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Tips for Small Business

“Customer of the Month” Video for Pedro Sousa Hairdressers.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Here is an excellent video created with trakAxPC by one of our users, Marcos Castro, who created this promotional video for Pedro Sousa Hairdressers. The video was created to highlight the “Customer of the Month” promotion running within the salon. This kind of idea is great for any small business as you can reward customers for their loyalty, receive customer testimonials, as well as promote and advertise your company on your blog or social media sites.

Marcos implemented some simply camera techniques when recording his footage which really gives the video that professional look. You can check out these techniques by clicking here. Great job Marcos and thanks for sharing your video with us.

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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  1 comment line
73 Social Media and Technology Resources for Small Businesses
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

For all small businesses out there, here are some excellent social media and technology resources which have been complied by Mashable and may be invaluable to your company.

The resources cover topics such as Social Media, Business, Start-ups, Tech & Gadgets, Marketing & Advertising and more. Check out the link provided to see if any of these resources could be beneficial for your business.

http://mashable.com/2011/05/15/small-business-digital-resources/

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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  1 comment line
Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to use video to help promote your Business within the Tourism Industry
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

With the global recession pretty much still in full swing, it has become more important than ever for small businesses in the tourism industry to aggressively promote their business to the widest possible audience and attract that all important customer. Tourism is a huge industry and has a major impact on most service industries including airlines, coaches, taxicabs, hotels, restaurants and leisure and entertainment services such as shopping malls, music venues and theatres. By creating a short online video highlighting your product and range of services, you can target and speak directly to potential customers and demonstrate what you do best and the services you provide.

In the videos below, we see a number of businesses that have used video to promote and market their businesses within the tourism industry, as well as highlighting their skills, services and products.

1. Promoting a Travel Agent / Package Holidays.

If you are an independent travel agent selling package holidays, an online video is a great way to visually demonstrate and advertise to potential clients the range of experiences they can enjoy. Beachtravellers.com is a travel company which specialises in adventure travel and is one such company who has created a video which captures and encapsulates the experience of a once in a lifetime holiday. The video itself is exciting, fun and vibrant and shows how appealing a package holiday can be.

What you’ll need:

2. Promoting Transportation / Tours.

Good transportation infrastructure is vital for every city and plays an important role within the tourism industry. Having a well-oiled transportation service is important in attracting tourists and providing employment in many service industries. If you are a small business in a major city, an online video is a great way to promote your company as well as highlight the services you offer. New York Waterway is a family run ferry business which offers a transportation service to Manhattan as well as sightseeing tours around New York harbour. Not only do their videos promote their business and create brand awareness, it also highlights the friendly service on offer and provides testimonials of their customer’s experience.

What you’ll need:

3. Promoting a Service / Activity.

Skiing and Snowboarding have become extremely popular in the last few years, especially with the introduction of some new extreme events in the Winter Olympics. However, for anyone who has never skied before it’s not as simple as putting on the skis and sliding down the hill. This is where ski school helps. Grimentz Swiss Ski & Snowboard School located in Grimentz, Switzerland, has created an entertaining and fun video demonstrating the activities and facilities they have to offer as well as showcasing the skills and experience of their staff. This video highlights how easy it is to make a clean and concise video promoting your company without the need for complicated shots or expensive gear. This style of video could provide a template for any type of sport activities such as mountain biking, hiking, surfing, etc.

What you’ll need:

4. Testimonials of Service.

If you are a business who knows its target clientele then a testimonial video is a great way to engage potential customers. Fred Olsen Cruise ships is one such company who has used this type of video marketing to great effect. Potential Customers who may be attracted to this type of holiday but have not taken the plunge (excuse the pun) can view members of their peer group discussing and promoting the sales features and attraction of such a holiday. Testimonial videos can be incorporated into any industry promotion and is a great way for small business to market their company, products and services.

What you’ll need:

5. Promoting Accommodation / B & B.

The hospitality sector relies heavily on the tourism industry, especially hotels, B & B’s, restaurants, etc. If you are a small business located in a major city or in an isolated rural area, how are you going to differentiate yourself from your competitors and be found by potential customers? An online video is a great way to advertise and promote your business and location and allows clients to visually experience the facilities and services on offer.

Hotel Berlin, Berlin, is a hotel which has reinvented itself and is clearly differentiating itself from its competitors. They highlight why they are different and explain that listening to the customer is the key to success. The hotel is large, Berlin’s third largest, and has 701 rooms, 18 conference rooms, as well as several restaurants and bars. However, this video can be used as a blueprint for any business trying to sell itself in this extremely competitive sector.

If you are located in a quiet rural area, an online video is great way to highlight your location and display your services. Gustobnb.be is a B & B which has created a really friendly and elegant video showcasing their beautiful surroundings, modern furnishings as well as activities located in their surroundings. This is a great example of a simple video which has been well produced and will promote their business in the best light.

