Proliferation

Jun 01
0

5 Video Lighting Tips

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

Lighting up your video is just as important as writing it, filming it and editing it. All of these aspects of video production need to be executed properly on their own in order to bring them together to create one finished masterpiece. Video production companies work hard to ensure that this happens, and today we’re going to be talking about the top lighting tips to help make sure that you get the best possible shots while filming your next video project.

So, if you’re struggling to get adequate lighting while on set, you might want to take the time to read this blog on the 5 top video lighting tips.

Use Three-Point Lighting

Using three-point lighting is going to help when you shoot interviews, promo videos, webinars and other related content. Three-point lighting is a common lighting setup that consists of a key light, fill light and a backlight. The key light is the main light used to brighten up a subject. The fill light offsets the key light’s brightness by taking away the shadow cast on the subject. This is accomplished by placing the fill light opposite from the key light. The backlight separates your subject and the background and creates depth to prevent flat shots. Having all three lights is ideal, but you can live without the backlight.

Check You Locations for Lighting Opportunity

Video production companies also like to scout out their shoot locations to make sure that they know exactly how the scene can and will be lit. Depending on your location, scouting it in advance could save you money on lighting as well. Indoor locations are trickier because you could get good natural lighting in the venue or you might have to light up more area to give you the brightness you’re looking for.

Utilize Soft Lighting

This lighting technique requires more lighting equipment, but it’ll help create a softer appearance when it comes to facial features in actors, hosts and interviewers. The closer a light is to your face, the harder that light will be, meaning that you’ll have strong angles and your face might be too well lit. Soft light is achieved by placing lights farther away from the subject.

Determine Your Budget

You’ll be able to achieve decent lighting no matter what your budget is, and while not every filmmaker has the budget of successful video production companies, lighting is something that you should definitely invest in. Basic lighting can cost you as little as 10 dollars each, while mid-range and high-end lights will run you anywhere from 100 to 500 dollars. As mentioned previously, you don’t need to shell out hundreds of dollars, but it will certainly help your next video production.

Don’t Mix Lights with Different Color Temperatures

Have you ever noticed the different lighting in places like a doctor’s office, your living room and a store? What you’re witnessing is called color temperature, and different light temperatures are used depending on the location. When filming, it’s important to look out for this color temperature, as you don’t want to mix two different temperatures. For example, you should make sure that all your lights have the same bulb to ensure that you’re using the same color temperature for each shot. You should also take the natural lighting in your set into account to determine if it’s negatively affecting your shot.

These five lighting tips are going to help your next production significantly, and if you’re looking for a video production company to help you get started on your next project, give us a call here at Fusion 360 Studios. Our award-winning video team can help answer any questions you might have as well as get the ball rolling on your production.

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 22
0

The Difference Between Marketing and Advertising

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

Some people think that marketing and advertising are the same thing. Others know that they are different but don’t know exactly how to differentiate between the two. If you’re struggling to grasp the differences between advertising and marketing, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Marketing companies across the nation know that in order to put your business on the path to success, you have to be able to know the difference between the two and do your market research. Do this and you’ll see your company reach new heights.

So what’s the best way to finally grasp the differences between the two? We here at Fusion 360 wrote this blog to help you understand how marketing and advertising differ, and yet the work together to bring your company the success you’re working toward.

Marketing Has Various Components

Marketing is comprised of systematic planning, implementation and a mix of activities intended to bring buyers and sellers together. Marketing companies like to think of marketing as a step-by-step process that begins with a proposition for your clients and customers — this is just the first step.

As simple as this comparison is, think of marketing as a pie. The marketing “pie” can be divided into categories — or “slices” — such as advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, community relations, customer support and an effective sales strategy. As you can see, the work that marketing companies do is comprised of different strategies and techniques, and each element, while separate in category and execution, work together to fulfill one unified marketing campaign.

Advertising is Just One Slice of the Pie

As mentioned above, advertising falls into the categories that make up the marketing “pie.” This is the most obvious difference between the two. An advertisement is any announcement that acts to persuade an audience by conveying a message crafted by a company, organization, or person to existing and potential customers or a non-profit member base.

This “slice of the pie” is a component of marketing, and when combined with the other marketing techniques, it helps a brand achieve marketing success! That is, if the campaign is properly planned and executed.

At the end of the day, the main difference between advertising and marketing is that advertising is just one cog in the machine that is marketing. If you’re looking into investing in a marketing company to help you bring your campaign to life, make sure to give us a call here at Fusion 360 — our award-winning team is ready to help take your business to the next level.

May 16
0

Why Your Company Should Consider Joining Discussion Boards and Forums

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

They may not always look pretty online, but some of the top results for Google and other search engine searches bring browsers to online discussion boards and forums. While these boards don’t look authentic aesthetically, some of the posts you find within can be everything you need! Whether it’s a location you are trying to find that is off the maps or a specific recipe, some of the best and most personal answers on the internet are found on discussion boards and forums.

