Like that headline? Lots of C’s.
It’s the age old problem of online-video marketing. People watch the videos floating around the web, so the medium is brilliantly cost-efficient for awareness and buzz standpoint. But the little repressed direct marketers in us are looking at the paltry click-thru from video to branded website, and wondering what can be done to close the gap. It’s in low single digits even with a great “call to action.”
When I ran a viral video campaign last year, I worked with a website to buy placement around our quasi-entertaining marketing videos. Despite surrounding display ads, the click thru was modest.
Here’s a solution that I’m testing soon, and believe it will work. A simple microsite that plays off of the campaign, instead of invites people to a promotional message. Campaign sites aren’t new, but they’re rarely coupled with videos that have a distribution strategy of their own. They’re usually the equivalent to a billboard in your backyard.
Example: I’m working with a company that has a a complex eBusiness solution (to help purchasing folks work with temporary workers) and our campaign is designed to pose the question- “If you had an easier way to work with temps, why wouldn’t you do that? Are you potentially overcomplicating your life?”
For this to make sense to the layman, we had to pull the purchasing agent into a situation to which we can all relate… ordering a pizza. So Mr. Complicated has guests over, but obsesses with buying parts of his pizza from various vendors, rather than going to a one-stop shop. Here’s the 4-minute draft, but it’s not yet baked.
I’m betting that more people will go from this video to www.MrComplicated.com (which took me less than 45 minutes to create and that includes the time to park the URL) than to the service-provider’s website Clear-Point’s iLaborNetwork).
So the campaign URL allows viewers of one video to see the others, and pays off the gag some more. It also allows the marketing messages to slowly come through. Ultimately I think it will increase the conversions from the video to the provider’s website simply because it’s a bridge.
The online equivalent to dating before marriage. Ever try to propose to a stranger? It doesn’t work. Now THERE’S a video idea.
Is the marriage thing a challenge?
LOL, how long does it take Mr. Complicated to get dressed like that? Looks rather intricate.
It looks an awful lot like a short version of those landing pages that Internet marketers like Joel Comm use for their sales pitches. These things must work since online marketers have been using them for over ten years with very little change in format (other than these days they’ve started using video testimonials).
I like the concept. I don’t think the character looks like a complicated kind of guy, but then again i’m not paying anyone for anything. 😉
Great stuff here…
With online video marketing, I think branding and buzz are more important concepts… Depending on the brand/product being marketed, viewers may not need to click thru from video to website as soon as the video ends. However, if the videos help create the all-important top-of-mind awareness for the viewer, then, when the consumer eventually does need the brand, they’ll go to the parent site…
One HUGE challenge in marketing/advertising (at least in the smaller-sized companies I work with) is to show advertisers that results almost never happen IMMEDIATELY, even, like you say, with a great call to action.
But, if the advertising/videos/message is salient and entertaining, people WILL remember, and the gap WILL close, although not necessarily as fast as the advertiser may like.
One quote I always liked — “Advertising works like the grass grows. You can’t see it, but every week, you have to mow the lawn.” Bernbach, I think…
represesed? paultry? I think you mean “repressed” and “paltry”.
Also, this sentence doesn’t work:
“A simple microsite that plays off of the campaign, instead of invites people to a promotional message.” I think you got lost in your editing.
Yeah, I know. I’m a bitch. So sue me. Now fix the errors and delete this message.
Sukatra- thanks for the spelling corrections and your comments regarding WienerGate. Slater- excellent points you raise.
so many words!
Video Response Posted
Okay I just watched the first draft of the video, not realizing that a second and a third have been posted. I’m not going to watch the second and the third because I’m too lazy. It’s a great video, but needs to be alot shorter (like you don’t already know that). I would cut out some of the introductory stuff and focus more on the parts of you on the telephone — I love that part, especially where you want to order every;thing but the crust and the part where you realize the phone is upside down. Also, nice teeth. Good luck!
I’m in the process of chopping this down, and Kevin MacLeod is doing a custom score! Yeyyy! The intro is long. I just love that spontaneous pretzel gag… the husband/wife guest are actually our friends. He’s the owner of the company that we’re sponsoring. One of the coolest couples ever. Too bad their poor child fell on a wine glass that night and is going back for a second surgery to have glass removed from his hand two weeks later. 🙁
OK, I tried to post a video response via the revver thing for this blog and it was waaaaaay too confusing. So here’s the YouTube links-
Proposing to a stranger-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY5ixPKPp1Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG0nPmmPvLM
And just for fun, asking a stranger out-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3keXMMJnFIo
Hey ppl, i’ve diggings willvideoforfood.com when i searched google
for a ly and salutary forum, and i unmistakeable to shoring up here)
if you deem my english crap… so be it, i’m just learning
@13: You have obviously not met me, The Spelling Nazi. Your post offends my sensibilities. 😉
To attract money, you must focus on wealth. It is impossible to bring more money into your life when you are noticing you do not have enough, because that means you are thinking thoughts that you do not have enough.
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Видел что-то наподобие в англоязычных блогах, в Русскоязычном инете про такие вещи как-то не особо часто посты увидишь.
I found the best thing to my boyfriend’s birthday… It’s really hard to find cool and still unique.
So today I saw this thing from ZTARLET on facebook where you can name a real star in the sky and have the certificate and a teddy bear sent to you and pay it by a single SMS. So awesome 🙂
Hey, this is my first post.
is there just a lot of spam here or is there some useful info shared?
Looking to meet new people to exchange info with,so leave me your name
See ya,
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