One of video’s greatest strengths as a medium is the way it allows people on either side of the camera to connect on a personal level. If you’re looking for a way to really invite your viewers into your world, you should consider pulling the curtains and offering a behind-the-scenes look at what makes you awesome. It’s a simple and easy strategy, and allows you to work with what you already have to offer something meaningful and intimate to those on the outside.

Looking for some inspiration? Here are four ideas to get you started:

1. Show off a bit.
Television shows like “How It’s Made” and “Unwrapped” have proven that people love watching stuff get put together. You can shoot a short video showing how you make your product (without, of course, giving away too many trade secrets). Recording the process can do a few things for your company – it shows that you know what you’re doing, which can create some trust between you and your customers, and also establishes just how much expertise goes into your process. Very impressive.
 

 
2. Unleash your inner Ken Burns.
Documentaries are huge right now. If you want to give a behind-the-scenes look of an event you host, the origins of your organization, or a big change you make in your company, a documentary-style video can appeal intellectually and emotionally. Check out some example documentaries and you’ll find common elements: mood-setting music, interviews with the key people, and the live events before, during, and after. This idea may take the longest to plan and complete, but it has a large effect.

3. Mellow out.
You may have a very professional voice for your company, but if you want to connect on a more casual level with your audience, you have the option to use a more personal tone in your videos. Try sharing some video that has less to do with your products or services and more to do with your people and the culture of your company. For example, footage from a fun company outing or a simple interview that gets into the personalities and hobbies of your team members.

4. Pass the camera around.
Along those lines, it could be a fun exercise to open up your videos to ideas from your team members. Let them be an anchor in describing your company’s activities. Give them a chance to sound off. In essence, you’re letting them produce a “day in the life” video about the people who know your company at its deepest levels.

These are just a few examples of what you can do to appeal to your audience, but the sky’s the limit. How do you open up with your web videos? Share your experience in the comments!

You set out to create a super-engaging video campaign for your company, and somewhere along the way, you lost it. Maybe your budget went haywire, or you couldn’t settle on a theme. Maybe your writing is overcomplicated, and the message is getting hazy. Whatever the reason, your deadline is rapidly approaching (or has come and gone), and you still have no video to post.

You’ve over-thought your video strategy, and you need help. Not to worry – this is a common problem, and there is a simple solution…

So step back, take a deep breath, and repeat after us… “Keep it simple!”

We’ve collected just a few simple tips to help you stop over-thinking and get to the heart of the story you are trying to tell.

1. People Like You, Not Your Outfit.
If you find you’re spending too much time on production, rehearsing lines, or adjusting hair and makeup, just stop. Back away from the computer. Your audience wants your content; that’s why they’re watching your video. You should avoid letting any amount of flash or pizzazz to get in the way of your message.

2. Remember Your Roots.
If you’re stuck on story, consider taking a look at what makes you special, and share that with the world. Your company has a short and sweet mission statement that every team member lives by (or should be living by, at least when they’re at work). If you need an idea for a video, you can always talk about your company and its place in the business world. It’s not cliché; it’s valuable! You don’t need to take your mission or your work for granted. People feel they can trust a company that opens up about their values in an easy-to-understand way.

Often because we LIVE that mission day in and day out, we think it’s old hat, common sense, or that others aren’t interested. NOT TRUE! Don’t make the mistake of confusing your audience with yourself.

3. Know Your Limits.
Each and every company and campaign has different concentrations. Some have the ability to hire out the biggest and best production companies for their video strategy (but hey, remember number one?). Other groups or campaigns can only afford the time or resources to do the bare minimum. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, don’t stress about what you don’t have. There are many opportunities to spread your word with video. Did you know you can create a YouTube channel and add other people’s playlists and videos without ever having to create any of your own? Awesome, right?

If your audience can’t understand your message, it’s not helping them, and it’s not helping you. Before you add any glitter or get to work on fancy transitions, make sure your main points are present and clear. That’s more effective than anything else. And, if you need a little more help check out our Candidio service which takes all the pain out of the post-production (editing) of your videos.

Big news this week in the world of web video: The popular, creative video sharing service Vimeo has announced a whole slew of updates coming down the pipe in the coming weeks. Whether you’re already a big fan of Vimeo, or you have no idea what we mean when we say that crazy, made-up word, there’s never been a better time to check it out.

Why we’re excited:

1. The emphasis is back on video

First and foremost, it’s clear that the fine folks at Vimeo are looking to reaffirm their commitment to the video content itself. The video player is larger, and features fewer distractions, so your video is always the center of attention. It’s a simple change, but an important one for such a visual medium. It’s good to see some back-to-basics focus in their continued growth and development.

2. It’s easier than ever to follow good content

Vimeo’s engineers have also introduced the concept of following, whether it is a channel, tag, or a specific account. This makes it much easier for viewers to keep track of what they love, and it makes it less stressful for content creators to get their new stuff noticed by their audience. The name of the game here is “simple.”

3. Uploading is a pleasant summer breeze

Who has time to sit and upload videos one by one? If your greatest joy in life is watching progress bars slowly fill as you add your content to video piecemeal, then we have some bad news – Vimeo now allows users to upload multiple videos at one time. The interface also got a bit of a tune-up, and it’s more intuitive than ever.

