Marketing is the way of the world now, especially since 2020, when life shifted to the online mode. The pandemic has changed our lives completely, and now the Internet has become a part of our life like never before. Classes are online, work is from home, meetings are on Zoom, and shopping is through apps. In this online age, almost all brands have shifted to the online mode of marketing to attract customers.
Brands have had to adapt and grow to take their business further. The lockdown hit many people in adverse ways, and during the lockdown, many small businesses went under, while many new businesses opened and flourished. The key to success in this new online world is successful marketing. We spend much of our time on the internet, and therefore, brands have to attract most of their customers through digital marketing.
The most engaging and interesting way to do this is video marketing. It may seem like something complex at the start, but it is quite easy once learned. This is a skill that several brands have had to acquire in order to succeed in the online space. Brands that can afford to have hired specialized professionals to provide video marketing services. But smaller brands and business owners have had to acquire the skill on their own.
While it may seem intimidating, some video editors can help you with editing videos very easily. Best video editor available online, those are web-based platforms that are free to use and do not even require a signup. The platform can be used on MacOS and Windows but is best optimized to be used on the Chrome browser. There are many templates readily available. There are also filters that can be used. Easily incorporate text and audio into your video with the help of those online video editors. The AI system is good at detecting any errors in text or color correction to lend your videos a professional look.
There are also many other video editors, some of which are free while others are paid. The point is, with the help of a video editor, you can easily complete the task of editing videos and use them for marketing. The brands that are thriving and succeeding are the ones that are using videos to engage their customers and drive traffic to their pages. Now let us look at some strategies that you can use to incorporate video marketing into your content marketing strategy.
Product videos: Recent trends have shown that companies showcasing their products in easy explainer videos are selling products more often. In fact, consumers are keen to buy something after watching a video about how it works. Product videos are a great way to engage and interest the consumer. People always want to know how new products work, and if they see that the product is easy to use and fits into their life, they will purchase it with no second thoughts.
There can be confusion about whether to purchase a product or not is mainly because we are not sure whether we will be able to use it properly, and no one wants to shell out money on something that will later be wasted. Therefore, showing the consumer how to use the product and how it can fit into their lives is the best way to ensure that someone will buy your product.
There are many cool products that you would not have otherwise known about or bought if you had not seen a product video for it. Big brands can, of course, shell out the big bucks on advertising. However, for smaller businesses, the owners have to acquire editing skills or use video editors to make product videos. Many small business owners have used simple video editors and made great videos that have attracted success to their businesses.
Hop on trends: Trends are one of the best ways to stay relevant on the internet. You will often see big brands hopping on the latest trends, be it some dance moves or memes. Even small businesses can hop on trends and use hashtags and features on people’s feeds. The more people you reach, the more your chances are of attracting new customers. Using new trends and music, you can make engaging and interesting videos showcasing your products. The aim is to stay relevant, and trying out new trends can help you connect better with your target audience.
Use videos in your emails: Most of us hate getting mail from advertisers and brands. Most of these emails go to the trash. However, if you are a brand using email for marketing, you should include videos in your emails. These are less likely to end up in the trash.
Creating demo videos: Demo videos are one step ahead of product videos. In a demo video, you can actually show your potential customers the uses and benefits of your product. These are also interesting to watch instead of videos where there is just talking, or only pictures, etc. Such engaging videos are the best way to get people interested in your brand and drive traffic to your brand age. Instagram Reels and Stories are a great format for short and interesting videos, while IGTV is a format more suitable for longer videos. How-to videos are another option you can go for. Such videos are very popular on YouTube and Instagram, and many people find them very interesting. You can showcase your products in these videos and ensure that your video marketing strategy hits the right mark.
Interactive videos like Q&A: Videos like this can be very engaging for customers because they feel involved somehow. You can use questions asked by customers about your brand and products and add in some questions that will explain the functionality of products better or the ethos of your brand. This kind of video format is great for getting your message across and making an impression on your consumer base.
Introducing your team and workplace: Video marketing can be diverse, and many different paths are available to choose from. One of the most interactive and informal methods is to have a sort of conversation with your customers. Let them get to know the people behind the brand and the products they are buying, introduce your team in a video, or you can show your office, or you can give a tour of your manufacturing facility. These will help establish a connection with your customers, and they will lean more towards buying your products.
Engage in the comments sections of your videos: Be it on YouTube or Instagram, make sure that you have employees replying to customers’ comments. Engaging with your customers will give them a sense of importance, and they will be more invested in your brand. You can even conduct some giveaways to get more people interested in your brand and products.
Utilize the first few seconds of your videos: One of the most essential things to understand when using video for marketing is to hook the audience in the first few seconds. Unlike an article that can be read at length or glanced over, if someone doesn’t like the first few seconds of your video, then they will stop watching it and move on. There is a plethora of content on the Internet, and no one will waste time on something they do not find interesting. So, use humor, stories, facts, or anything to make the first few seconds of your video interesting to make sure the viewer doesn’t just skip your video.
