Articles

Add Sight, Sound and Motion to Online Communication Strategy

As seen in Greater Charlotte Biz Magazine, bizXperts, June-2009
Author: William H. (Kip) Cozart, III, CEO, President, Co-Founder
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According to comScore (a leading Internet researcher) U.S. consumers viewed more than 13 billion online videos last February alone. Today, more and more web users are rapidly becoming equipped and conditioned to receive and react to audio and video based content, propelled in part by the emergence of new multimedia enabled computers, smart phones and other devices. Is your business positioned to take advantage of this powerful, new set of tools? Consider expanding your communications strategy…Think “VIDEO.”

Leverage the inherent strengths of video…Unlike text-based content, web video presentations can better convey your corporate personality and intended tone and enhance the emotional appeal of your message. Videos inspire stronger audience trust and acceptance of the content, by offering customers the opportunity to “look you in the eye” during the conversation. Seeing is believing.

Often a brief video message can be more persuasive and memorable than a lengthy written dissertation. Video can bridge great distances, allowing customers to travel to any location while they remain seated comfortably at their own keyboards. Complex concepts (like portraying product benefits, providing sequential instructions, or explaining a cause and effect relationship) are often easier and more succinctly conveyed with three dimensional, audio visual content, as well.

Keep it simple…An easy, inexpensive way to experiment with audio visual communication is the creation of a “video blog.” For less than $100, you can purchase a quality web cam (with microphone) and record your own brief, audio and video messages directly from your desktop. Video blogs can be embedded directly within your own web pages or passed to recipients via email links. Video blogs are good vehicles to deliver new product announcements, acknowledge corporate accomplishments, encourage participation and motivate team members, or simply to build a better personal bond with your customers and associates.

Use your imagination…There are many uses for video. Produce a walking tour of your facility, demonstrate the characteristics of your product in action, present videotaped customer testimonials, dramatize the “before and after” results of your work , deliver visual documentation from a work site, or match (smiling) faces to names of key customer service associates. Along the way, video helps maintain a consistent brand while conveying affordable, engaging and reusable sales and training content to your audience.

Try these free web video resources...Video blog hosting @ Blogger.com (Google.com). On-demand video hosting @ YouTube.com. Video chat @ AIM.com (AOL.com).

For more information, watch our CC Communications video located at http://www.cccommunications.com/services_webVideo.cfm.

About the author:

As one of the region’s earliest pioneers in the field of online communications, Kip Cozart, along with CC Communications owner/partners Russ Husky and Loretta Cozart, has consulted with hundreds of businesses and organizations to enhance and produce effective web, email, multimedia marketing initiatives and business process improvements for more than fourteen years. Contact kcozart@cccommunications.com or call CC Communications at 704-543-1171.