Category Archives: Big Tips

Hiring a video production company is easy. But choosing the right video production agency for your business is much tougher. With countless production companies to choose from, it might feel overwhelming to find a company that can create the video content you’re looking for, at the right budget and in the right style. But by knowing where the pitfalls are and all the questions you need to ask upfront, then you’ll be well on your way to finding a video supplier that is a great fit for your brand. Below we’ve detailed the top steps to take when looking to hire the best video production company for your business. 

Decide on a project scope

Start off by defining your project scope and what you want to get out of the video. You may be looking to sell more products and wanting video content that can champion their best features.  Perhaps your brand has had a revamp and you’re wanting to reposition it to a new audience or you’ve launched a new app and you’re looking to drive return on investment through a Facebook campaign. Each of these types of videos will have a different scope of requirements, and may require a different sort of supplier, so always kick off with this step first. 

Define your budget

Working out the budget for your video is a key step in the process as this will determine the appropriate suppliers within your price range. Video production costs can vary enormously depending on the scope of the project and the experience of the supplier and so it is important to define what budget works for your business as a starting point.  Base your budget on the outcomes that you hope to deliver with your video, as well as taking into account the amount you feel comfortable investing. 

Decide on the style of your video

The style of video you can choose from varies enormously, whether that’s animation, live video or a mix of the two. Documentary style videos create a more TV-like experience for the audience, whereas a product video animation is more functional and is there to be informative for the viewer. Whilst the video production company can advise on what style may best suit your project, it’s best to have an idea upfront as this will determine the type of supplier you approach.     

Create a clear and concise briefing document

To make sure that you get comparative quotes between suppliers you will need to be clear about the scope of work.. We recommend including the below when reaching out to each video production company to make sure they cover everything in your quote. 

  • Project description
  • The objectives of your video
  • Target audience
  • KPIs
  • Use of your video i.e. website, email, social media
  • Key deliverables, i.e how many videos, aspect ratio, length of videos
  • Style of video required, i.e animation, live filming, actors, voiceovers etc. Include any examples of videos you have found which match your ambition for the project. 

Search for video production suppliers

Start off by looking for a video company with expertise in your sector.  This may be a food and drink focused video production company or a sports video agency. Check out each agency’s previous work, looking for work that is similar to what you’re looking for such as the style, objective of the content or what the video is marketing.  Going by recommendation is also a great way to find a new supplier to ensure that you’re using a supplier that is trusted by your peers.    

Check their credentials are up to scratch

When checking out video suppliers, make sure to take a look at their credentials.  Do they have case studies that can back up the quality of their work or valid customer testimonials and reviews that showcase how great they were to work with? Ask them for examples of work that match what you are looking for to get an idea of whether they would be the right fit for your project. Check out their setup such as team size, location and their skills and always research their capability to understand if they may be able to support in other areas beyond your video production needs, i.e amplifying your video through digital marketing. 

Ask them how they quote

When gathering costs for the project, be sure to establish what’s included. Some agencies may may not include all costs in their quote such as travel expenses or location fees.  To avoid unexpected costs, make sure you get clear on what’s included. 

Compare the top quotes considering budget and credentials

When choosing between quotes, look out for any major differences between them. This might include things such as the number of day’s filming, how many rounds of revisions you are allowed at the edit stage or whether expenses are included or not. If they’re non comparable then whittle down to your favourite suppliers and ask for revised quotes so you can compare like for like.

For big projects with a large budget, asking the video production companies to pitch creative ideas or asking for client reference calls may also be acceptable, but don’t expect video production companies to do this for all projects. 

If you’re looking for support with your next video project then do drop us a line, as we would love to help. 

 

If we asked you to name the second largest search engine after Google, you’d probably say it was Bing, followed by asking if Bing is even still a thing. It turns out it’s not Bing, though it’s still a thing. In fact, the second largest search engine is none other than YouTube. 

With three billion searches per month, YouTube is an excellent platform to promote your brand, both organically and using paid ads. The Google-owned video platform can be a far more effective source of marketing than many other traditional options. 

YouTube is a great place to market your brand, but it requires a strategy, and you can’t simply upload a few videos in the hope of something going viral. Instead, three primary types of content work best on YouTube: Hero, Hub and Help, and in this guide we’re exploring how each one can yield strong results on the UK’s second-largest search engine.

Gaining leverage on YouTube

Having an impact on YouTube requires a deep dive into the types of content already found on the channel. YouTube even breaks down its content into three different categories. These are, of course, Hero, Hub and Help.

Each one serves a different purpose, offering audiences distinct videos that invoke a specific emotion. Before you begin posting on YouTube, it’s handy to understand how each type of content works so you can plan your strategy more effectively. 

Different types of content on YouTube

Hero

If you’re looking to go big or go home, then Hero content will appeal to you, as it creates a big splash and drives people to your channel. If it was a personality, Hero content would be an attention-seeker. Think big campaign launches or specific milestones, and you’re not far off what Hero represents.

Hero content is all about creating big waves, but it’s not something you will regularly use on YouTube (more on that in a bit). It’s reserved for when you have that one piece of news you really want to share with the world. 

Hub 

Creating Hub content means thinking about the value you provide the audience. Its aim is to entertain and keep people engaged, watching your video and wanting to click on the next one. This might include topics on current trends or particular niches related to your industry. 

If, for example, you’re a food and beverage brand, Hub content might include a cooking mini-series showing audiences how to make recipes over four or five short videos. The goal is to get people watching all the videos in the series because they’re engaged and want to know how to make the entire recipe. 

Help

When it comes to Help content, it’s all about answering the questions people are searching for in your industry on Google or YouTube. When people search a query on Google, it either returns a text result or video, and the more consistent you are with this type of content, the higher your chances of showing up in the search results. 

If your video answers the right questions, then it will rank organically on page one. By answering important questions, you can build trust with audiences and drive them onto your channel to create a bigger following for your brand. 

How do I choose the right content? 

So should you create Hero, Hub or Help content to drive your brand? Ideally, you’ll use all three methods to build a diverse range of videos that excite, insight and educate your audience. However, there are some aspects worth noting. 

