On Video Local

2010-06-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

2009-04-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Who is On Video Local?

I started my company last August, since going extensive research during the previous two years on how video is going to be the most important medium on the internet. I first noticed how video is going enhance the internet experience when seeing a video for a vacation rental home in Florida which I then booked with the tour operator in the USA.

Since last august we have created many video informercials on-line and off line for local companies and charities in the Doncaster area. We have also done video production for companies in Hull, Leeds and Sheffield. I also do freelance work for a company in Canada who then sell on my work to Yell.com in the UK. ( Yell.com are also using video on their site to promote SME’s in the UK

What Does On Video Local Stand For in Our Community?

I started On Video Local with just one vision? Help the SME promote their business better using a low cost effective media? According to a campaign by the Federation of Small Businesses, 42% of our towns and villages no longer have a shop of any kind. This shocking figure refers to "small towns" and villages in England. Specialised stores, including butchers, bakers, fishmongers and newsagents, have been closing at the rate of 50 per week - more than 2,000 a year - between 1997 and 2002, and have been replaced by out-of-town supermarkets and shopping centres. John Wright, FSB national chairman, Wants To Keep Trade Local. The FSB has produced a campaign manifesto that says small businesses are not just part of the local community, but are the local community, generating wealth, employment and opportunity. It cites evidence that more than 50% of the turnover of independent retailers goes to the local community, compared with just 5% from supermarkets. ( Source The Guardian )

Why Use Video?

Very simple, society is very voyeuristic that's why we have television programmes like Big Brother, I Am A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Hells Kitchen, Grand Designs and Location, Location. If television programmes like the above were not what the public want, they would not be produced they are programmes which allow us, the public to view into other people lives, homes and aspirations and businesses and as a nation we love it. Additionally the largest channel for voyeuristic viewing is YouTube, as a national we love YouTube to. That's why per capitor head the UK watch more On-Line Video than the USA.

Every second that passes 15 hours of video has been watched on YouTube. Then their is facebook, in two years over 50 million people are now on facebook. That is nearly the population of the UK.

Why Get Involved with On Video Local?

Hopefully you may have scanned through main points from the guardian. I find that article quiet concerning? If I was not a responsible citizen of our community I would just shrug my shoulders and say what the heck and apply for a job in ASDA. However I am very passionate about local business, run by local business people.

What's the Benefit Yo You?

The reason is simple when a person finds one business with in On Video Local website site they will generally look round the website and discover an additional 5-6 business. By adding information about your company and supporting On Video Local, your company is also helping like minded business people in our community.

Did You Know?

Among 18-24 year old broadband users, the UK is second only to China in its enthusiasm for online video. 77% of UK 18-24 year old broadband users watch music videos online (87% in China) and 60% watch TV programmes via their broadband connections (82% in China). Source ofcom

Is Your Business Prepared For The New Emerging Buying Generation

The report from Ofcom is three years old, the same 18 to 24 year olds are now buyers and are used to watching On-Line Video and the same people interact in social media and watch Youtube. When will the same people want to watch a video about your business?

Confidence in e-commerce is high, and the UK will account for at least 40% of online sales in Western Europe. The number of buyers and the average annual spend per buyer are both growing, helping the country to maintain its e-commerce lead over other European nations. ( Source emarketer )

Ok so you have some time left before things really take off?

Well......active on the Internet, one in four people online was 50 or older, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Hitwise calculated that British Internet users over 55, the so-called silver surfers, are set to overtake 35- to 44-year-olds as the age group with the largest representation online. This group accounted for 22% of UK visits to Web sites in the four weeks preceding May 12, 2007, according to Hitwise. This proportion is up 54% since 2005 and 40% since 2006. In the period, 23.5% of visits to Web sites were made by 35- to 44-year-olds. A select group of websites and applications - 10 in all - have averaged at least 500 million UK minutes per month over the last year, and together they account for 30% of all UK online-related time*, according to (pdf) Nielsen Online. Dominated by social sites ( Source e Marketer )

What Does The Word Video Mean?

Latin Definition - To See, To Observe, To Understand and To Comprehend.....

To See:

Allows the customer to view you and your business before making an enquiry?

To Observe:

Allows the customer get a really good feel of your business before they visit your premises it shows that you are friendly and you want people to buy from you?

To Understand:

Allows the customer to understand what to expect when they visit your business?

