Web video has become desktop television. Sales and marketing teams can become today’s TV network programming executives, replacing traditional corporate “suits” responsible for shows like "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"
The web-based clip culture inspired by YouTube and Google Video has really paved the way for businesses to create their own high-quality content to help build the loyalty of current customers and educate new customers about the benefits of their products and services.
Digital web video can help sell, tell, educate, motivate, train and entertain. Think of it as your company’s own TV network available in offices and homes around the corner and the globe. Web video can be delivered in crystal-clear DVD quality with almost instant playback for offices and homes simply equipped with a high-speed Internet connection.
Effective web video can range from a single clip to a series to educational material presented in a documentary style. The options are endless.
FOCUS ON THE PURPOSE:
Web video must serve a real purpose with a result in mind. Do you want a viewer to place an order, forward the clip to a colleague, join a discussion or RSVP to a seminar or trade show? The ultimate goal for any website is to make the content and information so compelling that visitors feel they need to check in on a regular basis. Creating a community of people to participate on a regular basis can create a competitive advantage that is hard to beat.
High-quality production can be expensive. However, the good news in the Digital Age with nonlinear editing is that footage can easily be exported for use in many formats, including PowerPoint presentations or for convenient exhibition at trade shows. You can put the video on a SmartPhone, iPod or portable DVD player to show on sales calls.
BACK TO BASICS:
Developing a web video strategy requires teamwork. The information technology (IT) department staff can embed the content and marketing department or agency can develop a creative way to position the company.
It is wise to re-evaluate key questions: Who are we, what do we do, who do we do it for and why do we do it? And developing a new presentation is a good time to examine branding and marketing materials to see if they are up-to-date or if the desired response is achieved from them. Take it a few steps further: What are our distribution channels and what do our customers say about us? Think SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) marketing analysis.
MAKE A CONNECTION:
Digital web video is the most dynamic marketing tool created to date and there is certainly means and space out there for image-building campaigns, but many skeptical companies will be looking to justify the cost of production.
In some cases, it can be very effective to put clips of a telegenic and charismatic CEO on a website to showcase the company mission and goals (a la Steve Jobs), this should not be the only marketing effort.
The goal is to bring the company’s products, services, team and industry to life with compelling content. Customer testimonials can be powerful selling tools to help inspire confidence in your company.
There are fewer boundaries than in the traditional world of advertising when you paid for a thirty or sixty-second spot, though there are some limitations on the technology as well as conventional wisdom about the shrinking attention span of web surfers.
Web video presents a single very appealing aspect among the others discussed: accountability. You can track how many people viewed the video, how much time they spent on the site and what zip code they came from. You can allow viewers to rate or comment on the video.
Rosenbaum Media Group produced content for an Ulster County, New York client that lead to 50,000 views during a 30-day period, a very high number for a focused, regional campaign. It is very important to note that factors beyond web video (like a powerful website) also have a great impact on results of a campaign. The value you provide to your customers must be clear and presented in a way that is appealing and effective.
If you have produced a great web video that accurately and creatively positions your products and services, steps must be taken to properly package and promote the presentation. Special tags can be embedded so that the video comes up on web search pages (and there are methods available to optimize placement high up in search results). Another option is to embed the video clips in electronic newsletters to customers or news releases to members of the media.
Building buzz around your content is one sure-fire way to get it noticed. Writing a news release about the new content or create place the information in an RSS feed. The use of video is a clear signal that one-dimensional, billboard-like websites are a thing of the past. Welcome to the world of Web 2.0.
There is no question that you are smarter than a 5th grader. Now, let the world see it.
Roger Rosenbaum is the president of Rosenbaum Media Group LLC, a digital communications company located in Ulster County. Rosenbaum Media Group consults with clients to create premium digital public relations, marketing and Web 2.0 projects. He can be reached at: www.rosenbaummedia.com or 845-943-5366.
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