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Why Your Small Business Needs Video Marketing

Deciding on an advertising budget and determining how to spend it can be among your most challenging decisions. Advertising options have changed and expanded considerably over the past few years, and updating your strategy definitely means taking advantage of the new, digital marketplace.

So how can you create a dynamic advertising campaign with a limited budget? Video.

Video gives you the opportunity to interact with your customers by allowing them to get to know you and your business, and feel comfortable with you. This is especially important for small, local businesses. Forrester Research Group says “video is 53 times more likely than text pages to appear on the first page of a search engine.” Read: video drives search results. On the OurTown website, articles that include a photo array or a video are more easily searched on the Web and receive three times as many clicks as articles without these features.

Adding video to e-mail marketing boosts customers’ interaction—such as opening the email or clicking on any of the content—by as much as 200 percent to 300 percent, says Marc Fleishhacker, managing director at WPP’s Ogilvy Consulting.

You can, of course, hire a production company like WeTubeU and have them make a video for you. Here are some tips to keep in mind when making your advertising video:

• Keep it short. Studies show that we have an attention span of about 30 seconds. So if you are making an advertising or branding video, say what you have to say and then save the rest for follow up videos.

• Combine video and still images. Mixing videos and stills of your product, employees, location and anything that you believe will interest your potential customers will add variety to your video ad.

• Add a personal message. The message can be from you or one of your employees, or it can be a testimonial or recommendation from one of your customers.

• A little humor never hurts. Sometimes your own gaffes in making the video make it even more appealing.

• Give your videos a call to action. Make it clear what the viewer should do after watching the video. Add a coupon or special offer.

• Make sure your customer knows how to find you. Don’t forget to include your phone number, address, website address and e-mail. If you have a brick and mortar location, you might even want to include a map.

• Distribute your video in every way possible. Promote your video through an online ad campaign, e-mail, social media, YouTube and even your own website. There are online video services that will provide all of these services for a price if you don’t want to do it yourself.

You may think this sounds like a lot of trouble, but you do need video. Video engages your customer and sets you apart from those static ads you see on the Internet. It allows you to tell your customer what differentiates you from your competition. Your videos can help you have a face they can recognize and come to trust. That’s the kind of relationship you want with your customer.

OPEN Cardmember Carol Meinhardt is co-Managing Member of Chicago West Pullman, an investment holding company and the COO of vADz, Inc, a social video advertising platform, and OurTown Media, a hyper-local news network.

Kaiser Permanente Think Big Challenge

WordPress.com upgrades VideoPress, bringing video-upload capability to iOS devices

 

Introducing VideoPress for WordPress.com

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Hosted blogging platform WordPress.com has announced that iPhone and iPad users can now upload and embed videos onto its blogs after it gave VideoPress, its HD video service, an upgrade.

The  upgrade means that WordPress.com bloggers on iOS devices can now comfortably upload videos, whether they’re shot vertically or horizontally, and it will take care of rotating it for you prior to publishing.

If you don’t already have VideoPress on your WordPress.com account, you just have to visit VideoPress.com, and follow the instructions. You will, of course, also need the WordPress App on your device.

VideoPress launched initially in mid-2009, and since then it has made a host of enhancements, such as the ability to natively share videos in Facebook. And in March last year, WordPress.com announced another upgrade which meant that videos embedded within its hosted sites would be playable across mobile and touch-screen devices, including iPhones, iPads and Android devices.

WordPress also noted that if you use VideoPress on your self-hosted (.org) site, you should keep an eye on the VideoPress Blog for some “exciting news” soon.

 

Post office lowers rates for direct mailings

Every business will benefit by a constant presence before current and prospective customers. Recognizing that out of sight is out of mind, you need a drip, drip, drip of communications to provide arguments why folks should buy from you.

This rule applies whether you’re a retailer or a service provider. From banks to window washers to craft stores, the key to increasing sales is increasing your marketing.

Many businesses like the convenience of electronic newsletters. Others prefer direct mail. Which brings us to your question.

Depending on what you’re mailing, postage can be a significant portion of your campaign’s budget. Here are a few thoughts:

• Mail fewer pieces, bringing down postage, printing and handling.

• Cut the number of pieces in your package. That brochure you’re including might be pushing your weight up an ounce.

• Print on thinner paper, lowering weight without needing to redesign your brochure, sales letter, etc.

• Use postcards. A 4” x 6” card effectively sends a quick message while lowering 1-ounce mailing rates from 44 cents to 29 cents.

Now today’s news: With the impending hike in first class rates and the ballyhoo about the potential failure of the Postal Service, the USPS has created a program that delivers mail for just 14 cents each.

Whoa!

Called “Every Door Direct Mail,” the post office lets you hit every mailbox on any block in the country without a specific mailing list.

Which means if you’re looking to get fliers or samples into every home within a radius of two miles…or 200…it’s easier than ever to do.

EDDM lets you send up to 5,000 large mailers per post office per day. They have guidelines you need to follow, of course, but you’d expect that. It’s the post office, for heaven’s sake!

But given the odds that you’ll want to send out a package like the Publisher’s Clearinghouse uses (slim), the flexibility this setup gives you (lots), and the ability to reach huge numbers of sales prospects in your immediate neighborhood, it certainly seems to be worth a look.

More info is available at uspseverydoor.com.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

‪Ember Deflector Digital Handshake by WeTubeU‬

‪Bossco Digital Handshake by WeTubeU‬