My company recently decided to have a company video developed shortly after our launch. As a new concept in the health and wellness industry, we found ourselves having a difficult time educating the public on how exactly our free wellness program operates.
After weeks of brainstorming, the decision was made to have a video developed that would capture the value that we bring to the health and wellness industry. The goal was to have a short presentation that would capture the viewer’s attention and then educate them on the value that our company provides at no cost.

*Professional Fitness Consulting Promotional Video*

I felt it would be beneficial to share my experience on the ‘why, who, and how’ of the development of this video.

Why:

–          Our main driver was to educate Grand Rapids of our free wellness program. Our website was receiving a lot of clicks, but not many conversions. We began reaching out to potential customers and learned that because this was a brand new concept, visitors to our website didn’t exactly understand how our free service worked.

–          Videos seem to be the new rage. With YouTube gaining popularity over the years, the unfortunate truth is that more people are watching and fewer people are reading. If your website is filled with text, it’s likely that your company loses the attention of potential customers.

–          It’s easy sharing. Many people would rather share a video on their social media page than to share a text-based website.

–          Videos are personal. The decision to feature myself in an “interview” type video was so that potential customers could gain a sense of who we are as well as learn about what we do in a FAQ type conversation.

–          We aimed to gain better position with our SEO. Google algorithm enjoys when visitors to your site remains on a page for a longer period of time. A video would draw the customer’s attention and increase the average time spent on our company’s webpage as they watch the video. From here, we hoped to lower our bounce rate and rank higher in Google search.

Who:

I began my search to find an advertising/marketing agency to handle the production of our video. As a (bootstrapping) start-up, I slowly began to learn that it would take quite a while to realize a return on my investment.

I described the project as a three minute video in the form of an interview. Perhaps have some music in the background and some text on the screen. I received quotes from larger local marketing agencies anywhere from $2,000-$15,000. Ridiculous? Yes.

Larger companies can get away with such a price tag, especially if they’re simply introducing a new product or service to an existing customer base. On the other hand, my company was looking to establish an entirely new customer base and introduce a completely new concept to the community. Thus, our ROI would be far less and would take much longer to realize the more we spent on development.

I was forced to get creative and noticed that Grand Rapids Area Professional for Excellence (GRAPE) recently had a video developed for its organization. I contacted the president of GRAPE, John Potter, and learned of an independent videographer/movie producer in the area.

After our first meeting, I hired the young independent movie producer, David Boeckel, from Grand Rapids, MI. He had the drive, passion, and a level of creativity that was ideal for what I was looking for (not to mention my video cost under $1,000. Less than half of any quote I received).

How/The Process:

David made the entire process seamless. We discussed the vision I had. I sent him an example of another video so he could gain a better understanding of what I was looking for. After a few e-mails and telephone conversations, we were ready to shoot.

David brought an assistant to help with the camera work while he focused on the interview and audio levels. The entire process was very professional and took just under two hours. During this time the camera and audio equipment was set up, the interview shot, and B-roll footage was taken.

Over the next few weeks, David and I remained in contact throughout the editing process. As he reached milestones in the project, I was sent over progress reports of the actual video as well as reports on where we stood on the production budget.

The Verdict:

During the initial launch of the video it received dozens of shares. The feedback on the production quality and content was phenomenal. The video reached over 1,000 people on its first day of launch. It’s amazing how a video that’s well produced can spread like wild fire over social media. If only 5 of your customers share your content, it is capable of reaching thousands of potential customers. It’s that snowball effect that we all strive for in our marketing efforts.

Although it’s too early to judge the return on my investment from a monetary standpoint, so far I can say that I would not hesitate to do it all again. I highly recommend every company to develop some type of promotional video and to utilize the many benefits of having this type of media representing your company.

For smaller businesses, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on marketing, but simply become creative in the channels that you utilize for developing promotional material.