Expert to know: Robert Weiss (Q&A Interview)

Robert Weiss is the President of MultiVision Digital (based in New York City), listed on 50Pros as a top 50 firm in Video Production, Corporate Photography, and Content Marketing.

‍

In this Q&A, Robert shares his in-depth perspective, unique background, robust experiences, and insightful tips.

‍

How did you get started in your industry?

I started MultiVision Digital without any background in video or video production or video editing, but saw the writing on the wall with how powerful video is to sales and marketing objectives and the value to lead gen and sales goals for a business. Before I started my company and I sold and saw the adoption of digital marketing tactics like websites, email marketing, social media and SEO. “Back in the day” these had a very low level of adoption and you really had to sell and prove the value of those investments. Today, you don't need to sell those things. Nobody would dispute that you need those marketing tactics to, to drive business results. And that's where I saw video was going so I set out on a plan to build a business.

‍

What do you like most about your industry?

SO much! Video production spans so many disciplines, from strategy, sales / marketing, to logistics and coordination that allows a creative to take shape. Then there is the editing side of video that is just a creative process.

‍

...and what do you dislike most?

That people have a very BROAD idea of what good video is. We all know when we watch good video, but many don't understand the professional services of what goes into making a video effective.

‍

What do you wish people knew about video production?

Video gives the most amount of information in the shortest amount of time and video can be integrated and achieve all the different business objectives that they're currently working on….but better. At the end of the day video is just a piece of content….and marketers are constantly pumping out content. Marketers do thought leadership, they blog, content marketing, they go to events, the create product launch brochures and manuals, and other ways to provide information and valuable insights to potential clients. That's what video does, it does all of that...but video is more impactful and thus gives a higher ROI than any other digital marketing tactic.

‍

When you first started, how did you get clients?

Phone calls, SEO and networking.

‍

...and how do you get clients now?

SEO and networking at trade shows.

‍

What is the biggest issue that your firm, or firms like yours, face?

Keeping the leads flowing and ensuring consistent quality of product thru the video production workflow.

‍

What changes have you seen occur since you got into this business?

We try to lead by example, doing for ourselves and then guiding our clients to do so. But aside from the cameras having higher resolution and equipment getting better, the biggest change is that companies are looking to have a thoughtful, planned and integrated video strategy vs just having one video that tries to do it all...which it does not. One video is not a video marketing strategy.

‍

What changes do you foresee occurring in the future?

Aside from more companies being thoughtful, planned and integrated with their video content strategy...who knows? At the end of the day video is just 0s and 1s so who knows what people will think of in how to do more cool things with video.

‍

Who do you see having a competitive edge in the future in this space?

The companies that understand that video fits into all of their digital marketing objectives and can create a plan for an ongoing flow of video content to achieve each of those objectives. These companies will develop a cadence that works for them at a budget level that works for them.

‍

If a company was looking to hire your firm, or a firm like yours, what questions should they ask themselves as a team before approaching you?

Three things:

1) What is the business objective we are aiming for?

2) How will we market the video once it is done?

3) What budget do we want to apply to this investment?

‍

When a company is interesting in hiring your firm, how should they approach you and how should they do business with you?

Be open and honest with us when it comes to your budget. If you come to us with a budget, that's going to help them us the most out of your money. For example, do you need one location versus two locations, one camera versus three cameras? How many people do you need to manage those equipment resources? Do you need animation or motion graphics within that video in post production? There are many different variables that can go into making a video. A $500 video, $5,000 video, or $50,000 video are all very different. They could all be 30 seconds long or a minute long, but the level of investment that goes into that is very, very different.

‍

If someone were thinking about starting their own agency in video production, what advice would you give them?

Focus on sales, relationships and educating your clients.

‍

Finally, what would you like to publicly share about your firm or agency?

We have produced over 1,300 videos, across every business objectives, in the past 12 years. We provide the full spectrum of video strategy, video production and video marketing services that have allowed clients to increase sales, lead generation, improve SEO rankings, increase awareness and client loyalty. Clients range from solo-entrepreneurs to global Fortune 500 companies across almost every industry.