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Website Video Production Checklist

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Video ProductionWebsite video production requires video production, marketing, and technical expertise, and there’s a lot to do. After all, you have to write a script, hire actors, scout locations, shoot the video, edit it, upload it, and optimize it – just to name a few of the many tasks involved. Use this Web video production checklist to ensure that you don’t overlook anything.

  • Hire the right video production company. Video production companies specialize in a variety of areas including: television, corporate video, infomercials, documentaries, news gathering, music videos, and website video production. Since you’re making a video destined for the Web, it’s smart to choose a video production company that has the expertise required to shoot, edit, and publish Web videos. If your video has a marketing message, it’s also not a bad idea to find a Web video production team with Internet marketing expertise.
  • Break the Web video production down into phases. Traditional video has three phases (pre-production, production, and post-production); website video production has the same three plus a few more Web-centric requirements such as SEO, website integration, video-sharing site distribution, social media, and marketing. From scripting, shooting, and editing to keyword research, video player overlays, and analytics, website video production can seem overwhelming with a never-ending list of tasks. By breaking your Web video production to-do list into phases, it becomes much more manageable.
  • Create a plan. Use project management software or some other tool to create a solid action plan for your Web video production. Since you’ve already broken it into phases, you are off to a great start. Identify each task that must be accomplished in each phase and estimate when the task must start, how much time it requires, and when it must be completed. For example, one of the most important pre-production tasks is writing the script. How long will it take? When must the final script be complete? When should you start writing to ensure that deadline is met?
  • Build a team. You’ve hired the right video production company, broken the project down into phases and have a general idea about the tasks involved. While your video production company will handle a great deal of the tasks, you may need to provide additional support and resources. Build a small team from your office to help as needed. For example, who will write the script or supply the video production company’s script writer with necessary details about your company? Who will coordinate access for filming your facility? Use your project management plan to match tasks with team members and make sure that each task has a responsible team member overseeing it.
  • Be flexible. No matter how well you plan and how great your support team is, you may run into glitches and delays. For example, your existing Web hosting plan may not be suitable for storing the files related to the Web video production. You may need to upgrade or store your files on a different server than expected. Whether it’s a technical glitch or a delay due to unforeseen circumstances, flexibility will make it easier to recover.

This website video production checklist isn’t overly complicated. If you follow these key steps, you’ll be well on your way toward producing a compelling online video, on-time and within your budget. Remember to choose the right video production company, break the project down into phases, plan your Web video production, build a support team and assign tasks, and prepare for the unexpected.

Did we miss any important points in our website video production checklist? Let us know by sharing your tips in the comments section below:

B2B Video Marketing Myths

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Video marketing mythsIf you think that B2B video marketing is too expensive and for large companies with big budgets or that in order to be effective a business video must go viral, you may be falling for common myths surrounding corporate video. Learn the reality behind the myths and take a confident stance as you plan your B2B marketing efforts for 2012.

B2B Video Marketing Myth #1: B2B Marketing Videos Must Go Viral

If you’re producing a video destined for the Web, you may feel the pressure to make sure that your business video gets lots of hits. While it would be nice to have millions of viewers watching and sharing your corporate video, it’s more important that the video reach a targeted audience. For example, if your target audience consists of high level executives but your video goes viral among low level workers, your B2B video marketing efforts will be ineffective despite millions of views.

Focus your B2B marketing and video production efforts on your target audience and never lose sight of who your corporate video is intended to reach.

B2B Video Marketing Myth #2: Corporate Video Production Is Expensive

While you certainly could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a business video, you don’t have to. As with most industries, there are numerous B2B marketing and video production companies that offer affordable business video production services. You can also slash your B2B video marketing costs by being proactive and prepared. For example, if you’ll be appearing in the corporate video, rehearse your lines at home or the office and arrive at the studio fully prepared. This will reduce the number of takes, reduce the amount of studio and crew time required, and make editing the final business video much easier.