What you’ll need:


Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.


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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  Leave a comment line
Sneak Peak - Small Business Videos
Friday, October 22, 2010

We have been working really, really hard on the upcoming release. We are getting very close to finishing it and hope to confirm a release date shortly. It will be a huge step for the software and the new features are really exciting. Probably the most requested feature is .Mov support. We decided to combine testing the .Mov support with another area we have been working on – our Small Business Area – and create a short business video filmed with a Kodak Zi8 (.Mov format).

We noticed that a huge proportion of our customers are small businesses and our upcoming Small Business Area will be an exhaustive range of resources to help small businesses use video to promote their product and services in a really cost-effective, but professional way. As part of this process, we decided to set ourselves the challenge of creating a small business video from scratch for a budget of $200.

We teamed up with our good friends, Deirdre Hynes and Aoife Callaghan, the amazingly talented wedding consultants from The Bridal Loungelocated just up the road from us in Dublin, to create our video. Our aim was to convey their services and explain their wedding inspiration consultations in a short video, which was both engaging and fun.

Here is the final cut:

Our Budget was spent like this:

trakAxPC - $24.95 (available here)
Kodak Zi8 - $119 (from Amazon)
Tripod - $20.85 (from Amazon)
External Mic - $8.99 (from Amazon)
Total: $173.79 (allowing a few dollars for postage, tax etc.)

We used the lamps that the girls had in their studio as well as the natural light from windows. We filmed the interview segment of the video in the morning and then accompanied them to a photo shoot that afternoon, so all told there was around 6 hours max of filming done, so less than 1 business day.

Our Small Business Area, which will be launched to coincide with the new release, will cover all these topics in detail and give you all the tips you need to take the plunge and start creating a video for your business.

We would love to hear your feedback, so please leave a comment and please let us know if there are any particular topics that you would like to see covered in this Small Business resource area.

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Posted by Catriona in Tips for Small Business   |  Leave a comment line
Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to Use Video to help promote your Health, Fitness and Wellness Centre
Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Most people would love to exercise, eat healthy and feel good about themselves. However, not everybody likes the idea of going to the gym. A lot people get confused about healthy foods and what to eat. In short, your potential customer may lack motivation and information. Why not create a short video showcasing your premises, display the equipment you have and provide customer testimonials. If you are a personal trainer or instructor, you could demonstrate some of the classes you hold. Why not provide tips on healthy eating. If you have a physio rehabilitation clinic, why not show the facility and explain how you can potentially treat a client. By creating a video, you may just light that spark of motivation necessary to help get that customer through your doors and sign up for a better life, and increase your profits.

In the videos below, we will see some examples of businesses and individuals using video to promote their company but also inspire people to get healthy, exercise and improve their lifestyles.

1. Overview of Fitness Centre.

Thresh Hold Climbing and Fitness Centre is an excellent example of a business who has used video to help create awareness of not only their business but a really exciting and adventurous activity. This well made video provides some great ideas that any business or individual could implement in their own video creation. They highlight their facility and show you their climbing walls, fitness centre, yoga studio, Wi-Fi lounge etc. Most notably, they show actual members using the facility and feature customers from every demographic. You get a real feeling there is a community spirit in the place and that members share their expertise and experience. After watching the video, I wish there was a centre like this near where I live. What is great about creating a video such as this, is that you can grab footage whenever you can and not worry too much about having a linear storyboard – just edit together some footage that shows your centre in the best light and add an appropriate soundtrack.

What you’ll need:

2. Promoting your Centre.

In this interview style video, we get a great insight into the goals and objectives that RakSa Wellness Centre wishes to achieve for their customers. The owner, Apinya Pokachaiyapat, explains to us that the RakSa Centre helps nurture the mind, body and soul. We get an overview of the 3 elements of the centre; Sala for the body helps customers develop their body movements through Yoga, Tai Chi, workshops etc. The café provides quality organic produce which helps to nourish the body. Finally, the wellness centre offers a variety of services from acupuncture, massages, astrology, etc. which help cleanse the body and mind. Most importantly, the video projects to customers a feeling of calmness and well-being and would be a great place for people wishing to increase their holistic lifestyle. Interview style videos can be great because they can put you at ease when talking about your business, as you are covering one point at a time. People also love to see the owner / manager talk about their business, as it shows you are not some faceless organisation.

What you’ll need:

3. Instructional Video / Be an Expert.

A great way to connect with potential customers is to create instructional videos for video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc. or simply for your own weblog. In this video, we see Yoga teacher, Les Leventhal, demonstrate one of his Yoga classes. These types of instructional videos are a great way to highlight your own talent and skill but also promote and market your business. It also provides potential clients the opportunity to visually see the classes and instructor and decide whether it is something they want to pursue. If you create a well made, informative video and it is already something a potential client is interested in, more than likely they will pay a visit to your establishment. A video such as this can be super simple to create – the only issue you may need to think about is lighting; your studio or gym may need a few extra lamps if natural light is scarce.

