Video is an effective communication medium. Since videos cater to both the visual and audio senses of an individual, people are more receptive to ideas conveyed through videos. The rapid internet penetration and a reduction in smartphone prices have popularized video as a marketing channel. Video dominates the social media content of most of the popular platforms. As of 2021, it contributes to 69% of all consumer activities.
These days, most smartphones record videos in high quality. There are tonnes of free video editing tools that let you come up with professional-quality content. These have opened the doors to fair competition. Today, monetary constraints are no longer a concern for smaller brands that are keen on connecting with the target audience.
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However, the ease of video creation coupled with the consumer preference for video has led to the creation of thousands of hours of video content every day. To ensure that your videos reach the audience, you need to plan the content and connect them in a meaningful way. Here are some tips that will help you to incorporate video into your marketing strategy.
Display Your Personality
If you are keen to strike a chord with the audience, you need to come up with innovative ways of showing the humane side of your brand. Only when the target audience sees your brand beyond its logo can you expect brand familiarity. As a brand, you can come up with videos where you bring the people behind your products to the forefront.
For example, you can come up with a video where the Employee of the Quarter talks about their journey with your brand, a typical day at work, or their likes and dislikes. Your marketing strategies can include videos where you take the viewer through a tour of your office.
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Collected behind-the-scenes footage from a product launch, videos of a corporate event, or a casual team get-together is another way of building a connection with the audience. If your brand associates itself with a charity or CSR event, you can create short videos of the same. This will prompt people who share similar values to associate themselves with your organization.
Video Email Marketing
If your brand is into digital marketing, chances are that you have an email broadcast list. You can incorporate video in your email marketing strategies to improve the reach. Merely having the word video in the email subject line increases the chances of the content being read.
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If you share YouTube video links in your email, Gmail recipients can watch the video from their inbox without having to go to YouTube.
Seasons greeting videos, videos showcasing your latest collection, and videos announcing the launch of a new outlet are some of the email video marketing techniques that your brand can incorporate.
Demo and How-to Videos
Demo videos help to illustrate your product in action. This gives potential customers a holistic view of the things that they are signing up for. It helps people decide and pushes them ahead in the sales funnel. This is especially true if you are launching an innovative product with no market competition and people are skeptical about parting with their money.
Similarly, if your products require special instructions for assembly or maintenance, you can create how-to videos on the same. Understand that your average consumer is busy. Such a person will not have the time to read through long lines of text before using your product.
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When you present the instructions in visually appealing content, it simplifies the user experience. That way, they will stay loyal to you and choose you over the competition while marking the next purchase.
Tap into Your Customer Base
One of the major advantages of video is that anyone can prepare digital content. As a brand, you can leverage the content created by your followers. You can initiate challenges where you ask them to film a video with your products. You can then share such content from your brand’s official handle to expand the reach.
If you are keen on engaging with your customers at a personal level, you can follow them back on social media. Then, comment or like their posts to sow the seeds of a personal relationship. Another advantage of using user-generated videos for marketing is that there is a minimal investment on your part in the creation of such videos.
Bring Success Stories to Life
If you have customers who are satisfied with your business offerings, you can request them for short testimonial videos. Videos from happy customers help you win the trust of potential clients. Moreover, when a person speaks well of your brand, they act as an ambassador in their respective circles. A prospective customer will take the word of a peer more seriously as compared to a brand boasting of itself.
Go Live On Video
Live videos are an effective way for brands to broadcast events or answer their customer’s queries in real-time. When you are launching a product, it is expected that enthusiasts will have a lot of questions. By conducting a live session, you establish an intimate bond and have their queries resolved.
Most social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn have live features. These platforms also allow you to invite your viewers to join you in a live session.
For the best reach, try to promote your live broadcast theme and timings in advance. That way, you will create a buzz and get more people to join the session. Moreover, unlike other forms of digital content, live videos are conversational and do not need editing. This makes them a preferred choice for brands that cannot afford to devote a lot of time to video making.
With a growing fraction of internet users watching video daily, this form of content is indeed the future of marketing. With video, businesses can reach newer prospects and connect with them in a meaningful way. The six tips discussed above will help you incorporate video into your marketing story and drive the success story of your business.