Video on the web is a great way to reach your customers
Jan/05/2008 08:02 Filed in: Internet
& DTC Marketing
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Why watch the business news for 30 or 60 minutes on CNBC when you can watch a three minute summary on the Web ? Well evidently a lot of people feel the same way as traffic to video and video news sites has skyrocketed in recent months. In fact the traffic numbers have increased so much that some people are wondering if it might effect productivity of white collar office workers who have Internet access.
The real draw to these videos however is the fact that viewers can get all the information they want or need in short doses that THEY control. Don't like what you see? Then click off and go to another site or channel. The video that I have seen on the Web for DTC marketers is putrid and overly promotional to the point that people are laughing (actor portrayals on Cialis.com for example or repurposing TV spots on a website). Once again DTC marketers don't get it.
In order to leverage video on the Web some simple principles need to be followed;
1. Keep it real: Don't "sell" your products and make the video overly promotional. Let viewers get to their own conclusions based upon what they see.
2. Make it relevant: If it's not about me or what interests me than I don't care.
3. Make is short: Nothing over 3-4 minutes on the Web.
4. Don't use "actor portrayals". If you have to ask why then you don't get it.
5. Update and update some more: The more they keep coming back to watch your video the more exposure to the brand which is a marketers dream.
6. Make sure the people is the video are reflective of your target audience. Look at one of the embedded videos on Cialis.com and tell me if looking at 70 year old man resonates with the target audience.
7. Follow someone as they overcome treatment options and objections.
This is new to DTC marketers because it is a type of reality TV and there are some perceived privacy issues but this is not in fact true. When we approached people who are using insulin pump and asked them if they wanted to share their experiences with others they jumped at the chance. Can you envision a video following a person going to their physician learning they have high cholesterol and then following them as they try exercise, diet modification and Lipitor to lower their cholesterol?
Within two months of learning his cholesterol was dangerously high Bill went on Lipitor, started to exercise and watched what he ate. The results are that Bill lowered his cholesterol 20% and his risk of heart disease and stroke is well on its way to being lowered. "I don't know about the numbers but what I do know is that I stand a better chance now of enjoying my retirement that I am working so hard for rather than worrying about having a heart attack and that's a good thing" Bill said.
This, if done right could be a powerful motivator for people because it focuses on the end benefit and the struggles that some realistically have to go through to get on, and stay on, therapy. One of the top commandments in marketing today is not to over promise on your brand and with video marketing this can be a reality. To be able to do implement this program however don't use video from TV and repurpose it on your site, that's just stupid. It requires video shot exclusively for the Web and remember your audience is in control of content not you.
Why watch the business news for 30 or 60 minutes on CNBC when you can watch a three minute summary on the Web ? Well evidently a lot of people feel the same way as traffic to video and video news sites has skyrocketed in recent months. In fact the traffic numbers have increased so much that some people are wondering if it might effect productivity of white collar office workers who have Internet access.
The real draw to these videos however is the fact that viewers can get all the information they want or need in short doses that THEY control. Don't like what you see? Then click off and go to another site or channel. The video that I have seen on the Web for DTC marketers is putrid and overly promotional to the point that people are laughing (actor portrayals on Cialis.com for example or repurposing TV spots on a website). Once again DTC marketers don't get it.
In order to leverage video on the Web some simple principles need to be followed;
1. Keep it real: Don't "sell" your products and make the video overly promotional. Let viewers get to their own conclusions based upon what they see.
2. Make it relevant: If it's not about me or what interests me than I don't care.
3. Make is short: Nothing over 3-4 minutes on the Web.
4. Don't use "actor portrayals". If you have to ask why then you don't get it.
5. Update and update some more: The more they keep coming back to watch your video the more exposure to the brand which is a marketers dream.
6. Make sure the people is the video are reflective of your target audience. Look at one of the embedded videos on Cialis.com and tell me if looking at 70 year old man resonates with the target audience.
7. Follow someone as they overcome treatment options and objections.
This is new to DTC marketers because it is a type of reality TV and there are some perceived privacy issues but this is not in fact true. When we approached people who are using insulin pump and asked them if they wanted to share their experiences with others they jumped at the chance. Can you envision a video following a person going to their physician learning they have high cholesterol and then following them as they try exercise, diet modification and Lipitor to lower their cholesterol?
Within two months of learning his cholesterol was dangerously high Bill went on Lipitor, started to exercise and watched what he ate. The results are that Bill lowered his cholesterol 20% and his risk of heart disease and stroke is well on its way to being lowered. "I don't know about the numbers but what I do know is that I stand a better chance now of enjoying my retirement that I am working so hard for rather than worrying about having a heart attack and that's a good thing" Bill said.
This, if done right could be a powerful motivator for people because it focuses on the end benefit and the struggles that some realistically have to go through to get on, and stay on, therapy. One of the top commandments in marketing today is not to over promise on your brand and with video marketing this can be a reality. To be able to do implement this program however don't use video from TV and repurpose it on your site, that's just stupid. It requires video shot exclusively for the Web and remember your audience is in control of content not you.
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