Tag Archives: marketing

book, Online Video

A Blog Post About Online Video & Biz… So Good I Should Plagiarize It

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It’s been a very long time since I’ve discovered an article about online video that made me shout “Amen.” Courtesy of ReelSEO, here’s “Three Types of Online Video for Business.” I especially like this visual below (the chart not the head shot, mkay). It helps simplify the relationship between the location of a video and its intent  — whether it’s on a brand’s website to drive trial or increase purchase, or whether designed to drive awareness, trial or website visits.

daniel_sevitt sevitt sevvitOnly after I was done reading did I realize it was written by Daniel Sevitt — a WVFF reader/commenter who “discovered” me when he oversaw content at Metacafe, long before I had more than 100 YouTube subscribers. He liked my hippo and “annoy my son” videos there.

Sevitt is now with EyeView (check the blog) discovering that there was more to life than “unmanageable UGC, unimpressive CPM and unaccountable ROI.” Zoing!

I think when I plagiarize his article for my book I’ll turn this image into a funnel, where the “viral” content’s goal is to get someone to a website, and the video on the website is designed to convert them to a measurable action. Of course now that I’ve joked about this, Daniel, I’m going to have to spend five hours getting permission from you to satisfy Wiley requirements. 🙂

Online Video for Business: three types (Daniel Sevitt)Simply put, you want a lot of content on YouTube and other video-sharing sites to hedge your bets on search. Then ideally you’ve got a user path…

  1. We captivate them with a funny or engaging video (or via a known weblebrity).
  2. We invite them to take an action (usually a site visit unless the ad is dynamic). Maybe 1-5 percent will do so.
  3. We convert some portion from grazers to customers (on website or with some lead-generation CRM tool).
  4. I’m not sure I’d invest much into loyalty, but I’m a jaded product director who found that (despite conventional wisdom) it’s sometimes easier to find new customers than bend the loyalty curve of the tiny base of customers that would be prone to loyalty-inducing video content. We could debate this over a beer or five.

I’d provide two additional thoughts I don’t think Daniel would dispute.

  1. I might even suggest that many sales can be consummated without dragging someone to a bloated product.com website. How many products are in your house? Good- have you been to any of the products’ websites?
  2. Although it’s ideal for businesses to create custom video content for various audiences and locations (online-video websites, blogs, product.com, or internal use), it’s a bigger crime to NOT post anything on YouTube or other popular sites.

It makes me crazy that brands have loads of engaging, informative, persuasive content… sitting in file cabinets or agency eRooms. Meh.

While you’re trying to find a way to engage audiences in entertaining ways, at least post your promotional or educational content on YouTube (provided it’s not archaic or horrible). If for no other reason this helps your search-engine performance (yeah, um, don’t sit on your ass hoping Google spiders will find some Quicktime video buried on your website).

Ideally your video is related to the search terms (which will tell you if a customer is exploring a category or ready to buy) or customized to a site’s context. But better something decent than nothing at all. Chances are your video won’t get a lot of “viral” views, but you want your message served upon Google and YouTube search results… not your competitors or a sour customer.

book, Online Video

“Viral Video is Dead” Echos in Canada & Beyond

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Nalts speaking in Toronto

If there’s one thing more fun than speaking to hundreds of marketers before a giant video of yourself like a “Rolling Stones” concert, it’s to read Twitter “tweets” after you speak.

By searching #mweek and @nalts after my talk on Wednesday, I learned what “stuck” with the Toronto “Canadian Marketing Association” audience. Canadians are nice, and apparently quite addicted to Twitter. They surprised me by almost making me sound intelligent in the quotes they shared.

Here are two of the things people most RT’d (aka retweeted, which here means posting on Twitter or sharing someone else’s Twitter post).

  • Viral is dead.
  • An impression isn’t an impression unless it makes one (see TechVibes coverage).

Marketing Magazine led with this article titled “Marketing Week Begins with ‘Viral is Dead’ Declaration.” IT Business was struck that a “viral is dead” statement woud come from “a person who owes his fame and fortune to tons of viewers on YouTube.” Then there’s the Canadian Star, which captured one of the most important points I hoped to make:

But advertisers don’t have to spend millions making YouTube videos, like the Evian Roller Babies, in hopes they go viral, Nalty said. The ad features digitally animated babies rollerskating to rock music. Instead, they can use existing YouTube stars, like Fred Figglehorn, the teenager with the annoying high-pitched voice and the online following bigger than Oprah’s TV audience, Nalty said. Fred makes a six-figure income from advertisers on his YouTube posts, Nalty said.

