Modern Video Marketing 101

The Old Days

Buried in the mists of the ancient past, (say about 1985 or so) a legend arose that someday the power of TV communications would be unleashed into the hands of The People. The High Priests of Television frowned—how could mere mortals ever afford this expensive technology and access the hidden knowledge required to truly communicate effectively in this medium? Would the Network Gods smile upon such a dream? The answer was unknowable and only those who lived in the Kingdom of Boo-Koo-Bux dared to challenge the fates with such reckless schemes. The Network Video gods peered down from their heaven of sky-high costs and forbidden knowledge, scowling derisively upon any that attempted to scale their Olympian heights. Thus the knowledge remained the exclusive domain of priestly orders known by three-letter acronyms (ABC, CBS, NBC) and none could know it outside of the initiates. It was “just the way things are”.

The “Video Copernicus”

You history buffs will recall Copernicus, the Polish mathematician and astronomer that changed our view of the shape of the universe by proving mathematically, even before Galileo’s improvements to the telescope, that Earth revolved around the sun rather than vice-versa, as was taught by conventional wisdom at the time. He brought about a REAL “paradigm shift”, before that phrase became a shopworn marketing buzzword. Well, back in 1994, the “Copernicus of Video” was a fellow by the name of Benjamin Chou, founder of a relatively small company called NuTek and inventor of a device called a Video Toaster. Sold as a combined software and hardware package, the Video Toaster proved the point that quality video editing could be done effectively and efficiently on a desktop PC (ironically, the first hardware platform they chose wasn't a Mac, it was a Commodore Amiga), rather than requiring an expensive custom or mainframe computer as most quality video editing required at the time. Chou and the Video Toaster made it possible to set up to edit video for a little more than $10,000, a small fraction of what a conventional editing system cost in those days. The digital video revolution had begun.

Power to the People

As part of the PC revolution, desktop video editing has become better and less costly as time has passed; today it can be done with an investment of only about three to four thousand dollars in hardware and software. It’s a wonderful tool for marketing professionals to add to their toolboxes. Coupled with the lower cost of higher-quality digital video cameras and formats such as MiniDV and DVD-based camcorders, video marketing communications are now well within the grasp of small business entrepreneurs as well as mid-sized and larger companies.

Why YOU Should Care

I’m glad you asked.

Video is eye-catching.

From its earliest days, video has always had the power to attract attention. If you have a store window, a booth, exhibit, kiosk or a presence anywhere there is a lot of foot traffic, people walking by in a public place will noticeably stop to watch a video display.

A good video positions you as “successful and professional”.

Even today, most smaller companies won’t bother to put forth the effort to create a quality video. Their loss is your gain. Good video sets you apart from the pack and speaks volumes about your business, your image and your professionalism.

Video is PORTABLE.

Sometimes you only have a moment to speak with a potential customer. If you have a DVD to give them, they can take it home and watch it on their own schedule, eliminating the need to fit in a few minutes to talk to you right then and there on the spot.

Video communicates visually and emotionally.

People’s first communication skills are visual and emotional, not written or spoken. Visual communication touches people on a more basic, visceral level than spoken or written words. Aesthetic visuals and moving music add mood and emotional appeal to your message with a power that the written or spoken word just can’t fully convey. Demonstrative video can also communicate complex concepts and procedures BY EXAMPLE, crossing cultural and language barriers with ease and making the information much easier to grasp and apply.

Video can save you time and money.

This is especially true if you find yourself giving the same introductory spiel about your product or service over and over, or repeating the same explanation of your business model time and again to customers, stockholders or even your own staff. It eliminates possible missteps and the occasional "poor choice of words" that verbal presentations can sometimes be hampered by.

Video can help popularize your website and bring you online customers.

In addition to embedding video on your own website, there are many video-sharing sites like YouTube.com, Revver.com, hulu.com and veoh.com, where a well-made and pointed video can create lots of impressions for your website in a very short time.

Video is COOL, welcome and well-received by the public.

Market research studies show 23% of people surveyed said they would be likely read a brochure they received in the mail, while nearly 87% said they would probably view a DVD they received in the mail.

Effective? You be the judge.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Video has become the marketing tool of choice in many varied business situations.

REMEMBER:

Video is simply many, many pictures, arranged in sequence to simulate motion. Therefore, if "a picture is worth a thousand words" - ask yourself: how much is a thousand pictures worth?