Selecting a video production company usually begins with an online search. All the companies that are displayed on the search results page may seem like good choices, with some showing photos of video cameras, video lights, green screens, and various other equipment to give an impression of their capabilities. But all this hardware isn’t an indication that the firm can deliver an effective marketing video.

So, it isn’t surprising that the selection of a video production company can be confusing. Well then, just how should a business owner choose a video company that can provide him/her with effective marketing videos? Business owners wanting to add videos to their websites are often mistaken in thinking that it’s like making a TV ad, but the typical three-minute business video is really nothing like the usual 30 second TV ad, and this can lead them to choose the wrong company.

If the typical uninformed business owner can be excused for not basing his or her selection on the necessary criteria for making effective videos, how would the savvy business owner make this choice?

They would choose a good cinematographer, the person behind the camera. If expense were no object, they might choose Claudio Miranda (Life of PI, Benjamin Button). Of course, they would also want a good video editor, maybe William Goldenberg (Argo) or Michael Kahn (Lincoln). How about a script writer? Well, maybe they would hire Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) or Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom). Oh, and let’s not forget a good director, maybe Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, or how about Martin Scorsese? Let’s not forget that our knowledgeable business owner would also want a good Internet marketer on the team, someone who knows how to properly tag, bookmark, and distribute the finished video on multiple web and social media sites so that it ranks highly in search engines. So, they would probably want to hire Michael Koenigs (Traffic Geyser), or maybe Brendan Burshard (NY Times best-selling author, Experts Academy), or Mike Dillard (Magnetic Sponsoring, MLM Traffic Formula).

Having access to this A-list of talented people would obviously provide a blockbuster marketing video, but let’s face it, they’re not available. Of course it’s comical to imagine these people making a marketing video for your business, but the skills they are noted for really ARE necessary for making an effective marketing video.

What are those skills again? To make an effective marketing video you need a videographer, video editor, script writer, director, and Internet marketer; and these are the basics. To get really fancy you might want to hire a spokesperson/model, makeup artist, sound mixer, or lighting expert but these are optional.

So now you know what to look for before hiring a video production company. The good news is that you can find small video companies with personnel that combine all these skills. It’s also a good idea to go online to look at some business videos and judge whether or not all the skill sets were put to work in each video. While it may not be evident how well they were marketed, you’ll probably be able to spot some that aren’t effective, because the message isn’t clear or concise, the narration isn’t focused, or worse – the spokesperson looks awkward, lacks confidence, or seems to be reading off a script.

Now that you know what to say in a web video, you need to be able to communicate it in a way that takes advantage of the medium’s power of entertainment, education, and personal appeal that no other medium can match. An important part of this is also being able to speak in a convincing manner.

Videos can make an emotional appeal to the viewer in a way that text simply can’t. Since the object of any marketing endeavor is to generate sales, a video is often the best way to motivate the viewer to buy. Video spokespeople should be able to make emotionally charged presentations that motivate viewers to take action such as picking up the phone and calling.

A polished spokesperson can easily make a video that is compelling. Compared to text, video offers business owners the opportunity to reach out to their prospects in a powerful and irresistible manner. The opportunity to reach out directly to prospects through video gives viewers the information they were seeking in a way similar to person-to-person contact. Through the medium of video, you can make an emotional appeal to viewers to cause them to take action and purchase your product or service.

Videos should contain content that is visually informative. Not only can the viewer see and hear the speaker but they can also see examples of the product or service being offered. Video testimonials are another great way to present the company’s product or service. Using video a company can show the beneficial effects of its product on existing satisfied customers, something that can’t be done in any other medium. In the case of a customer testimonial, the customer should speak in a natural and every day manner.

Marketing videos can be visually informative and create an impression on the viewer’s mind as to the merit of the product and how much it will benefit the viewer when he or she purchases it. It has been said many times that a picture is worth 1000 words and videos can convey information more powerfully and with far fewer words than any narrative.

