Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Mon, Feb 08, 2010 @ 04:22 PM
To kickoff our first celebration of Flimpbruary, last week we focused on Flimp Best Practices.
This week we are going to definite the difference between the FLIMP Platform and. . .
- Monday - YouTube
- Tuesday - Brainshark
- Wednesday - Brightcove
- Thursday - GoodMail
- Friday - Animated GIFs
Without a doubt, YouTube has been a revolutionary force within the online video category. This video sharing site has served as a repository for video content ranging from the hilarious (LOL Cats anyone) to the emotionally moving to trend setting. For many, YouTube defines what online video is.
However, YouTube is not necessarily the best platform for web video marketing. While it can be beneficial from an SEO standpoint to post corporate video content to YouTube, this site may not be the best place to launch a web video marketing campaign.
Marketers can definitely be "blinded by the 'free' aspect and fail to understand the associated soft costs" of using a free video sharing site. PC World wrote about this very aspect back in 2007. If you are hosting your video on a video sharing site, you have to abide by the site's licensing terms and agreements. Additionally, the hosting site can benefit by hosting your video as your views can increase the site's traffic. Video content that is either not contextually relevant or perhaps offensive to your organization could be displayed with your video. Reporting metrics may be limited. Also, you may have to contend with the site's branding, like the YouTube logo visible on the video player. Finally, after a viewer has watched your video, it can be difficult to enable them to engage with your product, service or organization.
That is the 10,000 foot view of why YouTube may not be the best place to build your web video marketing campaign on. Here is a more succinct comparison to help in your decision making.
|
Flimp Video
Landing Pages |
YouTube |
| Viewer Tracking and Reporting |
Yes.
Tracks viewer activity in real time, monitors viewer engagement, and reports by email address. |
Yes.
Broad statistics and data, focusing mainly on video views. |
| Supports Video Content |
Yes.
Insert Flash video and animations. |
Yes.
Upload video content. |
| Supports Branding, Messaging and Direct Calls to Action |
Yes.
Video landing pages can be designed to an organization's brand standards, can support direct messages and direct calls to action linking to Web content. |
Yes.
Simple message with one direct Web link permitted. |
| Multiple Formats |
Yes.
Video Landing Pages (VLPs), Email, Web integration, digital collateral, and more. |
No.
Mainly Web integration. |
| Searchable |
Yes.
Enables hidden search optimization text. |
Yes.
YouTube is Google's video search engine. |
| Requires Programming |
No.
No programming skills are needed. |
Yes.
HTML programming skills required for Web integration. |
| Production Costs |
Low.
Flimp significantly cuts programming costs usually associated with video marketing. |
Moderate.
Every Web integration effort requires programming. |
| Focus on Direct Marketing |
Yes.
Flimp enables users to use video in a variety of direct marketing applications. |
No.
YouTube mainly relies on search results to generate views. |
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Sun, Feb 07, 2010 @ 01:06 PM
Did you know that the average video on a flimp video landing page is viewed for 78 seconds?
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Sat, Feb 06, 2010 @ 01:05 PM
Did you know that since January 2008, over 3.5 million flimp video landing pages views have occurred?
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 @ 02:14 PM
I believe that Testing/QA is perhaps the most important part of creating a web video marketing campaign. Testing, when done correctly, places the marketer in the audience's seat. While it is important to QA each element of a web video marketing campaign on its own merits, it is also extremely important to review everything in a simulated environment.
While many people feel that QA can be done by evaluating a flimp video landing page (VLP) within the "Preview" view or my reading the email body copy within a campaign set-up window, to effectively gauge if everything is working properly, you need to evaluate all components outside of either the FLIMP Platform or your Email Service Provider (ESP). Depending on the distribution type, the flimp VLP may be evaluated by
- Creating a weblink to test the flimp in a web browser.
- Sending a test email from either Flimp Email or an integrated ESP.
- Integrating the HTML, Embed as Flash or Optimized for Search Engine Marketing source code into your website or blog.
When I discuss Testing/QA with Flimp's clients, I recommend evaluation the following components: Video, Video Landing Page, Email, and Embedded Content.
Video:
-
Watch the video to completion.
-
Make sure the video runs smoothly and the audio is clear.