It’s always great to see a fantastic service get better, and these are just a few highlights of the updates Vimeo recently shared with the world. If you want to learn more about the upcoming changes and get on the list to try them out, jump over to Vimeo for a sign up list and some more info.

And, to stay updated with news and tips for online video marketing and communications be sure to sign up for our weekly blog digest! (top right)

Announcing the newest member of the 12 Stars team, Michelle Downs!

It’s always been our hope at 12 Stars to “be there” for our Producers, but as we grow we need help commenting on your blog posts, retweeting your links, and helping to share your videos.

Enter Michelle.

As your advocate, Michelle is here for you. To RT you. To look for opportunities for you to post your videos as guest blogs.  To help find the answers to your most difficult questions (well, maybe you should save those for Zach).

So, you’re asking yourself “that sounds mighty fine, how can I put Michelle to work helping me?”

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Follow MichelleADowns on Twitter
• Connect with her on LinkedIn
• Ask her to RT you, especially when you tweet about your videos
• Let her know of your blog posts so we can help promote them
• Watch for more ideas of how Michelle and the rest of our team can help you!

Introducing… CANDIDIO!

Have you ever wanted to post a video, but didn’t have the time or budget? Maybe an email campaign would have had a higher click-through rate with a video thumbnail, but no one had time to edit a video? Or, maybe your blog could use a video post every now and then but you don’t want to pay a videographer to shoot the content; at the same time, you don’t want to post totally raw content either?

What is Candidio?
The team at 12 Stars is proud to introduce our new service Candidio (what’s with the name?), which enables organizations to produce video that changes audiences into relationships. Simply shoot your own video clips, send them to us for editing, then share the finished video on your website, blog, email messages, and social media profiles! It’s as simple as shoot, send, and share!

Why use Candidio?
Save money by not paying for the videography and save time by not editing the video yourself. We’re happy to say that since the launch of our first version we’ve processed over 350 videos for small businesses, restaurants, bloggers and Fortune 500 companies.

Check out some of the candidios on our YouTube channel. You’ll find behind the scenes videos, testimonials, tips and tutorials and more.

Like this great behind the scenes candidio by one of our Producers, Randy Clark of TKO Graphix…

Been thinking about using video for your organization? You probably know it boosts SEO and SMO, drives traffic and increases conversion, enhances brand value and recognition and makes customer interaction more personal, so why not give Candidio a try today?

And the WINNER is…

Garnering nearly HALF of the over six hundred votes in our Race for Candidio, Cope Environmental Center in Centerville, Indiana is the winner of over $1K in Candidio services. We hope their mission to promote the sustainable use of the earth’s resources through education, demonstration and research will be even better served using our Candidio services over the course of the next year.

SPECIAL OFFERS!

For those of you whose organizations were nominated and for those of you who simply took a few moments to vote, we appreciate your participation and would like to make a special offer to you.

SPECIAL OFFER For NFP Nominees

$150 off the setup investment for a Candidio package and just $149 per video for one video per quarter over the course of the next year if you sign up within the next week. That’s a savings of over $500!

Offer reduces to $75 off the setup investment and just $149 per video for one video per quarter over the course of the next year if you sign up within the remainder of the month of May.

SPECIAL OFFER For Voters

$100 off the setup investment for any Candidio package if you sign up within the next week!

Offer reduces to $50 off the setup investment if you sign up within the remainder of the month of May.

Special offers subject to change without notice.  Offers expire on May 31st at 11:59pm.  Offers only valid for new Producers who sign up using an email address registered and used in participation with the Race for Candidio.

“Oh I wish…”

Who doesn’t love the Wienermobile? Even if hot dogs aren’t your thing (I only eat about one or two a year), you just can’t deny the catchiness of the song and the pure marketing genius of sending six giant hot dogs on the road every year with young, energetic folks behind the wheel.

Here are some fun facts Tera “Louise with Cheese” shared with us after we interrupted her lunch and begged her to give us a ride in the Wienermobile…

• At any given time there are SIX Wienermobiles hauling buns around the whole doggone country
• The marketing teams are only on board for one year, to keep new “dog“orrtunities available
• The Wienermoble measures 27 foot longs!
• And one of the Wienermobiles has even been to Hawaii – HOT DOG!

Thanks Tera “Louise with Cheese” for the ride aboard the Wienermobile, and best of luck to wherever you’re headed next.

In a (not really all that shocking) announcement Cisco says they are closing up shop on the production of the popular Flip camera. Over the past few years the Flip has provided a way for users to shoot and share video more easily than ever before with no tapes, rewinding, or wires, but now most of us can shoot and share high definition video using our mobile devices.

Our Candidio service, which allows users to shoot their own video clips, send them to us for editing and then share the finished video on their website, blog, and social media profiles will continue to be a valuable tool for users who want to continue using a Flip camera or similar device to provide us video clips, while we continue to develop the tools to allow our users to send us clips via their mobile devices.

Candidio is glad to be growing and staying ahead of the fantastic growth of using video online!