Using Video in Marketing

 

Video marketing is igniting the online marketing world. Live video with Webcasts and video clips help create both a visual and an emotional impact that is unattainable with reading online copy alone.

 

Many marketers use blogs and RSS feeds to update and connect with prospective clients. However, combining video clips with these strategies makes it easier to deliver products or services and inform your audience effectively. Also called “vlogging,” short for “video blogging,” it refers to the use of embedded video content in a blog. The visual aide makes the blog visually attractive and much more interesting.

 

Using video clips are easier than you may think. Many of us are familiar with sites like YouTube, which broadcasts through a miniature screen that appears on your computer, almost like viewing a television commercial online that caters to a specific niche or person. Posting to a video-sharing site like YouTube is free, and is as simple as creating a YouTube account. You use a digital video camera or mobile phone to capture your message, post the video content, and send people a link to it (or hope it goes viral). Producing an appealing video is the first step in launching a successful marketing campaign.

 

 

Your video message can be personalized, helping to build solid relationships and boost sales. In addition, video marketing is not just for the large corporation—it’s ideal for the small business owner or entrepreneur because it enables anyone with Internet access to reach you, and it’s free to use with sites like YouTube (www.YouTube.com), Metacafe (www.metacafe.com) and TubeMogul (www.tubemogul.com). Videos enhance your presentations and can also do the following:

 

• Create a buzz about a new product or service
• Build a personal relationship with your subscribers
• Keep you in contact with your customers
• Create a video sales pitch to sell your product or service
• Bring viewers back to your Website
• Maximize distribution across social networking sites

 

 

A few tips about maximizing the potential of your videos: Keep your videos short, preferably under five minutes; the content should be interesting, entertaining or educational; be sure to create a series of videos on the same topic to keep people coming back; and for optimum exposure of your clips, maximize distribution across networking sites by using tags and bookmarking links to help people find, save and share your videos.

 

Webcasting

 

Webcasting is another method of video marketing with one difference: the audio and video content is delivered via the Internet to the desktop of a group of users in “real” time. Simply put, they are live events that an attendee can hear and view, if video is available; not all webcasts use video. Relatively inexpensive to create, a webcast is useful in holding presentations virtually to a mass audience without having to organize conference or workshop rooms for the same purpose.

 

If you need to produce content to quickly cover an event, initiative or product launch with quick production turnaround while the item is still “hot off the presses,” then webcasting is the answer to your needs. Typically, webcasting is created with one person talking to the camera, as opposed to video marketing, in which one or a group of people can participate. As in video marketing, webcasting combines vocal and visual cues that work together to make an emotional connection. Many companies will use in-house webcasting to convey timely and personable communications to their employees.

 

Any small to large-size company can produce their own webcast at minimal cost. The following is all you will need to be successful:

 

• A rehearsed script message
• A large quiet room for the “shoot”
• A graphic backdrop for deliverance of your message
• A director, camera operator and a teleprompt operator for the day of your webcast

 

 

Of course, if webcasting seems too challenging, you could outsource the job to professionals. Feel free to contact Vision 2 Market for resources.

 

Authors:

Karen Bonnet
Catherine Flores

 

Internet communications has opened up a whole new world to those who want to reach buyers directly. The power of the Web is an incredible resource in the expansion and promotion of your business. Gaining visibility online is the wave of the future and essential if you want to reach more people in your target audience.

 

Print advertisements and press releases sent the traditional way—through journalists, no longer have the same impact. Relying solely on the media and on print ads can also be frustrating and costly. Mainstream media is still an important component to getting your message across; however, the Web is a direct access that reaches your buyers quickly.

 

A wealth of resources are available that promote business, including blogging; Internet mailing lists; professional development Web sites that distribute press releases to appropriate Web-based media; Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, a relatively new technology that enables subscribers to access Internet-based news; social and business networking sites; and podcasting, a medium that reaches a world-wide audience through audio content feeds.

 

Social networking sites like Facebook (www.facebook.com); MySpace (www.myspace.com); Twitter (www.twitter.com); and Linkedin (www.linkedin.com), have revolutionized global communication. While these Web-based services connect people around the world, they also build relationships among those with common interests and activities, and provide services to individuals with specific needs.

 

Online public relations practice has become more widespread and people are taking advantage of this fact. More reporters are doing their research online and accepting press releases via e-mail. There are literally dozens of links to Web sites that provide information and enhance public relations and marketing. Below are a few good ones:

 

· www.online-pr.com

· www.prweb.com

· www.ereleases.com

· www.newswise.com

· www.prplace.com

 

While all the tools on the Web are there for the asking, a good public relations and marketing professional, as well as strategic planning, are essential to the success of your business.

