Top 5 Reasons to Hire A Professional Photographer and Videographer

Published August 29, 2022

Think back to the most recent purchase you made. Why did you make that purchase? Was it because it was something you needed or wanted to help solve a problem in your life, or was it a whim of a purchase because the product or service just appealed to you? Was it a video that you watched that told you about the business and what this product or service was? Or how about pictures that accompanied the video to physically show the product being used or how the service is done?

A good example is the old school, late night infomercials, that are now 1 minute videos on your social media newsfeeds to bait and hook you into buying their products. There is just something about the look and feel of those videos. They are so catchy, the wording is perfect and they really do hook you in! That is the magic of a great video and marketing team!

These are a lot of questions to ask yourself right now, but the next time you are interested in a product or service, ask yourself what is making this so appealing to me? We can bet that professional photography and videography are helping to amplify your decision to make a purchase.

But as a business owner, you are probably thinking, I have this high-tech smartphone that says it takes the best photos and it has some video editing capabilities. I will just do it on my own! Not so fast. This is a decision that needs to be rethunk! Here are 5 of the top reasons any business owner should hire a professional photographer and videographer for their next big project.

1. Creative Decisions

As the business owner, we sometimes want to cram as much information into thirty seconds as we can to try to make sure the prospective buyer knows as much information as they can. You might end up sounding like an auctioneer if you do that. With a professional photo and video team, you can express your wants, needs and desires to them and allow this team to come up with the best creative ideas and decisions for the project. They will figure out the important keywords and best angles to show to ensure the whole message is getting told. This team knows how to make a video and photo shoot fun instead of stressful and the end product will surely show this.

And to make it even better, with us, our video and photography team comes alongside the marketing team. So we are a whole crew to get the job done!

2. Saves Time

After meeting with the photo and video team to work out what you want from them, it is up to that team to then get creative and figure out what they want to shoot. Depending on the project, they may come back to you and ask a couple of questions, but after the plan has been put into place, the only thing you will be needed for is filming or photography if you are actually in the pictures or videos. If you are, there is usually a script written for video purposes so you will know exactly what to say. And as far as photography goes, you will know the look and feel of how you want to present yourself to your audience.

Once the camera crews come in and do their stuff, you can wipe your hands of it until the team shows you a first draft of their work. Imagine not having to stress over anything after that and being able to focus on other parts of your business!

3. Saves Money

Do you have all kinds of fancy camera and video equipment? How about editing software? Those things are crazy expensive and if you aren’t going to be using them very often, it will just save you money in the long run to just hire professionals to get the job done right. Hire experts who have a keen eye for detail, understands your business and your audience, and knows your goals. Let them create video and photo magic for you while you focus on your favorite parts of your business.

4. Professional Results

Which leads us to the end product. Professional photographers and videographers will provide professional results. If they don’t, they aren’t professionals. Professional results can be checked off as the end product, but also being able to share a high quality project on your website, across your social media channels and wherever else you may want to show them. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to share a video on social media and the size or shape is giving you an error. Let your professional team provide you with everything you need to make showing your end products to your audience as easy as can be.

5. Drives Sales

Professional videographers and photographers can help a business develop and achieve its business objectives through sights and sounds. Well-produced videos can attract, engage, and promote one’s brand and company on their own. That is why it is important to work with a professional team so your business doesn’t look low budget or low end. High end, high quality promote and give the same feel about your products or services, no matter the price point. With a professionally done video or photography session of your products or services, you will be able to draw in more potential customers, and grow your business! That is always the goal, right? Grow the business!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that a professional photographer and videographer will help to make your business be more successful through their services. Reach out to us to learn more about the services we offer and how we can help your business grow.

The Secret to a Successful Workplace: Communication

Published May 13, 2022

Teamwork makes the dream work! But only when communication is effective can the team collaborate better to manage the task at hand. You may be asking yourself why is an advertising agency giving advice on communication? That’s a great question and the answer is because we are communication professionals. Our team has experience partnering with the more important people in a business to execute strategic business plans, because of communication.

Good communication can boost teamwork and workplace productivity tenfold. Motivation and engagement is born from communication. And truthfully, communication applies to literally every industry and is used daily. From verbal communication to written communication, there are so many ways to maintain effective communication between employees, contractors, vendors, customers and so on. Let’s discuss some good workplace communication tips and skills to have and how everyone in the workplace can communicate more effectively.

Communication Starts at the Top

No matter if your business is a Fortune 500 company or a 2 person show, communication efforts that start at the top and are understood as they trickle down to others is key. Communication is not only verbally speaking to others, but it is the words in which we use to communicate. In a business environment, using words that are understood by everyone is important to get a message across. Company taglines, slogans, themes, etc., should be translated into everyday communication company-wide so everyone is on the same page about your specific business terminology.

Additionally, leaders should take the time to effectively communicate with their employees. While meetings can be daunting and time consuming, they are necessary to make sure everyone feels comfortable with each other and knows the task(s) they are to take on. Sometimes lines of communication can be crossed, or there are “too many cooks in the kitchen” giving orders of what to do, so the outcome for everyone is very stressful and ineffective.