Video is the medium of choice when a company wants to convey a friendly impression in the mind of the viewer. For this reason companies sometimes turn to professional spokespersons to appear in their videos. Large companies often go this route, but for smaller firms and those offering personal or professional services, a better choice would be for the owner to be spokesperson. A personal appeal made by the business owner in a friendly manner directly to the viewer is an excellent way for personal service firms such as doctors, dentists, attorneys, accountants, and similar businesses to promote their services. Of course, it’s unusual for a business owner to have the polish and camera presence of an accomplished spokesperson, but some practice and rehearsal in front of the camera can burnish the speaker’s style.

Unless a video is purely instructional in its intent, a marketing video should always include a call to action. A company that uses video to market itself should always keep in mind the fact that the purpose of the video is to generate sales. Although that should go without saying, it’s not unusual for an inexperienced business owner/videographer to neglect this all-important step.

People who visit company websites that have video content also spend significantly more time than on sites that don’t. Businesses that use with videos on their websites have a significant advantage over their competitors who don’t, because the video is far more engaging and gives more information to a prospective customer. In a typical three-minute video, a viewer can learn about the business, about the business owner (very important for personal service providers like attorneys, doctors, and dentists), and hear directly from the company’s principal about his expertise in the field. Through the medium of video a prospective client gets an impression, often subliminal, that can be a determining factor in his selection of who to do business with to solve his problem.

Videos can also (and should) be tagged with keywords so that the subject of the video is relevant to search engines, much like text articles or blogs. People typically search the web to find an answer to a problem when looking for someone to help them solve it. They key a question or topic into the search box and the search engine returns a list of items that are relevant to the search. Very often a video or videos are included on the first page of search results returned, represented by a small image or graphic. Because of the distinctive graphic representing the video, the viewer’s eye naturally goes to the graphic rather than the text listings. In fact search engines often ascribe higher relevance to video content than text content alone. But that’s only the start of many compelling reasons why every business should utilize videos as a marketing tool and place those videos on its website and on social media sites.

Videos show viewers who you are and they can learn about you and the services your company provides in an entertaining, informative, and engaging manner. A video also gives the business owner the opportunity to provide examples of the work that he’s done in a way that the viewer can relate to his own problem. Hearing from a business owner directly through the medium of video, a prospect can come to regard him as an expert in his field and a person they can trust to help them solve their problem. In short, a web video can engender trust and confidence on the part of the viewer who then feels comfortable in calling that business as the next step in becoming a customer.

The government of the United Kingdom has unvieled new legislation to reform pension plans. These reforms will affect all employers doing business throughout the UK. Among these reforms are a new requirement to automatically enroll new employees in an employer’s pension plan, and another requirement mandating employer contributions to employee pensions. Another part of the new legislation is the introduction of the National Employment Savings Trust, or “NEST”, as it is known.

Employers throughout the UK must familiarize themselves with the new rules, which are scheduled to take effect beginning on October, 1, 2012. They must therefore be informed as to how this new legislation will effect them and their employees. Several of the particulars are provided in this article. To learn more, check out the website with information for employers at http://www.aviva.co.uk/auto-enrolment.

The government has cited several reasons for the need to reform pensions. Life expectancy is increasing – meaning that people will live longer in retirement. Therefore they will also require a larger retirement savings to last them longer. Also, government may not be in a position to afford to keep state pensions at their current level over the long run. This means there’s considerable need to encourage people to save for their retirement. In this regard, a staggering seven million people throughout the UK have inadequate retirement savings, and some are not saving at all.

Some employers have discretion to implement the new pension reforms. For example, employers with at least 100,000 employees can begin auto-enrollment starting July 1, 2012. In general, beginning October 2012, employers doing business in the UK will have to enroll their employees into a qualifying pension plan and who are 22 or more years old; who earn more than the minimum wage; and who are not currently in a qualifying pension plan. Qualifying plans must have a minimum amount of contribution into the plan. Employers wishing to know how much they must contribute to their plans can find out at: http://www.aviva.co.uk/auto-enrolment. A qualifying plan could be either an occupational pension plan, a personal pension plan or National Employment Savings Trust.

