Dog Blog 58.0 – Video Marketing Essentials
Maybe your business hasn’t jumped on the video marketing bandwagon yet, but we guarantee you’ve at least experienced video marketing over the past few years. Video marketing (or VM as we will refer to it in this article) is everywhere – whether you’re actively searching for it or not.
What is VM?
A few decades ago, creating a video to promote a business or product was a time-consuming, expensive ordeal that required the help of professionals. While we of course recommend professional help (see our services here), let it be known that VM nowadays is fast, simple, fun, and effective! Whether you’re creating a lengthy informational video for your YouTube channel or posting quick updates on your Instagram feed, VM is simply the act of creating a video to promote your brand, product, or service – regardless of the channel. Types of VM can include corporate training, how-to instructionals, customer testimonials, live events, entertainment, product details…the list goes on and on!
Why Do You Need VM?
The statistics don’t lie:
- 65% of executives visit the marketer’s website and 39% call a vendor after viewing a video.
- 72% of businesses say video has improved their conversion rate.
- 57% of online consumers were more likely to buy a product they were considering purchasing after watching a video demonstration of that product.
- 79% of consumers prefer watching video to reading about a product.
- Video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year.
- Video marketers achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness.
- You’re 53 times more likely show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website.
The key takeaways here are that VM boosts your visibility, shows great ROI, builds trust with your viewers, and maybe most importantly – increases your SEO (see the last stat)!
When we talk about VM, we can’t forget to mention video ads! Video ads are highly effective on social media, especially amongst mobile users. In fact, about one-third of shoppers will purchase a product after viewing a video ad.
Feeling like you are ready to take the VM plunge? Let us introduce you to some of the most fun and effective VM trends of 2019!
Story Time
If you’ve already established social media channels for your business, then there is no reason you shouldn’t get involved with “spontaneous stories!” These are short video clips that appear on channels such as Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and Twitter. Stories can either provide glimpses into your world (such as new products, promotions, or current events happening at your business), or you can use stories to promote your business through paid ads. Either way, stories are a slightly less formal and slightly more intriguing way to share information.
Businesses to Check Out:
- Retail: Anthropologie
- Consumer Product: Cheerios
- Sports Team: St. Louis Cardinals
- Magazine: National Geographic
- Corporations: Boeing
Going Live
Back in the day, people would communicate their questions by writing to a company…and then waiting for a response. With livestreaming, your customers can communicate with you in real-time, which not only helps answer questions right on the spot, but provides your audience with a look at the real you! Livestreaming Q&A sessions allows for instant feedback for your customers. On the other hand, it gives you the chance to quickly and efficiently gather data on your audience (getting lots of the repeat questions? Then there might be a problem with your product! Receiving positive reinforcement? You’re on the right track!) If you’re still not sure about live video, keep this stat in mind – 82% prefer live video from a brand over social posts.
Platforms where you can livestream:
1:1 Video
Let’s say you’ve recently attended a trade show and you’ve picked up a few promising leads. You could always call or email them…or you could take it a step further and try 1:1 video! This concept allows you to easily use your smartphone to shoot a quick, personalized video message. You can use 1:1 video to follow up on inquiries, provide new content, deliver support, say thanks, or just to get in touch! The possibilities are endless, and we think your customers will appreciate the fact that you took a few moments to create a personalized message. Try making your own professional-looking sales video with Soapbox here.
Video in Email
This goes along with the 1:1 video trend we mentioned above…video + email = a match made in heaven! Email marketing is an effective tool, but consider reaching even more customers with video in your email! Think about this – an email that states “video” in the subject line is surely more intriguing than an email called “This Month’s Newsletter” or “Marketing Update.” Video adds personality to your emails, whether it’s a short greeting from some of your employees or even an animated GIF! Video in email adds a level of excitement to your message that you just can’t achieve with words alone (as much as we hate to admit it)!
Quick Tips to Make the Most of Your Video Content in Your Email:
- Some subtle GIF actions make excellent call-to-action buttons – make your link enticing enough that people will want to actually click on your video. (Something to remember – video playback is not supported in most email clients, but GIFs are!)
- Cinemagraphs are another eye-catching option – these look like looping video, but only one part of the image moves. Combine cinemagraphs with a personalized message and you’re bound to grab some attention!
- Static images that lead to video work, too – but just make sure the video goes to your landing page. You want to drive the content to your business!
Vertical Video is Tops
It used to be frowned upon to record video vertically…but let’s face it, ever since 2017, the number of mobile video views has surpassed desktop. That means people are scrolling away on their phones and not bothering to turn their phone horizontally. If you want your video to be noticed, vertical video is the way to go. These days, you can watch a full-screen vertical video the way it’s meant to be…and that means no phone flipping! Although the vertical video trend is aimed at mobile devices, we’ve actually created some of these for a client who posts them on their website, and it’s turned out a-ok. Vertical video is a trend we can get on board with!
Check out our vertical video examples here.
