Investors United (school) Marketing Video
This 1 minute 46 second video is a case study type marketing video (combination video testimonial for the school). A student of Investors United School of Real Estate earned $13,000 in 2 weeks on a deal he learned to create through studying at Investors United. Like any good recruiting ad should have…they included a catchy title: “What Recession? 21 Year Old Kid Makes $13K in 2 weeks”. The description is also good, “Mike Casey on his day of settlement. Mike describes how he made $13,000 in 2 weeks wholesaling a property in Baltimore, Maryland in April 2009 – with no money out of pocket, spending zero on marketing, and no buyers list!” This video helps spread the word about how good Investors United is as a school.
Now the bad points. Why didn’t they use a tripod…luckily the shake did not last long. The hollow, tin-like sound is due to the built in microphone. I strongly suggest using external microphones. Nice opening and closing graphics & sound, but why no website address? That could have been added to the graphic easily enough.
I am flattered that you took the time to review my video, and greatly appreciate the feedback, both negative and positive. We just started using in-house produced video on a larger scale and it has provided a new level of engagement with both our prospects and customers.
You may find it interesting that this video was entirely spur-of the moment. Mike had just walked by my office and I heard him talking about what he had done and that he still had the settlement check in his hand.
For a fleeting second I thought (“I’ll schedule an appointment with him to come back…”) but then I quickly changed my mind and rather than wait for tripods, lighting, and audio equipment, I jumped at the chance to capture him in his “moment of glory”.
Many of our other in-house videos are shot with more extensive lighting, audio, etc – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqdPv6SP8w4. But in terms of gathering testimonials- if you have a customer facing business, sometimes there are special moments that don’t wait. Had I waited for our “studio” set-up it would not have had the same level of authenticity.
When we play the video during live presentations, it seems to gets the strongest reactions from our prospects compared to the professionally produced videos – people start chuckling and smiling, and asking about Mike. There’s a “if this kid can do it, why can’t I?” aspect.
As far as the website address, you are absolutely right. I put off doing it because I wanted to integrate it with our bumper animation, but really a bar across the bottom would suffice.
Anyway I just wanted to provide some “behind the scenes” on this video and leave you with this thought: professional production is great. However depending on your brand and type of business, sometimes it is appropriate to grab the flip cam and capture the “special moment” with your customers – even though it’s rough around the edges, the authenticity will shine through and help you to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Thank again you so much for your feedback.
Yes, there are special moments that don’t wait…that is why I would suggest having the tripod and an external microphone on hand in the office…perhaps already attached to the camera. So if someone is excited and you want to capture it…take the extra minute to set up a tripod and put a microphone on the person.
Excellent video though. Great job!