Video online is nothing new. In 2006 it was used mainly for entertainment purposes. Now more businesses are realizing the value of video to educate and inform customers, critics and shareholders. It is becoming an essential tool for companies to communicate their message.
One company that is taking a proactive approach to adding video to their corporate Web site is Monsanto, a St. Louis agricultural-products company. One of their public relations managers had the idea to send camera crews to several locations to film farmers giving testimonials about using Monsanto products to grow genetically modified crops like corn or soybeans.
Then the clips were posted on the companies Web site and illustrated the benefits to local farmers using Monsanto’s products. Since they began posting video on their site the traffic has increased. Now it is around 15,000 visits a month and they hope to increase visits to 200,000 by late 2008.
Other corporations that have turned to video include Wal-Mart, Sun Microsystems and General Motors. “Corporations are just beginning to see [online video] as a real option to help cut costs and communicate,” says Colin Dixon, a research analyst for Diffusion Group, a research firm. “Just from last year to this year, there’s been a significant jump.”
While many companies have been slow to embrace the potential of video on their corporate Web sites that trend seems to be changing. As corporate America continues to realize the effective communication tool that video delivers it will become commonplace on many corporate sites.
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Mike is a staff writer for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
