More Internet Advertisers are Using Online Video for Marketing

03/18/2011

Online video has become an increasingly important component of online advertising, used for product demonstrations, testimonials, and how-to instructions. It’s not uncommon to see online video as part of a landing page or to learn a company has a branded YouTube channel.

Online video marketing, such as a product demonstration, can make the difference in which internet retailer a consumer picks or which product a consumer decides to buy. The tactic can humanize a brand or company to its audience. It can also help shorten the latency or time it takes to make purchase because a customer has been guided further in the buy funnel by a video.

One online video asset can be used in various ways, e.g. on a targeted landing page and as part of a video library on YouTube. Video can also be optimized and found in search engine results pages.

Recently, a New York Times article featured how several advertisers have used online video in their marketing plans to attract new customers, keep existing customers engaged, and expand the brand’s overall online presence. The adoption of online video has evolved significantly along with the medium. Now many advertisers are using it regularly to gain a broader audience, new customers, and increase retention.

The article positions online video as a low-cost marketing with a potentially high return. When a marketer considers online video as an investment, it should consider the brand’s personality and what it needs to exude and how the video will show authenticity. Low-cost doesn’t mean a video has to lack professionalism and polish.

It’s valuable for marketers to conduct some analyses using web analytics tools to determine what information the audience/visitors seek out when they visit a brand’s website. Are they most interested in product features? Do they want more details about a warranty? Perhaps they read countless reviews and testimonials before they commit to purchasing. This type of insight can help online advertisers determine content for a video and help boost conversion rates, decrease latency, and increase average order values.