This dramatic spend shift, has certainly been a major component of the closure of 1 in 2 newspapers in the USA over the last 12 months, as advertisers realise they can deliver results (enquiries, sales and branding) at a fraction of the cost online, vs. the tradtional media channels they have been using.

For local business these kind of statistics should be re-enforcing marketing planning into online media. Viewing the detail shows the key areas of growth are search (effectively Google in New Zealand), directories – increasingly new local offers (see NZS.com and Hotfrog.co.nz here) and vertical directories (good local examples menumania.co.nz for restaurants and equinetrader.co.nz for the horse market).

Online Video is clearly identified as a growth driver through businesses advertising with video online and ensuring their listings in directories and in search engines are re-enforced with video to both stand out and increase conversions.

Unsuprising that search, directories and video are fundamentally changing local advertising behaviour. The old channels did work, they were just expensive and media companies ran obsene proft margins for these, well done to them. They have not adapted fast enough and now small businesses can reach their market more effectively, efficiently and affordably.

If you are small business that is not or is considering changing your marketing mix, drop us a line, we’ll add some distinct value to ensure you get more bang for your hard-earner buck.

Video and social media are often interlinked with videos posted and shared within social media sites. Video is often the content that creates a discussion or a  reference on a social media site. The key to video marketing is distributing video across both video and socail websites in targeted, appealing ways. At http://www.silverlinemedia.tv our video tracking reports show that even an obscure video or social site can deliver audience if tagged and SEO’d corretly. 

YouTube, Fox Interactive Media and Hulu top research company ComScore’s list of sites providing the most-watched online videos.

The volume is overwheming and continues to escale to normal surfing behaviour. Key learnings are attention spans are brief. As we know at silverlinemedia.tv – the majority of online video, particularly advertising, works best at the 2 minute mark. However of interest is the significant rise of broadcast streams from traditional and new broadcasters and networks such as Hulu.com.

This is another encouraging survey reporting video is delivering for websites, particularly given the sample size. A cynic may suggest that marketers would be happy given they probably made the decision, however Marketing Sherpa has good survey track record and the volume of positive attitude is undeniable. The question that is more interesting is to those marketers that have not tested video is why not?

 Reports today that major media companies are ramping up their video operations as pressure comes on digital advertising growth, let alone intense pressure on their traditional channels. The driving principle is the premium rates that video ads command.  Publishers such as Forbes, Conde Nast, The New York Times and The Street.com relaunched their video platforms this fall with plans for further growth in 2009. 

Video works hence the higher CPM’s being chased by the majors.  With our customer base the video investment is producing high ROI on sales/lead conversions and brand cut-through.  That is why big publishers, with terrific engaging content can insert targeted and compelling video into their pages and deliver for advertisers. For our target audience, small business, this is further great news that more video placements will appear on great content sites enabling small business advertisers, the opportunity to target and deliver their message and compete with the big boys.

The Kelsey Group have a strong track record in forecasting local media advertising trends. This US trend is being mirrored world wide. Locally in New Zealand silverlinemedia.tv has produced its 1,000 online video fro SMBs since our inception in July 2008. 2009 is looking to be a terrific year for the online video medium in both take-up and the product offer.

When broken down by media type, over half of small business advertisers plan to spend the same or more on the following: Online advertising (69 percent), Yellow Pages (54 percent), newspapers (51 percent), and direct mail (51 percent).

More than half of respondents plan to spend the same or more time and money on their Web sites and email marketing in 2009.  Within the online mix, 23% are already using online video and 17% are podcasting and 18% are using mobile.  

SMBs in the US, like here in New Zealand, are adopting faster, online and new techniques and channels within the broad online definiation, than many ‘major’ brands and advertisers. These stats suggest 23% are using video right now on their websites, that is effectively one in four. Here in New Zealand we are running nearer one in eight. In both cases this exceeds the use of video online by major brands.

SMBs run and own their business. Every dollar out is measured closely, there is no corporate waste or decision layers. Time and time again we have seen SMBs (SMEs) run with ideas and make them work – classifieds, directories, email and now video, mobile and podcasts.  It is this embracement that will help create leading companies and the green shoots of economic recovery. Encouraging research.

The Small Business Marketing Survey was conducted in October 2008 by Ad-ology Research to study the attitudes of small business owners.

Ad-ology Research analyses key marketing and advertising trends in over 370 industries and what motivates end-customers. The company’s research is used by over 2,000 advertising agencies, media properties and product marketing departments across the United States. Ad-ology Research is a division of Sales Development Services (SDS), Inc., a Westerville, Ohio firm.  View more at www.ad-ology.net

According to responses from MRI’s just released Fall 2008 Survey of the American Consumer, 3.2% of adults said they had downloaded a TV program in the last 30 days. That represents a year-to-year increase of 141.4%. The number of adults who reported they watched online video increased 35.4% during the same period, to a total of 23.3% of the adult population.

Whilst the numbers for this survey for video look smaller than others such as Comscore the year on year increase is important demonstrating a trend marching upwards, and matches some of the more numerical findings from the likes of alexa.com

This is a robust face to face survey. MRI interviews approximately 26,000 U.S. adults in their homes each year, asking about their use of media, their consumption of products and their lifestyles and attitudes.

Gartner

Our experience is a focussed deep site with video promotion, how-to beats a site with breadth.

This will enable both corporate, SME, and even hard core video producers, the ability to get their video (ad) to the top of the list. This is a great targeting solution, no doubt the advertiser interface will offer the ease of use and targeting opportunities that google has.

Youtube is close to launch with a number of advertisers in beta. Fox Searchlight Pictures used the sponsored video program amongst other tactics to promote the release of ” Choke,” driving nearly 2 million views to the film’s trailer on YouTube, said Daina Middleton, senior vice president of Moxie Interactive, the studio’s digital agency

What took them so long.