-
If the progressive download appears to stop or stall, then the video bitrate may be too high. The video should be re-coded at a 400 bitrate.
Flimp Video Landing Page:
-
Watch the video to completion.
-
Check for spelling and other typographical errors.
-
Make sure text added as either a Single Line Text or a as Rich Media Text renders correctly. This is especially important if the copy has been directly "cut and pasted" from a Microsoft Word document. Word is a powerful tool. However, Word and the HTML format do not always play well together. You need to be on the lookout for broken characters, such as quotation marks, apostrophes, dashes and other symbols may appear broken if you copy directly from Word and paste into either the Rich Media Text.
-
Look at any image or photo to make sure you are using the correct image.
-
Click on each link to make sure it is pointing to the correct web page, PDF or email address.
-
If you have added activated either the Forward to a Friend or the Response Form or created a Form using the Form Builder, fill out each form and make sure the data is appearing in the flimp report.
Email:
- Send a "test" email directly from either Flimp Email or your ESP. The "test" email should contain all the information that will be included in the actual distribution. This includes the email sender's name, email sender's address, actual subject line, actual body copy, and any personalization that will be included in the email.
- Look to see if your email message was delivered directly to your inbox or if it was sent to your email's spam/junk folder. Sometimes emails with the word TEST in the Subject line may be sent to a spam/junk folder. If this is the case, re-send the email without the word TEST in the subject line.
- Use a spam identifying tool to make sure the subject line and/or body copy does not trip off any spam filters. Certain words can trip off spam filters.
- Check for spelling and other typographical errors.
- Make sure the message renders correctly. This is especially important if the copy has been directly "cut and pasted" from a Microsoft Word document. You need to be on the lookout for broken characters, such as quotation marks, apostrophes, dashes and other symbols may appear broken if you copy directly from Word and paste into your email set-up.
- If personalization is being used, such as Dear FirstName, make sure that the copy presents as Dear Jennifer, and not Dear FirstName or Dear ,.
- Click on the link to the flimp. Watch the flimp to completion. Go into either the Distribution Report or main Report to make sure your at individual email address information appears in the reports.
Embedded Content:
- Watch the video to completion.
- Check for spelling and other typographical errors. Make sure text added as either a Single Line Text or a as Rich Media Text renders correctly.
- Make sure that the flimp appears correctly within a web page.
- Watch the video to completion. Make sure it appears in the flimp report. While at individual level email address information will not appear, video viewing minutes and any other functionality will appear.
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 @ 09:41 AM
Today we're going to touch on a simple but extremely important best practice: saving your video landing page (VLP).
As you create your video landing page, we do recommend that you make incremental saves each time you add in a new piece of content (such as an image, copy, button, etc.) or add in components such as a link-to URL. Incremental saves enable the platform to capture your work. As you work on the flimp, you should be periodically saving your VLP using the "Don't Save Snapshot" button. If you do make incremental saves there is the added benefit of editing your VLP as you are creating it. Should make an edit to the canvas that you do not like, you can always revert back to the previously saved version by clicking the "Create and Edit" tab. However, if you haven't been making incremental saves, you could lose some content.
Right before you distribute your flimp it is important to save it using the "Save Updated Snapshot." The "Save Updated Snapshot" will capture an exact picture of your flimp and carry that image through any of the distribution processes.
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Wed, Feb 03, 2010 @ 01:24 PM
People try to overcomplicate web video marketing. Perhaps it is because many marketers are better wordsmiths than visual thinkers? Maybe it is because digital component to web video marketing seems daunting? The good news is that web video marketing can be as simple as any other marketing strategies.
The whole reason marketers want to utilize audiovisual content is to benefit from the one-two punch of audio mixed with video. Audiovisual content can be an easier way to tell a compelling story. Viewers are moved by the combination of visuals and sound. To make sure that video for your web video marketing is optimized, consider these suggestions:
- Video Size: not file size, but the actual amount of space your video player will take up on your video landing page. People are often drawn to presenting video in the largest player size possible. On a flimp video landing page, that would be up to a 648 width or up to a 500 height in size. In the digital world, bigger may not always be better. Consider using larger video player sizes for content that is extremely visual in nature, such as a real estate tour or a video about a tourist destination. Mid-size video approximately 380 to 480 in width, is best suited for content that has a lot of visual action. "Talk head" video (of a person speaking) can work in the mid-size range, but depending on quality, consider a 320 width video. The 320x240 used to be formerly known as the "YouTube standard size" until YouTube increased their video player.
