Category: Video Marketing

Sad but true, most people would rather watch television than read a book. People love to be entertained. Ever since the advent of television, people began staying inside and watching TV rather than going out with friends. Television has more of an influence on society during the 20th century than anything else. Until the internet. Then things started to change. In addition to just watching television, people could find out information, interact with others and even make money on auctions. And each year, the internet becomes more sophisticated. There are billions of websites out there in internet land. People are now spending more time on the internet than they are watching television. And now that most of the country is on the internet, they are also finding different ways to be entertained online.

In the early days of the internet, most of the information was written. You looked up information and read it. If there was a photo, it caught your eye. People soon began using clip art and other visual effects in their ads, e-mails and websites. It was soon discovered that websites and advertisers who used some form of visual stimulation were attracting more people to their site. This included everyone. Internet communities, such as MySpace began popping up for people to meet and network. These included easy ways that one could download a photo of themselves or friends. It also included ways they could design their pages to make them more attractive.

Which would you rather look at? An attractive, well designed page or a typed written article written in black font on a white background. Of course you would rather look at the attractive page. You are not alone. Human beings are highly visual. Even a cartoon photo can be a source of entertainment and can get someone to read what you want them to read. Have you ever received an e-mail that featured photos or a cartoon? Wasn’t that more entertaining than one that featured a text joke (that you already heard 100 times before)?

In the early days of the Internet, advertising consisted of either printed ads that were put on different websites to attract customers and ad banners. When people clicked on to the banner, the owner of the website got money. This was the way the advertisers kept track of which websites were worth their advertising dollars. These advertising vehicles are still being used, but are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Then pop up ads became popular. People would be on a website and an ad would pop up suddenly. Sometimes it looked like it was part of the site. It would take you to another website for advertising. Sometimes, it was just gathering your information so that you could be barraged by constant e-mails.

The pop up ads were ineffective. Although they attempted, like all ads, to reach a target audience, many people found them annoying. Soon there was a way to block pop up ads from appearing. Many people now use this tool as an option on the internet.

News media soon found that it was very effective to put not only the news coverage of an important case, but actual video clippings. They soon discovered that more people were watching the videos than reading the news. It was easier to do and, more importantly, entertaining. News websites were among the first to realize the impact of adding video to their websites. Now many other companies are following suit.

American people want to be entertained. They want to be entertained on television, at the movies and on the internet. And they even expect their advertisements to be entertaining. A simple banner advertisement has no chance against a good video advertisement. Particularly if it is both informative and has a bit of humor. Not only will the person watch the video, they will share it with others. They will place it on their own websites and blogs and even e-mail it to friends.

Entertainment is the key to good advertising. Gone are the days of the catchy commercial jingle. The banners will soon be on their way out, too. The advertisers who are truly adding to their business are using video advertising in many different ways to draw customers to their products. And the more customers they attract, the more business they get and the more profit they make.

If you truly want to move into the new age of advertising, now is the time. Not only is video advertising on the internet cheaper than commercial advertising, it can be done by just about anyone. You do not have to be Francis Ford Coppola to make a video. Sometimes, the most quirky and funny videos are those that are remembered the most.

If you have a website, it is just as easy to add video as it is to add photographs and texts. Of course you will still have the text and photos, but people will be more intrigued by the video. Particularly if it is entertaining and grabs their attention.

Suppose, for example, you want to sell your home. You want to list it on the internet with a price. But you do not include a photo of the home. Chances are, your home listing will not be viewed nearly as much as those with photos.

Suppose you want to advertise for a date on an internet dating site. But you do not want to add your photo. Chances are that no one will read your profile and think about what a wonderful person you are even if you are Prince William. They will see you have no photo and go on to the next.

Why is this? Because people are visual. They need visual stimulation. They need to imagine themselves in the home or on a date with you before they will even think of contacting you. And do not kid yourself, internet dating is also a form of advertising. And those with photos get much more attention than those without.

Now suppose you want to sell your home and you decide to do something different. Instead of posting a photo of your home on the website, you take a video of the home. You move from room to room with the camera and describe the details. It will make people feel as though they are inside the home. And, virtually, they are. How well do you think that advertisement will do against the home ads with no photos or even those with photos? I guarantee it will do a lot better. You may even be able to ask a higher price.