To Comprehend:

This give the customer quick and easy knowledge transfer what you stand for, what your offering is and what your company is all about. Ultimately what is better about your company than your competition! Your Unique Selling Pionts ( USP's )

My Work and Testimonials?

See the assessment of my work view Henderson Garage Doors in Doncaster or our most recent project the Mayflower Sanctuary and see how good my work is. Also call you can call Miriam at Henderson Garage Doors Doncaster, 01302 556 599 Miriam has said to me on several occasions that “This is the best advertising she has done”

Proposal

We have also partnered with a company in Seattle USA who have given us reseller rights to their self serve video product.

What is a self serve video product?

What this means is that we will teach you how to create online videos of your existing photos of your products and business taken from your existing camera that takes still images.

From here you can add Text, Music, hyperlinks and data capture as the video is playing. The Data Capture is very important. The reason why interactive video is important is that it allows the customer to email you, while watching the video.

The video editing solution allows you add additional information after the video has been uploaded to allow product offering changes. For example: If you have a special offer that you want to promote you can add that special offer with a text overlay. It sounds complex but if you can type an email its really as easy as that.

You can also brand the player with your company logo!

Click here to Take a look at the info button on the top left and to view the examples I just mentioned See how I have branded the video player with my company logo? Look a bit further down and you will see contact sponsor, Donate, Copy Link and Embed in the video also. And click on them to see what happens? If you are feeling generous make a donation to The Mayflower Sanctuary while you are their they will appreciate it?

Copy Link and Embed are important this allows a viewer to send a link to a friend and allows the video to be used in additional sites? Why is that good? Well if someone ( Person ) or something ( Computer ) copies the code they can then place your video in there site giving you FREE marketing. This is called viral marketing and best of all computers and people are doing it for you for FREE.

Bespoke Video Filming and Editing

If you prefer we will create a bespoke video of your company. Its simple to do, we will ask you nine questions about your business, we then take video footage of your business premises and products, we then make that into a video infomercial. ( infomercial is a mixture of commercial and information ) Before we leave we show you what has been filmed and you can choose what you video footage you would like us to use then we go away and edit it. We then place your video in www.onvideolocal.co.uk FREE for the first year and then contact your website designer to place the video on your website. Then we distribute your video in YouTube,myspace, and Google and loads more sites to really make sure your video is found and viewed. You can really dominate search results with video. Click The Link and see how DC Interiors now dominate Google for Kitchen Showroom Doncaster. Best of all the video cost less than a one off advert in a weekly newspaper, or monthly magazine. Our USP is that a video is 24/7 media 365 days a year making it very cost effective.

Before I set off typing another page, it is much better to make an appointment and lets talk through some ideas. Its none committal and the end of the day its purely a business discussion not a sales pitch. As a local business man in Doncaster I am always interested if someone says “ I have a better way that can make your business better” As a Local Doncaster Business Man I am interested in what the person has to say, I just might learn something? Why? Because it just might be the answer to that searching question I consistently ask myself? “What will attract morecustomers to my business”

Lastly?

Take 5 minutes out a look at the video below. This will give you a good idea how the world is changing and how we all need to change our current thought process in business. What strikes me with this video reading between the lines? Who is your competition now, well you probably know that?

But who will be your competition in the future?

The answer? They probably don't exist yet?

The video really does make you think? It only takes a small change to make a big difference. Grab a tea or a coffee and take five minutes out, I PROMISE it not a video about On Video Local and how great we are and how we have found the golden challis to wealth and prosperity! But actually............................................ Just kidding! Sony BMG last used the video for a conference in Rome in 2008, There must be something in it for a Big Global Company like them to use to get a message across?

And hot off the press! http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007064 How companies are Moving to Digital Media.

Millington Music Sheffield Tele: 0114 280 040

2009-03-17T14:12:00.001-07:00

Millington Music Sheffield owned by John Millington, has recently used our video marketing services to increase his viewer experience on his new website which will be available soon.

John Millington used BT to create his new website and wanted to embed a video of his new store so that his customers could gain a better understanding of his business and engage with them better my using new Media.

John Millington is over the moon with the production and is now recommending On Video Local to all of his colleges in the Music Industry.

We asked John why he was going to do this so quickly even though we had only recently submitted his video to the search engines?

John replied " Its because firstly, On Video Local worked very quickly and professionally to create what we wanted. On Video Local listened to our requirements and delivered the result we were looking for" " Also within hours of the video going live our video was already being found in search engines, something to do with VSEO? Which we don't really understand but on video local does and thats what we paid them for and thats exactly what they delivered. Results!

