Video Marketing Secrets

It’s time again for our weekly Viral Video Round Up series, where we analyze the very hottest viral video hits for clues about how we, too, can go viral.  We have some excellent examples this week—including a bonus forth example beyond our traditional three—and some great reminders and nuggets of wisdom we can all apply to our own viral efforts.  Let’s dive in.

The Muppets Are Back!

By that I mean that the Muppets have released another viral video effort.  I also mean, in a more general way, that I’m quite pleased to see that the Muppet property seems to be in good hands.  I grew up on the Muppets.  And for the last 10-15 years, it’s been sort of sad to see such lovable characters given such lousy material and support.  It was only six or seven years ago I went on a quest to find all the Muppet movies on DVD, and they were… how shall I put this… so rare as to basically not exist.  You could pay $100 on eBay for a used copy of The Great Muppet Caper if you wanted to, but why would you?

And then came Disney.  Disney bought the Muppets several years back and has been promising to revive the franchise in a way that does it justice.  First, they repackaged and released all the Muppet movies (and the classic television show) on DVD.  A few of the Muppets appeared in a series of online video shorts related to the finale of Lost, interacting with the creators and auditioning for roles.  They are also currently working on a new movie, with Jason Segel (of How I Met Your Mother fame) serving as the writer.  And late last year they started slowly rolling out a series of online video shorts designed to remind the public that the Muppets aren’t dead.  First was the Bohemian Rhapsody—still one of my favorite videos.  Then came Beaker’s Dust in the Wind cover.

And now we have Sam The Eagle taking on a karaoke version of American Woman:

Maybe I just can’t resist a good Muppets clip.  Or maybe there are signs of life in this franchise yet.  After a series of TV-movie duds, it’s encouraging to see funny material like this.  And it’s cute to see them incorporating current technology trends such as this video’s nod to YouTube.  It makes me feel that maybe the Muppets are finally in safe, hip hands.

And it’s a good lesson on not giving up on old properties.  I wrote earlier this week about how important it is to make use of video you already have produced in your online campaigns.  In a way, that’s what Disney’s doing.  They’re recognizing potential in 40 year old characters and attempting to breathe new life into them.  I may be a touch biased, but I’m pulling for them.

The Brave Idiot

I think it’s probably a safe bet that anytime you perform a feat whose title ends with “… off the Eiffel Tower,” you’re going to get some attention.  Parachute Off the Eiffel Tower, Throw Things Off the Eiffel Tower, or in the case of our second video… Jump Off the Eiffel Tower… on rollerblades.

Well, to be fair, he jumped off about the lowest part of the Eiffel Tower possible, but it’s still pretty darn high.  But it’s not like he leaped off the very top of the thing.

Take a look:

Now, I’m barely a good enough rollerblader to stand up straight in them.  So someone simply skating down the sidewalk is a relative miracle in my eyes.  I am, therefore, pretty impressed with this stunt.  But he does make it look like it’s not a big deal… like it was easy.  I’m sure it wasn’t, mind you.

Absurd and dangerous stunts are a popular type of video online (stunts gone wrong is an even more popular genre).  Unfortunately, it does sometimes lead to amateur backyard stunts where people get hurt.

But we love to see people risk their lives, particularly when it involves jumping.  I can’t in good conscience suggest that small and medium businesses create videos of employees doing their best Super Dave impression.  Those videos are best left to the professionals… and the idiotic.

But we can learn something about risk, I think.  After all, that’s the draw of videos like this, I think.  The risk.  And risk is something all businesses and entrepreneurs can relate to.  When formulating your next online video strategy, consider finding a way to tell a story about how your company sticks its neck out… has some guts.  Does something bold and brave.  How have you gambled and won?  And how can you tell that story with online video.

Oh, and consider throwing in the Eiffel Tower as well if you can work it into the script.

The Artist’s Illusion

In addition to being a Muppets fan, I’m also fond of optical illusions.  From my old textbook examples to modern day image and video illusions online, I never tire of them.  I’m pretty certain I’m not alone in this too, because I see an awful lot of this kind of thing online.  But rarely is it done so well as our next example.

Here we have an artist that has created some works in Photoshop, printed them out, and then combines them on film to complete some truly astounding optical illusions.  In each sample he provides, two images superimposed create a moving image.  It’s hard to get your head around, actually.  Here… you try:

I call this person an artist because this feels like the work of something more than a science nerd.  I’m not sure if it’s the artwork that he produced to form the illusions or the way the video is shot and edited… or simply just the beauty of the illusion itself… but this feels almost as much like art as it does an experiment or scientific study.

