Using Video to Help Promote Your Business and Brand

Watching videos online has become a major pastime in recent years. A 2012 study by Cisco Internet Business Solutions surveyed 1100 American consumers, and found that seventy percent of Internet users watch professionally produced online videos on a regular basis, averaging 100 minutes of screen time every week. A subset of this population, 18 to 24-year-olds, ranked at the much higher 94 percent. With online video becoming a major consumer product, using video as a business promotion tool will prove to be a valuable endeavor in the near future. Here are some quick tips on how to promote your brand and business by creating videos.

Invest In The Proper Equipment

For Internet users who are accustomed to instantly accessible high-quality content, nothing is more frustrating than having to wait three minutes to load a massive video file that turns out to have grainy visuals and audio that cuts in and out. Quality equipment is key. Most semi-professional quality video cameras can be purchased for around $100. Try to get a camera that supports HD video, as much of the Internet is trending toward high-definition multimedia content. It is also important to invest in a high-quality microphone to ensure clear audio, and professional video editing software to create a polished final product. A number of free solutions are available, though the industry standard among video professionals tends to be “Final Cut Pro” for video and “Adobe Audition” for audio.

Have A Plan

Making videos isn't all fun and games. The most crucial aspect of using video to promote a business is having a clear concept oriented around valuable content. Web viewers do not want to be sold a product - they want to be informed, entertained, and invited into a community. A great example of this is Old Spice's "Smell Like A Man, Man" ad campaign featuring American actor Isaiah Mustafa. In these videos, Mustafa plays the role of a charming Adonis who exaggerates the benefits of Old Spice to a ludicrous degree. These videos are witty and entertaining because they play on typical expectations of advertising. Any video ad campaign, if it is to be successful, must do something playful. It must do something unique. It must do anything except try to sell a product.

Promotion Is Key

It's good to have a video advertisement. It's better to tie it in to a campaign and promote it. If a video ad is to succeed, it must be promoted. It must be Shared, Liked, Tweeted, Upvoted, and Linked. Users must Digg it. Using social media to promote your video advertisement is ideal because social media is a spawning ground for shareable content. Share your video on your organization's social media accounts. Make sure to include a clever title and tagline to capture readers' attention. The first few seconds of the video must be high quality - this is key. Using video to promote a business is fun and easy. By following these tips, businesses can ensure their videos convey valuable content in a high-quality format that viewers will love to share.