- Video Length: Along the same lines as video size, many marketers think longer is better. Longer can be better if you have an audience full of rapt viewers who are waiting with bated breath for every word you want to share with them. Realistically, most people don't have a lot of time to devote to your marketing endeavors. To effectively engage your audience, consider creating video that is between 30 seconds to one minute. In an online environment, viewers are in a "lean forward" not a "lean back" position. Your video content should enable the viewers to engage in a deeper way with you - by clicking on one of your calls to action or contacting you for more information.
- Video Style: Most web video marketers create their video using a video camera. However, sometimes it may make sense to create the audiovisual content by creating a slideshow or a "Camtasia"-type tour. Situations that require crystal clear images, such as home tours for real estate marketers or resort tours in travel marketing, may be more powerful if a slideshow created from still photographs is used in lieu of traditional video content.
- Video Thumbnail: Every video used on a flimp video landing page (VLP) contains a thumbnail. The thumbnail is a snapshot taken of a specific frame in your video. This is the image that represents your video wherever the video is placed, so you want to make it as impactful as possible. It also serves as the final frame of the video, after the video stops playing through. The thumbnail should be of a clear frame - avoid any blurred images. Also, if a person is speaking, try to not capture the thumbnail with their mouth opened at an awkward angle. Also, if you have either a logo and/or copy such as your organization's name or website, consider making that the thumbnail.
- Video Play Arrow: Select the video play arrow to appear over your VLP. This is a simple way to reinforce to a viewer that they can view video content.
- Audio Track: While there is a lot of focus on the visual component to audiovisual content, the sound quality of your video is equally important. Make sure your audio track is clear and easy to hear. Avoid using audio tracks that contain static or feedback sounds. Also, the audio content should complement, not compete, with your video content. If you're using a photo slideshow, consider adding background music or a voice over.
- Video Bitrate: It is important to save any FLV (Flash video) file that will be used on a flimp VLP at a 400 bitrate. When video is saved at a higher bitrate, people using slower Internet connections will have trouble so include one about bit rate explain how if it is too high then people on slower connections will have trouble viewing it.
- Video Placement: Placing the video on a VLP is a design consideration. If you have a lot of body copy, consider placing the video on the left-hand side, with the body copy on the right-hand side. This is because people tend to read things left to right. If you do not have a lot of body copy, consider placing the video in the center of the VLP. Any calls to action could be placed beneath the video, as people tend to read from the top to the bottom.
- Video Snapshot: Depending on your campaign's goals, it may make sense to take a snapshot of just your video instead of the entire flimp video landing page. A video snapshot can be especially effective for flimps distributed via email or integrated into a web page. Below is an example of the "flimp" snapshot and the "video only" snapshot.
Flimp Snapshot (with video play arrow):
Video Only Snapshot (with video play arrow):
Refer to Flimpbruary Day 2 for other tips on making your video content as visually compelling as possible.
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Tue, Feb 02, 2010 @ 01:50 PM
Making a flimp video landing page (VLPs) is extremely simple. The FLIMP Platform was designed for individuals who may not be interactive developers or even interactive designers. The drag & drop WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) lets flimp makers design custom VLPs withing their own brand standards.
Two types of digital assets may be used to create a flimp: digital images and audiovisual content.
Digital Images:
Images are a great way to liven up a VLP. Logos and photos naturally comprise most digital images, but body/text copy can be saved as an image and used on the VLP. Images provide an added benefit: they can either link directly to a web page, link to an email address and they can link to the "Send to a Friend" or "Default Response Form."
Any digital image that has been saved as either a .jpg, .png or .gif file can be uploaded to an account's image library. If a flimpmaker is creating the flimp solely using the drag & drop WYSIWYG, image best practices include:
- Sizing the image to the size that it needs to be used on the flimp VLP will provide the greatest clarity. If a logo needs to fit in a 210 pixel height by 39 pixel width space, save it as that size before uploading it into the Image Library.
