A thought occurred to me while working for another client who wanted to reinvigorate the video experience for anyone who comes to their site.

Essentially, the company wants to, as seamlessly as possible, incorporate social media, chatting, video channels, archives and the corporate message du jour all in one subsection of his Web page.

Most days I listen to a comedy podcast that sometimes talks about the happenings of the day or week. Because of the Olympic fever coming to a slow boil (if that) the podcasters and hosts have frequently commented on NBC’s coverage of the events.

Both of these events has got me thinking:

Can you do too much in video?

The short answer, is yes. Creating an appeal video is a balancing act of sorts, where you must mix message and “color” (color, in the marketing and advertising world, is slang for “catch phrases” or “hooks” that draw people in. A commonly used one is “New and Improved”), style and substance and the final call to action (CTA).

The company that wants their site redesigned, in my opinion, is trying too hard to do everything, and has lost the point of what video is. Let me draw it out mathematically:

Video = (Pictures * Motion) + audio

Therefore videos are motion pictures with sound. The old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”, if your video is shot at 32 pictures per second, then your entertainment value can go up exponentially.

But if you try to add in video, and sound, and chatting, and commenting, and live features, and a search engine, you start getting into the realm of YouTube, which can be a potentially bad thing as:

1. Individuals will use YouTube as a benchmark to compare your site
2. You may be directly competing with Hulu, Viddler and YouTube (This is probably why Facebook has incorporated YouTube into their system, as opposed to making their own video system.).

The podcasters complained that the commentators on NBC talked too much, and didn’t let the coverage “explain itself”. If you’re covering a sport, and have enough cameras in the right angles, technically, you don’t need any commentators or commentary. In fact, ESPN has their own play-by-play chart for football that marks exactly where each team is, bypassing both audio and video.

In summary, keeping your videos and your purpose simple will make things better in the long run.

ShopWatchBuy will be at the 2010 Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas; the show will run from January 17^th to January 19^th. ShopWatchBuy will be just outside the registration area in the Miranda Room: Table 96.

The Affiliate Summit is one of the premier affiliate shows in the U.S.; attendees come from agencies, affiliate groups, merchants, networks and vendors. Over a third is affiliates themselves looking for new methods and skills to sell and promote their products.

What can you expect from ShopWatchBuy? We’ll be there to talk to both affiliates and business owners about how ShopWatchBuy can help their sales through video and online efforts. Do you need to let consumers “test-drive” your products through video? Are you looking for easy ways to allow your products to go “viral”? Look no further.

Mark your calendars for the event. The show starts on the 17^th of January with the Affiliate Meet Market, and continues on the 18^th and 19^th in the main Exhibit Hall with seminars, meet-and-greets and exhibitors from over 2000 companies!

We’ll see you there!

-The ShopWatchBuy Team

Sometimes you need to firmly press your tongue against your cheek and give it your all. That’s the theory behind the VH1 Critic’s Choice Awards commercial featuring a spoof of the ridiculously famous Twilight Saga entry, New Moon. Below, as the YouTube video puts it, Kristen [sic] Chenoweth Kicks New Moon Wolf Pack Butt.

What can we learn from this, though? As businesses, we need to answer three distinct questions:

• What do I WANT to say?
• What will my customers THINK?
• Do I WANT my customers to think this way?

How does this video succeed?

• Addressing every niche market
• Using pop culture references
• Using low-stress humor

Think you’re ready to try your hand at online advertising with video? Check out our free trial.

We all have that person: the one who has everything, or is just “content” with the way things are. He doesn’t fit into a neat little box, and she won’t give any good hints. They’re interested in everything, and what they don’t like you can’t reverse. What do you do?

The answer is simple. Shop at ShopWatchBuy.com. ShopWatchBuy uses videos to demonstrate the product, before you buy. Simply hit the Web site, find the “Top 20” categories, and select your interest. Click on to find your product, sit back and enjoy!

Try these topics to start:

Electronics: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Electronics
Gadgets: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Gadgets
Kids: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Kids
Men: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Men
Video Games: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Video-Games
Toys: http://www.shopwatchbuy.com/Toys

Jimm Fox published a list of ways to use video to grow your business (reposted by Mark Robertson on OneMarket Media). His list takes 42 methods and breaks them down into nine categories (Customer reference, Product and Service Promotion, Corporate based, Training and Support, Internal Comms, Marketing and Advertising, Public Relations (PR), Events and a miscellaneous category). Here are some of the highest in Growth Potential and Popularity.

