Welcome

Welcome to The Jode Files. This is a place for individuals and companies to find resources on multimedia, especially in regards to using multimedia for marketing purposes. We only have several posts at the moment, but we were too antsy and didn't want to wait to get this up and rolling.  We will post content as often as possible, so check back frequently.

Quick Bit: Why a Website Matters to Your Business

My retired father of 65 was searching for a company to redo his driveway. Now, this wasn't a relaying of some tar over the existing facade. This was a real construction job of pulling up the old foundation and replacing it with a new infrastructure.

My father called and questioned a number of local companies that could complete the job. He did his research and questioned a number of companies. He wasn't impressed with any of them.

But when I questioned him on why he chose the company he did, he replied, "Because that was the only  company with a Website."

The bottom line is that a Website can make or break whether you get a job or win contract. A Website is a must.

Common Printing Terms

The digital world has taken a strong hold, and in many cases destroying, old forms of communication. Marketing has seen a big shift after adopting digital forms of promotion. Websites, video, podcasts, and social networks have become standard in promotions. However, printed materials are still needed and alive and well. Businesses still need the flyer, billboard, brochure, poster, annual report, and business card.

So, when working with a person, agency or service bureau for printed material, you may find a number of terms thrown about that you are unfamiliar with. Here is a list of common printing terms and their definitions. There are hundreds of printing terms, and this list is only a small portion. 

4-Color Process

The process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color image. The four colors are CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black).

A4 Paper

The standard size of typing paper adopted by the International Standards Organization. It measures 210 mm wide and 297 mm long. (about 8 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches). It is used in most countries of the world, except the US and some neighboring countries where letter-size paper (8 1/2 x 11 inch) is used.

Against the Grain

At right angles to the direction of paper grain.

Bleed

Refers to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming.

Product Description Videos Lead to Increase In Sales

Video can be used in many different ways in marketing campaigns. Much of those avenues will be explored further in future articles written here. This article deals with the production of product description videos and addresses the question that many people and businesses want to know: will utilizing video show an increase in sales? The answer is yes, and the three companies outlined in this article prove that video works for increasing conversion rates.

StacksandStacks.com, is an online retailer offering products to organize and furnish homes, offices and gardens. Several years ago they began to add manufacturer and original product videos. They now have a huge video library which showcases the uses of the products. Cathy McManus, the e-retailer's marketing director, said that tests concluded a consumer was 144% more likely to purchase after seeing a product video than those who did not.

Here is one of their product videos:

Government Liquidation is an online auction site for the sale of U.S. Government surplus and scrap material to the public. Government Liquidation uses product description videos to show prospective buyers future items that will be available for auction. However, before their addition of video, bidders could only rely on pictures and text to get a description of the items on sale. Liana “Li” Evans, in her book Social Media Marketing, said that:

As a test, Government Liquidation took several identical lots and created a video of just one of those lots. The other lots were left with picture and text descriptions. The company expected perhaps a small lift in participation on the bidding, but it was amazed by the results. Not only did bidding increase on the lot with video, but the ending bid amounts increased exponentially. Because the bidders could actually see from multiple angles what they were bidding on, they considered the items more valuable and therefore bid higher.

Here is one of their product videos:

Zappos.com is an online shoe and apparel shop. Zappos creates short, product description videos targeting the culture that the product is being marketed to. In 2009, at the Streaming Media West Show, Rico Nasol, a Content Team Senior Manager for Zappos, reported that Zappos sells between 6 – 30% more merchandise when a product is accompanied by a product description video.

Here is one of their product videos:

So, video can increase sales and improve conversion rates. But we have found that it can be a major boost to sales, and not just a small uptick. StacksandStacks.com saw figures that reached 144%. Government Liquidation found that ending bid amounts increased exponentially. And Zappos reported a 6 – 30% increase in sold merchandise.

I would say not bad. But it is not bad, it is great.