Five Online Business Video Tips from Invodo

When it comes to selling products with online videos, the experts at Invodo know what they’re doing. They’ve worked with many major brands, creating and distributing ecommerce videos for them. They were one of the winners of our Video in Practice contest (scroll down for the Moosejaw video). We also like what they’ve recently been doing for Summit Toys (watch the video at the bottom of this page and see if you don’t want to buy a bug vacuum afterwards).

That’s why we went to them for tips on creating effective ecommerce videos. We spoke to Russ Somers, Invodo’s director of marketing, and he handed us these five pearls of wisdom.

1. Show Them the Thingy
At Invodo, they know that the product needs to be the star. That’s why this quirky phrase – “Show them the thingy” – is their mantra. It reminds them that ecommerce videos aren’t about the on-screen talent, they’re about the products.

2. Sounds Good to Us
Don’t rely on built-in microphones. This is a lesson we’ve heard from other people, and it’s worth repeating. You can use an inexpensive pocket video camera to shoot solid online videos, but that camera had better have an external mic input. Buyers will click away if your videos don’t have good sound. Even a $50 lavalier mic will give you decent audio.

3. Keep it Short
People have short attention spans, Somers says, so keep your videos brief. Shoppers are only looking for two or three differentiators about your product, so stick to those. You’ll want to put a high-impact moment up front. Twenty percent of online video viewers click away during the first ten seconds. You can lower that percentage by putting something interesting up front.

4. Distribute Widely
Don’t stick with just putting your video on your product page or homepage: get it on other sites. Somers recommends creating a shortened version to use on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Have that version link back to the main site for the whole video. Wide distribution also helps your search engine rankings.

If your product is in stores, consider that people will be evaluating it while standing in the store aisle, and may look online for more information. Add a QR code to your packaging that links to an explanatory online video. It’s a great way to convince people when they’re looking for a reason to choose your product.

5. Measure All the Impacts
People get hung up on the conversion rates and don’t bother looking at other metrics, says Somers. While conversion is important (and is tricky to measure), there are other measures that matter. Pay attention to view rate, time on page, time on site, and bounce rates, he says. Watch how sales videos can impact the entire sales experience: for high-end goods, buyers often return to watch the video several times before making a decision.

Got all that? Now go and put those tips to good use with your next ecommerce video – or hire Invodo and they’ll do it for you.

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SBA & Agility Recovery Solutions Host Free Webinar on Social Media Strategies …

WASHINGTON, Aug 05, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
A major disaster has devastated your community, and landlines are down.
Will you be able to use Facebook or Twitter to keep your employees,
customers and vendors aware of your status? How will you distinguish
good information on post-disaster social media channels from the scams?

Business and civic leaders in Joplin, Mo., had a crash course in
leveraging social media following the May 22 tornado that tore through
the city, killing 160 people and damaging or destroying about 8,000
homes and businesses. Kirstie Smith, communications director of the
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mark Kinsley, creator of the
Rebuild Joplin Facebook page, will join the U.S. Small Business
Administration and Agility Recovery Solutions during a free webinar
August 16 to talk about how they used social media tools to exchange
critical information with local businesses. Social media consultant John
Orlando will share practical tips for business owners to use to map out
a business continuity plan that includes social media.

SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies
for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit
www.preparemybusiness.org
to access previous webinars and additional preparedness tips.

The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of
low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and
businesses of all sizes. To learn more, visit
www.sba.gov/disaster .

        
        WHO:   John Orlando, John Orlando Consulting
               Kirstie Smith, Communications Director, Joplin Area Chamber of
               Commerce Mark Kinsley, Director of Marketing, Rebuild Joplin
        WHAT:  "Social Media and Disaster Recovery" will be presented by
               Orlando, Smith and Kinsley. A question and answer session will
               follow.
        WHEN:  Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EDT

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/429536768

Advisory Number: MA11-16

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration

        
        U.S. Small Business Administration 
        Carol Chastang, 202-205-6987 
        or 

http://www.sba.gov/news

Copyright Business Wire 2011

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