Via Podcasting News :

Internet video viewing has jumped up 80% this year, according to a new report from the Internet Publisher's Association.

In March of 2006, 5% of online video viewers watched once a day and 24% watched at least once a month. Weekly viewership grown significantly, with 44% watching weekly and 8% watching daily.

The study also looked at the most popular video content and, while humorous videos may appear to be omnipresent, it found that the leading video content category is news/current events (14% watch daily). Weather ranks second (11% watch daily), followed by jokes/funny clips (9% watch daily).

Other highlights:

• 80% of all video viewers have watched a video ad online, and 52% have taken some sort of action, whether it’s checking out a website (31%), searching for more info (22%), going into a store (15%), or making apurchase (16%).
• Advertising in good content improves people’s perception of your brand. The study found that if a consumer has a positive attitude toward an advertised brand, and likes the video content that the ad appeared within, brand consideration jumps 61%. If the consumer’s initial attitude toward the brand is neutral or even negative, brand consideration still rises 21% if they like the adjacent video content.

Excellent results, if I do say so myself. There's no doubt that online video is really taking hold now, and these numbers are nothing short of fantastic.

Just in case you didn't know, Video Podcasts are simply internet video clips with the extra benefits of RSS feeds attached to them - so these numbers reflect the exact type of content we produce for our real estate sellers here on AgentCasts. We just wanted to make sure that was clear!

Technorati: internet video, podcasting, video podcasts, podcasts, realtor marketing, real estate video, real estate podcasting, agentcasts, video, statistics

Voices.com has proclaimed that it is officially "Podcasting Week 2007" over on the Vox Daily Blog. We think that this is great, as they are using the occasion to inform the masses about what podcasting is, how podcasting works, and how businesses can benefit from it.

To kick things off, they have posted a nice little article entitled "How to Browse, Listen and Subscribe to Podcasts". Go ahead and read it if you could use a little guidance in this department!

Excellent work, Voices.com. We think it's great that you're informing the public and pushing the word out! I wonder how you knew that it's going to be my birthday on Thursday? =]

Technorati: podcasting, podcasts, real estate podcasting, real estate podcasts, real estate video, podcasting 101, voices.com, podcasting week 2007, podcasting news, podcast production

CNN's Money Magazine has just published a nice article entitled '4 ways to market your business online' which describes the benefits of leveraging the internet's newest tools for marketing your business online in order to stand out amongst the competition. After talking a bit about the importance of creating a simple website and blogging, they go on to describe how podcasting and video are becoming essential for anyone who's looking to market themselves in today's competitive online landscape.

We all know how relevant this is in terms of the real estate industry, as over 1.4 million real estate agents and property sellers are all looking to climb their way out of obscurity online in this fiercely competitive industry.

Podcasting:

Podcasting is a relatively simple technology that is being taken quite seriously by some Fortune 500 companies. And all you really need to get started is a decent microphone, a digital recorder and editing software.

Podcasts allow you to make the most of your inner impresario, plus, your show and the subscriber audience it may lure can give you an edge over competitors.

"Podcasting is still unique enough in many industries that it can allow you to stand out a bit," says John Jantsch, a Kansas City, Mo., marketing coach and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide (Thomas Nelson).

"Podcasting makes a ton of sense for many small businesses for several reasons," says Jantsch. "A voice, rather than simple words on a paper can convey emotion and personality. It's much easier to connect to that."

Jantsch offers this tip for the podcaster trying to bring attention to his business: "Invite a key strategic partner to be a guest on the podcast and you're likely to get the attention of high-level experts, authors and even prospects."

Video on the Internet:

YouTube is not just for classic media clips, cute pet tricks and bizarre dorm antics anymore. With a YouTube link on your Web site and vice versa, you have a new marketing tool. But don't be so crass as to post blatant infomercials about your small business.

"What you want to post is something that the people on YouTube will find interesting or useful and will therefore watch," says Michael Miller, the Indianapolis-based author of YouTube 4 U (Que Publishing).

In his book, Miller cites the example of a pottery business that posted a how-to video on throwing pots on a pottery wheel. "That's what gets them in the door and then you direct them to your Web site from there."

Technorati: podcasts, podcasting, real estate podcasts, real estate podcasting, real estate video, realtor marketing, online marketing, realtor video, realtor podcasting