Local Search is on the Up!

2009-01-19T15:58:00.001-08:00

I am pleased to announce that to day a report was made available which stated what I had said in an earlier blogg. With the advancement in mobile technology ( Smart Phones and Mobile Broadband) local search for local business has never been so important.

At a meeting at the Danum Hotel in Doncaster when presenting our new interactive video solution I mentioned to a group of people that it wouldn't be long before you spoke into a mobile phone and said "Indian Restaurant" and all the Indian Restaurants in your area would appear on your mobile phone. Well its here! On The iPhone!

So what are my two predictions for 2009?

1. Local business has to find new ways to attract local customers. Video will be the route to this like it is in the USA and for Doncaster local businesses who have moved into this arena

2. Local retailers will have to adapt quickly if they want to stop the onslaught of Value Stores, Supermarkets offer super value offers and yet another increase an additional increase on internet sales in 2009.

Internet Sales Increase by 14.2% in 2008

2009-01-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

In the UK the retail suffered due to the lack of consumers hitting the high street, while internet retailers saw growth of 14.2% in 2008 according to paypal who reported to SMEweb showed research that consumers bought on line for convenience and thought that the biggest bargins were to be found on the internet?

Also a report by the BBC also shows that the out of town food retailers shown an increase in sales of up to 41% in the run up to Christmas.

So what does the UK independent retailer need to do to try and gain back the customers from a few years ago?

1. Make themselves more accessible using up to date technology.

2. Offer incentives to get the consumer away from the PC to the High Street

3. Start opening at different hours like Richer Sounds The UK's Independent HI-Fi Retailer

so to catch the consumer on the way home from work

4. Data Capture for future promotions and incentives to email the customer

5. Connect with the customer directly using video

6. Find out the latest news using Google reader

7. Offer in-store incentives only

8. Offer to pay for the customers parking fee

9. Make your shop windows eye catching to attract the people on the high street into the shop

10. WOW the customer so they tell their friends.

Even In A Downturn Online Video Adertising is Set To Rise

2009-01-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Online video advertising is set to increase despite the down turn. According to the emarketer online video marketing will account for 4.6 Billion by 2013 plumiting traditional media in crisis For the SME it has never been a better time to start and switch those advertising £1's into something that actually attracts customers.

With most retail having a bad time with the exception of large food chain stores, its time that the independent retailer started to move away from passive interruptive marketing into marketing that drives response.

The only way to increase your awareness and get customers to trade with you is to get them in your store or engage them in your business. Business need start to capture personal information and find a low cost marketing solution to drive customers to your business

local business stand to gain good growth over their biggest competitor

2008-11-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

I attended a business meeting by the Business Crime Reduction Centre based in Sheffield at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster. At first I was very reticent about attending this meeting. First I do not have an e-commerce site and secondly I wondered what I would learn from it.

However it just goes to show that you can always glean something from a meeting even if it does not have any direct bearing of what I do in my business. This is what I leaned from the meeting

1. 82% of business in the UK use a computer
2. 76% of business have Internet access
3. 66% of business own a website.
4. 55% of business now trade on-line

Out of the 66% of business that own a website they do so to increase their customer relationships and in doing so, the businesses that own a website have a 55% advantage of gaining more business than there competitor.

When I was doing my research when I started On Video Local a report by the Kelsey Group they stated that Of those who said they saw a local online video ad, 47.3 percent said they subsequently visited the advertiser's Web site, 19.1 percent asked for more information about the advertiser's product or services, 18.2 percent visited the advertiser's store to see the product and 16.9 percent made a purchase, according to Kelsey.

So taking the figures from Business Crime Reduction Centre Yorkshire and multiplying the data from the Kelsey Group of the 55% businesses that have a website if a company uses a video in to promote their company in a business directory, youtube, myspace and there own website they stand to gain additional awareness, additional customers and additional inquiries:

1. 47.3 percent said they subsequently visited the advertiser's Web site means an additional increase of 25% more visits to there website
2. 19.1 percent asked for more information about the advertiser's product or services means an additional increase of 10% more enquiries for additional information
3. 18.2 percent visited the advertiser's store to see the product an additional increase of 10% more footfall to the business owners premises
4. 16.9 percent made a purchase, according to Kelsey an additional increase of 9% more sales

