Wednesday, February 24, 2010

How to Promote Your Seminar or Workshop with Professional Video

You’re excited. You’ve just put the finishing touches on your brand new product or service and you need to reach out and let you potential customers know all about what you have to offer.




One of the most effective way of telling your story is to present a workshop or seminar: demonstrate how great your new product or service is and how it will benefit their business.


No easy task. Book a venue, rent audio equipment, promote the event. Lots of work. And if it’s a one-off event, hopefully you’ll make enough impact to send sales through the roof.


Making a good thing last

Problem is, your brilliant presentation will be mostly forgotten by the attendees after a few hours. It’s not that you were that bad (hopefully) it’s just that we have short attention spans.


We’re bombarded with so much information on any given day, that we just naturally filter most of it out. See, I told you that you weren’t that bad. So how do you keep your presentation on the top of every attendee’s mind?


Believe in Magic

Actually, it’s not magic at all. In fact it’s really a no-brainer. Video your event. Let your audience relive your presentation over and over again. We learn through repetition and a DVD of your event is a sure fire way to drive your message home.

Is it hard to do?


Simple answer is: it doesn’t have to be. And we all like to keep things simple: so hire a professional videograher. A professional videograher will take care of all of the details and fiddly-bits that will ensure that your product or service and you look the best they can be.


Can I do it myself?


Short answer is yes. However, based on your skills, you could come out looking brilliant or like a day one amateur on Youtube. Statistically, the latter is usually the reality.


Yes, Uncle Phil has a really neat video camera with the latest bells and whistles and he’ll do it for free but sadly, we get what we pay for. (No offence Uncle Phil). The question is: does your product and service require the best? I’m assuming your answer is yes. Then pro is the only way to go.


Is it expensive?


It doesn’t have to be, unless of course you have a few spare million in your wallet to create the latest James Cameron epic. A good videograher will sit down with you, explain what works and more important, what doesn’t work and plan something that will be memorable while still remaining in your budget.


Create added value for your participants


Give away the DVD for free. Use it as a bonus and entice people to come to your seminar. It’s a great way to harvest participant’s contact information. And follow-up with them: tell them about your next promotion, ask them to subscribe to your blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter, or whatever else you might have going on.


Make extra money


Why not sell the DVD for added income? Offer a discount to those who attended your workshop, and charge everyone else regular price.


Your DVD could be earning you dollars long after your workshop is over. Work with a videographer that can do small runs (rather than producing hundreds of DVDs at a time), order a few at a time as needed and keep your cost low.


Expand Your Audience


Now that you’re on DVD, the world’s your oyster. (Or clam, if you prefer.) Sell your DVD online. You could go global! Consider getting subtitles or voiceover done in different languages if you think there is a market for it.


Expose Yourself


Once your seminar is shot, get your videographer to edit a short promo. It doesn’t have to be very long, even 15 to 30 seconds could be enough of a teaser.


Make sure you include these three points:


• showcase yourself as a dynamic speaker

• feature your content as something exciting and cutting-edge

• tell viewers to subscribe to your blog, hit your website, follow you on Twitter and Facebook


Don’t forget to include your teaser on your DVD production, so that your captive audience will know how to get in touch with you and know to expect more presentations and DVDs from you.


Post your teaser online, on all your social media, on your website and blog, email it to your network and go viral!


Keep Going!


Once you get the ball rolling on a workshop video, why not turn it into a series and start to grow your audience. Who knows, your videos could generate greater income and larger audiences than your presentations. Now that’s added value.


This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions, a Toronto-based Videography and Photography studio. Night Day Productions specializes in event coverage, including: seminars, workshops, weddings, funerals, theatre and musical performances.


Nishi Dias, Producer

Night Day Productions

416.821.8669

Nishi@NightDay.ca

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Win Award-Winning Wedding Videography by Entering Our Contest!

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Getting married in 2010 in Toronto? How would you like to win a wedding video from Night Day Productions, winner of the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Videography (WeddingWire.com)?

The Prize

Four hours of continuous 1-camera video coverage by Night Day Productions. Includes: 3CCD camera, lighting, wireless lavaliere microphone, digital edit (music, titling, chapter menu, effects), one copy of uncut footage on DVD, 5 copies of edited wedding on DVD, online streaming on your own web page (for proofing and sharing with friends and family), and a highlights montage.

Here’s how to enter the contest:

STEP 1
Become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/NightDayProductions

STEP 2
Post your entry on our wall: tell us in 150 words or less, or in a photo or in a video (1 minute or less) WHY you want Night Day Productions to shoot and edit your wedding video. Be sure to mention your wedding date and location(s). You can be as creative as you want!

STEP 3
Get votes! Get your friends to be fans and post comments (comments = votes) on your contest entry. The entry that gets the most votes/comments by March 31, 2010 wins. Please note, a fan can only vote for you ONCE. They can comment as often as they want but their vote only counts as 1 vote. Fans can vote for more than 1 entry, but they can only vote for each entry once.

EARLY BIRD BONUS! Post your entry by February 28 and get 5 free bonus votes!

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Thanks for playing! Good luck!

Sincerely,

Nishi @ Night Day Productions

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Is it necessary to feed your vendors the day of the wedding?

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Is it necessary to feed your vendors the day of the wedding?

My answer is yes, if we are talking about vendors that are with you for the better part of the day: such as the videographer, photographer, day-of-coordinator, and DJ, to name a few.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

- A vendor will perform better if his stomach isn’t growling (who doesn’t, right?)

- Ask your venue about “vendor meals.” These are less expensive, simplified meals (they might have less courses, for example) that are especially prepared for wedding vendors.

- There is an advantage to feeding your day-of-coordinator the same food that your guests get: if something is wrong with the food, she will know right away and she might have an opportunity to get it fixed on your behalf.

- You could get your vendors to take some time off and go hunt down their own food offsite, but I would advise against that. They could get lost, or there might not be anything available nearby (many banquet halls are in industrial parks, so typically there are no fast food places nearby). It will be time wasted when they could be working at your wedding.

- Remember to check beforehand if your vendors have food allergies or intolerances.

- You can seat your vendors with your guests or reserve a special table for them. DJs often eat at their booths so they can keep an eye on things, but ask them what they would prefer. Some venues plant the vendor table outside of the reception area; this could be counter-productive, especially for the videographer and photographer, as they could miss an unplanned, spontaneous video or photo opportunity.

- If you must have the vendors eat in the kitchen, or in the lobby, or anywhere separate from where you and your guests are eating, you should assign someone (your coordinator or perhaps a member of the bridal party) the task of notifying the camera crew when a speech or game is about to begin. However, if your Uncle Bob suddenly decides to tell a funny story in the middle of dinner, by the time your bridesmaid runs to the kitchen, notifies the camera crew, they drop the chicken wing and pick up their gear, get into position and focus… the moment may be over.

Don’t be shy about addressing this issue with your vendors… trust me, they’re used to dealing with it. In fact, many vendors (including myself) mention it in their contracts and pre-wedding consultations.

Happy planning,

Nishi

This article was written by Nishi Dias of Night Day Productions: a Toronto-based video production company. If you'd like to publish this article, please credit, link-back and contact Nishi at:

Night Day Productions
www.NightDayWeddings.com
416-821-8669
Nishi@NightDay.ca

ENTER OUR CONTEST AND YOU COULD WIN FREE WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHY! http://www.nightday.ca/fan.html