Okay, so 2011 is the year of video on the web — it’s been taking off now it’s in skyrocket mode.
According to YouTube, every day hundreds of millions of people view their videos, and hundreds of thousands of new videos are uploaded daily. Wow! Not only that, but since YouTube is the #2 search engine behind Google, Google has tweaked algorithms to put pages with video higher on search results.
So if you’re not already using video on your website, blog, or in social media, you’re behind the curve. But jumping in without careful thought can lead to mediocre or poor results.
Here are my top five reasons not to just jump in:
1) The Boss says I have to. Or the variation on that, you’re telling the Boss we have to. Maybe you do, but without a clear strategy, you may as well be uploading fruitcakes, not video. As with any good communication tactics, you need to understand who you’re trying to reach, what you want them to get out of your video. Just putting video on your website without a clear objective, targeted viewers, and a thoughtful approach is like dropping leaflets out of a plane. Here’s a case study on how POV-Rose created a strategic approach to integrating video.
2) There’s no added value. Whether you’re marketing a product, a service, or recruiting or fundraising, the communication itself must add value and strengthen the relationship between the viewer and you. What are they going to get out of it? Will they be entertained? Learn something valuable to them? Get to know you or your product better in a way that will benefit them, or make reaching their goal easier? Notice the emphasis on them, not you. We had no involvement in this site — we use it as a benchmark for value added because it not only allows patients to engage on their own terms, it invites them to share their stories.
3) You have some existing video that was created last year for _____ (fill in the blank) that is perfect for web distribution. Hmmmm…. Is it really? Maybe it is, but perhaps it’s a bit long. Perhaps it was made for an internal audience, not your target viewers. Perhaps it’s interesting to the engineers, but not the end users — it’s all about features, not benefits. Think viewer first. This benchmark, an over-the-top web-film by Honda works by putting the company in the back seat, while It entertains, challenges, and surprises the viewer.
4) You have a Flip-Cam. Or some other consumer or pro-sumer cam. This is a gray area fraught with danger. As a professional who makes my living in part by producing video, the flip-cam can be threatening. But it can also be a threat to those who pick one up and make amateur videos that are not commensurate with the reputation of their company, organization, or brand. Don’t get me wrong, they have their place. Just be careful. One tightly budgeted project we completed in post production as part of a local cause marketing effort between Family First Federal Credit Union and Cystic Fibrosis was shot on a flip-cam by the child suffering with the disease.
5) It’s too expensive. Again, Hmmmm…. And, is it really? Another way to look at cost is to ask, “What’s the cost of lost opportunities?” Might a customer testimonial story have added one more element to building a successful relationship, resulting in a conversion? Might a well crafted story about the results of your service engage current customers enough to refer your company to others? Might you be able to add enough value to keep clients returning to your video-blog or YouTube Channel, keeping them involved with your brand, offering comments, providing you with both research and referrals? Here’s an example we were not involved in but hold up as a benchmark for engagement.
6) You’re not telling a story. Oops! I said 5 reasons. Next time, the importance of a good story to the success of video.
