I got the chance t meet a very special man last year in February, who runs an incredible business called My Web Presenters. They are specialists in Video Marketing, not only the storyboarding, shooting and editing but also how to make those videos convert more visits to sales/signups/enquirers or whatever you want people to do on your website.
My Web Presenters has a London studio, location teams, post production and video marketers. They even have animators and special effects specialists that work for some of the biggest names on the web.
We want to really ramp up the awareness of why video is important, and I am the first to admit, despite coming from a “movie biz” family, with my dad making movies for a living all these years, and now my brother too – I am camera shy. So I don’t really want to go preaching too much about what I don’t practice. This is why I decided, I want to interview Neil, get him to share his answers and expertise, and start showing up more on video. It’s time for me to get over my fears, and for you to SERIOUSLY consider this. I am happy to introduce you to Neil personally. No more shyness.
Anyway, handing it over to Neil and my interview.
My interview with Neil
1. Neil, how long have you been in the video game, and what changes have you seen the most?
I started MWP in 2008 from a simple mission to turn websites interactive. The biggest changes have resulted from broadband speeds increasing to the point where video can stream instantly onto websites without experiencing long waits for the video to load. Nowadays, broadband speeds all round the World are so fast and cheap. that video has become ubiquitous and can totally change the viewers experience. Now, anyone can differentiate their business and dramatise it through video at a third of the cost of 5 years ago.
2. Share with us a couple of fun projects you have worked on lately
The most unusual was filming a magician with a mechanical, talking monkey. The shoot was meant to last 30 minutes ,but the electronics inside the monkey had a fault and it kept repeating the same lines over and over. It took 3 hours of blood, sweat and tears to get it to behave. A fun project was shooting New York fashion week for L’0real, and getting to film behind the scenes with people like the Beckhams.
3. Is it expensive for businesses to have video for their website?
You can now transform any website for less than £1000. You can of course increase production values, but generally it is less expensive than what people have traditionally spent on local or national press advertising. That is why traditional print advertisers are having such a rough time. They simply cannot compete.
4. What type of return on investment can people expect from video, compared to not having video
People want different things, not just more sales. They might want to create thought leadership, or training videos which add value but are not directly a revenue creator. Where we use it for upselling or cross selling, we got a 190% increase in upgrades for Sheraton, and an additional £4,500,000 increase in seat upgrades for Virgin Atlantic. We have increased click through figures by a factor of 13 x.
5. What can people do WRONG with video which would have the opposite effect?
Like any film or story, the secret is in the script. People do not spend enough care on the preparation to make their video engaging. When people are totally cost focused ,they end up with the video equivalent of horsemeat in the product. Bad video is worth than no video, and many people think that any video will work. We AB test, and spend time making sure people will respond.
6. What if people WANT to use video but don’t know what they would do/say if they did it?
That what the experts are there for! MWP have made videos for almost every type of business. Because we see it fresh, we can present the elements that are most powerfully presented through video. Very few people involved in a business can see it clearly. MWP draft perfect pitch scripts that are then honed with the client to pull rather than push the target audience. Knowing how to pull viewers towards you, and not push ,which just creates resistance, is a great skill. I call it “tickling people’s tummies.”
7. How do you cope with camera shy people like me?
We all hate hearing or seeing ourselves on camera. In fact, you Keren would be fantastic on camera because of your natural integrity and authenticity. We haven’t got to be movie stars. We want authenticity to shine through, and we have a friendly, relaxed environment with a performance coach to help people through. We have one person who resisted being filmed for 2 years, and is no addicted to being in front of camera.
8. What tips would you give to people wanting to use video for their businesses?
Focus on return on investment and not how cheap you can get it. Ultimately ,video is a salesperson who works 365 days a year 24/7. You would never hire a cheap sales person who cannot sell, but it is amazing how many people who devalue their brand and their returns by having a video that will bore the pants off anyone. Its about entertainment and engagement, and that takes time and unfortunately a bit of money to get it right.