Do you use 'video' in your business?

[MarketingEmpire]

We've just upgraded to all new video equipment, studio suites, and have employed a previous BBC producer/cameraman to produce videos on behalf of our clients.

My questions to fellow UKBF members are - do YOU use video in your business? How has it helped you (if it has)? And would you recommend using video to promote businesses to others?

The reason for my curiosity is that I spoke with a prospective client this morning, and his response regarding Video Production for businesses was something along the lines of "it is too much money, it doesn't get instant results, and isn't a cost-effective form of marketing." I was taken aback slightly as I hadn't even mentioned the price to him at this point, and he's a client that spends a lot of money with us in other areas of marketing. Also, to quote a YouTube fact (which I also quoted to this particular client) - "over 2 billion videos are viewed per day; over 35 hours of video are uploaded per minute" ... that's some pretty impressive stats I think.

So, is this a general viewpoint of other businesses?

This is not a plug for our services, I'm just genuinely intrigued to find out how you feel about using promotional video for your business, and any feedback you have regarding it? Obviously if you do have any questions regarding our services, I'm happy to answer them, or video production in general

Thank you.

PS: our video production page (if you are interested in more info) is here: Video Production and Promotional Videos

 

[iArtist]

I personally detest videos on websites and nearly never watch them. The beauty of text is that you can speed read and fast forward easily to the relevant body of text . You can't do this with video. Hence you're forced to sit through a load of spiel which IMO isn't what you want to do when searching for info on the Internet which is what people use it for initially. The info needs to be readily available.

I think every site with a video presentation should have an equivalent in text else it can be a reason to click away.

That said where they come in useful is to show you around premises...that type of thing which text can't do. Maybe show you an event in action..

So video presentations perhaps to be profitable need to be carefully targetted at a market that can make the best use of them and where they have a clear advantage in selling over plain text and images.

 

[MarketingEmpire]

Leah, that's genuinely really appreciated and valuable feedback, and makes a lot of sense.

I wasn't meaning everyone should convert their entire sales literature and websites to video 100%, not in the slightest, I agree with you that content/text is vital still; what I'm saying is incorporating promotional video(s) in with your current text (i.e. having a single video on the home page to showcase products, personalising your business with an interview with the 'founder,' showcasing the premises etc). Tutorial videos are best compared to text, "pictures are worth a thousands words", but a combination of video and text makes tutorials an incredible resource, allowing the viewer to get a better sense of what they need to do.

Thanks again.

 

[JandJC]

I only use video (in real time) Video conference calls, especially when calling international associates.

If you have a good product or service - the literature should put the message across more effectively; after all business leaders "can read".

 

[iArtist]

Leah, that's genuinely really appreciated and valuable feedback, and makes a lot of sense.

I wasn't meaning everyone should convert their entire sales literature and websites to video 100%, not in the slightest, I agree with you that content/text is vital still; what I'm saying is incorporating promotional video(s) in with your current text (i.e. having a single video on the home page to showcase products, personalising your business with an interview with the 'founder,' showcasing the premises etc). Tutorial videos are best compared to text, "pictures are worth a thousands words", but a combination of video and text makes tutorials an incredible resource, allowing the viewer to get a better sense of what they need to do.

Thanks again.

yes agreed re tutorials, I forgot about those. I often watch video tutorials. And if I was wanting to give a tutorial I would opt for video over text.

 

[bizloanservices]

I've started using video over the last few months - an intro on my site home page, one on my Amazon home page and a growing number on my YouTube channel with my thoughts and clips from seminars I've delivered.

I took the plunge after reading various stats (as quoted above) as to how video is growing.

As with all forms of marketing there is no one 'magic pill' - you don't solely depend on FB, Twitter, or traditional advertising etc - each tactic forms part of the overall mix. I see video as another tactic to be added which appeals to those potential clients who are more visually based in the way they process messages.

 

[smo]

No we dont, and I dont think we ever will use Video.

All those youtube stats prove is that there is a lot of crap out there being uploaded so to be noticed its got to be incredibly special and lucky or already have a large following.

 

[Moneyman]

Video only seems to work if it is a powerpoint.
most work pcs dont have sound!
most videos watched on youtube are cats and babies.
i have only used it a couple of times to show a quick tour of facilities so that people from abroad can see we are "real".

 

[Consistency]

Do you use 'video' in your business?

No.

 

[bizloanservices]

No we dont, and I dont think we ever will use Video.

