Videos and Small Business

I have been meaning for long time now to begin to wade into this subject-online video marketing.  If you have been reading the news, blogs, etc out there, you will know that online video marketing is picking up steam. Online videos definitely is one of those creative ways you can help promote your business.

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?

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2 comments

  1. Yellowpages.com uses a point system. If you buy a video you get more points and move up in the listings. Many businesses buy a “video” without any intention of actually creating it.

    Strange, huh? When you consider that videos really got popular with the advent of universal search; and these videos are only shown on yellowages.com it seems stranger still.