Is your company heading to a convention or trade show? Then you should have a quick spot promoting your booth. Use a 30-second Video spot like this one to let your database and social media followers know what you’re offering at your booth. Using a quick promotional video like this one can help increase traffic at your booth. Call Live Fit Films for your Trade Show Promotional Video spot. Call us to discuss your project needs: (858) 259-3646

See our portfolio, here. 

A 2Minute VNS is a 120-second Video News Story. As a former TV Reporter, I often only had 90-seconds to tell a story but the sweet spot today for advertorial marketing is 2 minutes. That’s why Live Fit Films developed a unique video storytelling style using the TV journalist methodology. A 2Minute VNS is a story that reports on the newsworthy aspects of your business or product. It is not a commercial. It is a credible approach to educating, entertaining, and enlightening your consumers about your company, products, services, and even industry. After watching a 2Minute VNS, viewers feel they have learned something from the story. They do not feel as though they have been “sold to”.

The 2Minute VNS or 2Minute Feature is the New Multi-Media format for delivering a successful Video News Story or Feature Profile to a targeted audience on the Web, traditional TV or radio.

Live Fit Films pioneered this innovative approach to marketing businesses and entrepreneurs. Today, we not only produce Video News Stories and Feature Profiles for our clients but we also teach other video journalists how to use this unique approach to build a business or turn their passion into a money-making venture.

Live Fit Films shows clients how a news-style story in the format of a 2Minute VNS or 2Minute Feature Profile delivers a powerful, compelling, action-oriented message to consumers.

The News Media has long been telling stories in this style. It’s credible. It’s efficient. And it’s valuable exposure. But many video production companies don’t fully understand this concept because their background isn’t in broadcast journalism.

Live Fit Films is founded by a veteran TV Journalist. Our crew members and independent producers all have TV experience. We bring in college students who are eager to learn the new Multi-Media platform that is emerging.

We teach clients how their marketing and advertising dollars can be best spent in a cross-media promotion using our unique 2Minute Video News Story or 2Minute Feature Profile. These stories are easily placed on TV to maximize your advertising campaign by using a news-style format that looks like your story aired on the evening news. Our team of Media Buy Specialists help find the best pricing for a 120-second spot. Your 2Minute VNS or 2Minute Profile engages the audience and won’t be overlooked because it’s just a commercial.

Take a look at this 2Minute Feature Profile.

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Video Transcript

Hi,Everyone. I’m Phoebe Chongchua…here with this week’s Fit Business Tip to Put Muscle In Your Marketing. We’re talking about the power of events, trusted experts,  and brand journalism storytelling. I’ve got 3 Fit tips for you to tackle in your 2013 marketing.

Intro….

As a TV news journalist and Community Affairs Specialist, I launched one of the largest festivals of its kind while working for the ABC station in San Diego. The event, called 10Leadership Day, attracted 20,000 people for a half-day event and 30-minute TV Show. But more important is what it did for the station. It engaged and inspired people to look to 10News for solutions instead of just bad news. Making a news station stand out to its viewers as not only a news source but also a Trusted Community Leader is critical in order to increase its share of viewership which translates to higher ad revenue.

Tip 1: Create an Event. For businesses, events are a fantastic way to connect with your consumers. They allow you to reach out beyond the ordinary transaction and generate a social vibe. They can bring traditional media attention and, in today’s social media world, you can write your own headlines and produce your own videos about your event creating an influential online buzz.

Tip 2: Become an industry leader and trusted expert. To effectively create a successful event and to sell more product or services consistently, you must be seen as an industry leader. Your staff must be considered Thought Leaders in your field–Trusted and Reliable Experts.

Tip 3: Use credible storytelling to build your trusted leader image and attract consumers to your events. To do this you have to offer credible messaging via storytelling, not just 30-second commercials. I’m not saying you have to ditch your TV ads. However, I am saying that those ads don’t make you the Trusted Expert. You become a trusted expert through telling stories that offer credible information aimed at solving problems for your consumers. The storytelling has to be vital and relevant to the target market. When you produce articles and videos that  help your consumers, you raise your level from simply a business company to a Trusted Expert or Thought Leader.

And that’s how You Put Muscle In Your Marketing. I’m Phoebe Chongchua…until the next time, Believe in what you do and others will  follow.

Hi I’m Phoebe Chongchua. A brand journalist with Live Fit Films. It’s time for your weekly “Fit” Business Tip. It’s how we put muscle in your marketing by getting your brand messaging lean and strong.

[Musical INTRO...]

