WACO, Texas (Sept. 16, 2014) - Kevin and Joy Beirne, owners of Rainbow International of the Quad Cities, received the Top Gun Award and Franchisee of the Year Award from Rainbow International corporate during The Dwyer Group^® International Conference held Sept. 7-10 in Orlando, Fla.

This award goes to franchise owners who achieve top sales and reach operation benchmarks. The Top Gun recipients represent the top 10 percent of Rainbow International franchise owners across North America.

"The idea of 'Top Gun' was established by the Navy in the 1960s as a way to give training and credit to elite fighter pilots," said Mark Welstead, president of Rainbow International. "Taking a page from the Naval Top Gun Program, each year we recognize our franchise leaders for their accomplishments and dedication to the trade. It takes dedication, hard work, expertise and commitment to reach the Top Gun goal and we are honored to have these winners on our team."

The Franchisee of the Year Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a franchisee. This award is presented to the franchisee who has consistently grown through proper training and management of their organization and has had a consistently high level of sales through quality, professional service.

"The Rainbow International team is thrilled Kevin and Joy won the Franchisee of the Year award," said Welstead. "They have high standards and achieve a level of excellence that sets the standard for Rainbow International franchises."

"We are honored to receive these awards," Beirne said. "We are committed to working hard every day to provide timely, courteous and professional cleaning and restoration services that meet and exceed our customers' expectations."

About Rainbow International^®:

Established in 1981, Rainbow International is a global franchise organization providing residential and commercial restoration and cleaning services. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its "Franchise 500," Rainbow International franchisees offer a broad range of damage restoration services (ranging from water, smoke and fire damage to carpet and upholstery cleaning and deodorization) to more than 400 locations worldwide. The new Rapid Structural Drying Network of Rainbow International has established a network of elite water loss mitigation franchises across the United States. Rainbow International is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc., family of service franchises. For further information or to find the location nearest you, visit RainbowIntl.com.

 

- ### -

Tips from an Online Video Marketing Specialist

Online video marketing has become a staple, with 81 percent of companies producing video content for their websites and 69 percent producing it for social media, according to the 2014 Online Video Production Trends Report.

"There are loads of marketing videos on the web now, and some extremely effective," says Jennifer Santoro, integrative marketing specialist and Chief Happiness Officer for InVidz Smart Video Technology, (http://InVidz.com). "But there are plenty that just don't work."

Santoro says she's noticed common themes among the latter group. Based on those, here are her five ways to ensure your marketing video will suck.

1.  The Video Takes Too Long to Get to the Point
In the age of the "tweet," marketers have only a few seconds to capture a viewer's attention. In order to get the viewer to engage, a marketer must put serious thought into what the main point of the video is, and then clearly communicate that message as quickly as possible. The attention span for video watching seems to be about 60 seconds, so viewers don't want to hear a marketing message that goes on and on. Every word counts! Don't use five words when three will do. This is where the practice of writing, rewriting and then rewriting a script helps.

2.  The Video Content is Inauthentic
Today's consumers value authenticity and they can smell B.S. a mile away. Never try to portray yourself or your company as something you're not. Embrace who you are and what you actually offer; people will relate to and engage with that content. As soon as viewers suspect pretense, their trust will be gone. In today's market, the truth shall set you free. Take some time for self-reflection about what you offer potential customers and authentically communicate that message.

3.  Distracting Noises on the Audio
Rule of thumb: The visual can suck but the audio can't! Visually you don't have to do anything fancy. A simple shot of you speaking in front of a nice background will never be distracting. However, distracting noises in the audio will kill your video every time. If you're on a budget, put your money towards a decent microphone as opposed to a fancy camera. It's amazing what you can do visually with an iPhone! However, without a proper microphone, the recording will pick up too many distracting noises. Try the Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone to get started. It's affordable and compatible with an iPhone; you just need the adapter.

4.  The Intention of the Video is not Clear
This goes back to No. 1 and the importance of putting serious thought into the point of the video. Too often we get distracted by special effects and features, or telling elaborate stories, and forget that the video needs to have a clear and concise message. Never shoot a video simply because you think you're supposed to have a video. If that's the only reason you're shooting one, you're pretty much guaranteeing it won't be strong because it will lack intention for the viewer. BEFORE you ever pick up your audio equipment and camera, spend significant time clarifying the intention of the video and composing your script around that intention.

5.  Viewers Can't Take Immediate Action
The whole point of a marketing video is to get your viewer to take some sort of  action. Internet video marketing technology has advanced significantly with the dawn of the smart video, which allows viewers to take immediate action directly from the video itself. We all know the power of the impulse buy! Consumers are much more likely to follow through on a decision if they can act upon it instantly. Therefore, smart videos are a marketing video's best friend. If you haven't already started using a smart video marketing platform for your videos, it's time to start. InVidz.com has made the process extremely easy and affordable. It even offers a free membership to get you started.

"Remember the rule of quality over quantity," Santoro says. "One extremely effective video is better than 10 ineffective videos.

"When considering your next marketing video, check down this list to ensure it doesn't suck. You'll see the difference in your conversion rates!"

About Jennifer Santoro

Jennifer Santoro holds a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communication and Management from the Florida State University and is a specialist in online video marketing. She's the Chief Happiness Officer for InVidz Smart Video Technology, (http://InVidz.com). A Certified Professional Coach through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, she has more than 10 years of professional communication experience in the non-profit and private sectors.

Congressman turns hundreds of comments about Iowans' experiences with college student loans over to Secretary of Education

Washington, D.C. - After asking for and receiving hundreds of stories about Iowans' experiences attaining and paying back student loans, Rep.  Bruce Braley (IA-01) today shared those comments with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"The Department of Education needs to hear first-hand from Iowans about the struggles current and former students face as they try to get and repay student loans," Braley said. "The fact is that tuition and debt levels are rising much more quickly than wages?and we've got a responsibility to put solutions on the table."

 

Iowa students graduate with the 6th highest average student debt of any state. According to the Project on Student Debt, the average debt of an Iowa college graduate is $29,456 and Iowa ranks 3rd nationally in the percentage of students who graduate with debt, with nearly 71% taking on student loan debt.

Yesterday, Braley unveiled the outline of his College Affordability Plan which contains four central components to help students, graduates and parents deal with rising tuition costs and growing student loan debt. The plan includes tax incentives, a grant program for current college students facing financial hardship, and a bill allowing students to refinance their loans at lower market rates.

For decades college tuition costs have been rising significantly. Student loan debt today totals $1.2 trillion, $864 billion of which is backed by the federal government. More than 70 percent of students who graduated from college in 2012 had student loan debt.

# # #

Des Moines, IA - TODAY, September 16, 2014 at 10:15am, Senator Debbie Stabenow will join a Braley for Iowa conference call that will unveil a new report that details the damaging economic impacts of state Sen. Joni Ernst's reckless ideas on energy policy. State Sen. Ernst is "philosophically opposed" to energy subsidies, and her campaign has confirmed that "in a perfect world, in a free market, she would support doing away with (the RFS)."

A new report released today by Braley for Iowa details the damaging consequences state Sen. Ernst's energy plan would have in Iowa - including jeopardizing jobs, costing Iowa's economy billions of dollars, and reducing private sector business investment in Iowa.