Hero content, for example,  doesn’t work if you try and do it all the time. Therefore, you should keep this for when you have something really important to say, such as a product launch or seasonal storytelling. 

You’re left with Hub and Help, which should be regular touchpoints in your content strategy for YouTube. Aim to create a solid mixture of insightful Hub content that keeps people coming back for more and educational Help content to build trust. 

How many videos you create depends on capacity and where YouTube marketing ranks in your general marketing strategy. But we recommend consistency, posting at least a couple of Hub and Help content pieces each month. 

Making Hero, Hub and Help work for your brand

The “triple H” of content on YouTube can be a major driver for engagement. Once you’ve decided on how much you can create, work out whether it will be executed in-house or if you will partner with third-party companies to bring your strategy to life.

Then create a catalogue of Hub and Help content, building up the number of videos you have and introducing yourself to audiences on YouTube. Once you’ve built up engagement and created a sense of community on your YouTube page, it’s time to go for the Hero content. 

When performed correctly, this strategy has the power to turbocharge your brand and give you a significant footing on YouTube. And even though this type of content is favoured with YouTube, you can use it as a blueprint for other content strategies and implement it across the rest of your marketing outreach. 

Hero, Hub and Help inspiration

Many brands have nailed their Hero, Hub and Help content on YouTube, including Volvo. The Swedish carmaker has always been a leader in creating content, and its Hero, Hub and Help content has racked up hundreds and millions of views and counting.

Volvo

Hero

The Volvo Hero content has been viewed more than 100 million times and certainly goes big, with one specific video using Jean-Claude Van Damme to tell a story of stability and precision for Volvo’s Dynamic Steering for their trucks. 

Hub

If you’re a truck lover, then Volvo’s Hub content on YouTube was made for you. There’s a range of entertaining videos of stunts, innovations and much more truck-related content designed to keep the audience clicking on that “watch next” button. 

Help

Volvo’s Help content is designed to teach you how to drive their cars and understand what goes into the makeup of their vehicles. With videos on things like the I-Shift Dual Clutch, the car brand educates the audience, getting them familiar with their new innovations.  

Summary

Using Hero, Hub and Help is a great way to understand the dynamics of YouTube and create content that excites your audience. Building a successful triple H strategy can add a new layer to your YouTube channel, increasing engagement and ultimately boosting your bottom line. 

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing? Get in touch today.

 

When it comes to social media, one thing is a given: TikTok isn’t a fad. The platform exploded during the first lockdown and now has 800 million users worldwide. On top of that, it has been downloaded more than two billion times.

People have found fame on the platform, using its 60-second video clips to provide easily digestible, lighthearted content. And Brands have taken note, with everyone from  Chipotle to The Washington Post using TikTok to ignite a spark with their audience.

It offers a pathway for brands to tap into younger demographics and strike a chord, whether you’re in the business of food and beverage or serving the public with breaking news. But how should you approach TikTok if you’re unfamiliar with the platform? 

First-hand insights from a pro

As part of Small Films’ Food and Drink Marketing Month, we invited Timothy Armoo, CEO of Fanbytes, a leading influencer marketing agency that creates Generation Z content (TikTok’s primary demographic), to share some of his insights.

We’ve taken Timothy’s wise words and laid them out below. There are plenty of tips on how you can approach TikTok and create a strategy that helps you reach new audiences and gain more traction. So read on, and find out everything you need to know about using TikTok for your business. 

Actually useful stuff you can use to win on TikTok

Right off the bat, it’s important to note that whenever there’s a new trend on the internet, a steady stream of people jump on the bandwagon and share their advice as if they are seasoned pros. When in fact, all they’re doing is regurgitating basic information that doesn’t dive deeper into the how of the new craze.

That’s certainly the case with TikTok, and something this article avoids. Instead, this guide looks at two key questions most marketing managers want answers to: what is the best content for TikTok and how do you run campaigns on TikTok? 

What type of content should you create on TikTok? 

The TikTok algorithm 

Before flexing your creative chops and making content for audiences, it’s important to understand how TikTok’s algorithm works. The best way of doing this centres around following three primary principles found on most social media websites: 

  • Show more content related to your interests – the more content of interest that a social media platform can serve to you, the more engaged you will be with the platform. This leads to…
  • Spending more time on the app – the longer you spend on the app, the more a social media platform can learn your habits about the type of content you like so they can…
  • Serve you more ads – social media platforms make their money from ads, and it’s in their best interest to serve you with the kind of advertisements that will engage you. 

TikTok, in particular, has become extremely proficient at showing its audience content related to its interests. Let’s say you start using the platform to watch food-related videos. TikTok will flood your account with more food content, using its algorithm to personalise the content you see and keep you coming back to the app.

Understanding TikTok as a marketer

From a marketing perspective, the goal is to show more content that people find interesting. And while that might sound like an obvious suggestion, it’s one of the areas where brands often fall short on social media because they complicate matters.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about TikTok and social media at large is about the importance of going viral across the entire platform. Instead, the focus should be on picking a specific niche within TikTok’s ecosystem that lets you delve deeper to build better content.

Therefore, if you’re a food & beverage brand, the goal shouldn’t be to master the whole of TikTok; it’s about connecting with the platform’s community of food and drink lovers. Profiles don’t go viral unless you’re an influencer or celebrity – instead, it’s the videos that perform well, and TikTok’s algorithm favours videos over profiles. 

TikTok’s content funnel

We’ve established that it’s more about creating content for your community rather than for the whole of TikTok, and that essentially means starting small. As a food & beverage brand, one of the avenues that may be available to you is the use of recipe creations. Using these, you can see how they resonate with your audience.

If the food & beverage community takes to your recipes, TikTok will start showing videos to people similar to those in your community. And if that goes down well, your videos will start showing on the For You page on TikTok, which is where all the best content picked up by the algorithm goes. 

Circling back to the TikTok algorithm 

Interacting with content in your community means you’re “warming” the algorithm – it’s the stage where you influence it the most. Let’s say you’re a vegan brand and want to grow your TikTok presence. You’d start by viewing and commenting on other vegan accounts, which tells TikTok that you’re interested in the vegan community. This is warming the algorithm.

