When I started writing this post, I had in mind in a short-and-sweet little summary of our experience over the past 5 years, and recommendations of the benefits of web video.
Clients who are new to digital media marketing ask us about how to form a web video strategy all the time. And, given our experience in creating videos for clients as well as developing original shows, we’ve walked through the development of strategic plans as well as the tactical execution of many different types of productions.
Once I got started on this post, I realized two things:
(1) from five years experience, there was far too much to include in “5 reasons.” In fact, it would be difficult to capture in 25 reasons! And…
(2) a long post on the subject would likely not be very useful to someone who was just considering where –or even if– web video fits into their marketing strategy.
So, I decided to boil down my thoughts first into the most compelling “5 reasons” and then extrapolate in future posts on the other benefits and decision making that you need to go through in order to develop an effective strategy.
In short, here are the top 5 reasons to produce web video:
1. Traffic
The traffic-driving benefits of having video on your website have been heralded by Google, YouTube, and many other marketing blogs. On a basic Search Engine Optimization level, video drives more traffic to sites today than any other type of rich media. For pure visibility purposes alone, video-based content is one of the best investments a company can make in marketing its product, service or brand. People enjoy watching on the web over reading. So if you have to choose to produce video vs. spending resources on improved copywriting, I would recommend video every time.
2. Engagement
This term has been, in my opinion, much over-used and even abused. So I hesitated even putting it on the list. However, it’s critical to the success of any online campaign. In my view, engagement means “participation” …how highly involved or attentive are your prospective clients or customers?
First, with web video you have an automatic engagement: no one is “fast-forwarding” through your TV spot with their DVR or a TIVO set up. So that’s the first step in engagement: getting the audience to watch!
Second, unlike a TV commercial, web video provides an opportunity for interaction. Just take a look at 2 famous branded web video campaigns – one from Nike (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp4PweUC0v8). The other from Blendec (http://www.willitblend.com/).
In later posts I’ll review the details of how these campaigns were created. But for now, check them out and appreciate the high levels of engagement. The comments, forwarding, participation and sharing that took place with both of these campaigns is mind-blowing –and really depended on the concept of the video itself.
3. Awareness
Let’s talk about numbers for a minute. According to comScore Video Metrix, “183 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month of May 2010.”
Additionally, “YouTube.com achieved record levels of viewing activity in May with an all-time high of 14.6 billion videos viewed and surpassing the threshold of 100 videos per viewer for the first time.” That’s more reach and visibility than is possible in most TV, Radio and print outlets combined.
4. Audience Connection
But with those mass-market numbers in mind, keep in mind web media is most successful and attainable when thought about in terms of niches and micro-niches.
It’s a common misconception that all video production is costly. In fact, one can produce a highly impacting video on a minimal budget scale, as long as it connects to the correct audiences. By targeting appropriate tastemakers and relevant blogging communities, forums, and social media networks – one can find an extreme reach for a video, completely circumventing traditional placement costs. Not to mention the fact that quality content travels, a good concept will grow it’s own legs.
5. Mobile Reach
As smart phones and tablets become more common place, the demand for mobile content grows, but not all content has to be “app” based. With Youtube leading the way, video sites continue to expand their mobile capabilities. Most smart phones hitting the market enable easy access to several video platforms.
Apps may be the rage right now but they are expensive to produce and reach an audience limited by device (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid). While it may require some technical finesse, video is a viable option for reaching the growing mobile audience. It’s not nearly as difficult or expensive to produce as an app and can do double duty for both mobile and home based viewing.
We’ve only begun to scratch the surface on the many reasons to produce web video. As mobile and home based computing technology continues to grow, the availability and reach of web video will only increase. Creating strong, targeted content can go a long way, so much so that it shouldn’t just be an option for marketers but a necessity.
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