educational video
The New York Times Discovers Online Video
Mar 16th
3-16-11 My friend Kurt Hines at HLC Technology Solutions just sent me an excellent article in today’s New York Times about a whole slew of companies that have started communicating directly with their customers via web video. It also mentions one thing I’ve been saying for years, that video now is what having a web page used to be: the way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. It’s well worth the read.
My favorite points from the article:
1. A series of videos posted on one company’s website reduced customer questions by half. This not only freed up sales staff to be more productive, it actually allowed the owner to avoid hiring several more employees.
2. The videos also allowed the same company to shave 40% off their customer service budget and do away with phone support completely.
3. Instruction manuals and how-to guides work much better as videos for more and more companies.
Here’s the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/business/smallbusiness/17sbiz.html?_r=1
Ballet Video Engages New Students
Jan 30th
Being married to a dancer, I have learned a lot about dance by osmosis. (I also used to play piano for dance classes, but that was in another life.) Since Geiger Classic Ballet Academy is the premiere dance school in the region, I thought they deserved an educational video that was also a promotional video that showed people how exceptional they are. I was lucky enough to get the assistance of Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008, who feels that she owes a lot of her success to the Academy and its founder, Mary Geiger. (She studied there for several years). This mini-documentary video features interviews with Kirsten, Mary Geiger, a dance student and her father who all give their unique perspective on what the academy has to offer. It’s a great compliment to the articles, information and pictures on the dance school’s website.
Video can Tell a Musical Story Powerfully
Jan 26th
If it were not for this video, few people outside of Michigan would have the opportunity to learn about the unique techniques developed by music educator Florence Paterni during a 30-year career in the Detroit Public Schools. This mini-documentary (a little over 8 minutes) features interviews with students, parents, grandparents, music educators, administrators and friends. Together, they tell the story of how they were introduced to music and how it has changed their lives. Call this an educational video, a video documentary or a video biography: either way, it is a touching story of competence, love and dedication.