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Okay!! You've finally gotten them to your web site after a large investment in
time and effort, not to mention money. What?? They're not staying long enough
to buy anything or to fill out those profile forms that you stayed up until 3:00AM
to create? Why?? The site navigation is good; you have a secured order form; the
site loads quickly without too many annoying graphics, and you even have a return
and privacy policy! What's going on here?
Those of us trying to do business on the Internet are constantly bombarded
with information, statistics, and marketing advice. Go to your target market.
Claim your niche with your "unique selling position." Promote your
brand. Develop a web "community." Publish a Zine. Provide worthwhile
content. All of it, good advice. But these marketing gurus leave out a very
important and indisputable fact. People want to be entertained! And they don't
want to have to work to enjoy their web experience. The success of television,
a completely passive activity, attests to that. So, what should be done? How
do we keep our audience long enough so that we can tell our story and promote
our product?
Streaming media provides a vital answer. It has a 70 percent click-through
rate for content, a 60 percent click-through rate for advertiser information,
and a 49 percent "buy" rate for online merchandise. Those statistics,
provided by Carton-Donofrio Interactive, are proof of the success of streaming
media when it is used in a creative and content rich environment.
What is streaming exactly? Streaming promises quick access to crucial audio
and video content without the aggravating wait for files to download. Downloading
requires that files be sent to the user's PC in their entirety before they can
be played; MP3 audio is a perfect example of this. The files then remain on
the user's machine until they are deleted. Streaming continuously sends these
same files, which have already been digitized, to the user's PC while the user
is listening or watching. When the stream is ended, no data is left behind on
the user's machine.
How can we use this exciting technology to create "stickiness?" The
possibilities are endless:
1. Coaches and motivational speakers can utilize it for instruction and team
building.
2. Lawyers, CPA's, and other professionals can enhance their sites with timely
client messages.
3. The intricate product features of machines and "widgets" can be
demonstrated.
4. Resorts can showcase their most desirable features.
5. Realtors can market multiple properties efficiently and at reasonable cost.
6. Clothing retailers can have fashion "events" and showoff new items
and services.
7. Furniture and antique dealers can highlight unique product details.
8. Human Resource professionals can use it to enhance corporate sales sites
for remote sales forces and clients.
9. Non-profit organizations can use it to explain their missions.
10. Charities can use it for soliciting donations.
The quality of your streaming presentation will only be as good as the quality
of the source material for which it was originally created. This is extremely
important! (You can't expect a videotape with bad color and contrast to look
better in a stream than it did when you played it on your home VHS machine.)
The company that you select to do the encoding and compression of your media
should be able to provide you with good guidelines for your original production.
For example, we always tell our clients that too much movement on a videotape
will cause blurring and "smeariness" when the video is streamed. (As
bandwidth continues to improve, many restrictions that exist today will disappear.)
Your streaming vendor is the best source of information regarding tape formats
and the equipment required to create the original production.
Streaming media is already being used effectively by a number of industries
and organizations that are striving to stand out in the crowded Internet business
world. Streaming media still has its limitations especially in the area of delivering
full- screen, full-quality video. But most of the big players on the Internet,
even those in head-to-head competition for the fast-growing streaming audience,
know that as bandwidth continues to improve, streaming is inevitable.
Streaming media advertising substantially increases brand recall, brand awareness,
and positive brand perception. This really gives you the opportunity to deliver
a powerful message about your products or services. It is affordable, exciting,
and inviting. It creates the "stickiness" that keeps your web visitors
at your site and gives them that extra incentive to click on the "Order
Now" icon.
About the Author:
Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC Imaging, a woman-owned Internet company that
specializes in web site enhancement utilizing streaming media technology. With
her husband, Don, a broadcast engineer, they work with companies to incorporate
streaming as part of successful and meaningful sales and marketing programs.
Please direct all questions and comments to:
Ronni@wbcimaging.com
520-742-5780
http://www.wbcimaging.com |