People do not often have the imaginations we would like to give them credit for. For years they have received their news information, weather reports, sports games and entertainment from television. This has been going on for the past 50 years. And as the entertainment industry has grown, the audience has grown more demanding. They want more visuals. No more implications. No more “leave it to the imagination.” They want to see every detail on the screen.

What makes you think that internet advertisement is any different? Do you honestly think that you are going to get more traffic with a small banner ad or an e-mail with a bunch of long paragraphs than a video ad?

Think about having an exciting new product for a special customer. You want to tell your customer all about it, but it is complicated. It may be technical and too difficult for the customer to comprehend. At best, they will skim over the article. At worst, they will not even read it.

What if, instead, you sent them a video of the product in operation? Do you think they will be more or less interested? If you are unsure about the answer, as yourself the same question. What would you rather see? A video demonstration of an exciting new product or a two page e-mail telling you about it? You know the answer. It is the same reason that you would rather watch the football game on television than listen to it on the radio. Because you, like all human beings, are visual.

Now you need to learn how to make that knowledge work for you by using video advertising on the internet to advertise your business.

After reading a little about web videos for advertising, you may be asking yourself just what type of businesses are taking advantages of this media? The answers are just about everyone who understands the concept of entertainment in advertising.

Just about every business that has a website on the internet is now adding some sort of video advertising to their sites. This ranges from car dealerships, travel agents, real estate agents and even manufacturers. They realize that they get the attention of a viewer right away if a video comes onto the screen instead of a simple advertisement.

Department stores are also beginning to use video advertising on the internet not only on their websites, but also on internet advertising engines such as Google. It simple captures the attention of a potential buyer more than just a plain photo.

Imagine that you have a website that sells T-shirts, for example. A person goes to your website and sees a variety of T-shirts that are for sale. These are often pictured in photos either by themselves or on models. The prices are included, along with an ordering form. Most websites have a search option so if someone is looking for a particular T-shirt, they can find it easier.

The reason models are depicted in T-shirts is to make the product more attractive. More people are apt to purchase a garment featured on a striking model than an average person or on a mannequin. This is simply another way people are visual. They imagine themselves as the model in the T-shirt and feel that they will also look this way once the garment is acquired.

Now imagine you have this same website but decide to implement video advertising as part of your campaign. Instead of clicking on to a website that just depicts a bunch of models in T-shirts, you have a video where a model is wearing the T-shirt and talking about how much she loves her T-shirts from your company.

Or, you decide to go the humor route. A video depicts an unpopular, geeky kid wearing a white shirt with a pencil protector in the pocket and getting his books knocked out of his hands at school. He says something like “I’ve had enough of this, I’m getting myself over to XXX T-shirt company!”

The next clip shows the same student wearing one of the T-shirts and surrounded by a bevy of women. He winks at the camera and says, “XXX T-shirt changed my life – they can change yours, too.”

Corny? Yes. But entertaining and memorable. As a matter of fact, the more humor or unusual aspects you can add to your video, the more people will remember it. They may even like it so much that they post it on their blog or on “You Tube.” Then you get even more advertising for your business. For free.

Travel agents are quickly discovering that video is the way to go when it comes to advertising on the internet. More and more travel agencies are not just depicting photos of exotic places, but videos of the attractions that can be seen when visiting these places. People feel as though they are taking a trip. They sometimes call this a “virtual tour” and it is really quite effective. A virtual tour takes the viewer on a mini vacation all from their home computer. They get to see highlights of the wonderful sights, the hotels, the beaches and a lot of people enjoying themselves. This sparks their imagination. They envision themselves on the tour and it makes them want to visit as well. The more someone knows about the positive aspects of a particular tour, country or vacation spot, the more apt they are to want to book a vacation to this destination.

Speaking of virtual tours, we have already talked about real estate agents in the last chapter. Many real estate companies are now adding video advertising to their websites. Instead of just seeing photos of a home, they see the entire home, just as they were touring it.

