23 March 2010

6 Effective Ways to Use Video in Marketing Your Products and Your Company

The use of video can be a very effective tool in marketing your company, as well as your products and services.  You can use videos for TV and Web site advertisements; utilize videos to introduce new products and demonstrate useful procedures; employ videos for webinars; use videos to communicate with other company members and clients; post videos on video streaming Web sites; and use videos for podcasting.

Modern technology has made the employment of video easier to make and spread for different purposes.  In the field of business, videos have become a very effective and cost-efficient tool to market products, services, as well as your company as a whole.  Here are great ways by which you can make use of a video as a marketing and communication tool for your company:

Use videos for TV and website advertisements

Despite the growing number of video viewers over the Internet, TV ads still prove to be an effective marketing tool when you know how to attract consumers.  It is always a matter of strategy.  It is important that you choose time slots that capture your target market.  Although TV ads can be very expensive, the benefit would be greater if your video creates an impact on the viewers.  Video production companies can help you with this job in making an effective advertising.  Look for production companies in your area to save on costs and charges.  If your office is situated in Minneapolis, for example, you can search for a Mineapolis video production.

Video advertisements obviously do not exist on TVs alone.  Nowadays, video commercials have become increasingly popular in websites, especially in heavy traffic websites.  Prime time slots and prime websites are the most effective conditions of web advertising.  Then again, if you do not make a captivating advertisement, all your marketing expenses would go to waste.   If you want to save on costs, but you want to go on heavy traffic websites and time slots, you can always do cost cutting by limiting the time of your video.  Video advertisements are usually computed per fifteen seconds of air time.  Make your video as short yet as interesting as possible, but be sure to deliver the message you want to convey.  If you have an incoming product for example, you can make a very short teaser.  You can also post your advertisements in video streaming websites, such as YouTube.  When posting videos in other websites, do not forget to  create a link leading to your website.  It would be more effective if the viewer actually goes to your website than just watching the video itself.

Utilize videos to introduce new products and demonstrate useful procedures

Videos are also helpful in introducing new products and demonstrating procedures.  This can be done at your own website, at any related website, at video streaming websites, or even at brick and mortar stores if applicable.  Let's say for example, you are introducing a new type of steam iron.  You can post a short video about this new iron in your website as well as other websites, like clothes shops or appliance stores.  You can also install a TV and player at a home department or appliance store that plays a video of your new steam iron.  In another case, you may want to use a video about care and maintenance of your steam iron in your website and in other websites, including video streaming sites.

Employ videos for webinars

Webinars are seminars, which are streamed over the Internet, either live or recorded.  Live webinars are helpful, since it serves as an interactive channel where the host and attendees can communicate simultaneously.  Recorded webinars are convenient on the other hand, as the give viewers much freedom as to when they can view the seminar.  Webinar is a very cost-effective and practical marketing tool, allowing you to save venue expenses, food, transportation, and other related expenses.

Use videos to communicate with other company members and clients

Video calls, video chats, and video online conferences have become very helpful in today's business setting.  They help bridge communication gaps in companies by allowing constant communication using group online conferences, online marketing and sales trainings, online orientations, and other meetings.  Videos can also help you build a stronger marketing force with the use of video presentations and seminars.  Furthermore, many businesses today take advantage of the availability of video calls over the Internet to increase their market and sales, such as tutorials that have gone online.  Finally, you can interactively reach your clients and the other way around using video through video calls and video clips intended for a particular client.  For example, your company sells shelves that can be installed even without the help of a professional.  Although, the product you sell comes with a how-to do-it guide, a video on this guide would make it clearer for your customer to follow.  This video guide may be accessed in your website using a product code that is only given to customers or you may e-mail your customer the link to the video.

Post videos on video streaming websites

Comscore reported that in 2009, over 100 million Internet users view YouTube.  Making use of popular video streaming websites such as YouTube, Google Video, and Yahoo! Sites and other popular social networks is a very powerful marketing tool, especially when you know how to get Internet users to watch it.  It is the same marketing strategy as advertising on TV.  In TV, you need a time slot where TV viewing is at it's peak and the channel that is popular.  On the Internet, you need to find a website, particularly a video streaming website, that is popular among internet users.  Furthermore, you need to make your presentation as captivating as possible.  It is through these websites that a video clip becomes viral and it spreads very fast to different websites and people all over the net, giving your product and your company more exposure.  Think of what captures people's attention, such as making use of humor like what Budweiser, Axe, and E-trade are using.

Use videos for podcasting

Podcasting is when you broadcast a program or an episode through a web feed format like RSS (Really Simple Syndication).  These programs are made available on the Internet to be listened and viewed using IPod, IPhone, MP3 and MP4 players, and cellphones with video capabilities.  Internet users can receive podcats by subscribing to RSS feeds.  A great example where video can help your marketing is when you sell cooking condiments and you podcast cooking shows that make use of your condiment brand.

There are many ways video can help your business grow.  Not only can it help you with marketing, but it can also help make your business operations more efficient and cost-effective, especially with internal communications and dealing with customers.  It can lead to better business opportunities and help build up more profits.

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