Focus on the story, not the sale: Every brand has a story. There is a reason it exists, and there is some motivation behind it. Use this emotion and tell the story to your viewers and potential customers. If you can get people interested in the brand, then the sales will automatically rise. Brands that have some values that they abide by often have a strong customer base. So, convey the story through your video marketing, not the products. For instance, Levi’s as a brand has a stable customer base. Their videos are never about the product, but more about the message of diversity or sustainability, etc. This story is what keeps people committed to the brand.
Add some value: One thing has to be understood clearly. No one will watch your video if there is nothing interesting to learn from it. People are visual learners; at least a majority of us are. Therefore, if you educate them, they will be interested in watching the video, right till the end.
Assess the success of your strategy: It is not enough to simply have a video marketing strategy. You have to assess the strategy from time to time and assess whether it is securing the desired results. If it does not secure sufficient reach or drive enough traffic to your page, you might have to consider changing things up. It is not enough to continue with the same strategy hoping for success. There is no right or wrong here, and trying new things will be the only way to ensure success.
Use YouTube: Video marketing is often not extended to YouTube. But it is a platform that can also help you extend your reach. If you organize webinars as a company, you can edit some short clips and upload them on YouTube for informational purposes. This is something that is practiced by the leading healthcare CRM brand Evariant. YouTube is a storehouse of information, and you never know which videos might be useful to people. If you can find a small viewer base, then you will also see business growth. This is especially true for brands making niche products.
Create a schedule for posting and stick to it: Consistency is the key when it comes to video marketing. If you post regularly, you will continue to appear on people’s screens, and they will remember you. This may seem like a lot of pressure, but it can become considerably easier if you create a schedule. Viewers tend to expect regular content, and if you start missing deadlines, you will slowly become irrelevant. If your audience knows that new videos are coming every week, they will come back for more, especially if they find your content interesting.
Show off your personality: If you are the owner of a brand or a small business and you think you have a charismatic personality, then you should leverage that. Show off your personality and charm in videos, and this is sure to be more relatable for people. If they find you interesting and likable, they will surely be more interested in your brand and be promising customers.
Include your customers: Who does not want to see themselves in someone’s video? Everyone wants a chance to get featured in a video of a brand. So, give this chance to your viewers and customers, and they will stay dedicated customers. You can encourage them to use your hashtags or feature your products and services in their videos. Post these videos on your social media pages, and it is mutually beneficial for both you and the customers. They get exposure, and you get more reach and potential customers. People are likely to share videos featuring them with their friends and families. With features like Instagram Reels, it has become easier to integrate user-generated content into brand pages.
Partner up with influencers: Influencers are actually very influential. They exercise control over the consumption choices of their followers. People look up to them and take their recommendations seriously. Therefore, partnering with an influencer can have many benefits for the influencer and the brand. Small brands can collaborate with small influencers, while big brands can collaborate with influencers with a bigger following and reach. Make sure to partner with someone who suits the profile of your brand and promotes the product wholeheartedly.
Use Facebook ads: Instagram is a great platform for marketing, but Facebook is equally dynamic. Facebook stands out in comparison with other marketing platforms simply because the marketing on Facebook is so in-depth. Select audiences can be targeted for every single post on Facebook. Facebook allows targeting of audiences based on age, gender, location, and language. Users outside of your target audience group can see your posts in their news feed or on your page.
Focus on SEO even in videos: Don’t think that videos do not have scope for integrating SEO. Include SEO and keywords in your video descriptions. Google indexes YouTube videos which means that you can show up in someone’s Google search if you use the right keywords in your video descriptions. Utilize YouTube’s tagging feature and get bunched together with similar videos. This will increase the chances of your video being shown in the ‘related videos’ section of other videos.
Include a Call to Action: If you want people to visit your page, do not forget to include a CTA. This is essential. A CTA is essential whether it is a video featuring an influencer or a video with text and no audio. A call to action does not always mean telling people to buy your product or sign up on your website. It could also ask them to subscribe to your channel or follow your page, share your videos, comment, or check out other videos made by your brand. It is best to include a CTA at the end as it can irk people if a video begins with a request to like, share, and subscribe.
Monitor results: Analytics has become a significant part of the video marketing game. Many sites and services offer analytics. You can use these to understand to what extent your strategy is successful. Google Analytics is one of the best tools to use for this purpose. You will get insight into what kind of results your videos are achieving. Are they reaching the target audience? Are they being viewed in full? These are things only analytics can help you find out.
In conclusion, here are some statistics to help you understand the importance of video marketing. Videos on social media generate 1200% more shares than images and texts combined. These are figures from 2019, when video marketing was slowly becoming the way of the world. In 2019 it accounted for 80% of all consumer traffic on the internet, and this figure has only increased during the lockdown and after that.
Out of the total number of online marketers, 87% use videos as part of their marketing strategy. Did you know that the amount of video consumption increases every year by 100%? This is the most lucrative field for marketing, and therefore, now is the time to create a winning strategy and include videos in your marketing attempts.
About the Author
Sanket Shah – I am the founder of InVideo. InVideo serves millions of users from ~190 countries and we have raised $20M+ from the likes of Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global. We believe the future of video creation is in the browser, across devices, and collaborative.