• Video Customer testimonials (Moderate popularity, high growth potential): While this type of video is a staple of Microsoft’s Windows 7 material (who can resist the cute kid making it look so easy?), ideally, it should be real customers in their own settings. As authentically “normal” and “in the customer’s perspective” it is, the better. Depending on what you’re trying to do, authenticity and “rough-around-the-edges” a video is, is worth more gold than the money spent for a polished look. Would we have given the same credit to the dancing “Numa Numa” guy if it looked like it was shot from a studio? A spinoff of this is the Video success stories, where a customer recounts a problem that they had, and how said product helped them.

• Man in the street interviews (Moderate popularity, high growth potential): A known tactic in the Jay Leno Show (“Jaywalking”), news stations and sometimes on the Jimmy Kimmel Show (”Kids Voice out on what they know about Tiger Woods”), these movies find individuals and show them answering questions or reactions from the host. Again, authenticity is a big thing here. The more “fake” it looks, the worse it is. (Conversely, if you are a student of “The Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz“, making it looks ridiculous may cause enough buzz that you can disregard any consequences.)

• Product Presentations, demonstrations, reviews (Moderate popularity, high growth potential): While these are self explanatory, the perspective changes in each. Presentations should be from the customer’s perspective, demonstrations should be from the parent company and detail the benefits (If you are a student of Meerman’s “The New Rules of Marketing and PR“, avoid such terms as, “New and Improved”, “Ground-breaking” and other typical “fluff”. A good exercise from Meerman is as such: take the script from your movie, remove all direct references of your company and product. If you can’t tell who the company is or what the product is, your script is too convoluted with “fluff”.) Reviews should be from “trusted third parties”. Try to find reviews that you didn’t sponsor (who trusts a study saying that cigarettes are no more dangerous than automobiles when the study was funded by a tobacco company?).

• Visual stories (Moderate popularity, high growth potential): Tap into the cornerstones of marketing: Cute sells. Why are such stories as Where the Wild Things Are and If you Give a Mouse a Cookie such evergreen children’s books? Because they are visual stories (clever wordplay never hurts, either).

• Corporate Overview: (High popularity, moderate growth potential): Who is “XYZ Company”, and why do only Accounting and Economic professors reference it? They obviously don’t have a corporate overview video. Take into account what your company is and what you’d like to show. If you look at any product review from ThinkGeek.com, you’ll get a large sense of how the company works. Also pay attention to what is more attention getting.

• Training (High, High), Webinars, Just in Time (JIT) learning Videos (Low, High): Why clog up your forums, tech support lines and other forms of communication when you can show how to fix common problems? Video, as stated by Fox, is, “a cost effective substitute for in-class training”.

• Tackling tough-to-explain issues (such as legal matters, health and safety, [Low, High]: A funny example of such is Jon Stewart’s video of Ted Stevens’ explanation of the internet. Using audio and visual ties connects to more senses than plain text, and has the ability to provide compact and cheap primers.

• Content Marketing (Low, Huge): You have a business, obviously are experts in your area, spread some goodwill! Fox gives an example of Home Depot doing a Do-it-yourself series; another example is Best Buy doing a primer on High Definition or Blu-Ray. Barnes & Noble does this to a bit with their “Tagged” series, in which authors talk about their latest books (Link).

• Mobile Videos (Low, Huge): While half the world is running to have the “biggest-and-bestest”, the other half wants the same things, only much smaller. Even some Japanese researchers have done studies on screen size and retention rates (As expected, there isn’t a “best size”, but a range depending on the topic). The future, according to Fox, will hyper-target individuals based on geo-and-demographic traits, as well as very small niche audiences.

• “Viral” videos (High, High): The old standby. Everyone can name at least one viral video. There are a few challenges with this. First, you can call anything viral (even the most boring of commercials), but it isn’t viral until it becomes so completely desirable that it makes people want to share it. Secondly, viral videos usually aren’t about the product at all ( Sunsilk’s [hair care company] viral video depicted an extremely nervous bride, chopping her hair off before the big day. There was no mention of the product or company, and the movie was shot with a regular camera in a hotel room, prone to dark screens and unbalanced volume).

As always, think about these things when creating a video:

1. What do I want to say?
2. What do I want to show?

Then…

1. What does my video actually show?
2. Will my video keep attention?
3. If I do Meerman’s trick, and take out all references to my company and specific product, will the viewer know who I am and what I’m selling?

Happy Middle-December from ShopWatchBuy!

(Full Disclosure: Mitch, the writer of this post, is an internet junkie, moonlights at Barnes & Noble, and has as much fun with his coworkers as Maddie and David do.)

Happy December!

