Video Marketing – One “Sure Thing” in 2011

Another guest post from Bruce Pressman:

Just as investors are always looking for that one sure thing that will make their portfolio sing, sales people are looking for that same sure thing from their marketing efforts. If research and results proved anything in 2010, it was the effectiveness of using video for sales and marketing campaigns.

10 Commandments for the Modern Marketer (PDF)

Marketing roles are evolving – with some in the industry even talking about how job titles are likely to change away from “marketing” to terms that reflect the bigger scope of the role. As such, chief marketing officers have been forced to rethink their strategies and adopt new tactics to get their messages across to consumers. Author Joe Fernandez calls these the “The 10 Commandments of Marketing” (note this is a PDF so it might take a few seconds to load).

These ten commandments are inspired by what the world’s most powerful marketers think their peers need to embrace in order to spot opportunities within crises and set up their businesses to flourish both next year and in future decades. Video is one way to change things up.

Christine Nordhielm, Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan suggests that too many marketers are currently acting like “anaesthetists” – sending consumers to sleep with their predictable communications. She warns that they are using “ordinary techniques, which may lack competitive advantage,” adding that: “The greatest challenge facing CMOs is to keep up with the mindset of the modern consumer and continue to engage with them in the way they desire.”

By using video, you will be addressing this modern consumer and taking the lead, by standing out from your competitors, much like having a website presence did for you in the 90’s.

Consider attending the American Marketing Association’s next event in San Francisco (it’s not until June, however, planning early never hurt anyone).

Digital Centered Marketing 2011: San Francisco
Courtyard San Fransicso Downtown: 299 Second Street
San Fransicso , CA  94105
6/9/2011 7:30 AM  – 6/9/2011 4:45 PM
Register by 5/9/2011 12:00 AM  for early registration fee
http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/DigitalCenteredMarketing2011SanFransicso.aspx

Video Marketing to Gen Y

Below is a guest post from Bruce Pressman, the Director of Sales at a San Francisco Bay Area hotel and a member of the Vipe team (contact us if you would like to be a guest contributor):

Dr. Kit Yarrow, author of Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail says; “Generation Y is considered to be some of the most sought-after consumers.” First of all, they’re huge. It’s the largest population that we have right now, the largest generation we have right now. They influence a good percentage of household purchases. They want things really fast and they have shorter attention spans. They have great urgency and require more stimulation. And lastly, by 2015, they’re going to have more spending power than any generation before them, including the baby boomers. So really, anybody that’s in marketing, anybody that’s in business has to be thinking about this generation either for their influence or for the future.

What are these buyers doing? They are watching videos. Day in and day out.  Nights are no stranger to this group either; as anyone with a teenager or adult child living at home can tell you.

The web gives you so many ways to sell online. The obvious way that most people know and love already is e-commerce. You know, you go on Amazon, you buy a book, you do a search on Google, you buy something on eBay. All of that is fairly well understood. Can we get buyers and sellers to meet online? They can meet through, web conferencing, for example, or they can chat or they can arrive at a website through an online ad and then have an interaction on that website that leads to a sale. But the main point is that it’s a one-to-one relationship. It’s mediated through the web and that doesn’t replace face-to-face meetings. It just gives selling organizations and salespeople more options to interact and help customers buy. Using video in this way is proving to be a viable and lucrative way to spend Marketing and Advertising dollars. Shoppers who view video at Onlineshoes.com convert at a 45% higher rate than other shoppers, and the site has seen a 359% year-over-year increase in video views. Product pages with video have higher conversion rates than product pages without video. (Internet Retailer, February 2010)

If you have videos in your sales arsenal to promote your products, how do you manage them? Well…? If you want a way to manage and track your responses and keep your video library viable and current, consider a one stop approach that will expand as you do and can be a true barometer of what campaigns are working for you and which ones are not.

No fancy algorithms or consumer studies or cookie tracking here. Send out your campaign and see the analytics immediately. When, where, and what time was your attempt to sell acted upon? Use this info to hone a campaign that works. No extra cost or evaluations are needed. You are in control of how you maximize results for campaigns you know work, using videos you create about products you know the best.

People want to look into your eyes, hear your voice, get to know, like, and trust you, and THEN do business with you. There are techniques to help you do that in person and, frankly, most of them are the same as how to do it on video. Read more here:

http://personalsuccessmarketing.com/blueprint/unleash-your-rock-star-identity-through-video/

The time is now to start using video or face the risk of being left behind your competition because you have not addressed the way this generation uses the internet.

Snap Out of It!

Video Marketing… I Think I Love You!

                                                   Signed, Superman

 

Ok, so I just lost my job. Sales at a Palo Alto Hotel. The Hotel was sold. Initially I was feeling OK, I mean, I’m a good salesperson and surely someone would like to have me on their team. But, oh no, here comes Mister Self Doubt, and his brother What if? Anyway, that lasted about 3 minutes, since I have my hands in a few things that could pan out nicely. They aren’t producing income right now, but when people find out I’ve discovered the cure for the common cold, I’ll be pretty busy from then on.

Sure enough, within the first week of my “retirement” I got a call to meet at a hotel in South San Francisco to see about doing some outside sales calls for them. I did my research, met with the GM, we asked questions, developed a plan and agreed to terms.

As we talked about the desired business they would like to see come in and how we would introduce new companies to the hotel, I had this calm easy feeling come over me. I used videos in the last hotel and this was going to be another hotel and other customers and I couldn’t wait to see how well it would work here.

