Indianapolis Online Marketing Strategies

King Fish Media, Hubspot and Junta 42 recently conducted a study looking at how marketers employ online video in their business activities. The first part of the report I'd like to focus on is Social Media Usage.

• 75% of the companies included in the survey have a social media strategy.  I would be interested to see how many are well developed and how many simply say "post on Facebook and Tweet", but I digress.
• 75% of respondents say their companies will increase investment in social media marketing over the coming year.
• 20% of them are redirecting funds from other, more traditional marketing strategies, to keep up with customers who are switching to social media.
• 85% handle their own social media marketing with in-house staffers, as opposed to hiring consultants.
• Only 30% have run an ad campaign on a social media site.
• A shockingly high number of respondents (43%) have never done any kind of ROI measurement.
• Respondents are using social media with a variety of intentions, with customer relations being the number one reason.

Stay tuned for more nuggets from this research. Want to dig deeper into the numbers and the behaviors behind them? Pose a question in the comments and we'll address it in a future blog post.

Online video marketing is fun and exciting, for sure. It's also important to ask if your video is working for you as best it can. To assess the impact of incorporating your video stories and content into your social media marketing strategy, here are five metrics to keep an eye on:

1. People. Think quality over quantity. Are people viewing your videos? Are the right people in the right places viewing your videos? Are they sharing your video stories and helping you extend your reach?
2. Stories. Have you told a variety of stories that paints a well-rounded picture of who you are and what you do? Are they tied to goals that are, in turn, measurable? Are your stories being talked about by clients, prospects and viewers you didn't even know were listening?
3. Perception. How has the sentiment toward your brand changed since using your video stories? Have your videos helped to handle objections normally encountered during the sales process or at other points in your relationship.
4. Actions. Have your viewers responded to your on-screen and in-video calls to action? Are these stories aiding their buying decisions?
5. Profitability. What product sales can be traced to your product stories? What are the costs related to the production of your video stories compared to the benefits you have experienced?

Your stories provide the basis for brand affiliation and make people want to use and interact with your product or service. Getting your video with the right message in front of the right people in the right places will help you to meet your marketing and overall business goals. 

To see how Cantaloupe's Backlight provides you with insights into the metrics of your online video, request a demo here.  

We talk a lot about how telling a good, compelling, engaging story is the essence of online video success. To tell a good story, you need the 5 W's and an H - who, what, when, where, why and how. Skip one of those and... well... your story falls flat, right?

The same applies for your online video marketing strategy. When planning your project, make sure you satisfy all of these as well.

Who: In your overall strategy, think of who you are talking with. On the story level, think of who your characters are that will build credibility and authority with that audience.
What: What is your goal for the series? For the individual video? What are you trying to educate the audience about? What action would you like them to take? What will you measure success by?
When: When will you use these videos to impact your audience? When is this content relevant to the target audience?  Perhaps this is date-specific, perhaps tied to milestones in the sales cycle. Use this information to determine your distribution schedule.
Where: Where will you distribute your videos? YouTube, LinkedIn, your blog, your partners' blogs, through direct email campaigns? Where does your target audience "hang out"?
Why: Why does your product/service/message/call-to-action matter to this particular audience? Why video over another medium or in conjunction with your other online/offline efforts?
How: How will you get your video onto the web and into your emails? How will you get in front of the people who need to see your video and hear your message? How will you ensure they hear you over all the noise out there?

As with a good story, none of these can be left out of your strategy. Understanding the who, what, when, where, why and how of your efforts makes your plan of action easy to define and execute.

Ahhh... the perks of having a school teacher as a mom. (thanks, Mom!)

Although each video strategy is unique based on your goals, message, audience and company, there are three things that must be in place to create a good online marketing video.

Appealing, quality visuals. Emotion. Simple message. 

Apple has put together a series of video stories deigned to promote applications and give their loyal fans* a look behind the curtain at what makes developers get excited about offering a new service or extending an existing one.

The visuals are quality. They don't look like they were shot on a flip camera. The quality of the video matches the perceived quality of Apple's product.

You as the viewer can feel the emotion and passion the developers embody. The authentic video style lets the characters speak from the heart and give you something you can easily connect to.

With one or two characters in each segment, Apple offers a simple message. They don't talk of all their apps in one video. They keep it simple and help you, the viewer, get it.

As you watch videos online from your own company, your competitors and those seek to do personal business with, take note of which videos you like and dislike. What feels satisfying and what rubs you the wrong way. Then, see if they have these three elements. I would bet there's a strong correlation. 

*That's what we are, right? We've gone beyond being customers to being fans. They've done this through a combination of efforts, offline and online video being part of the overall marketing strategy.

... if you're going to put yourself out there and do something, COMMIT. Do it. Not half way. Really go for it. With horns blaring and fists pumping.

