By Dave Windsheimer
More and more businesses are posting online videos about the products and services they offer. The increasing popularity of videos isn’t surprising, if one considers these statistics from the Digital Sherpa website. For example, some 100 million Internet users watch an online video every day.
The average Web user is exposed to 32.2 videos every month. Also, half of those people going online are watching business-related videos on YouTube.
“One stat I like is that ‘one video is worth 1.8 million words. The description and the message that a video can bring to a consumer is much more effective than pushing traditional advertising on someone, said Jesse Tyree of Black Dog Designs in Glens Falls. “A user has control (over the video). They can pause it. They can share it. They can more readily understand a storyline,” he said.
Tyree and other local marketing and video production experts advise that business owners contemplating a jump onto the World Wide Web need to carefully craft their video message to spark viewers into responding positively to what’s known as the “call to action.” This means that a video must encourage the watcher to take steps toward learning more or buying the product in question.
Those specialists advise that a video not only needs to engage its viewer but get its point across quickly. Further, in order to grab the consumer, experts say it’s important for the businessperson to have a solid grasp of the message they want to impart. Those professionals add that while just about any kind of business can benefit from online video, realtors have seen particularly positive results when using moving, rather than still photos of the properties they offer on the Web.
Robert W. English, owner of Luzerne Productions in Saratoga Springs, maintains that an effective video must be “easy (for a viewer to watch) and to make them stay. No one is going to stay on a video for more than a few minutes,” he said. “For that reason, you need to make your video compelling. It’s like telling a story.”
Hook the observer quickly, adds Tyree. “If you can capture that viewer in the first five to six seconds, they are going to continue to watch the video.”
Another good strategy is to tease the viewer, said Peter Pepe of Pepe Productions in Glens Falls. “You don’t want to give away all the information in a short video, but you want to stimulate people into wanting to learn more about the service or product.” According to English, a business owner must to able to answer a series of questions before it’s time for lights, camera and action. Among the questions: “Why do I want to post an online video?” “What is my vision?” “What do I hope to achieve?” “Who is my target market?” “Who is my competition?” “A lot of times, the client doesn’t think about this,” says English. “They are just saying, ‘I want to get out there.’ That’s fine, but you need to know what your competition is doing. A good business person is going to know that.”
Pepe likens an effective business-related video to the impressions that are formed when two people meet for the first time. “If you put something together that is very well-produced, it will almost always have an effect on the way people perceive your business.”
While many kinds of businesses have been able to hone their image with online videos, the real estate profession has made particularly good use of moving pictures, say both Pepe and Tyree.
Pepe notes that nearly everyone who is in the market for a new home will start their search on the Internet. A Web user can now view properties literally from around the world while never leaving home. “With these well-produced videos, we see clients from all over the world looking at the property, asking questions about the property or even making arrangements to visit the property in-person,” he said.
“I’ve seen statistics indicating that a realtor offering online video of a property is 400 times more likely to have a viewer take action, whether that is phoning or emailing the agent, than the viewer would from simply looking at online still photos of the property,” said Tyree.
No matter what the product or service being offered, English maintains that business owners must understand how important the Internet has become and how business will become even more dependent upon online consumers.
“The 25 to 40 age group live on the Internet and that’s a good thing,” he said. “For example, you might be in an elevator and start a conversation with someone else about your product. With instant access via the Internet, you can show that person what you do. It’s a perfect example of ‘Don’t tell me. Show me.'”
Photo Courtesy Robert W. English