Video – the Next Wave of Small Business Marketing?
Video – the Next Wave of Small Business Marketing?
The cutting edge of the trend is live self-broadcast TV streamed from your website. Think of it like your own ongoing TV program. One of the gurus in this is a guy who talks about wine – Gary Vaynerchuck. A guy who is passionate about wine talks about it in laypersons terms – complete with plastic character toys. It is out there, loud, real and he out-rates many of the top US TV shows.
People want to see you – engage with you – look you in the eye and check you out as a person. They want to see if you really are sincere about your product or service. They don’t want a highly polished TV presenter – they want to see and connect with the real person, warts and all. If you are too polished they click away as they can’t connect with you.
With a website you only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. With the addition of video their average length of stay on your site increases. Length of time someone stays increases the likelihood of them signing up for your newsletter, reading your words or buying your product. So, going by trends, the addition of video to your site or your blog is something worth considering.
So if you are going to add in video (and we still call it video even though it is something else) to your website or your marketing mix, what should you do and how should you do it?
The technology
Let’s start with some basics. The technology you use does not have to be complex or expensive.
I added video to my homepage on my website for $12US. I used my web camera to record the film of what I wanted to say. I then used Microsoft Movie Maker (free with windows XP) to edit the film. I then bought Video Web Wizard for $12US to convert the film to a flash file and to put the little TV screen around the film. Finally I watched a free tutorial by AskMrVideo.com to work out how to add my flash file into my website. All it took was my time and one piece of software that I was missing.
The words
What you say on your video is important. You need to treat it just like any other piece of copywriting – consider your audience and what they are interested in hearing about. You need to have a logical flow through your words and you need to have a strong call to action in conclusion.
You also need to keep it simple, and not too long. My video is just 3 minutes in length. Use a copywriter to help you refine your words if you are not confident in what you are going to say to present your business in its best light.
Adding video to your home page should not replace your general words and text. Remember the search engines can’t index a video – so you still need your keyword rich text beneath your video to help search engines find you.
General stuff
While the people want to connect with you, you want to make sure the location you are filming in is attractive, not too distracting in the background and has sufficient light (you don’t want to look like you are in a nightclub).
You also want your basic appearance to be neat and tidy. Remember to smile, to look down the lens of the camera (and not to the side or away as that can make you look shifty). Remember to blink - some people get the fixed in the headlights stare look and forget to blink.
Don’t expect to get it right the first “take”. Rehearse your words until you are confident with them, and then expect a few goes to get your video to the point you are happy with it.
Finally – it is OK to change things around. I know I will change my video periodically as things within my business change. The technology is now so simple you can change it as often as you are comfortable with doing it – daily if you like.
So dip your toes into the waters of video marketing. Like everything you need to test and measure your results to make sure it is working for you.
Video the Next Wave of Small Business Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Ingrid Cliff's Website.
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The current small business marketing trend is the addition of video to things like websites, promotional DVDs and blogs. Think of the explosion of You Tube – more people watch You Tube across the world each day than people watch TV.
The cutting edge of the trend is live self-broadcast TV streamed from your website. Think of it like your own ongoing TV program. One of the gurus in this is a guy who talks about wine – Gary Vaynerchuck. A guy who is passionate about wine talks about it in laypersons terms – complete with plastic character toys. It is out there, loud, real and he out-rates many of the top US TV shows.
People want to see you – engage with you – look you in the eye and check you out as a person. They want to see if you really are sincere about your product or service. They don’t want a highly polished TV presenter – they want to see and connect with the real person, warts and all. If you are too polished they click away as they can’t connect with you.
With a website you only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. With the addition of video their average length of stay on your site increases. Length of time someone stays increases the likelihood of them signing up for your newsletter, reading your words or buying your product. So, going by trends, the addition of video to your site or your blog is something worth considering.
So if you are going to add in video (and we still call it video even though it is something else) to your website or your marketing mix, what should you do and how should you do it?
The technology
Let’s start with some basics. The technology you use does not have to be complex or expensive.
I added video to my homepage on my website for $12US. I used my web camera to record the film of what I wanted to say. I then used Microsoft Movie Maker (free with windows XP) to edit the film. I then bought Video Web Wizard for $12US to convert the film to a flash file and to put the little TV screen around the film. Finally I watched a free tutorial by AskMrVideo.com to work out how to add my flash file into my website. All it took was my time and one piece of software that I was missing.
The words
What you say on your video is important. You need to treat it just like any other piece of copywriting – consider your audience and what they are interested in hearing about. You need to have a logical flow through your words and you need to have a strong call to action in conclusion.
You also need to keep it simple, and not too long. My video is just 3 minutes in length. Use a copywriter to help you refine your words if you are not confident in what you are going to say to present your business in its best light.
Adding video to your home page should not replace your general words and text. Remember the search engines can’t index a video – so you still need your keyword rich text beneath your video to help search engines find you.
General stuff
While the people want to connect with you, you want to make sure the location you are filming in is attractive, not too distracting in the background and has sufficient light (you don’t want to look like you are in a nightclub).
You also want your basic appearance to be neat and tidy. Remember to smile, to look down the lens of the camera (and not to the side or away as that can make you look shifty). Remember to blink - some people get the fixed in the headlights stare look and forget to blink.
Don’t expect to get it right the first “take”. Rehearse your words until you are confident with them, and then expect a few goes to get your video to the point you are happy with it.
Finally – it is OK to change things around. I know I will change my video periodically as things within my business change. The technology is now so simple you can change it as often as you are comfortable with doing it – daily if you like.
So dip your toes into the waters of video marketing. Like everything you need to test and measure your results to make sure it is working for you.
Video the Next Wave of Small Business Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Ingrid Cliff's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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