SocialCam and Viddy are vying to be the next Instagram of video.

Viddy, which has been around longer, has slightly less users (36 million), and limits the videos that you record to just 15 seconds. This is less helpful for businesses to promote themselves but perhaps this will prove successful for some who are up to the task and can take advantage of the short attention spans of some viewers.

We are now in the age where user generated content is extremely popular almost overwhelmingly so. Every person with a phone can produce content for the world to see. While the internet is saturated with video content, it is a struggle to find the best. Hiring a professional video production company can provide your business with what an amateur cannot. Not only are our technical skills top notch, we use state of the art equipment and our filmmaking backgrounds provide years of expertise, but fundamentally we at Skillman Video Group are storytellers. We will take your provided raw material and transform it into a script, shoot it, and edit it until it is sculpted into a piece that represents your business.

It’s hard to keep up marketing your business nowadays with all these places on the internet constantly popping up. Even though it is a lot of work, it is important to frequently update all of your websites, blogs, and social media platforms with fresh content and join new ones when they come along.

Behind the scenes videos are a good way to promote and give potential customers insight into your business. For SVG, this video shows the technical aspects of our work, such as the studio lighting and two-camera setup.  It also shows the various members of our team directing the client and revising the script, framing the shots, and creating a light hearted yet professional atmosphere. Client testimonials help drive this point home. Michael is asked about hiring SVG and why these videos will be more valuable and usable then the ones shot by him and a friend using his “Best Buy” camera. The last components of the video on display are our post-production skills like editing and title creation.  Within the one-minute length of the video, the viewer can get a feel for what it is like to work with SVG and why they should.

YouTube is the web’s video juggernaut with one hour of video uploaded every second, over 4 billion videos viewed per day, and 800 million unique users visited each month. These stats blow Vimeo out of the water with their unique visitors only reaching 64 million for the entire year (November 2010 to November 2011). Vimeo’s growth in membership for the year increased by 82% from 5 million to 9.1 million, which is nothing to sneeze at, and 2011 was their biggest year yet.  In terms of search results and SEO, one of the most deciding factors for internet video marketing, YouTube videos will most always appear before Vimeo videos. It’s no coincidence that Google owns YouTube and both take two of the top three spots for most visited sites on the web. While these stats definitely point to YouTube as the clear winner in the exposure category, other factors have to be taken into consideration before this fight can end.

The difference in these hosting sites is actually quite vast and depends on what you are trying to market and whom you are marketing towards.  YouTube caters to everyone and everything, virtually having no restrictions on content and as a free account you can upload as many videos as you want that are less than 15 minutes each (longer if you have had an account for a while and are in good standing).  Vimeo is more particular, they do not allow any commercial content, no copy written movies or tv shows, only content created by the user and cater to filmmakers and creative people.  The free basic account allows uploading of 500 mb per week and upgrading to the Plus account gives you 5 gb a week plus no banner ads on your videos. This also includes priority uploading, unlimited HD uploading, full customization of the video player for branding, and analytics for your videos, all for $60 a year. For businesses, here is the most important fine print- Vimeo only will allow marketing for products and services on their Plus accounts, which will set you back $200 a year. The look of your personal page and quality of videos is very sleek and professional however compared to the busy clutter of YouTube. The ability to get rid of ads is also a huge plus for Vimeo and beats YouTube’s annoying pop-up ads that will most likely feature your competitors on your videos.

In conclusion, both hosting sites offer businesses great ways to market themselves and the ability to embed their videos on their own websites.  While quality and customization go to Vimeo, cost and exposure fall to YouTube.  The deciding factor must be in choosing what is right for YOUR business. If you can’t decide then it doesn’t hurt to use both!

The three camera set-up.

Christina directs the Hebrew at the Center group for one of the discussion segments.

SVG shot four 20-minute segments of roundtable discussion led by Professor Vardit Ringvald, Senior Academic Advisor at HATC and star of the online lecture series. Each segment involved Vardit plus three attendees, all equipped with lavalier microphones for optimum sound quality. We decided to shoot the group with three cameras for maximum coverage, getting a wide shot of the group and a two-shot for each pair. This gave us the best option for editing the sequences into the 2-3 minute clips HATC requested for their website. These clips will be used to not only capture what went on at the conference and instruct teachers remotely, but will also showcase their talents and skills. Ultimately, this video will be effective as a marketing tool for Hebrew at the Center to get their message out about their teaching concepts and strategies.