This is true when honoring our military, performing in front of a hall full of people, or in the execution of your company's online marketing strategy. Turn up the volume and sing along.

Many of our mainstream business clients often debate whether a social media strategy is necessary - or even applicable - in their industry. I've noticed that far too many companies are taking to social media haphazardly, without planning, thought or expectations, because they think it is what they are supposed to be doing. 

At the same time, many are disappointed  and even disillusioned that they aren't seeing a spike in 'followers', 'friends', or sales that they had secretly expected. 

Take a few minutes to watch this online video from Chris Borgan and SAS, as they discuss how to measure social media effectiveness and how to set meaningful objectives for using social media in marketing. Your online video marketing strategy is only one piece of this social media engagement, but the same principles apply. 

It is estimated that Facebook.com has over 350 million users and over half of those are over 25.  Facebook is the 4th most trafficked website according to comScore, so the next question for your company is “why haven’t you posted your company’s videos to this free resource?”    If Facebook is part of your online marketing strategy, then you should post your online videos there.

When using Facebook for your organization, there are two different ways you can manage your web video.  You have to first either setup a Facebook Page or Group.  Pages seem to be a better solution for companies since they can handle longer conversations with end users.  You can learn more about Pages vs. Groups here.

You can either load the web video directly to your page or share a link with your fans.  This decision is usually made by considering  whether you want the people on Facebook leaving Facebook and going to your web page to view your video, or allowing them to watch it right there.   You also need to track and monetize the video with a link.

In the example below you can see how media consumption is displayed within Facebook. By looking at the green line you are able to see web video views per day on your Page. With this, you can easily correlate the day that a specific video was posted and then relate those video views to that video.

Keep in mind that by posting your videos on the Facebook page, it allows fans an easy way to share video with their friends by posting it on their wall feed, hence encouraging viral sharing.

You can also share your videos with those on Facebook by posting a link to your video rather than uploading the video to Facebook. The best way for sharing video links on Facebook is to use link tracking software such as bit.ly. Bit.ly takes your existing link, shrinks it into a smaller URL, and then provides analytics on clicks and source of clicks. One weakness of this approach is that if the viewer copies the URL to share with others, you will not be able to track all the source of views.   It also requires the viewer to leave Facebook so they may be more reticent to view the video.   Want to see more online marketing video posting examples?  Become a Fan of Cantaloupe on Facebook.

 

 

Recently we talked about how simply having videos on your website will help increase your sales (regardless whether people actually watch the videos). But, is their existence enough?  Is there more you can do to maximize the opportunity?
 
What’s the best way to display video on landing pages?

 I have had many conversations with people who suggest online endeavors are great for the younger demographics, but the senior citizen community shouldn't be a big consideration.

Not so fast.

A recent Nielson report proves otherwise.  According to Nielson, the number of active internet users ages 65 and older has increased 55% in the past five years.  The amount of active seniors online is growing rapidly.  The more surprising thing, however, is what seniors are doing online.  The top four websites visited by seniors, listed in order are:

1)  Google
2)  Windows Media Player
3)  Facebook
4)  Youtube

Google isn't much of a surprise, but the other three are.  Facebook and other social networking sites are an increasingly popular destination for seniors.  8.2% of all social network and blog visitors are over 65; surprisingly, this is only 0.1% less than the number of teenagers who frequent these sites.

The number two and number four most popular sites for seniors is the most intriguing.  This is proof that senior citizens don't behave any differently than the rest of the internet demographics when it comes to web video.  When we suggest that video is the currency by which people are communicating online, this does not exclude senior citizens; so do not discount their importance when planning your video marketing strategy.

Click here to see a few examples of Cantaloupe TV videos.

The marriage of video and email has become a very hot topic for online marketers, and if utilized properly, the two should play an integral part in your online marketing strategy as video can greatly enhance your existing email marketing program by generating:

1. Higher Click Rates

A Forrester Research study revealed that online marketers who use web video in email campaigns can increase click rates by 200-300%, moving more users from their inbox to your website.

2. Better Engagement

Once subscribers reach your website, video keeps them engaged with your message. Studies show that 65% of viewers watch online video to completion, while only 10% read a web page in its entirety, and 50% of people who watch a "quality" video will respond to its call-to-action.

3. Maintain Ongoing Conversation

Video email can continually bring subscribers back to your website on a recurring basis, providing a great medium to stay in front of clients and prospects.

If you'd like more information, download our whitepaper to learn more about the best practices of video email marketing.

 When dealing with online video, it is foolish to simply jump into the deep end without first knowing how to swim.  In other words, before a camera is turned on and the story development team works their magic, you have to create a strategic plan for your video marketing initiatives.

So many people think a good game plan goes as far as saying, "I have an idea for a video and it should prompt people to do business with me."  That's the equivalent to saying, "I'd like to build a Victorian style home and that will satisfy a life long dream of mine."  Not much of a plan, is it?  