Then you begin to feed the algorithm by creating content feeding into the kind of stuff you’ve already interacted with. This lets TikTok know that you’re an active member of that community, at which point it will start serving audiences with your similar content. 

Ensuring organic success on TikTok

There are four pillars to ensuring TikTok success and keeping track of how the algorithm works. These four traits tell the algorithm that your content is successful, to which it will start expanding the pool of people who can see your videos.  

  • Watch time – are people watching your videos to the end, or do they stop before it finishes? 
  • Rewatch rate – how many people watch your video at least twice, if not more? 
  • Share rate – are people engaging with your videos enough that they want to share them with others? 
  • Comments – do viewers feel the need to comment on your videos after watching them? 

Understanding the dynamics behind these four traits will help you navigate TikTok and its algorithm, so you can produce the type of content your audience wants. It will also help you better understand how to create good content. 

What is good content?

So the primary question now centres around “what constitutes good content?”. Answering that is slightly trickier, as only you and people deeply connected to your business will know about the brand and what makes it tick. However, that’s not to say there aren’t some tried and tested formulas you can lean on.

Creating “useful content”, such as hacks like “xx of the best” or “how-to” guides is usually a good place to start – just remember that TikTok videos are only 60 seconds and your content should be concise and to the point.

You can be funny or aspirational if the fit is there, but ultimately it’s about resonating with your audience. And once you have a grasp over what your audience wants and start producing regular content, you can branch out and work with influencers to optimise your content. 

How do I run influencer campaigns on TikTok?

Why influencers? 

Like all social media platforms, the role of influencers has evolved over the last few years. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are especially influencer-led, and the right collaboration can enhance your brand’s standing – but it needs to be organic. 

Understanding the frameworks

Getting results is the primary goal of any influencer marketing on TikTok, and there are a few components worth taking into account to understand your campaign needs better and achieve the desired outcome. 

Influencer retargeting

For many brands, successfully reaching an audience on TikTok requires authenticity, especially if you’re product-led. The content should be more about the video rather than wheeling an influencer out to say flattering things about your product.

The best way to do this is with influencer retargeting, which involves creating an organic influencer campaign and tying it to a paid ad that directly drives conversion. That means using influencers as the creative, which allows a more native approach and leads to more inclusive content. When done right, the creative becomes the most important aspect, which, in turn, powers the brand behind the campaign. 

Leverage trends

Many brands are quick to create their own hashtag, but using existing trends is a smart way to leverage other well-performing content. Brands who successfully start their own hashtags are already well established and need deep pockets to ensure it becomes part of the TikTok lexicon.

Whereas, leveraging current trends can yield better results. However, it’s important to make the distinction between viral content and growing content. The goal is to ride growing content and be part of it when it goes viral, rather than hitching onto the back of something that’s already exploded. 

Episodic content

Perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of TikTok is how episodic content feeds into watch times and gets people spending more time on your brand’s page. It’s a smart way for you to achieve results and tell TikTok to get people circling back to you.

One way to do this as a food & beverage brand may involve creating a dish over the course of several videos. It has that cliffhanger element and keeps coming back for more as they want to see the entire recipe.  

How influencer campaigns fit into the broader picture

Tiktok serves a purpose in two primary ways: a destination for driving sales and a source for engaging and interesting content. With the latter, you can use the platform as the primary source for content and then promote it on other social media platforms with superior targeting to help drive more conversion.

The results of this approach can turbocharge engagement and your bottom line, with some brands seeing as much as 50 per cent conversion rates and return on ad spend of up to 10 times the initial cost. 

Summary

Whether you’re using TikTok to drive direct sales or build your brand’s following across all of social media, Timothy’s tips can put you on the right track and help you go deeper under the bonnet of one of the fastest-growing platforms on the internet. And you can use these insights to build a successful TikTok following for your food & beverage brand by creating high-level content that satisfies the algorithm and delights your audience.

Find out more about Timothy Armoo and Fanbytes

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing? Get in touch today.

 

 

 

Explainer videos can relay important information about your brand and provide customers with easily digestible content. And using a great explainer video company will ensure that you tell a short story to your audience that highlights your brand’s product or service in just one or two minutes. 

How to Find the Best Explainer Video Company

Did you know that the average attention span is… oh look at that new meme… sorry, we were distracted. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the average attention span is just eight seconds, down from 12 seconds 15 years ago. It tells you that we’re becoming more disengaged even though it’s easier than ever to access information. It’s no wonder that explainer videos are becoming so popular. 

You don’t have much time to capture your audiences’ attention, and using an explainer video could be the difference between someone enquiring further about your brand or scuttling off to some other corner of the web. The faster you can get information across to your audience, the higher your chances of success. 

But just what is an explainer video, how does it work and how do you find the best explainer video companies? In this guide, we’re covering everything there is to know about explainer videos for your brand.

What is an explainer video?

Explainer videos are short-form content and are typically used by sales and marketing teams to engage audiences. The videos contain information about a company’s product and service, breaking down the core concepts into easily digestible videos. 

From the consumer’s point of view, explainer videos are appealing: they just need to click play and watch. Videos often feature on website homepages or landing pages and last for around one to two minutes, making them nice and easy to consume. 

However, explainer videos aren’t limited to your website and can be used across social media, whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. A good explainer video company will be able to help you create a strategy for leveraging your explainer video in the most effective way.

Why you should use video explainers

User engagement is higher with videos than any other form of content and by 2022, videos will make up 82% of all internet traffic, so it’s an extremely fast growing medium. But explainer videos take things that one step further, breaking down vital information and relaying it in an easily digestible way.

Explainer videos are:

  • Concise – You get all the information needed about a company in a short amount of time
  • Value-adding – use customer testimonials, animated statistics and any other evidence for the benefits of your product or service like reviews or awards.
  • Problem solvers – show how your company provides solutions to consumer problems with live actions.
  • Personable – showing off your brand’s personality through an explainer video is easier than doing it with the written word.
  • Creative – a short video lets you flex your creative chops, using animations, music and voice-overs to add life and colour.
  • Flexible – your core explainer video may only be a couple of minutes, but you can add footage and tweak things to use it for other mediums. You can also update your explainer video at a later date without starting from scratch.
  • Social media friendly – explainer videos don’t need to be rooted to your website or landing page; you can also use them across social media.
  • Reminders – while the function of an explainer video is to attract new customers, they can also be used to remind established customers about your offering.
  • Cost-effective – compared to longer videos, explainers are relatively more cost-effective. 
  • Show first-hand benefits – you can show off the benefits of your brand first hand through product demonstrations and short guides.

