Social Media Strategies: Video Is the Killer App
Myth No. 2: If We Just Put All Our Existing Video Online, People Will Watch That
No, they will not. The internet was not designed for only watching video. If you take content that was designed for TV and try to force it on to the web, it will fail. People are distracted, infinitely more so when they have 13 other browser tabs open, Pandora playing in the background, and three beeping, flashing TweetDeck/Facebook/Skype messages in their toolbars. Content needs to be specifically developed for the web. Snacking and short bites are the order of the day. Granted, some of your existing content can be tweaked to work online, but as an overall strategy, you must start from the ground up to be successful.
Myth No. 3: People Want to Hear About Us and Our Products
Nope. People want to hear about themselves. How are you going to help them? What are you providing for them at that moment? One of the most powerful pieces of the Old Spice campaign was responding directly to questions, comments, and feedback from the viewers. There was even a back-and-forth video conversation with several celebrities who joined in just for the fun of it. I can’t imagine how much Old Spice would have had to pay Alyssa Milano to be a part of its marketing budget. The company got it for free. Viewers will engage and interact with you when it is on their on terms. It is a long, soft sell online. Build relationships, show value, and they will become advocates.
Now that we have dispelled a few of the myths concerning social media and video, let’s move on to why we should be using video online.
Why Video?
It’s effective. Studies show we learn and engage more when we can watch, read, and hear something. I recently had a conversation with the founder of a deal-of-the-day ecommerce site, and he mentioned that any time the site posts a video about the product, there is a significant bump in sales. Needless to say, video is becoming a big focus for the site’s 2011 strategy. There is also a direct correlation between an engaging personality and customer loyalty. If I have a question about wine, I go to http://winelibrary.tv because I like Gary Vaynerchuk and his approach to the subject. He records a low-budget, very personal video show almost every workday. It’s not a hard sell; it’s his personality sharing thoughts on different wines. And his success as a world-renowned expert on wine is due mainly to the work he has done with the online show. So if we agree that it is effective, what should you do first?
Old Spice also established a Twitter feed that did more than simply try to sell its products; the tweets are funny enough to stand on their own.
Related Articles
Your customers or fans will help promote your content for you, if you're using the right tools and rewards.
15 Jun 2011
Creating a YouTube account and a Facebook page is only the beginning. If you really want to reap the rewards of social networking for your videos, follow these strategies.
08 Jun 2011