Last week, Larry Joseloff from Shop.org sent me an article he found on Mashable.com, “5 People Who Broke the Rules of Social Media and Succeeded.”  The article highlights the work of one video commerce pioneer, Pinny Gniwisch from Ice.com, for his idea to post a contest video on YouTube as a way to drive email signups and sales.  Not only was Pinny able to gather 6,000 new email signups, but as a result of adding these new prospective customers to Ice.com’s email database, he generated $20,000 in new sales over the holiday season.

Pinny interviews celebrities

I like this case because it shows the contest culture on YouTube is very much alive and well.  I’ve seen a few retailers now that understand the power of video contests as a reliable mechanism for sourcing new video content and driving sales.  Perhaps most notably, Jordan Blum, CEO of BeautyChoice.com, has utilized YouTube contests to rapidly source new user generated video content the company is then able to leverage in several ways, including placement of the videos on product pages to drive conversion rates and build trust in the brand.  The first time I saw what BeautyChoice.com was doing, I was blown away.  Check out their video contest page. It’s hard to see something like this and not imagine many more retailers jumping onto this bandwagon in the near future.

Last, when considering video as part of your email acquisition strategy, remember the potential of video syndication in many channels beyond YouTube, including on your own site.  Traffic on your site is likely to convert at higher rates than in off-site channels, and you can also leverage video’s attribute as “most shared media” to spread the word about video contests through your customer’s own social networks.

Pinny and I will be presenting at the upcoming Shop.org Online Marketing Workshop in Scottsdale on May 5 along with Alison Jeske, Director Product Management at drugstore.com.  We hope to see you there!

Until next time…

Happy Selling!

This morning I read a MarketingVOX article highlighting how YouTube just surpassed 100MM viewers in January.  That’s great news for video commerce, right?  It’s all fine and good that YouTube has such a vast audience, but the more pertinent question for video commerce professionals is: should you care, and if so, why?

Unfortunately, I think this is one question that hasn’t really been adequately examined by many video commerce professionals, and like many questions worthy of examination, the answer isn’t always clear cut.  So let’s take a critical look at YouTube’s role in the video commerce ecosystem and outline the potential benefits and drawbacks around YouTube for video commerce. I really want people to throw counter arguments to some of these statements… please, tell me if I’m wrong.

First, some of the benefits:

1. Audience. For brand building, viral video, and awareness-oriented video, no video platform tops YouTube’s audience.  It’s still a garden rich with opportunity for marketers centered on achieving these goals.  The question I’d pose to video commerce professionals is this: are these in fact your goals?  E-commerce merchants sell products.  Brand marketers build audience.  There is a difference.  Unless you can clearly correlate increased views or impressions with sales, what’s the point?

2. Cost. Anyone can publish video to YouTube, for free.  YouTube hosts content, for free.  YouTube even lets you launch a channel, for free.  Of course, nothing is ever *truly* free, but still, this is a huge plus in the YouTube column, especially during the protracted recession.  The most powerful word in marketing is still F-R-E-E.  Go YouTube.

3. Tools. YouTube has come a long way in the tools area over the last year.  The site now offers more capability for integrating a custom video player on your site through their new API (although functionality is still pretty limited).  Plus, the service now supports high definition video - a major leap forward in quality.  The community features on YouTube aren’t half bad, either.  YouTube is actually launching a program to share some of its lesser known features with the broader YouTube community.  I expect we’ll continue to see YouTube focus on improving the quality of its tools.

4.  Great Source of Content. Are you looking for product videos?  Aside from perhaps ExpoTV, there’s not another video sharing service that comes even close to YouTube in terms of possessing such a wide variety of product video content - and, perhaps contrary to popular belief, not all the content is UGC.  Many brand marketers and product manufacturers post their videos to YouTube.  It’s a treasure trove of video content, much of which you can use to rapidly fatten the library of videos used in your video commerce program - provided you’ve got systems and processes in place to make it scale well.

Now, we’ll focus on some of the drawbacks.

1. Ads. YouTube calls their new ad overlays part of their evolving “e-commerce” program, but don’t be confused - YouTube isn’t thinking of e-commerce in the way you or I might.  They’re thinking of advertising.  Recent reports show 25% of Google searches occur on YouTube, and YouTube is interested in selling ads and extending Google’s reach into YouTube.  How excited are you about having your video running with a competitor’s text ad overlaid on top?

2. Loss of control. Even with a custom player, YouTube forces the display of related videos at the close of each video.  Remember YouTube’s goal is to drive eyeballs, not sell with video.  Which means that related videos could feature videos completely unrelated to shopping on your site - or worse - drive people to videos featuring ad overlays from your competitors, or worse still - directly to your competitor’s videos.

3. Limited functionality. E-commerce merchants are about selling products, so it’s only natural to look for video technology that helps accomplish this aim.  Want to merchandise your products or other e-commerce videos in a YouTube video?  Forget it.  Publish your videos to other syndicated video services?  That’s not in YouTube’s interest - strike two.  How about integrate videos into your affiliate or email programs?  Nope.  How about engagement tracking, web analytics integration, and other sophisticated reporting?  You’ll get little to nothing in that department, too (though I suspect YouTube will continue improving in this area).

4. YouTube channels. I have to crack a slight grin when retailers tell me about their great YouTube channels.  Truth be told, I have yet to meet someone who could give me a *really* straight answer about how well their channels actually perform - and it’s no wonder.  YouTube Channels not only are built with 1998-esque tools with limited potential for custom branding (even in the branded channels), but even with the best SEO in the world, these channels don’t move people to product pages through the videos.  If you think this is just an ‘oversight in functionality’ on YouTube’s part, you’d be wrong.  Remember, YouTube is about advertising.  They want to power millions of TV channels so THEY can sell advertising in the videos.