 

Written by Karen L. Bonnet, Vision 2 Market – Public Relations & Catherine Flores

 

I’ve met with business owners from various industries this month and I am asked the same questions over and over, “What should I be doing to get customers into my store or how can I spark sales to increase cash flow now”.  There is no doubt that we are in the most challenging economic times in decades but the answer to that question is MARKET your products and services.

 

Market them in a smarter, more creative way.  You may want to consider revaluating your existing marketing strategy and target customer. Do you have options to make different decisions regarding your advertising plan?  You bet you do and there is no better time than now to re-examine your advertising expenditures or take a good hard look at your target customers buying patterns.  Repositioning your business in the marketplace is essential to surviving in tough times.

 

How are your advertising vehicles working to increase sales as compared to 3-5 years ago? Once you’ve looked at your advertising expenses and investigated opportunities to redefine your target customer, prioritize the possibilities that can drive immediate sales. Here are a few low cost suggestions:

 

Call existing customers especially ones that you have serviced within the last year.  Ask if they are happy with the products or services that they received from your company.  If you’ve done a good job, you’ll get great feedback and open the door to doing more sales.  Mention a current promotion or ask if they would like to set the wheels in motion by discussing some particulars on their next project.

 

Placing a simple call gives you the opportunity to problem solve and be proactive in addressing any client concerns.  How may times have you wanted to call a vendor or supplier about a problem but it was a hassle, or you didn’t have time so you kept putting it off until your sales rep walked in the door? By that time you unleashed on your sales rep. Well, don’t let that be your customer.  View the phone call as an opportunity to improve your business and preserve your reputation. At the very least, you’ll make a memorable impression.

 

Send your customers your company brochure or most current promotion so they can see the full line of products and services you may be offering at a special savings.  Handwritten written thank you notes can help you stay on the radar screen too.  Nurture your existing customers if you cannot afford to invest in marketing to new customers and they just might help you spark sales now.

 

Check back next week for more low cost marketing opportunities and suggestions.

If you haven’t starting capturing customer emails, start now. You can send email blasts to clients about any new products, services or promotions. Sending email blasts to existing customers is a low cost way to keep connected to your customers. Email marketing programs start at $15 dollars a month depending on the amount of client emails you collect.

 

Constant Contact offers a reasonable price program and it’s fairly easy to use. They have very easy templates where you can customize your message to customers or hire a professional to create a design that will complement your brand image. Visit www.constantcontact.com for more information.

It’s also a good time to work on projects you’ve been putting off such as your company website, brochure, point of sale displays, etc. You might say, “I cannot afford to invest in these business building concepts at this time”. And you might be right but don’t discount the preparation you can do now by outlining what you would want to feature on your site or in your marketing collateral materials. Chip away at your projects while you have time to devote to them. Seek out companies willing to support your efforts by asking for flexible payment plans or use your good credit to defer payment while you are working to increase sales from your existing customers.

 

Consumers view businesses as more viable than their competitors in the marketplace when they have invested the time and resources to articulate consumer benefits in a professional website and brochure. There’s no reason to stop investing in your business unless you’ve decided to throw in the towel. In the long run, these steps will help build your brand and create new marketing opportunities for new and repeat customers.

 

Lastly, if you’re feeling overwhelmed take a day off. Why? Yes, because you can and you just might come up with a few different ideas that may empower your entrepreneurial mind. Step back, take a deep breath and reflect on the emotions you first had when you went into business. It was exciting and pretty scary all the same time right? Not really all that different from the political and economic climate of today.

 

Check back next week for more low cost marketing solutions and suggestions.

 

Author: Catherine Flores

 

Click here for more information about Catherine.

Advertising blog coming soon.

 

 

Generally, we think of traffic as a negative concept but when discussing traffic in terms of the internet, it’s a necessity. Once you’ve built and launched your website, what is the next step? Generate website traffic that will increase sales. Marketing and advertising your website is equally as important as the website design and build.

 

 

It’s important to budget for costs associated with marketing and advertising your website. Below are a few traffic building concepts that you might want to consider:

 

 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

PPC (Pay-per Click) on search engines such as Google & Yahoo

Press Releases

Landing Pages

Affiliate Links / Link Building

E-Mail Marketing & List Subscription

Internet Marketing – Banners Ads, Pop-Ups, Selling Ad Space On Your Website, Videos

 

 

Another traffic building technique is to create a blog. The length of the blog can be between 100-250 words. If you incorporate repeat keywords into your blog the search engine technology is likely to crawl through your site and index it. This will help your website show up when users type in keyword phrases relevant to your industry. Be sure to ask your web designer to name your URL pages appropriately, as well as your post titles and category names.

 

 

Ask about these traffic generating techniques when building your website. Some website companies offer incentives to help market your website once it’s launched online. Vision 2 Market recommends incorporating your website marketing and advertising strategy into your annual marketing plans.