With so many plus points, explainer videos make sense for lots of brands, and the stats back this up: 95% of people have watched at least one explainer video to learn more about a product or service, and 56% believe that a company should have one on their website.

Different types of explainer videos

Not every explainer video is the same – some are animated, while others require live actors. Before hiring a video explainer company, first you need to decide on the type of content you want to implement in order to find the right option for your brand. Fortunately, there are plenty of options. 

Animation

Animated videos are popular choices with many companies. It’s more affordable to use voice actors than hiring ones for live-action videos. Animations can also be affordable, especially if you’re using pre-designed characters and assets from stock libraries. However, if you want to take a more bespoke approach with unique designs, then you’ll need a bigger budget. Options for animated explainer videos include:

  • 2D animation videos
  • 3D animation videos
  • Whiteboard animation
  • Motion graphics or Infographics videos. 

 

Live Action Explainer Videos

Using a live-action explainer video can be more immersive and relatable. In this approach, expect to use either a member of the team to talk about your product or make use of actors to demonstrate the product. If you feel that human touch is necessary to engage with your audience, then a live-action explainer video is a solid choice. 

Typography

Sometimes all you need is words, especially when they come in the form of moving typography. Using some form of people or animations is generally preferred, but if you have a simple message to convey, implementing moving typography in your explainer video can be a successful option. It’s also potentially one of the more elegant options for a lower budget. 

Screenshot videos

Screenshot videos are great if you already have customers and want to give them a tutorial for how your product or service works. They’re especially popular with software brands but can work across different mediums to provide an easy-to-follow guide for customers. 

How to find the best explainer video companies

Now that you know about the effectiveness of explainer videos and the different types available, it’s time to decide how to make one. Most companies opt for a video explainer company to craft something that will resonate with their audience. However, there are many explainer video companies out there, which is why it’s important to know how to choose the right one. 

Video explainers are short, which means you want to make every second count. Therefore, you should hire a professional company who knows how to craft a succinct message in just a couple of minutes. 

Look at previous examples and which areas the company specialises. For example, some may be experts at animated videos but don’t have experience in live-action filming. And vice versa. Try and assess what they’re good at and where they excel, which you can do by seeing their previous work. It’s also a good idea to look at companies that specialise in your particular sector. If they understand your business and have case studies of working with similar companies, then it will make the entire process go much smoother.

It’s also important that you’re both on the same page. A video explainer ultimately works to increase your bottom line by attracting more customers, and any company that you work with should understand your core objectives. 

Make sure that you create a very clear but simple 2-page briefing document that includes things like your objectives, key points of information to convey, creative styles you like including examples of other videos, your timeline and in an ideal world, your budget. Then gather at least 3 quotes from companies at similar budget bands so you are comparing apples with apples.

How much do explainer videos cost? 

Many factors go into the costing of an explainer video, from length to style. A professional company will be able to break down the costs involved, especially as prices can vary. As a rule of thumb, the more content you need and the more ambitious the project, the higher the budget. 

There’s a lot that goes into producing an explainer video and there are factors that you may not have considered. There are all the “must have” elements like script writing or storyboarding, filming and editing or animation. But your project may also require things like locations or a studio, actors and voiceover artists and additional crew members like makeup artists or specialist filming equipment. Because of all these variables, it’s no surprise there is also huge variation in cost. It’s not unheard of for someone to receive quotes ranging from a few thousand pounds up to £20,000 for the exact same project. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you provide a very clear briefing document and a general expectation of budget. 

Examples of explainer videos 

Explainer videos vary in presentation, but they have one key concept: to explain, whether that’s a product, service or breaking down information. Here is a list of our favourite explainer videos that perfectly hit all the right notes, from style and presentation to conveying their message:

Slack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2JuAa6-ors

SafeDrive

Infabode

Shameless plug but here’s one of our own explainer videos that we really like.

Amazon

Tripcase

Explainer videos are a great way to emphasise your business offering while keeping things short and sweet. They can condense pages of information into just a few minutes of video while building up interest with potential customers. 

No one likes having to explain things. Fortunately, a video explainer means you won’t have to, as it’ll do the job for you and convey an important message to your audience. 

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing? Get in touch today.

 

We have all seen the adverts. The pouring of a refreshing drink over a mountain of ice in slow motion; bursts of colours that make food look tantalisingly tasteful. There’s something about watching ingredients come together visually that gets our juices flowing.

Food imagery is big business. In 2018, pizza received around 35 million hashtags on Instagram, which was more than Beyonce and Kim Kardashian combined. We clamour around food to take pictures as if Brad Pitt had just stepped on the red carpet.

On YouTube and Vimeo, top-down cooking videos are one of the most popular video types. It turns out that food really is the key to our hearts, and food & beverage (F&B) filming is a primary way to get us in the mood for culinary delights.

But how do food and drinks companies create such high-quality videos,  and how can your brand master the concept of filming it to make it irresistible to your customers?

There are so many more ways to use food filming now but we still love the M&S food adverts.

Why filming food is so popular

Much of the pleasure that we get from food, and drink, of course, comes before we’ve even tasted it. Appearance is everything, and seeing a well-prepared meal is enough to get our taste buds tingling. Filming only highlights this, making us salivate at the idea of an ice-cold beverage or a tasty pizza. 

Filming accentuates the colour, texture and movement, whetting our appetite for what’s to come. Food filming also caters to such a wide audience – we all get hungry and we all need food. Therefore, the interest around cuisine is higher than other popular video content, such as gaming and fashion. 

For example, Buzzfeed’s “Tasty” page generates two-billion-plus views per month. We just can’t get enough food imagery, be it stills or video. Food is covered at length in the media and is a surefire way to start a conversation online.