If you have to brave the crowds for last-minute gifts, check out these hints for any last-minute sales.

• Check out the ads, both online and in store.
• Most stores will have early-bird or night-owl hours where an extra percentage will be off of their products.
• Most stores will have a doorbuster. These items are usually hot items for the year at a much reduced price. This year’s Black Friday doorbuster was a laptop for approximately $200, Target’s was an LCD television for close to $500 bucks.
• Each of these stores has a limited amount of doorbuster items. Best Buy’s laptop doorbuster had “no fewer than 10″ computers per store. The local Target here had approximately 100-200 televisions, but had more than 500 individuals standing outside before the store opened.
• A “Rain Check” is when an item is on sale, but out of stock. Some stores will normally (though not during these sales) hold an item at that price for you.
• Do your planning ahead of time the week or so before the event. While some stores may have “Strict on Sale” (SOS) dates for letting people know when sales or certain items are released (SOS’ are usually found in the video gaming, movie and book industries). Any store that breaks the SOS date (sells before they are supposed to) usually will receive a hefty fine.
• Check internet vs. store prices. A hot item this year is the Twilight Saga Box Set (ISBN: 9780316031844). One bookstore sells this for the list proce of $83 dollars, while they can ship it to your home (without shipping charges) for close to $53. Ask about any ship-to-home orders before the date.
• On that same note, MOST STORES WILL NOT COMPETE WITH THEIR ONLINE STORE. If you look at a business model, it’s much cheaper to run an online business than a brick-and-mortar store. With online businesses, you have a small office, and a network of warehouses that you may or may not own. With a (for instance) physical store in the mall, you have to pay for training and payroll of employees to act as customer service reps. With this said, online prices will usually be a bit cheaper than their physical stores.
• Sign up for email newsletters. Create a free email account (through Hotmail, AOL or Gmail), and sign up for as many as you can. This way your personal email account will be free of store emails and spam, but you can still access valuable coupons. Make sure to follow instructions perfectly to print out coupons, as some retailers might be very picky on redemption policies (see potential work-around Barnes & Noble example at the bottom of this post). Read the “Notes to Cashier” or “Cashier Instructions” to see if the coupon code is there (See Best Buy Example and Barnes & Noble Example at the bottom of this post).
• It is worth it to try to ask any cashiers or customer service people where doorbusters might be located, or how many of an item they have in stock. Please note that store policy for this does vary greatly from store-to-store. Best Buy will NOT answer these questions, while other stores may have it behind counters (as seen in Gamestop or other video game stores). With the latest release of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, Barnes & Noble employees were not able to say how many copies were ordered of the book. In addition, employees weren’t allowed to see or take pictures of the packing boxes the books came in. While the latter is the exception, the point remains the same, the policies for hot items vary greatly from item to store, and may very well not make much sense.
• Gift Receipts are always a good idea. Make sure to ask for them at the beginning of a purchase, as sometimes the cashiers cannot print gift receipts for past transactions. In addition, read the back of the receipt for the return policy. MOST gift receipt returns will be for store credit.

The next tip comes from About.com:

• Saying “Charge It” Can Pay Off: Obviously, there is no bargain in running up high credit card bills and paying big interest rates, however, with proper spending disciplines intact, using the right charge card can be of value to consumers. Many credit card companies entice consumers with free benefits, which include extended free warranties, return protection and sale price protection.
  • Warranty Coverage – Your credit card company may offer to double or triple a manufacturer’s warranty for free on a product you purchase – a good option instead of purchasing a service contract that costs money and has a shorter duration period.
  • Return Protection – A credit card company may guarantee a refund on a product up to 90 days where as the store may not. This is becoming particularly more important as retailers stiffen the allotted return days.
  • Sale Price Protection – Some of the credit card companies will offer this protection and refund you the difference if a product you buy is marked down further than the price you paid within a certain time frame (usually 60 days).

Or, if you really don’t want to deal with the crowds, you can always shop online!

Merry Christma-Hannu-Kwans-ica, and a Happy Winter Solstice to all!

(Full Disclosure: The author of this blog post moonlights at a Barnes & Noble.)

So you’ve lurked around ShopWatchBuy.com for a while, but still haven’t been convinced that video sales is the way to go. Not to worry, with today’s ever-changing internet marketing and sales techniques, it’s easy to get lost in what’s new and what can make a great return-on-investment (ROI).

A recent report from eMarketer shows that video advertising doubles the “dwell time” of an advertisement; ” Rich media ads with video had a higher dwell rate than those without, and almost double the dwell time.” said eMarketer in their report.

For those in the marketing field, this increases your results while using less impressions.

