So just how effective is using video advertising on the internet to generate more income for your business?  Ask Henry.

Henry purchased a bed and breakfast in Massachusetts a few years ago.  It was a charming old Victorian home that needed quite a bit of work.  He invested most of his savings into fixing it up and getting it ready for what he was sure to be a bevy of guests.  Unfortunately, after a few months, Henry found he was not getting the guests that he needed to make a profit, let alone do the continued repairs on the old home. 

A friend who was computer savvy, helped Henry by creating a website for him.  The website was done in a professional manner and featured photos of all of the rooms in the lovely old home.  His friend showed Henry how to try to promote his website on the internet.  He invested more money into making sure that his bed and breakfast was listed in certain websites that featured bed and breakfast inns as well as Massachusetts hotels.  This did manage to generate a bit of business for Henry.  He found that he was getting more business by way of the internet than he was through the many travel agents with whom he did business.  And definitely much more business than the print ads that seemed to cost a fortune in travel magazines.

Business was getting better, but it still wasn’t as good as Henry had hoped.  Although he wasn’t a greedy man and not out to make a fortune, he wanted to earn a decent profit.  Henry was a widower and he had invested most of his savings in this business.  He had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast establishment.  He had a pleasing personality and the customers liked him.  In addition, Henry liked the idea of having people in the building.  He was lonely since the death of his wife. 

Henry was always a fan of television and he had seen the short BBC series “Faulty Towers” a number of times.  It was a funny English program that featured John Cleese as a rude proprietor of a bed and breakfast.  Unlike Cleese’s character, Basil Fawlty Henry was amiable and went out of his way to treat his guests with respect.  He made sure the meals were good and he was hospitable and friendly to all of his guests,  Still, he was rarely ever filled.  The “Vacancy” sign was usually lit.

Henry began using the computer a bit more often as well.  His friend instructed him on how to navigate the internet and with his friend’s help, Henry began expanding his web page.  He included letters from pleased guests and a message board. 

Another friend who was even more savvy with the computer was familiar with the new trend in video advertising on the internet.  She thought that she could do wonders with Henry’s website and make it even more interesting.  While Henry’s website certainly was professional and pleasant, it feature only photos of the building and the rooms as well as the rates.  There was no photo of Henry on the site.

Henry’s friend, Joan, was inventive and had a camcorder.  She often filmed videos for different websites where she was paid for tutorials.  She was also an active participant on You Tube.  She thought it might be fun to film a video ad for Henry’s bed and breakfast.  It could easily be added to the website and may even bring in more business.

When Joan approached Henry with the idea, he was a little reluctant.  He didn’t want to be shown in front of the camera.  He was an elderly, kind looking man with a nice grin, but didn’t feel like “movie star material” as he put it.  Joan explained to him that it was better to be an average person with a pleasant demeanor and honest face in advertising. 

Henry agreed that he was no “Basil Fawlty.”  Joan had never seen “Fawlty Towers” but was curious.  Henry loaned her a copy of one of his tapes so she could watch one of his favorite programs.

That is when Joan got a wonderful idea.

Joan knew that in order to get permission for a clip from Fawlty Towers, she would have to get permission from whoever owned the rights of the show for a license to show a clip.  She had an attorney friend who was able to work this out.  The rates were negotiated and were within Henry’s budget. 

She then came up with a brilliant idea for a video featuring Henry’s Bed and Breakfast.  Henry was a bit apprehensive, because he would have to appear in the video, but Joan assured him that he would be a natural. 

Joan was good with editing and filming.  She began the advertisement with a very short clip of Basil Fawlty telling off some of his guests.  Then the ad for Henry’s hotel appeared on the video.  The over voice, which was Joan’s said “You can settle for less in a bed and breakfast, or you can visit the Massachusetts Willow Inn.  She then featured Henry, who was more comfortable seated than standing.  He was pictured in front of a warm fireplace and several guests were sitting in the main sitting area sipping drinks.  Henry said that although “Fawlty Towers” was very funny, it was not funny to be treated poorly when on vacation.  He then went on to explain that his guests enjoyed clean, cozy rooms, good food and a hospitable environment. 

The video then featured some of the guest rooms and the dining area.  It ended with a video shot of the outside of the inn with the voiceover saying “Instead of staying at Fawlty Towers, enjoy real bed and breakfast comfort at Massachusetts Willow Inn.

Henry was thrilled with the video.  Never a technical whiz, he was surprised to see how easy it was for Joan to complete such an advertisement.  And she did it all on her computer.  Then she uploaded it to his website.

The results were immediate.  People loved the advertisement.  The idea of comparing Henry to Basil Fawlty proved humorous and entertaining.  Henry began to receive a lot of calls from people who wanted to visit his bed and breakfast.  The video advertisement, although simple and not very costly, had certainly done wonders for his business.

But that wasn’t all.  Joan wasn’t finished with trying to help her friend Henry.  She put the video on You Tube.  It began to get a lot of views and soon became very popular.  People started commenting on the humor and copying the video to send to their friends by e-mail.  Some people even portrayed the entertaining video on their blogs.

Soon Henry’s phone was ringing off the hook.  He had more business than he could handle.  He had money to fix up two more rooms in the attic that he had neglected and was able to take in more guests.  Before long, Henry had one of the most popular Bed and Breakfast establishments in Massachusetts.

Henry was always a good proprietor.  His bed and breakfast was always clean, he was kind to his guests and the establishment was lovely.  Even the food was good.  But because people didn’t know about it, he wasn’t getting the guests he could have.

Because of the internet website and video advertising, Henry’s business, that was once just getting by, was now bustling.  Bookings had to be made months in advance.  The video still circulated for a while on the internet.  And because Henry was such a good host and ran such a good establishment, he had many customers who came back over and over again.

This is just one example of how a little bit of internet know-how, a video camera, a bit of the knowledge of what you can use on the internet in your ads and a little imagination saved a business.  It began with the website and ended with a  very successful ad campaign.  And it saved a retiree’s business.

Do you still wonder how effective internet video advertising can be?  Henry’s story is just one of many.  Many businesses are discovering the importance of advertising on a media that 82 percent of Americans use.  Many of them are realizing that entertaining people with clever video ads are more effective than word ads.  Video advertising on the internet is the way of the future. 

Henry’s story is not unique.  It is a true success story and amazing because it was done by an amateur.  But there are thousands of businesses who are discovering that video advertising on the internet is not only drawing more attention to their business, but increasing their sales and adding to their revenue.