Proliferation

May 31
0

5 Video Production Tips

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, SEO, Utah SEO, Video, video production | No Comments

It doesn’t matter what line of work you are in, you are going to have to make a video at some point. As a video production company dedicated to quality work, we want to help everyone produce professional-grade videos they can share. In order to create a video that your target audience enjoys, here are five tips that will get you there!

PROPER PRE-PRODUCTION WORK

All video production companies know that pre-production work is arguably the most important portion in video making. Without putting in work before you start shooting your video, you can run into a handful of problems. For example, if your company forgoes researching what your target audience’s interests, behaviors or selling points are, you’re going to waste a lot of time and money on a video that doesn’t appeal to the audience you want.

Speaking of money, without proper planning, you will have problems with things like budgeting, execution and purpose. When you don’t plan appropriately and end up misjudging your budget, you can expect bad results overall. In addition, how your video is executed oftentimes comes down to how well you’ve planned. Video production companies always have a detailed plan for each video they make, that way they are able to stay within budget, execute on everything they intend to, and ultimately follow to the purpose of the video.

After you’ve put in the work needed during pre-production, you are ready for the production aspects.

CAMERA

Before anything else within the production phase, you’ve GOT TO HAVE A GOOD CAMERA. If you try to make a video without a quality DSLR camera, you are going to end up with a video that people won’t be able to take seriously. If the image is questionable in the least, people are much more likely to not take your business seriously. Make sure you find a quality camera and someone that knows how to work it.

AUDIO

The same goes for your audio — if your audio is unprofessional, it makes it just as hard to take your company seriously. This means that the voices can’t be too quiet, muffled or accompanied by ambient noises. The best resolution is to invest in a microphone for your on-screen talent to use. If you do not have any dialog, you still need to be careful with the decibel-level of any background music you use.

LIGHTING

Unlike the previous two factors, lighting isn’t something that will wreck your production entirely (unless it’s REALLY bad), but it is something that can take it to the next level! Video production companies will often suggest that you set up three-point lighting in order to make sure your on-screen subject is captured professionally.

SIMPLE POST-PRODUCTION

The last tip is to keep your post-production simple. This has to do with your planning and execution, but in order to wrap up your video smoothly, you can’t expect your video editor to throw everything together easily if your video demands complex edits. Animations, motion rendering, key-framing and more can be really difficult and cost a lot of money. By keeping your video simple and not overly complex, your post-production work will be much easier.

If You Need Help From Professionals

Fusion 360 is a quality video production company that can help your company with your video needs. Contact us today and we will see what we can do for you!

May 30
0

Why SEO is Important

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, SEO, Utah, Utah SEO | No Comments

Search engines, especially Google, are being used every second of every day by people who want to learn a new word in a different language, find the nearest café near them, or even by brands to look up reliable marketing companies in their area. Whatever it may be, search engines help people facilitate their everyday lives as well as help companies grow, which is why they are crucial in today’s marketing techniques ⎯ more specifically, SEO techniques.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a set of rules made my search engines that online companies follow in order for their website and business to rank better on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other searches. All online companies need to take SEO seriously if they want to make an impression on their targeted audience. Marketing companies understand this importance and want their clients to understand the same things in order for their company to have success. Here are a few things that all companies need to know about SEO.

SEO Creates Web Traffic

Perhaps one of the first and most obvious reasons as to why SEO is so important is its effect on driving online traffic to your website. Almost 33 percent of clicks are given to the first ranking page on a search engine, and the first five listings share over 75 percent of all clicks, which is why SEO is a must for your company. The main goal of marketing companies across the nation is to achieve high rankings, and you can’t do that without an SEO strategy.

SEO Builds Trust

Well-thought-out SEO strategies could help your brand build trust with your current and potential customers. Ranking high on search engines not only helps drive traffic to your site (and promote your business in general) but it also shows potential consumers that you have a loyal audience. Seeing that you are a competent company with a loyal following will help build your brand’s reputation. This reputation then turns into authority, which is established through elements such as positive user behavior, machine-learning signals, optimized on-page elements and content, and quality backlink profiles.

SEO is a Long-Term Strategy

SEO will remain impactful for years to come, and that initial impact that occurs within the first year is something that should propel your company forward. While SEO techniques are constantly changing, marketing companies know that the basic principles of SEO “will establish a framework that will stand for your company in the long run.

