All posts by Nicolette Vajtay

A message that creates a feeling!

canstockphoto21601523I love this quote by Abraham: “An activated thought means a thought that when I think it, I have a feeling response. If you’re not having a feeling response to something, a feeling that feels good or a feeling that feels bad — the thought is not that powerful, and it is probably not a big player in your vibrational mix.”

It made me think of marketing… and how sometimes we put something out that is “okay” … but doesn’t really charge US up. And if it doesn’t charge ME up, how will it charge up someone who is looking to hire me? Craft a creative and powerful message, even in a short blog, and your potential clients will feel it leading to all sorts of awesome connections!

18 Big Video Marketing Statistics and What They Mean for Your Business

canstockphoto7124854Have you climbed on board the video marketing train yet? If you own a small business or are in business for yourself, there’s a lot of compelling evidence suggesting that online video marketing should be a major focus of your advertising and marketing budget. Here’s just one big number that should make you sit up and take notice:

1.8 Million Words

That’s the value of one minute of video, according to Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research.

Do you have the time and energy to write 1.8 million words? That’s the equivalent of 3,600 typical web pages. If you write an average of one web page an hour, it would take you 150 days of writing to achieve the impact of one minute of video.

When you look at it that way, online video marketing is the single most practical use for your marketing time and energy. Not convinced yet? Here are 15 more big video marketing numbers that should make you sit up and take notice.

What’s The Market for Online Video?

45.4%

According to comScore, which measures online engagement and use, that’s the percentage of Internet users who view at least one video online over the course of a month. The average user is exposed to an average of 32.2 videos in a month, increasing the chances that your marketing message will be seen. But what does that work out to in real numbers?

100 Million

That’s the number of Internet users who watch online video each day. Granted, a lot of those are watching the latest viral video with a goofy cat or a cute kid, but an awful lot of them are looking for advice on how to do something or how to make something work better. And a whole of them are looking to buy a service or product.

90%

The percentage of online shoppers at a major retailer’s website who said they find video helpful in making shopping and buying decisions. Retailers who provide online video to show off their products report that the products with video sell a lot more than products with no video.

75%

That’s the percent of executives who told Forbes that they watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.

The results breakdown:

50% watch business-related videos on YouTube
65% visit the marketer’s website after viewing a video

16 minutes and 49 seconds

According to comScore, that’s how much time the average user spends watching online video ads every month.

Takeaway:

If you’re not using video marketing, you’re missing out on a huge market opportunity. It’s not just the number of people who are watching videos that’s important – it’s the reasons why they watch it. When you post an online marketing video to a business website, you’ve got a great chance of engaging with a busy executive who is specifically looking for your services but might not have reached out to schedule a meeting for a presentation. Your marketing video is a great way to get your elevator pitch out into the ether and let it reel in leads.

What’s the Payoff for Online Marketing Video?

8 Big Video Marketing Results Numbers

80%

According to the Online Publishers Association, that’s the percentage of Internet users who recall watching a video ad on a website they visited in the past 30 days. It gets even better. Of that 80%, 46% took some action after viewing the ad. In fact:

26% looked for more information about the subject of the video
22% visited the website named in the ad
15% visited the company represented in the video ad
12% purchased the specific product featured in the ad

64%

That’s how much more likely website visitors are to buy a product on an online retail site after watching a video. In addition, visitors who view videos stay on the site an average of 2 minutes longer than those who don’t view videos, comScore says.

Online Video Marketing Is Not Just for Retailers

403%

An Australian real estate group reports that real estate listings with videos receive 403% more inquiries than those without videos. In other words, real estate ads with videos generate quadruple the leads of those without videos.

59%

According to Forbes Insight, that’s the percentage of senior executives who’d rather watch a video than read text. About 65% of those who view a video click through to visit the vendor website, 50% look for more information and 45% report that they contacted a vendor after seeing an online video ad. About 50% of those who viewed an online marketing video went on to make a purchase for their business.

And It’s Not Just Online

96%

In 2010, an Implix email marketing survey found that including a video in an introductory email increased the click-through rate by 96%. That’s nearly twice as many people clicking through to your website when you include a video in your marketing emails.

200%

The Forrester Marketing group surveyed businesses in 2010 and found that video did even better. When marketers included a marketing or explainer video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% to 300%.

75%

Do your email subscribers drop like flies? Eloqua, an automated email marketing provider, noted that including video in an introductory email reduced the number of subscriber opt-outs by 75%. Maintaining that contact is a vital part of establishing a relationship with prospects.

51%

One online marketer reported a 51% increase in subscriber-to-lead conversion rates when video was included in an email marketing campaign.

Takeaway: Video marketing increases sales and leads. If you’re not using video marketing, you’re losing customers to those who do. Businesses that incorporate video marketing into their overall marketing strategy see higher engagement rates, higher click-through rates and higher conversion rate. Why would you leave all that value sitting on the table?

How to Make Video Marketing More Effective: 4 Big Numbers About User Engagement with Video Content

10 seconds

That’s how long you have to grab the attention of viewers in a video marketing clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer.

And it doesn’t get a lot better than that. You’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes. And those numbers remain the same no matter how long the video is.