Tip: When a new project is created, make a communication flow chart plan so everyone knows who is the leader on the project, who needs to approve processes, who needs to be involved at what stages, and everyone’s job to complete the project on time. When a team knows everyone’s role and responsibilities, communication is smoother and projects get done in a more timely manner.

Communication Tools

Welcome to the current year where Zoom meetings are a norm! The workplace is currently in an evolving period where a lot more people are working from home rather than the office. This doesn’t mean they should miss out on team meetings and important communications. We have more communication tools available to us than ever before, so use them!

Tip: Require anyone who is on a video conference to have their camera on. Allowing everyone to see body language, facial expressions, eye contact and anything else that happens during a usual face-to-face meeting should also be happening during a video conference. Unfortunately, if the person video conferencing doesn’t want to turn their camera on, it can lead to poor communication and issues with the team morale.

Skill: There are just so many ways to communicate with co-workers. By utilizing one main messaging tool company-wide, you can limit the number of ways people can communicate, but also set the expectation of where workplace communication can take place. An employee shouldn’t have to look through 10 different communication avenues to find what they are looking for. A communication skill to work on, or to teach to your employees, is which way is best to communicate with each other. Workplace messaging apps can be used for quick responses to questions, email can be used to communicate with someone when an instant response isn’t needed, the phone is still alive and well, but now we can text message on it too – so use that properly and ONLY if necessary, especially if it is a personal phone number. And if necessary, document all phone calls to recap what was said so there is an understanding between both people.

Don’t Leave People Out

There is a fine line between telling everyone too much or letting them in on too little. Within the workplace, leaders need to be effective communicators. They also need to know who needs to know what. If your business works with outside vendors, make sure they are communicated to, just like they are employees. Make it a habit that when you send out a company wide communication, that is not private, it gets shared with those that help you with your business as well.

Tip: A great example of making sure everyone knows important information is when there is a change in business hours. Maybe a snow storm is approaching and you decide to close your restaurant early. Not only should the management team tell the employees and hang signage on the door, but they also need to tell whoever runs their social media, website, email systems, etc., to alert customers to the change. There is nothing more frustrating than a potential customer wanting to eat at your restaurant, only to arrive and you are closed. We don’t live in a perfect world, but cross all of those T’s and dot all of those i’s to make sure you are communicating to everyone effectively and efficiently.

Make communication a top priority in the workplace. There is an ever-heightened need for more communication, clearer communication, and continuous communication now more than ever. Good communication can go a long way in empowering employees, driving productivity, innovation, and achievement.

Is Change on the Horizon for Marketing?

Published December 20, 2021

All kinds of marketing really had to make a shift in the past 18 months. People were staying closer to home, were online more than ever, and were sitting on the couch in front of the television more than anyone would care to admit. Shopping closer to home was happening more, and the mom and pop small businesses were reaping some benefits. There are some key opportunities and challenges for businesses when it comes to marketing lurking in the upcoming year. Below we will discuss some marketing trends that should be considered for 2022. If any of these seem challenging, let’s tackle them together!

Double Down on Digital

Digital advertising is predicted to boom in 2022. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone though. According to GroupM, the amount spent on advertising to support ecommerce will increase 66% in 2022, while Zenith predicts digital channels will amount to more than 60% of global ad spend for the first time next year.

The Internet is just going to keep growing. Digital communication is never going away. Online networks are where people spend their free time. The Internet is where people shop. It is where people communicate and it is where people research. Use the Internet and digital communications to their fullest potential in 2022.

Keep Going With Short Videos

Short videos are still going strong on social media and are predicted to continue this route in 2022. Instagram reels and TikTok are just two examples of where short videos come from. These short videos take no time to view and are widely shared. If there is a way to utilize a short video format for a product, business, promotion or spotlight, do it! Video is so powerful!

But don’t skim on the longer length, feature feel videos. IGTV and any YouTube content is still wonderful. Video overall is just great!

Customer Retention Matters

We talked previously about generational groupings for the purpose of marketing and how it may or may not help when it comes to getting to know your target audience. Beyond just figuring out who the target audience is and how to sell to them/acquire their business, businesses will need to rethink their ways of retaining customers. Competition in the digital market is likely going to become fiercer, only making it hard for a business to grab any attention. This is why the thinking around the customer needs to do a 180.

Educating customers on why they need your product or service should always be top priority. Think of it in terms of someone who couldn’t possibly live their life without this product. Educate them on why this product is vital to own or use and why your product is better than the competition. Make it all about the customer’s feelings instead of the business.

The hard sell is going by the wayside. People are just over it. They don’t want to be bothered by gimmicks or “tricks of the trade” anymore. There is not enough time in the day for that. People either know what they want, who they want to buy it from and just make the purchase. Or they research, usually online, but also through friends and family, and take the time to seek out which business should earn their loyalty. Redirect typical hard selling strategies to making sure current customers stay customers for the long run.

Own Your Customers

Ok, no, you don’t really own them, but you need to own how you can contact them. While social media has so many benefits, those networks could go down at any moment. That could mean losing a HUGE database of potential customers, current customers and past customers. Converting those people to your own database takes time and effort but it is worth it. Doing so allows you to be able to ensure the message you want to get to them can (think email marketing and newsletters). Additionally, you will be able to shine outside of where all of the competitors also live. Don’t get lost in the newsfeeds.