B2B Video Marketing Myth #3: Video and B2B Marketing is for Big Companies

Whether you run a two-person shop or a large corporation, B2B video marketing is an effective way to communicate your offer to other businesses. Business video is ideal for a number of situations including:

  • Selling products and services
  • Attracting investors
  • Demonstrating capabilities
  • Sharing customer testimonials
  • Building credibility, trust, and relationships

If you’re part of a small company, a corporate video could help you compete with larger ones while larger companies can use B2B video marketing to appear more personable.

B2B Video Marketing Myth #4: Each Business Video Must Be 90 Seconds or Less

In general, online B2B marketing messages should be short and 90 seconds or less is a good rule of thumb. However, this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Depending where your prospects are in the video-to-lead funnel, you may have earned the opportunity to present longer corporate video messages.

For example, if your B2B marketing efforts have previously engaged and converted prospects, these leads now trust you and are hungry for more information about your products, services, or philosophy. If you plan on presenting a longer corporate video to viewers later in the sales funnel, make sure to tell them in advance what to expect. For example, if you want leads to watch a 10-minute business video, let them know that the video will only take ten minutes of their time and will solve their concerns about X, Y, and Z.

B2B Video Marketing Myth #5: It’s Impossible to Embed Business Video into Email Campaigns

Hesitant to use B2B video marketing in your current email campaigns because there’s no universal video player for email clients? While the technology may not be where you’d like it to be, creative B2B marketing techniques exist. Simply include a screenshot of your corporate video and link it to your website where subscribers can instantly watch the business video. As an added bonus, your B2B marketing prospects will be back on your website where you have additional opportunities to get your message across and make the sale.

Which B2B video marketing myths have stopped you from producing a business video? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Video Email Marketing Trends for 2012

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Video Email MarketingVideo email marketing continues to evolve, yet few marketers are doing much with the medium in their email campaigns. Part of the problem (the fact that embedding video into actual email messages is impractical and rarely an option) is also video email marketing’s biggest advantage. In most cases, your email marketing message will link to a website video. Isn’t driving your subscribers back to your website one of your primary goals? Below are a few video email marketing trends to keep an eye on for 2012.

  • Creating animated GIFs of a given website video gives subscribers the illusion of motion, and can be an effective teaser that prompts the user to click through and view the video in full screen. If you link the animated GIF to your website video, your video email marketing technique worked like a charm. This technique has its downsides, however. For example, some email clients such as Outlook 2007 display only the first frame.
  • Another option is to grab a screenshot of your website video, insert it into your email marketing newsletter, and then link it to your website video. This is one of the more common video email marketing techniques – and it works. Many marketers have reported remarkable click-through rates using this simple email marketing technique.
  • Using embed codes will also result in a static image complete with the recognizable “play” button superimposed over a screenshot of your website video. Using the embed code is a simple technique, and the resulting image is readily understood by users. They know that when they click the play button, they will activate a website video. While this action doesn’t necessarily take place within the video email marketing message, most users won’t mind be directed to a website to view the video.
  • Another video email marketing trend has less to do with where the user views your video and more to do with how the user interacts with it. Many video players are becoming more sophisticated, offering added features such as player customization, social sharing, interactive transcripts, and calls to action.
  • The more you include video in your email marketing messages, the more important video email marketing analytics become. Depending on which email service provider, video player, and analytics services you use, you can analyze the performance of your video email marketing campaign as well as the video itself.
  • Video heat maps are often included with video players as well as offered as standalone services. These analytical tools can show you where viewership dropped off, which parts of the video were referred to most often, and give you a general idea of the audience’s engagement with your video.
  • HTML 5 makes video, and email in general, a better choice for tablet computers. Expect to see an increased emphasis on HTML 5 in the year ahead.
  • Another trend is to use YouTube’s Post Bulletin feature to update subscribers to your YouTube channel subscribers or uploading your video to Facebook and Twitter. Though technically not official email marketing techniques, these video sharing options can be part of your overall video marketing strategy.

Perhaps one of the biggest video email marketing trends to expect in 2012: more marketers will be experimenting with website video and email marketing. After all, embedding website video in email marketing messages adds value and drives traffic.