In addition to large businesses and professionals using video advertising on the internet, musicians are learning the value of this technology to promote their music and bands. Music videos came out in the 1980s and were frequently depicted on MTV. This was a very popular concept, but soon became very competitive. More and more money was being used to make a more ‘creative video” for the band. Bands who had creative videos depicting models or something unusual were selling more music than other bands who did not have the capital to create such videos.

In the 1980s, video cameras cost over $1,000. And if you wanted the video to look professional, you had to hire a director and some actors. The music videos of the 1980s were actual commercials for a particular artist or a band. And they cost a lot of money to produce.

Today, not only professional musicians advertise by video on the internet, but amateurs as well. Video cameras no longer cost over $1,000. They are easy to use and the content can easily be downloaded into a personal computer. It is just as easy to upload a video into your webpage as it is to upload a photograph or music. So amateur musicians began promoting their bands on the internet. On MySpace, for example, there are thousands of artists doing this. They do not even have to pay for their MySpace page. It is free. They simply have to have someone film their act with a camcorder, upload it to their site and they are advertising for free on the internet. It sure beats the old days of recording demos for thousands of dollars and trying to find someone on the radio to play them.

Individuals who have something unique to sell are also using video advertising on the internet. They can do this with little or no expense if they choose a venue like You Tube. You Tube allows anyone who is a member to upload their videos for others to see. The more clever the video, the better chance of it being discovered. If you want to draw people to your website, mention it in your funny video and put it on YouTube. Millions of people use this website every day. The videos are often either e-mailed to friends or put on blogs and other spaces. Suppose you have invented a special item to sell. You have a patent but have no idea how to sell it. You have a website and are trying to promote it, but are not having much luck. You can advertise on television, but it costs a fortune; even on cable TV.

Maybe you can come up with a funny video that will draw people to your website that involves your product. You can post this on your site and then wait for people to discover the ad. You can also place it on such video websites as YouTube.

Have you ever dated on the internet? Guess what? You are advertising yourself. You are adverting yourself in the hopes of finding a perfect mate. Many people put false photos of themselves on these sites and many internet daters have grown leery of some of the ads. Yet internet dating is big business. In today’s busy world, few people have time to go out and meet a special someone. So many people are taking advantage of the internet dating world.

Some internet dating sites offer their clients a way to communicate with another individual through video instead of just plain text. For a small fee, they can post a video of themselves on the site and talk about their likes, and dislikes. In addition to just seeing a photo, a person who is interested also gets to hear a voice and finds out a little bit more about the person he or she is thinking of contacting. It is very difficult to ascertain what a person is like from a photograph. They may have a voice that sounds like Mickey Mouse and really gets on your nerves. Or they may have such an engaging smile and a sexy voice that you really find attractive. This person may look similar to many others who have turned up as your “match,” but chances are, you will watch the video and, if you like what you see, you will be more inclined to contact the individual. They will seem like a real person to you, instead of a photograph and text profile.

Car dealerships are another business that are using video technology to advertise on the internet. Car dealerships have always been known for their “over the top” approach to advertising. They sometimes run specials depicting happy customers getting great deals, or they show a video of a car being driven down the road and being able to make great turns. This cost them much less than advertising on television.

No matter what business you are in, video advertising on the internet can help you attract more customers, gain more exposure for your company and generate new leads and sales. Best of all, it is easy and relatively inexpensive to use. We will discuss how you can do this in the next chapter.

Perhaps, by now, you have already decided to join the 21st century and become part of the video advertising on the internet world. Just like many other smart business people and other individuals. We have gone what video advertising is, the types of businesses and individuals who use this media and the benefits of entertaining potential customers with this type of product.

You have now realized that video advertising is not only more effective, but may end up costing you less money in advertising in the long run. We have also talked about different ways you can do your own marketing using video advertising for free.

If you have decided to contact an advertising company about using video advertising on the internet, such as Google or Microsoft, which is now coming out with a new program, you will have many different options as to where your videos can be placed.

Just like television advertising, you will want to reach your target audience. This means that a video advertising a rock band will not be promoted on a website that deals with travel. The wonderful thing about using a professional service is that they know exactly what websites are out there and where to promote your video.