That’s the sound…Time to wake up to a new way of marketing. Storytelling is nothing new to the TV journalist but for many companies the concept is completely foreign. They’re still in the old-school thought of using repetitive marketing slogans and junk-food jargon which amounts to nothing more than meaningless marketing phrases that ultimately deliver little value and information.

An equation that’s becoming popular today is EC = MC. Every company can be it’s own Media Company. These forward-thinking companies use brand journalists to tell their corporate stories in a way that appeals to consumers. The top reasons brand journalism is being used are: to educate customers (49%), to retain customers (26%), and enhance brand loyalty (14%)…according to a survey by Custom Content Marketing.

So, here are five ways you can take your brand into the spotlight and become your own media publishing company without traditional media attention.

1. Think like a news journalist…and more specifically a brand journalist, a reporter who writes about companies from a news perspective. In other words, look for the real newsworthy hook about your brand.
2. Consistently create informational and educational quality content using Video News Stories, articles and brand-photo journalism about your company’s industry rather than just a myopic story about your product or service. Make sure the stories have a news hook.
3. Turn part of your staff meetings into “news” content meetings. Ask your staff to think like newsroom journalists and brainstorm ideas to create an editorial calendar of upcoming story coverage.
4. Tease your audience. Share your editorial calendar with your web visitors. Let them know to be on the watch for the next interesting story.
5. Repurpose your content (Video News Stories and articles) for multimedia platforms from the Web to TV to print to radio and social media networks. Create your content once and then make it work for you over and over again. That’s putting muscle in your marketing.

Turning your company into a media company creates an alluring appeal and becomes a valuable reason for consumers to follow you and your brand. However, your storytelling and messaging must not only be lean and strong but also have a fresh news perspective that offers resourceful information. And, you must regularly produce content. I’m Phoebe Chongchua…that’s your “Fit” business tip to get your brand in shape and put muscle in your marketing. Have a great week!

So what does all this mean for your business? Well for one, Pinterest users who shop online, on average, follow 9.3 retailers’ boards, significantly more than on Facebook, the number one social networking website. Also, according to a small survey conducted by tech marketing firm Converto, Pinterest generates more than four times as much revenue per click as Twitter, and 27% more revenue per click than Facebook. Knowing this fact, it’s surprising that many businesses are still hesitant to join Pinterest, the third largest social networking platform just behind Twitter. Yet, internet bloggers predict continuous and steady growth among Pinterest users. In order to get an edge on the competition, businesses need to make the transition and invest time into this new social media platform.

With it’s recent growth, Pinterest has turned towards smart-phone users. By downloading the application, those with iPhones or Androids can easily access ‘pins’ and ‘boards’ with the tap of a finger. Not only is this beneficial from the client’s point of view, but it also aids in the development of your company’s Pinterest account due to the ease of updating and sharing information.

After pinning a photo to their board, pinterest users are able to see your pin in an archive of previous pins with similar captions or hash-tags. Just like on Facebook, users are able to ‘like’, comment and re-pin your post. The more users interact with your pin, the more exposure your account will gain. Publicity and exposure are key ingredients in building a loyal following for your business. Simply pinning a photo from your web-page will offer a means for Pinterest users to easily access your website.

By combining the use of video, articles and posts on pinterest, you are increasing your social media exposure and opportunities for free advertising. Remember, though, to be a thought leader, and someone people pay attention to, in the social media world, your content must be posted regularly, be consistently relevant, and offer meaningful information. See an example on pinterest, click here, of a video story offering a discount from the store.

Social media platforms offer great opportunities for businesses and organizations to interact with their clientele and it is vital to keep up with the trends in these growing networking sites. By embracing the digital age, you can take advantage of all the Internet has to offer and gain exposure for your product and your company.

Example of Best Video Marketing Practices by LiveFitFilms.com

When we began with the company they didn’t have any Video News Stories and their YouTube Channel had only commercial spots. While their commercials are very well done and air on local TV, the VNS strategy has given them a greater Internet presence with solid information that consumers need and want. The company then added the videos in their newsletter, helping to encourage more click-throughs to the company’s website as well as providing effective educational information for current and potential clients.

Most of us use the Internet to research information–everything from how to cook salmon to who should I hire for a home construction project. Having a solid presence on the Web strengthens the chances of your company being found. Video is one of the fastest growing techniques used to market businesses–but not just any video. There are a lot of poor videos. The sound is bad or the picture is barely viewable. Even worse, there’s no real value in the video. No story or helpful information…essentially it’s just a commercial. That won’t get you increased exposure. Today’s post-consumer wants value. They want information, resources, help getting their questions answered. When a video story is told effectively and coupled with a well-crafted newsletter, you have a successful pairing and a resource-oriented marketing tool that is actually beneficial to your current and potential clients. 