For those interested about using or upgrading their ShopWatchBuy.com account, this means good news! Register today to reap the benefits of video marketing!

It’s ALMOST HERE. You may start freaking out now. Thanksgiving is this Thursday the 26th. Here are some tips for surviving the season.

EVENTS: From the top, the annual traditions of Macys and Football continue.

This year’s Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade has a new parade route. This year’s route follows 77th Street to Central Park, goes onto 7th street to 42nd, turns onto 6th avenue and ends at Herald Square.

Coverage on NBC starts at 9 am. This year, expect to see Carly Simon, Gloria Gaynor, Jane Krakowski (of 50 Rock), Mitchel Musso, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, Ziggy and Judah Marley and Katharine McPhee.

If watching the best examples of your furry friends is high on your list, stay tuned after the parade for the 2009 National Dog Show, hosted by John O’Hurley. An interesting fact from the NDS, ” In order to win “Best in Show” a dog must first be judged the dog must first be judged the best of many dog shows of its same breed competing in the show. Some breeds have more than 100 dogs entered”.

If the pigskin is more your game, NFL fans can see three different games this year (all times are EST).

• Green Bay plays at Detroit (12:30, FOX)
• Oakland plays at Dallas (4:15, CBS)
• New York Giants plays in Denver (8:20, NFL Network)

If you prefer college games,

• Texas vs. Texas A&M, (8:00, ESPN)

FOOD & ENTERTAINING: The Butterball turkey hotline is open for your questions. Phone operators have heard it all. Call at 1-800-288-8372. Each of the operators, “holds a degree in either dietetics or home economics, roughly half of which are Masters-level. The most frequent question asked is how long a turkey takes to defrost”.
Butterball is also giving a $2.00 off coupon for a whole Butterball turkey. The coupon is good until the end of 2009.

Also check out Martha Stewart’s Thanksgiving Guide, as well as Oprah Winfrey’s tips.

Worried about making a good first impression? Check out these links for Thanksgiving Etiquette:

• Etiquette Grrls
• Press Release, K-State.edu
• InfoZine

Here’s to a good, happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

-The ShopWatchBuy Staff

P.S. Worried about Tryptophan, the drug that allegedly makes you sleepy from eating turkey? Get the record straight from Webmd.

Coffee: the lifeblood of the modern man or woman in this century. Whether the original percolation machine, a fine espresso press in Rome or Florence, or the brew dripping at “Central Perk” in Friends and “Monk’s” in Seinfeld, no one can go very long without having their opinion about, or having their favorite type of coffee.

With the seasons starting to change, and that nip into the air coming, ShopWatchBuy is a small haven for coffee lovers trying to save a few bucks in the economy.

Picture this; you’re at the local Starbucks, Seattle’s Best or great local coffeehouse, you order your medium, extra-shot-skim-milk vanilla latte. You ake your first drink and OUCH! Most coffeehouses steam their lattes to at LEAST 150 degrees Fahrenheit; “extra hot” may bring your coffee upwards of 180-190 degrees. Home-brewed coffee can get even hotter. Jolex’s Brugo mug solves this problem. With a flick of the wrist, your coffee travels into a cooling chamber. From there your liquid caffeine cools to the perfect temperature to enjoy. No more burned lips or tongues (not to mention, most coffeehouses offer a discount if you bring your own mugs!).

Make sure to check out the other coffee and hot beverage offerings we have on ShopWatchBuy.com

Like a particular seller? We’ll let you know when their Storefront has a new product.

Want to know what’s available on the entire site? We’ll give you a buzz.

Just tap into our RSS feeds.

Really Simple Syndication feeds (RSS) are commonplace in the internet world. These feeds scour the internet for a particular phrase or common reference and present a list of links to you. Those with Firefox browsers can easily hit the “Latest Headlines” button for an RSS feed to the BBC. Other browsers have similar functions.

Starting today, ShopWatchBuy has posted RSS links at the top of the page and in the storefronts of sellers. Once clicked, these boxes ( , ) will ask if you want to add ShopWatchBuy or that particular storefront to your feed.

Currently, SWB offers two feeds:

Most Recent: Click the orange RSS icon in the “products” box at the top of every SWB page. When our marketplace has a new entry, we’ll send it to you.

Storefront: Like the products from Washington Golf or La Prima Shops?  Hit the blue RSS button to the right of their titles on their storefronts. When the shop you subscribe to adds a product, we’ll let you know.

No personal information is collected, and no spam will be sent, just window shopping is ahead.

We’ll be adding more of these feeds over time – let us know if you have any suggestions!