Sunpop has been developing something that will offer THE video solution to small businesses. But what does “THE video solution” even mean?

Rex Williams
Sunpop Founder
Geek Extraordinaire

A few years ago, Sunpop was having a team meeting. A small group with big plans. There was typical meeting fodder; our marketing plan, workflow refinements, a strategy for growth.

Then I said it.

“ I want Sunpop to offer the THE video solution for small businesses…”

I knew it was premature. I knew it was out of context. But the words tumbled from my mouth like an avalanche.

The team had no idea what I was talking about.

“ THE video solution?”

From the beginning Sunpop was built around a single video product that we pioneered near the turn of the century. We were a 1 trick pony with a helluva trick. Our get-to-know-you videos were valuable, sure. But small businesses often have needs that stretch beyond authentic / unscripted video content.

My new head of business development was the first to respond.

“ You can’t do that. This studio is great at what it does, but we can’t be THE video solution for every business.”

The meeting moved on.

A year later, 2 good friends and business partners gave me similar words of confidence. It didn’t help that they had multiple best-selling business books, and were regularly consulting for some of the largest and most prestigious companies on the planet.

“What you do is unique. It can’t be taught. It’s a natural gift you have. The studio will grow to the length of your own shadow.”

In their defense, they meant to be complimentary. But compliments don’t pay the bills like a scalable business.

Since then, they’ve been completely right. The studio is still offering a niche video product. But I knew something they didn’t…

There’s always been an ulterior motive with the in-house process, tools, and technologies we’ve developed. We’re going to offer THE video solution for small businesses.

The team now sees what I see. Everyone is on-board, excited, maybe even a little nervous about what comes next.

Stay tuned. The distance between you and professional video productions is about to get a lot shorter.

The FREE Studio Shoots Program is humming along nicely. Thank You – by the way. So why did we need to ramp up project volume and Stress Test everything with FREE Studio Shoots?

For the past 3 years we’ve been quietly developing a new service. It’s never been done before, and when it launches, we believe it will be The Video Production Solution that businesses have always needed, but a pile of financial and technical hurdles have kept it from happening.

We’re burning that pile to the ground…

When the smoke clears, what’s left will be an awesome – unprecedented way for you to readily produce high quality video media for your business.

Simple.

Flexible.

Affordable.

Convenient.

Professional.

I don’t use those words lightly. It’s our sincere hope to bring you the final answer to your businesses’ video production needs. Well beyond the fun, Unscripted-Authenticity niche that we built our name on.

This is video production turned on it’s head, and dragged into the 21st century. When we demonstrate the underlying technology to our partners and investors, they all say the same thing.

“This is the right thing at the right time.”

That probably leaves you with more questions that answers. Believe me, no one wants to spill the details more than me. After 7 years of conceptualizing, and 3 years of active development, I’m bursting at the seams to show any and everyone what we can do.

The minute we firm up a launch date for the public beta test, you won’t be able to shut me up. For now, all I can say is we’ll be pulling back the curtain before 2011 rolls in.

Oh-man oh-man oh-man oh-man, this is so cool. I’ve been wanting to do this For-Eh-Ver, but the stars have never fully aligned… until now.  =)

Workflow efficiency? … check

Partners on board? … check

Justification for increasing the workload? … checkittity checkcheck

Check it out:

Think you may need an online video for your business? Try us out – for Free. No strings, no tricky sales tactics. If you may be a good fit for us, we’ll reserve some studio time, take you through our pre-production process, and shoot your video in our Austin studio, all on our dime. After the shoot, you’ll get a no-pressure option to send the production towards the finish line by choosing an editing process thats right for you, or walk away without paying dime.

And you really won’t hurt our feelings if you’re not comfortable moving forward after your FREE shoot. Glowing praise from several hundred finished productions makes it hard to bring us down =)

Oh yah! More. EEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEeee. OK, remember that “editing process that’s right for you” thing I just said? You have 2 editing pathways to choose from now. The editing process and pricepoint that we’ve always offered is still there. It’s now called the Interactive Editing Process, and it’s still less than $4,000 for a video featuring 1 person.

