Fathom extends warm holiday wishes to people of all faiths who are celebrating at this time of year, and we encourage fans of the Internet and web video to share the meaning of their holiday via a multi-media experience – namely, Internet video. Video for the web – filled with music, motion graphics, talented narration and skillful editing – is a great communication medium and impacts viewers on multiple levels. So, whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, there’s a way-cool video that you can use to pass along some of your holiday cheer. Tis the season!
Fathom Blog
News & analysis on digital marketing & analytics
Category Archives: Internet Video Marketing
Fathom is pleased to announce our recent ranking as one of the Top Three video search engine optimization companies in the U.S. The ranking, which incorporates criteria important to search engine optimization such as video keyword analysis, off-page optimization and “reach,” was determined by TopSEOs.com – an independent authority on search vendors. Given that Fathom routinely occupies a position in the Top Five tier for this category, we’re looking forward to more rankings in this area that acknowledge our expertise in making professional, colorful and engaging Internet videos that promote our clients’ brands, products and services. Learn more about our Top Three ranking by visiting the TopSEOs site here.
A Holiday message from Webbed Marketing…
http://vimeo.com/17843426
Are you a producer of online video content? Then you better become well aware of the newest prescribed subdivision of attention deficit disorder among your viewers – deemed “viewer abandonment” by Visible Measures.
Visible Measures – an online research company whose mission statement is to help advertisers and publishers get more from online video by providing them with industry-leading solutions to better understand the world of online video – has found that 19.4 percent of online viewers abandon a video within the first 10 seconds. 44.1 percent of viewers abandon online video within the first 60 seconds! That means one thing – and one thing only – for producers of online video: if you want viewers to immerse themselves in your content, you better showcase intriguing, engaging subject matter right out of the gate, and keep it coming strong.
This emerging phenomenon taking over online viewers globally is of intense interest to those who make online videos or advertise alongside them. Visible Measures studied the abandonment rate of 40 million videos in over seven billion viewings.
According to the NYTimes.com article by Alex Mindlin, “Drilling Down: Short Attention Spans for Web Videos,” music videos had especially high rates of abandonment, as did videos slow to reach a punch-line — for example, a Budweiser ad about a man humiliated while buying pornography, loses nearly 40 percent of viewers in the first 10 seconds.
“It took a shocking 12 seconds to get to the [punch-line],” said Matt Cutler, the head of research at Visible Measures – but 40 percent of the viewers never even saw it.
It is near inevitable that viewers are going to click away from your video – even if your content is extremely engaging, and wildly entertaining. The fact of the matter is; your content is not going to be of interest to everyone who happens to stumble upon the page that your video is embedded on. The only solution is to produce content that you know will be highly entertaining, educational and intriguing to your target audience – and hope that the widespread outbreak of “viewer abandonment” has not yet infected your intended viewers.
Earlier this week, Google showed us how they plan to transform the way we’ll watch television by unveiling the features of the upcoming Google TV. You can check out the new Google TV website, but briefly, some of the product’s coolest features include:
• YouTube perfected for TV – Double rainbows never looked so good! Google TV will optimize any YouTube video for your 50-inch plasma.
• Simultaneous television and Internet – Watch the Oscars and tweet your snide remarks on the same screen.
• Smartphone remote control – As if your iPhone didn’t already do enough, you can now use it as a remote control for GoogleTV.
• Online Web surfing – Access the Web from your couch using an easy-to-use interface.
• Apps galore – Google TV comes preloaded with apps like Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Video on Demand and Gallery. Starting early next year, apps from the Android marketplace will work on Google TV.
Google TV sounds pretty awesome for your living room, but can it really revolutionize the way you think in the board room? Can you expect your online videos to immediately see a 300% increase in views? Will families start gathering around the television to watch the product demo you’ve posted on YouTube?
Probably not.
While Google TV won’t instantly transform the way we think about video, it is one more piece of evidence that should show companies with a weak online video presence that they are quickly falling behind. Just five years ago, it was easy to discount the need for online video when the only place to put your videos was one lonely page on your website. Even as YouTube started exploding in popularity, it was easy to pass off video as something that other industries should be concerned about.