- Saving the digital image in a specific format may provide greater design flexibility. PNG files can have what's called an "alpha transparency," where parts of the image can be partially or completely opaque. This enables images, especially logos, to appear to be "floating" on top of the flimp VLP. This is especially beneficial if you are using a background color and your image normally appears within either a white or color box. The "alpha transparency" eliminates the box around the image.
- GIF files have limited transparency, meaning parts of the image can be either completely transparent or completely opaque.
- JPG files cannot have transparency. If an image, especially a logo, has been designed to sit on a color, that color will be apparent in the background of the VLP. Many designers will convert an image to have a white background, offering design flexibility.
- Images used on a flimp VLP can be placed on top of design elements, including text, shapes and even other images, by utilizing the layering tools, located in the WYSIYG toolbar. Layering images can give your VLP some design complexity.
- Consider an "advanced" flimp making approach. Create a full template, save it as a digital file, upload it to the Image Library, then save it as a Background Image in the "Flimp Settings" area. While an image uploaded to a background is initially static, you can turn any area on this image into a live web link by utilizing the Image Overlay located in every Image Library. Add the overlay, set it to the invisible transparency and your static areas are now live web links.
Audiovisual Content:
Online video is the reason for a video landing page!
-
Sizing the video to the dimensions it needs to be on the
VLP will provide the greatest clarity. The flimp's video player can support video up to a 640 width or up to a 500 height in size.
-
The FLV (flash video) files added to your Video Library should be saved at a 400 bit rate.
-
A thumbnail must be saved for every video loaded into your Video Library. The thumbnail is the video image that is captured with the flimp snapshot and it is also the final frame of the video displayed after the video stops playing. Place consideration to which frame of the video becomes your thumbnail. If you don't like your thumbnail, no worries, you can always change it.
-
Once video has been placed on your video landing page, consider adding design features including rounded corners and/or a drop shadow. This may enhance the design of your VLP.
-
In "Flimp Settings" consider adding a video play arrow to your flimp VLP, especially if you are going to be distributing your VLP via email or embedding it into a website. The play arrow is a visual queue to the viewer reminding them that there is a video to watch.
Here is an example of a flimp video saved with rounded corners, a slight drop shadow and the ever important play arrow feature:
Tomorrow's Best Practice is "Viewability."
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Mon, Feb 01, 2010 @ 03:28 PM
Here at Flimp, February is known as Flimpbruary. In celebration of the shortest month on the calendar, we are going to publish a Flimpruary article every day this month.
This week's theme is Flimp Best Practices:
- Monday - Video Landing Page 101
- Tuesday - Digital Asset Best Practices
- Wednesday - Viewability
- Thursday - Saving
- Friday - Testing and QA
Since a major benefit of the FLIMP Platform is the ability to create video landing pages (VLP), we absolutely believe that a VLP is a best practice that all web video marketers should follow.
The great thing about a VLP is that you can use them in different ways. They compliment email marketing best practices and they play a key role in keyword campaigns. Since audiovisual content is outstanding at driving viewer engagement, a VLP is a natural compliment to video. After watching a video, a viewer can fully engage with a product or service directly on the VLP instead of going to a search engine to find more information.
The ideal VLP would contain video (obviously), along with branding, messaging, and direct calls to action. For personality, a VLP may also contain static images that reinforce the brand and message. Super simple and super powerful.
As proponents of the VLP, you can learn more about video landing pages from these posts previously published to The Rich Media Marketer:
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Fri, Jan 29, 2010 @ 01:05 AM
Is it possible that January 2010 is nearly over? The New Year has certainly ushered in one consistent trend: online video.
The Web Video Marketing Council archived over 100 news articles published this month related to web video marketing. That is a lot of ink. It is great to see the industry excited about the prospects of web video marketing. Some highlights for the month included:
- Inc. found that 87 percent of companies on the Inc. 500 list have been successful using web video marketing tactics.
- Coca-Cola's first pure web video marketing initiative, which went viral.
- Video drives search. YouTube searches represent nearly 28 percent of all Google.com searches.
- Online videos, when submitted properly, are 53 times more likely to generate a first-page Google ranking vs. traditional SEO content.