But so many clients have just wanted us to do our thing, that the hands-on approach of the Interactive Process is often a little overkill. Turns out, a lot of people just want to get out of the way and let us make a great video for them (based on their own goals, of course).

As you can imagine, that saves a ton of studio time and resources, so we decided to return the favor and put together a new editing process for anyone who wants to cut the leash and trust the experts. It’s called the FastTrack Editing Process, and here’s the best part, it’s $1,995… Boo-freaking-yaw.

But don’t forget, those editing options and price-points are simply options presented to you after you’ve experienced your Free Studio Shoot. Basically, we’ve taken all risk off the table and put together a zero pressure, Try-Before-You-Buy solution. As far as we know, it’s an unprecedented concept in professional video production.

Here’s an outline of the process:

*(free shoots are currently only available at the Austin studio)
1) See some samples here
2) Learn more about the process here
3) Apply for your Free Studio Shoot

This might be a temporary program, we’ll see. What we’re really after is a line of FREE SunPop samplers around the block, regardless of whether or not they end up paying for an optional editing process. So call your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and Twitt-Face your TubeBook. We’re throwing up the doors and taking people 2/3rds of the way through an entire video production process for Free.

Next post: I’ll give you a peek at WHY we want to increase shooting volume with FREE Video Shoots.

Hint: “Stress-test”

We’re often asked to send in a proposal and bid on a company’s upcoming video production. We usually don’t send anything for a few reasons:

1) It’s a distraction:

In the time it takes to chase someone who maybe-kinda-sorta-possibly interested in doing a video production, we can maintain focus on our committed clients and be amazingly productive for them.

It’s like when you walk into a store looking for someone to help you, but instead of attending to your needs, they keep answering the phone. You committed time and energy by physically walking into their store. Random phone calls and casual questions should take a backseat to the your immediate and concrete needs.

Focusing on our paying clients takes priority above all else. Even potential new business. And that’s never really a problem when we’re repaid with positive word-of-mouth.

2) Apples to oranges:

No one else really does what we do. Or, at the very least they don’t specialize in it. If a company wants a bid from us – and other studios, they usually just have a vague idea of what they want to accomplish, like “an online video”. Just having a vague idea of how to accomplish your video goals isn’t a problem, we can help with that. But we should at least have a clear idea of what your goals are, otherwise it’s impossible to know if we’re on the right track.

3) Published Prices:

SunPop publicly publishes it’s prices and process to keep things fair for everyone. It’s lame when someone makes you contact them for a price quote, just so they can size you up and charge the largest amount possible. Our price is the price, if it’s not a fit for you, no worries.

For those reasons, this most recent proposal request (below) didn’t get a direct bid from us. However, they asked several questions that are relevant to a lot of people, so we’re dropping our Answers here in the blog. The company’s name has been removed for their privacy.

As part of our Internet marketing initiative, {our company} is seeking a designer to create a video spokesperson for our Web site. After reviewing Web sites of potential designers, we have included SunPop Studios on our short list of companies for consideration. Please provide the information requested below to help us make an informed vendor selection: Most of the video spokesperson examples we have reviewed on the Internet run about 30 seconds. Some of our vendor selection committee members want to have a minute, to three minutes of video. What do you recommend, and why?

A video’s recommended run-time depends entirely on your goal(s) for that video. Context is everything here. The following example is a bit simplistic, but, if someone is already on your website, they are actively expressing an interest in what you do, and are more likely to prefer a thorough, more detailed video. You already have their attention, now it’s time to tell them things they want to know to draw them in and close the deal.

However, if your video isn’t primarily meant for your website, then a shorter video is often a better way to go. While surfing through blogs, video sharing sites, social media sites etc. people are in a click-and-skip mentality with an ocean of distractions begging for their attention. You have a small amount of time to make an impression, so say it quick and say it good. You can be more detailed and nuanced after they’ve walked through your front-door (on your website).

There are exceptions to any rule, but that’s is a solid rule of thumb when it comes to online video.

Some of our vendor selection committee members feel we can write their own speech, while others feel we should have it written for us. Can you write our speech for us?

We’re able to write fantastic scripts and speeches, but that isn’t a service we’re offering at this time.

