Videos increasingly popular marketing tool | The Business Times

Article date: Jul 25 2012

Erika Jones

?With video engagement on the rise and marketing budgets on the decline, it?s important to look at where you can get the largest return on investment. Video offers an effective way to drive a message home, drive traffic to your Web site or Facebook page or just increase awareness of your brand.?

At my marketing firm, we encourage and incorporate video into all of our clients? marketing portfolios, and they love it! In fact, we just completed a project with a local mortgage loan officer?s Web site and designed and incorporated video onto each page. Not just video, but walk-out video in which he?s engaging you and talking directly to you. Another idea we incorporate for clients is a video about their business, the business team they have working for clients and how this benefits potential clients.?

People want the answer to one question when they access your company online: Why should I do business with you??The fact is, in today?s world of Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and so many other online video options, reading is on the decline on the Web.?Research has found that people want images and video, and they want to be engaged and intrigued. ?

Here are three ways you can make a killer video to achieve the online and financial goals of your business:

• Don?t go cheap: Hire a professional with a good camera and lighting.?Since you?re looking for a professional presentation of your company and the goal is to drive the value of your product or service home, it?s imperative to show that value by having a good quality video. Flip videos are great for car dealers doing a walk around on a car, but not for someone sitting behind a desk or in their store talking about new products and services.?It just makes sense that with so many high-definition screens (even on phones) being used to access the Internet, you, your company and your surroundings should look good! You can usually find a professional production company that will give you a break if you commit to several videos.
• ?Use graphics: Incorporate your logo, Web site, phone number, Twitter handle and whatever else you can think of to use in your video. There are many places in your video to use graphics ? along the bottom or on the end screen. While this is just another obvious opportunity for people to contact you, it?s something you should do and take advantage of in your screen space. That said, don?t have dancing graphics for the entire video while you?re presenting your message. Simply incorporate graphics appropriately where you can. Graphics increase brand awareness and add a level of professionalism your competition probably isn?t doing.?
• ?Be human: You shouldn?t worry about scripting the entire video. People want to engage with people, not a stiff, talking head. Don?t sound and act like you?re running for office or reading a teleprompter in your video. Sound like you?re having a genuine conversation with your prospects and customers.?If you make a little blunder, it?s OK, just keep going and keep eye contact with the camera.?I?ve seen way too many videos that look like a 30-second political commercial or newscast. It?s best to think about what your customers and potential customers want to hear from you ? a real person they?re having a conversation with as they watch, not someone trying to sell them something. Speaking of selling, don?t overdo things. I?m sure if you asked your current clientele, you?d get the answer that society has become so desensitized to the ?Sham-wow?-type selling, it just isn?t effective anymore.

By using these few tips, you can create an incredibly engaging way to communicate with your existing customers and potential new customers. Remember to incorporate your video in your other advertising. If you?re running an ad in a print publication, use a quick response code that, when scanned, plays your team video on the reader?s phone or other device. It?s a great way to bring your ad to life. Another tip is to ask people to share your video on their Facebook page or pin it on a Pinterest board.

I hope these tips help and you feel comfortable venturing into the world of video.?Stay tuned for my next article with five tips for your business to use Pinterest to drive even more traffic.

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Source: http://thebusinesstimes.com/videos-increasingly-popular-marketing-tool/

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