Internet Marketing Tools

As promised, I will share some video marketing tips.  Jamie Turner has written a wonderful article that includes 22 tips you can use to improve your video marketing.  I have taken the top 11 tips for this post.  To see the entire selection of tips, go to:  http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2009/02/02/22-tips-on-using-online-video-to-grow-your-business/ .  I also suggest you click on the 2 minute video about Mike Turner for another version on how video marketing can be used in your business.  Enjoy and prosper.

Mike Turner, Jr., a freelance creative director based out of North Carolina (and a relative of one of the members of the 60 Second Marketer team) has successfully used online video to engage prospective clients and to position himself as an alternative to using a full-service agency.

His website is designed to promote his services, but on the last page of his site, he uses a funny, tongue-in-cheek video called “Humility” to add some personality to his personal brand. It’s a fun example of how you can use an inexpensive video to differentiate yourself from your competitors and have some fun in the process.

1. It’s mostly about the visuals. If you watch the evening news, you’ll notice that what you’re really paying attention to is the video, not the script. Sure, the script enhances the video, but at the end, you remember what you see more than what you hear. Think about the Miracle on the Hudson — you remember the video of the airplane, not what the journalist said about it.

2. Focus on one, or at most two, key points. Keep things simple. But if you do decide to focus on more than one point, be sure to include a recap at the end so the viewer gets a second chance to see your key points.

3. Keep the videos short. People don’t have the time or the patience to watch something more than two or three minutes long.

4. Write in concise sentences. Jerry Seinfeld said that the art of telling a joke was to get as much information packed into as short a sentence as possible. In similar fashion, the more content you pack into each sentence, the crisper and more fulfilling the video will be.

5. A committee will kill a good video. As with most things creative, the more people who are involved, the more likely a good concept will get watered down. Keep things simple, crisp and efficient.

6. Add variety. Use photos up front, then cut away to a short interview, then come back to a pie chart, then show more photos — the more variety and texture in your video, the more your audience will stay engaged.

7. Don’t ad lib. Plan your video out. Write a script. Record it. Drop in the visuals and graphics. Don’t wing it — if you do, it’ll show.

8. Script writing secrets. Write your script. Then write it again with 25% fewer words. Then cut that back by another 25%. The secret is to keep things short. People are used to watching 30-second commercials. Two minutes is an eternity in online video world.

9. Keep the transitions between scenes simple. There are over 100 ways to transition from one scene to the next. Do you know how many of those Hollywood uses? One. It’s called a dissolve and it’s still the simplest, easiest, cleanest way to move from one scene to the next.

10. Create your own YouTube channel. If you’re going to shoot a lot of videos, create your own YouTube channel like the one The 60 Second Marketer has. That way, people can subscribe to your videos and get updates whenever you upload a new one.

11. Follow the 2 second rule. The average 30-second TV spot has between 15 to 30 shots. If you keep the shots in your video to under 2 seconds each, you’ll keep your viewer engaged the same way a 30-second TV spot does.

Most importantly: Your video needs to be funny or amazing or remarkable or have some fascinating information or be controversial. Basically the video needs a reason for people to pass it on. If you can find pass along value connected to your organization and its products, great. I’m not a fan of stupid contests or celebrity endorsements unrelated to a company and its products.   http://www.youtube.com/60SecondMarketer

To be continued, your comments are welcomed…

Al Hanzal

Tags: Video Marketing Tips

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 5:43 am and is filed under Social Marketing, Social Media Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.