exchangemyad.com» Videos

Using Video Ads to get better search engine results

Matt — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:11:28 +0000

Organic video search is still in the nascent stage, but applying these traditional SEO tactics can help your video ads climb the search rankings.

Online video shows so much promise that we are asked almost daily how video search engine optimization (VSEO) fits in and how much it has changed. The answers are decidedly mixed, though early evidence shows that many of the same principles that drive solid “traditional” SEO can reward companies who take a disciplined approach to online video advertising.

At Mixpo they have tested a few clients using VSEO tactics. An agency specializing in marketing large-scale condominium developments has seen success through a few tested video ads on that agency’s website, in ad networks and in ways that involved both search engine marketing and organic video search.

Some videos on the agency’s website had views-to-impressions ratios as high as 70 percent, with conversions (actions-to-views ratios) of almost 40 percent. These incredible numbers showcase the value in keeping video relevant and giving viewers what they expect when they watch — oftentimes, the result of a very targeted search.

On Google’s video search, the agency’s videos actually garnered six of the top 10 search returns for some pretty broad search terms related to condos in their market. We were very impressed, but there was a catch: When we typed the same broad terms in Google’s universal search, the agency’s videos appeared on the seventh results page — as the 75th result. Results on universal search, of course, vary based on a number of factors, including the tags, keyword competitiveness and when it comes to paid search, the bid.

So what does this all mean? It shows both the potential of online video and the still-nascent stage of video used in organic search. Here are a few video SEO tips to help your campaign:

Relevance really matters.
Like its cousins in print, the higher the relevance of the video to the information that surrounds it, in search results or elsewhere, the better the results at all levels.

Focused keywords can be effective.
The more specific and focused, the better. For the condominium marketing client, we tracked the keywords people typed to actually locate the video ads. We saw long tail terms like “old historic Seattle buildings with condos for sale” return video ad landing pages toward the top of universal search results.

Create useful content and don’t be afraid to use text in your video.
Search engines don’t really care how long a video is, provided that its content and keywords are relevant to the topic at-hand. We have deployed video ads for numerous clients and have consistently found that viewers routinely watch more than 60 percent of an ad once they click on it, regardless of length. If content is useful, people will watch it — and will stand a better chance of finding it. Just because you are using the video medium, remember that it’s OK to deploy relevant text, too. As search engines continue to improve and deepen, having relevant text can be a good boost to your video ad.

Avoid redundant multiple postings.
Despite what some assume, posting to every video sharing site does not necessarily result in higher placement in search results. This “carpet bombing” approach actually hurts you, as video search sites don’t want duplicate results in their returns. Several months ago, we would see our client’s videos stacked on search results pages because of all the sites we’d submitted to. We’re seeing less of that today, which is ultimately a good sign for consumers.

Beware of irrelevant content.
Plain and simple, the more targeted the keywords, the more focused the video must be. Less relevant video advertisements tend to lose viewers in the early part of the video, often with high abandonment after less than 10 percent of the video.

Don’t limit yourself to pre- and post-roll.
It is flat-out wrong to assume that online video advertising units have to be pre- and post-roll ads or overlays. It is way too early to define the optimal ad unit, let alone set an ideal length for video ads. Effective online video advertising is not limited to 15 or 30 second re-purposed commercials, but can include other forms of marketing, like testimonials, video profiles and product demonstrations.

In past experiences with clients, we’ve launched three- to four-minute video ads of real estate brokers talking about their areas of expertise and then showing a home. Consumers viewed these videos to the end countless times. In comparison, repurposed 30-second commercials are rarely viewed to the end.

Online video is still very new, and its power in search is still based on the promise of both the discoverability of the video and what happens when someone sees the video. At this early stage, it’s most important to test, learn and optimize as much as possible. The search algorithms, along with everything else, are constantly changing and, consequently, so is the game. But advertisers who stay true to consumers will ultimately win.

Glenn Pingul is VP of marketing for Mixpo.

Technorati Tags: video ads, video advertising, video search engine

Lego Star Wars – Vader’s Personal Day

Matt — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:42:27 +0000

Lego Star Wars – Vader’s Personal Day Thanks YouTube!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sample of using the great plugin Viper’s Video Quicktags for wordpress.
Easy way to add Youtube videos to your blog!

Do more online videos get watched on weekdays or weekends?

Ryan — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:19:03 +0000

Busted...Watching online videos.