And I think that’s a key element of its popularity and charm.  It’s every bit as beautiful as it is fascinating.

As always, great talent wins out.  As does obvious effort.  And this shows both.  I nearly broke my brain trying to figure out how one creates these separate images so precisely as to cause the eventual illusion, or how his mind could even think that way.

People love to be amazed, and optical illusions are—almost by definition—lessons designed to amaze.  Toss in some added talent, hard work, and art… and this thing was nearly destined to gain fans.  Want to waste an afternoon?  Check out this guy’s other video illusions.

Bonus Example!

I have to mention the Magic iPad guy.  It’s too neat to ignore.  And probably best to give you as little set up as possible:

Here’s what I love:  The guy clearly isn’t very polished.  Several of his “tricks” show some timing issues on his part.  I’m not sure if he didn’t rehearse a lot, or if he’s camera shy and was nervous.  Or maybe he just doesn’t care.

But the online audience doesn’t seem to mind, as he continues to gain viewers, and I think it’s chiefly because he’s doing some pretty clever and inventive things here.  Give this guy credit for the concept, even if the execution isn’t pitch perfect.  It probably doesn’t hurt that the iPad is still one of the single most-talked-about gadgets on the planet, and always an added draw.  Hop on the hot topics, people, and bend them into your own concept somehow.  And he’s also displaying more of that “obvious hard work” I like to talk about, because it’s evident that some significant measure of planning went into this video.  From an idea standpoint, it’s a wonder Apple themselves didn’t think of something like this.

Honorable Mention:

If I had more time, I would have enjoyed talking about these other viral hits as well:

Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) from Tropic Thunder doing promos for MTV with Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (both from Twilight).  This is probably one of the best Tom Cruise characters in history.This spectacular Indy 500 wreckAn innocent bystander narrowly avoids death by car accident.

Video marketing is gaining more and more popularity in the advertising industry. Perhaps this is a very bad news for any English teacher but the recent studies in the society revealed that majority of people would choose to watch a video about a company rather than reading any content related to that same company. In the internet, most videos are highly dependent on sites such as the YouTube or its software to distribute the content and deliver the marketing messages to every viewer throughout the world. Currently, there is still much that one can gain from the YouTube online marketing campaign but in time, the ubiquity of YouTube bots may weaken the effectiveness of the campaign.

Video advertising is now one of the most viable methods towards online viral marketing. Most of the video viewers will often elicit an immediate response upon watching the advertisement in video form. This is now one very effective online marketing approach that has the potential of reaching out to millions of people in a short period of time. As this form of marketing is still a greatly underrated marketing strategy as not everyone is able to view the videos, this industry could be a likable prospective to invest. Perhaps you can consider enhancing your business through some videos?

There has been ongoing rumors regarding the effectiveness of video marketing yet not many corporate companies are willing to try out these viral videos. One biggest advantage of these videos is that they generate huge free traffic and could top search engine results as fast as 48 hours. At this moment, video promotion resembles hot cakes in the internet advertising prospect but YouTube is still famous with the older demographic where social networking is still pretty restricted. Unlike other websites in the internet, videos themselves cannot increase the search rank on search engines.

Video advertising is the latest marketing trend in the online marketing vogue. It is indeed a perfect approach to promote your views, products and services to the whole wide world. For several reasons, video is way more effective and there is lesser competition compared to the conventional website search engine positioning. This is viral and depends greatly on community submissions as well as social tagging. However, if you think that a simple commercial shoot will be adequate to create a buzz and get good ranks then you should think twice. This is merely a technique adopted by most online business companies to advertise their services or products through the invention of short videos and publishing them on their websites. If you do not possess such capabilities and cannot make alluring videos then it is doubtful that your effort can fetch favorable response.

Undeniably, video is revolutionizing the way companies deliver their approach to audiences as it has been an increasingly well-known marketing medium. In other words, video marketing is the potential future in the internet hence this is the best opportunity if you wish to stay ahead of others and enjoy maximized benefits that such marketing way can offer. While you may want to consider shooting, editing or optimizing videos then submit them to YouTube, Yahoo or Google as a form of advertisement, you should first study if internet users are your targeted customers.

With the numerous methods of promoting a business over the internet, the most comprehensive way is the use of video marketing. Visualized promotional aids are much more spectacular and a very enticing way for most viewers since every detail of the business’ products and services can be detailed out. Sites like YouTube are gaining in popularity and many people are actually using these portals as search engines. Visitors of video hosting sites may eventually become potential business clients or customers.