Certainly there’s a robust future of incredible clips that will gain “viral” fame. But my point was that marketers should not waste time and money investing in clips with hope that they go “viral.” It’s rare for a commercial clip to be shared wildly, although Evian’s babies is a recent exception.

Instead, I encourage marketers to chose the more efficient and guaranteed approach of partnering with online-video weblebrities. These individuals have large, recurring audiences and fans. So their sponsored videos are far more likely to travel the web and be seen by millions. I showed the Hitviews case study on Fox Broadcasting as proof. Two of my Fox videos alone have surpassed 1 million views each, which was half the targeted views of the campaign (for “Fringe” and “Lie to Me”).

I was encouraged to speak with a number of creative directors (or former creator directors) that seemed excited about the prospects. I had feared that they’d feel threatened by an online-video “weblebrity” creating videos that aren’t as easy to control. But they seemed to appreciate the idea of giving a popular creator a creative brief, and some room to tailor the message to his/her audience and style.

Here’s the deck, though most won’t make sense without context. Steal away. Spread the word.

But remember two things above all. US/Canada border guards require passports, and don’t care to be videotaped even if it’s on a Hello Kitty Flipcam. Trust me on those.

Viral is Dead: Keynote at Digital Day Toronto

View more documents from nalts.
book, Online Video

Why YouTube Beats Twitter and Facebook for Marketing

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I’m so tired of the hype around Twitter and Facebook for marketing, and I recently wrote a satire of the whole social-media racket. Here’s why I like YouTube better for marketers and advertisers, and I’ll end with an example.

  • It’s the second largest search engine
  • You get an assload of data on the video’s performance (see “more” below).
  • People notice ads because they’re in a passive viewing state, rather than a dialogue with friends
  • The messages are more visceral in video (versus text)
  • You’ve got a chance at being seen- organically and via paid media
  • You can control your message

Meanwhile, Facebook and Twitter are quite popular, but where does a brand play? Do people really want to “friend” a brand? Maybe if it’s one they already love, but that’s not a good customer acquisition play… just a retention complement.

Twitter is good for content providers, stars, and bloggers… but there’s not a good advertising play. The spam I get saying “earn 87.00 per tweet” is nonsense. I’d unfollow someone that was whoring regularly,  and 140 characters is too limited for most brand messaging. More importantly, your “tweet” has a shelf life of about 10 minutes, and there’s nobody that can tell you how many people even SAW your tweet. Then it’s virtually gone. YouTube videos have a residual value because people can continue to find them, and the view counter speaks for itself.

Should you advertise on Facebook? I guess, but I don’t know of many brands getting a great engagement rate on Facebook ads… maybe a bit more targeted, but ads are as ignored as most banners on websites. And what brand or company has valuable information it can dole out via Facebook messages intravenously?

The bottom line is that Facebook and Twitter are conversations between people, and advertising is an interruption. YouTube is somewhere you go regularly to graze, and a visceral ad will catch your attention if the video is boring. Promotion within a video (sponsorship) are much better because they’re contextually relevant, entertaining and there’s an implied endorsement. And, as you’ll see if you hit “more” below, there’s a wealth of data on its performance.

Let’s “bring this home” with an example. On a per-impression basis, these two promotions probably cost the advertiser about the same…

  1. First we have a random ad I discovered on one of my infrequent visits to Facebook.
  2. Next we have my most-recent sponsored video on YouTube (it’s at about 50,000 views and is one of the most popular videos of the day). It’s a sponsored promotion for Fox Broadcasting’s “Glee,” that I did via Hitviews. Click “more” below to see the data associated with it.

Which one would compel you?

Boring Facebook Ad
Boring Facebook Ad

Continue reading Why YouTube Beats Twitter and Facebook for Marketing →

book, Online Video

How Do I Get Paid to Speak About Online-Video Marketing?

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Hey, readers. I like to share on this blog, and not ask you for help. But I’ll be damned if I’m not stuck.

I’ve been speaking at industry conferences and corporations, but haven’t figured out how to get paid. Now that I have a book contract with Wiley (tentatively named “Beyond Viral Video: Online Marketing Strategies and Tactics”), I believe I can fetch $5-$15K to speak at companies or events. Heck- I’ve seen my former employers pay $50K for some dopey book author who gave a generic powerpoint for an hour. I’ve got unique knowledge as a marketer and most-viewed YouTube guy, and I love informing, engaging and entertaining audiences.