SEO involves different techniques and practices, which could get complex, and that’s where marketing companies like us here at Fusion 360 Agency come into play. If you’re looking to start ranking on search engines to get your name out there, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll work hard to come up with an SEO strategy that will get your business on the road to digital marketing success.

May 29
0

Can Social Media be Part of Your SEO Strategy

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, SEO, Utah | No Comments

In order for a company’s brand to show up at the top of Google’s list when products and services are being searched, SEO work must be completed first. Things like keyword-focused content creation and a countless number of backlinks need to be created. This usually is completed by content marketing teams producing large volumes of blogs, videos, infographics and more on specific websites. Sometimes though, these links are posted on a company’s social media, but what effect does that have?

Within the large umbrella of online marketing, SEO marketing and social media marketing draw a lot of confusion as to whether or not they are related. Typically, there is some separation between the two marketing styles. In fact, there are social media marketing companies and SEO marketing companies alike that focus solely on their particular craft. However, is there any overlap? Can social media help boost your company’s SEO ranking?

FACEBOOK, TWITTER and INSTAGRAM’s INFLUENCE

Social media marketing companies are constantly posting relevant content on social pages for all kinds of companies, but that kind of marketing does not DIRECTLY boost the SEO ranking of those companies. There is plenty of research out there that will show you how posting on these social channels may INFLUENCE your company’s SEO score, but not like creating blogs and backlinking will.

The influence these social posts have really only spike your score if you get thousands of individuals clicking your link. However, even Google has said that social media ‘shares’ do not count as individual links. Meaning, even if a social media marketing company created a post with 500 retweets or shares, it wouldn’t boost the SEO score more than the original post would (though, a post with that much attention would be good in terms of traffic).

DISCUSSION BOARDS and FORUMS

What people tend to forget is that forums and discussion boards are also considered social platforms, and posting content on these kinds of pages WILL BOOST your SEO score. Forums and discussion boards simply function differently from platforms like Instagram and Twitter, and therefore, the links posted there work differently. Not a ton of social media marketing companies or SEO marketing companies take advantage of this, but they should.

Takeaway

There are some social media platforms that can boost your SEO score, but it is not the initial ones you may think of. The big social accounts may have a lot of eyes, and with enough shares or clicks, you might see some influence, but discussion boards and forums will work better. SEO marketing companies and social media marketing companies have enough separated work, but they can work together as one.

If you are in need of any help with your SEO marketing or your social media marketing, contact us here at Fusion 360 Agency.

May 13
0

The Best Video Editing Software of 2019

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, SEO, Utah, video production | No Comments

Depending on your needs, the best video editing software is going to differ from that of someone else. Speaking in absolutes — “the BEST” — assumes that everyone has the same needs, however, the fact of the matter is that it’s a case by case situation.

If you are a beginner, you will not need advanced software, and a professional at a video production company is going to need something different than that of an editor in Hollywood. The needs of an Apple user that heavily relies on Apple products may alter significantly from PC users. be different as well. While the needs are going to differ from person to person, there are some characteristics and capabilities that set certain software apart from the rest. Here is what we think are the most recognized programs that give users the ability to do what they need in the most efficient way.

TWO DOMINANT EDITING PROGRAMS

We are four months into 2019 and video production companies still agree that Adobe’s Premiere Pro and Apple’s Final Cut Pro are the “best” editing software for professionals.

PREMIERE PRO — The reason this is oftentimes the first software people will talk about is because of its ability to support a variety of different formats, cameras, and devices, and its ability to work on multiple platforms. Further, Premiere runs on Macs and PC computers without difficulty. Whether its a commercial made by a video production company or a feature film made for the big screens, the advanced editing capabilities work for both. With the latest update to the program in 2018, editors are able to use HDR media, playback media faster, and still utilize its other main features (like precise color grading, VR editing, and audio layering). In addition to all of this, using Premiere is convenient if you use any other Adobe products.

FINAL CUT PRO — Apple’s highest quality editing program has a lot of similarities with Adobe’s Premiere. Like Adobe’s ability to work great with other Adobe products, obviously, Final Cut works nicely with other Apple software. It also supports HDR and RAW formats and a lot of other interfaces. As time passes, while Final Cut can execute some advanced editing, it is starting to be seen as a good developmental program.