Videos are basically preferred by the public since information relayed is much easier to understand. The entire details of a business, its businesses and services, and the entire pages of a certain website may be summarized and presented with a video presentation. Creating and embedding free video tutorials are very much recommended especially for service oriented businesses and all others who offer intangible goods. People who are always on the go and relatively busy prefer acquiring information at a lesser amount of time. They are not accustomed to reading lengthy letters or any other type of propaganda which otherwise can be presented with just a short video advertisement.

For most common businesses, many popular programs can be used help to create and record such video presentations. Just do a Google search for “Free Video Maker Programs” and you will find a lot of good software for your company to use.

People are generally not inclined to watching commercials either on TV or online. Thus, for your video advertisement to be seen, it should be presented in a very unique, fun, exciting, learning, controversial, or eye-catching manner. If your business video material is of highest quality, they are a potential source of continuous business.

Video advertisement campaigns have grown popular and necessary since the reading capacity and attention span of most website users is becoming shorter and shorter. Businesses can employ several methods to boost business sales via the use of video materials. It can be in a form of product demonstrations, product presentations, product reviews, or visual stories. Product demonstrations and presentations would normally include ideas pertaining to the usage of products. In here, you detail out the key features, uses and advantages of buying your items or services. With the product reviews and visual stories, video generally conveys the element of “satisfaction” or “value” that may be derived based on the stories or words of previous and existing clients themselves.

Rich Magnanti

With the internet came a new concept, which is referred to as streaming video. This seems like a very general term, and many people may not be aware of what the term actually means. When used on the internet, “streaming” means that a product is being sent from one place to another on a time frame. Streaming video is a video clip or movie that is being sent over real time from one place to another. This is a movie that is being constantly supplied to the individuals requesting the video. The method of the material being transferred is known as streaming, and this is not the medium that is being used. For example, there is streaming video and streaming audio. Audio and video are the mediums that are being used in those forms, but the streaming concept refers to the way that the product is being sent from one place to another over the internet or through another method. Some people do not realize that streaming media was around before the internet, but that it was not referred to as such. Since there are no so many ways in which people can receive information, including videos, many people are able to understand that there needs to be a distinction between styles of sending.

Streaming video can also be used in order to describe a television channel. In this way, an individual can acknowledge that while streaming video is not just used on the computer this is a very popular example. Still, it is used in various other methods around the home. In some homes, there are security cameras which will stream the video from one part of the home to another area in the home. Streaming does not have anything to do with the distance over which the video will travel. Rather, this merely refers to the manner in which the information gets transferred between locations. The same process can be applied to businesses and offices which is used in the home. Some alarm companies or security companies will actually allow owners to sign in on the internet from a remote location in order to view the security feeds on the cameras that are placed in the individual owner’s place of business. Streaming video is important when it comes to entertainment, such as with the television or on the internet, but it is also practical in a number of ways when it comes to security for businesses. Whether an individual wants to watch a movie on the television or check on the status of their store while they are home, streaming video can help these individuals to accomplish their goals and meet their desires. Sometimes streaming video will cost money and in order cases it will not cost the individual anything. It all depends on what is being streamed and where this is taking place. Many online sources do not charge for streaming video, but in most cases security companies and also the cable company will charge for the streaming videos that the individuals are able to enjoy.

Placing banner ads can be a highly effective way to market your business on the Internet. Banner ads are essentially advertisements which appear on a website, usually in the form of a combination of graphics and text, to encourage Internet users to click through these advertisements to your website. The most common form of banner ads is an advertisement which appears on the top of a website and spans the width of the webpage. These advertisements derived their name from the similarity to a banner but technically banner ads can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This article will take a look at the effectiveness of banner as well as methods for placing these banner ads.

Banner ads can be highly effective if used properly. However, placing your banner ad all over the Internet with very little consideration to whether or not the location is likely to be beneficial to your business is not a good idea and can be a tremendous waste of money as well as other resources such as time and effort. Therefore business owners who are considering using banner ads to promote their business should spend some time to learn how to use banner ads effectively and to find ideal location for placing their banner ads.

The most ideal location for a banner ad is prominently displayed on a website which receives a great deal of website traffic and also complements your products and services well without providing direct competition for your products or services. As an example consider a business owner who specializes in selling athletic shoes specifically for runners. Buying banner ad space on a website which offers advice on training for running events and provides information on upcoming races would be an excellent idea. This website attracts visitors who have an interest in running and are likely to purchase athletic shoes but does not sell running shoes directly. This means the website attracts members of your target audience but does not compete for your business.

