Got an event coming up that you’d like to share? Contact Soul Arch Media today to see how webcasting could work for you too!

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Meanwhile overseas, Internet giant Google is readying for the launch of Google TV. It’s not due in Australia until 2011, but looks set to truly combine the large screen and high resolution of your television set with the complete freedom and instant accessibility of the entire Internet.
So why the big fuss? At the moment, the majority of your favourite shows and movies can be found online, but small screens and poor quality are a problem. And while cable television and different networks offer a huge variety in viewing options, it can mean endless channel surfing to find a program you want to record on your TiVo, or re-arranging your schedule so you can sit down and watch your favourite show at the allotted time.

Google TV will allow viewers to type in what they’re looking for on their TV screen and Google will find it… within seconds. It’s basically like having the entire Internet at your fingertips, but on your TV screen. It also means that your TV can act as a photo slide show viewer, a gaming console, a music player and more.

Some new model televisions will come with Google TV built into them, or you can get a separate box for the one you already own, but whichever way it works it means you can spend a lot less time trying to find what you want, and a lot more time watching what you want.
Here are Soul Arch we’re eager to see the way in which all these devices will change and simplify (or complicate!) viewing habits and how quickly they will catch on. One thing is for certain though - the common path of producing low quality video for the web will need to change, at least for corporate or commercial video. Blown out, pixelated handy cam footage will look like ants in a snowstorm when blown up full- size on the latest plasma screens, so this new wave of internet TV will no doubt be fruitful for professional online video commercial production companies who are shooting affordable high quality footage. Hey…  That’s us!

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Have a web design, social media or online marketing business? Or simply have clients seeking video production? Soul Arch Media’s popular affiliate program has a brand new site currently being filled full of resources that can help you resell our video production and online marketing services. Sign up today to start earning commission income while providing your website visitors and clients with quality marketing tools. Check it out at http://soularchmedia.com/affiliate

So how does it work? The Soul Arch Media & Marketing Affiliate Program offers a one-time 10% commission payment on referred sales or 5% commission for the life of the client. This commission structure is flexible, meaning affiliates can nominate which option they prefer on per-client basis.

Once signed up, affiliates may either place specialized Soul Arch Media & Marketing advertising materials on their website, or use offline tools - whatever suits.

The online materials have a unique tracking code that instantly credits referrers, and the affiliate site provides online-based affiliates with the following:

•       Banner Ads
•       Product Images
•       Text Links
•       Promotional Blog Posts
•       Sales Emails
•       Product Articles

Affiliates simply log in and download whatever they need, and can log back in at any time to check on commissions earned. As the Soul Arch Media & Marketing affiliate program is open to companies with or without a website, the Affiliate Program can also support offline resellers with:

•       Brochures
•       Postcards
•       Business Cards
•       Sales letters

…Or simply pass our details on to clients- we give all affiliates a unique code number so that we can register referrals and process commissions.

Sign up now to start earning from referring clients via this rewarding online marketing and video production affiliate program…

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We love DVDs and online video here at Soul Arch Media, but the next wave of multimedia on the Web will be not pre-recorded material but rather live streaming. Our Gold Coast video production team can film your event and have it both live stream over the internet as well as record it for later viewing, and for any  budget level.

There are countless new online streaming services that help us broadcast live on the web all fighting to dominate this space, with many offering the opportunity to stream live content for free, making the barrier to entry extremely low -  if you don’t have a camera or tech expertise all you are paying for is the equipment and cameraman to show up and handle it all for you.

The main benefit over pre-recorded video is the fact it is instant and live, and also  interactive. Many services allows viewers to comment or ask questions in real time via live hat. This brings lots of benefits, especially if you are planning the following:

• Live product demonstrations
  Streaming live allows you present your products and services while taking questions from viewers. This is great for engaging customers as people can voice any concerns about the product and have them answered on the spot, just like if they were dealing with a salesperson in store.
• Online training
  That ability to be interactive makes live streaming perfect to provide remote training for most industries. Whether the training is for your staff, or for using your product or selling online workshops, live streaming allows users to both hear and see what you are doing and ask questions as you go along.
• Events
• This is the big one. So you want to get married here on the Gold Coast but your family are spread across the world? Just webcast the ceremony for those who can’t make it! Same goes for sporting events right through to funerals - if your audience is not local, why not broadcast it too them online?  Plus you can have the event recorded to Dvd at the same time for later viewings.

Have an event coming up that you would like to share with a wider audience? Call Soul Arch Media on 07 55358812 or 0415310193 or visit www.soularchmedia.com to discuss streaming options .

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The crew from Soul Arch Media often donate time and services to local community events, but few are as heartwarming as the ones organized by SAND, and their latest was no exception.

Last Sunday April 18, surfing fundraising group SAND held a Learn to Surf day for Camp Quality, so Caz from Soul Arch went down to lend a hand. Apart from the 44 kids diagnosed with cancer and their families who were treated to a day down a Greenmount learning to surf, making sandcastles, BBQing and generally having a blast, an all-star cast of helpers including Kelly Slater, Steph Gilmore, Rasta, Rabbit, Luke Egan, Luke Munro, standup paddler Jamie Mitchell and ironwoman Hayley Bateup joined the SAND team to push groms into waves and spread the stoke. Some of the kids looked so small and frail on land that they looked like a brisk breeze could snap them, yet when they hit the surf the smiles were blinding and the positive energy was contagious. Not a frown in sight, and while no one pulled off a rodeo-clown you could still tell the kids were benefiting from such first-class coaches - Slater seemed to be taking particular care in making sure each kid under his tutelage got longer rides than anyone else, while Steph seemed to be imparting how to mimic her trademark grin.

