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Each issue of CMO Close-up features an interview with a CMO, as well as other marketing executives answering that issue's "Big Question."
This week's feature:
Close-up with Laura Howard, CMO, ECI Telecom
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New online video tactics
Karen J. Bannan
Story posted: May 4, 2009 - 6:01 am EDT
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Pundits agree: Video marketing will be one of the few bright spots in advertising this year.
Media and audience research firm Magna, a division of Mediabrands, last month released a report, “Online Video Forecast: April 2009,” that projected U.S. online video ad revenue will reach $699 million this year, an increase of 32% from 2008. The report also forecast that online video ad spending will jump to $1.0 billion by 2011.
Unfortunately, there may not be as many b-to-b marketers embracing the trend toward video, said Laura Ramos, a VP at Forrester Research.
“Video is underused in b-to-b,” Ramos said. “This is important since a lot of b-to-b companies have high-consideration products that they are always going to need help explaining.”
Ramos said the majority of b-to-b buyers surveyed by Forrester are relying on peers and colleagues—word-of-mouth—“to help them make purchase decisions, which is something you can absolutely convey in customer testimonial videos.”
But for online video to be an effective marketing channel, it's not enough to post a clip on your Web site or buy a video banner placement on your favorite content network. With so many more companies and individuals using video, your video must stand out and must be managed across different domains.
“You really need a diversity of methods,” said Christine Beardsell, VP-group creative director, content integration and distribution at interactive agency Digitas. Marketers must create original video content but also be “curators” of content on other sites, she said.
Among the innovative video marketing options worth trying out are:
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VIDEO BLOGS
In b-to-b, a video blog is an opportunity to attach a real face and personality to your brand, said Scott Million, VP-business development at interactive agency LeapFrog Interactive.
“SEOmoz does something called "Whiteboard Fridays' where they have a very friendly weekly video blog post that tracks what's new,” Million said. “It's really something you look forward to going back to each week.”
If you decide to create a video blog, however, follow best practices and keep it low-budget, short and don't be tempted to overproduce.
“Don't do a ton of postproduction,” Million said. “Think of it as you would a regular blog. You're doing it to make a connection, so it should be simple, unpolished and natural. Don't edit out the "ums.' ”
You should also be careful about your video blog subject, Million said. In other words, your CEO isn't necessarily your first choice. Instead, look for someone your customers and prospects will relate to—someone who speaks their language and can address their problems.
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INTERACTIVE VIDEO
Online video technology is starting to allow prospects to pick and choose only the content that they are interested in watching.
“Let's say an agency is creating a 60-minute video about insurance ... [but] maybe I am only interested in 80% of that video,” said Naj Kidwai, CEO of Real Time Content, a British Telecom spinoff.
Companies such as Real Time Content are figuring out ways to catalog and tag every scene of video so it will be searchable. Viewers don't have to fast forward through the irrelevant parts; they simply tell the video player what they want to see.
“A good use of this is investor relations information,” Kidwai said. “Maybe I don't want to sit through an entire board meeting. So rather than sitting, I can create an interactive experience.”
Agency.com Executive Creative Director Scott Briskman is excited by these new ways of controlling online video. “The idea is to have video content that lets you veer off the path and tell you the story that you want to hear,” he said.
That process may get even easier and more common this year as companies like Flash developer Adobe Systems make video more searchable. Late last month at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, Adobe demonstrated a beta version of an application that will automatically crawl and index video clips or entire movies.
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EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Channel sales, important for many b-to-b companies, can be bolstered by video-based educational programs aimed at resellers—who may then be more inclined to recommend your products over those of competitors.
One way is to create video assets that give your products a face and a personality, said Jeff Whatcott, senior VP-marketing at video technology platform provider Brightcove.
“Sun Microsystems does this,” Whatcott said. “Within its video destination they have deep product information and product tours. The product manager will give the reseller a walk-through.” Registered resellers get to “meet” Sun's experts, as well as the appropriate channel managers.
“When I show up to a channel training event, I already know him or her, and feel comfortable,” Whatcott said.
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SPONSORED VIDEO
User-generated content now includes video, of course. But there's a problem: You don't know when a user will upload a video, and worse, you cannot be sure it will fit with your brand and marketing messages.
But there's another way to get this kind of content, and do it in a more controlled fashion.
“Maybe you reach out to an individual blogger and ask them to be a media partner,” Beardsell said. “You share the costs as well as the content that's developed.” An advantage of the sponsorship model is that the blogger or media company worries about keeping the content on point. M
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