It’s no secret that the use of video in your business is incredibly powerful. In fact, when used consistently and correctly, video can:
- Boost brand identity and credibility
- Increase audience engagement
- Increase website traffic
- Improve SEO
- Accelerate prospects towards a sale
- Enhance customer satisfaction
- Increase the lifetime value of a customer
Ultimately, what all this means is greater return on your efforts and more efficient business growth. Do you fancy some of that?
But I don’t have time to make videos
We get it, making videos can be a pain in the butt. It’s not a quick process – you need to plan what to say, find a location, create the right conditions, get dressed up (possibly the worst one!) And THEN – edit, upload, post and share. Wow, it’s exhausting isn’t it!
So yes, we agree – video can be a bit of effort. But the return on that effort can be MASSIVE! We know you don’t have enough time as it is, but wouldn’t you prefer to spend your valuable time on something that you know will give you a decent return?
Here at Oddball, we’re all about working smarter, not harder. And as far as we’re concerned, video is the perfect example of this. With a smart video marketing strategy, you can actually ditch some of those other marketing activities that have been eating up your budget and not delivering desirable results.
Of course, video is still one piece of the marketing puzzle – we’re not suggesting it becomes your sole focus. But by making it a larger piece of the puzzle, you could achieve your business goals much faster.
According to research:
- 87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website
- 83% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads
- 80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales
So are you thinking about bumping videos a little higher up your to-do list yet?
How can I use video to grow my business?
Social Media
There’s simply no escaping social media. For most businesses, having a social presence is now non-negotiable – you’ve got to be in it to win it. A recent marketing report showed that approximately:
- 6 in 10 Australians use Facebook
- 1 in 2 Australians use YouTube
- 1 in 3 Australians use Instagram
- 1 in 4 Australians use Snapchat
The issue with social media however, is being seen amongst all the noise. And more importantly, being seen by the right people. Effective targeting strategies can be employed to help you with the latter, so you can reach your ideal audience, but then you have to grab their attention and hold it long enough for them to take action – whether that action is to Like, Share or Click.
Video is the perfect way to stop them in their tracks, as it’s much more visually appealing than a heap of text and a static image.
The great thing about video for social media, is it doesn’t need to be heavily produced. Of course, it does depend on your brand and offering, but often casual is better because it humanises your brand, and is easier for your audience to relate to and engage with. Regardless of your delivery and content however, it’s imperative that you maintain a certain level of quality in a few key areas:
- Camera position. Ensure the camera is not too low or too high. It’s important to place it at eye level so you’re talking directly to your audience.
- Lighting. Make sure your entire face is in the light and you don’t have any harsh shadows. Your audience will relate better to you if they can see you properly.
- Background. Choose a location with a relevant background. It’s true that a picture tells a thousand words, so what can you say without saying? Does your product or service relate to the outdoors? Make your video outside! Do you sell computer software? Shoot your video in an office. Or perhaps your business is in home improvements – make your video in the part of the house that specifically relates to what you do.
- Audio. This is actually the most important element. Audiences are least tolerant to poor audio, so if they can’t hear you properly they won’t hang around. Investing in a little lapel mic can easily overcome this issue.
Landing Page
So once you’ve used social media to build awareness about your brand, engage your audience and get them to click through to your landing page, you need to hold their attention by making the page interesting. Can you guess how to do this? That’s right – VIDEO!
A landing page typically needs to include quite a lot of information, because its purpose is to encourage people to take action – usually to sign up or buy. With video you can get your message across much more easily, and it’s a lot less overwhelming than landing on a page with a sea of text.
It also allows you to educate the prospect about how you can help them, which makes them much more likely to act. You can even show them your product or service in action, if that’s appropriate.
So when you’re creating your next landing page, we strongly suggest you include a video. In this scenario, it’s worth giving it a little more time and increasing the production, because it’s essentially a sales pitch. So you want to ensure it:
- Represents your brand well
- Continues to build trust
- Offers the prospect a pleasant experience
- Answers all their questions
- Shows them how to take action
Website
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to websites is getting visitors to stay on your site. Ideally you want them to stay long enough and get what they need in order to take action. Again, video is a great tool to assist with this. It initially grabs their attention, and gives them a reason to explore your website further so they can obtain whatever they need in order to make a decision.
As with landing pages, it’s good to take a little more time and increase production for your website videos, because they again are a representation of your brand. A good website homepage video is like having a friendly and welcoming receptionist as the first port of call when a potential customer visits your place of business. They’ll invite the prospect in and make them feel comfortable, so they’re more connected and engaged, which makes the job of the salesperson much easier.
It’s also good to use explainer videos (see below) on various pages of your website, so you can show that you know what you’re talking about and ensure any questions your potential customers might have are answered. More clarity equals more conversions.
The other key way to use video on your website is with testimonial videos. This offers your potential customers social proof that you can actually do what you say you can do. When delivered in a video format the message is much more powerful, because they can easily see that it’s real and relate to those people who were in the same situation as them.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is still a very effective way to sell to your customers. If they’ve made it to your email list, you know they have some sort of an interest in what you do (and if not, hopefully they’ll unsubscribe!) So then it’s just a case of consistently sending them valuable content, and every now and then offering them something.
Your success rate when you do offer them something will be greatly increased if you’ve effectively used the other communications to:
- Give them interesting information and tips that will help them in some way, so they can see that you know your stuff and you could be the solution to their problems
- Allow them to get to know you and your brand more – so they can connect with you at a deeper level
- Showcase success stories from previous clients, so they can get social proof that you can deliver on what you promise
As I’m sure you can appreciate, all of this will be a lot easier to achieve with video. Of course, you don’t want to use video in isolation, as different people like to consume information in different ways and at different times. But even throwing in one video a month to communicate your most important messages will make a huge difference to your click through and conversion rates.
Explainer Videos
An explainer video can be fantastic to easily relay information and answer questions about your brand, product and/or service. It’s great to grab the attention of your audience, but also to maintain it. Explainer videos can be excellent tools to increase customer satisfaction.
For example, it’s so much easier to learn about a new product if someone is physically showing you in a video, rather than having to interpret pages of instructions. If your customers enjoy a smooth experience with your brand, even after they’ve completed their purchase, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you again and refer other potential customers.
Explainer videos are particularly helpful for increasing your credibility, as you can easily set yourself up as an expert and show you know your stuff. In turn, this builds trust, engagement and conversions.
So where is video on your to-do list now?
The great thing about video, is even though it might initially require a bit of investment in terms of time and production, most videos don’t need to be re-shot regularly and they can be repurposed across all of your channels. They’re like the gift that keeps on giving.
So we hope by now you can truly understand the importance of video in your business. As with everything in marketing, it’s important to incorporate it as part of an overall strategy, so you can ensure the greatest return on your investment.
If you’d like to find out how video can fit into your marketing strategy, and even how our resident video experts can help you to bring them alive, book yourself in for a complimentary discovery session with one of our Oddball Strategists.