Here’s my credentials page I just wrote up (it’s pretty compelling so click here and memorize it). Would appreciate any tips on how to have someone else market or represent me… ideally someone that’s the “go to” firm for corporations needing specialized marketing skills.

I’m not right for a motivational-speaking firm, but maybe one that companies go to when they need to experts on specific topics like mine (emerging media, video marketing, social media, etc.). For that matter, I’d like to start charging conferences (which I know is tough unless you’re a former CEO or celebrity). Conferences are a nice chance to network and build street credibility, but I’m doing 4 conferences in the next week from Nevada to Canada, and giving away free tips about online-video marketing… Would be nice to get some cash for the time it takes. The free airfare and hotel are nice, but they don’t cover the mortgage.

And just look at that face? Don’t you just want to pay this guy to get your company jazzed and informed about emerging media, online video, social media, and marketing!?

Killer Emerging-Media Marketing Speaker & Evangalist
Killer Emerging-Media Marketing Speaker & Evangalist
advertising, Blogs on Video, book, Making Videos, marketing, Nalts, Online Video, Video Advertising, Video Business

Best Resources for Online Video ‘n Marketing, Farty

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Online-Video RSS

What’s on your RSS or what sites do you visit related to online-video and marketing? Please comment below, especially in the likely event I missed something. I’ll update this, and you and I can find this post again by searching the word “FARTY,” which unlikely appears elsewhere here. I could be wrong.

Yes it’s time again for a round-up of some must-read blogs & peeps related to online video, marketing social media, and the shizzle.

Here’s the problem about finding good websites and blogs about online video. If you add “online video” to a search query, you’ll get a lot of videos about marketing. And the social-media space is just too damned cluttered. Any idiot can write an article about that. I like the writers that touch on the intersection of online-video and marketing, and don’t stray too far into the self-indulgent world of traditional entertainment and advertising, the desperate starving filmmakers overproducing episodic content, and boring crap about technology providers.

Most of these peeps are smarter than me, but I actually spend most of my day marketing and making videos… not a journalist or professional speaker (although I’m doing more and more… someone help me figure out how to charge to speak please). So although my content will give you great secret or bore you to death, at least it’s mostly practical.

If I missed you, take a cue from Uncle Nalts. Shamelessly self promote below. Unless your blog is about cats.

Online Video

Most Unusual Commercials: Cuban Gynecologist & AutoSalesman

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I’d buy a bag full o’ shit if Rhett and Link were promoting it. They are probably the best creative duo for online-video promotions, and I’ve written about many of their promotions, from Butterfinger to Alka Seltzer.

Perhaps their weirdest campaign, “I Love Local Commercials,” has the comedic pair bringing life to an otherwise boring company called Microbilt, which serves small companies.

Rhett and Link will be traveling America again, and making local commercials for lucky folks like… the cuban gynecologist and American autosalesman. Here’s the video introducing the campaign, and below is the charming  “making of.”

And to applaud Microbilt’s willingness to not overly whore itself in the videos (even its company site is 2 clicks from the campaign landing page), I will now list a series of things Microbilt can do for you.

microbilt

And yes I’ve already nominated Nalts Consulting. I can’t think of something that would make me more proud than to hear the lovely voices of Rhett and Link espouse the power of online-video and social media. What rhymes with social media?

book, Online Video

The 7 Things Every Marketer Should Know About Online Video

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Here is the fresh new list of 7 things every marketer should know about online video. This will be on the final exam, and it’s not “open book.” Remember folks, I’m not the greatest marketing director in history. And I’m certainly not the best online-video creator (even though I’m the second Google result when you search “fart”). But I don’t know many other people that have a leg firmly placed in each world… marketing and online video.

This list can save you months of research, reduce your risks, impress your colleagues and help you lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks. 

