14 Apr, 2016

Video Marketing: Don’t Get Left Behind

14 Apr, 2016

No one likes to get left out. But, we’ve all been there. Maybe it was being picked last for the kickball team or maybe you were left in your hometown while your friends went off to college. For the most part, we’re pretty resilient and get over being left out, eventually. The same isn’t true in the business world. If you get too far behind, you fail.

Video is a marketing tool we simply can’t ignore. Many businesses are using it, but like all new trends, it can be a little scary to jump into immediately. However, 82 percent of marketing professionals say video has positively impacted their business, and 52 percent say it has been the best return on investment (HubSpot). That’s a pretty strong statement to ignore. If you’re behind on this trend, don’t worry; it’s not too late to catch up! Here are a few ways you can integrate video into your marketing efforts.

  1. On your website

What better way to tell your company’s story than through video? It adds a personal touch to a not-so-personal website, and your consumers get to know the face behind the brand, which builds greater trust and loyalty. Get creative with it!

  1. Email marketing

Did you know using the word “video” in the email subject line increases the open rate by 19 percent (HubSpot)? People love video! It’s easier to digest and learn from, and the majority of people are visual learners. Try featuring a well-made video in your next newsletter and see the results for yourself.

  1. Social Media

By now, most businesses are on social media (if your business is not, stop reading this right now and make a Facebook page). Americans check social media an average of 17 times per day, in other words, every waking hour. With 78 percent of people watching videos online every week, it’s no doubt that they’re finding these videos through social media, so make sure you’re integrating it into your social media campaign.

  1. Blog post

Blog posts most often feature too much text and too few (if any) photos. Get ahead of the

competition by using more videos in your blog posts. You can create how-to videos for your products, take a behind-the-scenes tour of the factory or introduce employees in a fun way. Don’t forget to share on social media!

  1. Product video

Videos are a great way to show your product in action (not to mention boost sales)! Rather than having a stale photo with lines of text and having to look back and forth from text to photo (we get a headache just thinking about it), consumers are able to look and listen at the same time to better digest the information. Fifty-nine percent of senior executives say that given the option of both, they would be more likely to watch the video than read text, so it’s no surprise that video has such a high conversion rate (HubSpot).

  1. How-to video

Show your consumers exactly how to use the product with a how-to video. These videos allow the consumer to imagine owning and using the product. It also shows that your product actually works, building trust with the consumer.

  1. Webinars and Podcasts

Establish your company as a thought leader with webinars and podcasts. Share important information about the company, what’s happening in your industry, how-to videos, tutorials – the options are endless! People want to be educated, but they also want to be entertained, so have fun with it.

  1. Testimonials

If you can get a client testimonial on video, you’ve scored the jackpot. People want to be reassured that the product they’re interested in is as legitimate as you say it is. Sure, you can write a nice block of text, but the majority of people are visual learners. Not many companies are taking advantage of this right now, so it’s another way to get ahead of the competition.

Videos are easy to incorporate if you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone. Take a chance and see the difference a video can make! Contact us to find out how we can help you write, develop and produce videos for any of these purposes.