Tidal waves aren't usually silent, but many people had no idea this occurred.
It's a wave that literally washed over the online world, with all the power and force you would expect from one created by an underwater earthquake. And like other tidal waves, this one has entirely changed the landscape it affected.
That wave? Online video.
Let me give you some facts.
1. YouTube now gets *twice as many* daily pageviews as the web's powerhouse, Google.
2. YouTube is the 8th most popular site in the US
3. The popularity of online video doubles every 6 months
4. It's not just kids with nothing to do watching online video, the demographics of online video viewers almost exactly match those of the US population and 7% of visitors to online video sites are aged 65+
5. The average video viewer watches just under 3 online videos per *day*
6. Online video is no longer just "stupid people trying to kill themselves videos." In fact, "how to" is one of the fastest growing categories online.
7. We've seen that simply adding a video to a website results in, on average, a 5% - 800% increase in sales.
Pay attention to that last point. Wouldn't you like to see a 5% - 800% increase in sales?
I hear you now, you're asking, but isn't video costly to create?
It does take work, but realize that there are several factors that make online video far less expensive than you might expect:
1. Since online video will be viewed at Internet resolution (which is much lower than that required by TV or movies,) it can be shot on an inexpensive regular digital video camera.
2. Video editing software is now available at no cost on virtually all computers (download Windows Movie Maker or Mac's iMovie). Or you can pick up a program that will make editing easier and give you more features than you'll ever need for $75 - $200.
That software makes it possible for normal people, with no formal video training to edit, significantly reducing your costs. You can do it, or you can hire a high school or college student to do it for you for less than $10 an hour!
3. Have a face for radio, not TV? Some of the easiest video to create and edit basically makes a movie of your screen, in combination with your voice. This enables you to create a Powerpoint program, then record it. They hear your voice, and watch you click through the Powerpoint slides, without ever actually seeing your face or facing the challenges of editing full-motion video. I recommend Camtasia Studio available for $299 from
http://www.techsmith.com or Screenflow for the MAC, $99 from
http://www.varasoftware.com These programs can also be used to create guided tours of sites or software, basically anything you can see on your computer screen, you can record.
How Can You Use Video To Build Your Business?
Here are a few ideas that work!
1. Create video commercials for your products/services.
Post them to hot video sites like
http://www.YouTube.com and
http://video.google.com 2. Use video distribution services like
http://www.TubeMogul.com or
http://www.TrafficGeyser.com to easily submit video to a wide range of sites
3. Create infomercials that sell your products and services and put them on your e-commerce and home pages
4. Every time you create a news release, create an online video about it too. Send a separate notice out about your video news release the day after you send the print version to get twice the impact
5. Interview your top clients on video, and post them as case studies and/or testimonials
6. Videotape alternative usages of your products
7. Create a video for each of your key departments, introducing the people your customers interact with to them via video
8. Interview key industry personalities on video
9. Build a video podcast, sending out new videos on a regular basis
10. Is there a creative way that people can use your products to do something cool? Create a video about it, and promote it. Hopefully people will pick it up and talk about it on their blogs and other sites, causing it to "go viral". Google "will it blend" and "mentos and diet coke"
to see how others have done it
11. Hold a video contest with customers and potential customers, asking them to submit video that shows how they use your product. Feature the winners or all entrants on your site
12. Do a video review of your products
13. Create a video tour of your website
14. Integrate several of the above ideas into a campaign
Whatever you do, just start doing something - this wave is too valuable to ignore!
Want to see an example of how all this can work? Visit
http://www.StompingTheSearchEnginesReview.... watch the videos there, and click on all the links to see how we move people throughout the site.
Also go to
www.IvoryCoastMedia.com to get a book trailer done!
Posted By: Pam Perry
Thursday, September 4th 2008 at 11:50AM
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