Why You Need To Include Video In Your Marketing Plan
Every year is 'the year of the video', but is now the time to take note?
Every year is ’the year of the video’, but is now the time to take note?
We’ve all heard it. Every year is going to be the ‘year of the video’ and with all the hype it was becoming hard to believe. But with impressive stats such as ‘74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video’ it might actually be the time to sit up and listen.
The reason video has become more and more popular is due to the high internet speeds, the rise in user generated platforms, and the fact that everyone has a mini camcorder (or smart phone) in their back pocket. Everyone is a video producer with 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. It’s cheaper than ever to create and distribute video content, making it a more accessible medium for any sized company. Video is a fantastic way to tell a story, and can be a great way to condense content into something easy to digest and take in.
For businesses this can be extremely effective as it can sometimes be a challenge to engage the viewer with written text. “One minute of video is the storytelling equivalent of reading 1.8 million words” Dr James McQuivey, Forrester Psychology tells us that people absorb visual and audio content better than text. It strengthens memory and is easier to recall - ideal for any brand. The mixture of audio and visual stimulates the brain and actively engages viewers (if the content is good enough of course).
An emotional connection to evoke a feeling or something thought-provoking will work best. Plus an engaging video is more likely to be shared and you could reach a global audience in no time.
There are lots of ways to use video:
Web Design Using video in website design is becoming a popular trend. Catch them where the main hero image would be - it brings a sense of movement and depth to site and adds to the overall customer experience. In fact, a study by Eye View Digital shows that using video on landing pages can actually increase conversion by up to 80%.
Online Ads There has been an increase in display ads using video to engage the audience and boost click through rates. Other online ad opportunities such as YouTube are a great way to connect with your audience. But, it is important to consider the context in which your content will be displayed. It needs to have a strong connection to make it more effective and successful.
Video Blogging (Vlogging)Vlogging opens up great opportunities for businesses, whether it is a message from the brand itself, or using popular YouTube stars such as Zoella as brand ambassadors. In particular, vlogging has become an important way to communicate with millennials, as the younger generation have embraced this channel and consume content in this way on a daily basis. However, it is important to keep it genuine and relevant, as research suggests vloggers aren’t effective when there is a strong sales message.
Social Video Social media channels are now full of video content; you only need to look at your Facebook news feed to see that. Watching cute animal videos to sharing ‘the one where the guy slips over’; social video is huge. Including video into your social strategy is now an integral way to reach your audience. And the stats speak for themselves, since June 2014, users of the social network have watched an average of 1 billion videos per day.
Content Marketing Content marketing is more important than ever. Types that work well are ‘how to’, demonstrations, and ‘behind the scenes’. They show the company to be real and authentic, and show the personality of the team.
Other video types include company announcements, promotions, product stories and case studies. When thinking about what videos to produce, it is useful to consider the content marketing matrix and see where your proposed idea will fit. This could be anywhere between to inform, educate, persuade and entertain.
Other forms of video content can be segmented into the three sections – Hero, Hub or Hygiene. Hero content is the large stand out piece that aims to entertain and inspire the audience with emotional storytelling promoted through advertising. Hub relates to the regularly updated destination (channel), and promotes valuable and engaging content that is worth returning to.
Finally, hygiene refers to the content that answers a specific question such as recipes for food brands. YouTube is a great place to distribute your content globally to be viewed on a large scale. Plus YouTube will improve SEO and will help drive more traffic to your site.
Mobile Video is particularly impactful when paired with mobile marketing. An impressive “69% of smartphone users say videos are a perfect solution for smartphone viewing as it offers a quick way for consumers to grasp an overview of a product.” Ensure your video is available on mobile. So, if you aren’t already including video into your marketing strategy I suggest you start.
It is easier than ever to create your own content with basic skills and accessible technologies. But if you do want to produce something to a high quality, then it is best to bring in the professionals. We understand that marketers are time poor, so having someone dedicated to help you can be a better solution.
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