A video is worth a thousand pictures Whitepaper: How to Weave YouTube into your Video Commerce Strategy www.liveclicker.com Liveclicker, Inc. 2055 Junction Avenue San Jose, California 95131 [email protected] (408) 540-6200 INTRODUCTION Since August of 2008, when it surpassed Yahoo’s traffic numbers, YouTube has been the 2nd most popular search engine in the world. By May of 2011, the site was tallying 3 billion video views per day and its Promoted Videos program was developing into a formidable advertising strategy. Now, in the Fall of 2011, there is no question that YouTube is an essential part of any video commerce strategy. The only question is about whether retailers are properly leveraging YouTube to generate traffic and sales. In this whitepaper, the current YouTube practices of Internet Retailer Top 500 companies will be explored and three stages of video program development will be outlined. Simply put, almost every retailer needs to be posting content on YouTube and that should merely be one small piece of their video strategy FIRST GENERATION - USAGE OF YOUTUBE BY INTERNET RETAILER TOP 500 COMPANIES In the days when Yahoo was the #2 search engine, online retailers routinely devoted significant search engine optimization and pay-perclick management resources toward ensuring their products were easily found on both Google and Yahoo. Now, in this next generation of search, many retailers seem to be dropping the ball completely when it comes to leveraging the second most popular search engine to drive traffic back to their product pages. A 2009 Forrester Research study found that “less than 20% of marketers were inserting keywords in the filenames of the videos on their site,” but in Liveclicker’s 2011 study of YouTube usage by the Internet Retailer Top 500, we found three additional systemic issues for ecommerce organizations to improve: 1. LACK OF VIDEO CONTENT There are certainly some anomalies among the Internet Retailer Top 500, with media-rich organizations like the National Football League, Public Broadcasting Service, the National Basketball League, Home Shopping Network, QVC and World Wrestling Entertainment on the list. However, even after we filter out those companies, we find that the average member of the Internet Retailer Top 500 has posted 96 videos on YouTube. Yet, more than half of the IR Top 500 companies have a product catalog consisting of over 10,000 SKU’s. Clearly, product videos have not been as big a priority for these retail giants as expected. The chart below breaks the Internet Retailer Top 500 companies into ranges based on the number of videos posted on their YouTube channels. 160 of them (32%) are sharing less than 10 videos, 76 of which have no YouTube channel at all. Of the retailers without a YouTube channel, a few are ranked among the top 100 and they have well-developed and well-funded search optimization programs for Google. We found that a couple of these companies actually had video content posted on their Facebook pages, meaning that they had not taken the mere 30 minutes needed to set up a YouTube account and post those same videos in order to earn some traction on the world’s #2 search engine. . Analysis of 500 top retailers on YouTube conducted in July of 2011 2. LACK OF PROMOTION Our analysis also found that many Internet Retailer Top 500 companies have done a poor job of optimizing and promoting their videos. For example, 17 of the top 100 retailers on the Internet have 20 or fewer YouTube subscribers and 32 of the IR Top 500 have accumulated less than 1,000 views since their channel was created. Compare that to YouTube superstars like Tiger Direct (more than 86,000,000 “I think Liveclicker a brilliant company. They’re not the cheapest it comes to video hosting views),isThinkGeek (more than 35,000,000 views),when Apple Computer (more and distribution; it was made clearand to usLowes from the outset16,000,000 that they would be the best than but 29,000,000 views) (almost views), and thefrom lacka customer-client partnership, so we could move forward together. They’ve been extremely helpful of video marketing is highlighted. and quite happy to work with us to develop what we’re doing.” – Chris Wood, Video Production and Project Manager Another way to analyze the data is to look at average views per video. It is in this category where 25 IR Top 500 companies have tallied less than 100 views per video while retailers like Tiffany & Company (more than 207,000 views per video), Folica (more than 192,000 views per video), Forever21 (more than 178,000 views per video) and LEGO (more than 119,000 views per video) have excelled. . What makes the difference between these retailers? Video content needs to be optimized for search, a tactic which can yield results 53 times more effective than traditional search engine optimization. Retailers with a handful of videos can easily manage this process manually, whereas companies with more developed video programs will need to leverage a video commerce partner to automate their optimization. Retailers also need to directly promote their video library (whether it is hosted on YouTube or elsewhere) from their website, on their Facebook page, in email newsletter, etc.notThey can alsowhen leverage YouTube’s “I think Liveclicker is atheir brilliant company. They’re the cheapest it comes to video hosting Promoted Videos program, which exactly buta and distribution; but it was made clear to us fromworks the outset thatlike theyGoogle’s would beAdWords, the best from withpartnership, much lowersobid the search phrase “Rolex watch,” customer-client weamounts. could moveConsider forward together. They’ve been extremely helpful which expensive pay-per-click ads on Google, but only 8 less and quite happy tohas work10 with us to develop what we’re doing.” expensive Promoted Videos on YouTube. Allocating a percentage of the search management for YouTube testing could pay off in – Chris Wood, Videoengine Production and Projectbudget Manager dividends. Engaging consumers to subscribe, view and share video content is not as simple as merely posting it online. The basic principles of marketing apply to video as much as for other types of content. 