Following an excruciating 2009, everybody in business – and I do mean everybody – wants to closely manage their expenses vs. income.

The classic expense-busting method in marketing is to utilize the same advertising materials more than once. With the cost of video shrinking, and the avenues for distributing it expanding, video is a logical, practical, and cost-conserving method to promote your product or service.

1/8 the cost & 8X the power

It’s actually possible to make 1 video and use it in your marketing program 8 different ways. That amortizes your cost and increases your selling power: 1/8 the cost and 8X the viewership.

The formula’s the same no matter what kind of video your business uses: sales videos, customer testimonial videos, product demonstration videos, factory tours, and so on. You amortize your costs and maximize your exposure. Here’s how.

1. Mount ‘em on your home page.

It’s easy to place your videos front and center, right on your website’s home page where they get seen and viewed immediately. Here’s a site that that makes it easy to mount videos on your site yourself and avoid programmer fees: www.EZWebPlayer.com.

2. Mount videos deeper in your site, too.

As visitors drill deeper into your site, give them more videos along the way. More videos can mean longer visits…and longer visits can translate into more sales. Product page? Show a video of your products. About us page? Show a video of your facility. Selling a service? Show it in action.

3. Offer videos in your advertising.

Mention “Free Video” in your ads. That little extra gives people a reason to respond to your ad and has been proven to increase the number of responses to an ad.

4. Grabber at trade shows & conventions

Job 1 at a trade show is to draw traffic into your booth. A looping video is a great way to attract attention, instantly communicate what you’re selling, snag the passer-by, and bring him or her into your booth.

5. Babysitter in the showroom

If you’ve ever had two customers vying for your sales attention at the same time, you’ll appreciate how helpful video can be in the showroom. You can sit one customer down with your sales video while you work with the other.

6. Video shoot is perfect photo op

Here’s a high-efficiency trick I learned from www.IncreaseSalesWithVideo.com, a video company I’ve worked with quite a bit. While they’re shooting videotape, they also shoot still photos. Makes sense: if they’ve got the setup for video, they’ve got it for stills as well. That’s value added — you get great photos for very little extra.

7. Sell internally with video

You market your company to your customers, right? Don’t forget to market it to your shareholders, partners, and employees, too. The same videos you use in advertising can bring your core corporate values into sharp focus at company meetings, picnics, and in-house events.

8. Web 2.0

Don’t be shocked but the Web is changing before our eyes. “Web 2.0” is the new Web – not new technology, but new ways to make web browsing more interactive. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media give web users more access and more choices of what they view and how they view it. The bottom line for you: Web 2.0 allows easier, broader distribution of your video than ever before. More on Web 2.0 in my next blog entry!

Steve Edwards

Copywriter/Direct Marketer

www.EdwardsDirect.net