Ask For Help

If there is one thing that always reigns true in this industry, it is that change is always happening. We are used to it and stay on top of it as best we can. But that is our job. And that is why it is important to ask our True Fit Marketing team for help with your marketing strategy for 2022. It isn’t too late to rethink what you’ve been doing and analyze what did and did not work. And it is great to make changes. Ask for help with your marketing efforts because it is important that you focus on other aspects of your business as well.

A Blog on Why Video Marketing is Important. Isn’t that Ironic?

Published May 10, 2021

Here we go. A blog about video marketing. It is so ironic, yet, we are still writing about it. Think about the last time that you were on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. How many videos did you see in your feeds? How many did you watch? Did you share any of them or tag someone in it? As our True Fit Marketing team scrolls through their own social media feeds right now, there are a ton of videos that pop up. Some are just for entertainment purposes, some are just friends, kids and animals, but others are for business purposes. The common theme? We are watching them! Video content marketing is at an all time high because people being online is at an all time high. But why should a business use video marketing?

According to Makenzie Walker of topfloortech.com…

97% of marketers claim that videos help their customers better understand products.
81% of businesses are now using video as a part of their digital marketing strategy.
Live videos account for 13% of total traffic.
90% of consumers claim a video will help them when making a purchasing decision.

Video Sells

From the early ages of commercials on television, to the late night infomercials, to the daytime talk shows, video has always been used to sell in many ways. Except in today’s world, commercials are fast forwarded through and popular streaming services offer options to purchase packages that don’t even have commercials. So where is video supposed to sell now? Online…on your computer and especially on your mobile device. Video is viewed more on mobile devices (phones) than television now than ever before. According to JWPlayer, more than 75% of worldwide video viewing is mobile. As a business, you have the ability to market your product or service directly to your customers on their social media, in their search engines, and directly on your website in front of their very eyes.

Is Video Marketing More Important Than Other Forms of Marketing?

Video isn’t necessarily more important than other forms of marketing, but it sure helps that video can be used in a variety of ways. Video comes in many different forms like webinars, live streams, courses online, and of course published on YouTube or other social media platforms. It can also stop you in your tracks, well scroll, if you see something moving and interesting. The longer someone watches a video, the longer they are on your website or social page. This means the viewer is now engaging more with your business/product. Did you know that when this happens, whatever social media platform they are on gets notified of the amount of time the potential customer viewed your video and the platform keeps pushing more of your business posts to them? This is because the social platform knows the person viewing the video for a longer period of time is interested in whatever you are showing. Now your other marketing content, i.e. blogs, articles, images and other social posts, will be shown on their social feeds more than before, allowing your product to be front and center, just waiting to be bought.

Video Versus Written Text

While articles, blogs and other written text serve a wonderful purpose, videos allow the viewer to comprehend the message much faster, especially if your product is in action. Customers will only buy your product/service when they understand what it does and how it will help them. Sometimes that product or service needs to be shown in action! But with action comes text. The written text is still important for search engines. According to Moovly, a brand is 53 times more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website. And with video comes the video title and the description, which you may also use on your social media post – all written text. So video and written text go hand-in-hand! Additionally, it may take many different forms of marketing to make the final sale. So a video, followed up with a blog, followed up with an image, followed up with a different video may all come together to entice the final sale.

Video is Personal

There are a lot of great writers in this world who have the ability to speak directly to the reader. But video allows the viewers to have a deeper glimpse inside your business world. Whether it is a video about the owner’s story, or a hands-on video about the product, viewers will get a front row ticket to whatever you are talking about, potentially from a familiar voice of the company. Video makes the product/service and business even more real than it was before. Additionally, pulling at the heartstrings or a feel good video hits home for a lot of people. Making your business or product relate back to your potential customer’s needs can help make the sale. Sometimes a relationship starts with a video. Say a potential customer saw your video about why you sell a certain product. They then came into your store and found you, the person in the video, and said that they really resonated with the reasoning for your business to sell this product. Now they are interested in the product and you can grow that personal relationship with them. What a win! And all because of a video.

Don’t Miss Out

Videos aren’t the one stop magical solution to a marketing plan. It is necessary to be realistic about your goals when it comes to planning, producing and sharing out video content. Always be thinking about who should view your videos (and at what point in the buying process they are in – i.e. they don’t know anything about you, they are aware of your brand, or they are already a customer), where you can find those people and how should you speak to them. Do they like funny videos or do they like more serious, informational videos? Do they want to see the owner or another familiar face like a mascot, or does the voice not matter at all?

If you aren’t creating video, you are at risk of missing out on one of the most popular ways that people consume content. Video does not have to be boring or long. You can have fun images and graphics incorporated, a spunky voice or a voice of an angel, engaging music (but always be careful of copyright!), or whatever you can think of. The possibilities are endless.

Need help on where to start with planning a video? True Fit Marketing is here to help! Contact us to discuss your ideas and how we can best serve you.