Skillman Video Group greatly appreciates our repeat clients and strives to develop a comfortable rapport while maintaining the utmost professionalism. Videos for Hebrew at the Center give us the chance to flex our editing muscles by taking verbal cues in a language other than our own, and even pick up a little Hebrew along the way!

Christina shoots the interview with inventors of the "Laser Harp"

What an exciting and busy month this has been for Skillman Video Group. Our latest shoot was one of the most unique and fun experiences for the creative team at SVG. It was also one of the most high profile, working with clients who are recognized nationwide. The shoot took place at Artisan’s Asylum, the non-profit community craft studio located in Somerville. SVG was hired by Popular Mechanics Magazine out of New York City to film one of the entries in partner Radio Shack’s “The Great Create” DIY project. Using parts from Radio Shack, a requirement for the project, two members from Artisan’s Asylum- a software engineer and a robotics engineer by day- created the “Laser Harp”.

SVG was there to film two videos. First, an interview with Mark from Popular Mechanics and the inventors paired with b-roll of their fantastic creation. The second video consisted of a walking tour and explanation of what the Artisan’s Asylum is all about with co-founder Gui Cavalcanti. Filled with entrepreneurs, inventors, and hobbyists, the Artist’s Asylum breeds and nurtures ideas and helps realize them into cutting edge products and technology.

The eclectic and colorful backdrop of the Asylum made the videos sizzle with energy. SVG used two cameras for coverage and had to be quick on our feet to accommodate the vast amount of set-ups. This shooting on the fly approach proved that our team is adaptable to any situation and will do what it takes to get the best shots.

Once again, SEO played a large part in helping SVG get the gig. Popular Mechanics found Skillman Video Group through a Google search and contacted us. This is just one of the many interesting and creative shoots that fill our website’s portfolio. Looking forward to many more to come!

SVG shooting a close up of an accident scene for Briggs & Wholey!

It’s been a busy week for the Skillman Video Group production team.  While one crew shot an internal video for international company FIDI in Boston, another headed up to Rockport, Maine to produce marketing and expertise videos for personal injury law firm Briggs and Counsel (soon to be Briggs and Wholey). This is SVG’s latest of many projects for attorney clients, the second this month. Once again, our latest client found SVG through a Google search and chose us based on our experience shooting high quality law videos as seen on our comprehensive website.  SVG’s diligence and commitment to marketing our business with SEO is a testament to how well it works for drawing customers.

Law firms have been commissioning marketing videos with rising popularity.  This is due to the increasing competition in the field and the necessity to be set apart from the rest of the pack. Clients are looking for lawyers that they can trust and win their case for them under difficult circumstances. Choosing a lawyer for a personal injury claim is an important decision and can mean the difference in the quality of life they lead from there on out.  Marketing videos give a face to your company and show an insight into why customers should trust you with their case.  It is this personal touch that can give a law firm or attorney the edge when competing for clients.

In addition to the marketing video, SVG also shot expertise videos for Briggs and Counsel to put on their website. Like the previous shoot for attorney Michael Del Signore, these short 1-2 minute videos explain the logistics for clients about their particular claim.  This further propels the notion that this is a company that is professional and gets the job done for you.

Combining these efforts with internet marketing and SEO, Briggs and Counsel is on their way to attaining more customers. SVG’s total package approach will assuredly drive more traffic to their website thusly creating the convergence of professional high quality videos and internet marketing- the perfect match.

