Brian Russell, the COO of Media Distribution Solutions, shared some research about the power of video at the recent Local Online Advertising Conference in New York.

Their research revealed that having video on a website makes it 53 times more likely to be found on Google, and that emails with videos get 50% more clicks compared to emails without video.

I have no doubt about the effectiveness of videos online, and a recent trade article about the conference said “The takeaway is that video is clearly the new frontier in capturing attention in your marketing”.

Statistics like this can have local advertisers lining up to spend more money on videos, which often become dated very quickly, at the expense of radio advertising.

By the way, Media Distribution Solutions just happens to produce videos.

Our TOMA surveys of more than 10,000 consumers reveals that consumers are 444 times more likely to view the website of a business they have heard of versus viewing the site of a business they have not heard of.

And while video might make a website 53 times more likely to be found on Google, our research and advertiser seminars validate Seth Godin’s claim that “It’s better to be sought than found” online.

Being sought by name is the only sure way a business can be found online, and having established a pre-need preference for a business will always trump any SEO or other online tactics.

Radio is the proactive media, and online is the reactive media. Advertisers need both.
Establishing a pre-need preference for a business with proactive media will always trump putting all of your eggs in the reactive media basket.

Step one is to establish a pre-need awareness and preference for a business with proactive radio. Step two is to use video and other online tactics when consumers search reactive media in reaction to their need.

Let’s tell the proactive radio story and not let advertisers put the cart before the horse.