How to Take Advantage of Video Marketing Techniques
Any business owner not using video yet probably hasn't seen the latest statistics on video engagement. According to Forrester, including video in an email leads to a 200%-300% increase in click-through rates and Unbounce says including video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80%. In addition, for 90% of users, the stats say video helps to complete a buying decision and for 64% of users surveyed viewing videos make it more likely that they will buy a product. The list goes on. The fact that video is effective is no secret and this is the reason why the medium is almost everywhere now. In a few years, it's likely that the market will be truly saturated.
So where does that leave the average small business? In short, it leaves them in a jungle of video competition. If the challenge of 2015 was to "get online" with a slick-looking video campaign, this year's challenge is increasingly getting the attention of viewers. And video viewers are a fickle lot, as according to Google, 80% will click away from a video that stalls while loading. By the time two minutes have passed, nearly two-thirds of viewers will close a video whether its interesting or not.
The challenges are clearly formidable. Not only does a business have to come up with engaging content that loads smoothly – on desktop and on mobile devices -- it has to figure out ways to get it before the eyeballs of potential clients and customers. The good news is because video is such a vast area, the possibilities for marketing are almost limitless. Using the stats above about video engagement, Propel Business Solutions can help develop a first-rate plan for your business based on some great techniques and ideas.
Here are just a few:
1. Fast and furious
Video marketing takes place through usual social media, email, and other channels businesses use to engage with their clients. Chances are customers will be prepared to give a video a shot at once, and only within the few seconds they usually allocate for any other video.
A hook in the first few seconds in essential to draw a viewer in. Preferably it would be a visual draw, with a picture too fascinating to turn away from and one that will hook the viewer to further engage with your video.
2. Tell a story
People engage with video not to watch ads, but to be entertained. And, as with TV, the best entertainment is a story that wraps the viewer around it, getting them emotionally involved.
The key is to look at a product or service not just as that, but as something which has a real effect on the lives of people. That point can be made humorously, seriously, or as an inspirational story – like this video for Google Earth, about which it would probably not occur to most to think of as something that reunites families.
3. Appeal to emotion
An inspiring story about someone else is a good one, but a story that anyone can see themselves fitting into makes it even more personal. This way the viewer can see themselves using your product or service and is more likely to do business with you.
One way to do this is to not use any dialogue, instead replacing it with music, graphics and mood elements to evoke emotions. This fast-paced video from Reebok shows how it's done – following the running journey of an Everywoman as she calculates the days of her life and ours.
4. How-to videos
One thing people want in a product or service is value for money. Businesses can appeal to this desire by showing clients in a practical way how what they are offering works how it benefits its users.
Ikea's series on home makeovers shows customers what the potential of their living or working space is and gives specific tips on where to position furniture, what to buy, how to use the knickknacks in Ikea's home décor section, etc.
5. Call to action
After all the effort at messaging in a video, it's essential to close the deal. According to the data cited above, the likelihood that a viewer who has stuck through to the end of a video will follow through with the next step – a click-through, email signup, a webinar signup, or even a purchase – is high.
Some good call-to-action strategies include editing a signup button into the end of a video, or placing an offer that will keep the dialogue with the customer going. Such call to action buttons also offer marketers the opportunity to track users, providing information on how effective a video is, and whether changes might be needed.
While these examples are drawn from the work of big companies with tons of resources, we can help your business create, upload, market, and distribute videos that are just as creative and engaging and on a reasonable budget. Video marketing is now mainly centred on mobile and just as important as the creative side of the development process is the technical side. You'll need a good video content authoring and delivery platform, as well as one for social media to support the videos.
Whether your business is just considering using video to drive new business or it might be time to upgrade older videos that are outdated, Propel's storytellers are able to help. Contact us today or visit our Capabilities page to learn more.