Adam Bruce of Streetfire.net presented a seminar dedicated to marketing business messages through online video.
The second annual SEMA Internet Symposium, held on July 25, at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, in Irvine, California, continued in its goal to equip members with the knowledge needed to stay current in a technologically advancing market.
“The whole market moved to the Internet and eCommerce, and it changed the market and how products are sold, and we didn’t want any SEMA member left behind," said Eric Breslow, chairman of the Street Performance Council, the SEMA council that established and hosted the event. “We wanted to provide them with a symposium to gain that knowledge, stay on the cutting edge and essentially, stay in business.”
Courses offered throughout the day-long event included: “The Foundations of Internet Marketing”; “Web-based Customer Relationship Management, Leveraging Your Website to Create Customers for Life”; “Capturing the User and Making the Sale”; “Advanced Pay-Per-Click”; “Protecting Your Intellectual Property Online”; and “Pricing Integrity—How it Impacts Your Business.”
Based on the audience attendance and interest, one of the more popular classes was “Killer Video for Marketing and Training—It’s Easier Than You Think.” Presenter Adam Bruce, founder and chairman of online video sharing service Streetfire.net, outlined the basics of video production and hosting, with the intention of demonstrating the simplicity behind the process.
Co-presenter Alexis Godschalk, community relations director at Streetfire.net, declared that a free online account and $580 for some basic equipment are the only essential investments a company needs in order to create and upload a video.
Of course, as Godschalk demonstrated with various clips, not all videos are as hard-hitting as others. He revealed that the more effective, higher-clicked videos all share one important factor.
“They are entertaining, informational and short—that is what people consume,” he said. “Keeping it between three to four minutes is very important.”
Judging from members’ responses, Streetfire.net was successful in delivering its message to the audience.
“All the specifics about the videos, such as formatting, and showing us the different venues and website to post our videos to, was very valuable,” said Tony Colombini, art director at Classic Industries, a retailer of car restoration parts.
Colombini states that Classic Industries does not currently post videos online, but he is now considering it.
“It doesn’t seem as overwhelming as it did in my head before," he said. "I realized that I don’t need to have a full-blown professional coming in and doing it for us. We can just do it in our warehouse."
Breslow announced the event a success. Approximately 120 members attended the event, double that of last year's attendance.
“The goal here was that people walked away with the idea that there are answers on all levels—beginning, intermediate and advanced—and it’s a technology that they shouldn’t be afraid of," said Breslow. "There are amazing opportunities on the Internet, especially during a bad economy, to keep your business growing. I hope that people got some ideas that they can now apply to their business and put into effect that will continue to help them stay relevant."
For more information on the 2008 Internet Symposium, contact Paul Moritz at paulm@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 112.
Panelist Bill Johannesen of Vision Werks Consulting presenting at the "Pricing Integrity—How It Affects Your Business" seminar.