So how can your company utilize a resource like this? Do just as any digital marketing company would tell you to, create an account and interact with real people that are looking up things that relate to your company.

WHY?

The next question you may face is, “why?” What reasons are there for a company to put in the effort to get on the various boards and forums and start interacting? The answer is the same as why companies comment and talk to others on social media channels: exposure.

When you interact with others on social media, your contribution automatically builds a bridge with the users that see what you’ve said and they are then left with an impression (ideally a good one). These interactions are anything from making a relevant comment on someone else’s Instagram post to quote tweeting something on Twitter. It is already common knowledge that there are marketing companies, digital and social media focused, that include these efforts into their everyday marketing responsibilities. However, you should find it as no surprise that there are other marketing companies that do the same thing on discussion boards and forums.

In addition to an increase in exposure, when individuals in the cyberverse see your company making meaningful or humorous contributions online, they are going to create a relationship with you. Whether they follow you or not, an impression is built. When online interaction is done right by a company, most online users will simply see the company as a transparent, inclusive and genuine company that they can relate to.

Another Platform

Look, making contributions on discussion boards and forums is not that different from making contributions on social media channels, it’s just like another “social” platform. We’ve already explained that contributions on social platforms increases companies’ exposure and gives something online users can relate to, and it’s no different with these forums and discussion boards. Marketing companies that are ahead of the curve are making these contributions online already for their clients and you can do the same for your company, it might just take some research.

There is nothing stopping you from researching some forums and discussion boards that relate to your company’s products and services, but if you need any help with your marketing efforts, contact a marketing company like our own, Fusion 360.

May 15
0

The Basics of a Marketing Plan

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

Marketing companies need to come up with effective marketing plans if they really want to nail down their target audience and know how they’re going to accomplish their business goals, as well as what those goals are. While these marketing plans are an essential aspect of any successful business, smaller businesses can find the task to be daunting, leading them to ignore the creation of a basic marketing plan altogether. Failing to make a marketing plan can be detrimental to a company, but marketing companies can help create a simple yet effective marketing plan to ensure that these smaller businesses don’t miss out on any marketing opportunities.

So, how exactly do marketing companies help businesses come up with a marketing plan? Well, it all comes down to the basics.

Researching Your Potential Market

Research is the backbone of any successful marketing plan. From product research to researching your target market, you have to put in a ton of time if you want to craft a strategy that can guarantee you results. Marketing companies are great to consult with about solid research, but you can also find resources online that will help you identify consumer buying habits in the industry, market size, market growth and decline, and current trends.

When it comes to your target audience, a well-defined audience description will help identify who your buyers are. Marketing companies recommend that you discuss at least two different levels of segmentation.

Identifying Your Budget

Budgets are where most businesses run into issues. Marketing companies suggest that when coming up with a basic marketing plan you put together a month-by-month schedule of what you plan to spend on your marketing efforts. Another important aspect when it comes to a budget is setting up a “red light” decision point. For example, establish a metric that tells you when you should stop if you’re not generating sufficient ROI.

Planning Your Tactics

To create a solid marketing plan, you want to make sure that your company creates specific tactics and then follows through. Tactics are actions that you have to take to help you accomplish your goals. One tactic that a business might use is deciding how they might utilize direct mail, email marketing, online advertising, case studies, social media marketing, and/or sponsorships.

Creating a marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated to start, and as you get more accustomed to it, marketing companies can help you create more complex plans. If you’re in need of a marketing company to help you create a successful marketing plan, give us a call here at Fusion 360.

May 14
0

Lighting 101: Three-Point Lighting

By | advertising, Utah, Utah SEO, video production | No Comments

When an individual first start learning about lighting techniques, one of the first lessons they’ll learn will be about three-point lighting. By implementing this technique, they can take their video (or photo) shoot from an amateur level to a professional level. The thing is though, they can’t just set up three different lights anywhere around the on-scene subject and call it good, they need a little more instruction.

The three different lights consist of the key, fill and back light. As a video production company that shoots professional-grade videos, we understand the importance of the proper use of these three lights. We’ll expand on the role of each of these lights and how you can use them appropriately.

Key Light

As you may expect, there is a light that is going to act as the primary light to brighten up the subject of the shot, and this main light is known as the key light. However, this light doesn’t sit on top of or right next to the camera, but is placed off a ways to the right or left side of the camera — sometimes at a 45° angle. Amateurs may bring a light to their shoot but may not understand that a key light on its own might overexpose the shot. Video production companies and other professionals know that they need another light or two to balance out their shot.

Fill Light

The way professionals and video production companies control the effect of the lighting is by adding a fill light to the shot. In comparison, a fill light is much dimmer than the key light but it lightens up the shaded areas that are created by the key light. When you shoot with a key light and no fill light, you encounter harsh shadows that will oftentimes darken one side of a person’s face or other areas of a different subject. With a fill light placed on the other side of the camera (opposite of the key light), you can brighten up those shaded parts. Depending on how bright or dim you want the fill light, you ultimately control how soft or harsh the shadows will be.

