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Is Web Audio and Video Really the Way to Reach Your Prospects?

Nearly every time I check my mail there's at least one web guru expounding the benefits of using audio and video on web sites and in e-mail promotions. It's become the hottest new toy for the masses and the hottest new way to impress your prospects and make the sales come rolling in.

Or has it?

Not long ago I read a report stating that over 40% of internet users had high speed. That's good. But that means nearly 60% do not - so if you're counting on your video presentation to reel in those customers, that's really bad.

Some internet marketers have told me the people without high speed don't matter - they can't afford to buy anything anyway. I beg to differ. In my part of the world, the more money you have, the more likely you are to buy land and build in an area where you cannot get high speed. You might not even get a phone line.

People come to our part of North Idaho for peace and privacy - the ones with big budgets wouldn't dream of moving in to town where there's a neighbor on either side. Believe me, I served real estate buyers for 19 years, and even the majority of buyers with no money asked for a spot in the country.

And what about all of us average folks who choose to live in the country? We're not the mega-rich, but we certainly do buy things over the internet.

The situation presents more than one problem to consider: First, if that video component makes your page load slowly, a good number of your prospects will never see it, OR the rest of your content. People in a hurry won't wait.

Second, even if your prospects have the patience to wait for your message to load, they might not be able to see it when it does.

Just today my "city son" with a high speed connection sent me link to a myspace video about dolphins, so I tried to watch it. Forget it. It plays for 3 seconds and stops for 4, then plays for 2 and stops for 5, and on and on. It just isn't worth trying to watch.

But that's not the worst problem. When my dial-up speed of 28 was threatening to push me over the edge, I decided to bite the bullet and pay the price for satellite service. That's fine. Most pages load a lot faster so now I can do research for my clients and still remember what I was looking for when I get there.

But - if I download over 200 megabytes in 24 hours, everything stops. My internet just plain quits moving.

Would I click on a link to watch a video advertisement? Not on your life! My megabytes are precious and I won't waste them.

There is one saving grace. If there's something I really want to hear, such as an interview with someone interesting, or a copywriting seminar, I can wait until midnight and listen without counting against my daily use. That's the period between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern.

I still don't watch the videos, however, because that start and stop routine is not conducive to understanding what in the world they're trying to say. It does provide some funny photos - guys with their mouths open mid-word often wear entertaining expressions.

If you're about to install audio and video on your site, do it carefully.

Make sure your message can also be accessed in print, and make sure that your visitors have a choice about downloading that audio or video. No one on satellite wants to waste their precious download megabytes - so you just might make them angry enough to leave and never return.

If you have great content to share, and in that content you've inserted a sales message for your product, make it easy and convenient for your prospects. Give them a choice of audio, video, or printed words. Show them you care about what's best and most convenient for them.

Of course, my favorite way to access audio is to download it to a CD and take it along in my car. That's when I've got the most time to listen and pay attention. If you're trying to reach people with way too much to do, consider giving them that option. If your message is good, it might be heard a half dozen times.

If the only way to get your message across is by video - because of hands-on demonstration perhaps - first be sure you present it in a manner that can be downloaded and watched after the download is finished - to avoid the start and stop syndrome.

Then let them know up front how many megabytes they will be using and accompany the offer to view that video with a powerful sales presentation. Your copywriting must be at it's most persuasive to show your prospects exactly what's in it for them when they take the time to watch.

A caution here: Make sure you really do offer useful information and not just a sales pitch. If you make people feel duped you'll soon be seeing your name on blogs and message boards in a very unflattering light.