My last post referenced eMarketer survey data on what kinds of sites Internet users visit to get information to help them make purchasing decisions.  Of course, Web surfers look for more than product or service information.  Increasingly, consumers are turning to the Web for entertainment and for “how-to” information—often in the form of short videos. New research on the daily online and offline activities of Internet users highlights the power of the Web for both entertainment and social interaction.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007647

As you can see, watching TV, whether through your television set or on a computer screen, is a daily routine.  Nielsen recently reported that about 131 million Americans watch online video, and that they spend, on average, about 3 hours a month doing so.  An astounding 33.2 billion videos were viewed in December 2009 by U.S. Internet users, according to comScore.

We all like to watch TV.  Most of us also like watching short do-it-yourself or how-to clips when trying to figure out how to synch our smart phone with our POP3 contacts or how to get our voicemail messages through our email account(s).  Fact is, telcos should be jumping on the opportunity to present answers and provide value to their customers by creating short “how-to” videos addressing common questions as well as how to take advantage of all the features your broadband products provide.  Don’t believe me?  Just type in “how to sync” on YouTube and you will quickly get a sense of how much content it already out there.  Now it’s time for you to create your own YouTube channel for your company and to begin uploading how-to videos for your customers.

It’s important for telco’s to keep in mind that video services are about more than traditional IPTV.  Customers want converged entertainment services—short form Web video served over the top combined with traditional live TV and video on demand.

Tanya Sullivan is President of Plus One Strategic Communications, LLC, a communications firm specializing in the rural telecommunications industry.

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