Love it or hate it, you cannot ignore video.
Given the choice to consume the same piece of information textually or through video, most people will choose video. The convenience and on-the-go nature of video has propelled it to top the marketing channels list, with video now touted to be 600% more effective than direct and print marketing combined.
And if there’s one takeaway every brand should pay attention to, it’s that video marketing cannot be sidelined anymore. Do you want to be seen? Video is the answer!
But the world already knows that.
With 87% of marketing professionals around the world already leveraging this medium, how do you make your video stand out among the claustrophobic content clutter?
When it comes to videos, brands need to stay on top of their game. Here are four pointers to keep in mind if you want to ace the video space this year (and a few bonus tips too!):
Opt for a story-driven approach
The success of video marketing, like other facets of content marketing, hugely depends on the storytelling approach. Blatant product-driven videos will not capture the customers’ attention, and would often leave them scrolling down without a glance.
Effective storytelling can easily convey complex ideas, elicit emotions, and, over a period of time, mould your brand identity the way you prefer. A well-drafted script addresses customers’ pain points and aligns it with your offerings in a consumable way. It’s the classic ‘content first, product later’ approach.
Some of the chief areas to build videos around are customer testimonials to inculcate brand loyalty and nurture prospects, how-to guides and explainer videos, interviews and podcasts, live-streaming events, and customer support help videos.
An important tip for acing the storytelling approach is to nail the first few seconds. How many times have you seen a video that started with a thought-provoking question or a surprise element? The first few seconds are the deal-breaker as these moments decide whether your story will be watched up until the credits or be abandoned for pictures of cute cats. Therefore, starting the story with a hook is the ideal way to draw in the audience right from the start.
Create results-driven videos
Your prospective customers will purchase your product or services to satisfy different pain points. This means the marketing approach for a different set of customers throughout the buyer’s journey will also vary. Every marketer’s dream is to pitch and nurture prospects based on what appeals to them at each stage of the journey. Long story short, results-driven video is about telling the right story to the right audience at the right time.
Videos can also be delivered intelligently with automation, with content dynamically changing depending on who's watching the video. This customisation drastically increases the chance of not just the video being watched, but also the viewer acting on the CTA.
Leverage available tools and resources
A common misconception is that to create videos that grab maximum eyeballs, brands and individuals need to invest in hi-tech gadgets. Surely, you’ve seen videos with low production that took the internet by storm. Remember the famous ‘Charlie bit my finger’ video?
With the rising popularity of videos, numerous softwares and low-budget tools are now at your disposal. For instance,
- Animoto offers video templates that make creating How-to videos, ads, and sales videos a breeze.
- Magisto- the AI-run tool takes your raw uploaded videos and pictures and integrate the right soundtrack and style and convert it into a professional-looking video.
When it comes to tools, most people only consider its importance on the production side. While, yes, it’s an integral part of creating and sharing videos, you also need the right tools for analyzing and decoding videos once published. It’s only through constant monitoring and learning from past videos that will help you to up the ante and improve further.
The global video analytics market is speculated to reach a staggering $8.55 billion by 2023—and for the right reasons. If you’re serious about making video work for you, you also have to invest in the right intelligence and technology. Today, there are tools to visual mentions, compare video effectiveness, uncover strategic business insights, extract audience insights, and protect the brand’s reputation. All of these, when utilised properly, can significantly boost your video marketing efforts and draw the results you’re aiming for.
Do not forget SEO
Even the most viral video wouldn’t turn into sales unless you nurture your prospects through the funnel. One video will not get your customers clicking “buy now” at the end of the video—it’s simply one part of the bigger prospecting and acquiring the customer process. Therefore, you must pair your video marketing approach with your SEO strategy. Videos that have memorable catch phrases or brand-centric story, for instance, engage customers to automatically search for the featured products online. This video-SEO alignment both makes a compelling sales case to the prospective customers, as well as hike up your search ranking.
Bonus tips to make a compelling video:
- Keep the video short and avoid unnecessary frills that may prompt viewers to skip.
- The video thumbnail is the first thing viewers see so make sure you create a powerful and branded thumbnail.
- Have one centralised message to retain viewer attention throughout the video.
- The prime focus should be to add value. Your viewers should gather some informative takeaway from the video.
- Draft a powerful headline with a clear, concise and value-adding script.
By now, we’ve established that video should be an integral part of every marketing strategy. Armed with these tips, we hope you’d be able to take your videos to the next level.
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