eMarketer – How Engaging is Online Video?

7 12 2009

Many marketers want to get into video but there still seems to be a wide chasm between high-end, pricier work and the amateur, shaky free work. Simple video editing goes a long way and I’ve recently been working quite a bit with Windows Movie Editor which is ideal for a starter as it allows you to add effects to clips, import a soundtrack, basically 99% of anything that an amateur videographer like myself would be interested. I ain’t no Quenten just yet….

But video is important – hugely so in fact. In October, Eyeblaster released a report comparing dwell time on ads with and without video:

The implications are more far-reaching however than simple ad effectiveness. It’s what you already know – if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good video may be worth a thousand pictures. And one point to stress here is that “good” can be defined on several levels. Surely quality is one, but I still see a massive gap between what audiences are willing to watch and what businesses are comfortable providing.

Often times, hesitation on a company’s part to include video for fears that it won’t be acceptable quality, result in them working with a “professional” shop that helps them create a high-quality video but ultimately one that falls flat on connecting with the viewer. I guess what I’m saying is the video being of watchable quality is one thing, but the video speaking to a core issue (example: why you should work with me, how am I) is an entirely separate one that may or may not be correlated to how professional the video production actually is.

Here’s a good example of a simple video that addresses a core business inquiry – in this case, what’s involved in forming a company in Hong Kong.





Lou Bortone on Video Sharing/Webcasting Sites

31 10 2009

More posts to come shortly on ustream.tv and twitcam. Until then, get off your lazy butt and check them out on your own time!