Meet Consumers Where They Are
Okay, I know that ‘video’ is a fairly broad term; there are tons of types, styles, and ways to use video in our marketing efforts. As long as the content is relevant and valuable, video can help craft it into a more easily consumed format.
In Wyzowl’s annual video marketing survey of marketers and consumers, they found that 69% of people prefer to learn about a product or service by video—versus only 18% of people preferring written articles. This means that by combining video and written content, you can meet the expectations of almost 90% of people. On the surface, doing both videos a written content can sound daunting; in practice, the heavy lifting of either format can be used as the foundation for the other. For example, a drafted article can be used to shape and inform a video script.
Beyond being the preferred medium of our customers, video helps you humanize your brand and build trust. In Wyzowl’s survey, 79% of consumer respondents said they were convinced to download software or an app after watching a video, and 84% were convinced to buy a product or service.
By having a person delivering your message, you’re able to help your customers make what feels like a personal connection with your brand. This trust-building goes beyond the sales funnel, though; it is also crucial in relationship management. During extended service interruptions or infrastructure breaches, consider providing video messages from your CEO or executives. This can help alleviate customer concerns and show that those at the top of your company working toward a solution.
Supercharge Your Marketing
Video marketing has clear benefits in regards to meeting your customers’ expectations, and it can be beneficial to your backend efforts, as well. The primary video platforms—YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo, from my experience—provide analytics showing you where in your video users drop off. This data can help you tailor the length of future videos and validate the relevancy of topics. If people stop watching my videos every time I start talking about my chickens, then maybe that isn’t content that they find helpful, and I should omit it from future videos or campaigns. Without some finagling of Google Analytics tags, this granularity is challenging to achieve with written content.
We’ve covered that our consumers like video content, but the proof is always in the pudding. In Wyzowl’s survey, 86% of marketers reported increased website traffic with video marketing, and 78% say it has increased their sales as well.
These are some standard KPIs, though. What about those deeper connections and secondary interactions? 94% of marketers reported video increasing consumers’ understanding of a product or service, leading to better consumer expectations and, therefore, happier customers. In addition, 43% of marketers said that video reduced their number of support calls. This is likely due to better product understanding or walking people through simple troubleshooting tasks with pre-recorded content.
Yes, It Can Seem Daunting
Thinking about video may conjure up images of Hollywood sets or large sound stages with cyclorama walls, big lights, and a crew bustling about. Yes, that setup is needed for some shoots, but not typically for video content marketing.
While it is true that video production does cost more than photography or static design, there are ways to maximize your investment. To start with, recording content in a series can spread the setup costs across multiple videos. Next, consider creating strong, cornerstone video content that speaks to your brand rather than a campaign. This content can augment campaign landing pages instead of creating new video content for every marketing effort. As we’ve discussed, video can increase the ROI of your efforts, meaning that even if the upfront cost is higher, the payoff may be even greater.
Now, I’m not going to lie; some types of videos do take a lot of time and effort at the start to make sure that production and editing go seamlessly. But don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for! I can help you adapt written content to scripts, make casting decisions, and handle logistics leading up to our production date. When you’re ready to kick off your next video project—or if you want to find out how your current initiatives can be augmented with video—schedule a call.
