs to be included from the end goal of the video to facts, statistics and claims that help push your brands agenda.

Storyboarding

This storyboard acts as a script for the video production team and helps them get an idea of what the visuals will look like. The key to a good execution is a killer storyboard, so don’t rush this step.

Casting Talent

Of course, this step depends on the type of video you’re planning to create. If you want to go for a more commercial-type live action video, you’ll want to cast some talented actors. However, if you’re wanting to take an animated approach to your brand video, you might be well off with simply hiring voice actors, and that takes us to the next step.

Creating Graphics and Assets

If you’re choosing to create an animated video, you’re going to need to create your assets in advance to prepare you for production. Use the script and storyboard to determine what your assets will look like and exactly what graphics you’ll need to create for your video.

The creative process that takes place during the creation of a branded video is what’s going to make or break your video. If you’re looking to create a stunning brand video for your company but don’t know where to start, contact us here at Fusion 360 Studios ⎯ we’ll help get your name out there in style.