Online Video Marketing Basics: Part 1 – The Case For Online Video & Why You Should Get Involved

Online Video Marketing Basics: Part 2 – Choosing A Video Style

Online Video Marketing Basics Part 3 – Self-Produce Or Hire A Professional?

Online Video Marketing Basics: Part 4 – Choosing The Right Video Production Equipment

There is also a nice glossary section they put together to help with the terms:  Online Video Dictionary – Glossary of Online Video Terms

Thanks for a great set of resources Mark and ReelSEO!

Just as I was finishing up this quick post, Mark came out with another awesome summary post of some of their more popular posts: Video SEO Guide – VSEO Tips & Techniques For Online Video .

So if you ever wanted to know about video, SEO, and online video promotions, check out these posts!  (FYI: This is not a paid advertisement! LOL )

 

It still amazes me how some of my clients (and potential clients) run their business..ignoring the Internet or what is going on really is not a smart move.  (Ok I am off my soap box) Below are the articles I think provide a nice overview for these areas.  Happy reading!

A. Social Marketing:
10 Creative Ways Businesses Used Twitter in 2009 by Matt McGee

B. Linking:
11 Effective, Efficient Ways To Use Limited Time To Build Links

How To Take Control Of Your Link Building In 2010

C. Video Marketing
42 Ways to Use Online Video for Business Marketing by Mark Robertson

11 Predictions for the Online Video Industry in 2010

D. Reviews
How To Handle Negative Reviews Of Your Business by David Ingram

E. Local Search
Local SEO Predictions 2010 by Andrew Shotland

Blocking And Tackling: 10 Fundamentals Of Local SEO by David Mihm

The “Other 20%” Of Local SEO: Advanced Ranking Factors

Predictions For The Changing Local Search Landscape In 2010 by Neg Norton

 

1. MerchantCircle launches:

Neighbors “Neighbors enables consumers to “follow” local businesses for the latest promotions, coupons and announcements.  Business owners can use the Neighbors “feed” as an easy way to communicate directly with their customer base and share information on new products, events or anything of importance to their customers. Want to receive alerts for deals on things like shoe repair services, landscaping, tax preparation or virtually any service in any industry? MerchantCircle connects you to the deals you are interested in, in your local area.”

and

Answers “Answers gives consumers the opportunity to tap into MerchantCircle’s 910,000 local businesses for expert advice on virtually any topic, all for free. Real business owner experts are glad to give consumers free advice on important questions in order to win their business. MerchantCircle doesn’t moderate the conversation; it just connects consumers to real experts who have the answers. Need to know what kind of oil to put in your truck or how to keep a dog from escaping the backyard?  Car mechanics, veterinarians and professionals in every industry will quickly respond, saving you time and often money.”

Read the full release here

2.  StudioNow Launches Video Asset Management & Syndication Platform (AMS), Delivering End-to-End Video Creation-to-Distribution Service

“providing businesses with rapidly escalating video workflow requirements an efficient, affordable and highly scalable solution for the management and distribution of high-quality video assets to multiple video channels across the Internet.”

There’s a local business case study with Citysearch online at their new site at: http://www.studionow.com/create.

Read the full release here

 

Local Video Display Ad Campaigns Grow More Than 300 Percent Year-Over-Year for Mixpo

Thousands of video ads generating more than 1.2 million minutes of viewer engagement is fueling strong interest from advertisers looking to extend their Local TV advertising to the Web

SEATTLE – Aug. 25, 2009 – Online video display advertising is helping local TV advertisers extend their broadcast strategy easily to the Web, according to Mixpo (www.mixpo.com), an online video advertising technology company. Year-over-year, monthly campaigns run by advertisers and agencies through Mixpo’s local media partners, including Comcast Spotlight, NBC Local Media and Tribune, among others, have grown by more than 300 percent, according to Mixpo data.

Mixpo focuses on online display inventory for delivering local video ad campaigns rather than in-stream pre-roll video. “Pre-roll ads are not the right solution for local advertising.  They’re expensive and have limited availability, interactivity and targeting, to drive effective local promotion. Video display ads are more affordable, can be targeted to the right customer, and allow viewers to interact as they wish, rather than being forced to watch an ad,” said Anupam Gupta, president and CEO of Mixpo.  “This new ad unit – takes the static banner to the next level with higher engagement and local response.”

Extending Local TV advertisers’ broadcast strategy relies on easily moving TV assets online, and adding interactive elements to drive local response. More than 80 percent of video display ad campaigns being delivered through Mixpo start from existing TV Spots. The ability to repurpose longer TV spots (:30 seconds and longer) gives advertisers more brand exposure than what’s achieved with pre-roll ads where 15 seconds, or less, is the purported ‘ideal’ length.  Mixpo data also shows that more than 1.2 million minutes of video display ads delivered through its platform have been watched during the past year, which translates to more than two years of 24/7 continuous TV viewing. Also, over one-third of these user-initiated views have resulted in additional clicks and interactions.