May we provide our own speech?

Not at this time. We may develop a process for people who want to use a script someday, but only if we can consistently do it exceptionally well without sounding like just another cheesy production.

In the meantime, our unscripted pre-production process helps layout a roadmap for a successful production, allowing us to move towards clear goals, while tapping into the value of an unscripted, conversation and authentic tone.

Which way would you advise us to go, and why?

Do a scripted shoot somewhere else if you need absolute control over ever phrase and syllable. Shoot with us if you truly have something valuable to offer people, and need to authentically communicate it without the fluff and filters of artificial ad-speak.

Not sure if we want to have someone on our staff be our spokesperson or hire an actor. Can you provide an actor / actress?

No, we only work with the real people within a business. The actual owners, staff, customers, etc. It may sound daunting at first, but the vast majority of our clients have never been in front of a camera, and are amazed at how easy our studio experience is. The conversational process we’ve developed and refined over the past decade ensures that we hit strategic goals for the video, while providing a relaxed, conversational experience in the studio. That may sound a bit lofty, but we shoot for 60 minutes and only need 3. Anyone can be great for 1/20th of the time =)

If so, how can we see / hear them to pick one?

not applicable

If we have one of our staff members as the spokesperson, what would that process be?

The A to Z process can be found on the Process Webpage of our website. It’ll be a better information resource that anything I can put into a few lines of an email.
www.sunpopstudios.com/the-process

How long will it take to create the video (from the start, to a finished video on our Web site)?

We can usually deliver finished online video files in about a week. More if a client has any delays on their side of the communications.

Can you put the video into our Web site, or do we need to have someone else do the Web page editing?

Someone else will need to do that. We don’t touch the inner workings of a client’s website. Their are plenty of hosting companies that can provide you with a simple html embed code that is copied and pasted into a webpage to display the video.

If we decided to hire you what would our involvement be?

Someone from your organization is designated as the “Point-Person”. This is often the person featured in the video. That “Point-Person” handles all communications with us, rather than multiple people sending us uncoordinated, sometimes conflicting information.

What would we need to provide in terms of information, materials and people?

We just need the person who will shoot in our studio to go through our Online Pre-Production Questionnaire. Beyond just being available for questions via email, there are video guides to assist that person through the questionnaire.

How do we provide these items?

We usually have 1 or 2 initial phone calls with a client. After a project is booked, email is going to be ideal, as it provides a clear track record of all information that is communicated.

Why should we choose SunPop Studios?

If you want to show your potential customers a tightly controlled performance, a scripted shoot elsewhere is your best bet. If you want to pull back the curtain and build some trust and confidence with people considering doing business with you, we’re as good as it gets.

How much will this cost?

Our prices are publicly published on our samples and prices page, but you’d probably be spending a few thousand dollars.
www.sunpopstudios.com/samples-and-prices

Additional information / comments you would like us to take into consideration:

We have really good coffee here. No kidding, it’s good coffee. Forget the video, you should consider just coming in for a cup.

Each month: 168 million online viewers watch an average of 10 hours of video online… in just 30 days. That’s 26 Billion views every month and climbing… We at SunPop keep our finger close to the pulse of online video, but some of the statistics explored over at ReelSEO have been surprising even us.

The first, “Online Video Continues Ridiculous Trajectory”, provides a nice synopsis on some ComScore numbers. A few choice quotes pretty much makes my point for me.

…the average video watched is now 3.8 minutes in length…

In terms of web visitors, 3.8 minutes is an eternity, and most webmasters would kill for an attention span like that. If everything else we’ve said before today hasn’t already convinced you to jump into online video, then zero in and focus on just this metric. What would it be worth to you to hold your visitors’ attention for four minutes?

It’s no wonder, then, that the article “Video Marketing Tops Search Marketing as a #1 Priority for Brands and Agencies in 2010?” reveals that among companies across a wide range of sizes, the very top priority for their online marketing strategy leading into 2010 is to emphasize web video.

All of the above are simple facts.

