Online video grows--and opens eyes: big banks may be advetising on network television, but community banks are finding an audience by empanding into web-site videos.

• Author: Albro, Walt
• Position: Brief article

GRAB THE VIDEO CAMERA! Community banks are jumping into video marketing in a big way.

In the past, video was limited to television advertising--which many community bank marketers were reluctant to do because of the cost and unfamiliarity of the medium. But today's surge of video interest is not for broadcast or cable TV. It's mostly for online viewing.

To produce these videos, some marketers are doing the shooting themselves. Others are hiring outside agencies, Some are purchasing packaged videos that can be customized for individual banks.

Many videos are being posted on the bank's own Web site. Others are linked to e-mails as part of online marketing campaigns. Others are placed on Internet sites such as YouTube.

Advertising new products or services is just one of the many uses of these videos. Banks are employing them to inform or educate their customers and prospects about financial issues. Some are deploying them as promotional backgrounders to acquaint customers with the bank's history...