How I Became Addicted to T.V.

As a young adult, I never watched t.v. I scoffed at reality television- saying it was just a phase, and this too shall pass. Outside of reruns of Saved By The Bell or mid-day television if I got home early from class- I would not allow myself to become sucked into any corporate sponsored network 'junk'. After taking a Critical History Of T.V. course (yes, a real class offered in film school)- my case against nighttime television had only ever increased... I learned the secret, that t.v. was created as a way for corporations to brainwash people into buying their products. ((side note- I realize I work for a business video company now... I'm getting to a point. Besides, we were all young once and hated "Corporate America")).
Then the day came that changes my life and love of t.v. forever. The day that my husband introduced me to entire t.v. series on DVD. All of a sudden, I found myself immersed in a world where you didn't have to wait until next week... you just had to click "next". The Shield, Prison Break, Heroes, Weeds, The Office, even Twin Peaks and My So Called Life... episode after episode devoured from the comfort of my living room, sans commercial interruption and with instantaneous continuation. I don't consider myself a couch potato... its actually really good motivation to stay on my exercise bike or elliptical longer, and to fold laundry. Recently, we discovered Hulu... which turns out is just a flash-based program that you can watch entirely from your t.v. (if you are a nerd like my husband, who built an entire media center computer himself to host all of our music, DVDs, etc). Amazing! And FREE! We have caught up on all of Heroes Season 3 without even having to put a new DVD into the Blu-ray player. Don't get me wrong... anyone who knows us knows that we keep busy and don't spend all of our time in front of the t.v.... but my change in attitude towards what was once something I scoffed at is baffling to me.
It also raises a question that peaked the "business" interest part of my mind. I have now, literally, seen the same Sprint commercial 400 times- thanks to the limited commercial interruption that brings Heroes to me for my on-demand pleasure. And it made me wonder... how many more people have seen the commercial where the guy is throwing the money he is saving with Sprint into a garbage truck (I can recite the whole thing by this point) than any commercial played during an actual episode of Heroes? With the increasing popularity of watching tv, movies, and listening to music straight from the web- is anyone getting their money's worth by investing $100,000 into a national commercial spot? Statistics say no... but its hard to really grasp what that means in real life. Even for me. Until I started to see it actually applying to my own media pleasure. I would rather watch a 15 second commercial interruption online any day, then have to wait an entire week for the answer to the "To Be Continued", or wait through a 5 minute commercial block. Besides, who doesn't DVR and fast-forward right past those commercials these days anyway? Maybe I'm impatient... but I belong to an impatient generation- and I think that the availability of everything to us at a click of a mouse or keystroke is fueling that. I realize online video advertising is my business- yes. But realizing that played a part in making my after work free time more enjoyable? Priceless.
(Ok... so maybe we all do still catch some broadcasted commercials from network t.v... I think my point still stands)

The Power of Online Video

http://chiefmarketer.com/disciplines/online/video_ecommerce_0708/
Jul 8, 2008 3:19 PM, By Benjamin Wayne

Americans—and not just kids but that magic 25- to 35-year-old demographic—spend over three hours a month, nose to the screen, basking in its flickering glow. And no, it's not television. It's online video, and it's changing everything.

Once upon a time, online video was the playground of digital media companies and large enterprises with deep pockets and extensive technical resources. Video was an engaging but brutally expensive and fiendishly complicated proposition priced well beyond the reach of most online businesses.

But new tools and services are putting video within the technical and financial reach of every Internet property. E-commerce sites, focused on the holy trinity of traffic, conversion and repeat visitation, would do well to pay attention.

Take Big Plush, for example. The retailer—which makes giant stuffed animals such as seven-foot teddy bears and six-foot gorillas—has a unique market niche. They wanted a way to communicate not just the product, but also the reaction of new toy owners to their giant fuzzy friends. To do this, they built out an entire video "vault" complete with clips of the production process and the reactions of astonished recipients of their oversized toys.

Since so much of giving a stuffed animal is the reaction of the child or loved one who receives it, they were able to sell the most important benefit of the product in a way that would never have been possible with words and photos alone. The result was dramatically increased sales and pass-along, with visitors sharing videos and enticing new customers to experience the product and the brand.

