The truth is, Facebook is an incredible tool for enterprise social media. Really, nothing has changed in business just because the Web is part of the scene. What the Web has really done is made connecting for business faster. Relationships that lead to the close of a deal are still important. Can’t live without those, right?

Facebook can help build those relationships faster and through multiple channels all day long, even while you are sleeping. That’s the difference. But it has to be done the right way. Relationships can be slow to build, and fast to lose. By taking a long-term view, building organically by providing useful content centered around the needs of your potential market, a company has a better chance of creating sustainable income from their corporate social media efforts.

The first step is to truly understand the target market you are trying to reach. There is no substitute for this step, and an in-depth consumer analysis will save thousands of dollars in useless, ineffective marketing down the road.

Facebook is for Friends

In business, a lot of success is based on who you know, who you went to school with and who your friends are. That hasn’t really changed.

Facebook is a major force in the marketing and advertising world today. Will it remain so? We’ll just have to wait and see. In my opinion, it become such an incredible force because it caters to people’s diverse needs by singling out relevant information based on relationships, and customizing the experience based on the actual actions each user takes inside Facebook. As long as that trends continues, Facebook is here to stay.

Likewise the advertising platform it offers can be uniquely targeted towards specific ages, likes, gender, location, etc., more so than Google Adwords. This alone makes it worth including it in a company’s enterprise social media arsenal.

Facebook isn’t just another advertising and marketing tool. It’s relationship leveraging tool that leads into advertising and marketing through word of mouth. Confusing Facebook with magazine ads or tv-type advertising and marketing techniques will not be as effective as leveraging it for WOM Marketing.

As a side note, Facebook is a great market research data collection tool, since so much of the content and banter back and forth is visible. If nothing else, get on Facebook for the ability to do a surface-level consumer analysis.

I’ve heard many rumors that you can’t get a good key shooting green screen with the Canon 5D.

Nonsense.

The key, (no pun intended), to shooting good green screen in any format, is lighting.

I’ve shot numerous green screen projects, whether they be corporate video productions, direct response tv ads or commercials; and in many different formats. As long as you and/or your gaffer know how to light for green screen compositing, then the format is not an issue.

Many would say that the Canon 5D’s  4.2.0 color space prohibits a “good key”.

Well, we recently completed a project for Brain Zoo Studios shooting live action on green screen to be composited with animation for a spot promoting Disney’s new “Phineas & Ferb” game.

We hired a great gaffer as part of our video production crew, and shot with the Canon 5D because we love the images it produces, and because we needed to move fast to make the day on time and on budget. We trancoded the native H.264 files in 4.2.0 color space to Apple Pro Res 4.2.2 and handed the footage off to our client.

The footage composited beautifully. The client was happy and therefore, we were happy. So don’t listen to the critics who say you can’t shoot good green screen with DSLR systems like the Canon 5D.

It can be done.

Are you shooting in 3D?

Thinking about it? 

Confused by it all?

For a format that’s been around a very long time there sure is a lot of buzz about 3D right now, and I think Mr. Cameron has a lot to do with that. But what if you’re not a big time feature film or TV guy?

What if you earn your living delivering high quality corporate video production services?

Is 3D right for you and your clients?

Absolutely!

It’s no secret that 3D is the future, and the future is here. All content, from TV shows to home movies on the web will be 3D in the not so distant future. Flat screen 3D TVs will soon be in every household and, more importantly, every board room.

You need an effective marketing plan that includes delivering 3D projects to your current and future clients.

So you, the corporate video producer, need to educate yourself and your clients about all things 3D, and there is a LOT to learn. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information out there, and also companies that already specialize in 3D production and even training. Take advantage of the all the resources available, so that you can make a successful transition into the third dimension.

Fletch is all about sizzle.
At 6’7″, he’s one of the biggest producers in Hollywood.

Fletch’s company, The Association, has produced award-winning commercials and large format video presentations for clients around the world.

Fletch’s creative team has produced effective Pay Per Click and DRTV campaigns with conversions 4 – 8 times greater than industry average.   Easy to work with, focused and dedicated to the client getting the best for their budget, Fletch has a 99% customer satisfaction rating.

One of the most often heard buzzwords describing the new Panasonic AF-100 camera is, “HDSLR Killer”.

But is it?

Not necessarily, according to Panasonic’s Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Mgr. for the AF-100. At a recent AF-100 event she stated that “there is still a market for the hugely popular and affordable HDSLR’s like the Canon 5D, especially at the current price point”.

However, I did notice she said it with a big smile on her face, and for good reason.

Utilizing the features that have made the HDSLR the hottest camera system for independent filmmakers as well as commercial productions and corporate video, Panasonic has taken it to the next level with the AF-100. “This is a video camera, not a still camera that happens to shoot video” adds Crittenden Livingston.