With Internet video on every smartphone and now making its way into the living room, it is impossible to deny that online video makes a difference. Just like even the loudest naysayers ran out of ammunition for shooting down the need for a website, it is getting harder and harder to defend a lack of online video.
If you’re one of the many companies with a weak online video presence, it’s not too late to get into the game. You can start by finding out what your target audience wants to see. If you create videos that have real value to your audience, you’ll be amazed at how much exposure your content will get. You may even make it onto the big screen.
Get into the game with online video. Find out how Fathom can help you create an Internet video marketing campaign that will get you noticed on the Web.
Before the advent of the Internet, most consumers’ awareness of video in the shopping process was limited to the knowledge that they were under video surveillance in department stores. Big Brother was watching, and he wanted you to buy, not steal, the wares being offered. Today, with the consistent growth of web video, the poles have reversed and it’s the customer doing most of the watching – product videos that generate considerable increases in sales and consumer interest via retail websites.
A recent whitepaper released by Adobe Scene7 mirrors a 2009 post from StreamingMedia.com – both trumpeting the value of Internet video for retailers and consumers alike as potent sales conversion and consumer education/motivation tools.
From the Retail vantage point, the typical response from retailers on the efficacy of Internet video, as reported in the Adobe7 whitepaper, was, “the products on which I post videos significantly outperform other products.” Rico Nasol of Zappos.com echoes that sentiment in the StreamingVideo.com blog post, where the content team senior manager declared that Zappos sells from 6% to 30% more merchandise when a product description video accompanies website content. Nasol goes on to explain that Zappos intends to have 50,000 product videos in place on its website by the end of 2010!
From the consumer perspective, it’s easy to understand video’s value. The success of shopping channels such as QVC is being translated onto the Internet, where product demos and more detailed information on merchandise help to assuage consumer fears and convince them of the integrity and value of products – most often without leaving their homes.
As Internet video continues to grow and flourish in its uses and applications, consider Fathom and our Internet video marketing program – Instant Replay – for the marketing of your trusted brands and products. Your competitors are doing it – shouldn’t you?
In a fairly surprising decision, AOL announced today it will sign a new five-year partnership with Google that’s aimed at providing AOL users with a better search and search ad experience.
Although there had been talk that the new deal might go to Bing, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo or a number of other companies, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said in an interview with Boomtown last night, “We have tried to make a deal that has 100 percent alignment on what we each do best…at the end of the day, Google checked all the boxes.”
It probably didn’t hurt that Google already has an excellent grasp on the way AOL search performs and is therefore in prime position to improve upon it.
AOL and Google have been partners since 2002, but this new contract is an expansion on the three it replaces. It includes a broad range of features designed to improve and develop the products and services available to AOL users. The deal includes search products, advertising products, mobile search, greater YouTube presence and a more global focus.
This means that not only will AOL users have improved searching capabilities and more relevant ad experiences, but AOL content will also be more prominent on YouTube and will be better programmed. In addition, AOL will be renewing its focus on mobile apps and will work with Google to better cover mobile search. Because the alliance between the two companies is international in scope, it should bring an improved experience to AOL users worldwide.
This deal is bad news for Bing, Microsoft, Yahoo and other companies who are trying to expand their influence across the Web. However, it’s great news for Google, and it’s obvious the search engine superpower recognizes that.
According to Eric Schmidt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Google, “We’re excited to deepen our partnership. This agreement combines Google’s expertise in search and advertising with AOL’s strength in online content. It’s particularly exciting to see our relationship expand into video and mobile. These areas are now at the heart of users’ online experiences and at the core of both of our businesses.”
Information hasn’t been released yet on when the new contract changes will take effect, but AOL customers worldwide can look forward to exciting changes in their overall user experience.
*Image provided by Global X on Flickr.
It’s official. Online video marketing is no longer a benefit – it’s a necessity.
If you want to bolster brand recognition, drive targeted traffic to your site and increase conversions without spending tons of time and money, viral videos are the way to do it. Search Engine Land offers some helpful insight into this topic in their recent post on why “Video Is Now a Must-Have Feature for Competitive SEO.”
In today’s society, our mindset is largely focused on two factors: instant gratification and entertainment value. People surfing the Web want to find information quickly and easily, and they want it to be provided in an engaging way. Viral videos allow you to do both. In a short two minute video you can convey an entire page of information, and you can do it using cool graphics, funny clips and other attention grabbing tactics.
