Episode 15: Drones – Capturing Fantastic Videography for your Business Customers & Prospects

Welcome to Episode 15:  Drones – Capturing Fantastic Videography for your Business Customers & Prospects

Today is another solo-cast – just me y’all and we’re going to talk Drones.  But I wanted to give you a teaser that NEXT week on ep. 16 I have a professor of social media and dig marketing from UGA – University of Georgia talk about considering and crafting a social media Intern rolling program so don’t miss it.

But back to drones…..One of the 2020 Marketing trends is capturing incredible video content going aerial. 

Once drone videographers started creating works that consider creative patterns and frames of thought in a visual aspect, it broadened the field of aerial photography and videography.  Previously, drones were used in the commercial space for documentary purposes.  As I sought out to prepare this episode for you, I realized that the large majority of our perception of the earth and all it’s offerings is from our view here ON earth, not above it.  I mean, unless you are an astronaut.  Or, if you are spiritual – which I am.  But for the most part how we relate primarily to what is here – we relate to it from here.

So integrating drone footage into your video content strategy has huge opportunities!  I’m going to give you some examples for a few common brand types in a bit to illustrate how you don’t have to be a travel company or a movie production company to get memorable, super engaging imagery related to your product or services.  Also, to help evoke emotion of some type.

Not a ton of brands are using aerial footage in the video works yet.  While the drone market place is rapidly growing as more applications are discovered, the commercial/civil use is around 15% of the total market; while 65% being military and 20% consumer or hobbyists.  Emergence of use cases in fields such as real estate, construction, oil and gas exploration, utility inspections, agriculture, logistics, government, insurance, law enforcement, and retail.  The impact of commercial drones could be $82 billion and a 100,000 job boost to the U.S. economy by 2025, according to AUVSI.

Drones are also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  They require a license to fly.  If you pass the licensing test, you are a pilot!  I had heard that oh, the licensing isn’t really enforced for these new weird machines flying around overhead - if you’re just a small company flying it in either a residential or small community level setting the license isn’t necessary and a big time-suck to get it, I might add. 

Well, we live adjacent to a Live/Work/Play under construction currently, what’s been dubbed as “Mini Avalon” in Alpharetta Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.  There are large grassy fields awaiting retail contracts and construction builds as one Hyatt Hotel is going up on the peripheral. Every weekend at least 1 person, more often 2, come and park their cars, get out and start flying their drones!  Walking my dog one Sun morning, I struck up a conversation with one who brought it to my attention how important it is that since I own a drone and I want to help brands capture aerial videography, I need to get my license!  There are strict laws and hefty fines I wouldn’t want to have attached to my name or my business.

So I have set out to get my drone pilot license.  Another part of my drive here is that my daughter, Taylor, who is 22, about to be 23, science major at GA State Univ. and scuba diver, is starting her own YouTube channel on ocean and sea life conservation to help the spread of awareness of key initiatives she is involved in such as coral restoration and the human group projects surrounding those efforts.  I want her to be able to affordably include ocean and beach aerial footage – which imagine – how beautiful the views and how much closer and much more emotional the viewer will FEEL while watching that imagery with either music or her voiceover!

I decided to take you – anyone interested – on this licensing and pilot learning journey with me – starting today.  I have signed up for an online course to get prepared for the test and I then will take the test and do all the steps.  And I will practice driving this quite intimidating medium size flying ship!

The license is called FAA Part 107 test.  FAA stands for US Federal Aviation Authority.

The requirements to attain it are

Be at least 16 years old. Pass the Aeronautical Knowledge Test. You can register to take the test at any FAA-approved knowledge testing center. Apply for and obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate. You can apply using the FAA’s online IACRA system48 hours after taking the Aeronautical Knowledge Test. Pass a background check by the Transportation Security Administration (this process happens automatically during your application process). The test fee is a hundred and fifty bucks. There’s also a $5 registration fee for your drone. Then you must insure operation; A popular way of insuring drone operations is through companies which offer it in small, predetermined periods of time such as AI. Most students report spending between 15 and 20 hours of study time to prepare for the exam. Once you’ve taken the Aeronautical Knowledge Test, the FAA anticipates that it will takesix to eight weeks to issue a permanent remote pilot certificate via US mail. An expedited temporary remote pilot certificate can be issued upon request in about 10 business days. 

Because I have a feeling I am going to want to get out there and start using my drone, instead of waiting, what – eight weeks, via US Mail?  Phhhtt sheesh – hahaha – my husband always imitates me when I do that haha

Then you must retake an exam every 2 years or Keep your license up to date by passing a recurrent aeronautical knowledge test every 24 months.

I wanted to also share some ideas how brands (you) can make really impactful, memorable and emotionally invoking videos with Drone footage and I will sample some video footage in my practice Vlogging 😊

For example - A restaurant, salon or retailer: 

You could feature outside your location the receipt of product and supplies – you receiving it, bringing it in, get it set up etc. Fly in and around, above your location and surrounding community – so I can just picture my community in downtown Alpharetta, people being out and about running around with the children in the fountain….see other retailers around there… People see that and think, oh I’d like to go there, be there this weekend or during the week even Customers going in and out of your location from an aerial perspective, zooming in and out showing different perspectives. Live entertainment – at your venue, you could film that – up and around Customer or charity events outdoors or in large venues – clients do this regularly around the greater Atlanta area, and remotely - travel to events – you can take areil footage of those special events, whether it’s charity or for employees and show collabs or pop ups!

I’ve put some professional drone video footage Examples I found on YouTube in the show notes:

Duke from on High

Top 3 Commercials Shot With Drone | Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder | Honda Pilot | Toyota Prius

www.northpoint.org/live - A church - very creative use case

I will post to social media my updates in this journey and I hope you learn and enjoy….while I might embarrass myself a bit because this is my first time doing this! haha! Thanks for listening, check out those examples on YouTube and I really appreciate you!  Cheers!

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