What does effective marketing look like? Gaining leads? Making sales? Yes, those are common goals, but effective marketing is telling the story of your business or organization and what you have to offer others. It’s that story that creates interest, drives leads and sales, and helps build relationships.
Your business’s story is made up of many elements, including you, your team, your competitive advantages, the benefits you offer, and your passion. One of the best ways to tell your business’s unique story is through the multifaceted lens of video marketing. This allows you to not only tell your story, but to also show your audience what your business, product, or service is all about.
With the power to utilize visuals, motion, text, voice, and music, video is engaging, entertaining, and has a wider reach than other forms of marketing. However, creating an effective video for your business takes more than a camera and some spare time. That’s where we come in.
MLT Group has been a leader in digital marketing and website development for many years, but our roots are in professional video production. From conception to completion, we can handle every aspect of your video production from expert script writing and casting to digital editing and mastering for web, DVD, or broadcast. We’ve created a broad spectrum of videos for companies in dozens of diverse industries, each video helping our clients tell their stories and effectively communicate their unique value propositions.
Based in Rochester, MN, we regularly partner with organizations and businesses in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas to produce videos that are professional, engaging, and effective.
Whether your goal is to make money, to expand the reach of your message, or to educate a target audience already well in hand, video can be a powerful tool for reaching your goals. According to a study done by EyeView, a video on a landing page of your website can increase conversions by 80%. Also, 74% of users who watched an explanatory video to learn more about a business’s products or services ended up purchasing! With numbers like these, can you afford not to do video marketing?
When given the choice, users will often choose to watch a video over reading a block of text. Videos are entertaining, clearly convey your message, and can be designed to elicit an emotional reaction. Not only do users gravitate towards video, but they better retain the information presented in this multimodal format. Videos are ideal for easily engaging your audience, particularly when they are on mobile devices.
Optimized videos are a positive ranking factor on Google, which can improve rankings. Because videos better engage your audience, visitors may also stay on your site longer, reducing your bounce rate and further building your site’s authority with search engines.
Videos take effort to create, but once completed, you can get a lot of mileage out of a good marketing video. Embed the video on your website, post it on YouTube, share it on Facebook and Twitter, publish it in a blog, or use it in sales meetings or at trade shows. There are plenty of ways for your video to get in front of your audience. Also, because users love visual content, your video is more likely to be shared by others!
Are you ready to get started with your own video? That’s as easy as reaching out to our friendly team. We’re ready to help you all throughout the process. Want to do more legwork first? A good place to start is deciding which type of video is best for your business and needs.
When training your team, nothing is more helpful than a training video. Studies have shown that 65% of people are visual learners, which means training videos can help your team learn more quickly and retain information better. Training videos can also bring to bear audio and text components alongside the visual images, creating even greater likelihood that all learners will benefit. During training it can be easy for people to tune out when faced with training manuals or other mono-media materials. A training video with motion, sound, music, and graphics will better hold the learner’s attention.
When attending tradeshows, you’re not just competing with other booths; you also must contend with attention fatigue. Visitors might wander up and down aisles of booths until everything begins to look the same. With only about five seconds to capture a prospect’s attention, you have to pull out all the stops. With the right visuals and the right music, a tradeshow video can help your booth stand out and break through attention fatigue to help communicate your message.
While videography is a popular way to document special occasions such as weddings, reunions, and anniversaries, you can also use it for your corporate event. Whether you’re putting on a concert, festival, conference, or having a single speaker address an audience, events offer visual opportunities that can make for a great video. The resulting video production can be retained for training, used for promotion, or even streamed on social platforms.
Whatever type of professional services you provide, videography can help. Here are just a few ways you can leverage video marketing for your business.
Testimonial Videos - Consumers are more likely to trust the testimonials of other consumers. You can leverage this trend by producing testimonial videos that feature your satisfied clients singing your praises.
Case Studies - Along with testimonials, hard data carries a lot of weight for consumers. The only problem with data is that it isn’t sexy. However, an engaging case study video can show off your data without putting viewers to sleep.
Professional Spokesperson - Partnering with the right spokesperson can lend your business credibility, authenticity, and expose your business to new audiences. The best way to feature your professional spokesperson is through video. They make a strong initial impression and make your video—and company—memorable.
If you’re investing in video and air time, shouldn’t you have something worth showing? MLT Group will help you develop a video that is engaging, effective, and professional. From script writing and voice acting to music and graphics, we will handle every aspect of your video. Get the professional video production you deserve today!
