Many small business owners and marketers will have heard the hype surrounding video marketing. This time the hype is also backed up by some compelling figures. According to recent research by Nielson, 26.9 million UK individuals consumed online video in April – that is about 40% of the population.

While that’s all very well, we know that the majority of video ad views will belong to well known brands with deep enough pockets to have a punt at large scale online video without having to batter an eyelid should they not receive a direct return on their investment. So how about the rest of us? Can a typical small business see verifiable (and direct) results from using video?

What are your aims?

Video is no different to any other marketing channel; it needs to be a working cog that plays its part in achieving the company’s broader goals. For example you may have too slow a process for closing leads due to your product being a high cost product or perhaps there are trust issues in your market so it may be helpful to add customer testimonial videos onto your product pages to help improve your performance in these areas.

Marketo is an example of a business doing customer testimonial videos well. Alternatively you may have issues with people understanding exactly what your product does and how it can help them.

A good example of a small business doing this well is Harvey Water Softeners they have a number of videos throughout the site that explain how water softeners work and the health benefits of using them.

There are also plenty of businesses who have used video to achieve their goals more effectively. Take the Khan academy for instance: they have revolutionized education meaning that children all around the world can learn at their own pace, support others who need help and get help from others who are already clear on certain subjects: Here is an overview video from TED’s YouTube channel.



Our specialty is using video Web Presenters and we find that these are possibly the type of video that carry the lowest costs in production and are the easiest to get up and running quickly. To give you an example with figures: The National IT Learning Centre increased the website bookings for their courses by 35% through the use of the web presenter video which you can see on their homepage above.

So, initially you must define where you are as a business and what your current short to mid term goals are, then once clear determine if video can or cannot play a part in helping you to achieve those goals. I am of course biased but I would be happy to take the challenge of finding a practical way for any business owner to use video effectively to achieve their business goals.

Video is simply a medium for communication and because it helps to visually rather than textually convey your message it is generally effective as many people respond well to visual explanations.

Set Targets

Once you are clear on your aims for video production and marketing you should set yourself some clear targets that will measure how close you come to achieving your aims. In the first example above where I talked about video testimonials there may be 2 measurements that you could use:

1. lead to sale conversion time lag shortening
2. increase in the number of leads

Whereas for the second example it is more likely to be a clear-cut matter of the number of additional leads gained versus costs of the video production. It is worth taking into account that the videos will probably be good for a few years use in both cases. An additional measurement in both cases could be site conversion rate.

Keep it Real

Whatever type of video that you are producing it is important that you speak from the heart, insincerity (bullshit) is easier to spot on a persons face or in the tone of their voice than it is in text. Your pride in your business needs to come across, of course not in an arrogant way but in a passionate way. If you are excited about the things that your business is doing and are obviously keen to share it with others then the response you will receive is likely to be positive.

If you are producing customer testimonial type videos then give your customers a short list of possible points to cover that will really get them talking, e.g.

What advise would you give to other potential users of this product in hindsight?

Use natural language that suits you, do not try to be the person you think your customers want to see, just be confident in yourself that you have something worthwhile to share and be yourself.

What results can be expected?

We have produced video for a wide range of different businesses and have seen many positive results and some not so great results. The difference between success and failure usually comes down to the strategy behind the video production and use. If there is a clear aim and this is being fulfilled by the videos well then they usually work.

Obviously not a small business but Virgin Holidays managed to increase the upsell of their upper class seats by 30% due to a single web presenter video. This resulted in an additional £4 million in revenue for Virgin.

As mentioned above The National IT Learning Centre increased the website bookings for their courses by 35% and many more small businesses have had similar results.

Bespoke (personalized or tailored) web presenter videos vary in price depending on the complexity but start at £597. Many companies offer cheaper, off the shelf options for less. Sitepal for example offer avatar style videos for less than £50. In fact we have also trialled generic web presenter type videos but found that the response rates to the generic rather than bespoke videos were disappointing so are now focusing solely on improving the efficiency of our bespoke video services.

Guest Blogger Bio
This post was written by Neil Davidson, CEO of Mywebpresenters who are a video production company specializing in corporate video for the web. They are also the pioneers of video web presenters technology. If you would like to have a conversation about how to tell your corporate story then please email Neil at neil.davidson@mywebpresenters.com.

Visit Ozer's site for more Streaming production resources and buy his book, Video Compression for Flash, Apple Devices and HTML5, a professional reference for producers seeking to distribute video over the Internet and to mobile devices—particularly Apple iDevices.