Now we are in an age were the Internet is increasingly going mobile, local business stand to gain good growth over their biggest competitor. The recently released figures for mobile Internet searches from the Kelsey Group are as follows:

17.6 percent downloaded or looked at maps or directions, up from 10.8 percent in 2007-- 15.6 percent searched for products or services in their local area, up from 9.8 percent last year-- 14.3 percent searched for products or services outside their local area, up from 6.4 percent last year-- 13.7 percent got information about movies or other entertainment, up from 8.2 percent last year-- 9.6 percent connected with a social networking site, up from 3.4 percent in 2007 according to the Washington Post

Using the power of the Internet which has now gone mobile and multiply that with video marketing I think that the SME has all the tools to stand up and be counted and attract more customers in this difficult time.

Its a pleasure to know when you are appriciated

2008-11-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

When I started On Video Local the whole ethos was to help local business connect to local people.

I was fortunate enough to meet a couple called Trevor and Emma, who are the local agents for a company called Forever Living Products. Forever living products are a god send to people who have suffered from IBS, arthritis and burns and a multitude of other common ailments.

I know that Forever Living Products do what they say on the tin because I have seen the benefits. My wife who suffered a recent, very bad burn, used the Aloe Vera Gelly Product. If it was not for the Aloe Vera Gelly , our much deserved holiday and wedding invitation in Tuscany would have had to have been cancelled. I have spoken to Forever Living Products on several occasions and I have personally found the company very helpful. Now armed with two very passionate people heading up Forever Living Products in Doncaster. Trevor and Emma are set to do very well.

A received an email form Forever Living Product Team Manager wrote:

....WOW!!!!!! I just had to send you Emma and Trevors' promotional video that they have organised in conjunction with Doncaster On Video Local's website.

Emma and Trevor, it is fantastic!! Emma, you look brilliant, speak so fluently and great pictures of your mum and TREVOR! Well done, what a great way to raise awareness and it has been put together so professionally....really impressed.

Take a look everyone...

Mobile Phone Marketing Doubled in 2008

2008-10-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

With the new Mobile smart phones hitting out consumers this is an excellent opportunity for any business in the following sectors:

Nightclubs, Pubs & Bars
Sports Clubs
Leisure Clubs
Hair & Beauty Salons
Associations
Churches & Religious Organisations
Universities
Hotels / Restaurants
Radio Stations
Retailers

What better way to communicate with your customer than there mobile phone. You leave your house with three items each day.

1. Your keys
2. Your money
3. Your mobile phone.

Are you collecting your mobile phone numbers from your customers, are you using text to drive promotional offers and communication to your customers. If not you are losing business. Keeping in touch and marketing your company has doubled since 2007 to 28% a recent study by Airwide who predict that web 2.0 will be taking the lead with mobile comunication and now the SME can also utilise this technology which is a dramatic change since Coca Cola first used this marketing media in 2005.

Below is an excerpt from Wireless and Mobile

Here are some interesting Stats

Gabfest: 33% talk on their mobile phones more than 10 hours per week.The youngest generation is spending even more time, with 34% of those 17 and younger talking for more than 15 hours/week.

TXT: Of the 79% who send text messages from their phones, 29% do so for more than two hours/week. Again, the younger generations prove to be power users, with 37% of those less than the age of 22 texting for more than two hours/week. With only a gradual drop-off in text messaging for 23 to 44 year-olds, a generational gap is evident with a sharp decline to almost no usage for those approaching age 60 and older.

Email: 50% access their e-mails from their mobile phones, with nearly 30% of those between the ages of 35 and 44 doing so for more than two hours per week.

Webaholics: 52% access the Web via their mobile phones, and 35 to 44 year-olds are leveraging this technology the most, with 60% spending time each week surfing the Web. Perhaps fueling a significant portion of this growth was iPhone adoption, which according to the survey results appeared strongest among 23 to 44 year-olds. In addition, there was clear evidence of 23 to 34 year-olds trading up their feature phones for smartphones as they move into the corporate world.

TV: 25% access video on their mobile phones, with 88% of this group spending less than two hours/week, which may indicate a growing appetite for rich media with shorter duration viewing patterns.

Full report click here

I Get No Joy Out Of Saying "I Told You So?"

2008-10-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

My Second Blog, I was to say the least, struggling with the apathy that businesses have. I am always perplexed that people think that "Things Will Change" Why? Will they? The only consistent is change isn't it?

I also said that " Do what you have always done and get what you have always got , does not apply in the economy" I am really not dwelling on the "I told you so" .................