Back Light

The two lights already mentioned really control how a subject appears behind the camera, but the third light, the back light, adds one extra dimension that completes the shot as a whole. This back light, also known as the rim light or hair light, is usually placed behind the subject but raised up above the camera’s view, casting light down from above the shot. Sometimes, video production companies and other professionals substitute the back light with the sun but then use a reflector or foam board to decrease the sun’s intensity. With light coming from above, there is more depth to the shot and the subject will look less two-dimensional.

Whether your a professional that works with a video production company or an individual with zero shooting experience, everyone understands that lighting enhances a shot. However, without three-point lighting, the end result will be missing that much-needed professional level. For any help with creating a professional video for your company, contact us today.

Nov 22
0

Common Misconceptions With VSO

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

Voice search is a new and innovative way of finding information on the internet. Whether it’s Alexa or Google Assistant, many of us have used voice search at one point in our lives, or even on a daily basis. There are voice search optimization agencies (VSO agencies) that are available to other companies that need assistance with utilizing the voice search industry. This new technology is a great one for businesses of all industries to embrace, as it’s gaining popularity with great momentum, and VSO agencies are there to help companies get started.

VSO provides us with digital assistants that have a wide range of information at their fingertips. You can ask your WiFi-connected voice search device where the nearest car wash is or to wake you up at 5 a.m. and you’ll receive a human-like response almost immediately.

Since voice search is a relatively new technology, there are still some common misconceptions that many companies have about voice search. What is written below will clear up some of these misconceptions.

Voice Search is Similar to Text Search

In a search engine, one may look for ‘tourist destinations in Utah.’ In a voice search, the query will be more conversational, such as ‘What are the best tourist destinations in Utah?’ As such, VSO agencies normally advise companies to create content which is natural and conversational in a manner to answer users’ questions.

Voice Search is Focused on Keywords

Voice search is less keyword-focused than traditional search engines. Voice search is semantic and content created by companies should be in a manner that answers the users’ query. Websites should be responsive, as voice search is often done on mobile phones. VSO agencies typically advise their clients to first ensure they’ve got a mobile-friendly website before integrating voice search.

Voice search is definitely here to stay. Including structured data markup in the backend of your company website is the best way to ensure you’re not left behind. Voice assistants have changed the way we use and interact with the internet and is continuing to evolve and improve. If you haven’t already, now’s the best time to jump on the bandwagon and enlist a VSO agency.

Nov 07
0

The Role of Hyperlinks in SEO

By | SEO, Utah SEO | No Comments

When it comes to creating engaging, result driven content, SEO companies need to make sure that their writers are strategically incorporating hyperlinks into their writing. Link building is a crucial step in SEO marketing, and SEO companies need to understand how to use this method efficiently if they want to help their clients succeed.

So, what exactly is link building? The link building process is using hyperlinks to generate traffic to client’s websites, blogs, and ultimately resulting in more client/consumer interactions. If you want to bring more business to your company, you’re going to want to get in contact with SEO companies to see what services they can offer you. Here is the role that link building plays in SEO.

What is Hyperlinking?

Hyperlinking allows for the connection of two separate website, files or articles. The reason that hyperlinking is so important for SEO companies is because this is what helps bring traffic to their client’s websites and blogs. For example, if you’re writing a blog about what you should do if you’re involved in a car accident, you’ll want to hyperlink the lawyer’s website in the piece, as well as any relevant information you may have found on another blog found within that client’s site.

Link building is all about elaborating on specific points and topics and linking to convenient data. If you write a blog post without any keywords or hyperlinks, chances are that nothing will become of that piece, and you won’t see results for your clients, meaning that you aren’t doing your job as an SEO agency.

How to Hyperlink the Right Way

Of course, you can’t just start shoving hyperlinks all over your blogs, you’re going to have to be more strategic than that. SEO companies can’t afford to get blacklisted by search engines, so it’s important that they place these hyperlinks in a strategic way. For one, you have to make sure you aren’t linking to spammy or sketchy websites. Only use trusted sites and reliable sources of information.

Aside from making sure that your links are reliable and safe to visit, you have to make sure that they work. You aren’t going to reach your audience if they’re trying to click on a broken link. Also, make sure that your hyperlinks serve an actual purpose within your blog and that you’re placing them in over the appropriate keyword or key phrase. If you’re adding hyperlinks that don’t relate to your written piece at all or if you hyperlink something over a keyword that it doesn’t match, the hyperlink will be considered more spammy than efficient.

SEO companies have to take advantage of proper hyperlinking techniques because that is what’s going to help your clients stand out from the competition. If you’re struggling to bring in traffic to your site, and your business is suffering, contact us here at Fusion 360 Studios. We’re experts when it comes to SEO tactics, and we want to help your business get back on track.

Sources:

What Are Hyperlinks and Why Are They Important for SEO

https://moz.com/learn/seo/external-link

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-link-building