Everyone’s talking about video. I was in a client meeting last week, and one of the items on the agenda was “how do we make the website more exciting?”, and “video” came up. A discussion about how we could make it work followed, and that got me to thinking about the increasing popularity of video, and its different purposes in marketing – hence this post.
The power of video only seems to be be growing, and with brands investing more and more in the medium, it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. My Facebook feed is peppered with videos from both brands and friends, Tweets containing rich media see huge increases in engagement, and the time people spend watching videos on Instagram increased by more than 40 percent inside six months. Video’s been a game-changer for brands.
Video Marketing: The Goal
Not every corporate video is made with “going viral” as its motivation, but views are obviously important. Before diving into making a video, it’s important to identify its purpose. In the case of my B2B client, we’re talking about increasing engagement in visitors to the site, but video could be used to engage followers on social media, drive traffic to the site through social media, or promote brand awareness.
So, this video we’re using to engage visitors on my client’s site will ideally encourage them to hang around, spend more time on the page and persuade them that what my client is offering is valuable, authoritative, and interesting enough to bring them back again and again. While video on social media should be introducing a brand, video hosted on a website should be tailored for an existing, familiar audience.
Five corporate video types to consider
Like consumers, B2B buyers search for new suppliers and services online. With SearchMetrics revealing that video results are present in 14% of universal search integrations, and that 82% of those are thanks to YouTube, there’s a jolly good chance your corporate video could make a valuable impression on a would-be client, even before they hit your site.
The explainer video
Video is a great way of dissecting what could be complicated to a new user. A walk-through for a new piece of software, a step-by-step guide to completing a task, or breaking down advanced features.
The product overview
An extension of your sales team, a product overview will provide your audience with an introduction or insight while they research their options. Less commitment than face-to-face interaction, but much more than regular marketing collateral like brochures or a data sheet.
The presentation
Whether you’re turning your deck into a video, or filming a colleague delivering a talk, a recording of a presentation is a novel, engaging way of spreading knowledge. Not only that, descriptions and transcriptions provide SEO benefit too.
The event invite
A well edited video covering one of your previous events’ highlights, complete with rockin’ soundtrack, and effective cut-aways, will show your audience what fun other attendees have had. If they weren’t convinced before, it may be enough to tip them over the edge.
The testimonial
Boy, do I love a testimonial. It’s one thing for you to believe your service is the best, but quite another for someone else to vouch for what you do. A video clip of a happy customer talking about their great experience with your organisation adds another dimension to your claim.
Video is ingrained in Content Marketing
Video has pretty much exploded into marketing. It’s now the buyers’ first choice and with smartphone use and mobile search on the rise, creating and consuming video has never been easier. It’s hardly surprising video has become so popular. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, video must be millions.