Now the BBC have been doing a survey on the state of our high street on ten most used business. What I found was, what I had said in the second blog. The people who are making the most of this economy know that they have to change what they do ( Read the Green Grocers Story )

Phil Rolf, greengrocer Phil knows that his business cannot stand still so he has Upped, yes Upped! His prices and offered the customer a bigger choice! ( This is known as long tail marketing. Offering a wider choice to attract more customer and more customer equals even more customers because more customer tell more customers? Or known as Gaining Customer Share or Cornering The Market? The more customers you have the less your competitors have! Cornering The Market! )

I was lucky enough to have received this White Paper Today Called "Winning On Service" and "Trialing New Ideas" It is American Centric But Worth The Read.

If Aldi say don't change your life style change your store? I say "Don't change your marketing spend, just trial your marketing spend wisely".Then change your marketing to the best results?

Hope you enjoy the White Paper - Jeremy

Google celebrates its 10th Birthday!

2008-09-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well Happy Birthday Google, for a brand that is literally only 10 years old were would most of us be today. There is a lot more to Google than meets the eye initially and when you think about it? How did Google get were it did today with only the word Google on the front page? When you think that how hard is it to get your optimisation correct makes me wonder? If you get your brand right me be one word is all you need?

I have looked on the alexa time machine and this is what Google looked like on the 11th November 2008 and when you think today of how many different products that Google offer it is absolutely mind blowing what they have achieved in 10 years. The Logo hasn't change much either.

My favourites Google Calendar. Great if you are out and about or your are a busy all the time you can check your appointments easily and upload it to MS office or Apple Entourage. Embed the calender into your blog or website and allow people to have access and book your time out in your free periods.

Blogger well no link here you are reading this through blogger

Google Reader Ideal for keeping up to date with information that you are interested in it works like an email account but the benefit is that you do not get spammed and you can scan the headlines quickly to see if you want to read further.

Gmail great from freeing up your computers memory and RAM loads of disk space for free download big files easily ties in nicely with Google calendar if you want to save an email or add the email sender to a meeting.

To view complete history of Google click HERE

To watch a Radio Head Video using data not cameras click here.

Or just watch the video below happy viewing

Irish Advertising Moves More Towards On Line

2008-09-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since being part of the social media world I seem to be coming up with this figure of 11% The BBC claim that with broadband and the new tablet mobile phones from Apple and now T Mobile and Google partnering more people will be gather the information the require from on-line rather than traditional TV. According to a recent blog by Krishna De The Irish are spending more of the Euro on online advertising than traditional media and the reason is that they want to know if their marketing Euro is working for them or not!

A casing point to this is that when Ireland they were having a mammoth property boom, shortly after the UK followed in their foot steps so the same reasons that Ireland are moving away from traditional media is the same reasons for the UK we will follow.

The primary reason for online marketing and digital marketing programmes being used by marketers in Ireland were as follows:

Optimising reach - 93% of respondents reported this as being very important or important
Measuring responses - 91% of respondents reported this as being very important or important
Lower-cost marketing channel - 86% of respondents reported this as being very important or important
Targeting and segmenting the customer profile - 86% of respondents reported this as being very important or important.

In The Mean Time UK Traditional Media

Regional newspaper publishers including Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press have been hit hard by a fall in advertising, with Trinity Mirror announcing regional and national revenues were down 15% in July. However, digital businesses are growing. Trinity Mirror's regional division digital revenues were up 33% from £14.6m to £19.5m for the first half of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. Money from digital now represents 9% of its total regional revenues according to the Guardian

In my opinion looking at the technology that is about to the the UK marketplace with the new T-Mobile G1 and as the saying goes where there is one..................... There is more! More equals 33%? This means that as with the iPod music became more of a personal space, rather than a social space. I think to some degree that this will be the case with G1 and iPhone. Individual people sitting in there own space sharing info in the home and with their friends in "Tinternet Land" while being interrupted by traditional media. Yes "Those TV adverts, their to quick these days! I haven't read Google reader yet"! "Catch up in a bit after Coronation Street finishes" Mental note to self! must record Coronation Street?

Google and T-Mobile Team Up to Bring Android to the UK By November 2008

2008-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well its going to be open season shortly on the high street the new business finding solution from Google Android will be in the UK by November 2008. What is remarkable about this is that users will have the ability to watch youtube video's on a mobile phone in a flash.

