Friday, January 19, 2007
Buyaputtinggreen.com takes to video to explain products on the web
As printed in Internet Retailer
When consumers can’t actually see and touch the product, the concept of a high-quality portable artificial putting green takes some explaining. Video is one way to help sell complex products online, so Buyaputtinggreen.com, an authorized dealer for Tour Links greens, has nearly 40 videos up on its site to explain product features and illustrate frequently asked questions—all shot at the retailer by Dave Barlow, the president of the company, with a video camera. The videos play immediately when a site visitor reaches pages on which they’re posted.
“These aren’t complicated videos—it’s just Dave, in front of the camera at his company with a product,” says Scott Madlener, executive vice president at video technology provider Performance Communications Group. “It’s almost like a town hall feeling, and the assurance of quality comes across because of the video.”
To get the videos up on the site, the videotapes went from Barlow’s camera to PCG, an online marketing services technology firm that has developed an Internet-secured application technology platform called ISAT, which delivers multimedia applications to web sites, e-newsletters, banner ads and other online venues in a secure environment.
PCG manually digitized the tapes and posted them into its ISAT Video management system for distribution on the site. The ISAT platform also provides an automated authoring system, allowing site operators to connect their web cam or camcorder to their computer so the system can capture, digitize, host and post the video—for use on a web page, incorporation into other digital assets, or to be e-mailed out individually.
One of the metrics tracked by the reports generated by the ISAT platform is how engaged visitors are on the sites or other online venues where the videos are viewed, and to what extent video lengthens site visits. Madlener says that of 100,000 visits tracked since the videos launched on Buyaputtinggreen.com in the middle of last year’s first quarter, the average site visit included about 5 minutes of video viewing. Across tests as well as the actual experience of other clients using the ISAT platform, adding video to text on average doubles the length of time visitors remain on a site, Madlener says.
For more information visit www.performcom.com
When consumers can’t actually see and touch the product, the concept of a high-quality portable artificial putting green takes some explaining. Video is one way to help sell complex products online, so Buyaputtinggreen.com, an authorized dealer for Tour Links greens, has nearly 40 videos up on its site to explain product features and illustrate frequently asked questions—all shot at the retailer by Dave Barlow, the president of the company, with a video camera. The videos play immediately when a site visitor reaches pages on which they’re posted.
“These aren’t complicated videos—it’s just Dave, in front of the camera at his company with a product,” says Scott Madlener, executive vice president at video technology provider Performance Communications Group. “It’s almost like a town hall feeling, and the assurance of quality comes across because of the video.”
To get the videos up on the site, the videotapes went from Barlow’s camera to PCG, an online marketing services technology firm that has developed an Internet-secured application technology platform called ISAT, which delivers multimedia applications to web sites, e-newsletters, banner ads and other online venues in a secure environment.
PCG manually digitized the tapes and posted them into its ISAT Video management system for distribution on the site. The ISAT platform also provides an automated authoring system, allowing site operators to connect their web cam or camcorder to their computer so the system can capture, digitize, host and post the video—for use on a web page, incorporation into other digital assets, or to be e-mailed out individually.
One of the metrics tracked by the reports generated by the ISAT platform is how engaged visitors are on the sites or other online venues where the videos are viewed, and to what extent video lengthens site visits. Madlener says that of 100,000 visits tracked since the videos launched on Buyaputtinggreen.com in the middle of last year’s first quarter, the average site visit included about 5 minutes of video viewing. Across tests as well as the actual experience of other clients using the ISAT platform, adding video to text on average doubles the length of time visitors remain on a site, Madlener says.
For more information visit www.performcom.com
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Special Report: B-to-B Manufacturing --
Strategy #3. Don’t rule out video and other “consumer” media
As printed in Marketing Sherpa
While video isn’t widely used yet on B-to-B sites, Dave Larson, Director Account Planning for Ovation, says it’s something suppliers need to address. Given that buyers want application information in addition to technical specs, video is the ideal method for showing their products in action, without the expense of a sales call or trade-show booth.
One agency, Performance Communications Group, is using video and rich media in industry-specific Web sites on behalf of their B-to-B clients.
“Let’s face it,” says Scott Madlener, EVP of PCG’s Interactive Marketing group, “Many manufacturers don’t have exciting products. What you get is a lot of ‘junk in the trunk’ collateral that lists technical specs but doesn’t really get the message across in a visual way.”
The agency created a new site for homebuilders that uses video to sell Georgia Pacific’s mold-inhibiting drywall. “The video and accompanying text allows prospects to engage at a level that hasn’t been done too well or at all,” he says.
Because the site launched only a few weeks ago, data is limited, but PCG is already seeing higher-than-expected user interaction time. Other findings:
- Average screen time for the entire site is more than 1.5 minutes per viewer per screen.
- Screens with multimedia and video (typically 30 seconds) average 30% longer engagement per viewer per screen.
- So far, data suggest original video holds viewer interest twice as long as repurposed TV commercials.
- Screens with multimedia training and educational content sustain video interest longer than call to action or awareness media.
As printed in Marketing Sherpa
While video isn’t widely used yet on B-to-B sites, Dave Larson, Director Account Planning for Ovation, says it’s something suppliers need to address. Given that buyers want application information in addition to technical specs, video is the ideal method for showing their products in action, without the expense of a sales call or trade-show booth.
One agency, Performance Communications Group, is using video and rich media in industry-specific Web sites on behalf of their B-to-B clients.
“Let’s face it,” says Scott Madlener, EVP of PCG’s Interactive Marketing group, “Many manufacturers don’t have exciting products. What you get is a lot of ‘junk in the trunk’ collateral that lists technical specs but doesn’t really get the message across in a visual way.”
The agency created a new site for homebuilders that uses video to sell Georgia Pacific’s mold-inhibiting drywall. “The video and accompanying text allows prospects to engage at a level that hasn’t been done too well or at all,” he says.
Because the site launched only a few weeks ago, data is limited, but PCG is already seeing higher-than-expected user interaction time. Other findings:
- Average screen time for the entire site is more than 1.5 minutes per viewer per screen.
- Screens with multimedia and video (typically 30 seconds) average 30% longer engagement per viewer per screen.
- So far, data suggest original video holds viewer interest twice as long as repurposed TV commercials.
- Screens with multimedia training and educational content sustain video interest longer than call to action or awareness media.
