Category: Marketing

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Marketing Uncategorized

Take Your Marketing to New Heights with Drone Videography

drone videography in the Pacific Northwest

From panoramic skylines and time-lapsed cityscapes to sweeping views of nature’s grandeur, drone capabilities have literally changed how we see the world around us. And, across industries, businesses are recognizing the value of a bird’s eye view. Done well, drone videography creates an attention-grabbing experience for your target audience.

 

Why Drone Videography?

 

Even twenty years ago, aerial video was the domain of Hollywood video producers with sizable budgets. It required renting a plane or helicopter, hiring a licensed pilot, and hoping the weather would cooperate. But drone capabilities have made aerial shots a viable option for businesses and production of every size.

 

In general, video is the reigning content marketing champion. The average person will watch 100 minutes of video every day in 2021. And according to Social Media Today, “81% of businesses use video in their marketing strategy. This figure is a 63% increase compared to [2019].” With this saturation in the video space, aerial videography is one of the most effective ways to make sure your video content stands out.

 

Best Industries for Aerial Views

 

While any business can benefit from a fresh perspective, some industries need the birds-eye view more than others.

 

Hospitality & Travel

 

How do you attract travelers to your resort, lodge, beach-side cabana, or hideaway? By immersing them in the experience of your location. With drones, you can capture immersive, breath-taking footage that helps viewers imagine themselves in the center of it all. Tropical getaways can showcase white sand beaches. Drones can follow skiers down the black diamond run in your resort’s commercial. No matter your location, aerial views help you get the most out of your video content. 

 

Real Estate

 

The National Association of Realtors reports that 90% of home buyers find their property information online. And one way that real estate companies add value to their listings is through drone videography. Not only does it give potential buyers a birds-eye view of the property, but it also helps showcase the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

 

Auto Dealers

 

Shoot a sweeping panorama of your lot and vehicle selection. Get white-knuckle, off-roading action shots of the trucks and SUVs you offer. Or, just show ordinary people doing local things in your vehicles. No matter how you approach auto dealership commercials, drone videography helps put your audience in the driver’s seat. And at WK Studios, we offer subscription packages to tell your dealership’s story (and tell it well).

 

Precision Drone Videography

 

But we don’t always need just drones to showcase bigger, broader views. Sometimes, they’re even more useful when it’s time to get up close and personal. Especially in the age of COVID-19. Drone videography lets us get close to the action—without getting in the way—while maintaining social distancing. The experienced team at WK Studios can use in-office and on-site drones to showcase your building, crew, and capabilities.

 

Contact WK Studios for FAA-Certified Drone Videography

 

Ready to take your marketing to new heights? Our team has the certifications and creative vision to help you get the most out of aerial video. Give us a call to learn more about using drones to capture your high-quality video content.

 

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Marketing

How a Social Media Video Makes Your Profile Stand Out

social media video example

If you stop your social scrolling to watch an interesting video, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, Social Media Today shows that “82% of all consumer internet traffic will come from online videos by 2022.” And when social sites like Instagram and Facebook started rolling out auto-play features on these videos, it was a game-changer for marketers. Overall, social media video helps your profile stand out through building brand trust, generating leads, and increasing brand awareness.

 

Why create a social media video? 

Before we detail the benefits, let’s talk stats. Social media video is admittedly more time consuming than static imagery to produce, but the impact outweighs any setbacks. In fact, “video[s] on social media get three times the number of inbound links than plain text posts.” What’s more, videos also generate 1,200 percent more shares. This is in part due to the viral and shareable nature of video, as well as its ability to engage an audience. 

For those wondering what’s behind the numbers, social media video has some incredible benefits for your brand. 

 

Building trust 

When it comes to building trust, sometimes people need to see something to believe it. Video can help give your consumers more confidence to purchase, but it can also create a long-term relationship with them. Especially if your videos are emotionally relevant.  

 

Lead generation

Social videos are, by nature, very engaging. And this engagement can help to generate leads and connect with your audience. Not to mention the viral and shareable nature of videos, which can lead to more sales and exposure. 

 

Brand awareness

Brand awareness is often a massive hurdle that marketers must overcome. With consumers viewing thousands of ads a day, your brand needs to stand out. Social media video increases brand awareness by delivering positive ad recall and helping users understand your brand better. And this awareness brings them one step closer to brand loyalty. 

 

The value of social 

Social media campaigns should help your profile stand out, tell your brand story well, and give you the returns you need. Many video partners don’t take into consideration optimizing your ROI and, instead, only focus on the quality of the content. One effective way to get more value in your social content is to plan ahead and minimize the number of film sessions needed. You can do this by creating a shot list for the upcoming month, quarter, or year and working with your video partner to reduce the number of filming sessions to capture them. 