Food filming helps to create a sense of community too, whether you’re a pasta lover or a vegan. Eating food is a social activity, and food imagery and videos have crossed over into the digital world while carrying on that sense of socialisation. 

If you want people to interact with your content, after cute animals, food is the best way to engage with people.

How to nail your food filming 

We’ve established that food has a high capacity for interaction. But if you’re a brand, how do you create great-looking content? It’s all about the look and feel when it comes to filming food and drink. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks that you can do to ensure that your video stands the best chance of succeeding, such as getting the lighting right, careful editing, telling a story and styling the food in the right way. But more importantly, you should explore the different filming and platforms types available. 

>> Contact us about our food videography services

Best platform for your food content and how you should film on it

Instagram/Facebook adverts
Brands tend to target specific audiences with more personalised content on Instagram and Facebook, catering to a particular demographic. Short and sweet is often the best way to go, with ads on the big social media platforms generally much shorter in length than TV advertisements. 

TikTok
Most of the food videos are stylised as homemade content on TikTok, and you have a 60-second limit to showcase your food.  Many brands go down the route of encouraging their followers to partake in challenges, especially as TikTok’s audience is primarily made up of Generation Z, who are increasingly interactive. 

>> Read our blog on 7 food and drink brands nailing TikTok right now. 

Recipe videos
If you’re looking to inspire, recipe videos can do the trick. How-to- guides that are simple to follow and full of style are a big hit on online platforms. They work well as YouTube videos, and can even be good content for live streaming on Facebook and Instagram. 

TV adverts
Despite the rise of social media, TV advertising is still a popular method for many food brands – if you can afford it. The ads cost a premium, and audiences are quite broad. But TV advertising is an effective way to get your product in a prime-time spot. 

TV/cookery show sponsorship
Sponsoring popular cookery shows – either online or on TV – and events can inject some zest into your brand and ensure that you’re aligned with a popular show. People will come to associate your offering with the show, which can prove to be beneficial for your brand. 

Case studies and documentaries
Case study videos and documentary-style videos can be a great way to showcase the inner workings of how your food or drink products came to fruition. From following local farmers to looking at production of how an ad was made, viewers can gain extra insight to your brand and enjoy a more personalised experience. 

Brands who nailed their food filming

So who are the brands absolutely nailing their food video content? Fortunately, there’s lots of inspiration to draw on, whether it’s successful social media campaigns, high-end food videos or great cookery content. 

Greggs

Everyone’s favourite bakery doesn’t take itself too seriously on social media. The result is high engagement, with the now infamous Greggs vegan sausage roll making its way to prime-time morning television. It all started with a simple YouTube ad that was replicated across other social media channels and lasted for just 36 seconds. Some 5.3 million-plus views later, and the Greggs vegan sausage roll is now legendary.

Chipotle

Fast-food giants Chipotle were one of the first brands to excel at TikTok, using the social media platform to create several challenges that went viral. Using popular internet culture, the brand received a myriad of user-generated content by asking followers to try challenges like #GuacDance, which broke records on the platform with 430 million impressions.

Heinz 

When you’re an international brand, it’s important to cater your content to different demographics. Heinz Brazil did just that, using adverts to showcase its natural ingredients. The sauce company replaced the traditional logo on its packaging with a shortlist of ingredients that make the sauce. It then made an accompanying ad to promote transparency. Not only did the bottles stand out from the crowd, but the advert generated significant interest and Heinz offered transparency about its ingredients with customers.

Tomato ketchup

Summary

If you’re in the world of food and beverage, you can’t afford to miss out on the opportunities that come with video marketing. From short and snappy videos on social media to longer creations that showcase your brand’s culinary ability, nothing can bring the look and feel of food and drink to life like a well-filmed video.

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of the London video production company, Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating delicious looking content with our food videography services,  Get in touch today.

 

Food and Beverage (F&B) is big business on social media. This is reflected by F&B brands getting the most mentions on Twitter, with a 32% share of tweets. Coinciding with the food and drink social media boom is the growth of influencer marketing, which has an estimated worth of $15bn. 

Marry the two together, and you have an opportunity to exponentially grow your audience while improving the bottom line. It bodes well for food and drink social media influencers, but who are these influencers making waves in the world of F&B?  The Small Films team check out the top food and drink influencers to watch. 

1) @elavegan

With more than one million followers, Michaela Vais is one of the biggest food bloggers around. She creates vegan recipes and shares them with fans. Since starting her food blogging, she has gone on to become an author, photographer and one of the most recognised influencers in F&B.

instagram picture of elavegan account

2) @memysmoothiesandlife

Sweden-based Anna Lindberg is the queen of the smoothies. Her Instagram page, memysmoothiesandlife, has amassed more than 84k followers as she creates eye-catching imagery based on delicious-looking smoothies. Anna covers everything from superfruits to easy-to-make smoothie recipes.

colourful smoothie bowls with fruit

3) @uglyproduceisbeautiful

As one of the first influencers to monetise social media, Sarah Phillips knows a thing or two about influencing. Her platform showcases food art, using items like watermelon to create fruit grids and oranges to display hanging citrus. It’s easy to imagine Sarah’s works in galleries and exhibitions.

4) @transatlanticfoodies

Sonia, from Switzerland, and Vishnu, from India, form TransAtlanticFoodies, an Instagram page that explores the best foods from around the world. So far, the duo has 30k followers, who log in to see the latest dishes that feature on the account.

5) @nobread

Nicole Cogan built her 200k-plus following by finding tasty gluten-free desserts from around the world. She uses social media to display her latest gluten-free findings, as well as travel around the world and her own recipes. Nicole has a large following on Instagram and TikTok.

Instagram picure of nobread account

6) @jancisrobinson

Being one of the Queen’s personal wine consultants clearly wasn’t enough for Jancis Robinson, who has gone on to build up quite the following on social media. Jancis is also a BBC producer when she’s not advising the queen or advising her 81k followers about the best wines around.

