Is 2009 the Year of Video? - Research Says Yes

Here we are 19 days into 2009, and there are lots of interesting news & blog reports about the growing usage of the net and what tools are becoming popular with on line users.

I've been looking at various trends with technology this year and I've mentioned Twitter and other social media tools that real estate agents can get on board with to communicate and share information with consumers searching on the web. One of the tools I've been pushing for awhile is video, and readers of this blog will know, as I've mentioned so many times in the past, I'm a big fan. Not just of property video tours, but video as a tool to provide market updates, create and build an agents profile, share information with other like minded people, training etc and the list goes on.

I'm predicting that 2009 will be the year that more and more of the real estate groups will integrate video into their marketing mix and we'll start to see more video tours on properties, and once main stream marketers start to utilise this medium more aggressively, that will open the flood gates.

A recent survey conducted by Permission TV revealed that over 400 senior marketers from advertising agencies & the media in the US will significantly increase implementation of their on line video initiatives in 2009.

The Key Findings of the survey were:

More than two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) identified online videoas a primary focus of their 2009 digitalmarketing campaigns, versus socialmedia campaigns (41 percent), search (34 percent) and podcasts/webcasts (32 percent).

In Q2 of 2009, more than half (52 percent) of respondents expect to be implementing or extending an online videoproject, whereas currently less than one-third (32 percent) are doing so.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents consider interactive video experiences to be the next evolution for online video. Also, 62 percent believe that non-linear, interactive storytelling will become the most effective medium for marketers. o Links to other videos is the most widely needed interactive capabilities for respondents, followed by graphic overlays, user comments and user-defined contents paths.

Respondents expect their 2009 digitalmarketing efforts (33 percent) to be least affected by budget cuts, followed by traditionalmarketing (24 percent), tradeshows (21 percent) and guerillamarketing (14 percent).

A majority of respondents (63 percent) are most likely to invest in a branded content/video destination next year. o Viral video (39 percent) and interactive experiences (38 percent) follow as the second and third priority, while only 22 percent plan to invest in simple syndication.

When asked how online video will enhance customer engagement, a vast majority(71 percent) stated it would help build brand awareness.

Driving lead generation was the second largest objective (47 percent), followed by enhancing loyalty/retention programs (44 percent) and converting customers (41 percent).

Here's a graph with the findings:

















Some additional Findings:

More than two thirds (64 percent) of respondents reported that strengthening relationships with existing customers and/or prospects is the primary goal of online video initiatives.
When focusing on respondents from the traditional and digital/interactive advertising agencies, more than 90 percent are overwhelmingly confidentin their ability to recommend online video initiatives to clients.

Digital/interactive agencies expressed more confidence in recommending online video to clients compared to traditional agencies; however, traditionalagencies claim more responsibility for driving online video initiatives than digital/interactive agencies.


Video in 2009, should be a high priority along with using social media in your marketing mix, but it won't be good enough to start a blog and then not target it correctly or post one piece of content and expect it to generate good quality leads, or make a home made video of very dodgy quality and then expect that to be viewed by the masses. No, all that will happen is you'll end up on a blog like this one on what not to do.

Social media including any public communication tool like video, needs a comprehensive strategy attached to it, so that your agency or business can really capitalise on it's strengths.

Understand the target market you are aiming at, be aware of the way the consumer uses social media and play to it's strengths, be very aggressive in syndication of your social media communications or projects and make it part of your broader marketing initiatives.

Social media will not be for everyone and it does take time to work at it, if you are not sure about how to put this strategy together or are not aware of what social media you can use in your business, then contact me. I'll help you put together a comprehensive communication plan that encompasses all the tools on the web, to drive leads and open up new doors for you and your business.

Source: Permission TV Survey December 2008