How can e-commerce sites harness online video to drive key business goals? What does it take to create a video presence, and how should publishers leverage a video solution to create traffic, drive sales and increase overall ROI? Here are some rules for getting it right, and putting the power of video to work for you.

Location, Location, Location
There are three places publishers need to think about getting their video assets—the site itself, search engine placement and viral propagation.

Within your site itself, consider the home page, galleries and calls to action. Video on the home page will attract clicks from more than half your users, and can be a great tool to draw visitors deeper into the site. Consider including videos that are instructional in nature, or include a message from the company to introduce a new visitor to the business.

Galleries are another good way to draw users into the site and encourage deeper interaction. Make sure galleries have a means to drive viewers back to a product or purchase, and keep videos short to encourage high completion rates. Make sure to combine videos with a call to action. Videos are incredibly effective in driving user conversion, and should be featured prominently next to products.

When it comes to video, search engines remain one of the great untapped opportunities for traffic generation. Most publishers understand the importance of SEO, but few realize search crawlers are incapable of reading Flash tags, meaning that despite the fact search engines now feature videos in their results, most videos fail to appear. In order to take advantage of SEO opportunities in video, publishers need to submit their video assets via MRSS, a service provided by many video-hosting providers. Since the pool of videos currently indexed is small, this is an opportunity all retailers should explore.

And don't neglect viral propagation. Viral reposting of video puts your brand, your watermark, your video and a link to your site into locations, blogs, wikis and forums you could never reach on your own. Some publishers see over 50% of their video viewership through viral propagation.

Implementing a video strategy doesn't have to mean big bucks. Don't spend your money on expensive, professionally produced video content. Today's Web visitors are looking for clips that help them understand a product or service, not a lengthy infomercial or short film. Take advantage of the power of today's digital cameras to produce inexpensive content you can post quickly.

Users themselves can contribute to your video library, helping to increase your content and creating new page views at a minimal cost to the hosting site. Plug-and-play tools allow video uploading directly from within your page, and contests or other promotions help encourage your members to contribute content.

Benjamin Wayne is CEO of Fliqz.

Go Where Your Prospects Are: The Internet

Reposted Courtesy of Roger Stix:

Regardless what your annual revenue is – you are placing your company in jeopardy if you are not leveraging the internet. We’ll show you why in a second, but what I want you to truly consider right now is that the internet is no longer something we “dabble” in. It’s not a website we’ll throw up when we have the time, or a couple thousand bucks thrown at a paid search campaign we neither understand nor analyze.

However, what you don’t know about the internet can devastate your business and choosing to simply not participate will quickly become a kiss of death.

In a nutshell, the evidence shows us that what you don’t know about the internet is actually costing your business – and more than just money. Statistics show that businesses not participating in various online marketing and advertising methods are sacrificing profits yes, but also market share. There is also a massive opportunity cost here. The internet levels the playing field. But if you’re not online, you’re forgoing the easiest, most profitable way to leverage against your competition.

How many of you currently assign a marketing budget to traditional, offline marketing?

Direct Mail? Media Advertising (radio, tv, print, billboards) Yellow Pages? What else?

And how effective have these methods been this past quarter for you, perhaps compared to their performance in the past?

How many of you have found it harder lately to reach your audience through traditional methods? We’ve seen this trend with a lot of our clients and companies we’ve spoken to. It’s because the majority of your audience has moved online.

73.1% of North Americans are internet users

A recent global survey by McKinsey & Company found that 61% of companies found digital advertising vehicles, primarily paid keyword search and social media, more effective than traditional advertising and up to 74% expect to increase their spending in these online areas over the next three years.

Additionally 66% of all offline businesses plan to move the majority of their marketing online over the next three years. Right now, these companies have identified the following areas as most likely to receive an increased budget:

• Paid keyword search

• Branded sponsorship

• Video advertising

• Emerging Vehicles, including blogging, social media, virtual worlds, wikis, and widgets such as

Facebook applications

According to their research, up to 83% of customers in a variety of industries are expected to use digital tools and techniques to find new products, conduct research, compare prices, purchase, and continue a relationship with a company after purchasing.

