People like to watch videos. How do we know that? The answers are in our own brains.

via GIPHY

We process video content 60.000 times faster than text. Reading articles is a more active process than watching a video. When we read, we are not just looking at the words in front of us. No, this process requires a longer attention span and is a more demanding cognitive strain on our already “ADD” laden minds. Because of our „laziness“ and the fact that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, it is easier to understand why four times as many people now prefer their content in video format rather than text (Animoto).

According to HubSpot, a video is projected to claim more than 80% of all web traffic by 2019. and 60% of customers agree that if both text and video are available for the  same topic, users are much more likely to choose the video. Video content gives us unlimited opportunities to promote our businesses, show professional expertise or present new ideas.

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Working with clients, especially when it comes to Spanish voice overs there is always a number of questions that keep popping up, so we decided to create a small resource of 5 elements you need to look out for and get a perfect Spanish voice over.

Of the bat always keep in mind that any voice over requires resources and time, it is sadly not as simple as whipping out your trusty webcam and recording, professional studios are involved and often quite a bit of time in them as well, aside from the voice-over talent this can also mean a sound engineer and depending on the complexity a producer might be involved as well.

1. The Accent. Spanish language comes in a wide variety of accents and dialects, having that in mind it is important to precisely identify your target audience be it European, South or Central American if possible down to city/region level. You might not think much of it now but in our experience recognizable accents promote knowledge retention, boost sales and generate positive and affirming attitudes in viewers and listeners.
2. The Translation. If you are translating from English or another language to Spanish please make sure that your translation is 100% on the money, a lot of times we  had talent come up to us and say “Hey this makes no sense” and that is not a situation you want, as it is certain to cause delays, misunderstanding or at worst an unusable voice-over.
3. The Talent. This is one of the most important factors, you need the right voice for your message and audience, if your audience is young, get a voice to match, if you need their trust, get a voice that communicates that.
4. The Production. Whatever you do, it needs to be produced to perfection. The voice needs to be perfectly audible, there is no room for hisses, outside noise and artifacts, nothing says “cheap” as effectively as a sound of a doorbell mid recording.
5. The Delivery. Delivery needs to be perfect for the copy and what you are trying to accomplish, you don’t want to have a monotonous voice giving an important lecture as nobody would

For more on HubSteady Spanish voice over service just follow this link and to learn more on our multilingual voice over service just go here

Ever needed a video done in a hurry, your boss needs a quick video explainer, client is itching to get a video quote and it takes days upon days and once the jury is back you are left with your jaw to the floor. Animation is prohibitively expensive and unless you are ranking in some serious big bucks you will be hard pressed to afford the regular industry prices going as far up as $50.000 for a 5 minute video and even more.

But it’s the 21st century you need to get your message across and video sharing services like YouTube are just what you need, high user engagement and interaction, easy sharing and embedding and amazing brand value coming from the media.

So what do you do, do you take a pay hit and shell out the money? Most people do, making their businesses less competitive in the process, losing marketing budgets and a lot of times ending up with a sub-par product due to inexperience and frankly a lot of small lettering in the big production company’s terms and conditions that shift a lot of work back to the client again.

And animation is at the top of the food chain of all possible video services. It requires high end equipment, infrastructure, trained and seasoned professionals and time, lots and lots of time and time is what agencies and production companies love charging the most, for them it actually makes very little sense to do short videos.

Their primary clients are usually large film, music video or TV/streaming companies that keep them supplied with work and funds for long periods. Everyday users come more as an afterthought, as they require the same resources but produce only short videos and don’t provide the same influx of work and money.

You do have an option, you can just do animation outsourcing and get your animation done at a more affordable price, however the issue that pops out here is quality, how can you know that the person you hired can get the job done or knows what he is doing, or has any kind of clue what you are looking for in an animation outsourcing partner?

There are some scary stories in the industry of various outsourcing projects going sideways due to inexperience and/or poor work ethics.

So how do you choose?

There is a checklist you should go through every time you start with somebody new

• Ask for previous work (most good companies and professionals have a show-reel showcasing their work)
• Ask for a list of clients (a good way to figure out if their serious)
• Get them on a call, or video call (lookout for warning signs)
• Ask them in detail about their work process and always make sure you have a single point of contact

If they pass these requirements, give them a shot, it means they have done the work before and know how to handle clients.

Outsourced companies and professionals usually have significantly lower expenses (5 to 10 times from our research) and if chosen right can provide comparable or even superior quality to domestic companies.

Animation outsourcing is no exception and even large networks and TV shows are known for searching for more affordable production facilities ( Simpsons were well known for doing their animation work in overseas studios, they even made some puns in the show about that). Even outrageously priced agencies will in a pinch resort to calling an overseas agency or professionals especially for large projects on tight deadlines.

So stop making your business less competitive, if you haven’t already you need to start outsourcing and you need to start now it could be that “Make or break” moment for your business. If you are looking for a partner we suggest checking here, it could make a huge difference.