Many local small business owners and entrepreneurs are now realising the importance and the huge benefit of having audio and video [multimedia] as part of their online presence.

Studies show that multimedia is far more effective than any other form of communication for getting  the attention of your visitors, prospect, subscribers and customers. The use of video and audio marketing messages dramatically increases the conversion rates of products and services many times over.

If research consistently shows the advantage of incorporating multimedia into your online marketing campaign(s), then don’t you think it’s time to seriously consider incorporating audio and video into your small business marketing strategy?

There are many video tools available today. These can be applied into a variety of marketing strategies to greatly improve the effectiveness of your communications and marketing.

For example:

• Online video distribution – Dominate your industry with masses of organic [free] listings in all the search engines, driving traffic and hot leads back to your website.
• Video email – High tech delivered with a personal touch. Communicate daily by responding to email with personal video communications or audio only. Very simple, faster than typing and easy to use.
• Campaign video mail – For impromptu last minute special offers create a quick video email campaign which will stand-out-from the-crowd in the busy inbox of your customer/lead.
• Video autoresponder – schedule regular video newsletters for your list and your customers will really get to know, like and trust you and your business. Creating repeat sales and word-of-mouth advertising as never before.
• Live video broadcasting – product demonstrations, product launches, reporting from special events or gatherings, and many other live video productions.
• Pay-per-view - As above but with the added monetization strategy.
• Webinars - Live or archived specialised training tool.
• Live video chat - the next best thing to being in the same room, perfect for communicating one to one.
• Group video conferencing – mastermind with colleagues and collaborate live, wherever you are in the world.
• Video screen recording – a popular way to create training videos which are easy to understand and make it possible to follow step by step for a “look over my shoulder” view.
• Video on Demand – create videos to publish on your site, available for viewing 24/7. Re-purpose them for many different uses.

10 Benefits of Online Video Marketing

1 Control exactly how your message is received

Describe your product or service and the benefits of using it clearly and concisely. Text is often misunderstood, so take back the control with video.

2 Professional and Credible

With video, your professionalism and credibility will speak for itself.

3 Attract a large audience

Consider these stats from December 2009, according to comScore:

“178 MILLION people, watched 33.2 BILLION videos, with the average viewer watching 187 videos per month in the US alone”

These staggering online video stats prove that it is small business marketing “suicide” if video is not a part of your online marketing.

4 Engage the senses

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then what must a video be worth? A million words? or a thousand pictures perhaps?

We are known to remember:

• 10% of what we read
• 20% of what we hear
• 30% of what we see and
• 50% of what we see and hear

If you consider these points, don’t you think this is a great way for your small business to stand out above your competition and have a memorable marketing message, compared to a plain text filled paper flyer.

5 Accessible 24/7

You can now view videos with many different digital devices eg mobile phones, laptops, iPods, portable game consoles etc. allowing you to access video content anywhere at any time.

6 Achieve top organic [free] listings in the search engines

Search engines LOVE web video and rank them high in the main search results, and people are more likely to click on a video than a text link or a sponsored advert.

7 Stand out and become known as an expert in your field

If you consistently create high quality video content that your visitors want and need you will stand out way above your competitors and soon become recognised as the local expert in your industry.

8 Re-purpose content

Convert your previous written content eg, brochures, articles/blog posts into short video clips. Creating a slide show is another great way to re-purpose previous content, especially if you are camera shy. If you are struggling for content for your videos here is a great tip:

Think about what are the 10 most common questions you are asked about your product or service. Make 10 short videos about them. Simple.

Distribute this new content online to YouTube and other video sharing sites, don’t forget a link back to your website [put the link at the top of the video description].

9 Easy to create and publish

All you need to get started is a video camera/digital camera/webcam and a YouTube account.

10 Cut your carbon footprint

Is your business trip really necessary? Lots of business is traditionally done face-to-face which is great. But in this technological age this can still be achieved without actually travelling. Use video communications to cut down the need to attend meetings, talk with suppliers, train employees etc.

Things to consider are:

• Your business objectives for using video marketing.
• Pricing plans – be sure to choose a pricing structure to fit your needs and budget.
• Detailed analytics – track as many usable metrics of your campaigns.
• Customer support – easily contactable eg, email, live chat, ticket submission or via the phone.
• Customer training – ensuring you get the most value out of the tools.
• Social media sharing options – these can be invaluable to your business.
• User friendly – easy to use and update yourself

As stated above, there are many different online video marketing and communication tools available. You alone will be able to decide which tools and services will suit your business needs best.

Many free tools are available, which is great, but it is important to understand that free is not always free. A tool that is free, but surrounded in Google advertising for example, could well be advertising your competitors – be aware! Free definitely has it’s place, but you need to know where and when to use them.

A final, but significant consideration is whether you will manage your own video marketing campaigns, or would you require the expert services of a video marketing consulting agency?