FIDI found SVG through a Google search of Boston video production companies, and due to SVG’s aggressive SEO strategies and comprehensive website, we were chosen to shoot and edit the video.  The goal of the video was to deliver key information to the employees at the end of the conference, such as, informing them about new board members, financial results, and where the conference will be held next year.  Over two days, we shot seven short interviews with various members of FIDI and captured b-roll of employees at the conference as well as locations around Boston and the Intercontinental Hotel where the conference took place.  Since the video was to be shown on the last day of the conference, the turn around time to edit and deliver the piece was short and we had to work fast.  SVG has past experience working with tight deadlines and knows the proper work flow for this type of project.  The team at Skillman Video Group worked with the client to revise and edit the scripts for many of the interviewees and provided a state of the art teleprompter to make it easy and comfortable.  Great direction and relaxed talent, combined with professional lighting and our two camera set-up ensured the highest quality video possible.

This particular shoot is proof that proper internet marketing with SEO, high production values, and experience and professionalism are the winning combination for success for Skillman Video Group.

• Add multimedia- Your Facebook page needs to be visually appealing and get people to stay on the page instead of hitting the back button.  Uploading and tagging photos and videos of your company and its employees is a great start.  Definitely consider hiring a professional production company like Skillman Video Group to create a marketing video that will highlight what makes your business special.

• Keep Active- A Facebook page with just a name and a phone number on it is like walking into a party that no one came to; you want to immediately leave.  Avoid this by keeping it lively with constant status updates, links to stories or feedback about your company, and current promotions or discounts your business offers.

• Get people to “like” you and don’t be afraid to ask! –  An article from the huffingtonpost.com about business’s success using Facebook, reports that just by asking people to like your page or a post increases the odds that they do so by 216%!  More likes means more customers coming to your page and getting involved and commenting.  You could even hold a contest for those customers, with a chance to win prizes or special discounts.

Following these initial steps will get you on your way to having a fully integrated social media and internet marking strategy for your business.  Make sure you put a link to your Facebook page on your website. Once your Facebook page is up and running and is being maintained regularly, the next tier of marketing tactics can begin.  Watch for more ideas like linking your Facebook statuses to post on your Twitter feed, using SEO to increase your site rank using keywords in your blog, and finding out how nifty and effective QR codes can be in an upcoming blog post.

Preparing for the Progress Software webinar

Recently, Skillman Video Group went to the global headquarters of Progress Software, a new client located in Bedford, MA.  Progress hired SVG to shoot the video portion of their upcoming live webinar. Hosted on the online meeting site WebEX, this quarterly webinar features the market-leading software company’s new CEO. In conjunction with various department personnel, we did a run-through of all the technical aspects necessary for our shoot at the end of the month.  The company’s large conference room will house 300 employees on the day of the shoot and will broadcast online for the many additional employees to branches around the world.  To ensure the highest quality video for such an important and large scale event, SVG is the go-to company for all video production needs.

The run-through proved to be very helpful in telling us exactly what equipment we need and don’t need for the day of the live shoot.  The ability to adapt in any given situation is a key component in creating a trusting relationship with the client and essential in being a successful professional video production company.  SVG guarantees that the client feels comfortable knowing that all the details will be taken care of.  In addition to the live video feed, SVG will be providing Progress with  the footage in a compressed, web-ready format for them to upload to their website.  Progress Software is a leader in their industry with a high traffic website, and SVG’s high-quality work will allow them to communicate with their international audience effectively and clearly.  From professional studio lighting to high definition video, Skillman Video Group will provide its all-encompassing video production expertise for any style of video the client requests.

Shooting with the Canon 7D and the Sony NXCAM

To get the kind of quality videos that Skillman Video Group provides its clients, using high end equipment is a must and using it effectively is essential.  For most videos, SVG shoots with two high definition cameras, the Canon 7D and the Sony NXCAM.  The combination of shooting with two cameras gives a dynamic and creative aesthetic to the videos.  The 7D’s “film” look provides rich colors and complements the Sony’s beautiful picture quality when cutting between both formats.  Last week’s shoot for our recurring client, Hebrew at the Center, was one of these instances where both cameras were used.  Using the 7D for the close up shot softened the focus, creating a visually appealing and flattering look for this online lecture series.

The look and feel of the videos can vary with their content and style.  Based on the type of video marketing the client needs, the creative team at SVG will determine how the video should look and what the viewing audience can take away from it.  Whether it’s a videomercial, a marketing video, a product video, or anything in between, Skillman Video Group will successfully mesh all of the attributes necessary to create the perfect video to suit your needs.