7-wonders

  1. They’re Here. Your customers are watching exponentially more videos online than they were 6-12 months ago. Don’t pull a Bud.tv, but recognize that “watching and experimenting” can be as dangerous as making calculated investments in the space and measuring them. 
  2. Buyer’s Market. The ROI of reaching customers via online-video is better today than ever before because it’s a buyer’s market. Assess your options, run tests, measure and scale. But if you spend the next six months on the first step, you’ll lose revenue potential and find the space shifted while you were stuck in “ready, aim” mode.
  3. Find a Sherpa. A calculated investment means you’ve done 3 things- you’ve been prudent about your spending, followed the rules of social media, and analytical on results. The best way to be prudent and stay within social media is to find a “sherpa” who has learned the mountain. Someone who already knows the taste of success, and the pain of making a mistake. 
  4. Analyze Impact: Every stupid list has a “measure and improve” step, but let’s get specific. Very few brands will measure online-video’s direct impact on sales. Likewise, I can’t tell you that paid search is selling my product, but I’ve doubled its budget every year because  have good assumption-based ROI models. If you can’t track sales, simply do a test/control or pre/post using the next realistic proxy measure/driver of sales (enrollment, site visit, intent, awareness). 
  5. Measure Persuasiveness Not Impressions. If you read the third tip, then we agree that impressions is the worst proxy ever. A video view is different from the fraction of a percent of banner impressions that actually get registered by the human eye. We know that, and we accept that if we engage a prospect in an entertaining and persuasive manner for 30-90 seconds, than we’ve increased intent to purchase. Just like a good salesperson is more effective than a brochure, video is the most visceral, engaging and persuasive form of mainstream media… especially if the audience connects with the star. If impressions are exciting to your boss, then stick with nickel CPMs via ad networks. There’s a reason they’re a nickel. 
  6. Please Don’t Just Advertise. You’re going to use this channel to advertise- brands will always advertise. But think beyond the ad play– it’s public relations, sponsorship and product placement too. An online-video star is like a small network or publication. He or she has a loyal audience, and you want to be more than an ad. You want to be a giveaway on Oprah or a Coke cup on the American Idol judges table. 
  7. Find Existing Crowds, Don’t Try Gathering Them. Please don’t invest in your own content or building a brand-focused entertainment channel (bud.tv). Nobody cares about your brand but you. Find people that have spent the past two years growing audiences who have “asses in seats.” Don’t put on a broadway show about your product- participate in the show that’s already “standing room only.”

nalts youtube poop

book, Online Video

Online Video & SEO

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I don’t often quote press releases, but this release by Vmatrix is quite accurate:

Two hottest trends in online marketing – streaming video and video SEO – will take off in popularity in 2009. According to online marketing studies, Google’s universal search algorythms, which allow multimedia to appear in search results along with web page links, will change the look of Google search results. More video links and thumbnail images of video links will be seen on Google because more people are searching for video than website content.

I trust that marketers will start posting video content on YouTube if only to help SEO rankings. It works, and in fact Google (not surprisingly) is rather kind to video. Not only do my videos get indexed quickly for terms, but my thumbnail (the image) appears on results. You can’t buy that kind of attention using paid-search ads (remember the eye-trackers show that more than 80% of the attention goes to organic rankings not ads, and ads don’t permit images).

book, Online Video

Marketer’s Guide to Social Media in 2009

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Thanks to SomeCallMeJim (a WVFF tribe member), who helped summarized this BeingPeterKing novel about what the future holds for social media.

Indeed this 23-page “Social Media Predictions 2009” article should be required reading for marketers… whether they’re concerned about Google buying Twitter, or whether they want to know what to do about “accidental” spokespeople versus the ones carefully programmed by PR groups (hint- don’t fight the undertoe, folks… support the vocal fans, especially if they have drawn a crowd). Example- if HappySlip makes a video about MacBookPro here’s a crazy idea, Mac. Send her one. Thank her. Cultivate a relationship.

I especially like this chart on by Influential Marketing Blog, which shows what marketers did in 2008 and what they will do in 2009 (assuming they’re informed).

Follow Nalts on Twitter!

book, Online Video

Someone Stole My PowerPoint and I Like It

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When I worked for Johnson & Johnson, I was charged with reviewing the “eDetailing” space and helping J&J pharma brands determine if/how they should use eDetailing. (eDetailing was a way for marketers to educate physicians without barging down their office doors with pharmaceutical reps).

This idea was not well understood by leaders who had sold professionally and were now running marketing organizations. So I create a slide that simplified the process (and showed how it differed from direct-selling and other promotion), and I was amazed at how quickly the model spread. Organizations all over J&J began using it (without crediting me of course) and eventually I saw the slide appear in external conferences and used by vendors.

I was both proud and a little frustrated that people were using it without permission or credit.

A lot has changed since then, especially in my perspective about knowledge sharing. I created this slide deck for a online-video and marketing presentation, and just discovered that via “Slideshare.com” thousands have viewed it, and more than 300 have downloaded it. I really like the idea that my ideas and examples might be popping up in schools, businesses, or in the presentation deck of some vendor at a conference.

It’s gratifying when your idea can share — even when folks wipe off your thumbprints. People come and go but ideas tend to evolve.