Watching TV, watching movies, surfing the internet, watching online videos, etc all go hand in hand with free time. So there should be an increase in videos watched on the weekends vs. weekdays, right?

Guess again! A recent study showed that more online videos are watched during the week from 9 to 5. Evidently, online video watching goes hand in hand with access to broadband internet and time in front of a computer. To read more about online video watching habits click here.

Business owners beware, you are paying people to watch online videos.

Technorati Tags: online video

How to use Video in Internet Advertising

Ryan — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:19:14 +0000

I’ve been around video internet advertising for some time now, and too many times it is just not done very well. But when it works, it is amazing. I’ve seen video dress up an accounting firm and make it fun and inviting, while selling the business. Here are some tips when integrating video in internet advertising.

1. Get people to watch the video.

Obvious, yes. Done well, rarely.

Pay attention to how the video works with the internet advertising platform. If it starts with a still shot with a “play” button on it, make sure the first frames of the video has an “ad” on it with your company name so at least there is some name recognition even if they don’t play the video.

If there is a 10 second “pre-roll” of the video, as is the case with ExchangeMyAd.com make sure there is some movement or action that draws people’s eye to the video and makes them want to click to see the rest.

2. Make sure the video isn’t too long.

A good rule is to keep the video to 30 seconds, maybe 60 seconds if it is really good. People just won’t wait forever to get to the good part, especially with internet advertising—they don’t have to, and they know it.
If it takes a while to explain your business and 30 or 60 seconds won’t do it, consider using a teaser video (like a movie trailer), and then post the full length version on your website.

3. Actually sell your product in the video.

Don’t get too caught up with a cool concept that the product or service is diminished. This video is intended for internet video advertising, emphasis on the advertising. People need to clearly know what you are selling and become loyal to your business for that product or service. Cool is fun, just not always effective. You must find a way to make the video advertising cool and effective.

4. You don’t have to use video.

Video is cool, it is powerful, but it isn’t the best for every business. Some businesses prefer to use flash ads without video, because for their business it has shown to work better. However, the right internet video advertising platform, matched with the right business and campaign is amazing to behold.

Technorati Tags: internet advertising, video advertising, video internet

Video in Internet Advertising

Ryan — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:55:48 +0000

Internet Video is here to stay.

First, a quick discussion on video. Why is video such a powerful tool? Before video the choices were print media and radio. Both have their benefits, but the downsides are that they only appeal to one of the human senses. Video comes along and suddenly it isn’t just graphics, but motion graphics—so not only is it visual like print, but the motion of the video catches attention. Additionally, the audio helps to convey the message. So attention is grabbed, visual people see the images, and the audio confirms the images—it is very persuasive.

Video on the internet has been very exciting. Exciting to the tune of 13.5 billion videos watched in the US alone, 92 videos watched per person on the internet in a single month–according to Comscore. Why is internet video so popular? You can see anything you want whenever you want it. Crazy stuff, stupid stuff, educational stuff, funny stuff, business, etc.—you name it, you can find it.

When it comes to incorporating video in internet advertising…well people are still trying different things and figuring out what works. Companies have tried using the video as the advertisement. Many times, however, they start off with a still shot that doesn’t let anyone know what they are about to watch, and if the video isn’t clicked on no form of advertisement took place.

Enter the videos in internet advertising that just automatically starts playing. First, it is annoying and makes you not want to go back to that page. Second, it is annoying.

What does this have to with the Ad Exchange Program with ExchangeMyAd.com? Everything. I haven’t written much about it, because I wanted to get people up and running with the program first—patience everyone, we are told we’ll be ready to go any day now. However using video in internet advertising is an important topic.

The ExchangeMyAd.com platform incorporates video in internet advertising in a different way. There will be a thumbnail sized portion of the ad that indicates that there is a video to watch—this reserves the rest of the ad space for the ad. The video in the thumbnail will play the first 10 second of the video over and over to draw attention. Then when the video thumbnail is clicked in the advertisement the flash viewer expands to show the video. This process doesn’t trigger any pop-ups. While the video is playing the person watching can click on the video to go on to the website, just like the ad itself.

To check it out and learn more about the Ad Exchange Program, click here.

In the next article, we’ll discuss some things to keep in mind as you incorporate video in internet advertising.

Technorati Tags: ad exchange program, exchangemyad.com, internet advertising, video