We mention these two programs first because these are what the professionals at video production companies are using, and they will give you more capabilities than anything else. Nonetheless, as we said before, the needs of each person or entity are different. That being the case, beginners may not need Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, and Hollywood editors may need other editing software that specializes in CGI, 3D effects, and more.

OTHER Software for OTHER NEEDS

Here is a simple list of other software that beginners and/or Hollywood editors may consider to be a better program for their needs.

FOR BEGINNERS:

  • Avidemux
  • Shotcut
  • Rocketium
  • Nero Standard
  • Davinci Resolve
  • Video Pro X
  • Wideo
  • MacXvideo
  • Lightworks

FOR HOLLYWOOD PROs:

  • SynthEyes
  • PFTrack
  • Mocha
  • Boujou
  • Houdini
  • RealFlow
  • 3D Studio Max
  • Cinema 4D
  • Maya
  • Adobe After Effects

While these different programs may not be used by professional video production companies, they will still accomplish similar things for beginners and accomplish more for the industry leading professionals in Hollywood. Ultimately, there is a lot of different editing software, but based on your level and needs, the best program may differ from someone else. However, many video production companies, like us here at Fusion 360, would say that Adobe’s Premiere Pro is the best program to use in 2019.

May 05
0

Can a Marketing Company Supplement an In-House Marketing Team?

By | content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, Social Media, Utah | No Comments

Every company markets its product and service somehow, but the way they do that differs from place to place. A small bakery might leave signs outside their door or post things on their website, both tactics are a form of marketing. Other companies might turn to marketing companies that specialize in a specific type of marketing. Then, there are the larger companies that can support their own in-house marketing team in order to carry out their needs. However, is there ever a time for companies (big or small) that have their own in-house team to rely on a marketing company?

The answer is — YES! — and you can find out why from the sections included below.

The Effect of Marketing Varieties

When a company builds up its own marketing department, they are going to take care of the companies immediate marketing needs. Depending on the company, these immediate needs are going to differ from company to company. To some, the first thing they will look to establish in an online presence and a solid public relations effort, but another might want to focus on their point of purchase and branding. After that though, they may not have the budget or constant need to fill positions that focus on any other marketing need.

A company may have marketers focusing their day to day work on direct marketing and point of purchase marketing aspects, but might not be doing anything to advertise their product or help their social and online presence. Marketers that know about product placement, brand recognition and how to sell their company’s product directly may not know how to make their company look good on social media. Maybe they do, but what about SEO and content marketing? These other marketing aspects may not be critical enough for the company to hire full-time employees for the work but might be important enough to outsource to a marketing company.

Knowledge and Experience

Perhaps the company has found a handful of marketing gurus that have a vast understanding of all common marketing concepts, but do they have the experience? When a company outsources a certain part of their marketing efforts, they have the assurance that the marketing company they hire specializes in what they need. This gives the company new insight and results that they wouldn’t see otherwise.

Timing

We have a separate blog post that lays out other reasons marketing companies are used by in-house teams and two of the reasons found there have to do with timing. There are stints during which a company suffers at the hand of turnover, and during these hard moments, a company can turn to a marketing company for help. Further, there are periods in which there is a surge of work for the company. Whenever there is a time where it is hard to accomplish all the work, companies can definitely benefit from the help of a marketing firm.

Summary

There are multiple reasons in-house teams still utilize the resources that come from a marketing company, and these are just a few. If your company needs any marketing help with SEO, social, branding, film or web, contact us at Fusion 360.

May 04
0

The Top Social Media Sites for your E-Commerce Store

By | content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, SEO, Utah | No Comments

Social media has become more than just a place to socialize with our friends and family, it has become a necessity for businesses to use in order to grow and tap into new markets. Marketing companies know that these sites are crucial marketing goldmines; if companies know how to utilize them, they will reap the benefits.

So, which social media sites should you be using for your e-commerce business? Should you be tweeting about your products, uploading pictures to show them off on Instagram, or posting about them on Facebook for your friends and family to see? We here at Fusion 360 agency have come up with a guide on which sites are best when it comes to promoting your e-commerce business.

Facebook

If you’re a regular Facebook user, you might notice that there are tons of ads for products and services being pushed on the platform. While sponsored posts are present on all major platforms, Facebook pushes businesses more than these other platforms and even offers various marketplace pages which can be utilized by marketing companies and businesses to promote their brand.