Which industries can most benefit from professional videography? All of them. Videography is flexible and creative, allowing for limitless options for your video marketing.
Manufacturing: Two of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today are business-to-business (B2B) marketing and a shortage of skilled laborers. Videography can help with both issues.
B2B Marketing - What’s one of the best ways to convert a “maybe” into a “yes”? Show potential clients exactly what you can do for them. Manufacturing offers a unique opportunity for visual and audio components to create a compelling pitch. You can also get a lot of mileage out of each marketing video you produce. Show it at tradeshows, post it to your site, share it on social media—the list goes on!
Skilled Labor Shortage - Videos are compelling and are better at grabbing viewers’ attention than text or audio alone, making them a great way to attract qualified employees. Get candidates excited about your business by showcasing its benefits, culture, and the work you do. Recruitment videos can be shared on social media, at job fairs, or on your site! You can also reuse them if you find yourself facing another labor shortage.
Education: This is the industry where educational videos might seem most obvious. Whatever the topic of study, from character education to mathematics or specific-task job training, video can create powerful opportunities for learning.
Food and Dining: With competition from supermarkets, meal kits, and other restaurants, coupled with more financially conscious diners, eateries aren’t seeing the growth they need. Consumers are becoming more discerning when they do go out and don’t want to gamble on a poor experience. You can eliminate this doubt by showing your audience exactly what they’ll get when they visit your restaurant. It’s said, “you eat with your eyes,” and a video can show off everything from the food and service to the ambiance of your restaurant, enticing viewers to make your restaurant their next dining destination.
Transportation: From training and safety videos to promotional materials, the transportation industry can heavily benefit from videography. There are plenty of visual opportunities that make for a compelling video. Animation is great for safety videos because it can depict diverse situations and how to respond.
Digital 4K Video - MLT Group specializes in 4K (Super HD) digital video production. This provides you with better picture quality and more post-production flexibility.
What is 4K Video? 4K refers to how many pixels there are in the horizontal lines of an image (about 4,000). What does this mean for you? A higher quality picture. Whether your video is online or featured on television, having a high-quality picture makes your business or organization look more professional.
Benefits of 4K - Shooting video in 4K doesn’t just give you a better picture, it also allows us more flexibility in post-production. We can easily crop, stabilize, pan, zoom, and even pull still frames for use in other online platforms. It’s great for interviews because we can shoot synced ‘A’ and ‘B’ roll shots at the same time.
Aerial Video & Drone Videography - Aerial video used to be an expensive endeavor, utilizing planes or helicopters, employed almost exclusively by big budget studios. However, with the advancements in drone technology, aerial video is quickly being embraced by businesses large and small.
Across a variety of industries, companies are discovering the benefits of high-quality drone videography. It’s cost effective, quick, and provides striking visuals from unique angles. Drone videography is also more versatile than traditional aircraft, allowing videography close-ups of building exteriors, cranes, or other features.
Licensed by the FAA for Commercial Drone Use - MLT Group has been licensed by the FAA for commercial drone use since 2015. While drones grow in popularity for both recreational and commercial use, the rules and regulations for operation are always being updated. To fly a drone for commercial purposes, operators require a Part 107 license. This helps the FAA regulate air space and prevent accidents. Not complying can result in a fine of $25,000 or more, so when creating commercial drone video, make sure you’re working with a licensed professional. MLT Group puts safety above all else, and we are always cautious and responsible when operating our drones.
Video Development Process
Video Design: Every video production starts with discovery, learning about your business or organization, goals, offerings, and target audiences. This information informs the unique video design we create. This design concept drives the rest of the creative process.
Scripting: A script, and sometimes a storyboard, is then created. This provides the scope and flow of the exact story to be told in the video. Writing for video is significantly different than other forms, so at MLT Group we often provide full script writing, and always provide script consultation for our clients.
On-Location Shoots: We send our shoot crews where the action is: corporate conference rooms, factory floors, transportation hubs, courtrooms, operating theaters, skylines, mines, stores, conferences, and “clean rooms” are all among the locations where we’ve captured video for our clients. When needed, we supply location scouting to ensure the shoot happens in the right spot for the best results.
Studio Shoots: When studio shots are required, we work with a variety of professional studios. This can come into play when green screens, special lighting, or specifically a studio setting is needed for the shoot.
