Business Owners: Get More Mileage out of Your Videos

Does Your Business Have A Video?

More and more businesses are creating videos and seeing the value. Videos are a great way to demonstrate a product, detail a service, or introduce people to your staff. Videos can be time consuming to create, and expensive to make. While we have observed a growth in the number of businesses making videos, the majority of them fail to think about the next step: How do you get customers to see it?

We see the video process as having two parts: Production & Distribution. Production is the planning, shooting and editing of the video. Distribution is taking the finished video and putting it in front of people. While there has been a great increase in attention paid to the production, distribution is something many forget to focus on.

Where Are You Putting Your Finished Videos?

So where do your videos go? How do you get them seen? How do you measure the success of a video you’ve made? These are all questions you should ask yourself.

We’ve found that many business owners take a “Field of Dreams” approach to video distribution. The famous quote from the movie, “If you build it they will come”. If you build a great video and throw it on YouTube, you will soon find that your intended audience will not find it automatically.

It’s similar to printing fliers. Just because you’ve printed 100 fliers and have them stacked in a box, doesn’t mean people will seem them. You have to do the work to get those 100 fliers into 100 prime locations to reach your desired audience. Video works in much the same way. Even though you aren’t passing out physical videos, you do have to think about how to place them in front of people you want to see them. Youtube, your website, community pages etc. are all places you can start. We have found a primary space for these videos should be on TV in your business location(s).

Putting Your Videos on TV

download — This doesn’t have to be your TV solution.

Having your videos on TV will draw more attention to them. It will get them seen by customers that are more likely to act upon your messaging.

There are many ways you can get your videos onto TVs in your locations. We have details the top methods in this article: 3 Ways to put your videos on TV.

The problem with most display solutions is that they loop. Unless you have a large library of content at the ready, people are going to watch the same thing again and again with no break and nothing new. Maintenance and upkeep are also issues – often needing to brave a utility closet full of wires, re-load physical drives or USB sticks, or having to hire a specialist in order to update or fix what’s on the TV.

Making the Most out of Your Videos

Putting an easy-to-use system in place that will play your videos and mix them with other TV programming is key. It’s Relevant TV takes the majority of the work away- providing your business with relevant TV programming, and a way to make the most out of your media.

It’s Relevant is a cable alternative that provides businesses a TV solution in the form of a living network of short-form content. IRTV’s library of videos is broken up into categories for you to choose from based on your customer’s interests, and gives you full control over what’s on your TV. The service provides compliments to your own videos as well as complete management of one or multiple TVs. IRTV tracks everything so you can know how many times each of your videos were displayed, along with specific timing and location.

The big difference between It’s Relevant TV and other solutions is in the content. IRTV provides interesting and entertaining content while inserting your own messages and real-time social media for people to see while engaged.

Visit itsrelevant.com to learn more about the easy-to-use and cost effective TV solution.

Turning Off Politics: A New TV Trend in Gyms & Fitness Centers

Gyms and fitness centers across the country are reconsidering what’s on their TVs. In the midst of a hostile and tense political climate TV channels are being scrutinized. Gym-goers are there to get fit, work through stress, and feel good about themselves. The TV programs get in the way.

The Effect of News and Politics in Gyms

It’s not hard to see why managers are banning news and politics in gyms across the country. Tensions are at an all-time high on both sides to the point where some gyms have hung signs asking visitors to check politics at the door. Networks like CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and CNBC broadcast political news, controversial stories, and coverage that creates a negative workout environment.

Gyms and fitness centers strive to provide visitors with a comfortable enviroment, while accommodating as many people as possible. This is hard to maintain when the TV content is generating fights between visitors! Business owners want to avoid fostering bad impressions, and violent situations.

Cutting Out the Negative Content

In an effort to combat the all the negative content streaming through their locations, gym and fitness center owners across the country are opting to remove cable news channels from their TVs. Life Time Fitness and the YMCA are just two examples of well known locations taking part in the crack down.

This news story from Fox 5 DC details their recent efforts:

“We made the decision to remove cable news channels from the large TV screens in the cardio and fitness floor areas at the start of 2018. This was based on many member requests received over time across the country, and in keeping with our overall healthy way of life philosophy and commitment to provide family oriented environments free of consistently negative or politically charged content.”

-Life Time Fitness

The decision to cut out these networks has often been in response to actual members speaking up. Requesting about removing news and political commentaries are becoming more common.

Life Time Fitness isn’t alone in this trend – for similar reasons, the YMCA pulled their 24-hour cable news programs off their TVs after visitors got into fights over politics that disrupted an otherwise peaceful community. But as tensions in politics remain what they are, and news coverage consists of negative stories, more and more gyms and fitness centers are breaking away from cable news channels and exploring new TV solutions.

It’s Relevant TV Removes the Bad, While Keeping the Good

It’s Relevant TV is a living network that features content from a vast library of over half a million videos. With 40+ categories of content, the TV is easily catered to who’s watching. All programs are screened, and certified as family-friendly. This ensures that the content is safe for all audiences. Beyond the active reviewing, IRTV allows each business to place further filters on the TV shows they show. This allows each location to block out content types and even keywords.

It’s Relevant is fully customizable. Clients have the ability to upload their own videos, pictures, and messages. Easy to use – the service also allows you to connect to your social media accounts. This lets you showcase recent Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts for visitors and members to see. In the end, It’s Relevant is a platform that gives you control over what’s on your TV, and gets people exited about your brand.

For more information on IRTV please visit: www.itsrelevant.com.

Beat the Snow: Manage Your Messaging on the Go

Trying to manage a business is hard enough without weather getting in the way. If snow is in the forecast, and you take your first look outside to find the world looks like the picture above, chances are the last thing you want to do, or even should do, is go out driving in that winter wonderland.

But you’re a business owner. Or a manager who is responsible for your location, or locations. In the event of poor weather, conditions may prompt your business to change strategy, close, or reduce hours. Given the severity of the forecast, it’s entirely possible that loyal customers will nevertheless visit your business – unaware of the irregular hours. In lieu, and in anticipation of bad weather, business owners need to inform visitors of any changes. If driving is a bad idea, how does one manage?

A Tool to Manage Your Business

It’s Relevant TV features the ability to control the TVs in your business from your phone – from anywhere. There’s no need to dig out your car or brave icy roads when you’re able to send out messages from your phone for people to see on the TVs at your locations. Inform visitors of possible closings, irregular hours, or even reminders to travel safely on the roads.

Take a look at a message from our CEO below, demonstrating the system:

It’s Relevant TV works for any business setting with a TV. It is a tool that is less expensive than most cable subscriptions, improves visitor experience, generates more business, and allows you to get people engaged with your social media and excited about your brand. When it comes to what goes on the TV, It’s Relevant is the best option for businesses. Feel free to visit us on the web at itsrelevant.com to learn more about It’s Relevant.