No matter your industry, video is a valuable tool to educate, create brand awareness, and attract customers and employees to your business. In fact, HubSpot declared video to be the top marketing medium of 2019. The same analysts believe 80% of all web traffic will be video-based by 2021.
Video is everywhere. It’s in our homes on every screen. It’s in our hands every moment we hold our phones. It’s on street signs during our commute. It’s difficult to escape it. With visual learners making up 65% of the global population, it’s no surprise that video is preferred over written content.
Marketers can take advantage of strong content and precise distribution.
More Affordable than Ever
Possibly the best part of video is that it is constantly becoming more cost-effective and easier to produce. Cameras have become more compact, microphones are smaller and lights are easier to manage. There is a common misconception that for a video to be of good quality and impactful, it has to be a grand-scale production like we see with movie and TV sets, but this is not always true. Quality professional video production services can easily fit into the budget.
Content
Substance or content simply means there has to be a purpose to the video. Is it to educate? Is it to create awareness? Is it to inspire? Is it to entertain? To create strong content, it needs to align with the goals and core values of your business.
How can kids get a million views on YouTube by live streaming/shooting on their iPhone? Because they know their audience. Great care and effort can be put into creating an absolutely beautiful video but if there is no point, it will fall flat on its face and not leave a lasting impression.
Distribution
You can spend all kinds of money and effort creating the most beautiful and highly finished video in the world but if no one sees it, who cares? It’s absolutely worthless. You need to put just as much care and effort into distributing a video as you do producing it. The right distribution strategy aligns with the beginning of our GROW Process: gather data on your current audience, then research their desires to make content.
The Right Network
First, target the right audience and consistently get your content in front of them. This means determining not only the ideal audience but where they are most likely to consume content and when. Ask yourself:
- Where does my audience consume content (website, email, social media, etc)?
- Where does my audience engage with me?
- How can I use video to reach my audience on those platforms?
Here are a few options to consider:
Facebook is a great place to start because of the ease of sharing, as well as the fact that videos will play just by scrolling over them, you don’t even have to press play. Viewers may be 10 or 15 seconds into a video before realizing they have stopped to watch. That could be enough time to hook someone’s attention. The vast majority of social media platforms are a great place to share video, so take advantage of it!
Websites
Don’t tell your story: show it. Customer testimonials or mission statements can create a stronger impact through a visual medium vs. a few short paragraphs. Videos can lower the bounce rate of your website and up engagement with your content.
Email is a great platform for B2B markets, and video gives in that extra edge. Just the word “video” in your subject line can potentially increase your open rate by 19%. Plus, where the video comes from can matter here. Just link a great video from your website in your newsletter then before you know it, you got more web visitors.
In summary, video is versatile and impactful, so use it! Focus on good meaningful content, not just pretty visuals. Know your goals. Lastly, identify your audience, and post videos where they will see it.
Ready to experience all the benefits video can have on your business? We are happy to help. Learn more about our professional video production by contacting revel.in online or call 231.727.9778.