When creating a proper strategy for online marketing (specifically video), you need to do a few things:

1)  Determine your overall marketing goals
2)  Properly define your target audiences
3)  Recall what you did with video in the past
4)  Determine where video fits in your marketing plan
5)  Determine the number of videos needed to execute your plan
6)  Determine the style and length of your stories.
If you're not confident you can adequately do these steps, you're not alone.  Here at Cantaloupe TV, we pride ourselves on being a marketing consulting firm who happens to use web video as their weapon of choice.  We aren't just a bunch of guys with cameras and editing software.  We guide you through the process of developing a strategic plan from the very beginning.

If you'd like to learn more about Cantaloupe's strategic planning process, email me at bevans@cantaloupe.tv.

Over the weekend, a few of my fellow Cantaloupers participated in the country's largest half marathon here in Indianapolis - some were there to put one foot in front of the other, others to provide support to their friends and spouses.

Now that I'm back in the office, my mind is shifting back to all things web video. One phrase keeps popping into my head from my training - "It's a marathon, not a sprint." The same can be said for your online video marketing strategy. You have to pace yourself, visualize your course and develop a plan that will get you through each milestone to your goal. It's not about the first video or the sixth - it's about the series and the campaign as a whole.

Are you going to go out of the gate with a hard-hitting video story that shoots you to the front of the pack? Will you follow that by a series that will maintain the pace and energy you've created? Or will you allow your competitor beside you dictate what you do - perhaps causing you to speed up, slow down and zig-zag inefficiently? 

Set your sites on the finish line for your specific campaign, then take it mile by mile, adjusting for the unique challenges each stage presets - the ups and downs of your sales cycles, the headwinds your clients' budget constraints bring and the sprint to overtake a competitor at the right time.

Prior proper planning... right? It's true in running, online video marketing, and in every aspect of your business. Think short, medium and long-term. Take in the whole course and don't forget to stretch.

See you at the start line!

You remember the Whack A Mole game you played as a child, right? You took aim randomly at where you thought the mole might appear and thwack thwack thwack with the giant mallet in hopes of hitting the mark... 

Do you ever feel like that's what you're doing with your company's online marketing strategy? Are you tweeting, posting on Facebook, uploading your video to YouTube and working to compile the largest email distribution list in your industry in hopes that you might hit the right person when they pop up? 

There's no shame in admitting that you're a Whack A Mole Marketer online. Just STOP IT! Stop wasting time and energy trying to hit the target blindly. Just like in the game, you'll find that you're hitting an empty hole while your mole (er, prospect) passes near by.

As you create your online marketing strategy, and your web videos as part of that strategy, think about who your mole is, where he is and what the mallet (message) looks like. Take aim thoughtfully and hit him on the head.*

*Our crack legal team would like to remind you that Cantaloupe does not condone the hitting of prospects or rodents under any circumstances. Play nice.

Are you looking for a silver bullet in the form of a web video strategy?  I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there isn't one. Like everything else of value, you have to put a little work into it. It doesn't - however - mean that it has to be difficult to create a video series that will advance your company's goals and initiatives.

Online video marketing is just that - marketing. It should be viewed as a piece of a bigger plan. The first step in a successful online strategy is to know and articulate your goals. What initiatives is your company focusing on? What is your core marketing message? What are you trying to achieve as a company, department or team? How will you know if you've hit the mark. (i.e., what does success look like)?

Now that you have these written in front of you, what stories can you tell through a series of web videos that will support these goals and activities? Everything you do should be purposeful and support your core business objectives. If it doesn't, ask yourself where it really fits in your overall strategy.

Please join me in our upcoming free, one-hour webinar, "Video Email Campaigns".  Web video is a critical component of any online marketing strategy. It engages viewers and raises customer activity. That's why you should use video in your email campaigns.

Cantaloupe.tv is co-sponsoring this webinar with Net Atlantic, and you will learn the benefits of using video in your online marketing email campaigns, including how to:

• Raise click-through rates by 2-3x.
• Move more subscribers to your landing pages.
• Maintain ongoing conversations with customers.
• Incorporate industry best practices into your video emails.

Webinar Details:

• Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
• Time: 2:00PM EDT/11:00AM PDT (1 Hour)

Register for "Video Email Campaigns" today.

See you on the 13th, and please feel free to contact me at 317.594.9999 or afalkenstein@cantaloupe.tv.

When establishing web video into your online marketing strategy,  it is vital to purpose video content on your home page.  But how do you properly compare the video analytics of the video content on your homepage to the web analytics of the homepage in and of itself?

A few of our clients were confused by this very topic.  One company was concerned that the videos were not being watched.  Their web analytics showed around 500 unique visits to their homepage everyday.  But their Backlight video analytics showed that only 20 of those visitors were actually clicking on the video to watch it.

