Saturday, June 03, 2006

Great thoughts about online video marketing.

Nick Rice's Blog

Nick makes a great point about the emergence of online video as a more precise way of reaching consumers. For all businesses out there, you NEED to have something great on YouTube to promote your business. I'm not saying take your :30 spot you're running on local cable and stick it on YouTube. I'm saying develop a strategy to reach a different audience. Honestly, a more savvy audience. I spent a few hours on YouTube the other day just exploring what was out there. Let me tell you, there was a TON of crap. But, there was also some really great stuff that people are willingly seeking out and watching.

If ever there was a forum to promote your brand, this is it. Develop a series of entertaining spots that promote your brand. Make them as much entertainment as commercial. Make them great. You have an entirely new way to not only engage an audience, but have them seek you out. If it's good, it will spread.

It's also not something you need to dedicate a massive portion of your budget to. Not right now anyway. If you can produce something entertaining/informative the budget is not as important as on network TV. Just don't shoot it with a cell phone camera and you'll be good. The real key is having a strategy to go with the spots. Know who you are trying to reach, how they'll react to the content and start spreading the word.

What's really interesting to me is using something on a global scale like YouTube to promote local or regional brands. That's a little trickier than something like Coke posting a great video. You can buy Coke anywhere. This leads to your online component. Even if you are a small local business, make sure you have a great website and if at all possible, facilitate a purchase online. I realize not every business is conducive to online commerce (ours included) but if it can happen, make it work.

1 comment:

Nick Rice said...

Chad, thanks for the comments. YouTube is a unique opportunity for business. I think most executives would be surprised at how much time employees are spending on viral sites like that. And that's not to say that it's bad for productivity. It just acknowledges that everyone is a consumer of a product or service - so why not reach out to them and let them spread the word for you. Generating a buzz is the key to true success. Even though "word of mouth" (WOM) is popular to the point of becoming an acronym, our grandparents knew it was the best form of advertising decades ago. We're just actively trying to take advantage of it; actively trying to create and/or drive it.

Thanks,
Nick