5 minutes

There’s good news, though. While desktop viewers tend to stick with videos for 2 minutes or less, mobile users seem to have a longer attention span. iPhone users tend to watch for about 2.4 minutes. Android users give a video three minutes to engage them and Symbian users stick around for just over 4 minutes. iPad users have the longest attention spans of all, sticking with a web video for an average of 5 minutes.

16%

That’s the percentage of YouTube videos that are embedded, linked or shared on Tuesdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to Sysomos.

15 seconds

According to research conducted by Jun Group (2011), videos that are 15 seconds or shorter are shared 37 percent more often than those that last between 30 seconds and 1 minute. If you make your video longer, that stat goes down. Those shorties are only shared 18% more often than videos of longer than 1 minute.

Takeaway: Effective video marketing has to be engaging right from the start, but how do you know where your video is going off the rails? That’s where video analytics comes in. Detailed video analytics will tell you who’s watching your video, how long they stay engaged and exactly where they click away. Armed with that information, you can sharpen your message and target it more precisely. If you haven’t started your own video marketing campaign, isn’t it time you jumped in with both feet? There’s nothing to lose and about 403% more profit just waiting for you.

Andrew Follett is the Founder and CEO at Video Brewery. He lives in Chicago with his wife Hannah and enjoys travel, hockey, sailing, and maintaining his 300 acre ant farm (okay, not really). You can follow him on Twitter and Google+. http://www.videobrewery.com/blog/18-video-marketing-statistics

Smile!!

canstockphoto21600766Passion and pain look the same on camera… and it’s not pretty! You may think you are expressing excitement and passion, but unless you are smiling, you will look like you are being tortured. Sometimes sitting in from of a camera feels like torture… I know… but if you SMILE you will be showing me that you actually love what you are doing in life. Try it. You’ll see. My impassioned face looks just like I’m whining about something dreadful!

Hurt or help your brand?

Nicolette VajtaYour video marketing is to share your passion and message with the world, to attract new clients to use your products and services.

If you don’t have the budget to hire a pro (yet), and you don’t want to get lost in the sea of mediocrity, read Tips on Setting Up Your Shoot

Keep in mind that we have one chance to catch or lose someone’s attention.  A poorly created amateur video could hurt your brand as much as help it.  Be discerning with where you are in your business and if a professional video can help raise you to the next level, call me!  We will create some magic together!

Are you wasting your time learning “home made” video skills?

canstockphoto3695085I read a stat last week that said that in a few years, 90% of all internet content will be video. So the question is, do you spend your time becoming a professional video producer, learn how to write an award winning script that showcases you as an expert, set up a shot that features your beauty or rugged good looks, edit your raw footage into a dynamic and compelling story with a beginning, middle and end…???

Or do you continue to focus on your unique gifts, whether you are a drummer, dog trainer, therapist or mommy blogger, and continue empowering others with your strengths? Can you reach a level of quality in the video world when your gifts are creating music, calming an anxious dog, sharing tools to save a marriage, or teaching new moms all the tricks of a trade with no manual?

Maybe, hiring someone who’s unique gifts are writing in an award winning way and making you shine like your favorite movie star might be worth the investment? If I broke my leg, I not going to waste a minute going to medical school or even to Web MD on the internet, I’m going straight to the doctor.

Write a Compelling Script!

canstockphoto10132679Scripting is of the utmost importance for video marketing. Just about every movie or TV show you have ever seen has been scripted. Why? So they can tell the story in a concise and engaging way. The same goes for your video marketing.

Movie and TV scripts are also rehearsed. A lot. With a director! Why do you think actors appear to be so natural?

Rehearse your script before shooting.

But don’t rehearse in a mirror, EVER! You will spend too much time judging your appearance and you won’t get the script memorized. You’ll be so depressed by the time you are done, you won’t take the leap and actually shoot your video!

Once you get in front of the camera YOU WILL BE NERVOUS. Trust me. I have been in the performing arts for 30 years and I still get nervous when they bark that word, “ACTION!” If you KNOW what you are going to say, and you know it inside-out like you know the alphabet, it will calm your nerves. If you’re nervous, chances are you don’t know your script well enough.

You have seconds to catch someone’s attention!

Keep in mind that you are telling a story. In story telling structure there is usually a beginning, middle and end.

In video marketing it breaks down like this…

The beginning is about making a connection, “hi I’m so and so” … but by the time you introduce yourself, people may be clicking off. They may not like your voice, or your hair, or your face. Sorry it’s just the truth. Notice your own behavior when watching videos. What makes you “click off?”

-If you have 5-10 seconds to connect… don’t waste those precious first 10 seconds talking about yourself!
-Start off with a juicy bit of info that will catch your audience.
-Pose an intriguing question – if they want to know the answer they will watch the video.

In my book the beginning and middle are united into one step. Start giving some juicy value right away! The middle is where you share “what’s in it for them.” How can you take their pain away? It’s not about you and what YOU can do for them. Focus on the RESULT of what you do, that’s what you are selling anyway.

The end is where you can introduce yourself. If they watched the whole video, NOW they want to know who you are! And make your offer… or what they call the “call to action.”

-“Call me now for a free 1/2 hour consultation.”
-“Book an appointment now and get a free copy of my book.”
-“Visit my YouTube channel and watch my videos for lots of free information.”

Share your script with a friend or two, or with a professional script writer to make sure your message is clear, concise and engaging!!

Happy writing!!

Check out the next blog about Setting Up Your Shot!