Episode 6 of the Sitepro Podcast is now available. The Sitepro Podcast was created to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content. This is the third of four episodes of the podcasts that will on the the Grace Lutheran Foundation and all the multimedia work that Sitepro has produced for them. Be sure to subscribe to get all of the episodes of the Sitepro Podcast.

     Armed with a tag cloud and an RSS feed spitting your company’s insights into the twitterverse, you might think you’re good to go. Don’t. Like most things, there is always something else you can do to make your social media presence more effective. The first of these is a flickr widget.

Your Company Video: The Pro’s and Con’s of YouTube Hosting

This is part 2 in an onging series  called "YouTube Video 101". See this post and others to learn how hosting videos through YouTube may apply to your business.

Social media is all the rage these days. From building company Facebook profiles to placing videos on YouTube, a lot of businesses are jumping on board. YouTube is a great medium for putting the right kind of video on (I’ll get in to what may be the right kind of video in another post). With an audience of nearly 330 million user’s world wide, the format cannot be ignored. You can use YouTube hosting to present your video content to this audience as well as embed video feeds from YouTube in your company website. While YouTube presents some incredible new possibilities, there can be some drawbacks that companies may not be fully aware of. This post explores both the pros and cons of using YouTube’s service in business applications.

5 years ago clients typically wanted videos in a format that they can easily hand out such as DVD or interactive CD. As a multimedia supplier, Sitepro.com was unique from other production companies in that we were streaming videos within client websites as well. While physical deliverables and inter-website distribution have still been a stronghold, more clients are inquiring about services like YouTube, Facebook and other social media applications.

While there are lots of other social video sites out there, YouTube has proven to be the top of the crop. Did you know that YouTube is the number one video site on the internet? Get this: It’s the 4^th largest internet destination in the world and the #2 search engine behind Google and before Yahoo…….just huge. Often clients ask me questions like :

"How can I get my Video on YouTube?"

"How can we create a Facebook account and put my videos in it?"

"We just want to make some simple videos and upload them. Where do we start?"

Follow this series, YouTube Video 101, to gain some insight on these questions as well as thoughts you may not have considered when developing videos for social media and website use.

For those unfamiliar with the term "Hat Trick," it's a sports term referring to any one player scoring three times within a single game. If you're like me and grew up on the local ice rink, it's a hockey term. Today's blog isn't about bone crushing hockey action, but instead the Telly Awards. The Telly awards (3oth anniversary this year) recognize the best in local and regional television, web and film production. This year Sitepro was fortunate enough to win three awards on three submissions, hence the "hat trick" reference.

As visual effects get better and better we see the use of 3D animations more and more. We've come a long way since the days of Tron. Actually the first use of 3D graphics in a major motion picture was in the movie Futureworld (1976). Now we see 3D effects everywhere, but why do are these 3D animations used so often? Well, the uses for 3D animations are endless. Mostly we notice amazing visual effects that astound the viewer, or are often used to create scenes thout couldn't be done without CGI (computer-generated imagery). There are really no limits to what can be created. If it can be imagined, it can be created. These CGI effects are used in much more than just high budget cinema.

Recently Sitepro presented collaboratively with Lee Adelman from CURT Manufacturing at the 2009 Manufacturing Advantage Conference . The presentation, titled "There's No Recession Online", discusses CURT Manufacturing's success using online retail and company reseller sites coupled with engaging media. The company has experienced significant financial success despite manufacturing it's product in a declining market in addition to the current recession. This video featuring Lee Adelman (VP, E-commerce and Retail, CURT Mfg.),  Mike Phillips (Owner, Sitepro), Keif Oss (Senior Producer, Sitepro Video), tells the strategy behind CURT's recent success. View this video and learn why "There's No recession Online".

In a continuing effort to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content, Sitepro has created a series of podcasts which will be released regularly. An RSS feed and "subscribe" option will be available shortly.

Having a full professional recording studio definitely gives Sitepro an edge when working with clients. Weather creating a quick sample for a project pitch, developing an audio CD for a client or recording a professional voice talent, having the studio in house gives us options that not all multimedia companies have.

Most projects we record for inevitably end up being used online, on the radio, in DVD or TV commercials. While we work with a variety of local talents, there is the occasional surprise guest. This is a story about one of those guests.

On Thursday, May 14th, Sitepro will be presenting at the 2009 Manufacturing Advantage Conference at UW-Stout. Through dynamic, hands-on demonstrations, simulations and workshops, Manufacturing Advantage will help manufacturing professionals from across the state learn about practices to help them gain the competitive advantage. Sitepro's presentation, titled There's No Recession Online, will be presented by Sitpro client Lee Adeleman from CURT Manufacturing, Mike Phillips, Sitepro President, and Keif Oss, Sitepro Senior Video Producer.

Add some pizzazz to your website with Sitepro WebWalk! This new product is Sitepro's latest creation, allowing you to capture your visitor's attention with a personal walk-on video that displays on your website. Use the video walkon to highlight your products and services, areas of interest, special promotions, and much more. Several packages and options are available for companies of all sizes and varying budgets. To learn more, watch the WebWalk in action or contact Sitepro for more information.

The future of the Web is engaging and interactive, and conveniently so is video! Providing website visitors with various levels and ways of accessing your content is important. Spice up your website with online video. 

Here are five reasons why you should be using online videos in your marketing strategy:

1. It's what people are watching. There's potential your video will be distributed on iPods, homepages, mobile devices, and social networking sites such as YouTube.

2. Search engines pick up the video. Increase your chances of reaching your customers by getting your video messages included in search results.

3. Video goes viral. Every marketer wants their message to be talked about, and video is a great way to reach this goal.

4. Video can be easily and quickly dispersed. Video drives news. Posting a video can generate news online that could translate into primetime broadcast news coverage.

5. Video makes a lasting impression. It can make your company look world class and influence sales.

In partnership with CURT Manufacturing, Sitepro delivered our first HD video production for an industry tradeshow. Learn how we leveraged their video production capabilities to provide a cutting-edge solution for our client.

Sitepro Video now offers finished HD video via Blu-Ray disc! Our HD capabilities are a huge step toward delivering a very high end experience for companies interested in using video production for their marketing arsenal. Using the HD video format at tradeshows or in the boardroom, lobby, or waiting room will deliver a stunning experience.

Visit our Eau Claire studio or call to schedule an appointment to see the difference in action. 715.858.0000 | 866.748.3776 (toll-free)

Learn how CURT Manufacturing utilized a Sitepro HD video production for an industry tradeshow.