Video – How to Get the Most out of the Most Effective Marketing Tool
We’re living in a time when getting the attention of consumers is a major challenge. Most of them are short of time and try to control what they do and don’t want to see online. It’s also harder than ever to get consumers to focus on text since they have so much content to choose. This is why video marketing has become the go-to solution for getting and keeping the viewer’s attention.
It’s all about video
According to Cisco, IP video traffic will be 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2021, up from 73 percent in 2016. They believe that the video will become the most effective tool for communicating with the media as well as with your target group, which expects ever-more engaging and professionally prepared content.
Why do we like videos so much? First of all, it’s very easy to interact with. People associate it with entertainment and it can appeal to different emotions.
Apart from that, it easily gets our attention and we are more likely to remember the information it communicates. Its potential is enormous and offers real value to businesses looking for a variety of solutions. The “play” button brings benefits to all sides!
Video helps to stand out from the crowd and provide the kind of experience that so many customers are searching for online. It informs and educates viewers about products that they could be interested in or the ones they’re looking for already.
Video is a way to accelerate the customer’s progress along the sales path. Animoto Blog tells us that 73% of all consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching videos explaining a product or service.
How to effectively use video marketing
Video marketing has slowly increased its profile and has become one of the most popular forms of contemporary marketing. Take advantage of this new opportunity and connect things that might not seem to be connected at first glance, like video marketing and marketing automation. Automation is part of any modern approach to marketing and can enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns. Before you get started with such automation, you need to choose the best video format for what you want to communicate. We can group the options into a few categories:
- video tutorial – instruction on how to use a products and advice, it informs how to best make use of a given product
- video blog (vlog) – a forum for lots of things but also a guide to everything from cooking to travelling to fixing your car
- video reviews – all the important information about a product from the customer’s point of view. Reviews from actual customers enjoy more trust
- animation – a great and sometimes quirky way to tell a story. It makes it easier to explain subjects that aren’t otherwise easily described, especially to younger audiences
- webinar – an online training session, demonstration or workshop transmitted live online. Use them to build awareness of a brand, to educate and interact with customers
How to prepare video that is both attractive and accessible to customers
A well-made video will eventually find its audience in this day and age of sharing and forwarding. First, though, you need to identify what kind of content your customers and potential customers are looking for.
Next, you have to create a story that will not just stay with viewers but lead them to want to get to know your brand better. The first few seconds will decide if viewers will stick with the video until the end or just move on. We all know that a good story holds the attention that you need to ultimately make a sale. Just watch this for a reminder of the power of engaging video content.
Home gear retailer Castorama also uses video marketing to raise their online profile. They created a series of short clips with advice for do-it-yourselfers but they did it in such a way that it doesn’t come across as a sales pitch but rather as a helpful resource to answer common questions and get the job done. One look at the number of views the videos get make it clear that they’re a hit!
Videos should entertain, inspire and educate while communicating who you are and what you do. It’s also important to remember that video marketing isn’t limited to visual content. It’s also a great way to direct viewers to a registration page, links to products, store addresses and other ways to interact with customers.
What should you know about creating video materials?
Video marketing is a great way to enhance your social media presence. Data from Wyzowl shows that 85% of people say they’d like to see more video from brands in 2018. Video material generates more interest in products that are difficult to describe in text and is great for showing how they work.
5 rules for creating video content
1. Choose the right products
The increase the effectiveness of your work, first identify which products are best suited to the video format. If it is an expensive product or difficult to describe, it’s likely an excellent candidate for video!
2. Focus on the pros
Show what makes your product different and how it stands out. Use video to show all the advantages that your product delivers.
3. Show how it works
A short film showing how the product works is more attractive than a longer set of monotone instructions.
4. Shorter is better
Consumers prefer short films packed with content. Try to keep your video to sixty seconds or less.
5. Promote your brand
Focus on sharing the appropriate information about your brand with links, icons, etc.
Wrapping up
To recap, make sure that your plan has to be consistent with what you want to achieve. Your concept is key and even the most well-produced video will not be successful without a good one. It’s also important that your video call on viewers to take some kind of action—leave a comment, “like” it, share it, subscribe to your channel or something to get them engaged.
If you get these things right, you can be sure that your video content won’t simply disappear into the crowded virtual world. Put video marketing at the top of your list of elements to include in your next online marketing campaign.