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Monday, December 3, 2012

Acting Responsibly With Your Video Testimonials and Endorsements

How, when, and where to disclose; these are the questions many online bloggers, reviewers, and testimonial writers alike are asking. The concept of "full disclosure" is a confusing one for many people. In December of 2009, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) revised its rules and regulations about endorsements and testimonials in advertising. The old rules, more than thirty years old, were in place before the Internet and no longer applied to today's vast arena of advertising. Since the new rules took effect there is much discussion and confusion amongst endorsers and advertisers, whether receiving compensation for a product or service or not.

The idea behind the FTC's rules and regulations is to make it easier for the reader/consumer to decide if they should trust the opinion of the person endorsing the product or service. If the endorser is honest and up-front about his or her compensation for a testimonial or review, the reader is more likely to trust the opinion and even more likely to purchase said product or service. This works well for people who are paid or compensated in some way for their opinions.

The problem comes in when determining when a review or testimonial is considered an endorsement. To determine whether a full disclosure statement should be present when giving testimonials or reviews, the FTC says there has to be a connection between the endorser and the company providing the product or service. Many examples are given on the FTC.gov website, most having to do with television advertising. The following example from the FTC.gov website illustrates how full disclosure should be handled when endorsing a product or service online.

A consumer who regularly purchases a particular brand of dog food decides

one day to purchase a new, more expensive brand made by the same manufacturer. She writes in her personal blog that the change in diet has made her dog's fur noticeably softer and shinier, and that in her opinion, the new food definitely is worth the extra money. This posting would not be deemed an endorsement under the Guides.

Assume that rather than purchase the dog food with her own money, the consumer gets it for free because the store routinely tracks her purchases and its computer has generated a coupon for a free trial bag of this new brand. Again, her posting would not be deemed an endorsement under the Guides.

Assume now that the consumer joins a network-marketing program under which she periodically receives various products about which she can write reviews if she wants to do so. If she receives a free bag of the new dog food through this program, her positive review would be considered an endorsement under the Guides.

There are a couple different ways to address full disclosure online. One way is to provide somewhere on your website a separate posting or page with a disclosure statement. The posting or page should be visible on your HOME page as a link so anyone interested in reading it can get to it easily. Another way is to make your disclosure in each review or testimonial you write. This way, the reader does not have to wonder if you are being compensated in some way, and does not have to go looking for the answer. Either way is sufficient and meets the guidelines set forth by the FTC.

If you are unsure whether you should provide a full disclosure statement in your review or Video Testimonial, the best practice is to be honest. Provide that disclosure if you are at all confused. Let your readers know that you have nothing to hide and are being honest and up-front about any compensation you might be receiving for your opinions. The FTC is not going to come after you if you neglect to provide full disclosure, but your readers will appreciate your honesty.

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Delivering Highly Successful Online Video and Viral Campaigns

There are many that say that the creation of high traffic viral campaigns is a science and not an art and that luck has little to do with it. There are arguments for and against, although there are some expert providers in this space who may ether agree or disagree with this argument and there are some that actually it is both a science and an art.

Recent examples of online videos going viral include:

Konyvideo- This video was clearly designed to go viral, but it is unlikely that the author thought that it would attract an audience of over 75 million viewers across the planet however was this because that it ticked the "Social Controversy" box?

Anfield Cat - This is a more uplifting online video clip, but I ask myself was the cat let out of the bag by accident or was it a cleverly designed video campaign by an animal lover who knew how to create and design a viral campaign.

1. Capture the Moment

There are several events that enable us to Capture the Moment and companies are using these events to project their brands onto the consumer. One example would be Paddy Power's video campaign "Chav Tranquilizer's". This clearly combines humour with the traditional, more commonly viewed stiff upper lip event of the Cheltenham Festival.

Paddy Power has clearly captured the moment and integrated the content and the Cheltenham event with the brand making use of laughter and light humour.

2. High Quality and Relevant Content

Using the same Paddy Power example, the content and setting was clearly relevant in terms of the brand and capturing the audience in a funny way. This campaign was genuinely creative and the content was highly relevant to the target audience. This was clearly meant to be controversial which typically engenders "Social Sharing";

3. Social Sharing

The Paddy Power campaign was clearly designed as a viral marketing tool; hence it was designed with Social Sharing in mind. People use all types of social sharing mechanisms, such as traditional email.

