It’s not hard to see why video marketing has become one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies around. With all sorts of ads vying for your audience’s attention, you need something to capture their interest and keep them engaged. Videos are very powerful tools because they engage the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses simultaneously. Still not convinced?
The Facts:
- March 2010 – Nearly 173 Million US Internet users watched online video during the month – a new record high
- For the first time, our neighbors to the north (Canada) – as a whole are spending more time online than watching television
- Cisco recently told WSJ its predictions on video:
o Internet traffic will increase 5x over the next 5 years because of the amount of video being transferred
- They also predict video chat will increase tenfold between 2008 and 2013. (http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/06/09/cisco-says-internet-video-to-explode/)
o Traffic from video distribution – including sites like YouTube and video-on-demand services – will surpass global peer-to-peer traffic by the end of 2010.
- That will mark the first time in 10 years that P2P did not rank No. 1 among consumers of Internet bandwidth. (http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/06/02/cisco-says-data-traffic-from-video-will-eclipse-file-sharing/)
So where to start?
1. Have a video - It sounds straight forward but having video alone will set you apart from your competition – a recent study by Forrester Research found that videos are 53x more likely than traditional web pages to receive an organic first-page ranking.
2. Solve a Problem - Create a video that addresses or solves your prospects problem. That is after all the point of your business, right? It doesn’t have to be an Oscar winner – just clear and concise. Resist the urge to make a commercial and stay focused on helping them without selling to them. Your aim is to pre-sell; not directly pitch your product or services right at the start.
3. Create video that grabs the viewer’s attention – Create videos that demonstrate your product in action. Nothing beats a live view of a product to engage a prospective buyer. Since you cannot physically place the item in their hands the next best thing is to let them see it in action. And this doesn’t have to be a huge production either. Simple can be effective too. If your product doesn’t lend itself to filming (like a service or system) try videoing customers’ testimonials describing the before and after.
4. Give it a Human Touch - Use video to put a human face to your company, let buyers “meet” the people they will be working with. Remember that your aim is to build your credibility and/or reputation. Let your visitors experience “you” so they can get a first hand feel for your unique brand of customer service. There is a reason why dating services use video, people want to get to know you BEFORE they start to work with you.
5. Use Video to be more personal, relevant and/or helpful – The real key to using video successfully online for business is not doing wacky stunts or whiz bang effects – it is your ability to become more personable, helpful or relevant to your visitors (i.e. use video in the same way you interact with live customers) The advantages is that this ‘customer service helper’ works 24 hours a day. The goal is not to try and replace human contact but rather use video as an intermediary that encourages visitors to engage with your website and therefore your business.
If you have further questions or would like to learn more about our video services here at DreamSimplicity (Executive Interviews/Client Testimonials/ Conference & Event Coverage) contact us at (415) 503-9066 or check out Video page - http://www.dreamsimplicity.com/video-services.html
