November 15, 2013
I recently attended a webinar conducted by Jason Thibeault, who is the Senior Director of Marketing for Limelight Networks, a digital content delivery network with an emphasis on video hosting and sharing. In my previous two posts, I shared his thoughts on myths related to video marketing, and his first four tips for tackling the video monster. In this post, I will address the final three obstacles he discussed in his webinar and share his tips for defeating the “monster.”
The Internet is a powerful tool. Today, seekers of knowledge have abandoned print media. Internet surfing is now the preferred means of gaining new information. If you have a question, Google probably has the answer. This concept also applies to video marketing. A video that is both informative and entertaining will easily attract an audience. According to a 2012 Internet Retailer article, 66% of consumers will watch a video two or more times if the video is information sensitive. Food for thought. Without further ado I introduce the final 3 challenges and tips.
#1: Inability to monitor how the audience is engaging with the video
The solution is pretty straightforward. Most video-hosting services provide detailed analytics. The uploader has access to a variety of metric information. Metric information can identify who watches the video, the country in which it is being viewed and the point at which the viewer stops watching the video. This data is invaluable to a developing business.
#2: It’s hard to make money off a video
Monetization increases the value of a video. The placement of advertisements embedded in or around the video is a viable means of earning additional revenue. As long as it isn’t too obtrusive, the viewer won’t mind.
Monetizing a video could also involve adding an advertisement bumper to the beginning or end of the video or establishing a paid subscription service. An example of a paid subscription service (that produces informative videos) is the Big Think Mentor YouTube channel.
#3: Your videos aren’t that helpful!
Don’t bloat the video with company facts and figures. The goal of the video should be to impart useful information. Don’t just talk about the goods and services you provide, show them. Brief 101 and How-To videos will increase patron loyalty. Take Geek Squad for example. They have videos explaining how to clear a hard drive or how to eliminate the threat of computer viruses.
In essence, they began to give away info they were profiting from. Despite this, the Geek Squad brand continued to prosper. They anticipated that only 1 or 2 people out of 10 would try to implement their advice on their own, while those remaining would pay to have it done for them.
I’ll leave you with marketing guru Jay Baer’s take on an old proverb, “If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you make a customer for life.” (from his book Youtility)