Are we starting to see an overwhelming reality here? Do you see how much you can increase your customer base by reaching out to them online, where they’re already spending the bulk of their time, by presenting your message in the media and tools they’re already using?

Six Steps To Make The Most Of Online Video Advertising

Online video becomes the hot ticket to increase customers in tough economic times.
Extracted from IFA Franchising World Magazine , April 2009

With the economic crisis continuing to cripple Wall Street as well as Main Street, small business owners are now forced to develop new ways to grow their businesses and attract customers. As consumer spending and confidence plummet, people will buy products and services with more discretion and in a more competitive business environment.

For small businesses, the fundamental dilemma has become: “How can I adjust to the current economic conditions, reduce my advertising budget, yet still maintain a competitive edge?”

For many, the answer had been search engine marketing. This form of advertising has historically been an extremely effective, measurable and affordable way to generate leads and sales. But with the cost of effective keywords on the rise, and more competitors jumping into the fray, differentiating one’s business online has become much more challenging.

That’s where online video comes in. This relatively new way of marketing is helping businesses drive leads and cut through the clutter. Increasingly, local businesses are extending their brand out to Internet users who watch online videos relevant to their cities and towns who could ultimately become customers.

Research indicates that Internet users have a strong affinity for online video and are spending more time watching it. Video is more engaging than text, as it incorporates sight, sound and motion to convey a message. Additionally, video can help establish trust, and allows users to connect with your brand, your product, your people, or your location, on a more personal level than text or graphical ads.

The statistics bear out this trend. According to a June 2008 study by market intelligence firm IDC, Internet advertising will grow eight times faster than other forms of advertising over the next five years, doubling in revenue from $25.5 billion in 2007 to $51.1 billion in 2012.

The forerunner of growth in Internet advertising will be video advertising, whose revenue is forecast to grow sevenfold from $500 million in 2007 to $3.8 billion during the same period, according to the study.

And the reason for the influx of dollars online? That’s where the customers are going. Roughly 129.5 million people watch online video ads at least once a month, notes an August 2008 study by eMarketer, a market research/trends analysis publication (see below). That figure is estimated to increase more than 40 percent to 183.3 million in 2013. In addition, according to a March 2008 study by the Kelsey Group, of online video ad viewers, nearly 50 percent clicked through to a Web site, about 19 percent requested information about a product or service, 18 percent visited a store to check out a specific product and almost 17 percent made a purchase. This huge growth in online video viewership can mean new leads and sales for franchisees.

Further, search engines like Google, MSN, AOL and Yahoo! have begun indexing video more highly in search results. So, if you use video for a product or service online, you have a greater chance at showing up in the prized first or second page of results. And, ideally, that video should be distributed broadly across the Web onto a number of different sites. This creates a sort of multiplier effect as the search engines see that the video exists in multiple places. Of course, the videos should be professionally shot, locally relevant, and tagged properly. This is all crucial to proper “VSEO,” or video search engine optimization, a nascent subset of the SEO industry.

Now is the time to jump on the online video “brandwagon.” Indeed, more and more businesses are recognizing the power of online video ads, but many still aren’t sure where to start. It’s estimated that only a small number of businesses nationwide use online video ads.

Here are six simple tips to eliminate some of the mystery from online video, and help you capitalize on this growing opportunity.

Rule One: Ensure the content resonates with your target audience. Unlike TV viewers who are primarily watching for general entertainment or news in a passive way, Internet users are usually task-driven and actively looking for very specific content.

Determining what type of content resonates with your target may seem like a daunting task, but there are a few simple things to keep in mind that will help navigate these waters. First, find out how Internet users originally got to your company’s home page. Capture the keywords they used, the pages they visited once they got to your site and, if you have search functionality built into your site, what keywords visitors typed in while there. Next, create a video that speaks to those keywords and phrases. If customers are looking for an introduction, put together a video showcasing your store and its employees.

If you’re selling an unfamiliar, different or new product, create a how-to video or a demo highlighting your product’s benefits.

Also, consider shooting video testimonials from customers who love working with your firm. This can be a good way to convey the benefits of your service and create trust with consumers you’re trying to target. Consider featuring “average Joe” customers or even local celebrities or community leaders that agree to be in your video. Providing a discount on their next service is a good incentive if they’re leery of participating, but if they’re truly fans of your company, it shouldn’t take much convincing.