Another way to get more mileage out of your video production budget is to combine it with a larger project. For instance, if your company is already investing in a larger scale video project like a branding or explainer video, your production team can add a social campaign to the project for a reduced rate. Especially if you do your homework ahead of time to allow the shots to be captured the same window as the principal project. These shots not only save you time and money but keep your social campaigns consistent with what your followers are seeing in your brand videos. 

 

Let’s get started 

Pictures are worth 1,000 words, but videos encapsulate emotion. And there’s no denying that branded social media video makes your profile stand out. If you don’t have access to a video production team driven to provide ROI in addition to quality, feel free to reach out to WK Studios. Even if we’re not the best fit, we’d be happy to help guide you in the right direction. Let’s talk. 

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Marketing Video Marketing

Combine Corporate and Social Video Filming to Reduce Costs

social media videos

With the end of the year looming, many companies like yours have started thinking about and planning their 2020 marketing budgets. Smart companies know that video is an essential component in that plan, but what kind of video?

Brand stories, testimonial videos, product videos, advertisements, social media videos — they all have a place in a successful campaign, but corporations that use branded narratives to create stories are ahead of the curve. They’re capitalizing on emerging studies that scientifically prove that stories stick with viewers and cause chemical reactions in the brain such as dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. These emotion causing chemicals are then carried into the customers’ experience with all your other marketing. Social media videos take on new power when used in conjunction with narrative video.

At WK Studios, we believe video has the power to merge your brand with emotions. Viewers remember the emotion they felt long after the information has been forgotten. Creating video campaigns that evoke emotion in customers will stick with them long after the initial viewing. While we believe that all video is powerful. History, life experience and neuroscience teach us that storytelling videos are the most effective.

Budgeting for Video Marketing Campaigns

A solid video production company will offer to produce a social media campaign while also filming your corporate video content. By combining the two projects, film sessions can often be minimized in many cases. This helps reduce costs for your agency, corporation or non-profit.

Social Media Videos

Video helps you engage your audience on social channels and many of these platforms prioritize video in their listing algorithms, resulting in better organic reach. Users have come to expect social videos with great lighting, optimal sound and professional production value. Your social videos on each platform should align with the same overall brand narrative. From videos in your Instagram story to the video ads you create on Facebook, brands should be consistent and take advantage of as many platforms as possible.

Make Your Video Dollars Go the Extra Mile

In planning your marketing budget for 2020, the idea of creating a corporate video, testimonial videos as well as a full schedule of social videos may seem daunting at first. Finding room in the budget for all types of video marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or exhaustive to be successful. In many cases, filming sessions can be combined when you select the right video production company to create a variety of videos for your marketing campaigns.

Packaging your video projects helps increase brand consistency throughout your marketing campaigns. An experienced and savvy video production company has the capability to produce a social media campaign while also filming video content for a brand narrative or other corporate videos. Blending these projects can reduce costs for you by using clips from a single filming session to create multiple, cohesive videos for your brand.

Create Corporate and Social Media Videos in 2020

WK Studios offers video marketing packages to deliver video content with an emotional impact. We have more than 20 years of experience in the PNW creating in the visual language of film and video production. Our team uses our skills to engage your audience and create an emotional response to your brand. We use the “Hollywood” or Lean Model, meaning we hire the absolute best crew for your specific project and brand narrative. You don’t pay for the staff you don’t need.

Contact us today to receive a quote for a customized corporate and social video package. We look forward to learning more about your brand story.

Brent Dolan

Brent, Director of Operations at WK Studios, currently lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife Stephanie and two sons Micah and Ezra.

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Marketing Video Marketing

Branded Narrative is Scientifically Proven to Make a Difference in Marketing

branded narrative marketing video
Artificial intelligence. 3D illustration

Think of the marketing and advertising campaigns that have impacted you most, that have swayed you in one direction or the other on a certain product, service or cause. The most effective marketing campaigns evoke emotion in consumers, moving them to take action. Many marketers look to impressions through social and digital advertising, but without the emotion to back up your branding, how will consumers connect with your product, service or cause? Branded narrative is central to a meaningful marketing strategy. Marketers who begin to see themselves as storytellers connect with consumers on an emotional level, fostering brand trust and advocacy.

At WK Studios, we work alongside clients who want help elevating their marketing efforts to reach the right prospects at the right time with the right message — using video storytelling. Specializing in branded narratives effectively uses psychology and the science of emotions to connect with targeted audiences. Understanding how branded narrative and science work together helps companies achieve better results throughout marketing campaigns.

