Orion Blog Video Series

August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Orion Advisor Services, LLC (Orion) recently rolled out a new website and requested we create a video each month to accompany a newsletter article on their blog. The video would need to be informative without giving away the whole article and of course, an element of humor needed to be involved. July’s featured article highlighted future reporting enhancements at Orion.

Most technology companies are extremely cautious with the amount of information they share about upcoming innovations for fear of the competition catching wind too early. This hesitancy of information is completely understandable… and laughable if it turns to paranoia. So we thought, who better to poke fun at the line between caution and paranoia than Nathan Thurm, the shady and defensive lawyer played by Martin Short and best known from a 1984 60 Minutes sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Since hiring Mr. Short was likely out of our budget, we chose to recruit from within. Joe Leyboldt, Director of Technology Support at Orion, played the defensive roll perfectly in this interrogative interview on Orion’s future reporting enhancements.

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QR Code – Business Card

April 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By now you’ve probably become familiar with QR codes and Microsoft tags. You see these icons of organized squares and triangles on advertisements, in the mail and plastered on the side of buildings.

This “quick response” technology offers some logical benefits. Because the code is assigned to a specific link, you can control exactly where the code goes and ensure the visitor doesn’t end up on the wrong site. They are also completely trackable; you can see when someone scans a code and determine which of your communications has the greatest reach.

Maybe you already use this technology and are embracing the benefits. Or maybe these little icons have become so commonplace that they’re just the latest thing you’ve learned to ignore. Let me pose a few scenarios that show practical QR code usage.

You’re at a conference where you network with lots of people, over multiple days and have a variety of discussions. You get back from the conference and start sorting through your collection of business cards. It’s easy to forget who is who and names, faces and conversations all start running together. But one of those business cards has a QR code on it. You scan the code, a video pops up and suddenly the person you spoke with is on your screen delivering their value prop. You think, “I remember this guy, he was knowledgable and relatable. I should give him a call,” or, “All this guy did was talk about himself,” and you throw the card away. That video attached to a QR code allowed you to reconnect a name with a face with an opinion.

Or maybe you make the wise decision to attach a QR code with a video to your business card: Read more of this post

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Is It Now?

March 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It would seem that about every 30 years or so we pass through an iconic decade. The roaring twenties. The post-war era of the fabulous fifties. And what’s been the latest obsession? The eighties. One could even argue this stretches back as far as the 1890′s. Don’t believe me? Go check out The Twilight Zone episode: “A Stop at Willoughby.”

Now there are certainly other memorable decades along the way (hello Mad Men) and each has its own style and flair. But this thirty year pattern has really started to take hold.

I realize some of you may look at that list and say, “Really? The 80s? Iconic?” Well we’re in the video business here, so let’s take a look at tv and film. What started with “The Wedding Singer” and VH1′s “I love the 80s” has led to “Transformers, Hot Tub Time Machine, Smurfs, Take Me Home Tonight” and a slew of other 80s remake or 80s inspired television and films.  And that only scratches the surface of the fashion, musical and other 80s pop culture influences in today’s world.

Read more of this post

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The Art of the Conference Invite – Part 4

January 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment 

This is the fourth and final post of a series.

Our series on “The Art of the Conference Invite” has been highlighting the key benefits of using video to engage potential conference attendees.

In summary, the primary advantages of using video are the ability to:

  • Deliver a personal message to your audience that helps build relationships
  • Speak to all attendees instantaneously
  • Measure audience engagement through video metrics
  • Increase attendance and have participants sign up earlier

A post-conference followup provides those same benefits along with some additional ones. A post-conference video message allows you to:

  • Thank participants for their attendance
  • Reinforce your message and content shown at the event
  • Briefly pitch your services
  • Provide a call to action

Read more of this post

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The Art of the Conference Invite – Part 3

January 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment 

This is the third post of a series.

Our current series on “The Art of the Conference Invite” provides details on the advantages of using video invitations. Here’s another example of a humorous video campaign. Joel Bruckenstein of Technology Tools for Today, asked us to produce two video invitations for this annual technology conference for advisors, “T3.”

It is important to think of video as part of a campaign strategy. In this case, we developed a two-part series that could be integrated into T3’s existing conference promotion efforts. The first video draws viewers in by making them question their use of technology. The second video builds upon the first, and utilizes our established character to showcase examples of how to use technology productively.

P.S. The conference takes place in February in Dallas, Texas, and registration is open now.

Video examples in full post >  Read more of this post

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The Art of the Conference Invite – Part 2

January 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment 

This is the second post of a series.

We shared many of the benefits of using video invitations in Part 1 of our conversation. Perhaps two of the most important aspects are:

  • Video lets you deliver a personal invitation to your audience
  • Metrics allow you to measure your results

Now let’s have some fun. With video, you can use humor unlike in any other medium because it gives you access to tone, inflection, body language, and eye contact. And, of course, you can always add additional detail with type on the screen. Video examples in full post > Read more of this post

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The Art of the Conference Invitation – Part 1

January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment 

This is the first post of a series.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how much a 30-second video would be worth. If you are hosting a conference, consider using a video invitation rather than a paper invitation. Video lets you get up close and personal with your audience, and build interest in your event faster and more completely than a paper mailing.

Other key benefits of video invitations:

  • Focuses directly on your target market
  • Delivers all your invitations instantaneously
  • Provides a sneak peek to sessions, speakers and activities
  • Initiates an immediate call to action
  • Supports faster reservations
  • Connects to online registration
  • Increases attendance, REALLY
  • Supplies metrics — see how many people clicked, watched, re-watched; something that just can’t be measured with a mailer

Want more benefits? A video invitation can easily be shared and duplicated on social media, forwarded emails, and YouTube postings. Video also lets you build momentum with follow-up invitations.

Video examples in full post >  Read more of this post

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Advisor Studios Launches Amidst Media Buzz

January 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As we’ve geared up for the launch of Advisor Studios, our president, Steve Biermann, has shared his technology expertise with several industry publications over the past few months.

Evolution of Orion
 By Joel P. Bruckenstein
Financial Advisor Magazine
Technology is critical to the success of today’s advisors. Biermann comments on the impact of video market commentary in this article about one of our sister companies, Orion Advisor Services, LLC and their tech offerings.

By Kenneth Corbin
Financial Planning
Clients are increasingly communicating online and through mobile technology. Advisors must communicate with their clients there, too. Biermann sheds light on the level of engagement that video, mobile apps and social media are bringing to our sister company,CLS Investments, LLC, and their advisors. CLS has been using our video services for market commentary, conference invites and sales introductions for over a year and half.

Tips for Making a Video
 By Lavonne Kuykendall
Investment News
Many advisors are interested in utilizing video but don’t know where to start. Biermann shares his expert knowledge on using video to effectively engage clients.

Mobile Apps: The Newest Must-Have for Your Practice?
 By Donna Mitchell
Financial Planning
Uncertainty of how mobile applications fit into existing online efforts may scare some advisors. Biermann comments on how mobile apps supplement advisors’ current web presence.

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