In 2015, the content marketing industry took enormous steps forward.
It’s no longer just large businesses and corporations who are investing in content, but small business are now joining the party.
However, as we reflect on the state of the digital marketing industry, it becomes apparent that one piece of the puzzle is seriously underutilized: video marketing.
This is unfortunate since corporate videos offer some of the highest returns for your marketing dollars.
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The Value of Video Marketing
Put simply, search engines, social media, and internet consumers have a love affair with videos. While written blogs still deliver value, it’s clear that the content marketing industry is trending towards more visual and less textual content. As a marketer or business owner, you’ll begin to extract more value from your content marketing efforts as soon as you realize this. In particular, here’s why you need to pay attention to video:
Search Engines
Google loves video. That much was clear when they acquired YouTube in 2006. If you need further proof, just look at the search results for a given query. Almost any “how to” search is returned with a handful of video results near the top of the page. Searching for a song? You’ll likely see a couple music videos. Search engines love video – and so should you.
Social Media
Today’s social networking sites are saturated with video. Not only is video content popular on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but entire networks – such as Vine, Snapchat, and Periscope – have been developed around video.
Internet Consumers
Savvy internet consumers love video because it bridges the gap between online shopping and the traditional in-store experience. Video can be used to showcase products and give online shoppers a better idea of what they’re buying. Video is especially valuable for businesses that sell technical products and services at higher end price points.
As you can see, the value of video is more than a shallow attraction. From search engines to searchers, video is held in the highest regard in today’s internet marketing landscape. Regardless of whether you’re a local “mom and pop” store or a multinational corporation, your ears should be perking up right about now. Video is still largely underutilized and your business can gain a massive advantage over the competition by investing resources into video strategies in 2016.
Examples of Effective Video Marketing
For businesses that are unfamiliar with video marketing, it’s always helpful to see effective examples. While there are hundreds of different strategies – and no two videos are ever the same – the following three stick out for diverse reasons.
Dragon corporate video - Sometimes customers want to learn a bit more about a company before doing business together. This is particularly true in B2B industries where choosing the right vendor is everything. Instead of just writing a standard “About Us” page, Dragon Products, Ltd. decided to produce a high-quality corporate video. The feature video does a nice job of showcasing the business in a positive and professional light.
Taulia parody videos - Businesses have to be really cautious when it comes to infusing comedy into corporate videos. If you swing and miss, it can be costly. However, if you’re able to get it right, it can pay dividends, Taulia has found immense success in creating parody videos of popular TV commercials. In one video, the company mimics the old “Get a Mac” ads. It’s successful because it puts an interesting spin on a relatively dull topic.
Oracle’s Modern Marketing series - Once you start paying attention to video marketing, you’ll quickly notice that most brands mess up by failing to be creative. If you want to succeed, you can’t be afraid of trying something new. That’s exactly what Oracle did when developing a video series called “Modern Mark’s Journey to Modern Marketing.” The videos are unique, the format is different, and it works.
These three videos aren’t related to each other in any way, yet they’re equally effective for the sponsoring brand. Each video speaks to the brand’s target market and serves the purpose of educating or engaging. Video is a powerful content medium, and these videos show why.
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3 Tips for Creating Stellar Video Content
So, you’re sold on video marketing? Well, that’s the easy part. Actually brainstorming, creating, and distributing quality video content is the challenge. And while you could spend years refining your skills and studying successful examples, you have to jump in sooner or later. Read the following tips, use a couple of them, find some inspiration from other sources, and get started.
1. Develop a Style
If you study the brands that have had the most success with video marketing, you’ll notice that they all have a style. Each of the brands behind the three examples above has a style. While you aren’t permanently married to a single style, it’s smart to aim for consistency over a period of time – as opposed to creating random videos that lack cohesion.
Your style will likely depend on your purpose. For starters, is your main goal to engage, sell, or inform? If your goal is to engage, your videos will need to be attention grabbing and unique. If you want to sell, you’ll need to showcase your products in a positive light. If your goal is to inform, you’ll need to take an educational approach without being dull or patronizing. Find your purpose, develop a style, and go from there.
2. Invest in Professional Production
Some companies have a liberal marketing budget that allows them to spend thousands of dollars on videos, whereas others are forced to operate on a shoestring budget. While these are obviously two starkly different situations, it’s important to remember that production value always matters (regardless of budget constraints).
If you can afford it, outsource your videos to professionals. If that isn’t an option, at least purchase a decent camera, tripod, and video editing software to help piece together some semi-professional videos. Work with what you have, but never shoot a video on an iPhone and expect it to return value.
3. Focus on the Customer
For some reason, marketers tend to forget the golden rule of marketing when they begin working with video for the first time. They forget that the customer should be the focus – not the brand. Your customers want to know how you can solve their problems.
Don’t create videos that talk about your brand and then slip in a subtle statement about the customer at the end. Make the customer the focal point and subtly tout your brand as the solution to their pain points. It sounds simple in theory, but it’s actually rather challenging in practice.
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Tap Into the Power of Corporate Video Marketing
The power of video permeates the internet. From search engines and corporate websites to YouTube and social networking platforms, video is everywhere. If you want your brand’s content marketing strategy to remain relevant in the coming months and years, it’s imperative that you begin leveraging video alongside your other efforts.
While traditional blogs may never go out of style, it’s becoming increasingly clear that video will play a significant role in content marketing in 2016 and beyond. Now is the time to start experimenting with it…you’ll be glad you did.