7) @themodernproper

If you’re looking for versatile recipe creators, then look no further than Natalie Mortimer and Holly Erikson. Their account features a wealth of recipes that use favourites like pasta, soups, gluten-free options, meat dishes and more.

burger, soup and noodles

8) @davidchang

When Vogue describes you as “America’s most relevant chef”, you know you’re onto something. David Chang, food experimenter and restaurateur, has captured the hearts and minds of many with his Asian dish tutorials that have seen him build a following of 1.7 million on Instagram. 

9) @joshuaweissman

The majority of F&B influencers have mastered Instagram, which isn’t much of a surprise considering its image-led appeal. Joshua Weissman, however, has achieved a following of three million people on TikTok, a social media platform still in its infancy when it comes to F&B. The chef uploads short and snappy recipe videos that don’t take themselves too seriously.

@flakeysalt

Instant ramen will never be the same. #foodlover #fyp #foryoupage #food #cooking #ramen #got2bStyled #skills #flex #howto #recipe

♬ original sound – Joshua weissman

10) @mondomulia

Guili Mule records her travels, where she partakes in fine dining and plenty of coffee tasting. When she’s not jet setting around the world, Guli creates her own recipes and shares them with her 57k fans on Instagram.

11) @gizzierskine

The super-talented chef Gizzi Erskine has an Instagram full of her own luscious recipes, her new haunt in Margate and delicious meals she’s tasted around London and beyond.  This is a page to visit if you want to see drool-worthy comfort-style food. 

12) @winingawaytheweekend

Named by The Telegraph as someone who is ‘shaking up the wine world’ Georgie Fenn is a wine influencer who educates her audience about anything from chablis to pinot noir. 

Cooking up a storm on social media

Influencers are continuously coming up with new and fun ways to depict recipes and grow their audience. It’s no surprise that many F&B brands desire to work with them, so they can tap into their audience and increase their social media outputs.

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

If you’re looking for a London video production company and want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing strategy? Get in touch today.

 

TikTok is embedded in the cultural zeitgeist and is the fastest-growing app in the world. With more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, it’s a great platform to get noticed – especially if you’re a brand in the food and drink industry. 

Why food and drink, you ask? Because there are few things as visually stimulating as well-prepared, mouthwatering ingredients and thirst-quenching beverages. Just watching a well-put-together video of a culinary dish is enough to get the taste buds going. 

If you’re in the food and drink industry and would like to use TikTok to enhance your audience, you’re in luck. At Small Films we’ve put together seven inspiring ideas that show you how brands are making fun videos that resonate with their audiences and get them in the mood for some grub. 

1) Pepsi India

Pepsi India broke the world record for consumer engagement with its Swag Step Challenge. The challenge received more than one million uploads and 30 billion views for short videos that asked people to synchronise their salaam, namaste and swag to the beat of the music. 

Pepsi found a way to make it look like their drinks had the relative “swag appeal” while engaging with their audience through Bollywood-themed dances.

https://www.tiktok.com/@shehnazgill1/video/6831963212511055106?lang=en

2) Chipotle

The company whose TikTok byline is “less Tok more Guac” is consistent with its social media output. Campaigns include holiday themes, such as Halloween #boorito, which received more than four million views. 

The brand is continuously finding clever ways to keep people tuning into their content and raising those engagement levels. As a result, Chipotle is becoming synonymous with a whole new audience. 

3) Gushers

Fruit Gushers is a popular US candy maker who has excelled at TikTok recently. It has amassed more than 2.5 million likes during its short time on the platform, thanks to entertaining content such as Mega Gushers. The fun play on the size of its candy managed to generate over 500k likes and more than 4,000 comments.

4) Sabra Hummus

The beauty of TikTok (and the right creative mind) is that it can make something relatively dull like hummus seem interesting and inspiring. Sabra Hummus goes about this by creating unique and engaging content that makes you want to rush to the cupboard and find something edible in a tub of delicious hummus. 

From little kids trying hummus for the first time to funny videos playing to the backdrop of popular songs, Sabra Hummus has utilised the platform and built up a strong following in a short space of time.

@sabra

Priorities #hummus #sabra #fyp #4u #food #howimmus #vegan #tiktokfood

♬ Cuz I Love You – Lizzo

5) KIND Snacks

New York-based KIND Snacks make healthy snacks for when you’re feeling peckish but don’t want to splurge on unnecessary calories. And they’re pushing those products on TikTok with engaging content like #kindsimplecrunchcontest, which sees users emphasising a particular bar’s crunch sound in a fun and smart way. The contest has generated an impressive 73 million views.

6) The Real Freal

Shakes and smoothie maker, The Real Freal, has hopped on the TikTok bandwagon to promote its drinks range. So far, it has garnered more than 10 million likes with snappy videos that play on their different styles of shakes, such as thin, regular and thick options.

7) Kool-Aid

“Ohhh yeahhhhhh” is the famous Kool-Aid catchphrase that’s been referenced in just about everything, from TV to posters. Now it’s taken on social media form with Kool-Aid content on TikTok via hashtag challenges and prized giveaways. 

Users were encouraged to post videos of themselves using the tag #OhYEAHChristmas for the Christmas challenge. The Kool-Aid beefed-up marketing with videos featuring rapper Lil’ Jon and the brand mascot. It also worked with other influencers who had strong followers so that the campaign received wide-spread traction.

man holding cds
Source: cnn.com

Making the most of TikTok with your food and drink brand

Even with these examples, there isn’t currently a large volume of food and drink brands using TikTok to reach new audiences – especially in the UK. This means you can be an early adopter, creating fun content that appeals and gets new audiences talking about your brand. TikTok is experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity at the moment so it’s the right time to get involved. 

If you need help creating any video content to bring your brand to life on TikTok then why not give us a shout at Small Films. We’d be happy to help you with your TikTok strategy.

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing? Get in touch today.

 

Every now and then something explodes onto the scene and captures everyone’s attention, instantly inserting itself into the cultural lexicon. That’s certainly the case with TikTok, a social media platform that’s taken the world by storm. 

You might know it as “those short videos of people doing entertaining things”. But in reality, it’s so much more. 2019 saw TikTok become the second-most downloaded app globally behind Whatsapp, and it currently has one billion users. 

