Rev up your classifieds with video

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Rachel Sklar Jason Linkins has an issue with video classifieds.

Uhm…okay. We are drawn to movement–and shiny things! But aren’t classified ads supposed to be simple, and cost-effective? Once you factor in the expense of the video equipment, the matte paintings, the storyboards and craft services, hasn’t the cost-to-benefit ratio been blown out of the box?

She’s reacting to a piece in the LA Times that says, “Video classifieds are new … ”

Except they’re not.

Video classifieds pre-date web 2.0 by a good couple of years. Digital Media Classifieds, now Digital Media Communications, started turning recruitment ads into video six or seven years ago, or further back.

When I first heard about DMC, I was skeptical, but then we instituted the program in Ventura and quickly learned three things — Advertisers loved it, job hunters watched the videos, and the up sell created a significant revenue stream.

Video classifieds are a no-brainer, and letting users generate their own ads get in on the fun just makes a lot of sense.

9 thoughts on “Rev up your classifieds with video”

  1. I don’t see why Rachel Sklar is in such a tizzy about this. The ads are a pretty neat possibility. I think they add another dimension for a person to sell his old crap. Imagine someone being the “Crazy Larry” of selling old crap out of a basement or garage.

    What a great idea. I’m going to try and steal it for my paper…

  2. Uhm…Rachel didn’t write that post. I did. I know, I know…bylines are so confusing! Especially when they only go so far as to explicitly state, using mere letters of the alphabet, the author of the piece. Next time, I’ll make you a video!

  4. The products I’ve seen from DMC are only the first step in video classifieds. What hasn’t happened yet is a real person setting up their video camera and showing you what they’re trying to sell.

    Imagine someone setting up a video camera and taking you on a tour through the car he or she is trying to sell.

    Right now, DMC just converts the text classified into video using stock images mostly. Sometimes they have photos from the user to intermingle with the video. Those work best.

  6. Sorry dudes, but someone really beat you to the point. Check out realpeoplerealstuff.com.

    “Realpeoplerealstuff.com is an online selling platform through which people can offload their surplus stuff. What’s new is its use of video – with a few clicks of a mouse, customers can upload their own video commercials, recorded on their video recorders, webcams, digital cameras or camera phones.”

    For example, Ryan wants to sell his “famous” keyboard.

    Also, for people looking for jobs, there is CareerTV.com.

  7. I’m a big fan of video classifieds. Especially for car and job ads.

    Usually, a photo of the exterior of a car doesn’t help much. And I have yet to find a job ad that actually gives a sense of what the place of employment is like.

    While the ads should be cost effective for the seller/employer, they should also be as useful as possible for the buyer/prospective employee.

  8. I think that any kind of product or service can benefit from video. The medium is in its infancy, over time people will realize that it’s the most straight forward and simple way to get your point accross.

    Check out iMoondo – a community video classifieds site that besides jobs and for-sale ads has videos of artists, restaurants and meet people videos in your neighborhood. (Boston, Bay Area and NYC for now)

    Bart Stuyf
    Elke Jahns
    Michael Rodman
    Horror Business

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