Video Shoot Equipment and Crew: MLT Group has the professional equipment to handle your video project. We employ 4K (Super HD) cameras, a variety of steady-cam and other mounts, and all-LED lighting. We do sound capture via boom or lapel mics and can provide sound mixing in the field or in the studio. While we have a camera crane, today we often utilize our aerial vehicle videography for crane and track shots as well as for traditional aerial videography. Our crew is made up of industry professionals, typically with decades of video production experience. Most shoot crews include a lead videographer, a gaffer or second camera operator, and a shoot director to work with talent and call the shots.
Audio/VO Recording: Voice-overs are frequently used in professional video productions. MLT Group has access to a cast of professional voice-over talent. Our production packages often include casting and direction of talent, as well as studio sound recording.
Talent Casting: For voice-over talent or on-screen talent, MLT Group can work with the client’s professionals or cast actors and extras as needed.
Talent Direction: Some videos benefit from the use of professional or semi-professional actors. These actors expect to work with a director with the experience and skills to bring out the best performance possible. When industry or service professionals are on-camera, they become “the talent” and also require expert direction to help them deliver their messages effectively. Even the most well-spoken doctor, engineer, or lawyer can find themselves nervous in front of a camera. At MLT Group, we have decades of experience in working with both actors and professionals to put everyone at ease and get the best results possible.
Graphics for Video: Many video productions are best served by having graphics and text to help illustrate points or draw attention to key information. As a full-service creative firm, MLT Group is ideally positioned to provide these services. Our talented graphic designers work directly with our video production staff to produce professional, eye-grabbing graphics for our videos.
Animation: There are several kinds of animation popular in today’s market. MLT Group’s talented animators, illustrators, voice actors, and audio technicians combine their talents to supply animations that delight. From simple but effective “white-board animation” to top-down 2D traffic animations and 3D character animation, we can provide amazing solutions that fit your needs. In the past we’ve created traffic animations, building and architectural animations, marketing message animations, character animations, typography animation, and more.
Title Animation: Most videos include some sort of title animation. This is an impactful way of presenting logos and titles that adds an authentically professional feel to any video.
Music for Video: Essential for creating mood and pace, music for our video productions is supplied from a large library of license-acquired professional music. On occasion we work with composers to create new music for a project or as the unique signature to accompany a logo as part of a brand identity package.
Stock Footage: Supplied by a variety of sources, stock footage can be a cost-effective way to include a wide variety of subjects into a video production or to include seasonal footage that might not be available to shoot organically within a production’s timeline. MLT Group has access to extensive stock footage libraries and experience in integrating this kind of footage seamlessly into video productions.
Editing & Mastering: The editing process includes artfully blending all the elements of a production: interview footage, ‘B’ roll footage, title animations, graphics, voice-over, music, and more. Done right, this can be a time-consuming process. Typically, we create a rough draft edit and supply it to the client for review. We then fine tune with input from the client until the video is finished and approved. At that point the video is “mastered” for duplication. MLT Group can master for a variety of formats appropriate for web, DVD, hard drives, or broadcast.
Makeup Artists & Additional Services
There are a wide range of services that can be included in a professional video production. Beyond those listed above, MLT Group also offers services as diverse as having a make up artist prep on-camera talent, acquiring or creating props and costumes, music rights research and acquisition, talent agent negotiations, animal handling, and professional story boarding.
Parachuting Elephants
Video productions come in all shapes and sizes. The length and scope of a video determines the costs associated with it. Some parts of the process have fixed costs, such as sending a video crew on location for a half or full day. Other production costs are determined by the complexity of the project. A simple “talking head” testimonial will typically require less time to edit than a video with a voice over and lots of ‘B’ roll footage. Along the same vein, your video production can have anything from one or two speakers in a simple office setting to something imaginative or fantastic. Just be aware that if you want parachuting elephants or starship cruisers orbiting a planet, those production elements are going to cost you.
Surveillance Video Enhancements
Oftentimes, video taken by surveillance cameras is poor quality and difficult to decipher. However, through video enhancement, some surveillance video—and the events captured by it—can become clearer and more useful. Accurately enhancing and analyzing surveillance or forensic video can make or break a case. The video production specialists at MLT Group have over 20 years of experience in video enhancement and production. We use professional quality digital video and audio processing equipment to color correct, enhance images, and authenticate video images and audio. Our video and audio enhancement techs have been called upon by attorneys and law enforcement to describe the process of enhancing audio and video or to testify on the authenticity of recordings.
MLT Group has been providing professional videography for over 30 years, and we’ve only gotten better. Whether you need full video production or enhancement of existing video, we’re your one-stop shop for all things video.
We want to help you tell your story. Get started today by contacting us at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490!
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