Name: Twelve Legs Marketing
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Why Video Is Important For Business

by admin

As a video and digital marketing agency, we have one of the most important obligations.

Preparing businesses and companies of the future … for the future.

Not only does the competitive nature of future business drive new businesses to stay relevant, but it urges existing organizations to get back into the fast lane.

Yeah, video is the “fast lane” … surprise.

One of the most effective and efficient ways a new business can overrun an existing and established company is by reaching a larger audience through video marketing.

290 Million Americans are online. That’s 89% of the US population.

77% of those Americans have a social media account, YouTube being amongst the highest in popularity and use.

Video marketing is taking a ’95 Subaru Outback and merging into the left lane, passing a Mercedes-Benz McClaren.

And not with speed, definitely not with speed … but simply because the driver of the Mercedes is too old and scared to keep up.

video-metaphor-suburu-mercedes-business — Sometimes the tortoise outsmarts the hare.

No matter how much an existing company may be worth, being able to effectively reach more people wins every time.

The longevity of anything, car or business, depends on how well you nurture and take care of it.

Video is that nurture your business might need.

Do You Know How Easy It Is To Make Your Company Visual?

It’s pretty easy.

Behind only Google, Youtube is the 2nd most used search engine in the world.

It is estimated almost 5 billion videos are being watched on YouTube every day. This is either absolutely mind blowing to you, or you probably already knew that YouTube contains mind- blowing truths.

When people want to learn about products/services, conduct research, learn how to do something, dive deeper, or even relieve their boredom, they “Google It.” Or…they YouTube it!

YouTube is the 2nd most utilized search engine monster behind Google.

Don’t forget, YouTube is 2nd in searches per day AND Google owns YouTube, so that helps.

In a sad sense, video is a remedy for our intensifying laziness. The average person in today’s age would much rather just watch a video rather than … well … do anything else really.

Why read about something when you can easily listen to someone else tell you about that something?

It’s just the way things are going. And not just for the younger generations …

8 out 10 people between the ages of 18-49 watch YouTube.

So better yet, watching videos is no longer cool. What’s cool is MAKING videos.

If you already know about something and consider yourself an expert, why not make life easier for the lazy-minded and tell them about it in a video?

If it’s tied to a product or service you have, you might just get their business—or at the very least, they share it on social media.

55% of millennials say pictures and videos are the most important part of a mobile shopping experience. Also, visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared than any other type of content.

So we know the audience is there, we know the ROI is there, we know it’s the direction marketing has gone. But maybe you’re still wondering what kind of video you’re going to make.

That’s okay, just keep reading.

Where Do I Start? How Do I Make Videos?

Don’t start with commercials. They’re more difficult, more expensive, and gain less traction. Down the line, when you’re as big as Geico, then go for it.

What you can do is answer questions. What do people want to know about your business, product, or service? What differentiates you? What insight do you have? Tell the world, and do it with a flourish. Video is a terrific opportunity to personalize your brand and relate to your potential customers.

Answering these questions in a video for an online audience gives you or your business a much higher chance to be discovered.

Especially, if you optimize the right way.

You’ve Heard of SEO, Yes?

In the simplest terms, Search Engine Optimization can describe how easy you are to find online.

Optimization can come in many different shapes and sizes. You can optimize a YouTube video with the title, description and tags. You can optimize a social media post with hashtags. You can optimize yourself with a funky hairdo and colorful clothes. Whatever stands out.

But how does video help your business, or more specifically, your website, stand out?

Well, surprise surprise, Google is king. And we want to make sure Google views you (your site) as the most knowledgeable, trustworthy and user friendly for whatever industry you’re in.

Turns out your audience is 80 percent more likely to read content if it’s paired with colorful visuals.

Google takes that statistic into account, sees your video paired with the complementary content you wrote and says “Hmm, they’ve got moxie, we’ll give them a shot.”

You’re On Your Way Towards Skyscraper Content

skyscraper-content-seo-plus-video-production-skyline — Build your content better than your competitors with **skyscraper content**.

Skyscraper Content: Website content that takes into account what others are writing about, then separating yourself from the pack with better keywords, photos, videos, links, backlinks, .pdfs, and so on.

Well, Hello

Now you may understand more clearly why it’s no secret we offer video and digital marketing here at Twelve Legs. We want our clients to be in the fast lane and we want to build the tallest skyscrapers, together.

Anyone can scratch the surface with video and also with digital, and there are many success stories, but if you want to learn more and accelerate your business by cruising in the fast lane, don’t hesitate to Contact Us.

Video Production Best Practices Funnel

by admin

Did you know that in the next two years, 80% of all internet traffic will come from videos?

Yep, video marketing is kind of a big deal.

It’s essential to helping your business reach your target audience. Plain and simple.