Science and Marketing

Good marketing starts with knowing your target audiences’ problems (in particular, the problems you intend to solve). Branded Narrative requires you to put yourself in your customers’ shoes so you can create the kind of message that draws them in using various principles of psychology. By examining the key neurotransmitters that foster the bonds people have with different stories, guiding customers along the buyer’s journey is much easier.

Dopamine

Dopamine increases focus, motivation, and memory. Marketers and sales teams are eager to learn about how to tap into this area of their customers’ minds. Storytelling does this extremely well. For example, as a person watches a movie, their dopamine levels become heightened as the suspense builds. Ultimately, viewers become captivated as they watch the story unfold.

An impactful story results in an engaged audience that is actually seeing more of the content. At this point, marketers can discreetly, or even bluntly insert their brand, product or service into the narrative in order to reach a focused and motivated audience. And that’s what it’s all about, right? You want to grab your viewers’ attention so your message is remembered.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is an empathy and bonding neurotransmitter. It induces trust, generosity and bonding. The most remarkable release of oxytocin occurs between lovers or between parents and their children.

This feeling of bonding can also be achieved to a strong degree through effective storytelling. Consider a story where a viewer watches a movie or a video that shows a young girl experience the sudden loss of her loving father. Viewers experience a heightened level of empathy resulting in trust, bonding and generosity due to their feeling of connection with the story’s character. Stories can be extremely powerful, as they form the basis for relationships and loyalty.

Many nonprofit organizations connect with donors using this type of narrative. For example, they may show a story featuring marginalized children to heighten levels of oxytocin within the audience. Feelings of duty and responsibility result, inspiring donors to give to the nonprofit’s cause. As a marketer, you want your customers to be emotionally tied to your brand – to bond and feel a sense of loyalty.

Endorphins

Endorphins are a powerful resource that video can tap into. One of the most effective ways to produce high levels of endorphins is through laughter, which results in more relaxed, creative and focused feelings. Consumers love to share content they find funny. When viewers share your content they significantly expand your reach, while also conveying their support for your brand.

As marketers, we must know the problems of our customers and show them how to solve those problems with our product or service. This sense of empowerment transfers from you to your customers. Your customers want to feel empowered and your brand can help them feel that way.

Branded Narrative Improves Marketing Performance

Today, the most effective way to tell a story is through video. Done well, you will be able to trigger the kind of neurotransmitter releases in your customers that make them loyal for life. Video tells stories that resonated with people. Consumers feel empowered enough to align themselves with your brand. As you share your branded narrative, your customers become gripped with the suspense of your story – the bond between your brand and their lives.

Effective marketing pays homage to how the brain works. Instead of merely selling products and services, marketing can connect us on a deeper, more human level. Branded Narrative through video makes all the difference in connecting with your customers.

WK Studios believes in the power of branded narrative — connecting with consumers through video storytelling. We’re passionate about helping brands raise awareness of the benefits of psychology-focused marketing. Contact WK Studios to learn more about using branded narrative to tell compelling stories that resonate with your prospective customers.

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Branding Filmmaking Marketing Video Marketing

A Video Content Marketing Roadmap

video content marketing

How to make your video content marketing relevant and searchable

You want your video and webpage to rank in SEO, right? Video is taking over the world of branding and marketing.  It’s also playing a much bigger role in SEO results than ever before. The problem is, the landscape is changing so fast, if you’re not working in the industry (and even if you are!), it is challenging to keep up with what are the best strategies for SEO.  This blog by Margot da Cunha does a great job of breaking down some of the most vital marketing tactics for your video content.  

Even a simple video can be strategically created to optimize its digital reach.

I broke down Margot’s tips into a simple list for all of us who don’t have time to spend reading full-length articles and blog posts.

9 Ways to Optimize your Video Content for Search

  • Choose the right video hosting platform
    • Using YouTube & Vimeo are great if you’re just trying to get your video seen, but NOT if you want people to go to your own site
  • Create a video transcript
    • Viewers will be able to read your subtitles when their volume is off
    • Your captions will actually create more searchable text, great for SEO
  • Create an engaging thumbnail
    • Even take photos specifically for thumbnail if necessary
    • Thumbnail picture must be relevant to the main video theme
  • Video Title and Description must be engaging and relevant
  • Make sure your underlying webpage is also relevant and optimized for SEO
    • If your site is awful, there’s a good chance your video will face an uphill battle to be ranked
  • The video you want ranked highest needs to be the first video on your page
  • If possible, make the video the focus of its webpage
  • Only embed each video in one location on your website
    • Multiple locations lead to your videos competing against each other
  • Don’t only focus on SEO for your video
    • Lots of other supplemental ways to market your video: FB, Twitter, Instagram, (other social media outlets), paid video advertising, and even having your partners share it!