The 4/3″ sensor, which has a similar field of view as 35mm motion picture cameras, allows for that shallow depth of field and selective focus that film guys have always known and loved.

Many lens adapters will be available so that just about any lens can be mounted to the camera. Additionally, DP’s and shooters who’ve used other Panasonic cameras will recognize the layout and menu functions of the AF-100.

In my opinion, the AF-100 offers the best solution for film and video professionals who love the images that can be achieved with HDSLRs like the Canon 5D Mk II, but are accustomed to the features of video cameras.

HDSLR killer? I’ll just say that for professional film and video applications, HDSLR’s have one foot in the grave.

You know the scenario:

You spend a ton of money on promo and get one lead !

Or NONE!

It’s a bloody shame !

You don’t have to put up with anemic marketing that’s sucking your marketing budget dry!

What if I could show you how to make your promotional dollars go four to eight times farther? You could get 4 to 8 leads for your marketing dollar, instead of one?

Wouldn’t it be great to get EIGHT responses instead of ONE out of a hundred (1%)?
The Association has perfected Optimized Market Research to produce four to eight times the industry average.

The Association’s Pay Per Click campaigns perform 4 to 8 times better than industry average.

Below is the Google Report: The Association’s PPC ads are converting at 8.48% !!

How do we do it?  We use proven, scientific marketing methods that WORK. So you can develop an effective marketing plan with data that really works. Our consumer analysis dials in your marketing message so you attract people more likely to convert…..not tire kickers.

Wouldn’t you like your email stuffed with leads in the morning?

Clients have literally asked us to turn off the marketing campaigns so they can catch up on the leads we generated.

Let’s say you spend $100. on your promo marketing. Let’s say you make a $100. on each close. Well, if you only get one reach out of the hundred (a 1% return), that reach cost you $100.

If you close that one lead, you make $100. So, you break even. If you don’t close that reach, you just lost $100. This is why people stop marketing. THEY’RE LOSING MONEY. DUH!

There’s NO WAY you can EVER, EVER, EVER make money with anemic marketing. Period. But we still see people throwing money away on marketing that only gets a 1% response.

Applying this to the example above, instead of a lead costing  you $100, get 8 leads which cost you $12.50 per lead.  If you close a $12.50 lead, you make $100 (you pay back your marketing investment of $100). But here’s the good news. If you close two $12.50 leads you pay back your marketing expense and you make another $100. If you close three you made $200. Profit. This is the secret to paying for your marketing and making a lot of money. This is “power marketing”!

This is the time to grab market share, when everybody else has cut back. Power Marketing will give a better return on your marketing dollar and increase your profits. Break out of anemic* marketing before it sucks your marketing budget dry.

*(def. anemic – lacking force, vitality or spirit.)

**(def. anemia – Anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues. If you have anemia, you probably feel tired a lot. Etymology – anemia – 1824, from French medical term (1761), Mod.L., from Gk. anaimia “lack of blood,” from anaimos “bloodless,” from an- “without” + haima “blood”)

The Social Media Club

Social Media may seem like a breeze to the younger age group, but for anyone over the age of 35 that wasn’t born with a smart phone in their hands, this social media education can be really helpful. Along the way I’ve been collecting feedback about the class, which I thought I’d share for the benefit of those who haven’t attended yet.

I’ve found that implementing social media piece by piece is easier to swallow than trying to help someone understand a big chunk in 4-5 hours.  Too much information!  So the class really cuts it back to something manageable, and we have a good time.

Topics vary. Sometimes it’s tailored to the crowd that shows up. Sometimes we have a planned presentation that we announce before hand. If you’d like to attend. you may RSVP on Facebook by searching for “Really Simple Social Media” and clicking on the Events tab.

I’ve also created a resource for business owners interested in online lead generation. Since every online campaign starts with keyword research, we have a free Social Media Keyword Analysis anyone can use to their advantage. Just click on “Request a Free Social Media Keyword Analysis” to submit a request. For anyone still curious if social media is a good idea, click on “The Seminar” for a series of short videos giving an overview of why social media is so vital in today’s world.

The Club is all about implementation, not just endless blathering at the front of the room. We really dig in and get our hands dirty. The whole point is that you learn to do it so you can do it on your own. After all, the tools are free. Why not invest in learning how to use them?

Define The Termsis a series of educational articles I am writing, geared towards helping those interested in enterprise social media (also known as corporate social media) have an easier time in cyberspace. The only reason someone can’t apply information for any topic or areas is because the basic terms are not understood. I go out of my way to explain these terms in easy to understand language. While the definitions of these words won’t explain how to use social media, not understanding them might actually make implementation of social media harder to do.