I felt so… so…Superman like. I imagined going to offices nearby and being rebuked at the gates. Then, at the end of the day I would head back to the office with business cards in hand of the Office Managers,  HR Directors, and Travel Managers that I could not see and send them a simple email. That email which they will probably recognize; because I just dropped my card off earlier, has a 90% chance of being opened. Even if they see it the next morning, I still like my odds of being recognized. Then; now here comes the good part, I ask them to view a personal video message from me by clicking this secure link. (Sample Link) http://www.vipepower.com/Company/3GOB8NTIZXMJ

The reason I feel so great is that I know I’m presenting the best possible way to showcase my property. I mean pictures are so 2008!

The link, if you did not click on it, would have, in place of the VTA train footage an introductory video of me saying, “I’m sorry I missed you at the office earlier.”  “I want to introduce myself and allow you to see videos of our hotel and guest rooms. I look forward to meeting you for lunch and a property tour one day. If I can help with anything else, please call or you may fill out the form to the right.” I haven’t even started my new job and I’m frothing at the mouth because of what a slam dunk this feels like. Video Marketing, no matter the product, is the best thing I have ever seen from a salespersons perspective. I will keep you updated on the uses and outcomes and share with you my successes. If anyone has any hesitation about starting with video, please, feel free to ask me, to help you, to; SNAP OUT OF IT!  

Thank you,

Bruce    (Meet Me Video!)   

Social Media and Video Marketing Thoughts

According to the American Marketing Association, Social Marketing has never been more influential than it is now and it must be part of your marketing strategy.  In fact, did you know that:

• More than 50% of the 500 million Facebook users log on to Facebook every day. In total, they spend over 700 billion minutes per month on the service
• People are watching 2 billion videos a day on YouTube; every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to the service
• Users spend 22.7% of their time online on social networking sites

It’s probably safe to say most of their attention is geared toward; what video can I watch?

This is where video marketing comes in. What do you offer your guests in terms of videos related to your property or guestrooms? Start a library now of videos from your hotel. Don’t worry if they are not completely professional. They don’t have to be. People can see the “real” deal this way and you gain their trust.

Online travel shoppers will appreciate the honest way in which you present your Hotel and will probably stop shopping and start spending. Show all of your room types and what they have to offer so the guest can make an informed decision and perhaps rent an upper tier room. Create special promotions on your facebook and other social network pages and increase your Search Engine results. Most of all listen to what is working out there and don’t be afraid to get started with something new and daring.

Stay on top of the latest from the marketing community by visiting popular sites and opting in for their email newsletters. One source is Market Thought Leaders.

What is holding you back?

Video Marketing Do’s and Don’ts from a Hotelier

Video can trigger higher emotional levels than static web pages, leading to increases in taking action. Use it. Use it in your emails and use it on your website. I have used video to increase my sales at a small hotel in California. After seeing what kind of video messages get the best responses I’ve come up with a few tips for success, and some things to avoid to help you get started.

Do:

• Use “Thank you” videos. “Thank you” for your business, “Thank you” for your interest.
• Respond right away to people you have met or spoken to.
• Let people know what to expect from your video & offer something to them in the end.
• Make sure there is enough light on the subject of the video.
• Highlight key features closely.
• Do a series of FAQ’s answering the most common questions that people normally ask about your business.
• Insert humor when appropriate.
• Always look into the camera.
• Review your video on a larger screen to see how it looks. (Too close? Too far away? Shiny Face?)
• Look your best.  And, most importantly…
• Smile… your wonderful, natural smile!

After learning everything you can about your target market and more specifically, trying to find out what kind of problems or challenges your target market has, show them how your product can help them achieve their goals and overcome their challenges. Using video gets the message across better than words.

Another thing about video marketing is to always include your website. The goal of the video marketing video is to get people to act or to visit your site, right? So don’t wait to show it until the end. Have it accessible or visible in the video if possible. (Editing Software)

Don’t:

• Make your video too long. Keep your content to about a 1-2 minute length.
• Have shadows across your face.
• Move the camera too much; creating a shaky delivery.
• Forget to have a call to action.
• Allow your message to get diluted by other distractions. (youtube, facebook, etc..)

Video Marketing…it’s easier than you think.

Video Marketing? The Internet did not Kill the Video Star, It Created a monster!

Marketers are becoming increasingly convinced of the benefits of video email, social media, and personalization or targeting. Over 80 percent of survey respondents plan to use video emails in 2010 and over 90 percent of SMB marketers plan to integrate social media into their email campaigns this year. With over a 96% increase in click-through rates, isn’t this the kind of attention we want our emails to get?

What did we do before video? We had a cute subject line. We had pre-calls made to the client/prospect asking them to “look out” for our important-email. We visited offices with the promise of a follow-up email to relay any facts or info the prospect wanted in writing. This seemed all nice and neat, however; it never really got the attention we thought our product or service deserved. Sometimes they responded to our follow up calls or emails, sometimes they did not.

Now, if you send an email with the promise of a “Personal Video Message from ME!” you will get results. Competing with yesterday’s marketing strategies and methods grows hazardous as world class competitors vigorously challenge each other. Never before have the latest and best marketing and sales practices been more essential in conquering new markets and defending hard-won gains.

Interest in video usage is growing, according to Multichannel Merchant’s recent Outlook 2010 survey. Of the 594 respondents who said they sell via catalogs and/or Websites, 46% said they are using rich media to include video on their sites. What’s more, 37.4% said they are using video to help boost their rankings in the search engines.

Use of video is set to increase this year: The Outlook study indicates that 42.3% of merchants will incorporate videos into their Websites in 2010.

With the popularity of video on the web now, it makes sense to cater to the audience that is viewing these videos. Even the older generation can’t seem to escape the “here and now” of video. Trying several different approaches to get the attention of a prospect or a customer by using video will make you stand out from the ordinary emails that fill their inbox everyday. The power of video in marketing is undeniable. See you on the web!