With the recent launch of the Meadowlands Chamber’s updated website (www.meadowlands.org), the Chamber’s Technology Committee has created a Tech Video initiative that will cover a variety of topics of interest to the Chamber community. The videos can be accessed via the Committee and Councils page on the website and are posted to the Tech Talk section of the Meadowlands Media homepage: meadowlandsmedia.com
Why are we doing this? The Technology Committee was established several years ago to act as a resource for helping Chamber members understand technology opportunities while also making it less confusing for people. Committee members have been authoring Tech Talk articles in Meadowlands Magazine, the official publication of the Chamber, since the beginning of the committee to advise members on various tech-related topics.
Although the Committee members still contribute Tech Talk articles, much has changed in the way we communicate in our professional and personal lives. Our cars, smartphones, smartwatches, smart TVs and almost every device we use today are being connected to the Internet. To help us understand how to use these smart devices, users do Internet searches to find articles and videos that simplify how to use the device.
Let me give you a simple example. The remote-entry-key FOB on my car no longer worked and the replacement from the car dealer would have cost $150 for the parts and labor. I did an Internet search, found a good aftermarket remote-entry-key FOB with excellent reviews for $15 and ordered it. The next challenge was figuring out how to program the FOB for my vehicle so I went into YouTube and found an excellent short video on how to program the remote-entry-key FOB. When the replacement FOB arrived, I followed the programming procedure described in the video. I can now remotely lock and unlock my car again at a fraction of the dealer cost and the video was key to this success.
The move from textual and visual content to video content has accelerated over the past few years, just look at some recent YouTube statistics from MerchDope.com:
- YouTube sees over one billion unique visits each month and has 1.3 billion users.
- More than 50 percent of YouTube views comes from mobile devices.
- Approximately 20 percent of people who start a video leave after the first 10 seconds, which highlights the importance of creating a good introduction when producing a video.
- More than 60 percent of YouTube users are under 44 years of age, highlighting the importance of this communications medium to the millennial demographic segment.
The increased usage of video by millennials has caused large enterprises such as HP to dedicate more than 60 percent of their media spend to digital channels. In a Google marketing case study, HP’s head of Global Media Ed Mcloughlin commented, “The vast majority of our upfront video investments are for digital video, not linear television.” Mcloughlin further said, “Millennials are watching a ton of TV—it’s not ad-supported TV. So digital formats are where we get the greatest exposure and where we feel more confident that we’re actually getting the attention we need.”
YouTube now reaches more 18-49 year-olds in the U.S. than any broadcast or cable TV network many of them on mobile devices, according to data from Google and Nielson.
Creating video content on the right device that connects with video views starts with grabbing their attention right away.
“You have to establish interest or relevance to a consumer in the first six seconds. It’s a different type of storytelling,” Mcloughlin said.
To date, the technology committee has only completed a few Tech Talk videos. However, the goal to complete several more throughout the year is paramount to the Chamber’s success in connecting with the business community through visual storytelling.
Topics are written and scripted by committee members. Jason Hanrahan, owner of Contract Logic and committee co-chair, films and produces each video.
Check out the videos here: https://meadowlandsmedia.com/category/tech-talk-video-series/
The Technology Committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at the Meadowlands Chamber headquarters offices. The meeting can be attended in person or remotely via video using Google Hangouts. The committee is always looking for new members. Contact Heather Reimels of the Meadowlands Chamber at hreimels@meadowlands.org for further information.
Peter Krautle is Managing Partner of Louisa Voice, a company that specializes in voice services to small and medium businesses. Peter is also co-chair of the Meadowlands Technology Committee.