What Marrokal Design & Remodeling has effectively done is combine the use of LFF’s creative article marketing and Video News Stories that are targeted at gaining loyal followers and  more business by addressing the needs of the consumers who are likely to hire them. In this attractive newsletter, they’ve placed a VNS that Live Fit Films created for the company more than a year ago. However, the information is timeless and perpetually helpful.

The VNS serves multiple purposes. It offers helpful tips from the company’s savvy interior designers and  showcases the company’s design center and hot styles in home decor.  Using a consumer-centric style of marketing that addresses needs and provides information helps  to better position this successful business as a leader in its industry. Consumers look to Marrokal Design & Remodeling for advice, consultation, and services because they’ve effectively communicated their mission to serve the homeowner’s needs well from concept to completion.

View how the company integrates its Video News Stories in an educational library on its website.

Kudos to Marrokal Design & Remodeling not only for being a leader in its industry but also helping provide important information to a hungry audience of homeowners seeking endless information on remodeling.

“Really, I’m going to watch a TV show on my computer,” they say. “Yes,” I say. And then I add, “Or you might watch it on your flat screen, Internet-ready TV through services like Direct TV or on your iPad or iPhone.  Or you might even watch a live broadcast streamed via the Internet and TV Networks on the Web using multiple devices and from anywhere you like.” The point here is the TV world is changing and insiders are scrambling to keep up.

The pros and cons of Internet TV.

At one time TV production was for the elite few (relatively speaking) who had the skill-set, technology, and lucky opportunity to be part of it. Today, nearly anyone can make a video or even a slide show (and call it a video), post it to YouTube and–bamb!–it’s on TV. Well, kind of…it’s not being broadcast over the traditional airwaves but the digital world is putting many people on the map. And that’s equalizing the playing field for those who have a story to tell.

Today, multimedia journalists like myself can go anywhere in the world with a fairly small bag of gear, shoot a story, and get it to the Internet and also to traditional TV without needing a big, expensive camera or full crew. The story can be produced quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

However, that also means that as the barrier to entry drops for an industry, the standards of that industry may drop as well. Today, you have people with cameras who don’t know much about TV, journalism, or even videography producing videos that make their way to the Internet. That’s not to say that an amateur can’t create a very viral video. It happens all the time. But what we’re talking about here is reliable high-quality TV programming but on the Internet instead of only on TV.

Let’s explore the numbers. Since there is a saturation of video content why should anyone pursue this medium? Just think about these mind-blowing statistics from YouTube.

• 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second.
• Over 4 billion videos are viewed a day
• Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month
• Over 3 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube
• More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US TV networks created in 60 years
• 70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
• YouTube is localized in 39 countries and across 54 languages
• In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views or almost 140 views for every person on Earth

Skate to where the puck is going, said Wayne Gretzky. Go to where your viewers already are–the Internet.

You can hold off on building your Website with quality videos or you can be an earlier adopter and capture the growing audiences on the Web. The integration of TV and Internet TV will collide in a big way in the future. I believe viewers will switch seamlessly from one source to another just as they do today between what used to be “standard TV” and cable.

The future is in Social TV. Apps like ZeeBox in the UK are helping viewers watch programming online while linking them to their friends through their Facebook page. This same app puts information about what you’re watching just a click away. So if you are viewing an online program and a particular book is mentioned, a link will pop up and you can click that link to view, purchase, and download the book to your device.

Having online video content will be one of the main sources of viewer consumption. Look around the coffee shops, libraries, shopping malls, restaurants and you’ll see people are already watching online via iPads, and smartphones. But online audiences are not the same as traditional TV audiences where they are forced to watch commercials (unless they skip over them via their pre-recorded programming).

Great online video content consists of at least three critical components:

A compelling story that matters to the audience

Information that provides help, tips, and added value

Special offers, discounts, where to go for more knowledge, support, or social interaction

While these points may seem self-explanatory, it’s important to note that most of the videos watched online are NOT ads. That doesn’t mean they don’t brand, market, create consumer awareness, and urge viewers to take action. It means that viewers are watching videos that tell stories rather than just a basic ad like you see on TV.

A Video News Story shares information, telling viewers about a subject that they want to learn more of. It entices and encourages them to reach out for more information. It is the connection that makes Online Video News Marketing successful. Take a look at these two stories.

You’ll notice that each one has a message about a product or a company. It contains an offer or supplies knowledge about a particular topic and, in the end, if the viewer has an interest in this subject, it can be the catalyst to seek out more information. And that’s when the company has the opportunity to make a unique connection unlike TV.