Industry data indicates over 95 percent of retail transactions occur offline, or locally. That fact is mirrored with some of the vertical categories running Mixpo video display ads, including quick start restaurants, automotive, retail, insurance, financial services, and healthcare – all of which have a local presence across different markets. In these cases, advertisers have taken their existing TV spots and made them highly interactive to drive brand awareness as well as a qualified local response, such as coupon redemption, newsletter sign up, test drives, or requesting more information.

“We are seeing a trend unfolding” added Gupta, “and that is an extension of local TV advertising strategies to the Web, with the benefits of measurement and interactivity. Advertisers have already spent tens of thousands of dollars to produce high quality TV creative. Leveraging that is the easiest way to take advantage of online video advertising.”

About Mixpo
Mixpo is an online video advertising technology company on a mission to easily extend local TV advertising to the Web. Mixpo works with advertising agencies, marketers and media companies, including Comcast Spotlight, NBC Local Media, and Tribune, to deliver response-driven, local video display advertising on the Web. To find out more about Mixpo, please visit us at www.mixpo.com.

 

A searchmercial is new industry jargon for “a video commercial designed specifically for online search and directories...the purpose of the searchmercial is to appeal to the active shopper by providing the information they seek quickly and clearly.  With a searchmerical there is no need to cut through the clutter or generate effective reach; you simply need to tell your story and communicate value.  In fact, where traditional advertising is designed to stand out from the content the audience is viewing, the searchmercial is the content.”

Typically, searchmercials run between 30 to 90 seconds and can be placed on the advertiser’s Web site, on an online directory or an Internet search engine.  They can be created cost effectively because they simply need to efficiently tell the story of the business. A searchmericial, as with all video, has the added benefit of improving your search engine rankings.

Steve shared with me some statistics regarding online videos. Some of the key points (IMHO) were:

• Nothing is more effective that video when it comes to persuading large audiences – People remember only 20% of what they hear and only 30% of what they see, but an incredible 70% of what they both hear and see.
• Consumers media consumption has fundamentally changed – 68% of Internet users now watch video advertising online at least monthly1.
• Online video promotions are proving to be highly effective – 52% of viewers taking action and 16% say they purchased the service or product
• Internet video users are active buyers and are 3 or 4 times more likely to take action than static ad viewers2.
• Online video ad viewers visit less than half the number of competitive sites3.

reference:
1. Source: Online Publishers Assoc.  Online Video Advertising, Content and Consumer Behavior, June 2007
2. Source: DoubleClick study Q1, 2007
3. Source: Thomson FindLaw Study

I also asked Steve what was the best way to look at online video. His reply was “online video advertising doesn’t have to be as strategically insightful as TV advertising  just honestly represent the value you offer.” I totally agree with Stephen. Videos provide a great way to show customers who and what you are. There is no need to try to get fancy and sophicated. The video itself will impress and get their attention.

The statistics listed above really stand out to me and cause me to ask why don’t more small business try to get online videos. If you own a small business, have you tried online videos? If so, let us know.

 

I am currently reviewing a couple of services that allow small business to create their own videos and then they will promote the videos online via various services/markets  (other than YouTube).

At ILM 08,  I met Mark Robertson of ReelSEO.com. Below is a presentation Dave did at PubCon, which I thought was very good and he gave me permission to reprint here.

Optimizing your video is just as important as optimizing your website. You want to make sure the right people see your video.

There are a couple other posts I thought worth your time. I found SEO 101: Video Optimization posted by Richard Burckhardt at Web Optimist very helpful. This is a great how to guide on helping your videos.

Another good post is How To Get Discovered Through Video Search by Eric Papczun at Search Engine Land. And finally 2008 Video Search Year In Review also by Eric at Search Engine Land.

Take a few minutes to review these. Am curious does anyone out there do online videos for their website? if so, let  me know you experiences.

 

The forum started with Brad Inman, Founder and CEO of TurnHere. He had a great presentation talking about “great ideas for the little guy” He went through a list of what and where local video is for video providers.

Video Production and Distribution: This section had four different video producers great samples of their product for one local dentist. It was cool is see how the different companies work, they different types of products that produce and how they distribute and promote videos online.

The companies represented were:
Jivox
Mixpo – the only one that does not work directly with small business
eLocalListing
Adfare

The pricing, products, distribution are really varied, so the small business will need to do some homework on what they want and how much they can pay. Will there be one ultimate winner?  I do not think so, since each does something a bit different.  Has anyone out there tried any of these services? Your thoughts?

Video Sales: This panel spoke about selling local video. Just like any sales, the ability to explain, demonstrate, and support the product will be critical. The main point I got out was that online local video is just like selling TV ads, takes some time but should be viewed as having the same value as TV ads.

Out-of-Home: The final panel was on a subject I really had not thought much about. Out-of-home Video is growing very quickly and there are business out there that help produce and distribute local video ads in places outside the home. Folks are on the go, why not have a video monitor up and run local ads while pumping gas, buying groceries or coffee, working out in the gym, at the student center, etc.

Peter Bowen, CEO, SeeSaw Networks said the vision is to “intercept people in their work, play and social routines.”  They put up some numbers that showed ads running while pumping gas gas station, for example, had a 77% notice rate, weekly impressions of 5240, and a cpm of $15.00.

