Check Out This Video
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released a new study on Online Video usage which is quite illuminating.
Of course the young adults are the most "voracious" viewers with their numbers at 76% for the 18-29 bracket, while the over 65 group has numbers at 39%.
If the video is good enough, people are likely to share it with others. Whether more or less than just a normal web page, the study doesn't say. Still, it hammers in the point that engaging dynamic content attracts people, and makes it likely that they'll share your website with someone else.
Professionally produced videos are preferred by a decent majority. The number drops from 62% to 43% with adult young men ages 18-29, of which 34% say they actually prefer amateur content.
For the most part people expect video to be free, just like any other part of your website.
So what does this mean? Well the study is only 28 pages, and if you're interested I suggest reading it as it's quite illuminating. To put it in simple terms it means that online video is now mainstream. People are beginning to expect to see video on your website, they expect it to be free, and the older they are they expect it to at least look professional. Whether they're watching news, humorous videos, or even educational videos (22% watch educational videos online), people want to watch your content, rather than read it.
A website that's gotten some attention lately is CombinatoRx. They have video dispersed throughout their site, decently produced though not bank breaking. A steady camera shot goes a long way. In addition to their educational videos, they've started webcasting a number of their internal events such as their financial numbers. Not only has their video helped them with their investors, but it's actually garnered them press attention as well.
Another interesting implementation is at DoubleClick's Nerve Center. There they have three people talking about video, but in a really neat format. It breaks the mold but does it in a fairly usable and efficient way. It's engaging, and it makes you feel like you're there in person listening to these people.
Another good example is from one of our sites, Hallmark Health. They had a video produced for the community outreach program and were just sitting on the DVD. Now it's up on the site, and when people go there, they're immediately engaged by the video, and probably learn and remember more, than just reading a page full of text. They're now beginning to add more and more video content, such as a short video for their Advance Medical Directives.
It comes back to what we constantly tell our clients. Content. Content. Content. You need to have some. It doesn't mean you should have a video blog where you chat about the latest Harry Potter book, but it does mean that video is now mainstream, and we all need to be thinking about it more as far as our site content. Keep the content focused and relevant to the page people are on. Have small videos dispersed throughout your site encouraging people to actually see what you want to tell them about, or even take it to the next step and really incorporate video into your site.
People are watching. Give them something to watch.
"The growing adoption of broadband combined with a dramatic push by content providers to promote online video has helped to pave the way for mainstream audiences to embrace online video viewing. The majority of adult Internet users in the U.S. (57%) report watching or downloading some type of online video content and 19% do so on a typical day."
Of course the young adults are the most "voracious" viewers with their numbers at 76% for the 18-29 bracket, while the over 65 group has numbers at 39%.
"The desire to share a viewing experience with others has already been a powerful force in seeding the online video market. Fully 57% of online video viewers share links to the videos they find online with others. Young adults are the most 'contagious carriers' in the viral spread of online video. Two in three (67%) video viewers ages 18-29 send others links to videos they find online, compared with just half of video viewers ages 30 and older."
If the video is good enough, people are likely to share it with others. Whether more or less than just a normal web page, the study doesn't say. Still, it hammers in the point that engaging dynamic content attracts people, and makes it likely that they'll share your website with someone else.
"Overall, 62% of online video viewers say that their favorite videos are those that are 'professionally produced,' while 19% of online video viewers express a preference for content 'produced by amateurs.' Another 11% say they enjoy both professionally produced video and amateur online video equally."
Professionally produced videos are preferred by a decent majority. The number drops from 62% to 43% with adult young men ages 18-29, of which 34% say they actually prefer amateur content.
"While 10% of online video viewers ages 18-29 have paid to access or download online video, just 3% of video viewers ages 50-64 have done so."
For the most part people expect video to be free, just like any other part of your website.
So what does this mean? Well the study is only 28 pages, and if you're interested I suggest reading it as it's quite illuminating. To put it in simple terms it means that online video is now mainstream. People are beginning to expect to see video on your website, they expect it to be free, and the older they are they expect it to at least look professional. Whether they're watching news, humorous videos, or even educational videos (22% watch educational videos online), people want to watch your content, rather than read it.
A website that's gotten some attention lately is CombinatoRx. They have video dispersed throughout their site, decently produced though not bank breaking. A steady camera shot goes a long way. In addition to their educational videos, they've started webcasting a number of their internal events such as their financial numbers. Not only has their video helped them with their investors, but it's actually garnered them press attention as well.
Another interesting implementation is at DoubleClick's Nerve Center. There they have three people talking about video, but in a really neat format. It breaks the mold but does it in a fairly usable and efficient way. It's engaging, and it makes you feel like you're there in person listening to these people.
Another good example is from one of our sites, Hallmark Health. They had a video produced for the community outreach program and were just sitting on the DVD. Now it's up on the site, and when people go there, they're immediately engaged by the video, and probably learn and remember more, than just reading a page full of text. They're now beginning to add more and more video content, such as a short video for their Advance Medical Directives.
It comes back to what we constantly tell our clients. Content. Content. Content. You need to have some. It doesn't mean you should have a video blog where you chat about the latest Harry Potter book, but it does mean that video is now mainstream, and we all need to be thinking about it more as far as our site content. Keep the content focused and relevant to the page people are on. Have small videos dispersed throughout your site encouraging people to actually see what you want to tell them about, or even take it to the next step and really incorporate video into your site.
People are watching. Give them something to watch.
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