Grow Your Business

The short answer? Yes, yes it is.

I’ve read and heard several studies about how people best remember things. The stats will differ from study to study, but more or less, it breaks down like the following. People will remember:

• 10% of what they read
• 20% of what they hear
• 50% of what they see and hear

Makes sense, right? And in and of itself, it’s a pretty good justification for using video to communicate your message. But I’ll go you one step further: I think people will remember well over 60% of what they’re told. A simple video can make people aware of your product or service. Add the right spokesperson, someone people can identify with, and your audience will connect with what you’re offering; e.g., the current Ford Motor Company TV and YouTube spots with Mike Rowe, part of a very effective ad campaign for Ford.

Then there’s the matter of delivery. Broadcast, while effective at hitting large numbers of people, is at best a shotgun approach. A video placed on your website is far more effective at addressing your target market; after all, the visitor is already at your site for a reason. Your visitor is indeed ready to hear what you have to say. A 2002 study by Dynamic Logic claims that targeted ads (e.g., ads served up on a website) are more effective that untargeted or RON (“run on network”) ads. In addition, the web is a very cost-effective method of delivering a video. You can invite your audience to view your video at any place, and any time, for no additional cost beyond your web hosting account.

Video, on the surface, may seem like an expensive venture. When properly executed and employed, however, it can be an extremely powerful method of delivering your message to the right people at the right time.

1060 on set for AAA Vacations

Whenever you market or advertise your company, you always want to put your best foot forward, right? When meeting with a potential (or even current) client, you pay attention to your clothing, your grooming, and your manners. You make sure your printed materials, PowerPoint presentations, and website all look their best. By the same token, if you choose video as your medium, you owe it to yourself (and your company) to have it shot by professionals.

Even though we here at 1060 Creative can shoot and edit video for a lot less than you think (see here for examples of some interview-type projects we’ve shot), we understand that budgets can be tight. A professionally shot video might not be in the books, and you may want to get your message out by shooting a video address yourself, maybe with your personal camcorder or webcam. If that sounds familiar, then this post is for you.

I’m going to just come right out and say it: The web is filled with poorly-produced videos of business owners introducing themselves (and their respective businesses) to the world. Most of them use a webcam, which is really their first mistake. Sure, there are some mighty fine webcam rigs out there, and they work well for getting a down and dirty video on the Internet, but the image they produce is far from professional and falls well short of the coveted Best Foot Forward. I don’t want to call anyone out in particular, but go to YouTube and do a search for “welcome to my business” or “business opportunities” or some similar term. Start clicking on the videos and you’ll see what I mean. There are many videos with bad lighting, bad audio, or shot in a messy house or office. Sometimes all three (and worse). Indeed, a lot of the videos look more like amateur video blogs than professional video addresses from business owners.

So what to do?

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