Do you think this online retailer is proud of the customer experience they are delivering through their YouTube Channel?  You be the judge.

All this brings be back to Point #1.  Most online retailers are not interested in monetizing videos through ads - with a few notable exceptions.  In today’s video commerce industry, the videos themselves are the ads.  The purpose of the videos is to drive traffic to e-commerce sites and generate sales.

In today’s video commerce industry, the videos themselves are the ads. The purpose of the videos is to drive traffic to e-commerce sites and generate sales.

What do you think?  Has this post adequately represented the main benefits and drawbacks of YouTube for video commerce?  Please let me know your thoughts - and, as always…

Happy Selling!

By John Weaver, FansEdge.com

Creating video content is a time consuming process, and time is money.  I imagine that when the idea was first floated at your company, someone asked about the ROI of incorporating video into your strategy.  Obviously, the longer it takes to produce content, the lower your ROI gets.  Sooooooo…

“How do you efficiently create video content for your website?”

It Starts With a Plan
As with any large project, planning is the most crucial step.  My philosophy with video production is to do all the real work before getting to the shoot so that, once the production has begun, it flows smoothly.  That means mentally going through each step of the process, from conception to delivery, identifying the challenges and creating the solutions, and always making sure that what I’m planning meets the stated goals.

When a video project has been ordered, usually by my Director of Marketing, the first thing I do is write a short synopsis (a.k.a. Treatment) that states the following:

1. The goals and/or objectives of the project
2. The methodology by which I will meet those goals/objectives, including any stylistic concepts
3. A semi-detailed timeline which includes steps involving other people or departments (graphic designer, site developer, warehouse, etc.).
4. I then give this document back to the DM for approval.  This gives him and any other involved parties the chance to verify that I understand the assignment as well as a chance to modify or add any last-minute thoughts.

It is while writing the treatment that I begin considering efficiency.  Some things I ask myself are:

• “How many videos need to be made?”
• “How similar can the videos be?”
• “What is the simplest way to convey the message?”
• “What assets will I need (graphics, music, talent, product, etc.) and can they be used in all the videos?”

My goals are to make the most out of the least, set up a workflow with as few variations as possible, and keep the content compelling.

Writing a treatment is the obvious place to start, but you’d be surprised at how many people overlook it.  It’s not the only step in pre-production; depending on the project, there may be scripts, storyboards, shooting schedules, budgets, location scouts, casting, and fittings.  While outlining and managing these things may sound daunting, it’s actually a fluid process if you’ve thought it through in advance.

Sample Scenario
There’s no single solution for keeping your video production efficient.  You will have your own unique challenges to meet and you and your team will have to do some critical thinking to solve those challenges.  So, having given you some general advice, let’s now walk through a sample project and identify some ways to keep it efficient.

Product Videos for Product Detail Pages:
Scope: Create videos to represent apparel product groups.  Each video must highlight the main features of the group and provide a good idea of how the item fits.

1. Identify just how many videos will have to be created
2. Determine how many are your priority/best seller items (you want to concentrate your time on those items that you know are generating the most revenue to get the best ROI).
3. Decide how do you want to display these items.  Will they be on a mannequin?  A live model?  Table top?  The last method doesn’t show ‘how the item fits’.  Shooting on a mannequin is a little better – and you don’t have to pay a mannequin – but it takes longer to dress the dummy and rotate it for different shots than it does to have a live person in front of the camera.  Hiring a model will cost you a lot or a little (depending on experience and whether or not you go through an agency) and will take up more of your pre-production time as you research and audition, but working with her should be much faster on the day of the shoot than working with the dummy AND you’re showing your customers how the item really fits.
4. Decide is how to balance your time and budget with the quantity and quality of the videos.

Let’s assume you have 50 videos to create and you want to use a model.  How long is this going to take?  To answer that, consider these factors:

• The proximity of the changing room to the set
• The level of detail in the video – just a single wide shot? close-up shots of details?;
• The style of apparel to be modeled – t shirt or button up shirt?  formal or relaxed?;
• Hair and makeup on the model – is this a glamour shoot?  Might need a lot of touch-ups if it is.

Don’t forget to factor in post-production time.  Multiple shots/angles take longer to edit together than just isolating a single rotation of the model.  Are you going to add music? Graphics? Voice over?  Special effects?  Decide in advance and determine if you can use the same assets over and over or if they are unique to each video.

Prior to shooting, make sure all the items are collected and prepped – unpackaged, steamed/ironed, labeled, and organized in the order they are to be shot.  Have the shooting space set up with everything in place to do the final tweaking once the talent is on set.  On the day, sparing another staff member to act as Wardrobe Assistant will make a huge difference in keeping things organized and moving smoothly.  And – I can’t stress this enough – KEEP A SHOT LOG. The label on the item gets logged with the timecode from the camera when the item is shot.  If there are any problems or confusions after the shoot, going through the log will be the first step in sorting things out.  Consider what may happen if you lose the hard drive with all the footage on it – you’ll need to recapture from the tape and that log will save your life - if not your job.

So what do you guys think?  Do you have any tips to offer or experiences to share?  Like I said, it’s impossible to cover all the variations that exist in video production.  So, please, take a few moments and leave a comment below.  And, finally, tune in next time when I ponder different production styles, from the HSN approach to new experimental styles.

Dave Witzig, Sr. Director Online Marketing & Video at ShopNBC, is widely considered one of the pioneers of the modern video commerce industry. Back in 2007, when ShopNBC / ValueVision announced the merging of their TV and Internet platforms through the creation of ShopNBC.TV, Dave actually coined the word “video commerce” to describe their efforts.  I was lucky enough to sit in on his presentation last week at eTail and caught the whole thing on camcorder.  Enjoy.