Costs for using a professional advertising agency will depend upon how often you want the video used, the sites you want it to be used on, and the length of the video. Naturally, if you want your video splashed across Yahoo’s front page, it is going to cost you a lot more than if you want it on a blog that accepts google ads.

The choice will be up to you. Perhaps you own a travel business and are promoting a tour to Cancun. This is a tour that will be all inclusive and is a great deal. Where will it be promoted?

The video can be promoted on websites that are upscale and perhaps designed for either families or couples. For example, if you are advertising a romantic getaway to Cancun, this can be placed on a variety of websites. Dating sites may be one. Websites for jewelry companies can be another. Any site that is designed for romance or married people or couples is a target. Certain travel magazines have websites, this may be an excellent place to advertise your romantic getaway.

Perhaps you are offering a three day stay in Disney World. You will want your target audience to be people with children. There are many different family oriented websites on the internet, parenting advice websites and so forth. The advertiser will know where to find them and how much it will cost to advertise. This is what you are paying for – their expertise of knowing the best websites on which to advertise on the internet.

If you do not want to spend a lot of money but have a quirky type of ad that can generate business and maybe has a little humor to it, it may be advertised on someone’s blog. Many people have discovered the joy of blogging and certain internet blogging websites offer google ads for bloggers. The ads are free and the person who blogs gets a little bit of money every time someone clicks on your ad. The advertisers know the blogs that get the most traffic and your quirky little ad might just start making the rounds all over the internet.

If you want to place the video ad on your website or on free internet websites that allow videos, you will have to make sure that your contract stipulates that you have the right to do this. While some advertising companies will allow you to promote your own ad, others will not. Some want exclusive rights. If the advertising company actually developed the video ad for you, they will retain exclusive rights and you will not be able to use it anywhere without their written permission.

Video ads can go just about anywhere banner ads go. The beauty of the video ad, however, is that it is more closely paid attention to than a banner ad and you do not run the risk of someone accidentally clicking onto it.

There are literally millions of websites on the internet. Web advertisers are familiar with the traffic that these sites generate. Your fee will be based upon the amount of traffic the website expects to see.

In addition, the length of your video matters a great deal in video advertising. It is best to keep it short. Not only is it cheaper to run the video ad this way, but people generally have a short attention span and something that is too long generally bores them.

Take a look at television commercials prior to embarking on your video ad venture. See which ones you pay attention to and which ones you can’t even remember. See which ones you get bored of and dread every time they come on. Your video advertising is similar to this. No one wants to constantly see a long, boring video all over the internet. A short, entertaining video that is used sporadically, however, will generate more interest and may even develop a cult following.

People are crazy about internet videos. They use them on their personal internet community pages such as MySpace and Facebook and often e-mail them to their friends and relatives. This can happen to you. You may come up with an advertisement that is clever, entertaining and brings you instant internet notoriety.

If you decide not to use a professional agency, you will be able to put the video anywhere that is free. You can also act as your own advertising agent and make deals with certain websites yourself. This can be difficult and you should have some knowledge about copyright laws and legal contracts before doing this. And unlike the professionals, you may not know much about the website. Unfortunately, on the internet, websites come and go. You would hate to make a deal and pay money to advertise on a site that closes within the next week.

If you use a professional internet advertising agency, chances are that you will hit your target audience with your video ad and will find it more successful than a banner ad. Your video will be able to go just about any place on the internet that your banner ad can go, or your word ad. The difference will be that more people will pay attention to what you are trying to sell.

If you are already advertising on the internet, you know the costs of having banners or pop up ads. Video advertising is not much more money and is twice as effective. If you do not believe this, check it out. You can try this for a month and see if you get more stats on the video ads or the banner ads. Most advertising engines agree that their customers profit get many more views on their video advertising than plain text or even photo advertising.

Cost will depend on how you wish to use the video to market your business. If, for example, you simply want to use a video on your website, it will not cost anything. Just the uploading of the video into the website. If you want a more professional looking video for your website, there are plenty of companies out there that provide this service for much less than text advertising. You can have a slick ad or you can have one that is home made. Sometimes, the home made videos tend to stand out more.