If you Google Chav Tranquilizer's", you will see comments about this campaign being banned on TV. This brings into play the "Social Controversy" approach, which has clearly been integrated into this video ad with a view to creating Social Conversations on a grand scale;

4. Brands and Products

It is vital that the content, the campaign theme and the setting are clearly identifiable and relevant to the brand and to the product. This is to ensure the brand and ultimately the end product engages with the target audience. Remember, not to be too commercial, this is generally a consumer put-off and will not engender "Social Sharing". Viral campaigns are largely used to engender brand awareness; however brands are also now using online video advertising to launch products and services.

5. Consumer Attention Span

Content length is vital to get right. Too short and you can lose the message, too long and you can lose the audience. Therefore, it is important to ensure the first ten to fifteen seconds really captivate the viewer and at all costs avoid long load times for videos and games. Rememberevery consumer is just one click away from your competitor. With technology, consumers are becoming increasing impatient; hence their attention span is reducing.

capture your consumer, draw them into your world and make your message stick in their mind;

6. Viral Video Seeding

Unless the content is exposed to high numbers of users it is unlikely that the video advertisement will become a truly viral campaign.

To improve the likelihood of a truly viral campaign, it is vital that the video ad is properly seeded (geography / brand / product / context / relevance) with relevant distributors as well as with the highly known video viewing sites and blogs.

Once seeding is properly undertaken the content should take care of itself via "Social Sharing" hence on the basis that that the content works this will lead to a successful viral campaign;

7. Technical issues and bandwidth

Bandwidth has been an issue in the past but most providers have overcome this with much more robust technical solutions.

High volume viral campaigns would usually be viewed from sites like YouTube or similar video sharing sites; once the word spreads you then need to ensure that:

(i) other distributors have similar levels of bandwidth capabilities and that the quality of the content is not spoiled by bandwidth viewing issues;

(ii) the video ad formats you provide are used by the large majority of consumers and have minimum resistance to viewing; hence be wary of video formats that require special plug-ins or software upgrades. Use a few of the most common formats and ensure that consumer compatibility remains in the high ninety-nine percentile;

8. What's in it for the Consumer?

The reason commercial radio and TV advertising has been and continues to successful is due to the fact that there is something in it for the consumer.

Radio stations generally play the latest and most popular music whereas commercial TV content is generally of a high-quality to attract a certain audience, with TV commercials being shown in between TV advertisement breaks. Therefore there is clearly something in it for the consumer with commercial radio and TV media.

However in the online world this is sometimes amiss as brands prefer their online video ads to be free of "Rewarded Media".

Rewarded media has its place and can play an important part in terms of "Social Sharing" (everyone likes to receive and share a bargain with their friends). Whilst Rewarded Media seems to be a taboo in this segment it could play an important part for product launches and film releases especially if "Social Sharing" can be integrated someway with "Rewarded Media";

9. Analytics and key metrics

All viral campaigns should have a campaign distribution plan. This is vital to ensure that the video ad achieves all of the targets and metrics that were initially set-out with the brand.

To ensure that all viral campaigns stay on plan, they should be properly tracked with continual analytics and using key performance metrics. This will help the advertiser to better understand the consumer audiences, who have interacted with the content, providing data such as times of use, places of use etc. Be wary of gathering too much information on potential consumers (for example email addresses) as this can turn-off your audience and create a barrier for the online video advertisement.

10. Continual Improvement

Post campaign evaluation is essential for continued improvement. This will enable you to ascertain important data such as: what has worked and what hasn't, traffic sources, what consumers were saying in forums and social networking sites.

Try to understand why the video ad generated the level of traffic it did and this should enable you to identify key tools that can be replicated for a future viral campaign.

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The Growing Trend of Online Video Marketing - Part 2

Having a strategy in place that will make your online video marketing campaign stand-out is vitally important to its success and its longevity. Here are some tactics that will help to give your online marketing video that added 'wow' factor when it comes to drawing in audiences:

#1 - Establish a campaign: Some of the most successful online video marketing campaigns have been campaigns that feature more than 'one' video. Many businesses have gone on to generate a series of videos that tell a story that keep audiences captivated, but more importantly it brings them back to a website as they are intrigued to find out how the 'story' will conclude. For wider reach and exposure you can quite easily create a series of videos that are published frequently. This will allow you to establish brand awareness that will only increase with every video that is posted.

#2 - Don't underestimate the importance of a Call-to-Action: You would be astounded by the number of online marketing campaigns that fail to use call-to-actions and get customers interacting and involved. Instead, too many businesses focus attention on promoting themselves and essentially miss the point of giving customers an incentive to explore what's on offer.

