The WOW factor

Another guest post from Ben Powell online marketing tutor at webcoursesbangkok.com

What Is A Viral Video?

Funnily definitions for viral video don’t abound online as you might expect. The one I found was a tad dry for my taste so I suggest this focused one instead:

“A viral video is the Youtube video all your friends share on Facebook with the subject line “Funniest thing ever!”

Sure, a wider definition exists, but if you make it big on either of these platforms – you’ve done well for yourself…

Viral videos are a phenomenon – Short videos that get millions of views on may different websites around the world and yet have no advertising or marketing to promote them, and no Hollywood star acting.

How on earth do they spread?

They all have one or more ingredient of what I call:

The WOWAH formula

What is the WOWAH formula?

let me explain… in video form…

W is for WOW

These are the videos that depict someone or something so amazingly awesome and fantastic that you have to exclaim”

“WOW, How Did They Do That?!?”

This video has had over 4 million views and was if you can watch very carefully its an ingenious advertisement for Ray ban sunglasses! (Highly recommended! Check their other videos as well). In my opinion one of the best online and social media marketing campaigns I’ve seen to date. That said I personally think the brand shot was so brief it missed the point a little…

Another site that fits nicely into this factor is Swedish Hero.

Its WOW is about the fantastic technology used to create it. Again a brilliant online marketing campaign that uses the power of sharing to its full advantage.

O is for OMGLOL!!!

These are the ones that usually get the highest hits and are so funny you can’t help but laugh and share on your social networks!

This was a fantastic social media campaign from “Old Spice”. It got over 16 million views and spawned a whole meme culture. The best quote for me:

“I’m on a horse”

You’ll understand after you watch the clip!

W is for WHAT?

Videos of this category are those that make you exclaim:

“What on earth was that person thinking?!?”

Amazing, but difficult to use for business. If you’re really smart and lucky you  just might be a hit…

17 million views and counting. I’m pretty sure it changed this kid’s life…

A fast thinking Toy Manufacturer Marketing Manager should have offered that kid a sponsorship deal!

“When defending myself from hoards of imaginary storm troopers I use the (insert brand name here) Light Saber” –

…cut to kid doing thumbs up.
I’m sure you get my drift…

A is for AWWWWW…

Anything with Pandas, Kittens, Puppies or Babies is a sure fire winner.

That’s so sickeningly cute I think I’m going to die. 71 million views.

Its is hard to manufacture this sort of video however Evian water did a pretty good job, of course they used a budget the size of Sudan’s GDP, but they did take almost all the essential factors into account.

25 million views.
Evian also followed up with some great off line marketing as well, I really want one of these t’s!

and finally

H is for Hmmm…

These are the ones that do the more professional circles, the nicely produced info graphics that tell us some astounding facts and figures about whatever industry that we may be in..

So if you’re thinking about creating a viral video for your business or for fun take these factors into account and you just might have something.

The one last take away factor that you must remember is

Take it easy and send it to your friends

Let them judge if you hit the magic WOW formula before the rest of the world…

“Field Test: Video Usage On eCommerce Sites”.

Originally published on Practical eCommerce in October, 2008, my first impression was, “oh, old news.”

Evolution - As seen on México's Federal Highway 2

But old news is sometimes good news when you want to compare where you were then to where you are today. With that in mind, I found it extremely interesting to read what an inaccurate perception many etailers had of product videos just over a year ago and how much retailers’ attitudes towards video have changed in the interim.

The top seven misconceptions that retailers had in terms of video usage and effectiveness that stood out in my mind were:

1) Videos distract people

I don’t think anyone in 2010 thinks that video is distracting, certainly not in a negative sense. In fact, in today’s ecommerce climate it is seen as an essential tool for properly demonstrating any given product. If, however, that is a concern in a retailer’s mind, it is also possible to add video in an unobtrusive manner, such as a simple link.

2) There are verticals for which video is not an effective medium

One retailer interviewed for example said, “Apparel doesn’t lend itself very well to video product demonstrations. Apparel turns over very quickly.” This of course is untrue. Video can effectively demonstrate all types of products including fashion, sporting goods, consumer electronics and more. High turnover is also no barrier to video. With an automated system like Treepodia’s retailers can cover any and all new products immediately, and effortlessly.

3) Cute, funny, viral type videos are the way to go

As discussed in the past, while this may be an effective strategy for some retailers for certain types of products (and dependant on goals), most retailers benefit most from covering more products, with relevant product videos on the actual product pages of their website.