This is a multi-billion dollar industry and is all local and simple growing fast. Next time you are out and about take a look around you, there might be a Danoo or RippleTV screen near by.

 

From the press release:

“eStara Video Connect is an ideal solution for local and vertical media, online directories, Internet Yellow Pages companies, and Internet video providers who are either looking to add video to their advertising packages, or who already offer video advertising but are looking to more effectively track and measure leads generated from video ads. Customers can choose between two flexible options to add eStara Video Connect to their sites or platforms.”

Got to see a demo and it looked pretty cool.  The bottom line is, the more ways you can add to help potential customers connect to your business, the better.  eStara Video Connect provides numerous ways for the viewer to connect to your business via the online video, while they are watching it!  The system also provides the tools you need to measure effectiveness of your online video ads. They are helping find a way to quantify ROI of online videos.

You can click on the screenshot I have here to see what the option screen will look like when a viewer clicks to connect.

The options are:

• Call the advertiser’s business with a single click; viewers can opt to be called back by the advertiser on a mobile or land-line phone number, or can place a PC-to-phone call
• Go directly to the advertiser’s Web site and map its location using Google Maps
• Send the advertiser’s listing information to friends using SMS, email or fax or save it to a file, a  contact list, or a Web bookmark

eStara Video Connect will be provided to you via the web publisher that lists your business in the near future, so keep an eye out for them. Thanks Sheri for your time, the demo, and good luck with the cool new service.

 

From Dick Larkin’s webinar: New Developments in Interactive Local Marketing (Kelsey Group) A quick preview of what will be presented next week. Two numbers stood out to me:

• projected local video sales growth from $10.9 M  (2007) to 1,513 M by 2012
• 16% of smbs polled have a website video and 26% say they will be adding video over the coming 12 months

Over at the Google Blog, they post a nice article Future of Online Video.

13 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute

In ten years, we believe that online video broadcasting will be the most ubiquitous and accessible form of communication. The tools for video recording will continue to become smaller and more affordable. Personal media devices will be universal and interconnected. Even more people will have the opportunity to record and share even more video with a small group of friends or everyone around the world.

From Marketing Pilgrim: Online Video Watching Continues to Soar:

73.7 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
84.8 million viewers watched 4.3 billion videos on YouTube.com (50.4 videos per viewer).
47.7 million viewers watched 400 million videos on MySpace.com (8.4 videos per viewer).
The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes.
The average online video viewer watched 235 minutes of video.

Finally, Back to Basics: A Look at Video Search and SMBs by Glenn Pingul over at Search Engine Land:

“While online video advertising platforms provide the capabilities for SMBs to automatically syndicate video ads to the major video search engines, and automatically submit them to some of the major video sharing sites like YouTube, it is ultimately up to the SMB to define who they are, how they are different

Video search offers nuances from text based search, such as the fact that it is the metadata around the video (not the video) that is indexed, so it is critical to stay clean and not include keywords that may be popular but have no relevance to the contents of the video.”

Online videos is fast growing area, it will be exciting to see where it goes!

 

So what is the big deal about it? A client of mine emailed one day to put a video on his website. He was contacted and convinced to create a video from his sales rep at Yellowpages.com. I use the word “convince” because after asking him some questions, it was clear he was not totally happy about it and did not know why he did it. My client said:

“The rep I have known for around fifteen years, just highly recommended it when we talked about my yellow page commitment. He says he thinks it will really help. I don’t think it is promoted at all other than being featured in Yellowpages.com.”

“He thought I would get more action”– I do not want to digress but come on!  After sitting down with my client and explaining things, he understood.

So I wanted to start some discussion-why do you think online videos are getting so popular? Let me know what you think.

I think they are a cool idea and definitely can help you stand out. Just like local search this area of marketing is just taking off…

To get the ball rolling, I ask an associate of mine, Ahmed Farooq, the director of iBegin, his 2 cents regarding online videos. iBegin focuses on providing business listings, geocoding, and weather services to online local sites.  (Free plug for you buddy )

Q. Why is online video becoming so popular these days?
A. Larry, I think the better question is – why not? It is natural to want to watch video (in lieu of text/images) on the screen. The technology (both implemented and networking) still seems to lag. A great example is NBC/FOX’s Hulu and ABC’s own video viewing site. While Hulu has an arguably better UI, ABC’s HD videos are far superior to what Hulu offers. Lots of work to be done in online-video.

Q. Why should a small business have a video made for their business?
A. Why does a business do any marketing? To stand out of course!

Q. Do you do much with video SEM or SEO? How important is this?
A. Not right now, but something we are very interested in. Translating why your business is great into text/images is not an easy play. A video can do a far better job. And with Google throwing in YouTube links into the middle of searches – the competition is far lesser in that area.

Q. Where do you see online videos going?
A. Right now the visual quality of most videos is online. I was watching Lost on my 22″ in HD and it was absolutely beautiful (and with no lag-time). I see more of that happening online (almost rendering the TV useless).

Thanks Ahmed. So what do you say? Have you tried online videos? Are you going to? Where do you think videos fit into the small business marketing plan?