So what does this mean for local business? Well lets imagine your out on the town for a night out and you start to get those midnight munchies? You do the normal thing and say, "Lets go for an Indian" Your mate who is the geek of the crew gets out his new T-Mobile G1 and decides to look up Indian Restaurants, that's easy all he has to say is Indian Restaurant Doncaster and it comes up with a list of Indian restaurants in a Google browser, then as you look for an Indian restaurant one of the business owners has a video of his business and the rest of the Indian restaurant owners don't which restaurant are you going to use? Answers on a post card to..................

So when you are out and about and you want to use your Google street maps to find the Indian restaurant you were looking for and you press image of the Indian restaurant in google street maps street view and a video plays telling you what they serve and what they do, yes G1 will do that also, why do you think Google bought youtube for 1.6 Billion , so they could combine these three things together. Google street maps, G1 and advertising in the words of Clay Shirky "Here Comes Everybody"
unless you don't have a video of what you do then in the words of me "Here Comes Nobody"

SME's Have to sit up and be counted

2008-09-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ok we are starting to get toward the back end of 2008, Yes how time flies especially if like me if you are in your mid forties? I remember a time when Last Christmas did seem like a long time away, now its back round again in a blink.

So for the SME's out there that are competing heavily (Or Should Be?) how are you going to get your lions share of the business this year?

Their are going to be less customers about with less cash so how do we attract more. According to Anupam Gupta veteran Microsoft CEO of Mixpo the only actionable video platform in the universe! And that's big! Seattle knows that SME's have to get them selves noticed due to some key factors. Firstly as I have mentioned thew lack of customers, secondly that if cash is tighter than it has been in the past people will want to still spend but look into how they can get better value for money as the Recent Aldi ad said " Don't Change Your Lifestyle, Change Your Store"!

I have always maintained this thought, that even in dire times people have always sort after a bit of luxury, its kinda' comforting and reassuring.

The good news is that the mixpo platform is also available in the UK and you guessed it from On Video Local, The uk's latest video advertising business directory. The self serve video platform offers something completely unique is that because its self serve ( Which means that you create your own ads) P.S not as hard as it sounds the clever guys at mixpo have really made this simple, if you ca drag and drop, you can be look like a first class video editor.

The benefit of self serve is that it allows your marketing to change when you need to change it. Know business ever stays the same for 12 months so why would you want just one single advert that lasts a year. In the world of advertising one size does not fit all, you have to keep re-inventing new promotional activity.

If you can imagine you own web space were you could make a video very effectively and cheaply and create video adverts which says "Forty percent off! this week end on John Bling" and have a load of John Bling designer wear photographs in a video and the video software automatically adds movement to a still image to make it more interesting and you could place at certain times in the video a call to action which means that you could capture an email address or go directly to check out if you have an e-commerce site, now that would be interesting for any business?

The video below is of a local plumber, its now September in the UK, people are now putting on the central heating for the first time and now fuel is more expensive! So the local plumber in Doncaster has an advert running telling people what his charge is for a boiler service and that he now fits solar panels. I think that plumber is think ahead don't you?
VideoAd by Mixpo

James Brown Gets A Brand New Gigbag!

2008-09-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

Well I was looking though eBay on Sunday morning to find a new gig bag for my guitar. I saw an advertisement which said watch this video in the sub heading. I was curious, I thought that this video was going to be boring. However I was very surprised to see that gig bag was in a funny way imitating James Browns dance movements, like shuffling from one side of the stage to the other and the odd spin here and there? I thought it was funny, and kept me looking at the product while the advertiser told me about the features with pop-up text while the video was playing. Tell me what you think? in our poll opposite?

Charlie Chaplin Content Still Lives On!

2008-09-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

I was viewing a video of Charlie Chaplin The film was from City Lights made in 1931. It just goes to show that if you create someting good, visually appealing and interesting to watch, it never loses its appeal.

Creating a good video that is easy to understand and gets a message across the the person who is watching it is esential. Also bere in mind that video content comes in varing forms so when making a video by using text as a message also doubles as a banner ad.

Another tip, if you are going to use your video like a banner add make sure the video solution you use gives you analytics there is no piont in advertisng if you don't know were your traffic is coming from, how long the video has been watched for, and if there has been any interaction. Also make sure that you try to engage the viewer were possible through out the video by placing interactive pop ups that inform the customer that they do not have to watch the end if the information already given is enough for them to make a decision to contact you.

