Top 10 Reasons to Use Video

In our book for class, PR 2.0, Jason Miletsky, CEO and Creative Director of PFS Marketwyse, gives 10 reasons to use video in social media. Some of his ideas are as follows:

1. "Improvements in Technology" - Videos when internet was first developing took SO long to load! We would sit for minutes to download a 20 second clip that had bad quality and would cut out if someone called your phone line! Today, most companies and homes use DSL which of course leads to faster downloads and better viewing quality.

4. "The YouTube Factor" - Sites such as Google, Facebook and YouTube are thrown around as if real words in our vocabulary. They need no definition, almost everyone has used these sites and is familiar with what you mean when you say "I googled..." or "I used YouTube..." YouTube with "its almost two-billion dollar sale to Google, focused the world's attention on a previously little known fact: Video on the Web is finally here."

8. "Higher Degree of Internet Marketing Sophistication and Integration" - In the past, traditional marketing agencies viewed Web 1.0 as "a curious oddity they didn't understand, and wished they didn't have to deal with." Web development was left to the computer geeks who understood programming and html. Today, the Web is fully used by the same mainstream marketers as a necessity to more widespread marketing campaigns. Advertisements online have been converted from banner ads to full out converted TV commercials, talking heads, and video-enhanced landing pages.

Video is such a useful tool for PR, marketing and - I hate to tie this in to the three - advertising. It engages the audience and can result in a better understanding of a campaign, product, service, etc.