Ten Online 2012 Video Stats That Will Amaze You

Online video ad viewing increased dramatically in 2012, with audiences choosing to watch video ads 4.6 billion times, or about 13.2 million times every day.

Records were broken by the likes of M&M’s Superbowl Ms Brown or Kony 2012, with the former getting 85% of online views driven the ad’s virality (not by paid ads) and the latter counting 41 millions video views in just one day.

Online videos are effective for branding and can deliver your message on any platform and any scale, from internal communications to global campaigns. Read about other outstanding videos trends in 2012 here.

And your company? What does your video communications plan look like for 2013?

Ready for the next level? See the  iFilm portfolio and let's schedule a meeting to discuss the next project. Email Dave Henry or call 713-504-5765.

Feed Your Appetite for Video Story Telling

"In his presentation at SocialMedia.org‘s BlogWell conference in Los Angeles, Kaiser Permanente’s director of digital media and syndication, Vince Golla, talked about how the company brought its fans’ genuine, unscripted stories to a bigger audience without hiring an expensive production company." See full article and video links here.

One of iFilm's clients recently described our journalistic style of corporate video production as "more engaging and tells a better story than our scripted corporate videos." Although we make scripted corporate videos too; we agree that storytelling is frequently best found in real sound bites from the people most passionate on a topic. Your budget does not have to be huge to tell a real story. 

A recent sample of our storytelling video is here.  Contact Dave to start your project today. 

Online Video SEO ~ Best Practices for YouTube

Great article on YouTube optimization from Blue Sky Marketing ...  

Properly optimizing your videos on your YouTube channel can greatly increase the chances of them showing up in organic Google search results ~ which is the “holy grail” for  most marketers. However, it’s important to remember that Google is typically driving video based search results to YouTube.com instead of corporate websites or landing pages. This means that your channel needs to reflect your brand.

Below are some specific steps corporate marketers can take to optimize their videos on YouTube.com.  Full article here.

Five Reasons Video Can Help in the B2B Sales Cycle

Five Reasons Video Can Help in the B2B Sales Cycle

Feel like you need to work on your video content but haven’t gotten started?  More B2B marketers than ever are developing content marketing strategies to engage potential customers early in the decision making process.  Below are five reasons that video should be a key component for your content marketing strategies and specifically on social media channels.

        Research

Today’s consumers are tech savvy and their first impulse is to “Google” up a solution. There is a good chance they will begin researching products and solutions to solve their business problems long before they contact potential vendors. Videos do a great job of introducing your company or explaining exactly how your solutions solve specific business challenges. Video can help your brand and content get noticed ahead of the competition.

Real People

Yes, you are selling to other businesses but your target audience is made up of actual human beings with emotion and bias built in. Visual content, specifically video, is simply more engaging on social networks than text based content. People prefer watching to reading.

 Spreading the Word (Multi-Channel Messaging)

Many B2B marketers naturally think of using video content to use at trade shows, presentations or on their websites. They also need to consider a YouTube channel for their company. Benefits of a YouTube channel include search engine optimization. Marketing videos can easily be shared everywhere your company maintains a social media presence including Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter and Tumblr to name a few. 

Social Sharing

Videos are shared on social networks 1,200% more than links and text posts combined. Most marketers would agree that a personal recommendation is still one of the most powerful influences for a potential buyer.

Mobile

When was the last time that you left home without your smart phone? They are ubiquitous and B2B marketers must find a good way to deliver content across a wide variety of mobile devices. With video it is simpler as most videos play in “full screen” mode on most mobile phones, solving the screen size challenge of accessing content on social networks.

Video is a very powerful tool for engaging potential customers across a wide variety of media.  If you are a B2B marketer trying to find an effective way to make use of your company’s video archive, consider the use of video to better communicate your message to your social media communities.

Congratulations Leslie!

