Incorporating Video into Your Marketing Plan is Essential

Everywhere you turn, you see videos.  Social media is abuzz with it.  And while many forms of marketing turn out to be fads or here-today-gone-tomorrow strategies, video marketing is here to stay.  If you want your business to stay relevant in a constantly-evolving digital landscape, you must add video to your content marketing strategy.  This doesn’t mean you need to ditch the blogs and other content avenues, just add great video to your plan!

Right now, everything is being dominated by video. This means video marketing is an essential part of any content marketing strategy that hopes to survive the next few years.

What is Video Content Marketing?

It’s not just creating videos for the internet and hitting publish. Like any content strategy, it takes the right amount of planning. Think of video the same as written content marketing. Instead of creating a 500+ word blog post, you create a short video sharing the same information and topics.

Ultimately, the goals of video and traditional content are the same. You want to educate your audience, establish trust, and position yourself as the expert.

It’s important to realize that video content marketing is not the same as commercials. Commercials, like on TV, have the sole intention of selling. They’re not created to explain, engage, or simply to inform. Video content marketing provides value, and it isn’t just an advertisement.

Why Use Video?

What is it that makes video marketing so effective? The proof is in the statistics. YouTube alone has more than a billion users, which is almost one-third of all the internet users on the planet. Why?

Build on Emotions
Videos are inherently emotional. Unlike text, you’re able to connect with users face-to-face. Video resonates on a deeper level with audiences than other types of content because you can speak directly to your ideal customers.

Even if you’re just sharing a how-to video, the fact that you’re able to interact as a person instead of a screen makes a world of a difference. Your videos don’t need to be heart-wrenching emotional tales to capture your audience. As long as you use creativity and personality, you’ll still build a higher level of trust than traditional content.

Video SEO
YouTube is actually the second-largest search engine after Google, so video is now essential to a modern SEO strategy. Google looks at more than just written content when it ranks your website. Google looks at multimedia assets to see the entire package of what you’re bringing to the table.

Because videos are easily shareable, they’re perfect for link building campaigns. Including videos on your pages can help keep users there longer and keep them scrolling. All of these things come together to improve your page ranking.

Customer Journey
Your customers go on a journey that takes them from learning about your business to actually making a purchase. In most cases, this isn’t a quick journey. That’s why content marketing is so essential. It follows your customer journey from start to finish, gently guiding them where to go every step of the way.

Video encourages engagement and it can be used to build a unique message for every part of the journey.  Video fits perfectly into the funnel, and it helps your brand stand out in a competitive world. Consumers want to be educated. They want to learn about products and services before they make purchases. Video offers a way for customers to not only experience products or learn more about your services, but understand why they need them.

Engagement
What’s more likely to stop you in your tracks? A stand-alone picture with a blurb or an exciting video? In the world of social media, things move fast. People scroll through their feeds on their way to work, during breaks, and before bed. They aren’t always taking the time to read through every message, especially when they’re so used to advertisements from companies.

How will your business stop consumers in their own busy schedules and cause them to take notice?

How to Use Video Marketing

First, most videos are viewed online without sound. Because social media usually mutes videos by default, most users won’t unmute them unless they’re particularly engaging. That means it’s helpful to include subtitles if they’re relevant, or to include messaging suggesting users turn on the sound.

Next, you’ll want to build your video to the platform format. For most platforms like Facebook and Instagram, that means creating square video. The square format takes up the most real estate on social media, so it’s most likely what’s going to capture your users’ attention. For Instagram and Snapchat, you’ll need to use vertical video that fills the entire screen.

Shooting Your Video
You don’t need to blow your budget on a professional film crew and editing software to make your own video. You can even use your smartphone camera if that’s your only option.

For instructional videos that rely on sound, consider investing in a microphone. You can purchase one that can even attach to your smartphone. Having clear, crisp sound shows you’re serious and that you know what you’re doing.

Editing

If you’re planning on using your video on more than one platform, edit multiple versions. Ideally, social media videos are short (under a minute long) while website videos can be longer. Again, you should include subtitles on social media videos as well since most users likely won’t use sound. Use text and other effects when you think it’s appropriate, but don’t go overboard. For instructional and educational videos, it’s helpful to use graphics and animations.

The Future of Video

Video marketing isn’t just another trend. It’s the future of content marketing, and the sooner your business can utilize video, the more prepared you’ll be for tomorrow. Not only is video engaging, but it’s an easy way to provide even more value to your prospective customers.

User-Generated Content and Its Impact on Your Brand

Traditional advertising is a one-way street: Brands advertise to consumers instead of having a conversation with them. And that’s a problem.

Today, younger consumers aren’t interested in traditional advertising tactics; they want to lead the conversation and feel an authentic connection to brands. Building those relationships takes more than an ad; it requires engaging, one-to-one brand experiences.

Investing in experiential strategies pays big dividends for your business. Trust us. In addition to getting better insights into their consumers, business owners are learning that this interactive approach is a gold mine for user-generated content that amplifies their brands and drives loyalty.

When consumers share content created at your live event, it extends your activation beyond the footprint and allows your product to reach people who might never have seen it otherwise.

User-generated content is perceived by consumers to be more trustworthy and authentic than brand-created content. This builds brand awareness and consideration among a wider segment of consumers.

There are a lot of ways to create a brand experience that’s so incredible that consumers can’t wait to let other people know. Here are a few steps you can take:

1. Think beyond the boomerang. Don't rely on a single photo engagement. Instead, the entire activation must be share-worthy and envy-inducing, with content creation built into multiple touchpoints throughout the experience.

If you’re hosting an event, get live testimonials.  Ask attendees if they wouldn’t mind doing a live stream with you to share their experience.  Tag other vendors to capture their audience.  If you own a restaurant or catering business, capture individuals or patrons enjoying your food.  This is video proof with an actual, live person, that your product(s) are mouth-watering good!

2. Consider why consumers share. Consumers are selective when it comes to the content they share. For an activation to be deemed share-worthy, it must resonate emotionally, be eye-popping, and align with something the consumer is passionate about.

Consumers are highly-visual individuals.  It has been stated that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Imagine what a great video is worth.  Don’t post just to post.  Post videos and stories that pull at the heart strings, tug at the envy bone and plant themselves in the emotional part of the brain that is hard to eliminate.  (Think puppies and babies)

3. Let the consumer be the story. A consumer’s experience with your product is more powerful than any marketing message a brand can craft. For the most impact, give consumers the experiential tools to allow them to tell their story in their own voice.

Think of it as a live testimonial.  Let them share their experience with your product or business.  What did it do for them?  If it’s a skincare product, why did they want to try it and why do they love it.  They had a problem, you provided the solution, they tell the story.

The brands that resonate most powerfully in the future will be those that facilitate and foster the ability of people to connect with other people. Bringing people together to tell their stories creates the communities that consumers long for and builds brand loyalty. Utilizing video, consumer stories and true, authentic engagement will set you and your business up for success!

If you are not sure what user-generated content is or how to incorporate it into your business, contact the experts at SK Consulting.  From concept to creation to implementation, we’re there with you every step of the way!