It will cost you slightly more to have your videos featured on other websites where you advertise. More than a banner ad or a line ad. But again, how much is your business worth to you? If you want to see how effective this media is, test it out.

If you have a small business and want to advertise for free, there are plenty of places on the internet where you can post your videos. They will also give you stats on how many people have viewed your video. On some websites, the videos are rated.

There are many professional companies that can help you out with video advertising. They can offer everything from creating the video, uploading onto the proper websites to even using it in e-mails to your clients. Many businesses keep a data base of their clients. If they don’t, they should. From time to time, they have sales or promotions and wish to contact their clients by e-mail. E-mail is very inexpensive. Actually, it is free. You can either hire a professional to e-mail your clients your advertising video or do it yourself to save even more money.

Writers are gaining publicity for themselves by using videos on writing websites. They upload a video of themselves and talk about their work. This is an excellent way to get people to read your work, particularly if you are on a site that pays you for page views. You can do this in an interview format, or simply have someone film you talking about yourself. This is free.

You can also promote yourself or your business on YouTube for free. Or MySpace. Camcorders have come down significantly in price. Many are around $100 or even cheaper. Each year, the price goes down and the quality goes up. They are easy to use and the contents can be uploaded to your computer with ease. Then all you have to do is decide where you want to “advertise.” If you are advertising a small business, your art, or even a political cause, you can put it on a site that offers free video uploading. When you compare the cost of video advertising on the internet to an actual commercial on television, you are talking apples and oranges. Video advertising is much cheaper and even small businesses can afford a professional agency that can take care of this for them.

How many of you get e-mails from businesses that you have previously done business? Most of you do, I would suspect. Even if you clicked on their ad by some mistake, they will contact you via e-mail. As said previously in this chapter, e-mail is free.

Now, imagine that you get an advertisement from a business that has a very funny video attached to it? You will be entertained and not forget about that business. It may even prompt you to take a look at their sale or new promotion.

I saw one of the most effective and clever uses of advertising on the web recently. I was taking a look at shower filters. Instead of just a website, like most of them, that featured shower filters and explained the advantages of having one of these gadgets, this one had a scene from the movie “Psycho.” Yes, the shower scene. The caption was “Remember when the only thing you had to fear about the shower was….” and then it stopped. We saw the familiar scene of Janet Leigh in the shower and “Mother” coming through the door with the knife. It was clever, entertaining and certainly caught my attention. In fact, this was the company that I decided to purchase the shower filter from.

How much did this ad cost them? A little more than a regular video ad. The film “Psycho” is not in the public domain so they had to pay synchronization rights to the producer to use this on their website. But synchronization rights on film, even the internet, are based upon seconds. They did not have to pay for the rights for the entire film, just a brief portion of the shower scene.

If you have a clever imagination, you can film your own video that will attract attention to your project in the way that this shower filter company did. You can purchase synchronization rights from film producers if you want, or you can simply make up your own video. Also, be aware that many films made prior to 1962 lie within the public domain. This means that they are free to use. Clips can be obtained from all over the internet, or can be downloaded from your television or DVD player. You must make sure that the film is in the public domain, however. The way to do this is to check with the United States Copyright Office. There is also much information about which films lie within the public domain on the internet.

No, it is not expensive to advertise using video on the internet, particularly if you are advertising on your own website or e-mailing your customers video advertisements. Just make sure that the advertisements are not too long or it may bore the customer, no matter how entertaining it may be. You do not want to go more than 30 seconds.

If you decide to use an internet advertising agency, they can keep track of the amount of customers who view your video and make sure that they are placed in the proper venues.

The cost is not that much more than banner ads and may be well worth it. Banner ads are sometimes clicked on by accident, giving false stats. A video ad, however, can be managed where the person has to click on to the “play” button to view it. Once they begin viewing, chances are that they will continue to do so. Either way, at least you will have an honest count of viewers when it comes time to pay Google or whoever you are using for your internet advertising. In a way, the difference in the quality of the views more than makes up for the price difference in advertising.