Many of the videos we produce end up on a website. It’s a growing trend. More and more companies are integrating video into their online presence. Soon, internet users will expect to see videos on the sites they visit. In the September 4 issue of the Birmingham Business Journal, Haley Aaron writes about the popularity of online videos and the impact they have on today’s consumer. Below are some highlights from the article.
When local law firm Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris wants to share information about their company and cases they are working on, the company doesn’t just post a press release or add a link to their Web site.
Instead, the firm uses Web video to tell its story. It created short films that give a brief introduction to its lawyers, as well as information about high-profile personal injury lawsuits the company represents.
“We want people to be able to come on to our Web site and not just look at who we say we are, but really get a much better feel not only for the firm and the work we do, but also for the individual partners,” said Melanie McCraney, director of communications at Cory Watson.
Internet video is a relatively new medium, but Americans are spending more time watching it. According to a survey compiled by comScore, a Virginia-based research company, Americans watched a total of 16.8 billion Web videos in April, from Web sites and video sharing sites such as YouTube. The average viewer spent 6.4 hours watching videos online during the month.
While consumers look to web video for entertainment and education, businesses are discovering the advantages of using it to market themselves…
Even more importantly, the nature of Web video may allow businesses to reach a more engaged audience since viewers can watch at their convenience…
Companies interested in producing web video should consider their tone and message carefully before producing and uploading videos… While free distribution through YouTube and Facebook cuts costs, it’s important that businesses don’t place cost over quality when filming and producing Web video.
A well-executed video can have an incredibly positive impact on your brand and shouldn’t be the last thing you think of when planning your marketing strategy.
The biggest challenge in writing the script for a sales or promotional video is not knowing what to include, but knowing what to leave out. I’m wrapping up work this week on a script for a 90-second sales video and so this particular topic has been on my mind.
The initial creative session with the client involves a lot of fact-finding. This may include tours of their facility and interviews with key personnel. It also includes sorting through a ton of information. Usually the client will have brochures, articles, statistics, research results, etc. all pertaining to their particular product. They will also have ideas regarding what they want to say in the video and how they want to say it.
The problem is that there’s no time to include every statistic and little-known-fact into your final video - even if the running time is upwards of 10 minutes. It’s the job of the writer and the director to sit down with the client and trim everything down into simple concepts. This is why it’s so vitally important that you find out who will ultimately see the finished video. Writers and directors have to speak to the audience. Different demographics respond differently to certain keywords and images.
Basically the script must do the following:
- Identify the viewer’s problem
- Empathize with that problem
- Show why the product is the best solution to that problem
- Alleviate the fear that prevents the customer from buying the product
The client for this 90-second script I’ve been working on has a great product, and they have an abundance of supporting information. But understanding who would eventually see this video helped me tremendously when I had to decide what material to include and what to omit. Do the research. Absorb the information. Then simplify everything into key points that will motivate the viewer to act.
For marketers and PR professionals, timely communication with your audience is important to maintaining a strong brand. In a world where news, opinions, reviews, and customer feedback is almost instantaneous, issues must be dealt with now, not later. You must actively engage in an upfront and honest manner. Consider the following story about director Michael Bay’s recent PR mishap (from Cinematical.com)
Never keep hundreds of people waiting in the rain for hours. Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, and Megan Fox did just that in South Korea on June 9. An estimated crowd of 600 fans and press lined up in Seoul early to see the red-carpet premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, according to Screen Daily, and were then disappointed when the Transformers entourage arrived 80 minutes late, spending only a few minutes with the crowd. Members of the press were further distressed when the group arrived 30 minutes late to a scheduled news conference the next day, and some staged a walk-out.
Bay has now issued a written apology, explaining that “traveling from another country, and not allowing enough time for airport delays, city traffic and hotel check-in,” and that the press conference delay was due to the “serious pain” he was experiencing from a pulled back muscle. (The group traveled directly from the premiere in Tokyo, Japan.) Damage control was necessary, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because bloggers had started a campaign to boycott the film in theaters, while local distributor CJ Entertainment insists that interest in the film remains high.
As in the U.S., Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens in Korea on June 24. The first Transformers made even more money outside the U.S. than within, so it makes sense to court international audiences, but this incident demonstrates once again that no one likes to be shortchanged or taken for granted.
I particularly like the last line of this article, “No one likes to be shortchanged or taken for granted.” Let your audience know you appreciate them. Communicate with them. Ask for their ideas and input. And utilize the power of video to get your message out to a mass audience.