TikTok’s rise to prominence hasn’t gone unnoticed in the marketing world. A growing number of brands are looking at it to see how they can reach new audiences. And it should definitely be part of your marketing strategy, especially as there are so many active users on the platform.

women with confetti having photograph taken

Another bonus is that, unlike Instagram, TikTok is a platform where it’s possible to achieve organic reach. However, you’ll need to get involved in the TikTok revolution soon because it’s highly likely the algorithms will soon change and make it harder for people to go viral organically. 

In order to help you better understand the world of TikTok from a marketing perspective, we’ve put together this ultimate guide for brands. So, read on and find out everything you need to know about TikTok. 

phone screen showing all the apps

How did it start?

What started as an app called Musical.ly became TikTok when Chinese company Bytedance acquired it. The video-sharing app’s primary audience consisted of Generation Z, younger demographics who were instantly drawn to its short and snappy video clips. 

These initially came in the form of people lip-syncing to music artists. Much like any trend on the internet, however, creativity took over, and users started experimenting with the app to create everything from viral challenges to comedic clips. TikTok (or Douyin as it’s known in China) has more than a billion users in China, with a further 800 million in the rest of the world. While the audience currently sits on the younger side of the spectrum, like any platform that gains huge popularity, the age will increase as it appeals to older generations and goes more mainstream.  

How does TikTok work?

After signing up for an account, you’ll be able to change your generated username, add a profile picture and a short bio. This part may seem somewhat mundane, but all top brands know the importance of making profile information snappy for people who come across their profile. Don’t worry, you can also change your username later if you aren’t sure what to choose.  

The app is divided into two primary feeds: For You, which is an algorithmically generated stream of videos; and Following, which is the accounts you follow. You can like videos much in the same way as you do on other social media networks. Sharing a video is pretty straightforward too. Tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen and start recording.  The brilliance of TikTok lies in its short video bursts that last for 15 seconds, though users can blend those clips together to create 60-second content. 

How TikTok works for brands

The success of TikTok with younger audiences is no surprise: Gen Z is a video-first generation. By 2022, online videos will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic. TikTok is part of that revolution.

Brands quickly saw TikTok’s reach and wanted in on the action. After all, Generation Z is set to command 40% of all consumer shopping by the end of 2020. Major players like Google, Nike and Coca-Cola have all embraced TikTok and created content for the platform.

Here’s how to make it work for you…

Advertising

Advanced targeting and unique creation features make TikTok Ads particularly appealing to brands who want to create compelling campaigns. If you’re struggling to build an audience, TikTok Ads can provide a boost to get you up and running on the platform.  

Sponsoring influencers

Much of TikTok’s beauty lies in the creatives who continuously churn out content. Tapping into their fanbase can be a great way of getting your brand in front of thousands (perhaps even millions) of followers. Of course, it’s necessary to have synergy with any influencer, but it’s certainly a route worth exploring to gain exposure. 

Starting hashtags

Like any other social media platform, creating hashtags can increase your visibility and reach. They’re also beneficial for recognising competitors and collaborators (see above). You might even get great content ideas from similar hashtags to yours and notice important trends that can propel your brand forwards. Oreo hit the mark with #cookiechallenge, Guess found success with #InMyDenim and Samsung successfully promoted their Galaxy A smartphone with #GalaxyA. 

https://www.facebook.com/OREOUnitedStates/posts/856069871529026

 

Brands who have cracked TikTok

If you’re after proof of TikTok’s appeal, then look no further than these brands who have successfully marketed to new audiences on the most addictive social media app. 

NFL

America’s favourite sport, the National Football League appeals to a variety of different demographics. And it tapped into TikTok to tell a multitude of stories, from heartfelt player profiles to fan-player engagement.

Chipotle

Chipotle has always been a trendsetter when it comes to marketing, and it carried that success over to TikTok. The Mexican food brand placed emphasis on engagement, creating fun challenges like #ChipotleLidFlip. The video currently has over 300 million views.

Fortnite

Video Game Fortnite has always had its finger on the pulse when it comes to interacting with audiences. Its most recent venture into TikTok asked fans to create a bespoke dance move, with the best ones ending up in the game.

Sony Music

Sony went down the route of influencer marketing for its TikTok campaign. Working with Nicky Jam x Sch to promote the song Atrévete, Sony contacted 12 influencers on the platform to create TikTok videos set to the backdrop of the track. The result was eight-million engagements, 1.2 million likes 10,300 user-generated videos.

@poki

i can’t believe i’m saying this but i have my own @Fortnite Emote! 🤯🥳 you can get one too by entering a dance with #EmoteRoyalecontest #EpicPartner

♬ original sound – pokimane

Top Tips
  • Don’t make your videos too polished; it’s better for them to be shot in the same style as user generated content, using a smartphone. 
  • Break your videos in half with the first video teasing the next in the series. 
  • Look for what’s trending and jump on the bandwagon.
  • Use hashtags effectively. Putting hashtags in the comments of your videos will help with visibility. 
  • Like other people’s content who are in the same space as you
  • Interact with other accounts where possible and leave comments

Tik, tik, tock

There’s no doubting TikTok’s power. The app is proving to be popular with all ages, and will only become more embedded into the cultural zeitgeist. As a brand, you have the potential to master the platform and create engaging and fun content for your audiences. 

George Hughes is a former television Director and the Founder of video marketing agency Small Films. His company helps brands to communicate with a wider audience using strategic video content.

Want a professional hand in creating compelling, authoritative video content as part of your marketing? Get in touch today.

 

Interactive video is a digital or linear video that supports user interaction through clicks, touches, taps and movement and goes beyond the ordinary play and pause technology.

Viewers become the creator and navigate through the video choosing the narrative, selecting the storyline and making decisions based on their interests.

Interactive video for online advertising can be extremely rewarding. You can achieve a much more detailed and personal account of your viewer’s personality, and it has the potential to be worth a lot more than linear video or targeted marketing combined.

Interactive video first started as a simple click on a video advert that would play before an online TV show or on a pre-roll ad on YouTube. The ad would ask the viewer to click on the product or image they would like to learn more about, and the brand then captured this information.