It’s recommended by marketing companies that you post at least two updates per day to promote your business, and that you utilize Facebook’s Dynamic Ads, which tracks a user’s browsing information to provide targeted product advertisements.

Instagram

Instagram is a more photo-heavy platform, which is great for showing off your product or service through amazing visuals. Marketing companies also know that Instagram is an influencer-driven platform, so it’s important for businesses to invest in influencers to take photos with a specific brand’s product in order to get the audience’s attention.

Another cool feature that Instagram offers is the ability to allow users to click on a picture that will redirect them to the company’s website, making it easier to purchase a product.

Twitter

When on Twitter, it’s best to keep it short. People use this platform for brief text, videos and images, so you should focus on visuals and on a strong, short-form quote related to your industry. Apart from posting the visual content directly to the site, you could also link to your website through a text tweet. One differentiating factor between Twitter and the other big platforms is that it acts as a customer service support channel, so make sure that you utilize that to your advantage.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a good way to offer quick, behind-the-scenes content, teasers and upcoming promotions when it comes to product releases. Snapchat is a great platform because it allows for ads and customized geofilters, which can make your brand seem more personal.

These platforms are the best ways to grow your e-commerce business today, and marketing companies can help you get started. Give us a call here at Fusion 360 if you’re ready to take the next step in your digital marketing endeavors.

May 01
0

Production Companies vs. In-House Video Teams

By | content marketing, marketing, SEO, Utah | No Comments

Video content continues to dominate social media pages and the digital world. More and more companies are putting stock into video productions by building out teams that can create content that shows off their product and brand. At the same time, there are more video production companies than ever before.

In-house production teams and video production companies are both going to create solid video content for the miscellaneous video platforms, however, is one better than the other? While there may be factors that can be argued one way or the other, everything comes down to how much money the entity that is looking to create video content has. After that, you can find positives and negatives for both sides.

Let’s dive in and simply explore the possibilities that each side provides, starting with in-house teams.

In-House Benefits and Shortcomings

If a company builds an in-house video production team, they should have the confidence to execute everything they want when they want. An in-house team should know their company’s brand inside and out, further, they should know what the vision and expectations are. This knowledge should help them make a video that displays their company’s brand, product or message exactly how they want it.

While it is nice to have a team within the company working on the various video projects that the company needs, they can have some shortcomings. As mentioned before, the company’s budget will dictate what kind of personnel they will be able to hire, the quality of equipment they will have access to, and ultimately how much they can spend on their projects. That limitation can restrict what types of videos the team can create and how well the videos will be made.

As a result, a company that builds a production team should be sure they have the budget to house the individuals that will be able to create the type of videos they need. If they look to do something more, they might start hitting a ceiling with their own abilities and will need to turn to a video production company.

Video Production Companies

When a company relies on a production company to help them create video content for them, they should be able to find a production team that is right for them. What we mean by this is, there is a variety of video production companies and each one will vary in quality and experience; it’s the same as before, the larger the budget, the higher the quality. However, in comparison to an in-house team, a production company will likely have more experience, equipment and resources.

Considering a video production company’s niche is video, they are going to be able to create a wider variety of videos and have access to more equipment. In addition, they are going to know talent agencies, filming locations, certain individuals that specialize in a specific aspect of video, and other unique resources. Instead of focusing on one product or company, these video production companies are creating video content for multiple entities that need a higher level of quality in their production, or for smaller businesses that can’t hire out their own team. Even though these companies may not work full-time on just one product or service, they still can execute everything their client needs.

Deciding which of the two types of video production groups are better really comes down to the needs of the company. As a video production company ourselves, we may be a little bias (we are the better option, of course), but if you have any other video questions, read more from our blog or contact us today.

Apr 10
1

How Realistic is the Advertising in the Mad Men TV Series?

By | content marketing, SEO, Social Media | No Comments

A lot of our understanding of reality and the accompanying mental images that we create are shaped by TV series and movies, so, with that said, how realistic is the advertising in Mad Men?

If it’s been a few years since you’ve seen Mad Men, it is the four-time Outstanding Drama Emmy-winning AMC original TV series that is based on a variety of characters that work at an advertising agency in New York during the 1960s. As you watch this fabulously-written TV series, you will follow multiple stories, all fictional, that show the characters presenting advertising pitches for companies like Kodak, Heinz, Life, Hilton and more. However, with the show still being viewed daily (thanks to its contract with Netflix), people still want to know how the “Sterling Cooper-Draper Pryce” agency compares to an actual advertising agency.

