Eric Thompson Eric Thompson

How to take a good video/photo for your business

[00:00:01] This is Eric from Local Result Marketing here in Green Bay Wisconsin where we specialize in helping local businesses basically make more money using their online digital assets that are usually underutilized. We do search engine optimization, search engine marketing, SEO, SEM as well as social media management you name it. We pretty much take care of it and do it for companies especially small and medium sized companies that don't have the inside infrastructure in order to handle it. In today's video I want to talk about what we do in order to make videos in order to help out with product demonstrations on social media or on your website. You know there's a lot of people that are missing you know have misconceptions where they need a nice big SLR fancy camera in order to make things happen. But the reality is is that your phone has an amazing camera built into it already.

[00:01:00] The problem is is that most people don't know how to use it properly and they're working with kind of outside you know outdated information. So what I'd really like to do is kind of basically show you what I do for my clients and what I suggest other people do themselves. And that's really understanding what the customer wants to see if they want to see just an overview of you know the product and you know big shots from far away getting everything in at one time making the manufacturers website what you want to do is you want to get attention with people you want to get in close you want to be show different angles you want to basically get excited and build a relationship with them. So in order to do that would you need to do is first off stop holding your phone vertically go horizontal always horizontal you know just like a TV screen. And you know you can either do it and it's kind of a selfie mode or you can you know get in there but the sound quality is decent. The video quality is outstanding. Same thing goes with pictures go at different angles. Get down on the ground get a pie. Show something. But really you know kind of get in there be excited when you're talking to somebody and above all get nice and close get in there good detail you know what I mean.

[00:02:24] The thing is is when we're looking at things and you can show some real interesting detail and you can and you can say OK well listen here's my hand this is what I you know it's more interesting than this big panoramic shot where everything gets in show. You know if you're showing a car show the wheels show the tire tread show whatever is exciting in your industry as well and really get in there do that talk for maybe two minutes three minutes. You know if you get really high end thing go for 10 minutes. I mean it doesn't really matter. Throw it up on Facebook throw it up on your website. And you know if by all means to if you're doing photos please take two seconds apply a filter go on your put it on your computer make it look prettier. I see so many horrible photos out there that just haven't been touched. And for two you know for the first 30 seconds that it's going to take in order to touch it up it's going to make a world of difference. So use the phone that's more than ample. I mean if you have a million followers you have a different problem already. Use a phone. Put it up there. Run some videos. It's really not that hard. In fact you know just maybe don't script everything. Just be real. Be yourself. People like to see mistakes people like to see behind you know what's in the kitchen. They like to connect with someone. So utilize that in order to promote your products and services and start building up report with your audience. I think you'll find that will work out really nicely for you.

 

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Eric Thompson Eric Thompson

SEO and Local Results: Time well spent or an afterthought

The best SEO or search engine optimization for local businesses has been the subject of many conversations on and off-line as of late. While I think that the idea of good keyword analysis and implementation is very important I don't think that with Google's and other search engine's focus on local results that it is Everything like it used to be. However, one would argue that is still the case for nationally used sites.

So what does that mean in reality? How do we apply that to business and the bottom line? 
If you are running a local business, understand that a website is only part of what you need to be successful online today. There are many channels that need your attention as well and are equally or perhaps even more important than a website itself. But focusing on the website, a clear understanding of why a website exists in the first place is important. Why do you have a website? For most of the businesses that I deal with it comes down to two things. A website exists to provide a level of comfort and trust to the customer. That is reflected in clean, modern design and usability. The other reason is to create some sort of conversion. For most local businesses, it is a phone call or email. More often than not taking two steps back and looking at the project from the perspective of a new customer or better yet having strangers walk through your website with you watching (mini focus group) is very helpful and eye-opening. So while I think that making sure that you are including your keywords I think it's more important to have a usable website coupled with the understanding that it takes more than just the website to make it online these days.

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Eric Thompson Eric Thompson

What is this discipline supposed to be called anyway?

What I do...what we do is often mislabled and certainly often misunderstood. SEO - search engine optimization. Reputation management. SEM - search engine marketing. Add to that all the sub disciplines and practices such as social media management, citation development, link building, website usability design, email list building, email marketing, PPC (pay per click) management. 

My thought is that we need a new word that accurately describes and encompasses all of it. I'm calling it Online Visibility. Now everyone agree with me and we shall call it a day. Tomorrow we can deal with the big SEO companies that charge a lot or a little but, do even less for their clients.   

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