I’ve become a bit of a SXSW regular and honestly it is the one conference every year that I never miss.

I always arrive in Austin with an open mind to all my current clients and also looking for tools and people that I can get involved in future initiatives. As a consultant I want to be up to date on the latest technologies and also who are the active members of the community in case they are a fit for a project at some point.     

This year because of my work with Overlay.TV I had video on the brain and kept a very keen eye on what was going on.

I’m happy to report that video is alive and well and there were just as many video cameras as there was catchy tagline t-shirts and backpacks. If you are not creating video at this point, you are behind the curve and it is time to start working it into your marketing mix if you want to be successful.

I asked a variety of attendees why they thought video was so important to businesses and what they thought the future of video was. Click on the icons in the video to connect with any of the speakers.

So, what were some of the video trends that I noticed while there?

1.  The days of lugging a massive camera around are no more. I saw more micro HD cameras and video capable DSLR cameras than anything else.
2. Companies are continuing to embrace the power of video. Watch any of the daily recap videos from Chevrolet or the great SXSW:By the Numbers video from CNN as shining examples.
3. Everyone still has a craving to learn how to make their videos better. If there was any doubt, all you had to do is look at sessions led by Steve Garfield or The Bui Brothers to see that video education is important.
4. People are not as hesitant about being asked to be on video as they use to be. We as a society are much more comfortable with video cameras being everywhere and talking to one isn’t as unique of an experience as it use to be.
5. At large events like this, setting up a stationary studio or similar location for people to create video makes a lot of sense. The Live from AOL Studio and the Samsung Blogger Lounge were both examples that jumped out at me.

I did not discover any breakout technologies that will change the landscape in video which was a bit disappointing. Sure, there were more camera rigs, green screen solutions and streaming companies peddling their wares, but nothing jumped out at me and made me say wow.

I left Austin full of breakfast tacos and inspiration to create more video. Every where I looked someone had a camera and a microphone. It is a critical piece of the marketing mix for every company and I want to see people use it more and use it better.

Were you at SXSW? Did you see something that I missed? Let me know in the comments.

Aliza Sherman · Ann Handley · Becky Johns · Brad Powell · Emily Cavalier · Interactive Video · Jeff Sass · Joe Chernov · Julien Smith · Steve Grafield · Tamsen McMahon · Tim Washer

This is the final post in a series exploring interactive video integration online.  Read the full article here.

Experience Brand/Theme Pages

An experience page is a dedicated area of the site associated with a brand or theme. On this page consumers get to experience the brand's “feel-good” factor or theme that the retailer is trying to convey. This is achieved by mixing a collection of premium video with both semi-professional and user generated testimonials. Consumers get to experience the brand through video while still allowing the retailer to build the direct calls to action into the video. An experience page can be expanded to included competitions and consumer feedback mechanisms.

If you'd like to know more about how you can use interactive video on your eCommerce site please contact us at info@overlay.tv.

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This is part five in an ongoing series exploring interactive video integration online.  Read parts one through four here.

How-To Videos, Style Guides and Advice

For a number of products that are best explained through video, a how-to video can be a great way of demystifying a potential purchaser and also gives the retailer an idea opportunity to cross-sell. Recent discussions include a cosmetic company looking to demonstrate to women how to apply eye make-up to achieve certain look and a DIY retailer demonstrating how to construct a free floating wall shelf.

In each case, as the products are used within the video, product links are directly provided to enable the user to immediately add to basket. Moving this call to action directly into the video at the point at which a product is shown has demonstrated an increase in conversion rate. This can also help the consumer feel more confident in their abilities, reducing return rates.  Surveys have shown the consumer feels a closer relationship with the retailer resulting in higher sales.

Next: Brand expereince/theme pages.

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This is part one in an ongoing series exploring interactive video integration online.   

Over the recent months we have held many discussions with retailers on both sides of the Atlantic that are looking to add video to their websites. One of the issues that inevitably arises is “We have video but are not sure where to start. How do we make this interesting without incurring high production costs?”

Given that this is very much a common theme from prospective user, we thought we would compile a collection of the most popular uses. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, rather a list of practical ideas that retailers are considering.

6 Ideas to get you started:

1. Product page video
2. Repurposing TV commercials
3. User generated content
4. Repurposing celebrity videos
5. How-to videos, style guides and advice
6. Experience brand/theme pages

Product Page Video

Over the last few years images have brought eCommerce websites to life, often with clever zoom capabilities. While this is a good first step, the benefits of many products cannot be demonstrated effectively with static images.  For instance, how do you show the unique flexibility of a new footwear sole design with a static photo?  Video adds a dimension that allows the user to interact with and gain a far greater understanding of the product. Both have been demonstrated to increase conversion and, just as importantly, reduce return rates.

Intermix Product Page

 Up next: Repurposing TV commercials.

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Sometimes we forget how easily video on retail sites can influence both our buying decisions and life. Periodically the Overlay Team will be looking at how video on eCommerce sites have influenced events in our own lives.

The Makeup Solution

I've been shopping around for some new beauty products for some formal events I have on my schedule. Perhaps unsurprisingly my search led me to Sephora.com. Now I'm pretty minimalist when it comes to makeup, which is really a polite way of saying I'm lazy. If I had to pick a look that summed up my approach to make up it would be "natural" but  a girl likes to glam it up every now and then. Cat's eyes, smokey eyes, sometimes we just need something with a bit of oomph. The problem is that I'm not really sure how to do it.

A bit of clicking around brought me to Sephora's Beauty Central page. It seems like the type of place where someone like me might be able to pick up a few points and indeed it was. I was thrilled to find that Sephora had a nice selection of how-to videos. I've found lots of instructions for how to do looks online but finding video in the same spot I could buy the products was gold. Sephora combines their videos with written instruction and recommend products. Watch + read + product suggestions = win for me.

I do wish that there also user-generated videos them trying the techniques. I'd love to see what colors and products people at home are using and what techniques they had the most success with. Makeup artists make it look so easy too. Some of the videos have looks that are probably too glam for my personal use but I found there's a practical take-away for me in all of them - a technique for liquid eyeliner even if I don't extend the line quite so far, how to apply false eyelashes even if the ones I try aren't going to be an inch long.

Thank you Sephora, for helping me glam up my night life. Now if I could just figure out what colors to use...

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