In addition to purchasing banner ad space, some business owners opt to join banner ad exchange groups. This is an alternative in which the business owner does not pay for their banner ad to be placed on another website but in exchange they agree to post one or more advertisements on their own website. This is a very affordable option for placing banner ads but it is not always the best strategy. This is because the business owner often has little input into where their banner ad appears and has limited input into the banner ads which appear on his website in return. In most cases, business owners have the ability to decline to host advertisements which they deem to be offensive but cannot specifically choose the banner ads they must post.

Finally, when posting banner ads, business owners should be aware of the effectiveness of the ads they place. They may choose to post different designs for their banner ad on different websites but they should monitor the results of their advertising to determine if one style is more effective than another. This information can be very important. If one style is enjoying a great deal of success while the other style is not, the business owner may wish to use the more successful style for all of their banner ads or to redesign the less successful style to make it more appealing to Internet users.

Using a streaming video is often much easier than downloading the video to one’s hard drive. There are a number of different reasons for this. It is especially true of individuals that are new to learning about computers and those who may not be especially familiar with how a computer works or the different components of a computer. When considering how to use streaming video, it is much less complicated than the use of downloading videos. If a person does not remember where they saved a video, it can be very difficult to find it later.

There are many times that the computer will pick a place for the video, and if the individual does not change the save location, they may be confused later as to where the video file went. Compared to this, how to use streaming video is much more appealing. There is no where to save the streaming video, so the individual who is watching it does not have to locate it later. Streaming means that the material is always coming forth from the source.

When it comes to streaming video, and how to use streaming video, the individual merely needs to go to the web site location of the streaming video. From there, they will be able to click play on the streaming video player that is being used. The file will then begin to play for the individual. The individual will be able to pause and rewind the file just like when playing a downloaded video. Also, since the file is already on the web site and always being streamed from the source, it takes less time to begin watching the video in most cases, since the downloading process of a video can take a long time. This way, streaming video can save the individual time and energy. Once the video has been played, it can be played again and it will still not take up any more time than is necessary to connect with the host that is streaming the file.

In order to use streaming video, the individual does need to be connected to the internet the whole time, since this is where the file is coming from. This is another difference between downloading a video clip and playing a streaming video clip. If an individual is watching a downloaded video, the person does not need to stay connected to the internet after the file is downloaded. They will need to be connected when the file is downloaded, but after that process is complete, whether they are connected to the internet or not, their file will still be able to be played.

These are the very simple ways in which individuals can learn how to use streaming video clips for both personal and professional reasons, as well as being able to highlight the differences between streaming video and downloaded video clips, and what each of these can do for the individual that wants to play a video clip of any source on a media or video player.

Are you looking to use the internet as a source of entertainment? With high movie renting costs, cable costs, and satellite TV costs, many people are starting to turn to the internet. One of the reasons for that is because the internet is a great source of entertainment. There are a large number of websites, including YouTube, can that literally leave you laughing or crying for hours.

If you are looking for videos to watch online, as it was previously mentioned, you are urged to visit YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing website that allows internet users, just like you, to not only watch videos, but also share their own. Allowing other internet users to upload their own videos is one of the reasons why YouTube has become so popular and it is one of the many reasons why YouTube has an unlimited number of videos to choose from. In fact, YouTube has so many videos to choose from that they had to categorize them all, which actually makes it easier to find YouTube videos that interest you, as a viewer.

One of the most popular YouTube video categories is comedy. The comedy category on YouTube tends to include comedy sketches, standup acts, as well as comedy spoofs. A large number of the comedy videos found on YouTube are staged or rehearsed, but there are many videos that were just taken at the spur of the moment. Many times, you will find that these videos are the funniest. No matter what type of YouTube comedy video you watch, you will likely be left laughing.

Another popular YouTube video category is that of entertainment. When it comes to entertainment videos, you will find that you have a wide variety of different videos to choose from. While it is still possible to find videos that have clips of your favorite music videos, television shows, or movies, YouTube is trying to cut down on those videos, as they don’t have permission to broadcast many of them right now. Other entertainment videos include video reviews of movies or television shows, gossip, or amateur reporting events.

Pets and animals is another popular YouTube video category. As you likely already know, videos in this category are centered on pets, in one way or another. In some cases, YouTube members are showing off a new pet that they got, but many pet videos are also comedy related. A lot of YouTube members like posting videos of their pets doing something funny, unique, or cute. If you love pets, you will sure enjoy watching many of the pet videos that can be found under the pets and animals section on YouTube.

Travel and places is another popular video category on YouTube. This YouTube category also acts, in a way, to educate viewers. Many of the videos found under the YouTube travel and places category are videos that members shot when they were traveling, many times in a foreign country. For that reason, it is common to find videos that take you on a tour or show you well-known tourist attractions. If you are interested in planning a vacation, but you don’t know yet where you should go, you will want to examine some of the travel and places videos that can be found on YouTube.

