Nowadays, it seems like video marketing is everywhere. After all, the advent of the Internet and the fact that videography isn’t just for professionals anymore has resulted in significant cost reductions. Video marketing has moved far beyond the movie theatres and televisions of the world, and now can be deployed with just a computer and smartphone. So, what are the realities of this seismic shift in marketing? My handy guide will help you find resources and understand the modern realities of video marketing.
How long do you spend watching video every day? If you’re the typical consumer, it’s quite a bit: up to a couple of hours. Statistics consistently show that video marketing is highly effective, and that customers enjoy watching branded content. Check out this post:
In a nutshell, this post shows us that video marketing really is the wave of the future. Video is very effective, in part because customers retain so much more information from watching videos than they do from reading or listening to print or radio ads. In fact, instructional video can be used to stave off customer service calls, which saves you money. Increasingly, video marketing is critical for most businesses, because 85% of companies use it to some extent. The bottom line is that if you aren’t doing video marketing, chances are you’re missing out on significant sales.
As with so many things, both in marketing and in life, it’s important that your video content follow an overall strategy. Just filming stuff and putting it out there doesn’t work, because you need to have a consistent brand voice. Not only that, but random content doesn’t build a following, and you’ll risk losing the attention of potential customers. Check out these articles for more information:
Video marketing expert Mitt Ray gives us his five best strategies for developing your video content strategy. First, Ray recommends that you find out what your audience wants to see. In other words, it’s important to make sure that what you’re putting out is consistent with audience interests. Secondly, develop different content for various social media platforms, rather than filling everyone’s feed with the same stuff several times. Third, optimize your content for different platforms, because video displays differently depending on where it’s posted. Fourth, create video that maximizes conversions. While pictures and other types of media can be created with a brand-awareness emphasis, with video you should try to get a sale. This can be the case even with how-to videos, because if people understand how something is used they’re more likely to buy it. Finally, fifth, decide how you’ll promote the content, ideally using a variety of paid and free strategies.
Videos are easy to use creatively. For instance, they are a great way to repurpose great content. I’ve been known to take my podcasts and turn them into blog posts, but I could turn them into video as well. Another use of video is the “how to,” which both showcases the product and reduces the need for customer service calls. If your brand has a great story, you can tell that story with video content. User-generated content can easily be used for your advertising, and this is especially the case with influencer campaigns. Lastly, make that content shareable. Video that goes viral reaches a much wider audience than would otherwise be possible.
Another of my experts, Hila Nissim, teaches us the basics of making videos from other content. First, she says, you need to analyze the original contents to extract the main points. Then, gather your tools, which don’t have to be expensive. Next, choose your platform and audience, because these will determine formatting and content. It is critical that your video include a call to action, and be short enough to keep everyone’s attention. Lastly, ensure that the SEO of your video is good enough to get it discovered.
Unless you’re prepared to do a lot of trial and error, it’s important to understand the best practices behind video marketing. Unsurprisingly, best practices vary based on each type of video created and the goal behind each of them. Audience and style also dictate different approaches. Because this is such a broad area, I have written (or hosted) quite a few blog posts on the subject.
Video marketer Jayson Duncan wrote an extensive article about company introduction videos. These have a wide variety of purposes, but the main one really is sales. That’s because this is where you can tell your brand story more comprehensively than you might in other settings. These videos are longer, and often discuss multiple products, if you have them.
In order to “ace” the video introduction, make sure your message is clear. This is an area where many companies fail, and success will make you stand out. First, talk about the problems your products and services solve, and how they solve them. Then, be sure and include a call to action. Duncan gives more tips, as well. It’s important to be human, avoid cartoons, and present a professional image. Lastly, know where to deploy the video for maximum impact.
In this article, Nissim tells us that customer reviews are an excellent topic for marketing videos. First, she discusses the many places where customers post reviews of products, services, and companies. These include Facebook, Trust Pilot, Yelp, and many more. While reviews can be anxiety-inducing, there are also excellent ways to use them to your advantage. To do this, consider encouraging customers to make video reviews of your products. Or, with appropriate permission you can read/reenact actual customer reviews for a video audience. Just try and add captions, pick a shorter review, and promote the video everywhere. After all, these are real people talking, and not just a bunch of company hacks.
Recently, the website promo.com did a survey on video marketing, and the results are reported in this article. We already knew that video is the best form of marketing because people love to watch videos, but there were other insights gleaned from the survey. For one thing, Facebook still reigns supreme for video marketing, but YouTube is closing in on it. For another, Instagram Stories are increasing in popularity, because they’re preferred over single-frame posts. Regardless of the social network, video is the most important type of advertisement. With that said, keep the sound on. Customers prefer videos with sound, at least when they’re in a location where they can listen. You should still have subtitles for the hearing impaired, though.
Jayson Duncan went on an adventure: creating and shooting a reality show on YouTube. He describes a wide variety of challenges. Writing or creating, casting, shooting and overall producing a reality show is more difficult and expensive than most people realize. Duncan comments that most businesses don’t want to make a reality show, but there are a lot of lessons that TV show producers and video marketers can share. For one thing, video production can involve a lot of unexpected challenges. Personnel problems, for instance, can delay production. However, the biggest lesson is simple: you only have one chance to make a good impression. Duncan’s reality show failed after the pilot aired, because it wasn’t a good show. Similarly, people will quit watching marketing material that isn’t interesting, as well.
Among marketers, there’s a fierce debate on whether you should use animated video or only deploy real people. According to Jayson Duncan, that depends on your purposes. For instance, a corporate introduction video should always include real people, preferably high level employees. On the other hand, explaining something complex might be done better with animation. When using real people, it isn’t necessary to hire professional actors. Several techniques can help employees perform well, including formatting the video as an interview. On the other hand, professional actors can be hired through an agency. No matter your choice, be sure the video is professional.
While many companies have videos on their websites, a large amount of video marketing is hosted on social media. These platforms are also the biggest way that customers find videos outside of traditional media.
Here, Vinay Koshy gives us what’s best described as a “how and why” tutorial. First, he contends that social media video marketing is critical to your success, and gives us some statistics on why that’s the case. Second, Koshy discusses the different types of social videos and how to implement them. Types explained are: live video, explainers, behind the scenes, Q&A, tutorials, and events.
Although the above categories cover most of the video marketing knowledge on my website, there are a few things that remain to be said. For instance, much of what’s already been said is ineffective in China, the worlds 2nd largest economy. And, YouTube isn’t just for millennials. Here are those posts.
I believe that having a YouTube channel is important to every professional’s personal branding. There are several reasons for this: First, you can share your expertise through video, which is highly effective. Other benefits include the ease with which you can get yourself found, and the ease with which you can use the platform. This isn’t something you should miss out on.
