Online Video Marketing

What is it? How does it work? How to do it successfully?

Online video marketing is simply the use of video on the internet for advertising or selling purposes. Videos are posted on video hosting websites like YouTube and many others and serve as contact points to put forward various marketing messages. The following are some basic points about online video marketing:

Videos Deliver a Marketing Message

The videos used in video marketing first and foremost deliver some kind of marketing message. They describe a product or service that someone is trying to sell, either in general terms or in specific ones dealing with the company that is selling the product or service. The overall point is to get the viewer interested in the product being sold and have them take some further action with regard to purchasing it.

Videos are Often Informational

Online video marketing videos are often quite different from advertisements were before the internet become fully realized. For instance one might think of television advertisements which are a "video marketing" of a somewhat different sort. Though there are many similarities, online advertising tends to be more about informing the potential customer than creating short commercial sequences that simply advertise a product. These videos are often informational in nature and inform the viewer about the industry as a whole. They may also be specific to a product, as noted above, but they are often longer and more "educational" seeming than television commercials.

Interesting note: Television "infomercials" represent a somewhat similar attempt to integrate educational or informational components into television marketing, and these were around well before the internet.

Videos are Often Entertaining

Videos are often entertaining and fun to watch. They may use humor, a fun and laid back informational approach, or animation to give the viewer and enjoyable video experience. The object is to draw the viewer in and make him or her want to continue watching or recommend the video to a friend.

Videos provide a means of Further Contact

There is always a means of further contact given in an online marketing video. After all, the point is to have the viewer move from the video to some kind of website and buy the product or service that is being marketed. This contact information is often given as a link in the informational section near a video or in the video itself as a web address or a phone number.

How Online Video Works

With the advent of all kinds of new and easily available technology, filming online marketing videos has become quite easy. The following are some of the basic steps involved in making a marketing video and getting it online.

Filming the Video

The actual filming of the video is done with some sort of digital video camera. How high end this camera is depends on the budget and choices of the individual or company making the video. You can make a video using an expensive digital video camera and using professional lighting or with a cheap webcam in your bedroom. There really is no set rule. Often marketing videos go for a professional look however.

The shooting of a marketing video is like any other video shoot. It may feature somebody talking about a certain product or service, may have them demonstrating it, and may use graphics. Some videos don't have a human component at all and simply feature a video or slideshow on a screen along with text and music. There are many possibilities and the only absolute thing to keep in mind is that it should deliver a marketing message, engage the viewer, and give them a means of taking action after viewing the video.

Uploading

Once the video is complete and stored as some kind of common video viewing format, it can be uploaded to a video site, with YouTube being a very common site to use. The individual doing the marketing simply uploads it to the video site following the site's protocol. Often the marketer will upload the video to a number different video websites, not just one. This can increase exposure. It is important however to keep in mind that the decisive factor is the traffic that one is able to generate in terms of viewers of a video, not the literal number of sites on which the video is placed. So a few high traffic sites are often enough.

Promotion

One the video has been uploaded, the promotion phase begins. This involves a large range of marketing techniques such as blog posting, article marketing, and use of social media to bring viewers to the video. Social media is especially suited to this, becoming more a popular medium for the publicizing and sharing of various forms of content. The video is linked to using these various techniques and traffic begins to come to the video site, view the marketing video, and hopefully move on to a website sales page where they can make a purchase.

How to Make Successful Online Marketing Videos

The online video marketing process is fairly straightforward as suggested above. It simply involves making a video, posting it, and promoting it. There are however some techniques and approaches that can enhance its effectiveness. The following are some tips for making a successful marketing video:

Place Links First

YouTube and all video posting websites have informational boxes where users can post text information about the video. The link to the website where viewers can make purchases is usually put in these boxes. A good approach is to place this link first in the box as a large anchor text heading. If you put it at the end, after describing the video, people may be less apt to click on it. Make the link bold and unmistakable and place it right at the top of the information box in bold attention grabbing lettering.

Place Video on your Website

It is important to place the video not only on YouTube and other video upload websites but on the sales website as well. This is a good practice because it means that users who find your website independently of the video you have posted on a video site will still see the video. It also means that people who have already seen it may watch it again on your website, thus reinforcing the marketing message.

Answer Questions

If you already have customers and they have asked you questions, you can integrate answers to these questions into your marketing video. Think in terms of a conversation with your viewers. Try to see what they would like clarified about a product, either generally or specifically, and provide that clarification for them.

Consider Tutorials

Tutorials are instructional videos that are presented in an organized and step by step manner. These are a great way to draw in viewers. People often see the internet as a learning tool (as indeed it is) and so offering educational videos is right in line with its sense of being an informational and instructional platform.

Use Video to Build Marketing Lists

Marketing lists are lists of customers to whom marketing efforts can be directed. Often these are email lists but may also include such things as telephone numbers or residential addresses. The marketing video can be used to help build these lists. The video can ask that users enter their information in an opt in box on a website and thus pave the way for future marketing efforts while marketing the product or service.