Donna DeMarco, Co-Founder, Vice President, Viddler, Inc.

We’ve all see those business site videos in which an executive with a face for radio drones on about some new product release and takes 10 minutes to make a point. Well, we’ve all seen parts of those videos. Most people don’t finish watching them. But do it right and statistics show that video increases site stickiness and engages prospects and customers so that that stay on site longer.

What many people do not realize going into it is that “There is a lot of work involved in creating a video,” says Donna DeMarco, co-founder and vice president of Viddler Inc, which sells an online video platform for businesses. DeMarco is one of dozens of digital marketing and media thought-leaders from Google, Microsoft, ESPN, Yahoo, Buddy Media and many more top brands participating in the upcoming Internet Summit at the Raleigh Convention Center Nov. 15-16.

Her pioneering efforts in website video integration, private viewing, advertising monetization, and video subscription services have been embraced by more than 1,500 businesses, and that corporate base is growing daily. She’ll be presenting during the online video strategy session.

Key elements of good video

One of the key elements of producing a good online video (Viddler does not do production, but does host videos for clients) is to “Pick someone in your company who is charismatic and comfortable in front of the camera,” DeMarco says. “Otherwise, hire a professional. A lot of vendors provide that at reasonable cost.”

If you get the wrong person and offer content similar to a late night TV ad, “No one is going to come to your site to watch that,” she warns.

DeMarco says producing a video is “Marketing 101: provide a short, concise message. Don’t ramble on.”

You do have to think about some production values. “You have to consider basic design things,” she says. “Our designer cringes at the color combinations some people pick.”

Used well, however, video can be highly effective. It can keep visitors on the site, increase brand awareness, and provide valuable analytics data.

Get a mobile strategy

“We have people leaving print and moving to online video advertising,” DeMarco says. In fact, one small newspaper chain took all of its local advertisers and said, we’ll give you a video ad on our web page.” Unlike many struggling newspapers, “They have already made the shift to digital,” she notes. That’s not a bad strategy for other local publications to consider.

DeMarco says companies need to have a mobile video strategy. “Make sure your videos play on mobile devices,” she says. Also, “If you allow people to upload video testimonials, that can be very beneficial.”

Video marketers do have to make a range of decisions about how to present a video once it is ready for prime time. That includes whether it is to be locked down on a given site, the way Gawker does it, or if it can be posted on other sites and link back to the producer’s site.

Also, if a firm is allowing users to upload video testimonials, “A lot of people want to view it first before it goes public,” she says.

If the video producer has enough expertise and skill, “You can set up your own video store to sell that expertise,” DeMarco adds. “We have a couple of clients doing that successfully.”

Here’s a Viddler blog entry on the basic structure of an online video.