If you find the growth of your business’s online presence stunted, it could be because of the fast changing trends on what’s considered interesting. And the current booming online trend is incorporating video marketing into your business model or plan. The advancement of technology now allows videos to automatically play on Instagram and Facebook as you scroll past it without having to actually click on it (you CAN turn this off in your settings…). This makes the job of marketers a little easier, as all you need is a great starting hook to grab the attention of your target audience. If you are a business looking to stand out from the masses of your niche, it is important that your advertising campaigns and techniques are working and using videos is a fantastic way of doing just that!
So why has video marketing been grabbing so much attention?
It’s simple really. No one likes to read. Gone are the days when paper books were held tightly to our chest the way smartphones are now. With a device that people can take with them everywhere and access videos, it’s not a surprise that video marketing has become popular over traditional marketing strategies. You can watch a video pretty much anywhere with a working internet/data connection. Whether your target audience is using their phone while they pretend to study or while on their daily commute via public transport, browsing the net has become accessible anywhere and at anytime. Videos also help impart more information to viewers than text. Statistically, people register and understand content that is picture based as opposed to written content.
Also, let’s not forget, you can provide way more information about your product/ service through a 2-minute video than a 2 page essay. The videos that go viral these days are those with unique content. With millions of videos out there, users have become incredibly selective of the videos they choose to watch. Most users are after fresh content with a unique perspective. For example, Kenzo World, a popular perfume brand, made a marketing video unlike any other perfume ad we have ever seen before.
Click here to watch the full video.
Connecting with your audience
Videos are entertaining. And there is no denying that. Being able to curate an engaging video, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, is the icing on the cake. Because one engaging video that attracts attention can end up influencing a huge market. But sometimes, all it takes is something so out of the ordinary, like the Kenzo perfume ad, to really stick in the minds of your audience. In order to create an effective video that will reach your target audience the video has to be entertaining while establishing a connection between your business and the audience. The way to construct a video is by simply putting yourself in your target audience shoes and answering the question, “Why should I watch this video over a video on ‘ASMR sounds?” (That’s Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response for all you people who have missed out on this crazy phenomenon). Once you answer this question along with thorough research, you may come up with a spectacular video idea that will instantly boost your business performance.
But how do you create an emotional connection with your audience?
Videos are also a great way to convey emotions and connecting with your target audience on an emotional level builds trust and loyalty in customers. Customers want the assurance that they are not going to be duped out of their money and that they are getting the product/ service that they paid for. With the endless amount of products available in the market today, customers now do a lot of research to find a credible company. A company with a worthy or genuine cause is who people will invest their money in.
An example of a successful marketing video that went viral was Dove’s “Beauty on Your Own Terms” campaign video. This interactive campaign inspired women to feel good about themselves no matter their colour, size or ethnicity. The video features female boxers, bloggers and models that have accomplished their goals despite what other people say. Their message “Your Beauty Your Say” builds an emotional connection and trust with the audience by promoting a strong and resonating message.
Follow this link to watch the video. Videos turn customers into believers of your product. The saying “actions speak louder than words” has never been more true. Establishing credibility and convincing your target audience of the benefits of your product can be difficult. This is due to several reasons, such as the inability to establish the right tone through words or running the risk of boring your audience with so much text that they stop reading half way through. Often times, your target audience may be aware of your product, but because there hasn’t been much talk about it, your product/ service hasn’t seen conversions in sales.
You need to be able to create hype over your product/ service in your market. Create a buzz through your video by advertising with transparency. Being funny, succinct and truthful in your videos is the best way to convince your audience that they will be missing out if they do not spend their money on your product or service. It is important to stay on top of this though as people lose interest in new things fairly easily if they aren’t constantly reminded of its benefits.
Therefore creating and publishing one video is not enough. You also need to make sure you are constantly interacting with your target audience and be as responsive as possible. When you are greeted by queries about your service by prospective customers, it is always good to respond as quickly as possible in order to provide them with the information they need before making a decision. Additionally, being responsive shows customer engagement which further shows how your brand values audience opinion, increasing credibility.
How do I produce an effective video?
It has become much cheaper to produce a video than ever before. The advances in technology have made videography a layman’s task. All you have to do is whip your phone out, hold your camera up to shoot a video and edit it via a video editing software. However, with the current surge in videos being posted everyday, the market has become extremely competitive. And although videos are a great way of communicating with your audience, the only videos surfacing the web are those with strong content driving organic traffic. Which means, while everyone can take and make videos, very few know the skills that go behind curating an engaging and content worthy video. As a result, marketing companies offer competitive prices in order to poach clients.
It really isn’t that hard anymore. All you have to do is a quick search to find branding/ marketing agencies that can help you create the video for you. Due to the competitive nature of this video marketing business, many companies generally approach multiple agencies to find one that perfectly aligns with your business direction. It has also been proven that video content drives organic traffic by up to 157% compared to text and images; and social content is shared 1200% more than text and images!
At Anchor Digital, we have trained videographers and professionals to help make your business videos worthwhile and attract audiences. Contact us to get help today!
