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We all know how hard it is to market and get your message to your target audience.  Video on the web is becoming more and more effective and common and will continue to grow.  In fact According to the Wharton School of Business, a well produced video increases information retention by 50% and speeds-up buying decisions by 72% over a print brochure.

I am not suggesting print is dead in any way whatsoever. In fact, I am using print for the article! Video is not a silver bullet, but when used effectively, it is very powerful.

Other interesting statistic about the power of video:

• Of the 80% of viewers that have watched a video online, 52% have taken some sort of action
• Prospects are 72% more likely to purchase a product or service when video is used
• There is a 51% great understanding of a subject or product using video rather than print
• Video increases retention of the message by 50% over printed materials
• Video decreases the time it takes a viewer to reach a buying decision by 70%
  
• Of consumers who made purchases in the last quarter, 48% said Internet drove awareness
• According to Forrester, on-line video advertising will grow 72% by 2012 reaching $61 billion

(sources from Whaton website, Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, Forrester research and Nielsen)

When producing a video for your company, consider the following tips and techniques:

• Think about your target audience needs to hear, not what you think you need to say
• Have a call to action at the end of the video.
  
• Keep it short and succinct. For you home page or social media, I recommend a run-time of 45 to 90 seconds. It is more difficult to craft a message is such a short period of time, but any longer and you run the risk of your viewers leaving your site
• If you think you need a longer video than 90 seconds, consider breaking the video up into shorter segments and give your viewer/visitor the option to learn more. This is especially effective if you provide more than one product or service.
  
• It’s my personal opinion, but refrain from having the video starting automatically when someone comes to your website. Some people will not have their speakers on and will miss part of your messages, and others like me will have them on too loud and wake the kids up when I am surfing late evening or early morning
• There might be a reason to self-produce a video, but it usually does not communicate the message or the brand you want to put out there
• I would be remiss (shameless plug) if I did not suggest you hire a professional company who is experienced in crafting powerful marketing messages using video
  
• Remember, no matter how well or poorly you produce a video for your company, you will always communicate something – it just might not be what you want people to know or think about you or your company
  
• Try to limit background distractions like poor audio, ambient noise, movement behind you in the frame
• Every aspect of your video is important, especially post production or editorial. This does add a significant cost to your video, but as you will see in my next article (hint, hint), it is the editorial process which makes or breaks a video – just like a Hollywood production.

If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, please use the comment form below.  If you found this article helpful, please share it will your social networks!

All the best!

Robert Grossman
President and Chief Message Architect
Focus Creative Group