Here we go. A blog about video marketing. It is so ironic, yet, we are still writing about it. Thinkabout the last time that you were on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. How many videos did you see in your feeds? How many did you watch? Did you share any of them or tag someone in it?
As our Triple-Nine Digital team scrolls through their own social media feeds right now, there are a ton of videos that pop up. Some are just for entertainment purposes, some are just friends, kids and animals, but others are for business purposes. The common theme? We are watching them! Video content marketing is at an all time high because people being online is at an all time high. But why should a business use video marketing?
According to Makenzie Walker of topfloortech.com…
1. 97% of marketers claim that videos help their customers better understand products.
2. 81% of businesses are now using video as a part of their digital marketing strategy.3. Live videos account for 13% of total traffic.
4. 90% of consumers claim a video will help them when making a purchasing decision.
How many people still watch commercials on television? Where are people watching “commercials”? From the early ages of commercials on television, to the late night infomercials, to the daytime talk shows, video has always been used to sell in many ways. Except in today’s world, commercials are fast forwarded through and popular streaming services offer options to purchase packages that don’t even have commercials. So where is video supposed to sell now? Online…on your computer and especially on your mobile device. Video is viewed more on mobile devices (phones) than television now than ever before. According to JWPlayer, more than 75% of worldwide video viewing is mobile. As a business, you have the ability to market your product or service directly to your customers on their social media, in their search engines, and directly on your website in front of their very eyes. You don’t have to make “commercials” in the dictionary term of it, but instead you can make videos that interest and interact with your potential customers. Get those shares! Get those likes! It all matters.
Video isn’t necessarily more important than other forms of marketing, but it sure helps that video can be used in a variety of ways. Video comes in many different forms like webinars, live streams, courses online, and of course published on YouTube or other social media platforms. It can also stop you in your tracks, well scroll, if you see something moving and interesting. The longer someone watches a video, the longer they are on your website or social page. This means the viewer is now engaging more with your business/product. Did you know that when this happens, whatever social media platform they are on gets notified of the amount of time the potential customer viewed your video and the platform keeps pushing more of your business posts to them? This is because the social platform knows the person viewing the video for a longer period of time is interested in whatever you are showing. Now your other marketing content, i.e. blogs, articles, images and other social posts, will be shown on their social feeds more than before, allowing your product to be front and center, just waiting to be bought.
While articles, blogs and other written text serve a wonderful purpose, videos allow the viewer to comprehend the message much faster, especially if your product is in action. Customers will only buy your product/service when they understand what it does and how it will help them. Sometimes that product or service needs to be shown in action! But with action comes text. The written text is still important for search engines. According to Moovly, a brand is 53 times more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website. And with video comes the video title and the description, which you may also use on your social media post – all written text. So video and written text go hand-in-hand! Additionally, it may take many different forms of marketing to make the final sale. So a video, followed up with a blog, followed up with an image, followed up with a different video may all come together to entice the final sale.
There are a lot of great writers in this world who have the ability to speak directly to the reader. But video allows the viewers to have a deeper glimpse inside your business world. Whether it is a video about the owner’s story, or a hands-on video about the product, viewers will get a front row ticket to whatever you are talking about, potentially from a familiar voice of the company. Video makes the product/service and business even more real than it was before. Additionally, pulling at the heartstrings or a feel good video hits home for a lot of people. Making your business or product relate back to your potential customer’s needs can help make the sale. Sometimes a relationship starts with a video. Say a potential customer saw your video about why you sell a certain product. They then came into your store and found you, the person in the video, and said that they really resonated with the reasoning for your business to sell this product. Now they are interested in the product and you can grow that personal relationship with them. What a win! And all because of a video.
Videos aren’t the one stop magical solution to a marketing plan. It is necessary to be realistic about your goals when it comes to planning, producing and sharing out video content. Always be thinking about who should view your videos (and at what point in the buying process they are in – i.e. they don’t know anything about you, they are aware of your brand, or they are already a customer), where you can find those people and how should you speak to them. Do they like funny videos or do they like more serious, informational videos? Do they want to see the owner or another familiar face like a mascot, or does the voice not matter at all? If you aren’t creating video, you are at risk of missing out on one of the most popular ways that people consume content. Video does not have to be boring or long. You can have fun images and graphics incorporated, a spunky voice or a voice of an angel, engaging music (but always be careful of copyright!), or whatever you can think of. The possibilities are endless.
Need help on where to start with planning a video? Triple-Nine Digital is here to help! Contact us to discuss your ideas and how we can best serve you.