Before we can go into detail, we need to agree a few things?
1. The Internet has replaced the yellow pages – even the older generation is starting to turn to the Internet to research a business
2. Video on the Internet is the new “content”
3. The Economy Stinks
Okay, number three I know we agree on. But if we agree on number one and number two then this blog post will make more sense. How many “directory services” are there on the Internet? To be exact…a ton. Traditional directory adverstising is down and so is on-line directory revenue. The reason, I believe, on-line is down…is because listing are, in many cases, free. Here are some good numbers by Ed Kohler on “Print Yellow Pages Ad Revenue Down. Online Too.”
Your customers have the Internet pretty well figured out and their habits suggest that they would rather watch a video then read an ad or article. This holds true regardless of the size or type of company you run. Even CitySearch.com is now selling video as a part of its service. So stay with me here for a second.
If people are using the Internet for search for your business, if video is the new content, if the economy (gas prices in general) push people to more efficient with their travel…then it makes sense that many of your customers are going to the Internet to search for a business and if they can watch a video on the company or store and it looks good then then you are ahead of the game.
Well its time to talk about home video vs professional video and what that means for your site and your business.
Will people watch home or amateur shot and edited video? The answer is yes. The problem (insert dramatic pause here) they will watch it once and 90% of the time never return to your site or YouTube Channel. That sounds like a problem.
You need to apply the same rules and more that email marketers have found out over the years and then the rules of Video.
1. Your audience wants relevant information. Don’t mislead them with a headline that doesn’t match the content.
2. Most viewers of on-line video, want the same user experience they have on TV. Yep High Def if possible. I continually make the comparison…you wouldn’t put your resume on a napkin and pass it out to the world would you?
a. Viral videos break a few rules…but the best viral videos usually have great picture resolution unless its a candid camera where someone caught something at the spur of the moment.
b. You have no time limits like traditional television. You should use this to your advantage. That doesn’t mean ramble. It means stay on point…if you only have 35 seconds of information, use 35 seconds. You don’t have to cut it down, but don’t make it longer because you can.
c. Audio. If you asked me ten years ago how important audio was…I would say that 90% of all TV shows you really didn’t need to watch. You could just listen. But with the acceleration of graphics technology…much of what you see is “visually stimulating” and worth watching. However, bad audio today ruins any production. Your production should use the best audio you are capable of producing. Don’t Skimp. Remember we are focusing on your business and if your not willing to make it right…what will your customers think.
Some of our business at AdamsDigital comes from the Real Estate world. In fact we are starting a new site/portal in July called EastBayHomes.tv that focuses on Homes in the East Bay of San Francisco. While the economy is very tight and at this time we are seeing a lot of activity in Short Sales and much less activity in what we will call “regular sales”…its no time to skimp. The Home owner, the Realtor or Real Estate company that invest in high quality video will be the winner and here is why. I love watching and looking at homes for sale, homes that are just on the market and I will watch 360 tours all day long…but they are a pain to get the right view and really don’t do the house justice. I don’t consider them video. As an interested party, I would like to see some great video of the Realtor and maybe the home owner, walking through the house describing the neat moldings, etc.
The next thing that is important that’s missing is furniture placement. People have a hard time seeing their furniture in either an empty house or a house with the home owners furniture still in place. I would like to hear the Realtor or host of the show, explain that in this breakfast room you really have three obvious places to put your table. So the point is that a virtual tour is good…but, I would rather see great video with “relevant” narration.
Next Blog we will talk about your roll as the business owner in a video.
Video for the small business owner
It amazes me how frequently I speak with small to medium size businesses about their advertising the single key driver for the business. Some have told me they stopped advertising all together and haven’t seen a change in business “Its still slow”.
There are three options:
Sit there with no advertising and let the economy put you out of business? Pull back your advertising dollars and try and stay afloat. “Hope is not a strategy”.
Fold up your business now and you might end up with a profit. Call it quits, get out of every commitment you can, sell your inventory at cost or below… and maybe you wont go bankrupt. Now what are your going to do? This is okay if you are ready to retire and makes more sense then the first option.
Go after business with advertising in a fiscally responsible way. Find out what is and isn’t working for you, but don’t stop trying new things. YES. This option is the most logical…but some how the least adopted.
Fiscally responsible in today’s media media means measuring results. Remember, if you can’t measure it, you can manage it. The Internet is one of the best mediums to measure and track results.
Where does video fit into the equation?
First, the Internet acts as the new yellow pages. Instead of letting your fingers walk through the yellow pages, typing your request into Google or other search engines is a quicker and better way to find information. If your “on-line presence” isn’t set up right, you might not appear correctly in the search and thus lose business. If someone searches your name, no problem. If someone searches for products and services you offer…then your site and meta tags need to reflect the information on that page.
Second, content is no-longer text oriented. The new for of on-line content is video. Video is the display ad on your home page, products & services page, news releases, etc. It’s a sad fact, but people are more likely to watch a video then read an article.
What about home videos vs professional videos….that’s next.