Do you have any video email marketing success stories to share? We’d love to hear how your click-through rates have improved or how you’ve solved tricky issues with embedding videos in email messages. Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Testimonial Video Production – A Three Stage Approach

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Testimonial Video ProductionWhile it may seem overwhelming to create a customer testimonial video at first, the process is much easier when you break it down. Like most forms of video production, testimonial video production consists of three major phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Take a 1, 2, 3 approach to producing your client testimonials and you may be surprised to find out that the process isn’t nearly as difficult as you expected.

Testimonial Video Production Stage 1: Pre-Production

Before you begin shooting any customer testimonial video, you must have a plan. Pre-production is the stage where you plan everything related to producing your client testimonials. During this stage, you’ll brainstorm, plan, organize, and schedule all of the details surrounding testimonial video production.

For example, which customers are willing to appear in your customer testimonial video? What will they say? When are they available? Where will you film your client testimonials? How much will studio time cost? What equipment will you need? Who will shoot the video? What props will you need? Will you need a makeup artist? What type of clothing should your customer wear for the customer testimonial video?

Much of the testimonial video production work takes place during this initial planning stage. If you plan well, the rest of the process falls into place and you’ll likely produce client testimonials with ease.

Testimonial Video Production Stage 2: Production

After extensive planning, it’s time to produce the actual customer testimonial video. Because you spent your pre-production time wisely, you should have a solid plan. Everyone will know where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there, and what they’re expected to do because you’ve laid it out in pre-production planning sessions.

During this phase of testimonial video production, the customer testimonial video will be shot. Depending on if you’re shooting on location or in a professional video production facility, you may need extra time for setting up the camera, sound, and lighting equipment. Your customers will be coached in how to wear the microphone, where to look when speaking, and how to present themselves on camera. If you’ve created a general script for each of the client testimonials and are using a teleprompter, the video producers will also instruct the customers on how to read the script.

As the testimonial video production gets underway, your customers will have multiple opportunities to fine-tune their client testimonials. Reassure them that they can re-do their testimonials if they stumble and that you can edit out any “flubs.”

Your video production crew will also help you put the customer at ease, making for a customer testimonial video featuring a real customer who is comfortable speaking on camera.

Testimonial Video Production Stage 3: Post-Production

After your client testimonials have been shot, you move out of testimonial video production and into the post-production stage. Your customers can go home while you remain at the studio (or return at a later date) for editing.

It’s rare for any customer testimonial video not to need editing. Even if your client testimonials were shot in one long take with no mistakes on anyone’s part, you’ll likely want to pick and choose the best statements and edit them into a shorter, more viewable video. For example, the raw footage of a customer testimonial video may run five to ten minutes. Even if the customer is well spoken, most website viewers won’t watch extremely long client testimonials.

You’ll likely want to be involved in editing client testimonials. Your testimonial video production facility will assign an editor to work with you. During editing, you’ll tell the editor which sections you want to keep. If you’d rather not be involved, your editor will use his professional judgment to create a polished customer testimonial video that speaks highly of your product or service.

Have you ever produced a customer testimonial video? Share your tips in the comments section below.

Product Demo Video: Tips for Showcasing Your Product

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Product Demo Video Tips for Showcasing Your Product

When it comes to producing a product demo video, the video generally focuses on the product and its features. After all, this is the basic definition of a product demonstration video. No matter what your product is, you can easily demonstrate how to use it and produce a product video. For example, if your product is a tonneau cover for a truck, you could film a person installing it, opening and closing it, removing it, and so on. If your product is a multifunction printer, you could record its various features such as scanning, collating, and faxing. However, while these product videos demonstrate the product and its features, they’re missing two important components: prospects and benefits.

If you want to move beyond merely demonstrating your product and truly showcase it, you’ll need to make sure that your prospects clearly understand what’s in it for them. In other words, how will they benefit by choosing your product?

In order to communicate the benefits your prospects will receive, you must first understand who your prospects are and what problems they hope to solve by purchasing your product. For example, is your tonneau cover intended for work trucks or recreational drivers? Is your multifunction printer designed for the small business owner who works from a home office or is it designed for a corporate environment? You likely already know your intended audience but it’s easy to overlook the importance of addressing your target demographic.

Spend some time identifying your ideal customer and write out a detailed description. You could even create a persona that typifies the ideal. Start by asking the following questions: What is your ideal customer’s age and gender?