Two of those terms are “The Internet” and “Web,” extremely common terms we all throw around, but what do they really mean?

Nets and Webs: Is There a Difference?

Usually when I bring up The Internet and the Web in my weekly classes, a very common response is, “don’t they mean the same thing?”

Yes and no. Originally The Internet and the Web had completely different meanings, but more recently they have been used with the same meaning in mind.

A similar example might be the word cola. Most of the time we mean the “Coca Cola” brand, but cola could be used for any brand’s similarly flavored soda pop.

World Wide Web = WWW

Just in case the dots didn’t connect already, “web” comes from World Wide Web, which is also seen everywhere as WWW. In simple terms, behind the scenes is a language computers use to locate “resources” on the web. Like any language, it had to be uniform in structure so that all computers could talk to each other and achieve results with consistency.

There are three important words in what I just said, leading up to the next, and final, concept of this article:

1. Uniform,
2. Resource
3. Locate

To find documents on the Web, we need a Uniform Resource Locator.  Another way to say that is, a universally recognizable location for a website so we can find it when we want to see it. We’ve all been using Uniform Resource Locators for awhile. Every time you go to a website by typing in “www.website.com,” or any variation thereof, that’s a URL.

Now you can dazzle others with your increased understanding.

Understanding these words brings you one step closer to utilizing corporate social media and other online resources to your advantage. There are so many opportunities available to promote and create online lead generation, both free and otherwise, it’s worth learning the basics and getting involved in whatever way you can.

You Just Had to be There

Not that long ago, neglecting to put a business listing in the Yellow Pages phone book was tantamount to business suicide. You just HAD to be there.  Today, the fingers still “do the walking,” but they are not alone. They have the company of a mouse.

You know, the mouse that’s plugged into the computer.

Of Mice and Men

Aside from the fact that there are more people on this planet than there were 20 years ago, before this whole Internet thing happened, we certainly seem to have more problems. Health issues are rampant, education, politics, the list goes on. There are a lot of problems that need solving.

How do you solve your problems? I’m willing to bet it’s the same way most people do, they reach for that mouse and do a quick search online. I’m not teaching anything new here, just pointing out it’s a habit most people with access to the Internet have. They use it to solve problems.

I remember once my wife spilled hot candle wax on our carpet. Or maybe I spilled it.  Either way, there it was, bright red wax on a beige carpet. My first instinct was to pick at the wax until I got it out of the carpet. Realizing that would probably take the better part of an hour (with dubious results), I opted to spend 5 minutes online first.

So, would you like to know the secret to getting out candle wax from a carpet in a few minutes with just about zero effort? A paper bag and an iron. Yep. Just place the paper bag over the stained area, pass the hot iron over the paper bag, and the paper soaks up the hot wax. Done.

Gotta love it. And your customers will love you too if you can solve a question like that without jumping down their throat to sell them 5 things before they can say boo. But that’s really a topic for another day. Today’s post is about using this penchant for internet problem solving to your advantage by listing your business on this new “Yellow Pages.”

Google Places: The New Yellow Pages

Technically, the Yellow Pages is also online. Their site, at the time of this writing, gets over 240K unique visitors per month. Not bad. However, it doesn’t hold a candle to the number of unique vistors Google gets per month. Here’s a graph showing the big search engine gorillas at this party, courtesy of Compete.com, based on the number of unique visitors to each site per month:

When it comes to unique visitors per month, Google is top dog compared to The Yellow Pages.

Nothing wrong with being in two places at once on The Internet. By all means, create a business profile on as many sites as you can.  But today we are going to focus on Google Places. Here’s a short video with some case studies of actual application:

When I first came across Google Places, I tested it by listing the Burbank Inbound Marketing Club, a weekly class where I teach local business owners to implement enterprise social media. Within a few months the site had thousands of impressions. An impression is where the Places page showed up on search requests.

Not only am I able to track the number of impressions, but I am able to see the search terms used to reach my Places page, the number of people who actually clicked on the listing (called an Action), and the locations they clicked from when asking for driving directions.

This data can be useful for a local business as it’s a type of consumer analysis. If a high number of requests came from one area for a restaurant, for example, the owner might consider opening a 2nd location where the requests are coming from already.

To create a business listing on Google Places is pretty easy, if you are already familiar with the internet and have already done your search engine optimization (so you have your keywords worked out already). There are some pitfalls to be aware of, which I will cover in another post.

If Google Places seems complicated, best to hire someone who knows how to optimize websites for search, and who can tie your Google Places listing together with your website or any other online presence you might have. Otherwise you might inadvertently put yourself at a disadvantage, or at the very least, not take advantage of all the features that are available on the site.

Happy listing!