- Public relations practitioners are encouraged to utilize online video to promote products and services.
- Web video marketing campaigns were launched a plethora of consumer brands including Del Taco, Fidelity, Gillette, GMC and Seventh Generation.
- On the political front, online video played a key role in Massachusetts Senator-elect Scott Brown's victory and it was leveraged by Garden State Equality.
- Not-for-profits such as the Girls Scouts of the USA and public advocacy groups including Families Fighting for Flu launched awareness web video marketing campaigns.
At least five articles included web video marketing as a "must do" digital tactic.
Why is web video marketing generating all this attention? Because consumers demand engagement. The whole purpose of marketing is to generate engagement. Today, online video is one of the best ways to drive engagement.
Flimp is excited to be part of the media buzz surrounding online video. Check out the ink:
Finally, our own Matt Shaw published a piece in MediaPost's Online Video Insider. Nice work, Matt.
All this buzz has made January a lot warmer.
Posted by Jenn O'Meara on Mon, Jan 18, 2010 @ 09:56 AM
It seems impossible to believe that January 2010 is already half over. I love the flurry of activity associated with the New Year. There is also a sense that, at least in the marketing world, things are more optimistic than last year.
While many marketers have strategically planned their organizations 2010 initiatives, others are being more fluid with their approach to this year. Whatever camp you fall into, here are three concepts to keep in mind.
1. Stop renting your audience and start owning it.
This was the theme of Daisy Whitney's "New Media Minute" show for the week of January 11th. Due in part to social media, the Web and changing offline media habits, many companies are making the move to "owning" their audience. Take soda pop giant Pepsi. For years, Pepsi has been a major player in that game known as Super Bowl Advertisers Ad-xtravagnza. The grid iron game of the year was also one of Pepsi's biggest marketing events. But that won't be the case this year. Pepsi is going to embark on more targeted, mostly online efforts, to reach soda drinkers.
I believe every marketer should consider owning their audience through a mix of integrated marketing efforts. A media plan where you're paying someone else (a TV station, newspaper or website) may not guarantee you reach. Focusing just on newspapers, Harris Interactive released some stunning stats. Just 2 in 5 Americans don't even read a daily newspaper and 77% of Americans will not pay for online newspaper content. Three-fourths of adults - no doubt some of your target audience - will not pay to read a newspaper online. If they don't read the content, they won't see your ad.
Another point that needs to be stressed - companies are moving dollars from traditional media to digital marketing efforts. While placement may be free, there are still dollars being spent to create the message and to have someone distribute this message. Partly due to the economy and partly due to how some people think about the Web, interactive marketing is not a "free" effort. You do have to commit budget to it and, sometimes, you even need to pay for a product or service in order to gain ROI from your efforts.
2. "Searchmercial"
With Daisy's stellar recommendation in mind, start thinking in terms of a "searchmercial". What's that? A "searchmercial" is short-form web video content that helps people locate your business. This content can be a :30 to :90 second video that tells your story. Take one extra step to make your "searchmercial" more valuable by building it on a video landing page. This way, when audiences who may not know about your business learn about it through the video content, they have a way to reach you directly. This beats with putting the onus on the audience to find you. A "searchmercial" video landing page can be deployed any number of ways - through keyword ads, integrated into blogs, shared via social networking, and even distributed via email.
3. Leverage Smart Technology
Website Magazine wrote a great article about how marketers can leverage online applications to their advantage. While online businesses are using technology to improve their customer experience, many organizations have admitted that they may not be using analytical data to their advantage. I truly believe that the FLIMP Platform's sweet spot is the robust analytical data every flimp video landing page generates. We don't provide this data because we like looking at pretty charts and graphs. We give you this data because we know it can help you with your marketing efforts. Isn't that why you use a marketing technology like Flimp? To help you improve your bottom line.
In this New Year, do not let the data bog you down. Embrace analytics. Website Magazine best summed it up: "The bottom line is, using analytics to the right extent isn't easy but if managed with care, can provide the means to significantly increase brand recognition and revenue." What's even better: Flimp analytics are easy to understand and easy to manage.
2010 is poised to be a fresh year for marketing. Maybe you'll find that you're using one of these three concepts in your marketing efforts.