  • From what socioeconomic class does your customer come from?
  • What are your customer’s goals, desires, and fears?
  • What problems does your customer have?

As the persona takes shape, give him or her a name. For example, if your ideal customer is a hip 20-something self-employed business woman on a budget, you might call this persona “Ashley.” Take it a step further by searching a stock photography site for a photo of a young woman that looks like what you perceive Ashley to look like. By naming the persona and creating an avatar to match, you’ll have a much clearer picture of your customer base.

You may have several categories of customers. If so, create a persona for each category and then decide which persona your product demo video will target. A product demonstration video for “Ashley” will likely require a different approach than one for “Elmer” because Ashley and Elmer have different problems they hope to solve.

Once you know who your product video is for, the next step is matching your product’s benefits with your prospect’s problems. Write down the problems each persona has that can be solved by your product. Next, brainstorm any additional benefits that each persona can expect. As you do so, your product demo video will start to reveal itself.

For example, Ashley may want a low-cost, yet stylish, device with a small footprint while Elmer needs something easy to install and use. Ashley wants crisp graphics and is tired of wasting money on ink cartridges while Elmer would appreciate the ability to magnify documents. Now that you know your persona’s problems and how they relate to your product, you can write the script for your product demonstration video and showcase your product as the product of choice.

When people just like Ashley view your product demo video tailored to that demographic, they will relate because they share Ashley’s hopes, goals, fears, and problems. Similarly, Elmer’s peers will see themselves in the product demonstration video produced for the older demographic. By understanding who your product helps and what problems it solves, you can produce a product video to match.

What are your thoughts on producing a product demo video for a specific persona? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Online Video Marketing – Are Your Online Videos Ready for Internet TV?

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Are Your Online Videos Ready for Internet TV

Technological improvements in bandwidth and speed helped launch online video marketing, an exciting field that allows you to reach business customers and consumers with promotional video over the Internet. Technology continues to evolve, with the potential to deliver Internet video marketing to the larger screens found in living, family, and conference rooms around the world. Is your promotional video ready for streaming Internet TV devices?

What is an Internet TV Device?

The popularity of high-speed Internet access spawned a revolution in online video, and websites such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, soon popped up with libraries of free or low-cost movies and television shows that consumers could watch online. While watching movies and TV shows online has its advantages, watching on a small screen with tiny speakers doesn’t compare to watching on a large screen TV with surround sound. Thus, manufacturers began producing set top devices capable of streaming Internet content directly to the TV. These devices include some Blu-ray players and DVRs, gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, and standalone boxes such as the Roku or AppleTV. Some television sets now come equipped with Internet streaming capabilities as well.

Though these devices are typically marketed to consumers as a means of watching Internet TV and streaming movies from services such as Netflix, your online video marketing and promotional video productions may find their way to your targeted audience through an Internet TV device.

For example, most streaming TV devices include access to YouTube. If you market your promotional video on YouTube, viewers may watch from their couches instead of their office chairs. In addition, many devices include Web browsers, so it’s possible for viewers to surf your website and view your Internet video marketing clips on their large screen TVs.

What Does Internet TV Mean to Your Online Video Marketing?

While your promotional video may look amazing on a 15-inch laptop, how will it look on a 55-inch HDTV? Video resolution becomes a much more important factor thanks to this possibility. Fortunately, many video production companies specialize in online video marketing and can shoot broadcast quality footage in high definition. If broadcast quality production values and high definition haven’t played a prominent role in your Internet video marketing plan, now’s the time to prioritize them.

Internet Video Marketing – Leveraging Internet TV

While shooting a promotional video with the thought that it could find its way onto the big screen is a good first step, streaming Internet TV brings new possibilities. You could create your own online video marketing channel for many of these Internet streaming devices. For example, a quick look at Roku’s current channel list shows that CNET, Fandango, JTV (Jewelry Television, a company that sells jewelry and jewelry making supplies) each have active Roku channels. If you have an existing catalog of online video marketing messages, tutorials, or lectures suitable for a general audience you could create a public Roku channel. If your material is geared toward a niche such as C-level executives, you could potentially create a “private” Roku channel.