Mad Men Ads vs. Real Ads

Considering we are talking about advertising, we might as well start with the actual ads that the writers and the designers of the TV series created. Business Insider did a great job creating a compare and contrast of the ads you see in Mad Men vs. actual 1960-advertisements from the companies mentioned in the show. While the Mad Men ads have components of an actual ad that a company would produce, they miss out on the research and the captured target market in their ads. However, the creators of the TV series did a good enough job reproducing believable images that normal viewers would not question.

The Advertising Process and Pitches

There are multiple scenes that show intense pitch meetings, but where you’d usually find creative directors, account supervisors, and copywriters brainstorming and coming up with fresh ideas, you see television drama. Mad Men is often praised for its attention to detail and authenticity (as it should be), but you can’t have a successful TV series (that is based on a fictional story) by showing everything that happens at an advertising agency. For example, an area in which they lack, naturally, is how long and how much detail goes into actual meetings with potential clients. While Mad Men may share a few ideas and make negotiations in their brief meetings, they miss the additional detail of discussing casting, placement, videographer recommendations, slogans and much more that comes with an advertising campaign.

Stress

One of the areas that some ad junkies would agree Mad Men’s representation is accurate is the stress that comes with the job. Advertising agencies are definitely exciting places, but there is some serious pressure and high-stress that comes from trying to come up with a good idea that is supported with solid research.

Takeaway

Now, it may be a little unfair to be so critical of Mad Men — their authenticity of New York in the 1960s is quite amazing. The alcoholism, smoking, issues with gender and racism, and other reoccurring themes are definitely worth praising in this recreation, however, you just can’t capture everything that advertising is in a dramatic TV series. If you were to make it into a factual documentary, you’d be able to better see what an advertising agency looks like, but a TV series like this can only capture aspects. With that said, the depiction is pretty close, but it is like judging and understanding an individual’s entire life based on their Instagram alone.

Advertising has developed a lot since the 1960s, and we are in a world that is ran by digital media. If you want to learn more about what a modern advertising agency looks like, return to our homepage and take a look.

Apr 06
0

Which Social Platforms Should You Be Using?

By | content marketing, digital marketing, SEO, Social Media | No Comments

As a business, you want to make sure that you’re doing everything in your power to stay relevant in order to keep growing in your industry, and the best way to do this is by taking advantage of social media platforms. While you might be familiar with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, do you know which ones are going to help your company? You probably know that you don’t necessarily have to have an account for all of them, but you do have to make sure that you choose wisely on what platforms you’re going to decide to use.

These platforms all have their benefits, but there are some specific ones that you’re going to want to focus on if you want to help your business thrive. Here are the social platforms that professional marketing companies suggest you try utilizing based on your needs.

Twitter: Twitter is going to benefit your company if you want to provide your consumers with breaking news, announcements and other important and time-sensitive information. Easy, digestible text thrives on twitter and marketing companies recommend this platform for businesses who are based around immediacy.

LinkedIn: B2B businesses should have a LinkedIn account because it will help with lead generation. This platform can help you establish your company as a trusted leader in your field by posting a lot of editorial content. Marketing companies have also pinned down that the demographic on LinkedIn ranges widely from the 30-49 age range.

Pinterest: If your brand uses lots of images within your content, Pinterest is going to be the number one platform that you should be using. Marketing companies have found that 90 percent of users plan purchases while on Pinterest, so this graphics-heavy site is good for driving sales.

Facebook: This is the largest platform to date. With over two-billion users, Facebook is another great platform for lead generation, and it can also be beneficial to your brand in terms of building relationships and showing consumers the human side of your business. It is worth noting, however, that since Facebook is the largest platform, there is also going to be a great deal of competition on this platform.

Instagram: Once again, Instagram is a photo-focused platform, and you’ll want to create an Instagram account for your brand if you’re planning on showcasing your work.

These different platforms are great for different reasons, but you should narrow down your options to avoid wasting any valuable time trying to create a presence where it isn’t needed. If you’re looking to get some help establishing an online presence, give us a call here at Fusion 360.