Brands like Maybelline, Burger King, Mcdonalds and Volkswagen are already using interactive video in advertising to understand better and engage their customers. But there should be a lot more brands using it, especially in 2020.

Interactive video offers a lot of opportunity and creativity. And it’s not just online but also out of home devices where interactive video can be used. For example, McDonald’s are constantly doing outdoor interactive advertising like this Poster Puzzle display that encouraged the public to solve the puzzle to “sort their heads out”, which promoted their €1 large coffee.

 

Interactive video online is still new territory for many brands and with just a few early adopters. However, this does not mean that interactive video doesn’t work – it just means that it is not a well-trodden path. And because the internet isn’t saturated with interactive videos, this means that there is a lot of space and opportunity to harness this medium and gain some great engagement.

Here are some examples of interactive videos from brands that have worked well.

This is an interactive video Deloitte made for their recruitment scheme. The viewer is taken on an interactive experience of someone’s first day at Deloitte, and they need to make important decisions throughout the day that will reflect whether you will fit in at Deloitte.

This is another example of an interactive video made by Maybelline New York. It’s a tutorial video to help people use and apply makeup in the right way and allows the viewer to choose which type of makeup style they are interested in learning about.

As well as allowing the viewer to choose the video’s narrative based on their personality you can also create interactive videos that allow viewers to select products to purchase or learn more about.

You can also use interactive video to understand your viewer’s touchpoints, interests and needs. A video made for GSK by Wirewax where the viewer can choose what part of the body they are having athletic difficulties with. The video will show the viewer a workout routine to help that area of hindrance from the choice made.

Do these videos work? They definitely help engage viewers and get them to pay more attention to the video, the brand, the products on display, and the message of the video. But do they work at capturing information and converting a viewer into a customer?

We know that 82 percent of all web traffic is predicted to come from video by 2022 (Cisco) so, the need for video content that stands out from the crowd has never been more poignant. We also know from research that Interactive video content generates 2x more conversions than passive content (Kapost), 4-5x more page views than static content (LinkedIn) and, 93% of marketers say interactive content is somewhat or very effective at educating the buyer, versus just 70% for static content (Demand Genreport). A study by Wyzowl found that 23% of video marketers have used Interactive video as a channel (up from 20% in 2018), and out of those, 83% say it’s been successful for them (up from 78% in 2018).

Interactive videos work great as internal videos for recruitment, induction and training, B2B explainer videos and B2B marketing videos, and they work well as B2C online advertising and social media marketing. The best thing about interactive video is the amount of data you can capture and how precise that data can be. Because you are leading the audience into a set of options and based on their decision, you can understand them on a more personal scale. With every click, you learn more about your audience. You can then group them more effectively into categories based on interest and values and then better market to them at a later stage (Kaltura). Because your audience controls their video experience and their experience with your brand, they are a lot more receptive, open and ready to engage, making them more willing to give up their time and information. 

If you are thinking about interactive video, then play around with the ones out there already and see whether you can imagine your brand using this form of marketing. If you don’t want to go straight into interactive video, then do something similar to Buzzfeed on Youtube and try some interactive quiz adverts that ask the audience a few simple questions about the market. Buzzfeed gets over 75% of its Quiz traffic from social media, and many quizzes used in marketing work exceptionally well at engaging and capturing customers (Mashable).

To find out more about using interactive video, contact us.

Small Films is a London video production company. We create results-driven films for the likes of Aldi, EDF Energy and Eton College. 

Why are customer testimonial videos so great for business?

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sales call or meeting, with the salesperson going on and on about how incredible their business/product/service is? Did you find yourself thinking:

“Not another one! Of course, you think your business is great. So do all salespeople”.

You aren’t alone. In fact, in more recent years, there has been a growing mistrust in businesses hyping themselves up. That is why we’ve seen such a rapid rise in marketing methods such as influencer marketing, with third party reviewers providing a more trusted opinion on a business’s offering.

 

When we think ‘influencer’, we may think of online gamers with thousands of YouTube/Twitch followers or the young, rich in-crowd on Instagram. But fundamentally, an influencer is someone with a degree of influence over others. When it comes to business, this can be anyone from a customer, supplier, or partner. At Small Films, we regularly deliver customer testimonial videos for our clients, helping them engage with new clients.

Authenticity

There is something to be said about the level of influence that can be leveraged through video testimonials for your business. This is especially true when they include clients who are respected in their field.

These respected individuals can be more powerful than the big social media influencers. In these cases, potential customers will often be aware of their expertise and respect their opinion – creating an environment of genuine trust.

Clients rarely have a reason to give a video testimonial beyond a genuine delight with your service or product. Therefore, customer testimonial videos offer a level of authenticity that is otherwise difficult to find elsewhere in marketing.

Want support with testimonial video production? Give our team a bell. 

Using key clients in testimonials will also often offer points of view that you may not have otherwise considered. For example, most businesses have their ‘go-to benefits’ of why customers should choose them. These often don’t cover the softer elements that many customers find so valuable, such as good communication, flexibility or compassion. Testimonial video production helps businesses highlight their personality as well as their capabilities.

Customer testimonials videos are highly engaging content

Let’s put the benefits of having your customers sing your praises aside for a moment and focus on the vehicle – video. After all, there are a few ways a customer could provide a testimonial…so why is video so powerful?

“Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.” WordStream

The keyword here is ‘engagement’. Keeping anyone’s attention for more than a moment can be easier said than done in a world where there is such a vast amount of content online. However, video provokes and captures the senses in a way that no other form of media does. Video testimonials allow your customers to expressively and concisely tell the story of why they chose to work with your business.

Video also allows businesses to distribute valuable testimonials across various platforms. Including websites, social media feeds, social media stories, emails, direct messages and can even be included in sales decks to add authenticity to presentations.

Customer testimonial videos are a fantastic way to grab your current and potential customers attention. This powerful type of marketing offers a level of authenticity and engagement which is otherwise hard to portray to new and potential clients.

If you want to see how powerful this tool could be for your business, have a browse through our video testimonials services and get in touch today.

Small Films is a video production company based in London.  We create effective and results-driven customer testimonial videos that put your brand streets ahead of the competition.