I first heard about Animoto on Twitter around the time CK asked me to help put together this video for Blogger Social, taking place this April in New York. Armed with an easy-to-use video production service, the BS08 trailer was sure to be a hit. Response to the video has been so positive, it got me thinking about Animoto’s business implications. If used right, the service can help you look like a champ, too.
What is Animoto? Animoto’s motto is “The end of slideshows." How is this true? Simply put, Animoto is an online service that allows you to create video productions as easy as 1-2-3. All you have to do is upload your photos, choose a song – either from their bank or one you upload. Animoto takes it from there, creating an effects-heavy movie in minutes, one you’d likely be incapable of making yourself, either because of lack of time or talent.
So how can these videos help you in business? Here are a few thoughts:
1. Create intro videos for business presentations
With Animoto, you can set the tone for your presentation, pump up your audience and let them know off the bat that your talk isn’t going to induce sleep. And now that you can download your videos to your hard drive – a new feature – you don’t have to be online to access it. Just make sure that what follows the video lives up to the expectations it’ll help you set.
2. Feed your blog and social networking accounts with original content
Animoto allows you to post your videos all over the web directly and seamlessly. If your blog or social network isn’t supported, just grab the embed code and post it yourself. With this option, you can give your readers/followers something fun, intriguing or useful to watch and, if you’re so inclined…
3. … you can help others spread the message on your behalf
Why not make the embed code available so your colleagues and friends can spread the word for you? If your video is worth the attention, others will be happy to help share your message. That’s exactly what happened with the Blogger Social video.
4. Juice up your Facebook groups
Let’s say your business has a group on Facebook, for example, that people have been posting pictures to. Imagine taking those pictures, uploading them to Animoto and making movie magic out of them. You’d be creating value for the group and validating all the effort of your fans – the people who are sharing their pictures in the first place. You’d also be giving people a fresh reason to drop by and check things out, as you give new life to the pictures.
5. Get to know your people and prospects better
The first things I’ve seen people do with this service is create videos of their family, dogs or other interests. It’s a natural – you want to see the pictures on your hard drive come to life. So if you’re running a business, why not put up a page where your employees can share their life outside of work through these videos? This can create new bonds between colleagues and help your team get closer. When you become more comfortable, you can consider inviting your clients in on the fun as well. It’s all in the name of humanizing your organization in a different way than a blog or wiki can.
So these are five ways you can take advantage of Animoto for business gain. But I’m sure you can come up with a lot more if you put your mind to it. Before long, it could be you who will be saying, “Thank you very much-o, Mr. Animoto.”
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