Reason #1: Video Makes You Visible.
Search engines find videos easier than text. In fact, according to a study by Forrester Research, a video is 53% more likely to appear on the first page of a search result. 53%! In addition to search engines, web video increases awareness of your business and drives traffic to your website. A Forbes survey found that 65% of people who viewed an online video then visited that business’s website.

Reason #2: Video Can Go Viral
Even if it doesn’t become the next “Charlie bit my finger” sensation, video is shared much more easily and often than text is. Think about how easy it is to copy and paste a video link onto any of your social networking profiles or send it in an email. If it is a video worth watching, chances are it will be shared. It’s an optimal medium for email marketing, Facebook updates, and other online marketing methods. It’s also better than text because…

Reason #3: Potential Customers Like Video
65% of the population are visual learners. They would rather watch a 30 second video on your website than read a two-page PDF. According to another study, only 20% will read the majority of text on your website, while 80% will watch the same content in a video! If you want people to pay attention to what you have to say, put it in a video.

Reason #4: Video Increases Time Spent on Your Website
Web video increases the time on your website by an average of 2 minutes. More time spent on your website means the user is engaged in what you are offering and becoming familiar with your brand. This higher level of engagement is directly linked to an increase in sales.

Reason #5: Video Increases Sales
An Internet Retailer report found that people who view product videos were 85% more likely to be converted into buyers! After watching a web video, 30% will physically visit your business and 24% will make a purchase. A recent case showed that a hardware and tool retailer saw a 440% increase in conversion rates on tools that had product videos. This should come as no surprise because Internet Retailer also found that products that have product videos are 95% more likely to be bought.

Video on the Marblehead YMCA website

Reason #6: Video Connects You With Your Customers
Text is impersonal. Having someone on camera to connect with your customers adds a personal touch and builds trust with your audience. This personal dimension is what can distinguish you from your competitors and will most assuredly factor in to a potential customer’s decision.

Hopefully these points will help you better understand the benefits of having video on your business’s website. With all the research and statistics on how web video positively affects businesses, it’s becoming hard to see how a business can afford to not have video on their website.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!

How does this film relate to Squash House? The cinematography was done by the Squash House team. In April of 2011 we packed our gear and flew to Denver, Colorado. After meeting with the rest of the crew, we began to shoot at Steve’s ranch in Fort Collins, Colorado. Over the next three weeks, we drove an RV across the country, constantly filming as Steve laid out his plan and talked with almost everyone he could, except in Washington DC where we were cancelled by the left and the right.

We wrapped production in early May on a rainy day in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a long 3 weeks on the road and riding in the RV got a little cramped at times, but it was well worth the time and effort.

Although Squash House is typically seen as a New England video production company, projects like this show how versatile and creative we are. We had a fantastic experience on the film and look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback on it.

The premiere is taking place on March 2nd at 7:00pm at the Park Theatre in Cranston, Rhode Island. Click here for more details or to buy tickets.

Fixing America Trailer 2

Sheila is known throughout Marblehead and beyond for Trouble the Dog, a plush toy that brings comfort and a smile to any child who owns one. She was in a “pickle” and needed some guidance in regards to video. We were more than happy to help out, and in the process found out what a wonderful person Sheila is and how much Trouble means to kids (and adults) everywhere.

For the full story of Trouble visit the website or Facebook page. We simply want to say that one of the true pleasures of working in this industry is not just in creating high-quality video, but also in the relationships we build along the way.

Here at Squash House, we answer these questions for you and help you develop an appropriate hosting plan so that when your video is complete, you don’t need to worry about how it will get on the web for your audience to see.

A lot of people may not be familiar with what a video host even is and why they need one. Basically, it is a 24/7 computer server with enough space to store your video files. Unlike your home or work computer, it doesn’t get shut down at the end of the day. People can view your videos no matter what time it is. To place the video on your website, you simply take the provided embed code from the host and paste it on your website.

YouTube is the most widely known video host. Although there are several reasons to post your video on YouTube, we recommend businesses subscribe to a dedicated, professional video hosting service. There are a variety of reasons for this:

• It is more professional. Nothing is more frustrating than having your sleek-looking, professional corporate overview video covered in banner ads and placed next to a Lady GaGa music video.
• You have more control. Options can range from auto-play, password protection, video size, watermarks, custom thumbnails and much more.
• Optimized video delivery. Will it play on a PC? Mac? Cell phone? Fast internet? Slow internet? Many video hosts are built to detect and deliver the most appropriate file in a split second. The last thing you want is for your video to be constantly buffering or, worse, not loading at all.
• Your video is more protected. Most dedicated video hosts make it difficult for viewers to download or copy your video without permission. The copyrighted material belongs to you and no one else.
•  Customer Service. Video stops halfway through? There is no sound? Good luck calling YouTube; you can’t. A video hosting company wants your video to play well just as much as you do or else they lose your business, so they will work to solve the issue as quickly as possible.

Video hosting services usually charge either a monthly or annual fee based on what plan you get. At Squash House, we use iPlayerHD. It is reasonably priced and fantastic at detecting bandwidth to optimize videos for playback on any device.

A quick Google search will show that there are many more video hosting services out there, including Brightcove, Wistia, and Oculu. All of them provide a free trial period, so feel free to sign up, kick the tires, and see if it works for you before you commit.

Those are a few thoughts on of video hosting and why it is important for your web video. Let us know your thoughts or questions below!

A question a lot of people ask us at Squash House Media is, “Where did the name Squash House come from?” A quick look back at history will help explain why we are a video production company called Squash House that is based in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

The original Squash House was a fish house built in the early 1700s on Gerry Island off the coast of Marblehead. It was later moved to 59 Elm Street. Beginning in the 1890s, it was converted into a playhouse that became home to the “Squash Players.” In the 20th century it was also used as a gallery and art studio – where Jeff Hoffman studied under the artist Ned Fish.

The town of Marblehead has several historical claims to fame. It is considered the birthplace of the American Navy. Marblehead men are also credited with ferrying George Washington across the Delaware River.

Squash House Media reflects the quirky and creative environment it is set in, with its staff having histories as interesting and varied as the stories of Marblehead and the original Squash House itself. Being in a small town close to Boston allows us to exercise our creative talents while staying in touch with the businesses we continue to serve.

As the world of digital media continues to rapidly evolve, we at Squash House Media continue to remain committed to understanding your needs while ensuring that we don’t sacrifice the professional, high-quality videos we have consistently delivered.

But don’t just take our word for it. See it for yourself. Browse the new website. Read the Rave Reviews. View our Portfolio. And then Connect with us. We are more than happy to hear your comments and answer your questions.

- The Squash House Team