As the world continues to ride the digital wave, video has emerged as the dominant trend. Video is a valuable tool hoteliers and government agency staffers can use to stimulate minds and accomplish goals.

Part I of the series covered “How to Use Videos to Stay Relevant.” If you are ready to use video, here is how to begin.

Five Best Practices to Create a Successful Video:

1)    Prepare. Consider what are your goals, who is your audience, when is the launch date, and where will you distribute.

2)    Keep it simple. People will hear a clear concise message. Motion graphics, sound, and images increase a video”s appeal, but too many elements will create confusion.

3)    Key in on a benefit. Create a video that spotlights your product and service benefit. Promotional collateral is obsolete. Enable people to connect and remember to include a “share” button.

4)    Keep it short. Condense the message for a greater impression. Make your video’s run-time 1min 30sec or less.

5)    Allow it to stand alone. View the video as an individual piece: it may be the first experience people have with you. Let it intrigue them enough to want to see more.

Remember, have fun. Step outside the box and let video stimulate your mind. Have as much fun with the conception as the creation.

At Softscribe, we work with our clients to create highly engaging videos. Our services include script writing, filming, voice-over recording, editing, and distribution at a price point for every mood.

How are you currently using these five best practices in your video marketing mix?

Would you like to know How to Use SEO to Leverage your Video? Stay tuned for Part III of the “Video World” Series.

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There is only one word to describe Tory Johnson’s three-day Spark & Hustle conference in Atlanta last week – WooHoo!

We – mostly women – sparked our high quality ideas and hustled our entrepreneurial, storytelling spirits to greater profitability.

One bright spark, Jennifer Abernethy aka @saleslounge on Twitter, shared some pithy sound bytes about social media.  You might enjoy her one-minute video.

More sound bytes from Jennifer at thesaleslounge.com:

  • “Energy attracts followers.”
  • “Video is the return of face-to-face.”
  • “Update your Facebook status every day.”
  • “Put words in the box under your Facebook photo.”
  • “Bring audio to your Facebook with AudioBoo.com.”
  • “Facebook is the TV network of social media.”
  • “LinkedIn is the cable channel.”
  • “Your digital suitcase could contain:
    • A good headshot of yourself.
    • A digital camera.
    • Flip video recorder.
    • A texting device/iPad.”

At Softscribe we hustle you towards your business goals using a mix of PR and social media.

What about you?  Which elements are already packed in your digital suitcase?

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The world is riding a digital wave. From smart phones to iPads, today’s public is thirsty for the latest technology. People want to be entertained and engaged.

How can hoteliers and government agencies stay relevant and ride the digital wave? One word, Video.

Video engages users on a level that stimulates the mind and emotions.

Instead of telling a guest why they want to entertain your service, tease them with a video that whets their appetite for more.

As of February 2010, YouTube alone had over 48.2 million users, a statistic that does not include the number of non-users who browse the site each day.

The first step to ride – and leverage – the digital wave is to formulate a plan of action to utilize video. Here are 3 ways hoteliers and government agencies can step into the visual world of video:

1) Show service benefits in a real environment. Allow the public to experience a service without seeing it in person.

2) Bundle video with your other marketing content. These include eNewsletters, press releases, and banner ads.

3) Provide “how to” product-and service-related information. Video excels as a virtual how-to for complex services and products that may require step-by-step training.

At Softscribe, we embrace the Video World for our clients in three ways: flip videos, more complex motion graphic videos, and soon – multi-themed videos from Vipe.

How are you currently using video in your marketing mix?

Would you like to know the Five Best Practices to Build a Successful Video? Stay tuned for Part II of the “Video World” Series.

Photo Credit: Apple.com

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My friend and colleague Glenn Hasek asked me to guest blog for his Green Lodging News site, which has over 175,000 viewers per month. It is the definitive portal in hospitality and travel for anything green.

If you want to get your green hotel message out consistently and to the right channels while keeping your staff fresh and effective, check it out.   Here’s the beginning and click through to read more.

“In my experience, your hotel can achieve its green-oriented marketing goals when your team uses public relations as the organizing principle.

Our company does this through a simple approach that prioritizes:

Content, Search, and Social Media.

An added benefit is that this approach helps members of your marketing team stay more effective and fresh. They can leverage the pressure of daily deliverables instead of being swamped by them.

I will take these priorities one at a time and also share a key hub-and-spoke organizing idea.

Read More.

Photo credit: daisykate14 on flickr

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