Online Videos posted to YouTube, Vimeo and others, show the trend at work that drives up interest, excitement, and viral videos. Here is an example of a video dedicated to the Hellaflush movement that has been posted to YouTube:

As you can see from the above video, this automotive trend is very popular, and is catching on every day. Online Videos like these give inspiration to average enthusiasts to turn their cars into something special. 

In fact, without the right sort of pre-production in advance, a fun project with cool content seeming to be heading towards a hit deliverable can become suddenly derailed with realization of some oversight: the most important decision maker was never consulted about what to emphasize, getting verbose content to fit within allotted running time necessitates an editing hack job, the featured product does not appear because nobody had responsibility to bring it to the set.

4) Schedule, Budget: Knowing constraints up front helps make best decisions and helps stay grounded within realm of possible. The most fundamental constraints are time and money. A good brief may establish when delivery of video is due and how much overall funding is available, then diligent scheduling and budgeting seeks to best pursue priorities while allocating within those factors. How many iterations of script writing can be accomplished before a shoot has to happen? What sort of set can be afforded?

5) Script: On top of the math in scheduling and budgeting, if the production is scripted, writing is required too. Those who like the sizzle of capturing and seeing video may find this part of the process the most dreary. It can be important to have someone involved who thrives on writing. This is another activity to abide by constraints that may be established in the brief: write a script that fits within planned running time (but perhaps long enough to allow for some optimizing edits later). Also, scripts are for video – in addition to dialog, they can describe visuals such as appearances of people, props and sets and the on-camera movements and changes of those.

7) Cast, crew, location scouting, equipping: Well developed notions of themes, constraints and what a viewer will see and hear, all of which can be established in the steps described above, provides great guidance for final selection of who, what and where are involved in the project. As concepts mature clarity is gained on questions such as what particular specialized skills may be required, whether to source talent through an agency, and if shooting is best in-studio or on-location. Making these decisions at the right time, neither too early nor late, best assures the right people and things to be both in front of and behind camera (including what camera to use) to meet project's objectives and abide by its constraints.

9) Rehearse: This is another case of deference to the time and cost sensitivity during the actual shoot. Too frequently, rent and wages are paid for idle locations, equipment and crew people while the on-screen talent becomes familiar with the lines on the set. Professional actors tend to prepare, although it may be important to establish timing and chemistry if there are several of them. Non-actors appearing on-screen, like a company's executive spokespeople, are frequently the real problems and in addition to knowing what they're going to say, they need preparation to speak at compelling pace, volume, pronunciation and inflection, and to appear with good posture and looking in right direction, and to be relaxed. Time coaching and practicing with them in advance can reduce one of the biggest variability factors of the shoot.

Guest post by Marian LaSalle, Painted Path Designs

If you're a small business owner or want to communicate with an online audience, you should consider video marketing. I proudly present my Top 3 Tips for Producing Your First Online Marketing Video

1. My first tip is to pay attention to sound.

If you're using a flip cam or a similar video camera, make sure you're in a quiet location so the background noise doesn't bother the viewer. Unless you are shooting a music video, it should be quiet around you. Before you start filming, make sure that you are not going to be interrupted by cell phones, barking dogs, or people chatting in the background. Also make sure your camera is close enough to the subject that you will be able to hear them clearly.

If you're using a camera that will allow an external microphone, look into these sound enhancing options. Shotgun mic, Lapel mic, handheld mic or a wireless external mic.

2. Be short and to the point.

Do you know what WIFT means? It means your viewers want to know what's in it for them so, get to the point right away and then share your information later. Present your message with your audience in mind. Time is valuable and let's face it, if they get bored they will click you off and be on to the next video with-in the first 20 seconds. They don't want to waste time watching a hard sales pitch, a boring commercial or a misleading message.

3. Call to Action.

Make sure you include your contact information and give them a good reason to visit your store, call you, like you on your Facebook business page, sign up for your FABULOUS newsletter or visit your informative website. Think of other ways they can connect with you too like: following you on Twitter, reading your blog or asking a question in an email. Encourage your viewers to follow-up with you in a quick and easy way.

Video can be a powerful tool in communicating with your customers and potential customers too. Just this week I received a glowing testimonial from a client who said he's thrilled about the new clients he's getting from the video's we produced for his website. He's had such an increase in business he's asked us to record a video every month for him. The first video we shot was an introduction on his front page so people could get to know him. Know, Like and Trust is what your customers want and video is the easiest way to accomplish this.

If you have any questions or would like to see some of the videos I have produced, please visit my website and if you like what you see, contact me so we can talk about your online success.