While they are looking for quality content, people who watch online video don’t usually demand the highest production values or high-definition quality, so don’t worry if your video doesn’t look like a Hollywood blockbuster. The important thing is to have relevant content that resonates with your target customer.

Rule Two: Place your video on your Web site and across multiple sharing sites. Now that you know what the video should include, find a place on your company’s Web site to host these videos. Choose a noticeable, but unobtrusive place on your site’s first page or “home” page, and make sure the video doesn’t launch as soon as someone accesses the page. When a viewer first visits your site, they typically want to ascertain that it’s what they’re looking for and that yours is a legitimate business; they don’t want to be bombarded by information they didn’t request. Again, this is a big difference between TV and the Internet. Here, you have to allow the visitor to have control.

In addition to hosting your video on your own Web site, distribute it across the major video destinations, like YouTube, MySpace TV, Metacafe, and others. This is commonly referred to as “viral video,” as the distribution is free or of nominal cost and its impact is based largely on people seeing it and sharing it with others. Your industry may also have other Web sites or online communities that allow video. If that’s the case, be sure to upload them there as well. Your goal is to be anywhere your target customer may be, and ensure they are able to find your company when they’re looking for the products or services you offer.

Rule Three: Make sure people find your videos. The next step after creating the content is to make sure that people find your videos among the millions of others on the Web. The key here is putting in the right “metadata,” or keywords in the title fields, description and “tags” which search engines and video sites use to match search queries.

Most headlines should be less than a dozen words to be recognized by the search engines. Always be sure to include your company name, basic product description and brand names associated with your franchise. Also, include the city in which you’re located. When conducting basic searches for specific brands, most clients in your city will include their location to narrow the results to just those companies that service their area.

Rule Four: Keep it short. While more and more people have broadband connections and fast computers, online videos may still take some time to download and slow down other applications. In addition, people are used to skipping around to other sites and activities while online, so keep your video short. Think about conveying your message in videos that last 30 seconds to a couple of minutes max. Anything beyond that risks losing the attention of your target customer or taking so long to stream or download that the viewer gets bored or distracted, and therefore navigates away from your video.

Rule Five: Track your viewers and measure response. The goal of tracking your viewers is to understand them better, thereby giving you a better chance of turning them into customers. Know where they’re from, when they’re watching the video, how many times they’re watching it and how many times they’ve e-mailed it to friends. This information proves valuable when developing other video ads.

Insert special phone numbers into your ads that are different from your main company number that’s published in other media. Setting up a call-tracking service that identifies which numbers are being dialed will help you understand which media are doing the best at driving leads to you.

Make sure your video has a call to action at the end, like “Call this number now,” or “Click here to sign up or have more information sent to you.” Videos now can even embed “actionable” buttons that allow viewers to click and have the business’s location saved in their address book, or a map and directions sent to their mobile phone.

Finally, track how interested your viewers are in your videos. One obvious way is by seeing the number of views your video is receiving, a function which is almost always included on the main video sharing sites. Another way is measuring how many times they e-mailed the video link to their friends and by reading the “comments” that most sites allow. Video hosting sites like YouTube now provide sophisticated reporting tools that yield deeper insight into the origin, geography, demographic and viewing behavior of your video. This type of data can help you determine what types of videos to produce in the future, which takes us to the next rule.

Rule Six: Refresh your videos. Most people get bored watching the same thing over and over again, so keep the videos fresh. Many of the sharing sites allow users to subscribe to your videos, so updating them is a good way to keep your company top-of-mind for customers that follow you. Don’t have a new product or service? Not a problem. Use different testimonials, or show how your company is connected or relevant to news trends. And again, using the feedback you get from customers can help trigger new thoughts around the types of videos your target customer is interested in seeing.

Sound like a daunting task? Actually, developing and launching an online video ad campaign can be fairly painless and very affordable. An effective video campaign can be launched in a matter of weeks and for less than you think. The result not only provides a higher level of engagement and connection with your core customers, but can also lead to a wave of new business. Jumping on the online video “brandwagon” could give you the competitive edge you need for survival during these tough economic times.