Several years ago I was lucky enough to land an assignment from USAID; create a video about Leslie Hawke.  She was receiving their "Outstanding Citizen" award for her amazing work with Roma women in Romania.

(As we were we finishing the shoot, she asked "Who are you going to use for the voice-over?"  I paused for about half a second.  "Your son would be good," I said.  Her son is Ethan Hawke.)

I saw today that she recently got married.  Congratulations Leslie.

Here's a link to the video's opening segment.  You get an idea of her courage...

http://youtu.be/VrknKudrMBs

Broaden your video's reach

From Christian Arno:

"In this global day and age, savvy marketers are directing their efforts overseas. It's now easier than ever to appeal to a multilingual market. It just takes a translation here and there, modification of your SEO, and bingo -- you're appearing on screens all over the world." 

The rest of the article can be found here but very good thinking about global video.


At iFilm, our clients are frequently large multinational or global companies that need to convey their messages. In some instances, we simply add different audio tracks. In some, we have to trans-create the video so that it crosses cultural barriers. Fortunately in a city like Houston, we can find the resources for our projects that can participate in that dialog.

What videos are you making and how do you ensure that they speak to your audience in the right way?

Seven Tips for Marketing a Business with Video

Great article on video marketing from Entrepreur:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220593

My Favorite Highlights:

• Video connects customers on a deeper level because it covers and reaches out to different types of learning styles
• Videos also help sites show up higher on the search engines. Use relevant keywords in the video titles and descriptions when you upload them to sites like YouTube.
• Include a call to action in your video.  
• Pick a focus. Make sure the video has the essence of your brand personality and carries a single message or story. Do not try to cover 15 things in a 60-second video.

Awards Season

Hollywood can have the Oscars.  Houston also rolls out the red carpet each spring, for both the ADDY Awards and Marketer of the Year, and iFilm Productions will proudly accept accolades (without the long speeches) at each.

The American Advertising Federation Houston holds the ADDY awards each February to "recognize creative excellence in the art of advertising."  It's the biggest night of the year in Houston advertising.  Winners advance to regional and then national competition.

iFilm Productions will bring home a coveted ADDY at the big gala (silver? gold?) for producing an animated web movie for GankIt.com.

 

The American Marketing Association Houston gives out its Marketer of the Year Awards (MOTY) for "innovative and effective marketing programs."  iFilm submitted a detailed report for vote by AMA Houston members and a judging panel of local marketing professionals.

 

iFilm Productions won in the Business-to-Business Services category, and is now a finalist for overall Marketer of the Year in Houston.

Other finalists include CenterPoint Energy, ConocoPhillips, Rice University, the Houston Rockets, MD Anderson, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  It's an honor to even be mentioned among them.

Law Firm Marketing: 5 Advantages of Using Video on Your Website

The use of video is becoming important to staying competitive on the web. As more law firms develop an online presence, it’s imperative to differentiate your firm by including video on your website.

While nothing guarantees an increase in business, the use of video is a smart and relatively inexpensive way to market your law firm. Here are five advantages of using video on your website.

1. Introduce yourself to potential clients.

The process of meeting with an attorney for the first time can be unnerving for some clients. Introducing yourself through an online video can remove this anxiety. Potential clients will be looking to get an idea of who you are and what you can do for them. A brief video that introduces you and describes your law firm can accomplish that. Another advantage of introductory videos is the amount of time they save you. Instead of physically meeting with every potential client, the video can act as a filter to bring in primarily clients who have already decided that they might hire you.

2. Convey emotion and personality.

You can show only so much emotion with text and images on a website. Video, on the other hand, gives you an opportunity to show viewers the way you look, sound and act. It is a wonderful way to project emotions such as empathy and compassion to potential clients. A visitor who is sold on what you say in a video is more likely to choose your firm over a competitor. Videos also are incredibly helpful for firms that practice personal injury or criminal law. Someone who has been injured or arrested may want to hire a lawyer with a bold, assertive personality, and simply put, video is the best way to convey your personality to viewers online.

