Capitalise On The Online Video Boom

Using streaming video as a form of marketing on the internet is a relatively new phenomenon. Currently the usual method of marketing your product relies on text and still pictures to get your message across to the consumer. Some pictures may be a combination of still and animated, in order to increase the chances of gaining the attention of a prospective customer. However, if anything has been learnt by the marketing industry it is that television ads are still king when it comes to attracting attention to a product, and keeping it in the prospect's memory.

OK, online marketing is somewhat different, but we can take the lesson on board. Online advertising began mainly with newsletters in the form of emails, or pop-up screens containing pure text and still pictures. As users of the web became more savvy, these newsletters and pop-ups got to be annoyances. So much so that anti-virus software developers soon added anti pop-up features. Drastically reducing their effectiveness. On top of that we have the major web browsers incorporating pop-up blockers.

Email newsletters and advertisements have suffered a similar fate with junk mail and spam filters. The result of these measures against pop-ups and spam means that one avenue of internet marketing is rapidly closing.

Of course it's not all doom and gloom, and it's debatable if those methods were all that effective anyway, but as one door closes, another opens. This is where streaming video comes in. It is a fact that tv commercials are still the best form of advertising , so it makes sense that the online equivalent has got to be the thing to get into. The advantages are self evident. Not least the fact that you don't need a budget running into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The main advantage of videos is their ability to instill curiosity in a person. Check out the stores that have television displays in them, there will often be a small crowd watching. Even if you are determined not to be interested, I'll bet you glance a couple of times just to see what it's about.

This is the great strength of using streaming video in your internet marketing. It immediately grabs attention. The only thing you have to do is to make the video interesting enough to maintain, or improve on, that initial level of interest. When the video becomes old enough to be commonplace, you just replace it with a new one. Unlike spam or pop-ups, they do not become an annoyance because they grab the customers attention and curiosity from the start. The prospect gets a clear idea of what your product or service is all about. Once they have that, they can begin to trust you, and as we all know, a trusting customer is a repeat customer. However, never lose sight of the fact that however good your video is, it's still the quality and value of your product that counts in the end.

Here's a little tip. To make your video interesting, and to stand out, try to include some humour and social relevance. You should also make your prospective customers feel a need. Or craving, for your product. This is especially true for entrepreneurs wishing to create a niche for their product line. A good video will pull in more people than newsletters, pop-ups, or spam.