Video ads reviewed

This professional-style video posted on contractortalk.com resulted in an interesting thread on the topic. Is this television-style video better than home-made testimonial content; or would both be effective?

How good can good video be?

I'm seeking some answers to that question, observing this contractortalk.com thread and the observations about the video of Mr. Mikes' Painting in Louisville, KY. Hopefully I'll be able to speak with Mike Smith there in a few days to learn more about how much the video has helped business, if at all.

My sense is the video is fine, and the overall website is excellent, but the most powerful video would not be the "television ad" design, but some human, real, and substantiated testimonials. (Mike has great written testimonials on his website.)

Are contractors willing to pay for video services? It seems the market may be a little slow. Jeff Uecker at Big Time Productions in Burbank, CA, for example, sought some publicity in this blog in March, but by June, he had sent me this email:

Thanks for the email Mark. We didn’t have a lot of luck with contractors in these challenging times….the site has shifted focus on other small businesses for now, but we will be redesigning the contractors section….lowering the price and giving options on how the contractor might want their commercial to look like, rather than a more custom one currently featured. I will keep you posted!

I think one challenge for most of us is that video, even with the simplest camera and uploading resources, still requires significantly more time and energy than other online communications formats. Then again, we have webcams on our computers and handheld video cameras are only a couple of hundred dollars these days, so maybe there is no excuse not to include at least some simple video on our sites and in our marketing materials.

Note: The Design and Construction Report (http://www.dcnreport.com) includes some effective video.

See the clip on the Page 4 of this reprint, or more accurately, "eprint" of the special feature about Homestead Renovations in Northern Virginia.