Guest House In Doncaster Not Sleeping On The Job

2008-09-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

I contacted Graham Wilson one of the recent advertisers who is using Video to increase awareness of what the Wesley Guest House has to offer.

“ I am very proud of what I do here” Graham told me! “Second best is not good enough in the bed and breakfast business”! I know I come across as sometimes being fastidious but my standards are extremely high and I intend to keep them that way.

Using Video has been a really good investment, the customer knows exactly what they are going to get before they get here. I remember when I was doing long distance haulage and having to book somewhere that I hadn’t stayed before, there was always that sense of in-trepidation when opening the door and you were relieved when you had booked a guest house that had that home from home feel you could relax after a hard days driving.

When I started my guest house I wanted to make sure that my customers could see exactly what they were going to get and video certainly has helped. With-in a few days I gained a contract from several major corporations after streaming the video on my site, the bookings started to flooding in and before that my business was slow!

What I really like about the video is the customer interaction. If someone is booking for friends and family, I ask the person booking to send the video to the other guests using the send to a friend link. This way my guests are starting to do my marketing for me and helping me get my name to as many people as possible.

I also get updates on how many people have seen my video and it always staggers me how far my reach now is. I have had people viewing my guest house in the USA, Bulgaria Russia and Malta. I now feel that video gives my business the ability to allow me to compete with big hoteliers with big advertising budgets. When people see my video i know that people will book and not even ask if I would move on price.

Wesley Guest House from On Video Local on Vimeo.

Say Something Long Enough

2008-09-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yes it really goes to show that if you keep saying something long enough people will join in.

A guy in the USA called Matt Harding started dancing his way round the world and his youtube video's are getting millions of visits.

As of posting this blogg Matt had received 11.5 million viewings. Say something long enough and everyone will join in?

A Great Day For The Races

2008-09-14T01:43:00.001-07:00

I was talking to a exceptionally talented lady called Tracey Fleming who designs and manufactures Wedding Dresses,Occasional and Formal Wear. From humble beginnings and with little or no knowledge at all Tracey Fleming has really taken to the power of the Internet in just a few years, and what the Internet can do for Tracey's Business in the terms of advertising nationally, locally and globally and on-line trading.

I contacted Tracey around a month ago when and asked her if she would like to get involved with the new advertising revolution that is Sweeping The USA and now starting in the UK which is also showing excellent conversions from enquirers to customers. Until I contacted Tracey all that Tracey could afford was a £30.00 linage ad in the local rags and newspapers.

The advert went like this:-

DRESS DESIGN - Tracey Fleming-Dress Design-Unique Creation-Simple Weddings etc. and a Telephone Number.

I went and showed Tracey, what On Video Local could do for her business and still only spending a similar amount of money a month we could create a better and more effective way for Tracey to communicate her unique business offering.

I telephoned Tracey a couple of days ago to see how business was and if the infomercial was still working, Usually Tracey would text me and tell me that she had gained another customer and I had not heard from her for a few weeks. My initial assumption was that maybe business had tailed off a little but my assumption was wrong.

As usual Tracey was full of beans and very upbeat and could not stop talking about the business generated from the Video Advert, " I have been rushed of my feet" " I have done as much business last week than I normally take in a month" I was over the moon and felt completely elated that Tracey's advertising budget was working for her.

I was also staggered at how Tracey was using the infomercial. If Tracey got an enquiry about her service Tracey would direct the customer to On Video Local to view her video I asked her why she did that? Tracey replied she did that, so when a customer made the decision to visit her premises, the customer could see exactly what they were going to get before they set out.

In Tracey's opinion it was better for them both If the customer who viewed the video, decided not to take any action, this meant that Tracey and the enquirer had saved time. This self qualifying out is a good thing, it means that the customers that don't visit have made an informed decision before setting out. It meant that if the self qualification had not taken place each may have felt that each others time had been waisted, but both leave the enquiry with credibility intact leaving an open window to trade at a later time.

If the customer did make the connection then Tracey who is a busy WAHM (work at home mum) had in effect got the customer to self qualify Tracey's business before ringing back to make an appointment. When person did make the appointment to visit Tracey, invariably this turned the enquirers into customers because they always bought what Tracey had to offer and more importantly bought into Tracey!

This way Tracey and her customers had given each other exceptional customer service by not waisting each others time. invariably both parties were happy because the time they both had was productive for both. Tracey was now busy serving and trading with the correct customer for her business ultimately making her time and business more profitable.

