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DQ News: Video Marketing: Should It Matter To Small Businesses?

I don’t jump every time a “new” marketing idea comes out, because it’s easy to spend all day consuming the latest information and doing nothing (I try to save that for Saturdays).  But as the video marketing buzz continues, the training to go with it expands, and the new products to help you make it happen multiply, it’s occurring to me that video marketing isn’t all that “new.”  It’s what we see on television everyday.

America loves TV and that seems to translate into online video. Whether on TV or online, it’s all about a camera, a story and an audience.  On TV the money is made in the advertising. Online it is made in the connection.  On TV the audience has to have so many impressions before they really “see” your brand and decide to buy.  That’s true online as well, but different because connections can be made faster (much faster).

Statistics on Video Marketing

If you’re wondering, like I was, whether video marketing is really that important, consider these findings from the comScore May 2011 U.S. Online Video Rankings:

• 83.3 percent of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video in May.
• That’s more than 5.6 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month…
• and 176 million U.S. Internet users watching online video content in May…
• which averages out to 15.9 hours of online video watching per person.

That’s a lot of numbers, but what stood out to me is one simple reality: I’m one of the 83.3 percent who watches online video. And I saw my 15.9 hours worth of online video (in one month).

If I don’t know how to do something, I will watch a video or three to learn.  Do you do that?  How many people do you know who do the same?  And how can you use that awareness to impact your business?

This type of marketing deserves a thought.

Two Things to Consider as You Contemplate Your Strategy

More Value. Less Advertising.

Your videos don’t have to be perfect but they do have to add value.  Only 1.2 percent of the videos viewed were ads. And when I am watching online videos, I have a tendency to skip over the “TV” commercials, if I can. Do you?

Choose to share something that matters to your audience.  Talk about something that they want to know about.

Go Short. Keep It Simple.

Short videos can get the job done.  According to comScore’s findings, the average online content video was 5.2 minutes.  The ads averaged 0.4 minutes.

More Information on Video Marketing

Any time there’s something “new” on the table, a little training is important.  Below are three articles from Small Business Trends that could help.

Why Online Video Is Key for Small Business: David Garland, author of Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business, uses a short video to get the point across. You can read his article and watch the video here.  Plus David routinely uses video in his own business.

Small Business News: Online Video for Your Business and Video Marketing Guide - These two articles include links to additional information on getting started, legal issues, trends and strategies as well as future developments.

I have a few videos to finish up myself.

From Small Business Trends

Video Marketing: Should It Matter To Small Businesses?

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