Our take: The stampede to online video is a no-brainer when you think about how cheap online video is versus traditional alternatives, not to mention the higher impact it can have as your potential customers’ active mouse clicks mean it reaches the right person at the right time. The question isn’t whether it’s time you add video to your website, the only question is who do you trust to produce a quality video that makes you shine and connects with viewers…

In a recent email, Pennie sent us the following:

I wanted to share something with you….. recently I was talking to the Ex. Director of 3RNET, a national organization that I sit on the board of. I had him go to our website. He saw the video and sent it out across the country to our 48 state membership. I thought my computer was going to smoke from all of the responses – some about me, some about the website, but all spurred by the video. I thought you would like to see what they said.

and a few quick excerpts from the response she’s already received:

• “Absolutely awesome! Great idea, Pennie! Very unique and original way to get your (our) message across. Impressive…”




• “WOW.
  Pennie, this is amazing. I’m ready to move to Wyoming right now!
  
  But seriously, what an awesome way to use current media to attract and retain folks in Wyoming.
  
  I’m already pestering my powers that be to do something similar. (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?)”




• “Consulting…can we hire her to be the face for rural…You not only sounded great but you looked marvelous
  
  Great job, well done and very professional”




• “Great site and nicely done. I like the personal touch.”




• “Amazing!! A great website and I agree—post the video on youtube!
  I think the video is brilliant. That is attention grabbing.”




• “Fantastic job, Penny! A great-looking website and an outstanding video to boot!! (No pun intended, Wyoming!)”




• “You make it great. People can copy the format but they can’t clone you.”

I especially like the last quote, “People can copy the format but they can’t clone you.” It’s true, nothing’s as powerful as someone like Pennie simply being who she is on camera and showing the world what she has to offer when she has something worthwhile to share. It’s impossible to duplicate or synthesize, and it’s SunPop’s primary mission as we continue to develop better techniques for pulling back the curtain and helping viewers see the radiant value behind our clients, their companies, and services.

Click on over to the WHRN site and spend just a couple minutes learning about how medical professionals find the right home. It’s illuminating and you’ll have something insightful to talk about next time you meet somebody preparing to enter the field of health
Did I mention our job is fun?

We couldn’t even make this stuff up. We made a new video (and a new friendship) with a recent client named Jean Carpenter Backus, and ever since she’s sent us multiple emails each week as more and more people are “meeting” her through the video and reaching out to her to make things happen. We don’t usually share the specific positive responses we often receive, but the latest blog entry talking about Jean and her video is so perfect, and the story so compelling, that we just have to share the link.

The post: Ricci Neer writes “How I Met Jean Carpenter Backus”

Big things tend to happen when you have as much to offer as Jean does and you simply help people see it for themselves… Do You?

A quick followup on the last post about online videos for SMB’s. For years most marketers and business owners have tossed around the phrase, “Content is King.” That’s all well and good, but what does it really mean?

Bitemark takes a short swing at the answer.

Effectively dealing with the infinite choice of consumers on the web involves a mind-shift from old marketing where commercial messages are thrust on people. The messages that work best on the web are chosen by them. There’s a huge benefit to making this mindshift – it’s easy to create the content that your customers are looking for.

What they call “Useful Information” is probably better expressed with the word“Relevance”. A idea championed, refined and systematized by my friends, Jeff & Bryan Eisenberg, and their latest bestselling book. Being mindful of what information people are looking for, and actually delivering it in an intuitive way is a simple idea on paper, but tricky to implement in practice. Hence their book, Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?, which I highly recommend.

In regards to SunPop Studios’ unscripted video work, the “Relevance” is aimed squarely at relational customers who need trust, confidence and familiarity when deciding to do business with a person / organization. That entire production process is designed to communicate the real and unposed value of worthwhile people, ultimately making the decision to do business with them an easy one.

It’s been said before, but bears reiterating: Online video can level the playing field for the small business people of the world, by providing an affordable and interesting way to showcase points of differentiation from bigger competitors.

An important thing they don’t touch on is the value of good content and production values. The burgeoning potential of online video technology is usually going to get attention in blog posts and articles. But at the end of the day, Content is Still King.

Still, it’s a simple, clear and worthwhile explanation why many businesses and marketers are getting serious about online video.