Friday, June 19, 2009

WEB VIDEO…A Powerful Tool in your Marketing Shed


Web videos offer companies and organizations an unprecedented opportunity to boost brand awareness and increase brand loyalty. Well-produced videos designed for posting on your website, social sites and video sharing sites, may be the single most powerful tool in your marketing shed, particularly in the current economic climate where it’s essential to allocate budget dollars where they will have the most impact. With web video, you can humanize and energize your brand image and get the vast outreach of the world-wide web without the financial drain of purchasing expensive traditional media time.

What are top marketers saying about web video, and what are the key elements that make for an effective web video?

According to Geoff Ramsey, founder and CEO of eMarketer, the internet now accounts for 10% of all spending and it’s seeing double-digit growth while other forms are declining. “It’s more cost effective and more accountable, and the ROI of Internet has surpassed broadcast,” he noted at Brand ManageCamp 2008. Ramsey strongly suggested placing videos of your products on your website to provide a more visual experience. He further recommended that brand marketers create webisodes so entertaining that people will return to watch them.

At the same event, David Meerman Scott, best-selling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Your Buyers Directly, also touted the benefits of online video. Scott’s advice… “Don’t think like a marketer or communicator, think like a publisher of interesting content.”

So what makes for an effective web video?

  • The script should be based on a strategic approach that reflects its purpose. It should be clear, concise and entertaining; artfully leading your viewers down the path you wish them to take.

  • If the video is to be part of a collection or an ongoing series, it should be designed with a look and feel that will connect the various segments and take maximum advantage of economies of scale, such as a reusable set or a dynamic program opening.

  • On-camera or narration talent must be chosen to maximize the connection with your audience. Whether the talent will consist of professional actors or company executives, a natural, convincing, energized performance is essential. It’s one of the director’s responsibilities to make sure that happens.

  • The camera work, lighting and audio should look and sound professional.

  • The editing style, graphics and titles should be designed to be dynamic and coordinate with your existing brand elements, and any music should be appropriate to the nature of the segment, consistent with the image of your organization, and be properly licensed to avoid any potential liability.

  • Finally, the video should be properly compressed for its intended web use to ensure its quality and performance.

Here’s some great news. It’s now possible to integrate a customized, branded video content player into your existing website at reasonable cost and with minimal or no effort on the part of your web developer. Your web video player can include a greeting from your CEO, a presentation of your products and services, helpful tips on product use or installation, offer client testimonials and more.

The team at VCSvideo has the expertise and experience to handle all the above.

Call us toll-free at 1.877.VCS-VIDEO (1.877.827.8433) to speak with Producer/Directors Frank Siegel (extension 106) or David Fox (extension 103) to discuss how we can cost-effectively help you achieve your goals with web video.


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