All those youtube stats prove is that there is a lot of crap out there being uploaded so to be noticed its got to be incredibly special and lucky or already have a large following.

Every marketing medium has it's fair of crap but that doesn't mean we should not use it. I agree that video wouldn't suit every business ... there are certain marketing tactics that wouldn't work for me and so I select the ones that I think will.

I do a lot of speaking and so people need to see what they would get and video is a great way of achieving this - the written word can't convey how I'd come across in a crowded room.

Horses for courses ...

 

[CKG]

I have to say I think getting good quality, well produced product demo videos embedded on your website can do you a world of good.

A good example I can think of is a music shop in Guilford called Andertons http://www.youtube.com/user/AndertonsMusic . They have a raft of demo videos on youtube and have built up quite a big following. I don't doubt that the vidoes push a decent ammount of traffic to their online retail site.

I think it inspires buying confidence, lets your customers see you are 'real' and gives people a feel for how your company does business.

Video will be something i'll be using a lot to promote my business this year.

 

[martinbailey]

I use video quite a lot. On the 123insight site (see signature below) there is some video on the front page - we have a walk-on presenter - although there has been some debate as to whether that's worth having or not - opinion is divided! I ran an A/B test on the homepage with/without the video and the stats were pretty much equal in terms of bounce rate.

Video has proven to be very successful within the case studies section of the website. We've got over 40 case studies, many of which have HD video, which I produce in-house using Adobe Premiere/After Effects. Quality is important here, as a bad video will do more damage than no video at all!

 

[MarketingEmpire]

Thank you all, these are all very useful feedback points

Like I said, this was purely to gauge the response of how people felt about video for their businesses. I knew opinions would be divided, but the feedback regarding it is even more valuable.

Martin, I completely agree that a badly produced video can do more harm than good, as it portrays your company in a bad light (as if you can't be bothered to go the extra length to have a professional video).

Also, as a marketing tactic added to your marketing mix at a reasonably low cost, if it even drives an extra 100 people to your website over the next 12 months and recovers your investment through a few additional sales, would it still not be worth it?

(PS: I do agree that there is too much rubbish being uploaded, i.e. as Moneyman said "cats and babies" which does dilute the effect when people upload genuine useful videos)

 

[martinbailey]

(PS: I do agree that there is too much rubbish being uploaded, i.e. as Moneyman said "cats and babies" which does dilute the effect when people upload genuine useful videos)

Depends on the cat

 

[luciengrey]

I am planning to make a short promo video very, very soon. I think people will always sift through the rubbish, usually just with good searchwords

 

[360interactive]

Video is a great way of getting certain information across, and showing off a location or service. It has to be done well though otherwise it just looks un-inspiring and a huge turn off. Short, to the point and packed with things your customers are going to want to see, and I agree that not all industries will benefit.

Marketingempire, I would start by getting rid of that awful low quality video you have on your site and get something decent in its place. I listened to the first 5 seconds, then clicked mid way along to see if she stops talking (made me laugh as it was just on the bit she says 'you've been listening to this for one minute now'. uh, no I haven't) and stopped at that point. Is it really a video that shows off what you can do? I did some split testing once on my site that had a similar style video i.e. just a presenter talking (although it was better quality). Only a handful of people clicked play and they never watched it to the end. It's long gone now and i'm unlikely to get another one produced anytime soon.

The fact that most of YouTube is garbage is neither here nor there, embed the video on your site using Youtube or Vimeo (much better in my opinion) and thats that. Thats like saying most of the internet is porn and crap, so why should you have a decent site or a site at all?

Moneyman, your comment on video only working if it's powerpoint was puzzling, care to explain?

 

[iArtist]

I can't get hold of a baby but if I do decide to make a video of me doing some form of art I'll make sure my kitty cat is there doing what she usually does which is try to sit on my work, bat the pens on the floor and generally attempt to grab all the limelight.

 

[martinbailey]

I can't get hold of a baby but if I do decide to make a video of me doing some form of art I'll make sure my kitty cat is there doing what she usually does which is try to sit on my work, bat the pens on the floor and generally attempt to grab all the limelight.

Awesome. Please post on Youtube so that I can log on and watch it immediately.

 

[MarketingEmpire]

360Interactive, I appreciate your constructive criticism - that video is currently there until we complete our 2012 showreel, ready to upload next week.

Thanks for all your comments everyone.