The video revolution is here

2008-08-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

Firstly today is a good day, the first newsfeed i have seen for video advertising landed in my email box this morning. Already in the USA On Line Video Advertising is taking a hold with SME's. This type of advertising is helping local business in the USA attract more customers to there stores and there websites which means that the companies adapting to this new media are gaining the lions share of customers.

The same will happen in Europe but in particular will have a major impact in the UK because of the amount in broadband users in the UK. With the increasing demand for mobile broadband internet SME's will have to be ahead of their competition to attract more customers because users of 3G tablet phone like the iphone will demand this service.

Its hardly any wonder that companies will have to get on board and understand this new media quickly because the amount spent on line despite a shrink in disposable income rose, to the equivalent of £79 for every person in the UK and continued to outstrip high street sales. This means that even when the forecast looks gloomy people still want their luxuries but are more aware of pricing and companies who they would like to deal with.

Its Easier to moan about the lack of business than change the way you do business

2008-07-16T07:04:00.001-07:00

After a long day on the phone contacting people about local advertising automatically assume that you are going to try and sell them something that they don't need? Some customers have been saying things like

" I am not advertising because of the credit crunch" Well congratulations there are less customers about so your plan of action is to not let past and future customers that you are still in business?

There are less customers about so therefore you do not want the loins share of the business that is available? Yes because lets face it it is easier to complain about the lack of business than it is to do something about it? Doing something about the lack of business means that you have to take on a different thought process than what you are doing. people do not realise that the world is a changing place and what we have known and loved before will be no longer.

The recent statistics from emarketer show that due to the cost in higher fuel bills people will stay at home and shop, and shop for the cheapest prices on the internet info from emarketer
So what does that mean for Mr and Mrs Sole Proprietor well quiet gloomy really because there is going to be an increase in retail sales over the next 4 years by 16.5% however all of this 16.5% will go into shopping centres and the impact of ecommerce practically going to double in the next four years so were does that Leave Mr and Mrs Sole Proprietor in a tertiary location in tertiary town.

So we role our sleeves up, stop moaning, stop think of excuses and lets doing something different. The old saying of "Do what you have always done, and get what you have always got does not apply in this economy"

The Future Of Local Advertising

2008-07-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Happiness is Local Online Video, Says Kelsey Group

Source: The ClickZ Network, Jun 26, 2008

After years of struggling to find a method of Internet advertising that not only works for advertisers, it appears small-to-medium sized companies are finding the answer: online video.

That's the opinion of Matt Booth, SVP and program director for The Kelsey Group's Interactive Local Media practice. His analysis is based on the findings Kelsey's new Local Video Forecast, which predicts local online video ad revenue will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 168 percent through 2012.

The Kelsey Group, believes local online video ad revenue will reach £750 billion in four years. It was at about £ 5 million last year, according to Kelsey, which also expects video ads to account for 11.6 percent of the online advertising budgets of small and medium-sized business by 2012.

With local online video, successful and relatively professional-looking ads can now be made and distributed at a fairly low cost.

"On the local end, some businesses are charging a couple thousand pounds a year for local video.

The local video ads are selling because they are turning out to be effective, Booth noted. The Kelsey Group said its "User View" study conducted in March 2008 found that 62 percent of surveyed consumers said they saw an online video ad, up from 59 percent last year.

More importantly, the ads were resulting in action.

Of those who said they saw a local online video ad, 47.3 percent said they subsequently visited the advertiser's Web site, 19.1 percent asked for more information about the advertiser's product or services, 18.2 percent visited the advertiser's store to see the product and 16.9 percent made a purchase, according to Kelsey.

Booth said there's something special about local online video ads when it comes to viewer acceptance. "A lot of the national video ads are basically fairly intrusive to the user experience," he said. "But on the local end, the user experience is a little different. A lot of local videos are really like infomercials so the users are expecting to watch a video about the business."

Rather than be annoyed by an online video, prospective customers appreciate the clips. "They are kind of already set up to understand that they are getting an advertising message," said Booth. "The interests are aligned: The business wants someone to watch its commercial and the user wants to know more about the business."

The Kelsey Group cited "the general appeal of video and its simplicity compared with other forms of online advertising." Even small companies that shun Yellow Pages advertising are embracing online video, it noted.

The researchers believe "considerable opportunity" exists for Yellow Pages publishers that offer video and for video production companies that target SMBs.

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