What you’ll need:

4. Promoting your Product.

If you are a small business selling health and fitness products, a video provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your product offering in front of customers and potential investors. In this video, we see John, co-founder of JourneyGym, highlight and demonstrate the many uses and numerous exercises one can achieve with their product. Text can be used to highlight important product features and you may want to look at using some stock footage (such as iStockphoto) if you need some extra clips to help your sales pitch.

What you’ll need:

5. Customer Testimonials.

This short 30 second video is a great way to attract new customers as the use of testimonials is a great way to build your reputation, credibility and sales. Gathering and using testimonials is one of the easier yet more powerful ways to build your business and attract new customers.  FitCorp Fitness Centre have used their customers to help highlight their key advantages such as excellent classes, experienced and helpful trainers, lots of equipment and a great atmosphere. The video also shows people of different ages and body types working out and would make any potential customer feel at ease. A great advantage of a video such as this, is the ease that you can create it – simply set up your camera on a tripod and interview some regular customers who are willing to be recorded (some nice goodies may help with getting volunteers – some free merchandise etc.). Edit your clips together in trakAxPC and you’re done!

What you’ll need:


Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.


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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  1 comment line
Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to Use Video to help promote your Flower Business
Monday, September 06, 2010

Opening a florist boutique can be a daunting experience, especially if you are located in a big city with many competitors or a rural village with little traffic. However, if you develop a successful marketing campaign, it can also be very profitable as there are always events, celebrations and holidays that require flowers. There are also long term contracts which can be established with local churches, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and other businesses, who need flowers delivered or arranged on a regular basis. So how do people search or find the right florist for their event or special occasion in their area? Why not create a video demonstrating the flowers you have on offer, the bouquets you design, the custom services that you provide and your location. All this information will help potential clients choose your outlet or designs, as well as building brand awareness and presenting your business as being professional and accessible.

In the videos below, we see a range of florists who have used video to help promote and market their businesses, as well as highlight their skills, services and flowers on offer.

1. Overview of Florist Shop.

If you are a florist located in a large city, an excellent way to market your business is to create a short video giving an brief overview of your business. The Windsor Florist in New York is a great example of a business which has exploited the opportunities of video to promote their business but also highlight their location, services and their specialty products. Sam Karalis, part-owner of Windsor florist, makes us feel welcome and establishes a personal connection with potential clients. We discover they have been in business since 1936, specialise in orchids and are Zagat rated. These simple pieces of information convey to the client that they are a creditable and reputable outlet and if I were in the neighbourhood, I would certainly pop in to say hello.

What you’ll need:

2. Location.

Before you select the location for your florist shop, be sure that a market exists for your flowers in that community. You should find out how many consumers are there in your marketplace? What is their income? How old are they? How often do your target customers buy flowers? Where do they live?etc. If you are located in a small neighbourhood or city, a promotional video, as part of a marketing campaign, is a great way to target these customers and highlight your location, services and unique designs on offer. If you are successful, you can become rooted (excuse the pun) in the community and develop long lasting relationships. Norwood Florist and Gift shop is one such example. Firstly, they show us where they are located and explain to us the services they provide. However, you get this overwhelming feeling that they are an important part of the community and they really consider their clients as friends and are honoured to share their special moments in their lives. What a great way to make a connection and attract new customers.

What you’ll need:

3. Weddings & Special Events.

Providing flowers for weddings and special events can really help increase your brand awareness and in turn increase your profits. Beautiful flower arrangements at a wedding or special event can be a real conversation piece. After the wedding dress and food, the next major talking point is the flowers. Get this right and people may come to you for their own flower arrangements or spread positive comments through word of mouth.

In the first video, we see Beth Leon Guerrero of WildFlowers Inc, who specialises in weddings and special events. From the outset, we get a clear understanding that they take care and pride in their work and their goal is to bring their client’s vision to life through beautiful arrangements. As they cater for events, they also provide flower accessories, lights, fabric, furniture rentals, etc. Most importantly, this video highlights the passion they have for their work and clients, which a printed brochure can never convey.

In the second video, we see an excellent example of a florist taking the initiative and actually recording and presenting their work in a real life situation. The people at Dutch Bloemen Winkel show evidence of their work in a real setting and would give any potential client a reassuring feeling that they can achieve your vision and make it a truly special day.

(Tip: If you are providing flowers for a wedding or event, simply ask the bride or organiser if you can take some footage before the guests arrive).

