For years now, we’ve been seeing every reputable marketing outlet touting video as the next best thing in marketing, regardless of your industry or niche. And with 85% of consumers wanting to see more video from brands, the creation of video content is unlikely to slow down any time soon.
The problem for many business owners (and marketers) is that video marketing has a pretty high barrier for entry. Creating videos is neither quick nor cheap and deciding on the type of format, let alone the content can be very difficult.
Here are some great starting points if you’re wondering where to get started with marketing videos.
#1. Explainer videos as a necessity
Everyone who’s been in marketing can tell you about the value of landing pages. A customer needs to know what they’re buying and the copy you write is the deciding factor in whether they buy or not. However, attention spans are decreasing in general and a video can tell much more in a minute than you could with an entire page worth of copy.
Slack’s explainer video, which doesn’t even include any product screenshots, has over 1 million views on YouTube
An explainer video is an excellent way to show off what your product does, who you are, what your values are, what the customer gets from teaming up with you, and much more. In terms of ROI, this is one of the best formats you can choose out there.
The reason is simple – the average explainer video is fairly short (or at least should be) and there are many agencies specializing in creating them. It’s a job that very few businesses can do in-house, so outsourcing is the logical choice here.
A great explainer video tells your story quickly and summarizes the main points your customer needs to know before purchasing.
#2. Video testimonials used in strategic places
Social proof is one of the most powerful concepts in marketing and it has been for decades. Simply put, we love hearing about a product or service from others before making a purchasing decision. Investing in testimonials, reviews, case studies and other forms of social proof is always a solid idea, and you can tie in video quite nicely here.
An example of a video testimonial which we use on one of our landing pages
According to Forbes, 70% of marketing professionals state that video is better for conversions than any other format, and this is especially true with testimonials. The best part is – video testimonials are simple recordings of your customers talking about how much they love what you do.
For a marketer, this means that testimonial videos are:
- Cheap
- Easy to create
- Can be done in-house
- Don’t need to be outsourced
- Can be reused for a variety of platforms (website, social media, ads)
All it takes is finding a customer who’s so thrilled about you that they’re willing to sit down and record themselves for about two minutes. If you’re not thrilled about doing it manually, there are tools that can simplify the process. No need for fancy editing here – just the customer talking and that’s it.
The best places for a customer testimonial video include your home page and landing/product pages. Any place where you want to increase your chances for a conversion is a great one for a testimonial video.
#3. How-to videos as a self-service option
In our industry (SaaS), you can often run into customers who sign up for your product, perhaps even pay for it and then get stuck on something. At this point, they ideally have several ways to reach your customer service to resolve the problem – or you can solve it for them in advance.
One effective way to use videos is to record demos of how your product works, elaborating how certain features work. This is an easy way to kill two birds with one stone.
One of many instructional videos provided by Intercom for their current and potential customers
One, you’ll show potential customers how your product works inside out before they even sign up for a free trial. It may take them 30 minutes of fumbling around to find a feature or they can watch a quick, 2-minute video instead, to see how something works and what results they can expect.
Then there is the added benefit. According to recent research, 40% of customers prefer to solve a problem using self-service, rather than getting in touch with your customer support. This means that your how-to videos will not only increase your conversions but also improve your customer satisfaction and make your customer support team’s job easier.
#4. Do a live video for your audience
Up until a few years ago, doing live videos was impractical, and very few businesses dabbled with this form of marketing. Nowadays, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others allow anyone to start a live video in a matter of a few clicks. If you’re considering this as a way to get in front of your audience, you definitely should incorporate it in your marketing mix.
There’s research to back up this idea too. According to Livestream, 80% of consumers would rather watch a live video from a brand than read their blog. Moreover, 82% prefer watching videos rather than consuming other types of content on social media.
There are several reasons for this but primarily – it’s about the interaction. As consumers are watching, they can leave comments and steer the way the live video develops. While there is a general topic of the video, as a consumer, you can never fully predict what happens in a brand’s live video.
An example of a great live video
The more spontaneous and unscripted the live video is, the more successful it’s bound to be. The best part about this strategy? It’s pretty cost-effective, as all you need is a good camera and some time spent promoting the stream to get as many viewers as possible.
If you’re in the B2B sector, webinars are a better idea for your audience because they are the preferred format for them. They require more preparation and technical know-how but can still provide massive ROI, especially if you use evergreen webinars.
Wrapping up
Video marketing can sound tedious to get started with, but the return on investment you can get is more than tempting. The tactics described here are super effective, easy to get started with immediately and don’t require significant investment. Whichever method you choose, make sure to get started with video as soon as possible, because the future is looking really bright for this marketing platform.
Guest author: Petra Odak is a Chief Marketing Officer at Better Proposals, simple yet incredibly powerful proposal software tool that helps you send high-converting, web-based business proposals in minutes. She’s a solution-oriented marketing enthusiast with more than 5 years of experience in various fields of marketing and project management.
The post Top 4 Ideas to Better Incorporate Video Into Your Marketing Strategy appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.
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