One Service, Three Reactions. . . How To Be A Business Video Promotion Leader

I talk about Web Videography to a lot of people in a lot of different businesses. My experience shows that small business owners fall into one of three categories when it comes to utilizing video to promote and market their product/service.

1. Get’s It- Upon hearing of my profession, they jump up and down excitedly. Often times they will kiss me and sometimes this makes me uncomfortable. These are the people that are ahead of the curve and they need no convincing for them to understand the power of video. Usually they are the ones to contact me to see how they can begin today. 

2. Get’s It with Convincing- Usually heavily invested in print/radio and are initially afraid of moving those dollars around. In many ways, I enjoy these people best. In the course of our conversation I am able to witness their realization of the powerful opportunities that exist with video promotion. I was talking with a motel owner last week that fits this mold. This is a breakdown of his part of the conversation.

• “No, I am not interested in doing that right now.”
• “I can see what you are saying, but I am spending $2000/month in SEO and can’t afford anything else.”
• “Huh? How much would it cost me?”
• “I want my manager to introduce the video and have shots of the pool, the rooms and, oh yeah, could we include the BBQ area because that really. . . “

I believe this is the category where most people fit. These are good, honest people who are interested in bettering their business, but are not fully up to date with what is going on. Once they learn of the powerful reach of video and the low cost, especially compared to print, a whole new world opens up to them. These same clients are the ones who become regulars of mine. They love the idea, love the results and love the process, but don’t feel fully comfortable doing it all on their own.

3. Won’t Get It Until 2018- These are the same people that have not updated their website since it went live in ‘97. It doesn’t matter what you say, they will not be trying anything new until the trend is set in stone. They danced to an eight track player when the other kids had walkmans, used a rotary phone when cordless phones were going cellular and kept a pair of MC Hammer pants far after grunge had come into fashion. No matter how you explain video marketing to them they won’t go for it.

I encourage all of you to assess where you fit in. If you have even bothered to go on-line, come to my blog and read this post, chances are you fall into one of the first two categories. Always keep an open mind, do your research and examine the latest trends that can help your business propel itself forward. Video works on the web and through DVD. I would love to hear what you think by leaving a comment.