What you’ll need:

4. Create a Slideshow.

Are you running your florist by yourself? Are you stuck for time? Are you on a tight budget? Then why not use some of your photos to create a slideshow of your creations.  Lisa Foster Floral Design is one such example of how to create a slideshow of your work. If you have professional photos lying around why not use them to make a photo slideshow. If you don’t have any photos and are on a tight budget, use a digital camera or borrow one from a friend and take some yourself. This is a very quick and cheap option, nevertheless it is a great way to promote your business and allow potential clients to view your work. To achieve a similar effect to the video above, add some “Zoom” effects and keep your font choice crisp and simple (see here for more ideas on fonts).

What you’ll need:

5 . Become an Expert.

As mentioned in previous blogs, creating a weblog for your site or video hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc. is a great way to promote your business and share your knowledge and experience. If you constantly submit quality content, not only will you soon become recognised as a local expert in your field but also enhance your creditability while increasing your web traffic and search engine rankings. Here we see an expert from ProFlowers.com, a flower delivery service, explaining to us how to prep and position a wonderful rose arrangement. This is a great way to promote and market proflowers as you can visually see the results that the vendor can achieve. It also provides great tips to clients on how to present their flower arrangement.

What you’ll need:


Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.


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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  1 comment line
Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to use Video to help sell Cars
Monday, August 30, 2010

Are you an owner of a car dealership? Are you trying to sell your car online? Is nobody coming to your car lot or website? Why not make a promotional video of your dealership and cars on offer that will not only entice visitors but provide a platform to increase sales. By creating an online video, you are engaging with the customer and establishing a personal connection. Not only can you speak directly to the potential client, you can control exactly how your message is received and explain what you do best and the services you provide. The people at “Evenalicium”, the digital marketing consultancy, report that people remember only 10% of what they read but 50% of what they see and hear.

In the videos below, we see some good examples of business owners and individuals who have used video to leverage their business opportunities and prospects of selling their cars. These videos also give some good ideas of the shots you can use if you wish to promote your own business and sell your car online.

1. Overview of Car Dealership.

The Nice Car Company really demonstrates how, in under 3 minutes, a business can provide a simple and informative video while also connecting and engaging with potential customers.  From the outset there is a warm friendly hassle-free atmosphere. They use the video to highlight their advantages and explain thoroughly their services including the previous history of their cars, a full mechanical inspection and report and information and access to every car online. Most importantly, I believe this video highlights the company’s professionalism and credibility as a reputable car dealership and gives confidence to customers that they are receiving a fair and honest deal.

What you’ll need:

2. Promoting your Dealership.

This video is a great example of how a simple one minute video can provide a potential client with a lot of information. The video highlights the friendly personal service you will receive. You get a full view of the dealership, inside and out, and the wide selection of cars on offer. Simple use of bullet-point style text highlights the services available including a test drive, certifications and guarantees as well as finance options. Why would you use a cumbersome brochure when you can visually showcase your business and cars on offer?

What you’ll need:

3. Selling your own Car.

More and more people are beginning to sell their own car privately on auto trading websites. As video becomes mainstream, you will begin to see more of these trading sites excepting video reviews of cars for sale. If the saying goes “A picture tells a thousands words”, what must a video do?

In this video, we see a pristine 1991 Porsche Carrera for sale. The owner has used simply shots to highlight the beauty of his car. He teases us by drawing our attention to the sleek lines of the Porsche and its exquisite interior. However with old or classic cars, one always has the fear that the engine has seen better days. But not to worry, we see and hear the engine running which still sounds as smooth as the day it was made. You cannot convey this compelling message with a written description or photos.

What you’ll need:

4. Become an Expert.

Weblogs are a great way to connect with a wider audience. It allows you to demonstrate your knowledge in a particular field. If you deliver high quality content on a regular basis, you will stand out from your competitors and will become recognised as a local expert in your industry. Here we see Keith McCahan, a senior salesman at Capital Ford Lincoln Mercury in Wilmington, N.C. He shares with us his extensive knowledge and experience, and gives sound advice to new up and coming sales people. Again, it emphasises the credibility and professionalism of the vendor.

What you’ll need:

5. Customer Testimonials.

What better way to promote and advertise your business than getting quality customer testimonials. If your customers are saying great things about your dealership, then why not publicise those positive comments for everyone to see? A compelling customer testimony validates the claims you make about how great your business is. And the great thing about this video is its believability. The customers seem very authentic and you get the feeling you are receiving a genuine deal.

What you’ll need:

Bonus Video

Thinking outside the Box.

I thought I would include this bonus video as I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. I am certainly not promoting this type of marketing idea but it does highlight that sometimes the most extreme marketing ideas work. Selling an extra 35 cars during the promotion is proof of this, plus they received great free advertising. However, I do wonder what the marketing meeting was like when someone piped up with the idea “How about we give away a free AK-47 with every car sold! Jackpot $$$$”.

Some other videos you may find useful –

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.


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Posted by Colm in Tips for Small Business   |  2 comments line
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