If you’d like to know more about how to produce engaging and SEO-friendly video content, or would just altogether rather leave it to time-tested professionals, reach us at WK Studios! We’d love to work on your next video project with you.

#videocontent #video #marketing #branding #seo #results #WKStudios

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Branding Marketing

A Powerful Digital Marketing Tool

branded narrative

All Videos not Created Equal

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard countless reasons why video is the best form of media for digital marketing. You’ve likely been beaten down with sayings like these:

  • Video is great for driving positive SEO results
  • It leads to more conversions
  • It inspires viewer emotions
  • “A picture is worth 1,000 words, but a video has 24 pictures per second

We believe all of these points are true (but today, good quality equipment can capture way more than 24 pictures per second!). However, this information does very little to tell us how to make a great video. It also doesn’t tell us what TYPE of video is the most effective. Because of this, in future posts, we’ll continue to elaborate upon aspects that make great videos. We’ll start here with one of the most powerful video types for marketing and branding — Branded Narratives.

At WK Studios, we’ve produced all types of digital marketing videos, and have found different messages call for different video types. As a result, we’ve found Branded Narratives are unique in that they take viewers on a psychological journey. The goal is to elicit desired thoughts and emotions from its audience in such a way that guides their thought processes and behaviors to desired outcomes. For instance, videos can guide their viewers to buy products, donate to a cause, and remember a brand name or product, to name a few examples.

Branded Narrative — Video Storytelling

A Branded Narrative tells a story, and is essentially the same thing as storytelling but has a caveat. Branded Narratives tell a story with a specific brand or brands placed in the viewer’s mind. Stories have the power to fully engage viewers as few other options have. As a result, these digital marketing videos have the unique opportunity to expose their brand or product to viewers that are at this heightened level of engagement.

One aspect of Branded Narratives that make them so effective for marketing and/or branding is their versatility. Organizations with extremely different objectives can use Branded Narratives to meet their goals.

Branded Narratives in Action

One widely popular example of a Branded Narrative was created by True Move, a Thai phone company. The Wall Street Journal posted the digital marketing video to YouTube, seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVrQqWIs6ZE

How to do it?

Still not completely understanding how to use stories to market your brand, product, or idea? Don’t worry, WK Studios will continue to post informative pieces to help explain the ins and outs of video and Branded Narratives. If you’d rather work with an industry expert directly, we also offer strategy consults, as well. Feel free to visit our site (https://wkstudios.com) for our contact information. However, we’ll leave you with a couple of simple scenarios that we came up with to help jumpstart your creative thought processes.

Scenario 1

A non-profit organization focused on helping inner-city children with unstable living situations can choose to hire someone to produce a video that compels viewers to give. In this situation, we strategically developed a Branded Narrative to place viewers in the midst of a young girl’s story. It begins as she walks home by herself down a dark dangerous street, with boarded windows on broken-down buildings. Then she enters a home with a passed out mother and a verbally abusive, drunk adult male. Through the eyes of this young girl, the viewer can feel empathy because of the gravity of her situation. This type of fictitious story about real-life situations will compel viewers to action through giving.

Scenario 2

A Fortune 500 automaker is spending a large sum of money on brand exposure. They choose to use a production company to create a short film for potential customers. They begin their short film in the driver seat of a luxury sports vehicle. In the driver seat is a handsome, middle-aged detective staking out some suspected sex traffickers. As the detective watches, the suspects drag several young girls out of a building and into a van. He soon realizes without any backup his life could be thrown into peril if he pursues the traffickers. However, those girls may never be seen again if he doesn’t. The detective chooses to disregard his own safety and chase down the traffickers in a nail-biting high-speed chase while simultaneously showcasing the vehicle’s speed, precision, and elegant style. As you can see, this tactic engages viewers in a roller coaster of emotions. When this happens, the viewers only care that they are enjoying a great story unfold. Meanwhile, the company has strategically placed its product, brand, and message throughout the video.

Trigger Desire with Branded Narrative Video

Above are very simple examples that barely scratch the surface of what is possible with Branded Narratives. Both of these videos have characters that the viewer feels some type of emotional attachment with, and problems to be solved. Scenario 1 leaves the problem unsolved so the viewer can be compelled to help solve it by giving. Scenario 2 takes viewers on a ride as the main character saves the day, all while the company’s product is being used to capture the bad guys. Hopefully, this has helped you understand the effectiveness of storytelling within the branding and digital marketing worlds. In future posts, we’ll explain how emotions and neurotransmitters in the brain can be targeted to solicit desired responses.

If you’re in the market a production company that you can trust, who has been making videos for over 10 years, feel free to reach out to us at WK Studios!

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https://wkstudios.com

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