When these Video News Stories are placed on Websites that are surrounded by other engaging information that adds value, visitors stay on your site longer and are many times more likely to pursue your company or product simply because they have the knowledge that they couldn’t gain elsewhere such as in a brief 30-second ad that they see on TV.

This knowledge (the video or written blog post) can be shared easily via the click of a mouse. It’s spreadable and archivable, which makes the content highly useful for consumers. They can bookmark it and return again and again to digest your message.

Want to learn how you can make Video News Stories part of your business messaging? Visit http://LiveFitFilms.com. Also, see our online video lifestyle magazine to see how you can have your story featured in our media publication and Internet show.

It’s important for non-profits to understand that in today’s world, coverage is king. That means that if you’re going to the trouble and expense of hosting an event, you should make sure you have quality coverage. The photos were taken at Forman’s Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament. Live Fit Films set up a booth at one of the holes and filmed golfers and celebrities as they played our Breast Cancer Trivial Pursuit game while on the court. This creates fantastic video to help promote and attract people to the next event.

Bringing a TV reporter and crew out to your event offers that quality coverage. It’s like hiring a professional MC to host the event…sure it’s extra money but the end result is a quality video that allows your organization the opportunity to share your message with the world in a highly credible and newsworthy style.

Once you have videos you can use them in many ways: on your website, create a YouTube channel, send out links in email blasts, in newsletters, in video press releases, on FaceBook, on TV, and many other ways. There are also many different styles of covering your event. Watch the videos in this post to see a few options or view our portfolio of videos.

You can also join online fundraising organizations like Razzo. The organization’s mission is, “To better the entire cause marketplace by elevating social fundraising practices, and strengthening relationships between nonprofits, donors and fundraisers. Inspiring Generosity covers social fundraising trends, news, and case studies; democratizes traditional development best practices; and provides other relevant information.”

As a video journalist who has worked with hundreds of non-profits, I’ve been impressed with their mission and effort. Social media is key to building greater awareness and communicating your message. Razzo touts that it has raised more than $73,000,000 for worthy causes.

Make sure you’re video documenting your next fundraising event and most important putting the video story together in a compelling way that will allow your organization to share your message with the world and potential donors.

These days practically everyone is armed with some sort of device to capture video. It might be their cell phone, a flip camera, or even a real video camera. However that doesn’t mean that what is being produced by these devices is good video. Obviously, the story is what makes a video but if you have poor equipment or you use it improperly that can ruin your video.

Now, there’s two schools of thought here: I come from the TV news business where getting a story first on the air is typically the most important thing. However, in marketing and, likely with your business, there isn’t quite that mad rush. So, you can plan and produce something meaningful that will help consumers understand your products and services and ultimately lead them to become customers.

So, if you’re not hiring a professional video storytelling company like ours…here’s tip number one for the do-it-yourselfers…if you’re shooting video with a smartphone hold the camera horizontally. It looks so much better. Watch the video below to see what I mean. That video was shot exclusively with my iPhone because that was all I had on me at the time. I was out on a hike when I stumbled across  the Komen 3-Day Race For a Cure story and I didn’t want to miss it.

Tip number two…if you don’t have a professional external microphone to attach to your camera…position yourself close to the interviewee. You’ll see in this story, I didn’t have an external mic and I had to deal with some wind noise…plus for the documentary-style shooting, I wanted movement…so in some cases, I hiked along with the walkers. The video, of course, is not as steady but you have a feeling of really being there and for this type of story it worked. What I did for audio was try to get as close to them as possible and to pay attention to where my microphone is located on my iPhone. Then you can also do some post audio work in FCP. It’s not as good as a professional mic, but for this type of story and the spontaneity of it…it worked.

Tip number three don’t pan. Hold your smartphone in place and don’t pan, IOWs, let the scene unfold in front of you. Most people tend to move the camera too quickly when they’re trying to pan and you end up with shaky and blurred video.

Tip number four. Keep your arms tucked in at your sides, breathe slowly or some cases take in a breath…hold it, get your shot and release your breath. This will help you get stable shots without a tripod. You can also lean against something but still keep your arms tucked in.

Tip number five. Shoot a scene for at least 10 seconds. In other words, stay on the subject even if it’s just crashing waves for no less than 10 seconds. Make sure you have a steady shot. When editing your video these 10-second shots will come in handy.

And, finally, have fun, pick up a camera and start shooting. I’m Phoebe Chongchua with LFF…we’ll see you on the air!