Why should I be using video marketing?

by | Jul 21, 2021 | Knowledge Hub

Creating a compelling and engaging marketing strategy can be a challenge for businesses. The world online is forever evolving, and new trends emerge almost weekly.

With the constant growth of technology and the importance of having a strong online presence, your existing content strategy may require a re-think. Especially if you are not currently incorporating video as a part of that plan.

Video isn’t new but it is certainly becoming more accessible to small businesses with the rise of social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram Reels. It’s fast becoming user’s ideal way to view content online.

What is video marketing?

Video marketing is when businesses produce video content to raise their profile online. Typically, it is published on social media platforms or YouTube. However, it can also be in the form of webinars and live videos.

Video, when done well, can be a very powerful way to spread your message and make it accessible to a large audience. Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to do effectively, making it a tool than can be utilised by businesses of any size.

Video marketing is introduced to marketing strategies to increase engagement on social channels, educated customers and reach your target audience using a new, exciting medium.

 

Video has great ROI (return on investment)

There are a few factors that will determine the return on investment for your video content. This includes the overall content strategy and the quality of your videos.

The common misconception about video is that it’s expensive to produce, as well as being time consuming. However, there is plenty of available technology which will enable you to produce good, quality video, quickly and without the need for a large budget.

In terms of return on investment 87% of businesses say that video delivers a good return on investment. The key to achieving this is ensuring your videos are clear and concise. You can choose to film and edit these yourself if for social media or if you’re looking for a video introduction for your website a professionally produced video may be the best option.

Creates the most engaging content

Video is an incredibly versatile form of content as it can be used across all your digital platforms, all with the purpose of driving leads and sales to your business. The way it does this is by dramatically increasing the engagement from your audience, it’s reported that videos can increase the engagement rate of your social media by 1200%.

Online platforms, particularly social media are weighed down by paid ads, meaning it can be a struggle for businesses to stand out and while you may see great statistics on your reach, this doesn’t mean your audience are actually engaging with the content.

The highly engaging nature of videos changes that, it stops people from scrolling and grabs their attention for that brief moment longer than an image or text post.

In fact, video content can engage even the laziest of online consumers. This is because it has the ability to quickly and effectively demonstrate a product, ensuring the viewer is able to gather all the information they need in a short space of time but also in a way that is visually pleasing.

This is especially true since the pandemic with 91% of marketers believing that video content is more important than ever. This is in line with consumer habits as 96% say the amount of video content they are watching has increased because of the pandemic.

Explain complex subjects, simply

One of the major benefits of video is it enables you to condense complex information into smaller pieces that are easier to recall. You can use video to break down complicated subjects related to your business or product and have them listed under subject headings. Making it easier for your audience to find the answers to their questions.

Explainer videos are a great way to provide your customers with all the information they may require to be able to make an educated buying decision.

As well as explaining complex services or products, video also delivers the information in a much speedier format than an e-book or blog post. For busy consumers, this makes it an ideal form of content.

Builds customer trust and loyalty

The concept of content marketing is based on building trust and creating long-term relationships between businesses and consumers.

It achieves this by providing them with interesting and useful information, rather than selling or pushing a product/ service. Video is a popular method of created content that is produced with the objective of engaging audiences and igniting emotions.

Promotional videos can be a great tool for building trust, you can demonstrate your products or services first-hand. You can make videos personal, use them to communicate your testimonials or give consumers a behind the scenes look into your business.

Effective video marketing helps present your products in a more conversational format, which ultimately gives consumers more confidence to purchase online.

Boosts interaction on social media

Social media is a popular platform for video marketing and there’s no guessing as to why, when video ads receive three times more engagements  than sponsored photos. Even organic videos out-perform photos.

This is also true for Facebook with video ads having 20% to 30% higher conversion rates than photos. However, it is important that you optimise your content to be aligned with the preferences of the audience you are targeting. This can also vary from platform to platform.

Video length is a critical element that should be considered when producing and posting video to social media platforms. If you create good video content, then the social interaction you receive can far outdo any previous content. 76% of users say they would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining.

Is video marketing expensive?

Like with any marketing content, there is a sliding scale on how expensive video marketing can be. This is largely down to if you create the videos yourself or if you have a professional produce them for you. Even the cost of doing it yourself can vary depending on the equipment and editing software you choose to use.

For lower end budgets you can use your phone either free-hand or with a tripod, introduce a ring light and download some free or inexpensive apps for editing. You can also utilise additional equipment including clip on microphones, light boxes and back drops.

This DIY approach can be great for social media as it’s authentic and once you have everything set up you can get into the habit of producing and posting regular video content.

However, if the purpose of your video is to sit at the forefront of your website to advertise your business- being the first piece of content your potential customers see, perhaps a professionally produced video would be the better option.

Professional videos don’t have to obscenely expensive, depending on the length and editing required they can be surprisingly affordable.

How do I come up with content for video?

This is probably one of the biggest question’s businesses have when it comes to creating video content. The first place we would always suggest starting would be a welcome or an introduction to you/ your business. Give potential customers a behind the scenes look at your business and your product or service.

Demo videos are the next set of videos you should look at creating. If you sell a product, definitely look at showing it in action. These don’t have to be minute long productions; just short clips of the dress being worn, or the wine being poured are great additions to your content bank!

Another idea for video marketing is to film the packing or unpacking of your product, if you provide a service, you can film this in action. Simply film using the ‘time lapse’ feature on your iPhone to automatically produce a sped-up version, or edit this later on your app.

If you would like help or advice on filming video content for your business, give the team at Dynamic a call today.