When it comes to online video marketing, don't pass up the opportunity to encourage your audience to take some form of action, whether it is within the video or right at the end. Be specific, for example, ask them to sign up to a newsletter, visit your website or ask them to tell you what they thought about your video by leaving a comments box. If your video is of a high standard, chances are you will have their undivided attention, so be sure to use that to your advantage.

#3 - Don't get drawn into making a sales pitch: Try to avoid selling your business all the way through your online marketing video. Much of the web is littered with 'sales' and most audiences are bored of it, so you need to make your video unique by subtly selling your business, but keeping the audience interested. Your video should identify what your audience wants or needs, offer solutions to that want or need and then should tell them how your business is the answer.

It is important to promote your business, but it is essential that you remember that the customer is the most important factor of your business. Without them you have no business anyway. So avoid online marketing videos that spend the duration telling everyone how great the company is and remember to engage the audience. If they have no incentive to buy your products or use your service, they WILL look elsewhere.

Video Advertising For Your Small Business

Why are videos a good option for small businesses? Creating a video is a great way to tell the story of your business through a more personable medium than written text. Advertising your small business with videos is not only a great way to share your story, but a well-executed video can also set a professional tone for your business.

Videos are a great way to gain exposure through a variety of marketing channels. Some of the most popular channels are uploading the video to YouTube, displaying the video on your website, and sharing it on social media accounts. Now there is a new channel available with the recent release of Google's new AdWords for video. You can now create paid advertising campaigns with your videos to gain more exposure and get more leads. Continue reading for more information about using the new video advertising platform.

About AdWords for Video

This new advertising platform is very similar to the existing Google AdWords tool, making it easy to use for those of you that are already familiar with AdWords. Here are a few of the top reasons why you should consider using this paid advertising platform to market your small business:

Geography - you can choose the audience you want to target by city, state, zip, or country. This can be a great advantage to a small business that wants to tailor the campaign to a specific target market. Budget - you can set your own budget and there is no minimum spend limit. With no minimum spend limit it is a great option for small businesses that want to test the paid advertising space and not spend their whole marketing budget. Reach - you have the option to advertise your video on YouTube and tens of thousands of other websites. Return On Investment (ROI) - since you only pay when someone chooses to play your video you can rest assured that you are getting value out of your marketing dollars.

Creating a Video Campaign

You can easily select one of your previously recorded videos straight from YouTube by choosing to search your existing channel. If you don't already have a YouTube video to submit, then you will first need to work on creating a video. There are many options available to you when creating a video. The primary options are choosing to work with a professional videographer or recording your own live video and using video editing software to put together a finished product. Before you decide on a traditional option we suggest checking out Animoto (www.animoto.com). This new online software is a good alternative option for small businesses because it can all be done in-house by any staff member. Animoto lets you easily combine your existing photos, video clips, words and music. All it takes is a little time and creativity to put together a great video.

Video Campaign Set -Up

Now that you have your video selected in Google AdWords for Video, the next step is to create your ad attributes. The ad attributes is the text that will be displayed for your video. You will want to make this enticing to people so they will want to click and watch your video. Not only can you create your own text but you also get to choose a screenshot, or thumbnail image, from your video to display. Be sure to choose a screenshot from the video that will capture people's attention and preferably one with little text. In addition, you get to choose the destination url for where these viewers will be taken after watching your video. Sending people to your homepage after finishing the video will not help get conversions from the campaign, instead we recommend choosing a landing page on your website that is related to your video.

In this section, you also have the option for the networks to run your new video campaign. To remove your ad from any of the pre-selected networks simply click "Let me choose" and then edit your display network options. We recommend taking a minute to preview the formatting of your ads in each of the networks before scheduling the campaign to run.

Your last required step in this section is schedule a start date for the campaign. You can also select an end date for the campaign, but it isn't required.

Reporting

The extensive reporting options are very similar to Google AdWords and make it easy to track your marketing ROI on your video campaigns. One thing that is different that you should investigate in your campaign is that you can track how long people are watching your videos and what actions they might be taking on the video.

In summary, even if you decide to not do paid video advertising you should still invest in developing a well-executed video to share your story on social media and your website. Don't let large businesses be the only one's taking advantage of the millions of people watching online videos a day.