Internet video marketing has changed dramatically in a short time period, and Internet TV could be the next evolution. Today, people may watch your promotional video on any number of devices including smart phones, tablets, e-readers like Kindle’s new Fire, netbooks, laptops, desktop computers, and now, televisions. With screen sizes ranging from mere inches to over 100 inches, the video quality of all of your online video marketing needs to be top-notch. The days of using a low resolution camera and producing a short promotional video without understanding how your viewers will watch it are over.

What do you think about the future of online video marketing? Will the Internet and television finally combine? If so, how will that affect your Internet video marketing plan? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Website Video Spokesperson Checklist

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Website Video Spokesperson Checklist

After much thought, you’ve come to the conclusion that adding a website video spokesperson to your website is the logical next step. After all, the virtual spokesperson serves as a friendly and welcoming host, provides useful information and tips, engages visitors, and gently guides them around your website toward a buying decision. But where should you begin? Which type of Web video spokesperson is right for you? We’ve created this checklist to help you make the best decision possible.

  • Choose the video production company first, not the individual virtual spokesperson – While you may be tempted to look for the perfect website video spokesperson on various websites, it’s smarter to choose the video production company first as not all companies have the marketing skills you need in order to incorporate an effective spokesperson strategy. In addition, once you find a production studio with the expertise you need, the producer can help you select the best virtual spokesperson for your website.
  • What to look for in a Web video spokesperson video production company: a blend of video production and online marketing skills. While many studios are fully capable of producing a website video spokesperson video to overlay on your website, not all are well versed in the online marketing profession. By finding a hybrid studio that excels in both areas, you’re more likely to have an effective finished Web video spokesperson production that engages, converts, and nurtures your website visitors.
  • Analyze your target audience. If you don’t know who you are targeting, it will be virtually impossible to select a website video spokesperson that appeals to them. Use surveys, market research, focus groups, and other resources to gain a deeper understanding of your target audience.
  • Create a list of actions you want visitors to your website to take. This ensures that when the time comes to craft a script for your virtual spokesperson to follow, you’ll know exactly what you want to accomplish and where you want to lead your audience.
  • Start casting your website video spokesperson only after completing the steps listed above. Not only will you have an experienced producer and marketer to help you with this task, you will have a solid idea about the age and gender of the actor you should hire as well as the role the virtual spokesperson will play.
  • Pay attention to each actor’s qualifications. When watching demo reels, you may feel that a given actor has the general look you want, but isn’t quite right. Perhaps the accent is too strong or the current costume too formal looking for your site. However, actors are extremely versatile. By paying attention to the skills each actor lists, you may find that your favorite “not quite right” website video spokesperson is fully capable of conforming to your specifications.
  • Be involved in the writing the script. Though your video production company will likely provide you with a scriptwriter, you should provide direction. Using the list of actions you developed earlier and what you know about your website video spokesperson’s abilities, collaborate with the scriptwriter to create a script that conveys your message and leads to results.
  • Build in room to improvise. Your website video spokesperson is a creative professional who understands the goals of this profession. Take advantage of these creative talents by allowing some room for improvisation. You may be surprised at the warmth and spontaneity that a little wiggle room produces – and your virtual spokesperson’s warmth will resonate with most website visitors.

Adding a Web video spokesperson to your website does take some effort on your part. Follow this virtual spokesperson checklist to: ensure that you have a capable video production and marketing company behind the scenes; a website video spokesperson that appeals to your target audience; and a script that carefully guides your website visitors to an informed buying decision.

What do you think about our website video spokesperson checklist? Did we miss any important key points? Share your ideas in the comments section below:

Website Video Production – 5 Mistakes to Avoid

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goofy man holding movie clipboard

Small handheld video cameras and online video-sharing websites have led many businesses to believe that website video production is a simple process involving point, shoot, and upload. While that process is fine for personal videos, serious Web video production for business marketing purposes is a different matter. Complexities throughout the process make the entire video production vulnerable to mistakes. Some mistakes, such as failing to choose a reliable video production company, can be disastrous. Below are five common website video production mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

Website Video Production Mistake #1: Choosing the Wrong Video Production Company
Choosing a video production company to produce your Web video production is one of the most important decisions you will make. However, did you choose the right video production company for your project? Like many professional service providers, video production companies specialize in different fields such as consumer video (weddings, parties, and events), legal video (depositions, “day in the life” videos, etc.), and commercial / business website video production. Select a company that specializes in Web video production and you’ll be more likely to have a technical crew skilled in video production, online video formats, search engine optimization, video sharing, and online video marketing concepts.