But in order to produce the best possible end result—we’re talking a video that seriously captivates and compels your customer—there are some key considerations before getting started with your preferred video marketing agency.

At Twelve Legs Marketing, we like to call it the Video Production Best Practices Funnel. Going from very general to super specific.

Let’s break it down…

Overarching Goal

At the very top of the funnel you have an overarching goal.

There are many different types of video that can benefit your company, depending on your needs. So start by identifying what kind of video you want to make. Is it a business overview? Product spotlight? Customer testimonials?

If nothing else, your video production company needs to at least have a general goal to get the creative process started.

Objectives

The next level of the funnel is where you’ll identify your key objectives.

Do you want to increase brand awareness?

Are you looking to educate and inform, drive web traffic, reel in some hot leads, maybe?

Perhaps it’s all about sales revenue?

The more specific your objectives, the more we can collectively begin to narrow down your plan and determine the ideal video to drive your desired outcomes.

Specific Questions

When you’ve outlined your objectives, it’s time to funnel down to specific questions.

Any good video provides answers to its audience. So before your video shoot begins, identify the key questions your customers are asking. If you haven’t already, dig into your audience research, develop personas, scour the internet, message boards, customer reviews, etc., to discover all their pain points and frequently asked questions.

The more your video production agency knows about your audience, the more the footage, b-roll, and audio can be pre-planned and tailored to capture those powerful and enlightening “Aha!” moments.

Detailed Outline

As we inch closer to the bottom of the funnel, we’re now looking into a detailed outline.

You may not always know where you’ll end up, but the more you can communicate your concept for a beginning, middle, and end—and the kind of shots you’re looking for at each stage—the more likely you are to see your vision come to life.

The Full Script

Finally we come to the bottom of the funnel…the full script.

Not everyone has the capacity to provide a complete and fleshed out script, but if you can, you’re all but guaranteed a satisfying finished product. Shot suggestions, storyboards, graphics/on screen messaging, and even dialogue and voice over scripting can all be included if you have an experienced scriptwriter on staff.

Now It’s Time For Your Close Up

Twelve Legs Marketing is here to help you through each stage of the funnel, providing any and all of these services.

Maybe you know you need a video to stay competitive, but only a vague idea of what it needs to be. We’ll take it from there.

Perhaps your vision is crystal clear, and you’re ready to provide everything but the HD cameras and sophisticated post-production studio? We’ve got you covered there, too.

Wherever we join forces in the Video Production Best Practices Funnel, the more you can communicate up front, the more efficient, timely, and cost-effective the process will be.

In the end you’ll get a video that exceeds your expectations, delivers on your objectives, and wows your customers.

5 Most Important Decisions When Planning a Company Event

by admin

We recently hosted a small networking event here at the Twelve Legs offices in downtown Colorado Springs.

It was a true joint effort, not only among our team, but also our event partners—ANB Bank and local non-profit Pawsitive Kidnections.

In the end we had about 50 professionals turn out for a fun and productive evening. It was a pleasure to welcome our current clients, prospects, and friends to check out our (relatively) new office space while enjoying good food, good drink, and good company.

If you’re considering planning/hosting an event at/for you business, good for you! It can be a very rewarding experience, but it does take a fair amount of effort. We learned a few things from our recent event, and wanted to share some quick tips to keep in mind and questions to ask if you’re preparing for a company event of your own.

Determine which organizational employee is best suited to plan or act as the liaison to your selected event planner. Clearly communicate your intentions to this employee.
Decide the main purpose of your event and don’t try to combine too many objectives or dilute your intentions. Will it be a customer appreciation, prospecting, employee appreciation event, or something else altogether?
Decide on the size and budget for your event. Plan on a 20 to 30% attendance rate based on invites sent (with very few RSVPs).
How will you send the invitation? Hard invite, Facebook, email, or a combination of all methods? Will you send reminders?
Do you have enough employees available to meet and greet your guests to maximize your objective?

Every event will be a little different, and every company will have its own objectives. But if you answer the questions and check the boxes above, you’ll be on your way to a smooth and successful event that impresses your attendees and leaves you feeling accomplished.

The Scoop on Print Advertising

by admin

To the digital native, print is something that may have been effective in the town of Bedrock, but this is the 21st Century.

Who pays attention to print advertising anymore?

Our computers, smartphones, and devices spoon feed us targeted ads and content when and where we’re looking, so…

Are Print Ads Dead?

Ultimately it depends on your audience, your budget, and your perspective.

According to AllianceBusinessServices, 56% of customers feel print marketing is still the most trustworthy amongst other avenues of marketing. And 82% of internet users trust print advertising when making a purchasing decision (WebStrategies).

Print readership is still very high among the 65+ age group, and there are some universal pros that will always be associated with print: it’s tangible, credible, engaging, and can be a great branding tool.