3. Improve search engine rankings.

In the near future, video will be an integral part of search engine result pages. Google already has begun to factor in the presence of video on a page when determining where the page ranks on Google search results. Posting videos on your site sooner rather than later will put you a step ahead of other firms competing for top slots on search engine result pages. After posting a video to your website and optimizing it for search engines, potential clients will more easily locate your site and its video content. Seeing a video on a search results page instantly gives the searcher a good reason to visit your website rather than a competing site. Make sure your search engine optimization service understands how to take advantage of your video content in getting your site the best possible search engine results.

4. Improve overall website experience.

If done correctly, putting video on your website will improve the browsing experience of your visitors. For maximum effectiveness, it should be integrated seamlessly into your site. An introductory or biographical video typically is placed on the homepage. Similarly, a page dedicated to your firm’s bankruptcy practice might include a video explaining basic aspects of bankruptcy law. The more that potential clients use your site to learn about the law and how it affects them, the more likely they are to give your firm a call.

5. Impress potential clients

Let’s face it, a law firm website with embedded video looks impressive. At present, few law firms use video, so those that do give a clear sign that they’re a step ahead of everyone else. Quality video on your site indicates to potential clients that you are a quality law firm. Of course, not just any video will make your website and law firm look impressive. The most effective videos utilize well-prepared content, shot on high-definition video in a properly lit studio. Top-quality post-production work, including editing, graphics and sound effects, is also crucial to achieving results that will impress visitors to your site.

Article Source

Make Better Promotional Videos

Businesses of all sizes are turning to videos to drive conversation, traffic, and sales. According to Internet Retailer, e-commerce website visitors who view product videos are 85 percent more likely to buy than visitors who do not. As with most marketing tools, originality is key to the success of any video. Finding inexpensive ways to create high-quality videos is any company’s best bet to get the most for its money while ensuring that the content is original. Keep the following tips in mind:

1. Know that production quality matters. While the majority of the most well-known viral videos are home videos, most consumer-focused viral videos often have solid production quality. Don’t even try to fake shaky-camera "homemade" film. Do it straight, or don’t do it at all.

2. Understand "relative virality." Don’t get caught up in creating a video you hope will be seen by millions. Pay more attention to the quality of views rather than the quantity. In the end, your ultimate goal is to promote your product or service, so make sure your video appeals to the end customer and your marketing goals.

3. Have fun with it. Your goal is to have people talk about your company, product, or service, so give them something they will remember and want to share.

Article Source

What video means to your SEO efforts

Video is an often ignored component of search engine optimization, notes Marty Weintraub. "It is amazing to me that there is so little discussion of YouTube as a search engine. Most marketers seemingly don't view activity in YouTube as SEO. That's the disconnect. YouTube is very much a search engine," he says. Read the entire interview here.

http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2010/10/04/driving-real-results-with-youtube-questions-for-aimclears-marty-weintraub/

Video in Healthcare Communications

It's time to take off the sunglasses and use the binoculars to see out farther. HD video done right gets the message across better than the written word, it's faster and it's more engaging. Video will be part of the future for online healthcare communications on many levels as it creates a better human connection.

Video is crucial to P.R.

Article Highlights

• More than 70 percent of U.S. internet users watch video clips monthly, making video viewing bigger than blogging and social networking
• Video PR can be the "show me, don't tell me" vehicle that communicates compelling stories to target audiences
• Knowing the challenges of capturing eyeballs on top video sites, marketers are also looking for ways to optimize their videos and ensure they're SEO-ready

The link is to the entire article. I agree with some of what the author has to say although his focus seems to be on the business to consumer marketplace. B-to-B public relations professionals can take advantage of P.R. videos as well. 

I agree that "In today's new media world, online video PR is a valuable communications tool that provides companies with priceless credibility that paid advertising cannot buy." 

What is your opinion? 

iSnap du Jour Revisited

Heights tree carving. 