Website Video Production Mistake #2: Not Using a Video Production Company
Think you can handle Web video production in house? While inexpensive HD video cameras and low-cost editing software have their appeal, putting website video production in the hands of the untrained could be a costly mistake. Not only is your Web video production more likely to look as if an amateur produced it, the time your employees spend scripting, producing, and editing the video could be better spent working in their areas of expertise.

Website Video Production Mistake #3: Failing to Script the Video Production
A high quality Web video production generally begins with a well-written script. The script serves as the roadmap for the entire production. If you fail to script your video, it will show in the final product. For example, speakers may ramble on without ever reaching their points or the editing may be excessively choppy as you attempt to piece various shots together so that they make sense. Avoid these problems altogether by scripting your Web video production. Depending on your preferences, you can write your own rough draft or ask your video production company to develop the script for you.

Website Video Production Mistake #4: Failing to Engage Your Audience
Even with the most qualified video production company working on your behalf, if you fail to engage your audience, the website video production will be a failure. Never lose sight of your audience, what problems it has, and how your products and services can solve those problems. Your video production company can keep the pace of the Web video production moving, but only you can truly keep your audience engaged by communicating the benefits of your offer.

Website Video Production Mistake #5: Allowing the Video to be too Long
Early in the planning process, schedule time with your video production company to discuss the appropriate video length. Depending on the nature of the Web video production and its intended audience, your video may be as short as 30 seconds or up to 10 minutes long. In general, opt for a short website video production, especially if your audience is primarily composed of prospects. A short Web video production can deliver the information you want to communicate and show prospects that you respect their time. As you build credibility and trust with your audience, you may later have the opportunity to present a longer website video production.

From hiring the wrong video production company or doing it on your own to failing to script the Web video production, failing to engage your audience, and allowing the video to run too long for your audience’s limited attention span, these five mistakes could doom your website video production.

Did we miss any deadly website video production mistakes? Which mistakes have you made? Share your experiences in the comments section below:

B2B Video Marketing: The Power of Content Marketing

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b2b video marketing

When you think of B2B video marketing, do you think of it as its own marketing channel or as part of a larger content marketing strategy? Whether you think of your business video efforts separately or as part of a larger B2B marketing plan, B2B video marketing is a powerful option for businesses that want to get seen, get heard, and get results.

What is Content Marketing?

In order to best understand content and B2B marketing, let’s look at what “content” is. Content is a broad term used to describe the material that fills a website, blog, or other informational repository. For example, this blog post is “content.” A corporate video posted on a website’s About Us page is “content.” Photos, case studies, white papers, advertising, polls, games, user reviews, mobile apps, and forums, are all “content.” Generally speaking, branded media that you create and distribute, whether it’s an article, business video, or Facebook status update, is a form of content marketing.

In fact, according to study published by King Fish Media, Junta42, and HubSpot in June 2010, the most widely used form of content marketing for social media campaigns involves branded content that you create (73 percent). Expert videos were next (72 percent) followed by videos (51 percent), case studies (45 percent), and user content/reviews (41 percent).

With these figures in mind, think about how B2B video marketing fits in. First, you might create and distribute a corporate video as part of a B2B marketing campaign. This branded content that you create can also be shared by others if you provide an easy way to share or embed it.

As the figures above illustrate, 51 percent of social media content involves sharing videos. When this happens, not only have you done your part to get your branded B2B video marketing content seen by others, others have willingly shared your corporate video through their own social media channels. That’s the power of content marketing!

Planning B2B Video Marketing Content

No matter where you publish your business video, and no matter how easy you make sharing it, no one will embed your corporate video if it’s not engaging, entertaining, or informative in some way. Similarly, if the business video is excessively long or of poor quality, it’s not likely to “go viral.” Use a professional video production company to ensure the quality of your business video.

