Veeple

Re-posted from SoaRING Interactive Media - February 9, 2009

Statistics show that video is the most effective marketing tool you can use today.

“According to a study by Google and AOL conducted by market insight and information group TNS, 75 percent of respondents reported watching more video online than they did a year ago, and over half expect to watch more online video in the next year.

78% feel that online video ads provide as much or more of an opportunity to learn about a product or service than television, and 63 % said they prefer video sites to include advertising if it helps keep content free. Apparently the online community is embracing video much more willingly than expected.

Here are some other numbers to look at if you still need convincing: 64% of respondents have taken action after seeing an online video, 44 % going to the advertiser’s Web site, 33 % searching for a product or service, 22 % visiting an actual off-line store, and 21 % discussing the advertised product with friends or family. So not only does online video bring in new business, it gets the ball rolling on that elusive buzz marketing campaign.

The responses came from 2,394 online users between 18 and 54 years old. The study also found that online video ads result in 32 % of viewers describing the featured brand as innovative, 32 % as creative, and 30 % as fun. Who woulda’ thunk?”  — Arik Bannister

There are basically three ways to use your video sales message:

• Video direct-mail (email) – email your video using either image or animated gif in the message.
• Video direct-response – your prospects see a “promotional piece” in another format such as: an infomercial, direct-mail postcard/brochure/letter, magazine ad, landing page, joint venture/affiliate relationship.  The prospect requests your video.  Send a link to your prospect.
• Video direct-offer – you leverage your video as a “purchase” incentive.  Offer it as a bonus for free or at a significant discount in an upsell or for taking an immediate action.

Video marketing is especially useful for larger ticket items.  Allow your prospect to prequality themselves.  Send an offer for free video to your prospect.  This can be via direct mail or email/ezine or blog.  Let them “raise their hand” (prequalify themselves) to view the video.  You may be surprised at what you might find.

“Lexus automobiles, for example, knows that only a small percentage of the population will be interested in purchasing one of its luxury cars. So they started with a print piece offering a free video. From the 11% who responded, an amazing 5,500 cars were sold – over an 8% conversion rate for a truly big-ticket item.” reports Paul Nicholas, Vaughn Communications.

If you have a list, the quickest way to leverage your list is to use the video direct-mail option.  If you don’t have a list, you may consider our List Building Leads Club™ and learn how to start building a list right away.  The very first issue of the marketing magazine you will receive is on Video Marketing.  That is how important we feel video is to have in your leads generation toolkit.  Video marketing is NOT an OPTION.  Think of it as OXYGEN for your marketing campaign.

Re-posted from The 60 Second Marketer

Scott Broomfield Answer: The 60 Second Marketer is all about quick messaging for the busy marketing executive. In essence, how can you deliver a message in 60 seconds or less.

It may not sound right, but 60 seconds is actually quite a long time. In today’s age of 30 second commercials, you should captivate the listener or viewer in less than 15 seconds. If you can, then they will listen for the full minute or two.

Video, done well, captures the viewer in a way that dull text and even great HTML never can. It is the “done well” element that is so hard to do. Enter clickable video. Clickable video is where the lean in, interactive medium of the Internet is married to the passive, sit and stare deploy model of video. Why sit and stare at video on the web, when you can interact with the video?

This is where the brand message is enhanced. This is where the marketing exec can add a phenomenal amount of relevant material to a video, in a shorter time, without making the video intrusive.

In this new medium, the click-through rate (CTR%) is much more meaningful than that of a banner ad or pre-roll.

Now, for the first time, the marketing department can create a compelling user experience wherein the result is not only directly actionable, given the person clicked on something relevant, but also directly measurable. The results speak for themselves – How would you like a CTR of 4% to 18%, depending on industry, and see how your customer is interacting directly with your content? All that is now possible.