All that said, revenue in the newspaper publishing industry decreased by about $4.5 billion between 2011 and 2018, and is projected to continue its downward spiral. Similarly, the future of magazines isn’t very glossy, according to the New York Times.

Marketing Rule of 7

Then there’s the ol’ Marketing Rule of 7. Basically, the more your ad is seen—the more touches your brand has on a potential customer—the more likely you are to move the needle and eventually convert the sale. Of course, that was developed back in the 1930s when movie studios decided seven was the ideal number of times a radio spot had to be heard to boost box office sales.

But Clark doesn’t give a damn, and neither do we…

Fast forward 80 years with all of today’s product noise and competition and the sweet spot number of ad touches is much higher than seven.

Now consider the time and financial investment it takes for your target consumer to see your print ad seven-plus times. Likely thousands of dollars over several months.

With digital marketing, it can be done for pennies on the dollar, and in a fraction of the time.

In the digital age, your ads are constantly seen by customers. Often at least seven times a day—crushing the “Rule of 7” in a mere 24 hours.

So, while print may not be dead just yet, each breath it takes becomes a little more shallow.

The Downsides of Print Advertising

Print Media Has Diminishing Readership: More and more people are ditching their subscriptions to print publications for the more seamless and convenient online electronic versions.
Print Media is Expensive: Newspaper and magazine ads can be costly, especially in widely circulated publications, or if you want a big full-color ad. The window in which your ad will be visible is also small, decreasing your ROI.
Print Media Limits Advanced Targeting: The granularity with which we can find and target online users (geographic, demographic, behavioral, category, contextual, job title, etc.) is truly staggering. Sure, you can be strategic about the publications you show print ads, but with nowhere near the precision of digital capabilities. And without the ability to click and interact with your print ad, you won’t capture any vital user data that can be used to retarget consumers online for maximum exposure and branding.
Print Media Takes Too Much Time. Most magazines are monthly, and many newspapers will run for only one day so there is a limited timeframe. Scheduling can be a nightmare and unreasonable lead times make your marketing efforts anything but nimble.
Print Media is Tricky to Measure. Peter F. Drucker once famously said, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Think about it, when was the last time you got an actionable report about your prints ads? Unless you have dedicated phone lines, vanity URLs, and dedicated promo codes, measuring the impact of print is a herculean task. Even with the right tools, you might not see the results you were hoping for, especially for the investment you have made on those color ⅛ page ads.

So What’ll It Be…Print or Digital?

There’s no doubt that print campaigns can pack a punch, elicit an emotional tug, and ultimately prove to be effective.

Plus, a nice multi-platform marketing mix that uses print and digital in complementary lockstep is a good solution for many businesses.

But the fact remains, companies looking to grow through a strategic marketing approach that’s timely, targeted, and cost-effective are turning away from traditional print advertising in favor of increased digital marketing.

There’s simply no match to the depth, breadth, and pinpoint refinement you can accomplish in the digital world. You can tell a much more compelling story with a bevy of personalized content, and you can do it all at the drop of a hat with a relatively small budget.

Sadly, sometimes there’s a catch. Most small businesses don’t have the in-house capacity to manage a digital marketing strategy. Inevitably, they outsource to an agency who has hundreds of digital clients, and they don’t get the care, attention, or results they deserve.

In a perfect world, they’ll get the conscientious attention to detail of an agency with a select client base consisting of mainly small and local businesses.

The world of Twelve Legs Marketing.

The Effectiveness of Time-Lapse Video

by admin

Flowers flaunting their pigments as they stretch out to full blossom.

Fungi springing from the earth and tripling in size.

The auroras gloriously dancing across the northern hemisphere.

Buildings transforming from a simple foundation to 10 stories reaching for the sky…

All seemingly out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye.

We’ve all seen the footage…where events that take days, weeks, months, even years to play out in the natural world complete their cycle in mere seconds.

It’s only possible through time-lapse video—and what a mesmerizing storytelling technique it is.

What is Time-Lapse Video

Essentially, time-lapse is a video recording mode that captures film frames at a much lower rate. With the frequency of the frame rate more spread out (a photo captured once every 5 minutes, for example), time appears to be moving faster (i.e. lapsing) when played at normal speed.

Benefits of Time-Lapse Video

There’s beauty in much of what we can’t see. It can be a profound experience to witness all the fascinating nuances of a slow-moving process come to life. Nuances we would otherwise miss or overlook—by seeing them crystalize we gain a new understanding and appreciation for the flower, the fungus, the polar lights, and the construction of a skyscraper.