On my Facebook page, I do an almost daily "iSnap du Jour" that is a random snap from scenes I encounter in my daily life. Here are a few of my recent ones.


Friend me on Facebook for the ongoing series.

New Orleans Option B

New Orleans Option A

Video in your 2011 Marketing Plan

Before starting on any video project you need to ask yourself first, what is my business objective? As you create your 2011 plan, ask yourself how online video helps with those objectives.

As much as iFilm wants the video production work, companies should avoid spending resources on the production of videos without a plan for maximizing their production cost and for syndicating and distributing them. What does that mean?

We recommend that you have a plan prior to production of all the places that your video elements can be repurposed and utilized beyond the initial production. Talk to other departments about how they could use footage in achieving their goals. Heck, iFilm will even work with you in pre-production to sort out that plan.

Here’s an example … informational footage for your website could also generate a spin-off video for a recruiting campaign where your employees speak about why they like working for you. (Recruiting will be a hot topic as we exit this recession.)

Syndicating and distributing? Well, videos shouldn’t simply live on your website (but having a video there will dramatically increase your site stickiness over your competitors).

You also need to get them on industry sites and have a plan of where and when. Putting them on video sharing sites is good for SEO with the right links back to you. Where else and how else will you use this video to market your company? Can you use it via mobile to educate new employees on company philosophy as part of training? Can you solve other communication problems with this footage? iFilm will be happy to engage in that dialog as well.

If web video is NOT in your 2011 marketing budget, revise the budget.

Video is not a nice-to- have, it is now a must-have. Need help crafting this plan? Call Dave Henry at iFilm Productions.

The cluttered mind uncluttered.

I read a great article on Preparation this morning.

"Success in the business world is not about who is the smartest; research shows that IQ is largely unrelated to status in the corporate food chain. Success is not about who has the best education; only 14% of Fortune 500 companies are led by Ivy Leaguers. And success is not about who has the best funding or resources; many successful businesses started in garages, dining rooms, and the back of cars. The single greatest influence on who achieves success in the business is preparation."  Jim Taylor, Ph.D. 

The article went on to list Ten Laws and I saw all of them as relevant to my world of film and video production. Preparation makes or breaks a video's success whether a documentary, TV commercial, or web movie, all require a well thought-out plan with all the details tended to. 

A new category: "bikeumentary"

As a part-time documentary filmmaker, I found this interesting.
http://pedaldriven.howellatthemoon.com/

Taking what you love and creating education around it is wonderful.

There, I Said It: Screw Viral Videos

"Stop chasing viral, and start looking closely at online video that delivers repeatable, measurable and sustainable views. When putting dollars behind video projects, make sure you understand exactly how the audience-development component works. You don't want to pay for views that never actually get watched. And remember, just like with the Tortoise and the Hare, steady and consistent wins out over jackrabbit view spikes every time."  Whole article here:  Ad Age Article: Screw Viral Videos.


"Great content, well planned and well executed will trump the chasing of viral propagation." 
Dave Henry, iFilm Productions

Favorite quote for today

"Plainly and simply: If you're not already using video, you could be leaving a lot of revenue on the table."  Bobbi Leach, iMedia Connection

Product marketing, customer engagement, internal communication ... all can be improved with quality video online. Why are you not taking advantage? At iFilm we find more and more of our projects are being created only for online applications. Our clients want videos that look crisp online. 

And we think production values are more important than ever before when the customer attention span means you are one mouse click away from being turned off. 

Have you Ganked? It is time for GankIt 2.0

iFilm Productions' newest client, GankIt, took their 2.0 version of their website live overnight. We produced their home page web movie that explains their service - a hybrid penny auction.

Many thanks to Dan Pratt of RiotMotion and Bob Vance of Audio Bob for their work on this project.

If you haven't Ganked yet, the time is now. I will post a link to the video on my blog and site later today but for now, I want everyone to head on over to GankIt.