Tune up your web video to play far and wide
2 Comments
Dear Early Light:
I have a public relations company and we handle several corporate clients. In this current economy, budgets are limited but the need for visibility and good positioning in the marketplace is even more critical. I’m already sold on the idea of website video, but how can I pitch this idea to my clients so they’ll feel that their marketing money is well spent?
AN
Dear AN,
We all feel the financial pinch right now. Who doesn’t want to stretch out those marketing dollars? An introductory video with evergreen content belongs in a prime spot on your website and that’s a good start. But it’s just a start.
After you’ve upload your video to video sharing sites such as YouTube and Metacafe (please see our earlier blog), think of all the sites you’ve noticed lately that offer a video option. Even as you read this, their numbers are growing. Once you start to look, you’ll notice many more than those we have listed here.
Start where you’re known. If you’re represented by a Speaker’s Bureau, many sites now offer client videos to help bookers, their selection committees or board members make a decision. Little can show off your speaking skills and audience appeal better than a compelling video.
When you check your professional membership sites, you might notice a video button option on certain members’ profile pages. Again, an excellent place to embed your video and link it back to your website.
Every time you write a guest blog, be sure to offer your video to the blogsite. And if you contribute a guest column or article to an online newspaper, magazine or newsletter, do the same, even if they don’t ask. Depending on many factors – the importance of your article, where and how it is placed in the layout, what other articles are part of the issue, and how much multimedia from other sources is available - editors might embed your entire video or lift a short clip from it. Either way, your image and voice will go out to a new audience.
We know that newspapers face tough challenges right now from the growth of new technology and changes in consumer behavior. Publishers have to be open to new ideas and online video is one of their most popular alternatives. “Video streams from newspaper websites increased dramatically last year,” writes Chris Snyder, Wired Magazine (04/08/09), “a bit of good news for an industry struggling to keep afloat by finding ways of making more money online.”
Whenever you’re invited to speak, participate in a panel, a conference or a webinar, ask to add your video to the venue’s website; it’s an easy and savvy promotional tool for the usually busy event planner. As an alternative, suggest including your video in the event’s press release, especially if they intend to contact local broadcast and cable outlets. Newsrooms welcome high quality, well-edited video that, with little more than an anchor lead, can be dropped into their newscasts.
If you’d rather have someone else to do the legwork, you’ll find some press release services now deliver your message with video file attached to print and broadcast newsrooms, bloggers, social media networks and search engines.
Had enough yet? There’s more. If you’re appearing before an audience, some videos, especially those featuring you or your company’s background, work well when projected on a large screen as part of your introduction. It beats someone reading your accomplishments from a press release. At the same time, your audience gets a preview of you that's less formal with a more targeted and condensed message (i.e., edited). Does your video includes demonstrations, tips or show-and-tells? These belong in your PowerPoint presentation.
Finally, think about releasing a compilation DVD of your speeches, presentations and new clips and for bonus material, include your web video. To give it real bonus value, return to your raw production tapes and pull a few choice scenes never seen before. Go ahead, call it the director’s cut.
Next week we’ll continue with ideas to maximize the cost of production by shooting and editing multiple videos designed for a range of platforms.
We’ve only scratched the surface here. Go ahead, add your two cents and share. Thanks!
Related blogs: When the Cameras Roll and Make Your Video Debut
Vintage violin from Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Musical Instruments exhibit.
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Reader Comments (2)
Yes, now a days video conferencing is considered as a one of the best tool in tis modern world wheather it is use by any company or use by any group of friend and many other puposes to make a good use of it it has been reallised that its requirement is increased day by day for the full fillment of market dependablity and if we look more deeper we find that every software is providing diffrent set of facilities to its clients so we need to standardize it to some extent.I really like your publication on this blog .
Thanks for your comment, Nick. Glad you like the blog.