Integrating online video: Who's streaming what...

In a recent eMarketer article, a study indicates that nearly half of online video viewers were likely to watch news clips or music videos. The study was conducted by InsightExpress for advertising.com. It included 500 adults ages 18 and older.

So does that mean that B2B marketers would do well to set their marketing messages to music or in the form of a news clip? It depends. I can see this playing out in two ways...

One, let's say your product or service involves a technological breakthrough in the life sciences area, then why not advertise or sponsor a newsclip for a show/network that covers the life sciences area. A second option could be to create your online video in the format of a news brief. i.e. "This just in... major scientific breakthrough yields..." (It would be the video equivalent of an advertorial.) And post your online video/pseudo news clip to your company website or as a banner ad on other complementary websites.

As for music...
Well, depending on your audience, it might make for interesting content that's almost certain to break through the clutter. But think about your message and your target audience. I have a client whose innovative raw material is used to make high-end polymer guitars that have a unique tone of their own. Why not sponsor an online video with a band using guitars made from the innovative material. That's an engaging way to get your point across.

With all the talk about media fragmentation as a negative, it could actually be a positive. If you've done a good job segmenting your audiences and have a strong message, the right online video could make a difference in getting their attention.

Do Pre-Roll Banners Work?

If you're embarking on online video and are thinking about including pre-roll ads, you might want to think again. Pre-roll ads are the the 15-30 second ad spots that appear before the online video starts rolling--like a TV commercial before a show begins. According to Steve Weitzner, CEO of CMP Technology, a B2B media company, the pre-roll ads his company tested didn't work.

And according to a recent Harris Poll nearly three quarters of YouTube's frequent users said they would visit the site less if it started including pre-roll ads on videos.

So what does this mean for integrated marketing communications?

I would tread lightly here... consider a post-roll ad instead. People usually don't mind listening to a relevant or complementary ad once they've had a chance to view the video first.

Are integrated marketers putting the medium before the message?

I’ve recently seen several marketers discuss the “let’s get back to the message” point of view. And I couldn’t agree with them more. It’s a great time to be an integrated marketer with all the neat ways to get the message out—podcasts, online video, microsites, plus conventional media—it’s easy to get caught up in the medium and lose sight of the message.

At a recent New York BMA breakfast on the outlook for 2007, Dierdre Bigley, vp -- advertising and digital media for IBM, said IBM is focusing on telling a really good story. She emphasized that it’s not about focusing on the company and the great technology it develops. Instead, she says it’s about focusing on clients and the great things they’ve accomplished using the technology.

Don’t get me wrong, Dierdre is still looking at the medium. It’s just that the focus is primarily on the message and then optimizing the message for each medium. She mentioned an interesting story about how the NYPD used IBM information technology to create a real time crime center to solve crimes faster. She created a two-minute version of the story, which will air during a television show that IBM is sponsoring. The two-minute version will be edited down to suit each medium IBM plans to use.

Another “tell a good story” advocate, Michael Davis, senior vp – director of emerging media, DraftFCB, Chicago, says a good story is the best way to get audiences to pull your content, regardless of medium. The medium can enhance the story by making it more inviting and targeted. Read the full article in BtoB Magazine.

So forget about the medium for a minute and focus on the message. Then take a look at your message and your target audience. Now you’re ready to integrate your message across the available media.

More on integrated marcom message development later…

It's one of the hottest emerging tactics for 2007... are you integrating it?

It's online video and an eMarketer survey indicates that 37% of US online marketers have budgeted for online video ads this year (read the full article). So why should you integrate it into your marcom mix?

Here comes the "e" word again--"engagement." Nothing is more engaging than online video. Think about it... YouTube is one of the hottest properties on the internet. Now I'm not suggesting that you run out and film exploding soda bottles set to music. But here's an example of how one marketer is using a combination online video (pseudovideo) and user generated content (UGC) to nurture engagement and build brand affinity.

According to a February 5 New York Times article (may require a free sign-on to read), 1-800-Flowers is launching their "Video Valentine" service--a free service where users upload photos, create their own message, select images and music all mashed up by the site to provide just enough motion to simulate online video. Check out the service...

So where's the B2B integrated marcom connection to online video?

Integrating online video into your marcom mix enables prospects or customers to interact with your brand like never before. I'm reminded of a client who sells a hardware/software system that takes a complex technological breakthrough and makes it as easy to use as dialing a telephone... really! The challenge is getting a jaded target audience to embrace that it's easy to use.

So why not use online video to simulate the user experience--seeing is believing! You can't sell ease of use by describing it... you have to experience it. And that's where the power of online video can help.

Most technology products are technological feats because of the amazing things they can do for the end user. If you can simulate the experience using online video, then it makes sense to integrate online video into your mix sooner rather than later.

And remember your feedback loop. Don't just slap an online video onto your site. Give viewers an opportunity to contact you or tell you a little more about themselves to view your video.

Lead Generation: Is Email Still a Viable Part of the Marcom Mix?

Definitely... a recent DMA study indicated that email had the second highest response rate for lead generation at 2.45%... better and cheaper than direct mail.

And a recent MarketingSherpa "Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2007" indicates that more than 35% of B2B marketers surveyed said email's impact is increasing significantly.

A couple of things to remember...

• Batch and blast days are long over. Well-targeted, relevant email messages deliver results.
  
  
• Avoid list overexposure. I wish I had more definitive info on this one. But for now let's just say that sending too many emails to your opt-in list will make you opt-out list grow--that's bad.
  
  General rules of thumb: weekly is o.k. if the content is fresh and relevant. Monthly is ideal, but depending on your message and audience, it may not be frequent enough.
  
  And frequency can also depend on the objective of the mailer and the stage in the buying cycle of the recipients. If you're objective is to move prospects further along in the sales cycle, then make sure your list is segmented appropriately. A prospect on the verge of making a decision may need more frequent contact than one in the information-gathering phase. Anyone out there have advice on list exposure?
  
  
• Finally, remember that email isn't the be all, end all. With integrated marcom the mail should be a part of a bigger picture.

One of the Most Forgotten SEO techniques... did you forget it too?

You know all those nice images on your website? You can use them to help boost rankings. But you have to include an "alt image" tag in the html code.

What's an "alt image" tag? It's html code that looks something like this:
img src="images/company_about.gif" alt="Joan Damico B2B copywriter & marcom consultant"

The copywriting enclosed in quotes that follows the alt= is what appears when you mouseover an image. It's also displayed if for some reason the image doesn't render.

Tools that read web pages to the visually impaired use alt tags. So not only is it a good idea to make your site more accessible, it can also help boost your rankings.

To see if your site's images are optimized for accessibility and search, right click on a page and look for the img src= tag, and then locate the alt= tag. If there's no alt tag or the alt tag is empty (looks like this if empty... alt="" nothing in between the quotation marks), then you're missing an opportunity to be more accessible and boost search at the same time.

It's really easy to add alt image tags. Most html editors such as FrontPage and Contribute plus the more robust content management systems have alt image capabilities. Look for it under image properties.

And remember... make your alt tags more effective at boosting rank by using keyword rich copy that's relevant to the other copy on the page.