Aside from the more ethereal “wow” factor aspects, time-lapse can be an incredibly practical way to tell your story with minimal production costs. People today are not only increasingly impatient, but overwhelmed with content. And with only a few seconds to prove your video is worthy of the viewer’s attention, time-lapse will keep things moving and help you stand out. It’s easy to follow, requires very little concentration, and crafts a narrative that gets to the point quickly.

Using the Right Equipment For Time-Lapse Video

Can you capture time-lapse video with an iPhone? Sure. Is it quick and easy? Yeah. Is it the ideal way to come away with professional-grade footage? Not by a longshot.

Legit pro-level cameras like the Brinno TLC200 are tailor-made to get high-resolution time-lapse footage that’s processed through software and ultimately much more impressive than what your iPhone can produce.

So when looking to incorporate time-lapse into your business marketing videos, it’s a good idea to enlist the services of a video production company who is equipped with the latest high-quality gear.

Examples Using Time-Lapse Video

Construction companies, home and auto repair, event set up, general b-roll footage, and anything you plan to use on social media can benefit tremendously with time-lapse video techniques.

Colorado Springs Utilities was developing a new solar array farm south of town. They enlisted the help of Twelve Legs Marketing to document the process. We collected video of an 8 month period using time-lapse cameras, as well as video of milestones and interviews with city officials.

Our friends at Holladay Grace Roofing get a lot of questions from customers and prospects about what the roof installation process entails, from start to finish. What better way to provide a thorough answer than with a video that condensed weeks worth of work into 60 informative seconds? Here, a video is truly worth a thousand words.

Twelve Leg Marketing has an award-winning crew, superior video equipment, and advanced pre- and post-production capabilities. When you’re ready to boost your business with video (timelapse or otherwise), we’d welcome the opportunity to meet!

The Benefits of Video Marketing

by jason

Video has become a new form of communication

More and more people adopt videos to share moments of pride, or merely everyday occurrences. In fact, Facebook video posts increased by 94% in a year, as reported by AdAge! So, if your business wants to remain relevant to your audience and speak the language you audience speaks, we recommend you adopt video as a mean to communicate too.

Video has the capacity to transmit large amounts of information. Research has concluded that a 1 minute of video equals 1.8 million words! A simple 2-3 second video clip can transmit tons of educational, inspirational, emotional or quantitative information, through the imagery in the shot.

Once you create your own video, you can share it through various media to communicate in a way other marketing tools cannot.

Fun Marketing

A big advantages to video is that it’s an engaging and fun way to visually showcase your business. It allows for flexible styles and approaches and it doesn’t have to be high-dollar production to deliver business value. In fact, videos are more successful when they focus on product benefits and industry trends than sales pitches. Videos remind your audience that your company is run by people who speak their language and understand their needs.

Tell Your Story

Video allows you to be a true story teller and engage your audience though entertainment or interesting facts. Company culture is hard to share through written texts or even photography sometimes, however, video allows you to capture the moments that matter the most. Video production can be very effective for big or small businesses, because it it gives you the opportunity to explain the benefits of your product or show the results of your product, without commercial constraints. Television and radio commercials are limited to 15-, 30- and 60-second spots, and can be draining to your budget. With the availability of all the digital options around us, even the smallest budget can be utilized to produce quality and impactful content. Depending on the goals of your video and the type of communication you are striving to achieve, your video production can vary in length. Are you curious what would work best for your video idea? Call us now at 719-649-5738.

Search Engines Are Fans of Your Videos

Let’s not pretend that search engine optimization does not matter. Being able to develop quality video assets can help your move the needle for your website’s findability too. With a robust video strategy, well-researched and correctly implemented description and tags, a video designed to resonate with your audience can be a serious traffic generator. If it provides solutions to what online surfers are searching for, then it can become high rankings in search engines. For any sized small or big business, a well researched and defined niche can drive a loyal online following. There multiple other techniques you can deploy to help your videos be found in user searches.

The list of video benefits goes on and on, however, in a nutshell, video brings a human touch to your marketing! We are here for you, just let us know what you need.

Do You Know How Easy It Is To Make Your Company Visual?

Where Do I Start? How Do I Make Videos?

You’ve Heard of SEO, Yes?

You’re On Your Way Towards Skyscraper Content

Well, Hello

Did you know that in the next two years, 80% of all internet traffic will come from videos?

Overarching Goal

Objectives

Specific Questions

Detailed Outline

The Full Script

Now It’s Time For Your Close Up

Are Print Ads Dead?

Marketing Rule of 7

The Downsides of Print Advertising

So What’ll It Be…Print or Digital?

What is Time-Lapse Video

Benefits of Time-Lapse Video

Using the Right Equipment For Time-Lapse Video

Examples Using Time-Lapse Video

Video has become a new form of communication

Fun Marketing

Tell Your Story

Search Engines Are Fans of Your Videos

Which Online Quote Request Option Is Best For YOU?