MerchantCircle, Spotzer partner for local business videos

If you thought online video was out of your reach because your local business simply can't afford high production costs, hang on to your wallets - and reconsider that stance. MercantCircle and Spotzer have teamed up to offer local businesses an affordable way to enter into the online video craze.

by Kristina Knight

"We've been experimenting and testing different video options for our local merchants for a long time. A lot of the problems we saw related to issues with scaling custom video creation for hundreds of thousands of local merchants," said Darren Waddell, Vice President of Marketing, MerchantCircle. "The other issue was affordability; many local merchants just aren't able to pay thousands of dollars for a custom-produced video."

The partnership gives merchants in the MerchantCircle network access to the library of pre-produced, customizable, ready to air business videos in the Spotzer library. The videos can be placed free on the MerchantCircle listing. Local businesses can also pay a small fee to ensure that the video they use cannot be used by any other business in their region. There are other upgrades available such as unique voiceover options and adding photos or logos to the video.

As consumers become more immune to traditional forms of online advertising, merchants are finding that video is a way to reengage the audience. When done correctly, videos can also give an increased feeling of brand recognition and loyalty by making consumers feel like part of the process.

Tags: local advertising, merchant circle, online video, spotzer, video advertising