You can also use viral videos to drive targeted traffic to your site. People are much more likely to watch a “How to” video than read an article on the same topic, so by providing the specific information users are looking for, you can direct them to your website at the exact time they need your products or services.
So how exactly do viral videos boost SEO? It’s easy. When you embed a video on a page and it includes the keywords that page is targeting, it can help increase that page’s rankings. In addition, when that video shows up in video-specific searches, it’s going to be bolstered by the keywords on the page where it’s located. Relevancy and placement are key, because when the content of a video and the text on a page reinforce each other, they provide double the SEO power. In addition, because videos are generally more compelling than text, people are more likely to click on them when they show up in search results in conjunction with a page on your website.
Viral videos are ideal conversion boosters, because they can:
• Deliver compelling calls to action
• Present content in an interesting and engaging way
• Grab viewers’ attention and provide entertainment value
• Promote events, features and new products in unique ways
• Guide users through complex procedures
• Bring your website to life
Online videos don’t have to be complex, so it can be fairly inexpensive to create these compelling marketing tools. In addition, it’s easy to get instant feedback on how effective your videos are. Simple analytics can show you how many times a video has been viewed, how many times it has resulted in a click-through or conversion and how users are responding to it.
The popularity of video portals has skyrocketed in recent years, and with their close ties to social media, they’re bound to become even more popular in the future. It’s not uncommon for videos on YouTube to have hundreds of thousands of views, so if your company isn’t utilizing this important form of marketing you may be throwing valuable leads out the window.
Learn more about how online video marketing can benefit your business today.
*Photo provided by limaoscarjuliet on Flickr
A recent front-page article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Monday June 21, 2010) touted the power and reach of Internet video for non-profit organizations as these agencies struggle to stay afloat in troubled financial waters. With dwindling donations in tough economic times and volunteerism down, agencies are discovering that videos for their websites and distribution across the Internet are an excellent resource – capable of providing compelling examples of WHY a non-profit needs volunteers or donations and WHAT that volunteerism or financial contribution can do for the agency and its target audience.
We couldn’t agree more. Web videos – capable of providing facility and program tours, interviews with participants and staff, and solid video footage that leaves little to the imagination of viewers as to the efficacy and needs of non-profits, are powerful and convincing marketing and fund-raising tools that educate and inform, inspire and motivate viewing audiences. Allow Fathom to show your firm how to leverage Internet video marketing in order to get the membership and donations you need to make a difference in the world. Call us today at the number at the bottom of the page, or examine our website for more information & details on our Instant Replay video program.
As Internet marketers, we tend to pay attention to upcoming trends in SEO, PPC, email marketing and video marketing more than the average Joe. It pays to do so, as staying abreast of industry trends is important when it comes to offering our clients the best services possible, often times ahead of other marketing firms. We’ve been espousing the benefits and uses of Internet video-as-a-marketing-tool for some years now, and basically waiting for the viewing world to catch up on this fantastic communications medium.
A recent survey by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, conducted in June of 2009 and reported by the esteemed Pew Internet & American Life Project just last week, more than confirms what we’ve been saying all along – online video is becoming a huge medium for consumers, and leveraging Internet video interest for marketing purposes has never made more sense.
Some of the findings released last week in the Pew report on online video include:
- Educational video viewing has risen from 22% to 38% for adult Internet users since 2007
- Political videos for the same viewing audience have risen in popularity from 15% to 30%
- Viewership for humorous/comedy videos has grown from 31% to 50% since 2007
- Seven in ten adult Internet users have used the Internet to watch or download video. This accounts for 52% of all adults in the USA.
Clearly, with more than half of all adults in America watching video via the Internet, we’re talking about a sensation bigger than most cultural phenomena, including Elvis in his prime and perhaps even U2, Jay-Z or Rihanna.
Consider what Internet video can do for you and your company or business. Think about the many ways you can “broadcast” your products and services to a large and watching world. Invest in one of the most affordable forms of marketing with the broadest reach. And contact us – Fathom – regarding Internet video marketing that gets viewers to your site and helps convert them to paying customers.