The SAND team also used the occasion to hand over to Camp Quality a cheque for $8,500 raised at a recent golf day commemorating late SAND founder and event mastermind Denis Callinan, who was no doubt looking down on the day proud as punch.

A massive shoutout to Walking On Water surf school for donating boards and their full squad of instructors on a SUNDAY! Way to go guys. Also big thumbs up to the cast of local volunteers and supporters who made it all happen. The Camp Quality tagline is Laughter Is the Best Medicine, but I am sure all the kids would agree surfing comes a close second! Warm fuzzies all-round.

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While Soul Arch Media often assists the RSL Art Union with the creation of commercial videos to promote their prize lotteries, the most recent video filmed and edited for them was more of a reality-style affair shot as a couple get given the keys to their dream home.

With the RSL Art Union prize package videos already scoring up to 18,000 viewers per month, the RSL Art Union have discovered that their customers clearly enjoy the addition of video footage to their website and asked Soul Arch Media to capture video at the handover of their latest prize draw. The video created for them follows the winning couple as they are being shown around their brand new luxury Gold Coast home, investment unit and stylish new Audi. Check out the video attached to see two of the happiest retirees in Australia right now!

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The videos include a Company Overview then several product application tutorials for the entire makeup range.

View them in action at the Alexami mineral cosmetics site

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Like most other industries, tourism promoters and holiday accommodation providers have had to get tech savvy over the past decade, with early adopters reaping great rewards.

Globally a quarter of all travel bookings last year were made online, and Google’s Australian travel and tourism statistics reveal 95% of people holidaying in Australia use the Internet to plan and research their holiday.

So why do people research online? Any number of reasons -for some it is convenience, for others it may be budget.

Recent research conducted for Santander UK revealed holidaymakers in Britain saved a collective total of £4.92 billion on holidays last year by cutting out the middle man and booking directly, with those cutting out the middle man saving an average of £423.

The survey shows that of the 22 million adults that holidayed away from the UK last year, 47% (11.6 million) saved money when booking their travel and accommodation by going online or calling directly to make their booking, rather than using a travel agent or tour operator.

The most popular method of saving money was to book online, with 44% of respondents reporting that they had done so. A third of holidaymakers (33%) saved money by contacting accommodation venues directly, while 17% said they saved money by staying with friends who live abroad.

Whilst on the topic of thriftiness, the research also found that six million Britons asked for an upgrade in the past year, with the most popular requests being for hotel rooms (50%) and aircraft seats (43%). Of those who asked for an upgrade, 60% were successful!

Thankfully not everyone is hassling for upgrades so they can fly business class to go couch surfing at their great aunts! Data shows accommodation venues are seeing growth, and while people may be pinching pennies, the great news for toursim operators is they are still travelling in great volumes both internationally and domestically.

On the local front, the number of nights Australian domestic travellers will spend in Queensland in 2010 is predicted to jump by 2.2 percent to more than 71 million, according to the tourism Forecasting Committee. The number of nights international visitors spend in the state should jump by 2.5 percent to more than 40 million, with data indicating overseas visitors are also spending more.

If these predictions are correct it will be another bumper year for the Gold Coast, which led the tourism turnaround last year. The latest International Visitor Survey reported that International visitors to the Gold Coast increased 2.3% in the months between January 2009 to December 2009, and was one of the few areas in Australia to see growth.

So if you are a Queensland-based tourism operator the key findings are that visitor volumes are strong and the forecast is rosy, but that a majority of travellers are now trying to cutting costs by researching online. How can you reach customers and effectively stand out from the crowd without blowing your marketing budget sky-high? The answer is online video.

Neilsons 2010 Internet & Technology Report shows 41% of all Australian internet users regularly stream or download videos. Additionally, 25% of respondents said they had downloaded or streamed information and reviews on future purchases or products.

Position yourself squarely in front of holidaymakers researching their next break. An online video creates instant visual appeal just like a TV ad, only far more cost-effectively and with wider reach. For as little as a $1000, a video commercial can be professionally filmed on location, edited, and formatted for online viewing. It can then be added to your website, to your online listings or social media pages, or used to promote yourself extensively online, driving traffic to your site and converting more bookings.

Online video allows you to grab the attention of customers while they are hunting for the services you offer. Like to find out more? Call Soul Arch Media today on 07 55358812 or visit www.soularchmedia.com to get expert advice on using online tourism videos to promote holiday accommodation.

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One of the cheapest and most effective ways to do this is by distributing a press release outlining your special offers. If written using lots of relevant holiday keywords (perhaps with the assistance of a copywriter?) and posted with the right tags online, a press release can drive hundreds and even thousands of buyers to your site for minimal cost. We sent one out for Monster Baby clothing last week with tags like Toddler Christmas Gift Ideas, Childrens Christmas Presents etc etc. and already hudreds of potentail customers searching for holiday gift ideas and in the mood to buy online have clicked through to the site. A similar release we sent out for baby online store Bubbee.com.au last year has scored over 2,000 click throughs on one PR site alone, which when you consider a press release only costs around $150-$300 to be written and distributed is a pretty shrewd investment. A lot cheaper per click than Adwords anyway!

After some more ideas? See our blog for posts like 3 low budget ways to drive traffic for more tips. Wishing you all a happy and properous holiday season!

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First cab off the rankwas a real estate video tour for Glass House Mountains First National real estate and a large property they are marketing in beautiful Maleny. Here it is:

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