Who doesn’t know about Twitter, Friendster, Multiply and the much touted Facebook? These are among the social networking sites that have linked multimillion people around the globe and which are now being used as a vehicle to spread videos for advertising and marketing purposes. This is the foundation of SVM or social video marketing. These days, SVM is a popular component of an integrated marketing communications plan purposely intended to heighten the viewers’ engagement through social links around a given video.

Technically, SVM is anchored on the psychology of sharing as it draws on economic theory, social theory and culture theory. Unlike viral marketing which is replicated out of being memorable and interesting, social video pivots on a deeper perspective, bond or similarity between sharer and recipient. The passing of the video is respected because there is that element of trust as opinions and sentiments snowball in the process of passing and sharing.

How are these social videos serving the special purpose of marketing? In these days of the Internet and globalization, the opportunity to deal with a big market worldwide just happened too fast without any road signs as to how to go around in such a vast space with so many consumers. Unlike the kids who seem to speak the language of the computer and the Internet, their predecessors engaged in all sorts of business and professions are just lost. It is like being left out in the vast Sahara where the sand dunes keep shifting leaving confusing land marks. In such a situation, some known tracks are needed to be able to find one’s way around an unfamiliar territory. Social video marketing is like that – it is analogous to some known tracks in the Internet that helps those who are beginning to explore it to find their direction.

With social networks like Facebook, uploaded videos that are persuasive enough are shared starting with people you have a relationship with. Videos are generally more convincing when selling services and products. The convincing value goes higher because the one talking is someone familiar. Just reading long sales copy or looking at pictures are often not enough to convert website visitors into buyers. Since Facebook is the largest social media network, aiming to penetrate this large community can create opportunities for many businesses to reach more of their target viewers. If you want to target Facebook, here are some marketing tips that you can use:Direct the traffic that you will create to more information within Facebook and less to an external page like a website. This can help you shrink the cost of your Facebook Ad by almost half.

1. Use Facebook tools such as the “Reveal” that can be set up in your Facebook page. This can lead visitors who “Like” your page to your see your Wall to learn more about your page, product or company.
2. Change your Facebook Ads from time to time to attract more visitors and more “Like”.
3. If there is a need or you want to direct your traffic to an external site outside Facebook, make an external landing page. This is where you can offer the visitors some free goods or service.

Aside from Facebook, there are other social networks that you may want to target too; try anything as long as you can afford it. For these purposes, you may want to learn how other social networking sites can be used to meeting marketing goals. More than anything, it will be important to be able to produce the right kind of videos that can elicit sufficient interest among the viewers. An interactive video is functional and can keep you and your clients hooked. Just like in a typical marketing video, ensure that the title is keyword rich to get it clicked and indexed in the search engines. It is also important that your video is uploaded in as many websites as possible especially You Tube to boost traffic to your website. Plan well to increase the value of the video particularly along the lines of branding. Make your social video marketing graphically appealing, short, brisk and packed with interesting information. Remember, that your first clients are people you know; you have their attention, so, you better keep it that way.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•