Client Mission Grove Realty
uses video to draw crowds

A partnership formed yesterday between ready-to-air ad provider Spotzer Media Group, and local business owner network MerchantCircle, give 600,000 small business owner (SMBs) access to scalable, affordable custom videos.

Many local merchants cannot afford to promote via professionally-produced videos, be they short clips for the web or full-length TV spots, stated Darren Waddell, MerchantCircle's VP of Marketing.

Online videos tend to be significantly less expensive to produce than TV spots. (For Wendy's debut online video spot, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners spent $25,000 as opposed to the $300,000 typically spent for an ad.) Adding video to a commercial web page can improve a merchant's search ranking — crucial for retail categories — because engines index and rank video content favorably.

To create a video, SMBs can visit Spotzer's "virtual studio" and select a ready-made clip that includes footage, voice and music tracks.  They then add details like name, address, and contact information.

More customization is available for extra fees: $69 per month for a voiceover and $79 for the addition of photos and logos. Merchants can also purchase exclusive rights to use a video in their region for $39 per month.

MerchantCircle is using its public listing as a hosting service for the videos, and 2,000 SMBS have created one since the service launched. 75 percent of the businesses in the company's network have no other web presence, so the hosting option is a welcome service, reports Mediapost. For an example of how clients use the service already, visit the Mission Grove Realty website, which in addition to video sports other engagement-building features (like maps and reviews). It is hosted entirely on the Merchant Circle system.

A September study found 81 percent of small business owners will increase or maintain their ad spend over the next 12 months, with 26 percent planning to incorporate video on their websites.