As you plan your B2B video marketing campaign, keep the above points in mind. In addition, take a “magnetic” approach. For example, with content marketing, your business video needs to pull business customers in – not push them away. You also want to entice customers to perform a specific action such as visit your website, watch additional videos, sign up for a newsletter, or call your office for a quote. To be most effective, your message B2B marketing message should focus on the benefits to your business customers; it should show that you understand their problems and have the best solution. And then it should prompt them to take a specific action.

Before you produce your business video, think about where your B2B marketing customers will view it. While you may initially post the corporate video on your website, someone else may embed a link to it into a social media platform such as Facebook. Because it’s likely that some viewers will watch your business video somewhere other than your original website, make sure that you include an overlay with your website address directing viewers back to your website.

Encouraging Others to Share Your Business Video

Once you’ve produced and posted your business video, make sure that it’s easy to share. Most website video players and plugins offer some sort of sharing or embed feature that you can turn on. However, this isn’t always enough. Ask your visitors to share it and you may be surprised at their generosity in sharing it. In addition, take advantage of your existing social media networks by posting links to the business video and asking others to share or retweet it.

What do you think about B2B video marketing and content marketing? Share your thoughts in the comments below:

Video eMail Marketing: Improve Click-through Rates

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someone clicking mousing button

Video email marketing campaigns are much like their text-only counterparts in that you can spread your message to prospects that have opted in. The addition of video adds a human touch and provides for an engaging medium. However, recent surveys reveal some startling information about including videos in email marketing campaigns: dramatic improvements in click-through rates. Including a website video in your next campaign could make a big difference.

Video Email Marketing Surveys

In March 2011, Get Response released its Email Marketing Trends survey results. Among the results focused on video email marketing were the following:

  • Nearly 64 percent of SMB marketers surveyed said that including website video in emails significantly increased conversion rates
  • 50 percent of SMB marketers surveyed believe that video email marketing increases click-through rates
  • 1 out of 3 SMB marketers surveyed believe that video email marketing positively affects branding and/or loyalty

The Web Video Marketing Council is currently conducting its 2011 Video Email Marketing Survey. While those results aren’t in yet, last year’s survey reveals the following:

  • 73 percent of those surveyed believe that video email marketing increases click-through rates
  • Nearly three out of four respondents believed that customer purchases / conversions are more likely with email campaigns that include website video.

Another study, 2010 Social Media Usage, Attitudes, and Measurability: What Do Marketers Think? by Kingfish Media, HubSpot, and Junta42, revealed that website video presented on a company’s website is the most common way video is shared (61 percent) followed by video-sharing sites (56 percent) and video email marketing (13 percent). This same study also concludes that educating customers is the top reason marketers use website video. The second reason is to bring company employees to life.

Video Email Marketing Opportunities

Though these surveys aren’t the definitive word, they’re thought provoking. A large percentage of marketers that use video email marketing reports significant improvements in click-through and conversion rates, yet only 13 percent of marketers appear to be actively promoting website video via email marketing campaigns. The opportunity to reach consumers with website video through your opt-in list is compelling. Not only are consumers unlikely to be overwhelmed with video marketing messages, they’ll be more likely to click-through to your website in order to view your message.

Assuming you already have a strategy that engages, converts, and nurtures your prospects, including video in your existing email marketing plans could be a relatively simple matter. For example, if your email marketing campaign delivers a series of useful tips related to your product or industry, adding a “how to” video that illustrates one of the more visual tips could be a good fit with your existing campaign. If your website sells kitchen gadgets and you regularly send emails with recipes and special offers, consider adding a video on “chopping onions like a sous chef” or a short cooking video. Once your prospects land on your page and watch your website video, you have the opportunity to keep them on your website, entice them to explore your catalog, and so.

Putting Video Email Marketing to the Test

Using your last traditional email marketing campaign as a “control,” you can put video email marketing to the test by including a website video in your next campaign. After the campaign is over, compare its click-through rates and conversions with your control campaign. How did video email marketing work for you? Did click-through rates improve? How about conversions? If you take part in this challenge, please come back and post your results in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your experiences.