4) Video is only good as an instructional tool

Au contraire. While it is indeed true that video is a fantastic tool for educating and instructing shoppers, video is also one of the most useful tools for effectively demonstrating a product and increasing conversion rates.

5) Still pictures are the best way to show products

While still pictures are still the most pervasive manner of displaying products on websites, they are not the most effective. Video is a far more effective medium for showing products, as it covers multiple angles and usages of any given product.

6) Hosting video is prohibitive to having video on site

Hosting capacity, of course, never has to be an issue for retailers, as many solutions (including ours) host for them.

7) The need to download videos will prevent shoppers from watching them

Downloading concerns are pretty much passé, as streaming is now the way to go.

So what’s the moral of the story?

Times change quickly and an industry can evolve tremendously over the course of a year.Video is a rapidly emerging ecommerce medium, an effective marketing tool, and the best way for online retailers to effectively demonstrate their products and increase sales.

Image credit: A Caveman trapped in the 21st Century

I’ve just finished reading a well written post by Daniel Sevitt on the ReelSeo blog titled: “The Three Types of Online Video for Business“. Daniel writes well and covers his subject matter eloquently but when I finished reading I remained with the sensation that I’d been taken for a merry little ride.

Sales Are Only 0.1 Percent (?!?)

I know it’s a heavy accusation, but I can explain:
When someone writes a post titled “The Three Types of Online Video for Business” and mentions in it a reference to someone else’s “Top 6 Reasons B-to-B Marketers Need Videos” I guess I expect the word “Sales” to appear often. Daniel’s post has 2,178 words. The word “Sales” appears twice. That’s less than 0.1 percent…

Apparently the “Top 6 Reasons B-to-B Marketers Need Videos” are, and I quote:

Grab people’s attention instantly

Tell your story in less time

Bring your ideas to life

Make your site stickier

Create a buzz with viral video

Bring your website into the 21st century

What I learned from Eli Wallach about Sales

Call me coarse or unsophisticated if you like, but I’ve always believed there’s a lot of truth in the line uttered by Eli Wallach in the scene shown above, and taken from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly”:

“When you have to shoot…Shoot! Don’t talk”

Let me explain:
With all due respect to the 6 points Daniel quotes in his post, I’d like to make 3 points of my own:

1. The purpose of a business is TO MAKE MONEY.
2. Online retailers make money by SELLING PRODUCTS.
3. The primary purpose of online video for retailers is TO SELL PRODUCTS.

To paraphrase Wallach:

“Pardon me pilgrim but ‘Grabbing people’s attention’ (pt #1), ‘Telling a story’ (pt #2) & ‘Bringing ideas to life’ (pt #3)… Heck, that all sounds like a lot fancy talkin’ to me!”

Although ‘Bringing their website into the 21st century’ (pt #4) sounds really impressive, I’m pretty sure 99 out of 100 vendors would prefer using video to SELL THEIR INVENTORY.

Let’s go back to basics

Video, indeed any form of advertising or marketing, has little or no value for its own sake. Its value is as a means-to-an-end. For etailers that end is TO DRIVE SALES.

By that logic the best way to judge the addition of video to your site is by the impact it has on your bottom line. If you can get a good impact on your conversions for a low investment – GOOD FOR YOU, you’ve done well for yourself.

I might be old fashioned

I might be old fashioned, but getting the best-bang-for-the-buck seems to me to be what a good business is all about.

• Our experience has shown us that adding video to a product’s listing can impact the conversion rates for the product by anything from 35% to 300%.

• We’ve learned that premium & complex products often show greater impact on their conversion rates because clients are more inclined to make a hefty purchase after watching a video that explains a premium product’s benefits.

Going back to my bang-for-a-buck point from before, it’s every etailers DUTY to his or her business to get these conversion rates at the LOWEST COST and effort possible – no small feat when one considers the vast majority of online retailers have over 500 products in their catalog.

When one takes into consideration these facts it’s easy to understand why automated ecommerce video solutions able of creating thousands of product videos in a matter of hours, are readily adopted by retail leaders such as Ice.com, Diamond.com, EyeBuyDirect.com, Elady.com, ElectricShopping.com, and others.

I guess when you’re as successful as these guys you know only too well there’s “A time for talkin’ and a time for shootin’…”

Image credit: Daquella manera