What is video marketing, really? It’s using video content on social and digital channels to showcase your business’s services or products. If well-executed your strategy will improve engagement levels and convert more prospects into customers.
No small wonder, then, that video marketing is becoming the norm for most businesses. Rather than falling behind, wouldn’t you rather lead the curve by mastering the many benefits of this medium?
Still wary and need more convincing? Here are some thought-provoking stats to consider.
Five 2022 video marketing stats your business can’t afford to ignore
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In a nutshell, your audience prefers video to text – a fact most businesses have already cottoned on to. So it’s not a question of whether you should make video part of your marketing strategy but instead when and how.
Read on to learn:
- The many benefits of video marketing
- The different types and how to use them
- Which platforms you should post on
- The best tips and tricks to use
The benefits of video marketing
#1 You can watch videos anywhere
Most people watch videos on their smartphone – on the way to and from work; at the office; while relaxing at home – and even when exercising at the gym. In short, your prospects are glued to their phones for almost 5-hours per day.
Why do people prefer video content over insightful articles or blogs? Stories told visually are easier to understand and remember – especially when multi-tasking. Harness the benefits of this storytelling medium and engagement will soar.
#2 Video is good for SEO too
Has traffic to your website stabilised, dropped, or stalled completely? Publishing more video content will improve your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy) – improving your site’s rankings and increasing digital footfall.
Video is good for SEO because:
- Visitors will spend longer on your page – demonstrating to Google your site is trustworthy
- Google’s algorithm is more likely to promote trusted sites further up the search engine rankings
- The end result is more eyes on your product or service which equates in higher engagement and ROI
#3 Boosts brand awareness
Catapulting your brand into the digital stratosphere is your ultimate aim. Because, that way, you’ll improve the visibility of your offering – which, in turn, will lead to improved audience awareness.
To raise your brand profile:
- Vary your video marketing strategy by posting different types of content
- Show up consistently by posting one high-quality video per week
- Post on more than just one platform to improve coverage
Types of video marketing content
To prevent audience disengagement vary your video content. Below are five examples you can draw on for creative inspiration.
#1 Culture videos
A logo accompanied by a punchy tagline isn’t enough on its own. The same applies to the product pages on your website – which, although informative and emotively driven say scant little about your brand and the people who drive it.
A culture video is a great way to provide insight into your business and humanise your brand.
Your video could include:
- Interviews with team members – with each explaining what they love about their job and how they help customers.
- A tour of your offices that shows employees hard at work and the facilities used to deliver end-value for your offering.
- A day in the life candid camera piece that tracked a worker’s 9-5 activities – along with comments from that worker.
In short, video marketing is a great way to personalise your brand and get closer to your customers – providing a level of insight that can’t be achieved using other formats.
#2 Interview Q&As
Talking to thought leaders is a fast and easy way to establish your brand as credible. Even if prospects are unfamiliar with your business they’re likely to know your guests by reputation.
With that in mind:
- Spend time searching the web for established gurus operating in your sector
- Send them tailored invitations asking if they’d be happy to feature in a video
- Create a series of questions you know your audience will be interested in
To get more from your video marketing content share it across multiple platforms. Creating a transcript using a platform like Otter will help your content go even further.#3 Explainer videos
Do prospects understand your brand? If not, show them in an explainer video. This is your opportunity to explain the problems you solve using simple visual clues and phrases.
Explainer videos only work if content is:
- emotive – because people aren’t logical, they’re irrational and think with their hearts first
- intellectual – because human beings are curious and want to understand how things work
- persuasive – because sometimes an extra nudge is needed to convince a person to buy
Add explainer videos to your landing pages, product pages, or social media feeds to boost brand visibility, increase sales, and convert more prospects into loyal customers.
#4 Product videos
Whereas explainer content is high level, product videos are granular. Here you can demonstrate the features and benefits of your offering using visuals prospects are more likely to understand than if seen in text form.
Product marketing videos must be slick and feature:
- a convincing voice-over – which often means hiring a professional actor
- professional music appropriate to the product or service on offer
- slick editing designed to keep viewers engaged until the very end
Keep things short and concise too. People have short attention spans so try not to exceed a two-minute run time.
#4 Case study videos
The proof is in the pudding, as the popular proverb goes. And what better way to prove your value to prospects than a video case study packed to the brim with oodles of social proof that your brand does what it says on the tin.
A case study video could be:
- An interview with a customer which outlines the challenge they faced and how you solved it for them
- Content that profiles your product or service in action – featuring either an actor or actual customer
Case studies should include facts and figures to support your claims. In the case of a Q&A, you could show how your product or service improved a customer’s ROI by X. If your video is about a product tell prospects in numbers how much time or money buying it will save them.
Video marketing: which platforms are best?
Most of the popular video marketing platforms will deliver value for your business. That said, each comes with its own set of pros and cons.
#1 YouTube
YouTube is free and owned by Google which means your videos are more likely to perform in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The downside is that people visit YouTube for business and pleasure – so they’re unlikely to retain focus.
As if that wasn’t enough the platform also showcases competitor offerings (ouch) which could undo all your hard work.
#2 JW Player
Originally YouTube was run on JW technology. So, as you might expect, its technical capabilities exceed those of more well-known platforms.
JW Player is:
- Ideal for companies that like to stream videos and can cast to Facebook without the need to embed or lock-in content
- Packed full of analytic tools designed to help you understand where your prospects live and the device they used
#3 Wistia
You might not have heard of Wistia. And yet this platform gives you total control over your channel’s appearance – so that it’s on-brand. It also lets users access metrics that help connect consumption levels with engagement – as well as other useful tools, like engagement graphs and heat maps.
Video content marketing: tips and tricks
- Plan and schedule videos so you don’t forget to post
- Create a varied output of content to keep prospects engaged
- No matter what the format, always ensure you’re telling a story
- Include strong calls to action to convert viewers
- Don’t be afraid to get personal by showing your brand in its rawest form
- Evaluate and test constantly to ensure your videos are hitting the mark
Conclusion
Video marketing lets you engage with your audience wherever they are 24/7. But your strategy will only succeed if you create varied and tailored content your prospects (a) want to consume and (b) find engaging enough to watch.
Creating videos is time-consuming and – depending on the type of content you want to create – often requires specialist expertise. Do you have the in-house resources to do all of this?
Handing creative control of your video marketing probably makes more sense.
On that note…
Take control of your video content by trusting Boss Digital
With provable expertise in this area we’ll target your audience on the right platforms and in the right way – dramatically improving brand visibility, engagement, and ROI.
Contact us now to book your free consultation.
