According to MarketingSherpa, “Online video is second only to word-of-mouth for its ability to influence decision makers in every stage of the purchase lifecycle . . . No marketing effort is complete without incorporating online video to drive awareness, leads, customer acqui­sition and loyalty.”

In the vlog below, video engagement expert, Joe Eldridge, shares best practices for implementing video into any sales process.

The Boston Globe’s Boston.com, the Twin Cities’ StarTribune.com, SeattleTimes.com and Louisville’s Courier-Journal.com are among others going heavy with video, according to TV News Check.

“I don’t think television stations have a corner on the market on talented video storytellers,” says RTDNA Chairman Kevin Benz. “There are very talented people out there who are interested in working in very innovative shops.”

Whether broadcasters or newspapers run those shops is secondary, he says. “The good news from my perspective is that content is king, not the medium any longer.”

And people are watching.

DenverPost.com’s video traffic was up “well over 100%” last year, says Tim Rassmussen, the newspaper’s assistant managing editor for multimedia. The site’s video and photography content accounts for 30% of the site’s overall traffic, he says.

StarTribune.com experienced a 297% increase in videos played from April 2011 to April 2012, according to Jenni Pinkley, the site’s senior multimedia producer. Videos had 938,000 viewers in April 2012, versus 236,000 the year before.

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TV lost around 5 million viewers in 2011, but only 2 million from Q1 2010 to Q4 2011. Meanwhile, Internet video jumped 6 million in 2011 and 11 million from Q1 2010 to Q4 2011.

Along with that also came a rise in time-shifted TV viewing with about 19 million more people doing it at the end of 2011 versus the beginning of 2010. Finally, mobile video also rose. Again, no surprise with the rapid increase in smartphones and tablets in the marketplace, this was bound to be a trend.

Source: Internet and Mobile Video Up, TV Down Says Nielsen [Infographic]

In 2011, $40.2 billion was used to make and distribute content marketing in North America, according to ContentWise and the Custom Content Council. Fifty-two percent of these companies reported using video in their content marketing strategy. Just two years ago, that number was only at 37%. Fifty-four percent of marketers said that in 2013, they would be investing more in video.

You Tube, with 3 billion videos viewed daily, is a great place for marketers to place company videos. By tuning into the comments section, making a customized page, and writing a description with SEO-rich keywords, the videos will stand out, says Mashable’s Michael Jaindl.

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Ted Wayman, former CBS news anchor, discusses the importance of credibility and shares tips on appearing confident and comfortable when doing a live television interview.

No surprise there, but what’s interesting is where video consumption is coming from. Mobile video traffic is on a quick upward trajectory as more people watch YouTube videos and TV shows on their cell phones and tablets, but mobile video traffic is also rising because of email, and specifically because of brand videos in email communications.

Experian projects 28 percent of smartphone owners will watch videos on their phones in an average month in its 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report.

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The study of 2,211 adults was conducted by Harris Interactive and serves as a lead-in to the Digital Content NewFronts, a two-week season of presentations by online content creators for advertisers.

One of the more surprising findings is that 63 percent of adults said they had watched online video while watching broadcast content. Of those respondents, 27 percent watched content related to the show they were viewing, while 48 percent viewed unrelated content.

Of adults who follow brands on social media, 58 percent of 18- to 44-years-olds would look at a video posted by those brands.

“Investing in online video is no longer optional. Consumers are hungry for online content and ready to take this journey with brands. And as the survey results show, today’s viewer is not just passively sitting and watching — they’re sharing, talking, clicking, testing,” says Stephanie Sarofian, managing director of The Third Act, the brand content unit of Digitas.

Read more from OnlineVideo.net.

• Pre-production:  Develop a concept and an outline before you start shooting. People respond best to personal stories…the more storytelling you do the more engaged your viewers will likely be.
• Shoot in High Definition. Consumers are used to it and anything less is starting to look cheap.
• Consider hiring a make-up artist. Imperfections are exaggerated on camera. You can also have someone on staff (who is skilled in make-up application) handle make-up. Just go to any Sephora and purchase foundation and a brush. The people who work there are helpful and can direct you to the right products. Remember, though, that a professional make-up artist understands the nuances of video you may not consider.
• Create original, short and honest content that’s easy to share. 90 seconds or under is usually best. Anything over 3 minutes is really pushing it. People like to snack on web video. Attention spans are very short these days.
• Avoid teleprompters and jargon:  it’s obvious when a prompter is being used and consumers can become distrustful.  Also, try to avoid jargon like “best practice,” “game changer,” “customer-centric, “and “synergize,” to name a few.  Wikipedia has a great page on jargon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporate_jargon
• Producing and uploading video properly is complicated.  If you have some budget, hire a production agency to help.  A good producer can help you generate video that appeals to online audiences and doesn’t compromise your brand’s identity/aesthetic.

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