Web Video vs. TV Advertising
Let's level the playing field! When you start talking to a business owner about infomercials and video, he or she assumes you're talking about television at first. That's all right. They already know they don't have the budget for TV in most cases. But their assumption allows you to reveal a bit of a surprise, especially if they ask you outright, "Are you talking about TV?"
I always answer, "No, no. This is much better than TV - it's the Internet."
But, why is it better than TV? Because on television, you're paying for thousands and thousands of people who will never, ever be watching the channel at the exact time that your infomercial comes on the air, on the exact channel, looking for exactly what you offer.
And let's face it! It costs a lot of money to be placed on cable TV, or even more for broadcast television. So, instead of a 30 second spot, consider a two to three minute infomercial that will be posted on all the top video sites across the world.
Now, the only people who are going to watch your infomercial are people who are looking for exactly what you're offering, those who will sit there and watch it, and more often than not, immediately ACT on the offer. That's the pure art of niche marketing or Influence Marketing right there.
With TV advertising, you're paying a LOT of money for a LOT of waste. You may get a lot of eyeballs, but chances are slim that they'll be looking for what you have to offer at that moment.
On the other hand, on the Internet, when someone is looking for a specific product or service and they find it, the chances are much greater that they will act on the information.
For example, if I produce a 30-second TV commercial for my own product or service:
1. YOU'VE got to be on the channel where I purchased the ad space. 2. YOU'VE got to be on that channel at exactly the time and moment the commercial appears. 3. YOU'VE got to be in the mood, or be looking for my product or service, and 4. YOU better remember everything that I told you in 30 seconds, because 5. YOU'RE not going to be able to check it out again. Not until you catch that commercial again - and when is THAT going to happen?
Chances are you'll never be there at that time and place and channel again to watch that commercial no matter how many times it runs again.
But, with web video commercials, say you miss the address, or you want to go back and look at a picture of my product or service. You can go back and review the description as many times as you want, or the phone number, or even make a purchase. You can click a button on my YouTube video and send an email out to your friends saying, "Hey, remember when you said you were looking for so-and-so? Well, I just found it on the Internet. Here's a link to the video that explains it all."
Now, through viral marketing, or word-of-mouth advertising, that video can be sent out to a person who wasn't even looking for it at the time. A recommendation to watch a promotional video by a friend is the best referral you can get.
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