Animoto Brings the Power of Video to Businesses of All Sizes

NEW YORK, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Animoto, the leading online video maker that empowers anyone to create and share extraordinary videos, today launched Animoto for Business to help organizations of all sizes tap into the power of video to raise brand awareness, increase customer engagement, create online marketing campaigns and drive sales. Animoto makes it easy for businesses to create cost-effective, professional videos within minutes - with no video editing experience required.

Many small businesses shy away from producing marketing videos, worried that they don't have the time, money or expertise to create them, let alone make them look professional and on-brand. However, businesses are missing out on a huge opportunity: according to the recent Animoto Online and Mobile Video Study, 73 percent of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching videos explaining products or services. Nearly all respondents (96 percent) find video helpful when making purchase decisions.

With Animoto for Business, companies of all sizes can meet this increased demand for video by producing simple yet impactful videos to augment their marketing plans. Effective uses of video include company overviews, product demos and promotions, event recaps, customer testimonials, and holiday greetings.

Animoto started as an application for consumers to share and relive their most memorable moments through the power of video. It quickly expanded to also become a favorite tool for professional photographers, real estate agents, and small business owners to showcase their work and grow their businesses. Animoto currently has more than 50,000 paying business customers whose feedback has helped shape the new features now available as part of Animoto for Business.

"People who use Animoto for personal videos have realized the tremendous utility Animoto can also bring to their businesses, and we recently hit a tipping point where the majority of our growth now comes from business users," said Brad Jefferson, CEO and co-founder of Animoto. "There is a massive need in the market for a business-grade video maker that is easy enough for anyone to use, yet powerful enough to generate professional-looking, on-brand videos that can be easily incorporated into broader marketing strategies."

Animoto for Business features include:

• Custom branding: Customize videos with logos, fonts, colors and call-to-action buttons to strengthen a company image.
• Seamless web integration: Easily embed videos on websites including those hosted by WordPress and Squarespace. Also share and post videos on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Cloud hosting: View and share videos from any computer, iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphone.
• Licensed music: Add commercially licensed music from Animoto's library of thousands of curated tracks, avoiding the hassle of this step.
• Engagement reporting: Track video views across multiple sites – website, blog, social media and YouTube to optimize effectiveness of videos.

Supporting Quotes
"Prior to using Animoto, we used to spend days or weeks editing our video footage to include in our sales reel on our homepage. Now our videos are created in just minutes and we are able to use them more for greater impact. Each new video gives us another opportunity to engage with our Facebook fans and that has brought more business from our social media efforts. Animoto has truly helped us leverage the power of video to strengthen our relationship with our community and customers."

-- Marlena Frank, Co-founder, Sweet Spud

"We create Animoto videos to showcase the entire winemaking process from start to finish. Much of our business takes place behind the scenes during harvest and video helps us to share that experience and our culture with our customers. We've seen more interest from our customers since incorporating Animoto videos into our email marketing and social media campaigns and look forward to using the new features to continue our momentum."

-- Ross Mickel, Founder and Winemaker at Ross Andrew Winery

"Animoto helps my real estate tour videos stand out. While other agents depend on static photos to highlight their listings, I can make professional-quality videos in minutes with music and themes that help bring the properties to life. Prospective buyers often watch the videos several times when making a decision to buy a house. For vacation properties, I sell many sight unseen, so Animoto videos play a critical role in helping to close those deals."

-- Ro Scarbrough, Realtor Sales Agent, Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers

Availability
Animoto for Business is currently available. The company offers a free 14-day trial to allow businesses to test-drive creating videos without a commitment. For more information please visit: http://animoto.com/business.

About Animoto:
Animoto is the leading online video maker for consumers, professional photographers, businesses and educators that empowers the creation and sharing of professional-quality videos using pictures, video clips, words and music. The company's patented Cinematic Technology makes it easy to preserve your memories or promote your business through the power of video in just minutes from a computer or mobile device. Founded in 2006, Animoto is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco. For more information, visit animoto.com and sign up online or download the iPhone, iPad, or Android apps.

Animoto and Cinematic Technology are registered trademarks of Animoto Inc.

SOURCE Animoto Productions