Video content is exactly what it sounds like: material presented in video format. It can be promotional, educational, entertaining, even silly (we do not mean this in the pejorative sense). It can be scripted or improvised, amateur or professional, and anything in between. Regardless of type, video content marketing can be extremely effective: according to Wyzowl, a leading explainer video company, the vast majorities of organizations that use video marketing say those videos have increased website traffic (87% of respondents) and sales (80%).
Video is also platform-neutral. That means a product video on your website should also be available on your social media platforms as well—in fact, according to HubSpot Research, four of the top six channels that consumers use to watch videos are social channels. Video is also much more viral, generating 1200% more shares than text and images combined, according to Small Business Trends. Even just including the word “video” in an email subject line increases open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and lowers unsubscribes by 26%. To reiterate, that’s not sending a video. It’s just mentioning video in an email’s subject line.
The TLDR of this is that your organization should be using video, and if you already are, you should probably be using it more.
The Creation of Videos
Making a high-quality professional-looking video takes a lot of work: developing an idea, writing a script, storyboarding, lighting, shooting, editing, sound, music, mixing—all of that goes into commercial shoots, business promos, almost certainly anything you see broadcast on television (and a great deal of what you see broadcast online, even if there’s a pretense that it’s not). Video content marketing doesn’t have to be quite like that. Most people are walking around with a camera in their pocket that is capable of capturing high-quality video. The ubiquity of these cameras makes for a very low barrier to creating video content. You don’t have to let a lack of equipment or star power get in your way. In fact, according to Think with Google, for people choosing videos to watch on YouTube, finding something that relates to their passions is three times more important than having a famous actor, and 1.6 times more important than high production quality.
However (there’s always a however). There’s no question that an unpolished and awkward video has the potential to be charming and authentic, and to get views. But you have to be sure your message is on-target and on-brand. Going viral for the wrong reasons can have a real negative impact on your organization. There is, in fact, bad publicity. A successful video requires some planning and knowledge: know your brand, know your audience, and know what your goal is with your video content marketing. A little careful planning here goes a long way online.
What's the ROI?
There are a lot of good reasons to use video. It’s helpful simply for brand awareness, helping spread your business’ name and mission. It can also help save money: 43% of video marketers say video has reduced their volume of support calls. That helps lower returns, too. We already mentioned the bump in email marketing campaigns that just use the word video. But this is about bringing in new customers, retaining existing ones, and driving sales. The good news is that ROI numbers back up video content marketing as well. Looking for new customers? Ninety-three percent of respondents in the Wyzowl survey said they’d gotten a new customer thanks to a video on a social platform, and 95% said they believed they’d increased customer understanding of their product or service by using video. And 80% said use of videos had increased sales.
Bottom line, people love video. It’s part of your customers’ lives, and you need to be, too. Going into the New Year, the data shows that video marketing is expected to grow across multiple platforms. With SOULO you’ll have our full set of creative services available to you: creative development, script writing, professional videographers, even animated graphics. While it’s impossible to fix an un-mic’d talking head at dusk on a busy street, we can help prevent you from filming one. Whether you plan to shoot on an iPhone or you want studio-quality video, our team can help get your video content marketing from an idea to action and traction. We are here to help your business grow through a variety of marketing channels and tactics.
SOULO is a full-service marketing and communications agency that helps client partners get the most from their projects through signage, printing, and digital marketing. Ready to get started? Contact us today!