After deciding the type of plan to maintain, the employer must register the qualifying plan with the Pensions Regulator. Employers having an existing Aviva plan could alternately have Aviva contact the Regulator and provide the required information. Employers must inform existing pension plan members that they are already in a qualifying plan, so these employees will know they are covered. Employers must also inform other eligible employees they will automatically be enrolled in plan unless they join it before automatic enrollment date, and that they have the right to opt out. Employers who don’t comply with the pensions reform requirements could be fined. For help with pension and insurance services in the UK, go to http://www.aviva.co.uk/auto-enrolment . Aviva can assist you to set up and manage an auto-enrollment pension plan that meets the new  requirements for you and also safeguards your employees.

Do you want your business to stand out on the web? Does it have the “it” factor? Think back to high school and  the most popular kids.

The “in” crowd always stood out – in every class – in every school. But what made them popular? They had that certain “something”, the “it” factor.

Does your website have the “it” factor? How can you know? If your site doesn’t generate leads, it doesn’t.

It has nothing to do with how beautiful your site is, and nothing to do with SEO, When your site has the “it” factor, you’ll know it.

Properly edited and tagged, on-line videos frequently occupy a place on the first page of a Google search – that’s organic search, not paid. Best of all, video marketing can be done at a surprisingly low cost compared to television advertising, and with greater results. Not only that but on-line videos work 24 X 7, so when your customers are online looking for information, your video is there to provide it.  If you provide a personal service, your customers want to hear directly from you, and with a bit of practice, you’ll do fine in front of the camera.

But should you shoot and edit the video yourself, or hire a video marketing outfit?  Producing videos to market your company is only the first step. You’ve also got to tag and distribute it. It’s not like shooting a personal video, so it’s probably best to hire a video firm with a social media marketing background.

Manufacturing companies find new customers with VIDEOS – especially videos promoted on social media.

Successful manufacturing companies use cutting edge technology, but their marketing has lagged. Now, with the social media revolution, they are just beginning to utilize cutting edge marketing tools as well, and video is the most impactful marketing tool of all. The reason is because of video’s great visual appeal and also because of high placement videos receive in search engines. But while many manufacturers have made efforts to use social media, most don’t have the knowledge to conduct an effective marketing campaign or produce quality videos.

There’s really no reason for manufacturers not to embrace video marketing and social media, especially since manufacturers’ investment in social media video marketing is small compared to their investment in plant and equipment. Also, the investment in social media and video marketing is an insurance policy that protects those capital investments.

Most manufacturing companies should use outside help to build their presence on social media sites and to develop content, at least to get started. Social media marketing is a highly targeted undertaking, and manufacturers generally don’t know where to begin.

And who better to provide videos and social media for manufacturer’s than people who have manufacturing backgrounds? The Social Media Marketing Depot was founded by people who have manufacturing backgrounds. In fact, the President of the company is a mechanical engineer who ran his own multi-plant manufacturing firm for over 30 years and employed over 200 people.

Manufacturers whose products are sold directly to consumers have a more compelling need to market with social media. Because of the tremendous reach of social networks, social media is an extremely efficient way for manufacturers to market to consumers, reaching a wider audience for a lower cost than other forms of marketing. Social media can also provide information about their products, their industry, and even their competitors directly from consumers.

Every manufacturer should be marketing on social networks, and use social media, especially video, to market on those networks. Many manufacturers have come to the realization that they need to actively market themselves on social media and look upon social media marketing as an integral part of their businesses.

There are some important things to know when designing or scripting your online videos. For example, while the video’s title and keyword tags are important, it’s also important to include these keywords in the body of your videos, and there’s an important reason why this is so.

Companies can also use a marketing system using videos to direct visitors to their lead capture page, where the visitors are invited or enticed to enter their email address on an opt-in form. Using this system, companies drive traffic from across the web using multiple keyword-specific videos, direct that traffic to a lead capture page, capture visitors’ contact information on an auto responder list, direct them to their blog or website for more information, and send out a series of messages with additional videos, all leading up to a sale.

We’ve made a video that helps explain how social media video marketing works:

Text messages have become an essential tool that almost everyone uses. Unlike emails, text messages are posted to the lead’s cell phone, and everyone has their cellphone with them. Text messages are read as soon as they are received, and leads that are contacted within 5 minutes after signing up have the greatest chance of coverting to customers.

Your business should have text message (and email) followup for your internet marketing and social media marketing. Find out more at http://a1webleads.com