To the naked eye, it certainly seemed like prospects were not interested in the video they had purposed on their site.  But, when we dug a little deeper and looked a little closer, the truth was revealed.

Come to find out, an estimated 300 of those 500 unique visitors were existing clientele who were coming back to their site to purchase more products and services from them.  Why would they watch your "about us" video if they already know who you are?

Then we discovered that about 150 of the remaining 200 unique visitors were agencies coming to the homepage to log in to their reseller account page.  Once again, if they are selling your products and services, why would they watch your "about us" video?

So, that leaves us with 50 unique visitors that are probably first time prospects.  And 20 out of 50 isn't too shabby.  Furthermore, according to their Backlight video analytics, the video completion rate was a whopping 93%.  So, not only were most watching the video, most were watching the entire video to the end.

So, carefully compare your web analytics to your video analytics.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

To learn more about Cantaloupe's video content management system, Backlight, email me at bevans@cantaloupe.tv

It seems Bluelock has found a way to establish themselves as experts in cloud computing, and it seems a big part of that is their internet video marketing strategy.

I recently wrote a post about how their videos have shown up on a social network for cloud computing. Now it seems that someone else has grabbed the embed code for their LEGO demonstration of server virtualization and embedded it in their blog.

The ability to let others grab this video and spread it around is made possible through Backlight, Cantaloupe's online video platform. What kind of impact is this video having on Bluelock's business? Well, Bluelock can see exactly how many views their getting from this video placement by checking out the online video analytics report also provided through Backlight.

Another valuable feature is Bluelock's ability to change the ads in this video, that is, to change in-stream calls to actions. Even though this video is already embedded, Bluelock can control and change the message to viewers. (Check out the 2:20 mark in the video) Now they can actually convert these viewers into prospects or even customers.

I also think it's worth mentioning this quote from the blog:

The video below is set to become the greatest online viral video of all time.

DON'T JUST SKIP TO THE VIDEO If you do, I think you'll miss a valuable point that might just benefit you're own online marketing strategy.

As you watch the video below, think about how this story isn't even a story if the only way to present it is in text. The "punchline" requires a visual image as well as audio.

Is the "story" on your website really a story if it's presented in text? Are you missing out on the potential effect video can have on the impact of your sales and marketing because for so long video wasn't an option?

(Update 5/26/09: Susan Boyle is now the 5th most watched viral video of all-time. Ahead of her are 3 music videos and 1 movie trailer)

(The video owner disabled embedding so you have to click through http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk)

It can be difficult to know what to do with your web videos when you are first starting, or even if you have done a lot of videos before. Too often I find people who are just coming up with videos by grabbing someone, and having that person talk about a random subject. This may turn out to be a good video sometimes, but there are much more effective ways to go about your video marketing campaign.

I will use my post today to show an example of a great web video series that Cantaloupe has produced--Clarian Health's "Hero" series.


This series shows how effective your web videos can be. They accomplish exactly what they're supposed to by presenting all of the information in a consistent style that supports the overall theme of the series. They are raw and fast-paced, capturing a day in the life of a nurse, then finishes with a clear and bold call to action. The whole series of videos have a unique style that fits in with the message and goal.

When watching these videos, there is no confusion about what is being said. There is no talking about Clarian and why they are better. Everything is visual, and all of the videos in the series support the same thing. They know who they are trying to reach.

I also think these would be a strong candidate for our new online video platform, Backlight. People will search for nursing and nursing positions. If these videos were converted in Backlight to other sites such as Google video, they might come up and help people find what they are looking for.

Watch these videos, and think about ideas that you could use for your video marketing strategy. The more you use your internet video as a marketing campaign, the more effective it can be.

Per usual, Chris Baggott and our friends at Compendium Blogware have hit on a marketing message that strikes very close to Cantaloupe.tv home.

In his post "People want Stories not Advertisements" Chris sings our authentic web video storytelling mantra, and even brings more numbers-based evidence to the cause.

I want to focus on Chris' statement that "After search, the goal is engagement." He's absolutely right and this is the very reason why you need video on your website and everywhere you're marketing online.

Video, if done right and not just a re-purposed commercial, can tell your story, or even better, the story of your clients' success with your product or service, in a more powerful way than just text can.

There's plenty of evidence to support the idea that people on the internet want video. Take for example that YouTube is the #2 search engine, ahead of both Microsoft's and Yahoo's search properties (and behind it's corporate parent Google). This means that there is a huge audience of people looking specifically for online video media.

Everyone can have video on websites when you're focused on storytelling and use authentic web video. Just check out the approach Cantaloupe.tv takes and see how it fits with your online marketing strategy. Doing multiple video stories just might be more reachable than you think.