Connect with Marian on-line
www.facebook.com/marian.lasalle

http://www.marianlasalle.com
www.facebook.com/InternetTrafficConsulting

This article first appeared on: http://EzineArticles.com/6291203

For more on specific video profiles to use of online and mobile video, check out these Apple Support Community discussions

• Tutorial: Using MPEG Streamclip with Final Cut Pro. Part 1
• Tutorial: Using MPEG Streamclip with Final Cut Pro. Part 2: Batches
•  MPEG Streamclip Best Export Type: Apple Support Communities

YouTube is also full of a variety of videos on this subject, and there are a few good tutorials on using MPEG Streamclip

• YouTube - Tutorial - Introduction to MPEG Streamclip
•  YouTube - How to Compress Video for the iPad
• YouTube - Convert Videos Into AVI or Mp4: MOV, WMV, FLV, 3GP, ASF & MKV

Download MPEG Streamclip: http://www.squared5.com/

Follow Chris Pirillo (chrispirillo) on Twitter

Just recently, GoPro, a maker of wearable HD video cameras for sports, released a high definition version for motorsports, called the HD MOtorsports HERO. GoPro makes it easy to mount the HD Motorsports HERO to your helmet, car, ATV, motorcycle, boat or ATV that you can easily upload to YouTube for sharing with friends and family. 

Sample video from GoPro:

The GoPro makes a perfect gift for those who like car gadgets and car parts because it gives the user the ability to document the competition and then share it. Online Video such as this has also helped performance shops document car builds and show people around the country, and even in other countries what their shop can do. 

Online video has been a big driving force in recognition for performance shops, and units such as the GoPro HD is making this easier. Before, people would take videos with their iPhones or other devices and then upload them to YouTube, but the picture quality was very low. However, GoPro can take 1080p video at 30 fps with incredible audio. Another incredible feature is a still shot feature, so you can take pictures as well as video.

Sometimes products come along that just simply hit the mark. Whether it's based on filling a business or consumer need, or for its ease of use, innovative simplicity or aesthetic quality, these products have helped shape that industry. They've also spawned competition within its market which has given us more choices andbetter products. But that particular product, while it may not be the first, will be remembered as the one that defines that market space. 

Did you say, FlipLive?

Pouge said that the tragic death of the Flip was compounded by what he learned from a Flip product manager a few days prior to the untimely announcement, that the Flip was planning to release FlipLive, a new feature that would enable the Flip to do live video broadcasting to the Internet from a Wi-Fi hot spot.

"Think how amazing that would be. The world could tune in, live, to join you in watching concerts. Shuttle launches. The plane in the Hudson. College lectures. Apple keynote speeches. Or your relatives could join you for smaller, more personal events: weddings, birthday parties,  graduations, first steps. And the FlipLive was supposed to ship on April 13. The day after Cisco killed the Flip."

This was a feature I had long thought would make the Flip a unique device with live streaming capabilities of a smart phone with applications like Qik, Ustream, Livestream and others. But now, it appears we won't seeing that feature and will have to rely on our mobile devices for that.

RIP Flip

The Flip had a number of competitors and in his article, Death of the Flip camcorder doesn’t mean camcorders are obsolete, Paul Riismandel (the medigeek) wrote:

"Prior to the introduction of the Flip there had been a few attempts by electronics makers like Panasonic and Samsung to introduce small flash-memory camcorders which failed to take hold in the market. Sanyo was actually an early success story with its Xacti line of standard def and HD camcorder, though never a runaway success like Flip.  While Flip caught its competitors by surprise, that first-mover advantage didn’t last very long. Within a year Flip had created its own market segment, challenging Sony and Kodak, in particular, to jump into the palm-sized camcorder market with both feet. Sanyo answered the challenge by reducing the price on its Xacti line while retaining higher-end features like an optical zoom lens and flip-out screen. Even though Flip remained on top, these other manufacturers soon were nipping at its heels."

Like Pouge, Riismandel doesn't think the rise of HD recording in smart phones had a huge affect on the Flip's market share and that it was rather a victim of its own success. It was caught in a bad marriage with a technology giant that didn't have success in the consumer market and chose to close down the business rather than sell it. Some have said that Cisco really may have wanted its intellectual property rather than extending its success in the market. Personally, I hope we see the Flip resurrected in some form or another. The fact is, it's a simple device to use with only a few steps (1) Turn on (2) Press red button to record, press again to stop (3) Insert USB into computer to download, edit and upload. As evidence below of my first Flip video which was shot by my daughter who was 10 years old at the time. 

These third-party video sites are not new, but many video creators may not have known that they existed, and now that they are available on YouTube they're sure to have more exposure and may gain traction among users. Whether this is good or bad for online video remains to be seen, since it could mean another 35 hours of user generated video uploaded to YouTube per minute. Google plans to add more services and partners in the future.