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Over the past six years, I have been quite fortunate to go behind-the-scenes of over 200 companies and see how they deliver their message along with being able to see what's working and what's not working for them. Out of all those companies, I have edited different themed marketing videos for both offline and online businesses alike through my background in marketing and video production as a Producer and Editor. Several entrepreneurs are asking me if the new wave of online video advertising and website video marketing has anything to do with them and if it will effect them. They are also asking what are the real benefits of it and if it can even be used in their particular niche.

Online video advertising has seen a positive acceptance as we move to the Web 2.0 Phase, but what I tell these small to mid-size e-commerce businesses is to really focus on website video marketing instead for now. The reason I say this is that once companies have the right videos on their websites to test and track conversions, they can use that as a springboard to see if video advertising will be right for them over the next few years.

Right now, the acceptance of website video marketing is being taken advantage of by smart marketers and online businesses for several already known reasons along with integrated strategies within their own business or sales funnel. I'll give a brief overview of both.

Some already known reasons on why video works within the web for e-commerce and direct sales is to educate consumers (edu-selling), building trust, informing web viewers about exactly what they want to hear without them getting lost in a long and boring sales copy while adding the human approach. Consumers appreciate companies that get to the point efficiently and clearly, how to navigate sites and how to get from Point A to Point B without the consumer getting lost. Statistics average that 70% of people are visual learners and can understand what they see in a visual way and more effectively, when it includes the narration or text overlay that connects the marketing message together in the mind of the consumer.

E-commerce, direct sales and multimedia marketing businesses use integrated strategies of video within their sales copy to give visual cues and careful placement so consumers know when to do what with a laser-focused call-to-action along with testimonial videos (the most powerful testimonial there is) that blend right in with the sales copy. Using video messages within the short opt-in form can replace a long sales copy on "Why you should give me your email address." Consumers tend to appreciate this on opt-in pages because it takes down their skepticism and reassures them that they are giving their email to a real business who has invested time in providing value for them.

When seeing how your competitors, e-commerce and direct sales companies use creative video advertising and marketing solutions, ask yourself how video will differentiate you from everyone else and what direct response or branding message would be the most effective to get consumers to take action.