3. NOT ENOUGH CALLS TO ACTION Aside from brand awareness and educational programs, the primary purpose of a retail video program is to drive consumers to product pages. Unfortunately, most retailers are missing the mark in this area. Of the companies with the most widely-developed YouTube channels, very few are leveraging YouTube’s interactive features to point viewers back to their store. Even a simple watermark can prevent a competitor from repurposing video content which has been produced. More importantly, there is a severe shortage of product-specific video content being leveraged by top retailers. Of course, many product videos are created and hosted by the product manufacturers rather than their retail partners, but too many of the videos being produced by retailers do not effectively drive conversions. Consider the DC Shoes Gymkhana Two infomercial (and its three cousins, Gymkhana, Gymkhana Three and Gymhkana Four): The Gymkhana brand awareness video accrued more than 26,000,000 views due to its cool-factor, but it offers only brand awareness and no product information about the shoes that are shown (except for just a few seconds). . “I think Liveclicker is a brilliant company. They’re not the cheapest when it comes to video hosting and distribution; but it was made clear to us from the outset that they would be the best from a customer-client partnership, so we could move forward together. They’ve been extremely helpful and quite happy to work with us to develop what we’re doing.” – Chris Wood, Video Production and Project Manager In contrast, look at Kiddicare’s Baby Weavers Shuffle video: The Baby Weavers Shuffle product video consistently earns an industry-leading conversion rate and it took far fewer resources to produce. . Most retailers are working with limited 2011 video budgets, and are highly produced brand awareness videos are not where they should be focusing their dollars. Instead, we recommend focused, product-explanation and educational videos as the foundation of your program. FIRST GENERATION - USAGE OF YOUTUBE BY INTERNET RETAILER TOP 500 COMPANIES In the second generation, a retailer has been able to source some content from its vendors and customers or it has taken the initiative to produce a few product videos. These companies might have just 10-20 videos and they simply want to be able to distribute them to YouTube while embedding a free video player on their website. This is the perfect occasion to sign up for a YouTube account, build some interactive annotations/links, and leverage free technology to launch a product video program. There is no reason why every retailer, large and small, can’t at least be in “I think Liveclicker is a brilliant company. not the cheapest whenof it comes video hosting this second generation. By They’re sourcing/creating a handful videostoand and distribution; but it was clear to us from funnel, the outset that they would be the best deploying themmade in their conversion retailers give themselves a from a customer-client partnership, so we could move forward together. They’ve been extremely helpful chance to lift their site traffic, conversion rate and average order size while and quite happy to work with us to develop what we’re doing.” gathering valuable analytics. By giving Generation Two a chance, ecommerce organizations can build a healthy case for investing further in – Chris Wood, andand Project Manager that comes with Generation Three. theVideo videoProduction production monetization THIRD GENERATION - YOUTUBE AS A PART OF THE MARKETING MIX Once a retailer builds the case proving that video is improving site traffic, conversions and/or revenue, it is time to invest more heavily in this medium. With that investment comes the sourcing and production of more video content and the distribution of video to more channels. A YouTubecentric second generation approach with 15 videos means that there are only 30 implementations (15 times on the ecommerce site and 15 times on YouTube) to manage. This can be done manually, even with limited resources. However, a comprehensive third generation approach might mean distributing those same 15 videos to affiliate networks (like Linkshare or Commission Junction), email campaigns, video libraries, additional video sites (like Vimeo or Viddler), ad channels, social media (like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace) and mobile phones (via QR codes or Microsoft Tags). Suddenly, 15 videos might have 150+ implementations, complex testing/optimization and a lot of associated analytics. It is time to invest in a video commerce platform. “I think Liveclicker is a brilliant company. They’re not the cheapest when it comes to video hosting and distribution; but it was made clear to us from the outset that they would be the best from a customer-client partnership, so we could move forward together. They’ve been extremely helpful and quite happy to work with us to develop what we’re doing.” – Chris Wood, Video Production and Project Manager With a video commerce platform, the retailer is able to leverage technology to manage a more complex program, which can yield exponentially greater results. At Liveclicker, we serve tens of millions of video views each month, and we have built some compelling case studies for investing in a Generation Three program. Revenue on products with videos usually increases by 10-15%, site traffic rises 2-5%, conversion rates are boosted by at least 30% and average order size increases by 1020%. Taking a methodical approach to video and working with a knowledgeable partner who can guide an ecommerce organization through this growth will pay off in dividends. Still, even with a more sophisticated third generation video program, YouTube is a critical marketing channel. Liveclicker makes sure to post its customers’ videos on YouTube and to optimize titles/keywords/descriptions accordingly. Using YouTube’s Promoted Videos solution and submitting sitemaps to Google are essential parts of the video marketing mix. Whether a retailer has 10 videos or boasts a library of 1,000, YouTube is an excellent solution for the hosting and serving of videos, and it offers some basic video player functionality like annotations, comments, sharing and multi-platform compatibility. However, it is not a solution tailored for retailers, and there are many missing features which can boost site traffic, conversion rates and average order size. What retailers need is a “shoppable” video player like the one which Liveclicker offers. WHAT IS A “SHOPPABLE” VIDEO PLAYER? The YouTube video player provides some basic functionality which allows users to overlay annotations on a video, but it lacks many ecommercespecific capabilities such as Buy Now buttons which direct viewers to product pages, integrated product ratings/reviews, pricing integration with the ecommerce platform, integrated cross-selling suggestions, integrated Facebook commenting, static/moving hotspots, and interactive product thumbnails. By bringing the entire shopping experience into the video player itself, conversion rates, average order size and total revenues are boosted. By stepping up to a video commerce solution like Liveclicker, retailers can integrate their video program with their ecommerce efforts.
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