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Google Video marches on

September 12th, 2006 Comments off

Google continues to add elements to Google Video that mirror YouTube’s video sharing service. 

New addition: Now Google Video lets you see how many times a particular video has been viewed, both cummulatively and yesterday.

This is big stuff because traditionally Google likes to keep its traffic data to itself.  In some cases, when you’re doing business with them, they’ll let you see your own data, but that’s as far as they go.

For Google to open their video data to the world shows what an important piece showing the "ratings" are when it comes making the new video-sharing medium click.

By the way, Google Video now accounts for 2% of Google’s traffic. Not a big percentage, but in absolute terms, a whole lot of action.

Categories: Internet TV Tags:

It’s a sign – actually a belt buckle billboard

September 10th, 2006 1 comment

This story probably has no practical business application and yet it’s an important sign of how radically our relationship to video has changed in just the last 12 months…

Read more…

Categories: Media Industry Tags:

AOL Video reviewed

September 7th, 2006 Comments off

Theoretically, AOL-Time Warner has a massive  advantage in the Internet Video Wars over YouTube, Google, Yahoo and just about anyone else who’s in the game.

That asset is content  – and holy smokes does AOL-Time Warner have video content! 

Here’s a list of what they’ve got…

Read more…

Categories: Media Industry Tags:

Fun wth Google Video

September 1st, 2006 17 comments

In previous posts, I showed you how to grab code from Google Video and plant streaming video programs on any page of your site you want.

It literally couldn’t be easier. If you don’t already know how to do this, go to http://www.systemvideoblog.com/2006/06/how_i_made_food.html for details

Now, for the real fun: putting your own videos on Google Video.

First, why would you want to do this?

Read more…

Categories: Internet TV Tags:

Google Video gets aggressive

August 16th, 2006 1 comment

Google has been watching YouTube from the sidelines for quite a while now. In fact, as one of the company’s financial backers and technical advisors, they’ve had a chance to get a real good look under the hood.

And sure enough, by bit, Google Video has become more YouTube-like.

First they added a user-ranking system. Then they made it possible for viewers to add comments. Just like YouTube.

Now Google has taken off the gloves: they’ve put Google Video on their home page.

The end of YouTube?

Not immediately, but other than their fast head start, there is nothing that YouTube is doing that Google can’t duplicate and do a lot more proifitably given its ad network and the prodigious amount of traffic it attracts.

Ken McCarthy

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Categories: Media Industry Tags:

TV is dying

August 14th, 2006 Comments off

Remember all my rants last fall about the impending implosion of old-style television.

The numbers are in.

The week of July 4th was the worst week for television ratings in "recorded history."

I’m not sure what that means since there were zero television viewers in 1940, but since the Associated Press reported it, there’s probably a kernal of truth in there somewhere.

But here’s the bottom line: The television industry as we’ve known it is dead on its feet – they just don’t realize it yet.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060711/ap/d8iq1l8g0.html

Ken McCarthy

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Categories: Media Industry Tags:

How to get top video search positions – maybe

August 8th, 2006 4 comments

How do you get to the top of VIDEO search listings for specific keywords?   

Well, if you Google the keyword "marketing" on Google Video right now, I come up #1 out of 1,406 listed videos.

A second video I posted recently called "Internet Marketing – The System Way" comes up as #10.

I better get a screen shot for posterity! 

So how did this happen?

Read more…

Categories: Internet Video Ads Tags:

AOL’s Hail Mary Play

August 4th, 2006 Comments off

In football, it’s called the "Hail Mary" play.

(Maybe it originated at Notre Dame, who knows?)

Anyway, a "Hail Mary" play is when you’re down and there’s not much time left on the clock and you throw the ball long – and then PRAY that your receiver catches it.

AOL is in DEEP trouble. It’s hemmoraging customers at the rate of 2,000,000 a year. If they keep that up, pretty soon there won’t be an AOL.

So what are they gonna do?

They’re tapping their video content…

Remember it’s AOL-Time Warner and the Time Warner part has a ton of video – movies, television programs, special interested productions.

The launch is scheduled for today:

Here’s the URL: http://www.aolvideo.com

Ken McCarthy

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Categories: Media Industry Tags:

How to shoot a video testimonial

August 1st, 2006 7 comments

A friend wrote me saying that he is at his wits end about video testimonials.

On the one hand, his customers are ecstatic with the training he provides them (he’s a top horseback riding instructor), but on the other hand, they freeze up when he tries to capture their excitement on camera.

Getting good video testimonials is one of those things that should be filed under the category of "Looks easy until you try it."

Here are the challenges you face when you try to get video testimonials and how to overcome them…

Read more…

Categories: Film making Tags:

Example of a long form Internet video

July 27th, 2006 5 comments

I’ve decided to remove the word "infomercial" from my vocabulary when it comes to Internet video. (I’ll explain why in future posts.)

Instead I’m using the phrase "long form Internet videos." This is to contrast them with the webcam "talking heads" videos and short demonstration and testimonial reels.

Is it worth it to invest the time and money necessary to make a 20 to 30 minute video?

I think so especially for mature companies. It’s not the first thing I’d recommend that a new company do, but if you’ve been around for a while and you’ve already got a strong lead generation and sales system, the long form video makes sense for three reasons:

1. It can strengthen your connection with existing customers. ALWAYS a good idea.
2. It can help you convert prospects who are "on the fence" and have not made the intial buying decision yet.
3. It can help you reach folks who don’t read. Fact of life: The majority of today’s prospects and customers are NOT readers.  The ONLY way you’re going to reach them is through video.

Here’s a video I made recently which explains the System Seminar to people who’ve never been to one.

In future posts, I’ll talk about what went into making it and why I made it the way I did. Meanwhile, let me know what you think. (I hate this still picture, but it’s the one Google picked.)


      

Ken McCarthy

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Categories: Internet Video Ads Tags: