This idea isn't new: brands need a video marketing plan. What has changed is the prominence of video on all platforms and channels.
Video marketing is the use of videos to promote and market a product or service, increase engagement, educate your consumers and customers, and reach out to a new audience. Around 2010, video marketing became mainstream, but it wasn't until roughly four years later that it became genuinely accessible for those on a tighter budget. Because of the rise of web tools and the expansion of social media, video marketing is now available to all businesses.
In the past, one of the most significant barriers to video marketing was the high cost. Today, even without a considerable budget, creating great videos for your business is now possible. Demand on social media is another important reason that has propelled the growth of video marketing. Video generates considerably more engagement on social media sites than word and image-based posts.
Why should businesses do video marketing?
Video marketing statistics around the internet all are pointing to the same conclusion: video is the future of marketing.
- According to Hubspot: Every week, 78% of people view online videos, and 54% watch them every day.
- While according to Google's research, six out of ten consumers would rather watch web videos than watch television.
- YouTube claims that its users watch more than 1 billion hours of video every day.
To accommodate this rising demand, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn have shifted their focus to video. They've introduced new video-friendly features such as 'live' broadcasting and' stories.' Simultaneously, video-based services such as YouTube, Snapchat, and Tik Tok have surged in popularity and have become cornerstones of online video consumption.
Video Marketing Tips
Here are five tips to help you get the most of your video marketing efforts:
Tell a story, don't sales talk
Considered as the golden rule of content marketing, whether written, audio, or visual. Instead of simply pushing your products or services, you should focus on adding value to your audience's life by providing actionable advice.
Your audience is sick of being interrupted by commercials and advertising rubbish all the time. So the best course of action is to avoid becoming that type of brand. It will simply repel them and create a terrible brand impression.
10-second rule
The average internet user's attention span is shorter. About one-fifth of your viewers will click away from the video inside the first 10 seconds. This is why it is crucial to make it crystal-clear right from the start what they'll get from watching your material.
Include subtitles or closed captions
With 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. Instagram and Twitter are also trending in the same direction. Closed captions or subtitles might help you increase your ROI. You'll get more engagement, click-throughs, and leads this way.
Optimize your video for search
Search engine marketing is, without a doubt, an essential component of any digital marketing plan. While text content like blog posts, whitepapers, and case studies is designed to rank well on Google. You can also do something to help your video content rank well. Not to mention that, behind Google, YouTube is the second most used search engine. As a result, optimizing your video content for the top two search engines can significantly increase your video marketing ROI.
End with a call-to-action (CTA)
Viewers that stick around to the end of the video are now really interested in what you have to offer. They could even be referred to as "qualified leads." To persuade them to take a specific action, such as browsing your product catalog, starting a free trial, subscribing, or consuming more of your content.
Always include a call-to-action button at the end of your films to let your viewers know what they should do next. Also, add end-screen annotations to your YouTube videos, such as a "subscribe" button or a poll, for instance.