One more popular YouTube video category is that of people and blogs. This is where many YouTube members post personal videos about themselves. One of the most popular types of videos found under the heading of people and blogs are video blogs. Video blogs are like traditional blogs, but they are in video format. With video blogs, YouTube members often outline their day or their week for all other internet users to watch. In most cases, you will find that many video blogs have a humorous side to them.

The previously outlined YouTube video categories are just a few of the many that exist. Additional categories include How-To and Do It Yourself, Gadgets and Games, Film and Animation, Autos and Vehicles, Sports, Music, and News and Politics. Basically, whatever you are looking for, entertainment wise, you should be able to find it on YouTube and with detailed categories, finding what you want is easy.

Internet Service Providers, or ISP companies, are able to offer individuals a number of different things when it comes to their internet. Sometimes, these websites are better for hosting different types of videos, since a faster connection will allow faster downloads and more consistent streaming. When it comes to ISP streaming video from internet servers, there are a number of important things that individuals will need to keep in mind. First of all, a person will want to choose an internet service provider that is reliable. This is important because no matter how fast the connection is, if it keeps cutting out an individual will not be able to upload or download what they want to accomplish. It is also important that the individual know if there are any restrictions when it comes to their connection. Sometimes there is a restriction on the amount that can be downloaded or streamed at once. When it comes to an ISP streaming video from internet servers, it is very important that if the individual notices anything slow of unnerving about the process that they talk to their ISP in case there is any type of problem.

If an individual is wondering what type of ISP streaming video from internet servers are available, the genres are virtually limitless. For some people, the draw will be the fact that there are news videos available. For others, it will be the highlights from sports games and races or fights. And still others will be curious about the ever expanding world of porn on the internet. There are a number of free adult entertainment videos that are available on the internet for individuals that are of age to access. This can vary from place to place and while controls can be put on the computer in order to block certain sites, it will also be important that there are discussions that take place in order to determine what, if anything, will be blocked, this way if anyone ever can’t access something they know why.

Searching for any types of streaming video from the internet is not very difficult. All an individual needs to do is access the search engine of any web browser. From here it is very easy to type in what they want to look for, and to also type in the world free. This will be important if the individual does not want to pay for the video out of pocket. Websites are not paid for by the ISP, so any time that an individual goes to a website and has to pay to see a video, this will be in addition to the internet bill that the individual receives from the internet service provider and they will have to be paid separately. The individual does not need to think they will be reimbursed by their ISP, because this will not happen. Videos can be free if the right resources are used, but if they are not than the individuals need to be aware of what they are getting into.

When considering who uses streaming video, many people may be surprised by the actual results. This is because almost everyone at one time or another uses streaming video. We may not realize this at first, but in many cases this is because we are unfamiliar with what it is that constitutes streaming video and who offers streaming videos to the public. Upon clarification of these things, we can see the truth as to who it is that uses streaming videos. Video is the medium that is being used, much like other mediums include auditory devices or still images. Streaming is the method through which the video is being transmitted. By understanding that streaming is not a medium, we are able to think more concretely about who uses streaming video and how they are able to do so. Streaming video is the series of images and sounds that are transported or transmitted from one source, to another location, from which the viewers will watch in the hopes of learning something or being entertained.

Television stations and channels are almost always offering streaming video, and this is because they are constantly sending out a signal that can be picked up by any individuals that are able to tune in to the station. This means that many of us have been using streaming video long before the birth of the internet. However, we are more familiar with this concept as a part of the internet because this is about the time when the phrase was begun to be used. Still, this does not mean that the definition does not apply when it comes to sources like the television.

Many people will offer streaming video on their websites because it is very easy for people to use, and it takes less time than downloading in most instances. Because of this, many people are drawn to the websites that offer streaming video clips, simply because of the convenience and freedom that this method is able to offer the individual. A person does not need to wait very long in order to view their streaming video, since all the computer needs to do is connect to the host server and buffer the video. This usually does not take much time at all. People are able to enjoy their videos without having to download them and find them somewhere on their computer. Streaming video also has less of a chance of being used by individuals as a method to infect computers, which is a problem with downloading. This means that many people use streaming video to avoid this problem.

Not only can many individuals use streaming video, but there are a number of establishments that can benefit from incorporating streaming video into their websites as well in order to offer something new and fresh to visitors of the websites. For example, the owners of blogs have begun to add these things to their websites. Many news sites have been offering video streaming for quite some time. So, too, have sports websites and many others who have been able to acknowledge the many benefits that comes with offering the effective and convenient option of streaming video clips.