How to Customize Your YouTube Channel

The video sharing channel owned by Google is trying to align more with social media in general and Google+ in particular. It is now more important than ever to customize your YouTube Channel and make the most of the SEO benefits from the site.

YouTube's recent redesign has caused headlines such as "The Death of YouTube", however I would say that reports of the demise of the third most visited site on the planet are extremely premature! YouTube's redesign has created a cleaner look.

How to customize the new look YouTube Channel

In order to customise the channel you need to click one or other of the two Edit buttons you will see on your channel page. The top button "Edit Channel" will allow you to pick an Avatar and background image. The Avatar just needs to be a square image of yourself looking beautiful.

Apart from the Appearance tab in the Edit Channel settings, you also have another two tabs called "Info and Settings" and "Featured Tab".

In the "Featured Tab" I chose the "Blogger" layout as it shows the most.

In the "Info and Settings" tab I chose Featured Tab as my Default Tab, making sure that my favorite video takes pride of place when someone comes to my channel page. Check "Always take subscribed users to the feed tab" and "Make my channel visible on YouTube". Make sure you enter keywords into the Title, Description and Tags fields.

When you are finished, click "Done Editing".

How to customize the new YouTube Channel sidebar

The other area of the channel page that you can edit is the new sidebar. And now there's a lot of opportunity to add links in there with anchor text (although they're "nofollow" links).

Click the second "Edit" button to edit this. Write a short channel synopsis under the "About... " headline. Stick as many links as you can think of here (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, your blog, etc.)

Here you can also add any other YouTube channels you may own or decide to leave out other information, such as your age!

Connect your YouTube channel with your Google+ profile

YouTube is owned by Google, in case you didn't know, and Google is at pains to harmonize their services as much as possible. And for this reason it is an excellent idea to set up an account with Google (if you don't have one already).

If you have an account with Google this is the same as having a Google+ account. So, make sure your Google+ Profile is nicely filled out.

Be sure to link your YouTube channel to your Google+ profile by pasting the link when editing the channel sidebar. Once done Google will know your YouTube channel is allied to your blog and therefore attach the same authority to both. This is very handy if you have had a website for years but haven't done much with your YouTube channel.

What do you think?

What do you think of the new YouTube? Have you customized your channel yet? Are you getting more traffic from YouTube these days?

Whether or not you decide to use my background image you must head over to YouTube and edit your channel page to put more links in and make sure the keywords are in the right areas: in the Title, Description, Tags and, under the "About... " headline.

Do-It-Yourself Web Videos Are a Waste of Time

Every site absolutely needs a web video. Whether it is on the homepage, on other pages of the site, or on all pages it is a necessity to bring in a strong client base. A web video conveys a message about the company that needs to be seen. It needs to be able to capture the attention of the viewer, hold their attention, and educate the viewer about the company and their services. Implementing a visually appealing and effective video to the site is paramount. Utilizing production companies can assist a company in producing a great online video. Trying to produce a video without the use of a professional production company can end in a disaster leaving the viewer uninterested and bored.

Without the proper use of production equipment, the video will be low quality and will be seen that way by the audience. No company wants to have their viewer thinking how unprofessional the video is and associating that with their services. From the initial need to produce a video, use the right equipment. Video production companies have all their own equipment which helps the company save money and time searching for the right tools if choosing to do it themselves. The set up, positioning, and utilization will all be completed by the company. Not only that facet, but the video production company will also handle the entire production of the video from script to screen. Instead of a low quality online video apply a high quality video by hiring the right video production company. Think about how you want people to view your company and what kind of video you want to represent the company. More often than not, a professionally produced video is much more welcomed then an amateur video. A low quality video correlates with boredom and ineffectiveness.

A video should only be a few minutes long, but if it does not grab the viewers' attention immediately they will leave the page. The audience base will not be broadened and might even decrease due to the lack of spark. Video production companies know how to add the right amount of humor and spunk to it without it being cheesy and slapstick. With an initial presence of humor upon entering the site, the viewer will be engaged and their attention will be held by the company. An individual who is inexperienced with video production will not be able to capture humor that correlates with the company's ideals and goals. After using the right equipment and adding the right of amount of humor to produce a high quality video, the message will be conveyed.

The whole purpose of a web video is to inform the viewer about the company and their services in a unique, interesting, and professional manner. Without the use of a video production company, there is not a chance that the video will be high quality and effective. In order to get to message across, the company needs to hire a video production company that will satisfy their viewer's ultimately helping their sales.