Video marketing: how to find new customers with video

Video marketing is one of the most popular and effective methods of promotion. Listen to experienced marketers who say that successful content strategies don't just work to attract the attention of potential customers. In today's digital marketplace, what matters is content that's appropriate for every channel, guides audiences to find the perfect solution and keeps them engaged. No single type of content fosters quality multichannel engagement the way video does. It's engaging, easy to digest, and presents a specific point of view quickly and clearly.

The meaning of the term "video marketing" is embedded in its name: it's a format for communicating marketing information through video. The term can be applied to any content in video format that promotes a brand. The more production tools are available, the more businesses use video for their promotion. And, according to studies, over 70% of customers prefer to learn about services/products through video.

How video helps sell products

Video marketing refers to visual storytelling that helps brands sell products and services, promote events and capture audience attention. Let's not forget that the world is becoming more digital every day. This is forcing companies to change the way they work and advertise. And since audiences prefer to watch video, it's becoming an important channel for connecting with people.

Brands use an endless variety of video content, including short clips, live broadcasts, 360° video, etc. There are many channels that are suitable for distributing video content, too.

How is video better than other types of content?

It has a high return on investment. Creating a video is not as easy and cheap as it may seem at first glance. But the payoff from good content is worth it. Since video marketing has a lot of positive feedback, the market is offering more and more tools available to create quality videos. At first, you can do without professional equipment - a smartphone and a few special apps are enough.

NOTE: The quality of video content matters, but it's not that important. You can shoot a few videos on a professional level, and the rest with an ordinary smartphone. The main thing is to reflect in them all the benefits your company offers.

Helps to gain credibility. A trusting relationship between the audience and the brand is extremely important, especially if the latter has competitors selling similar products. Buy from those who are trusted.

A brand can become credible if it creates informative videos that help consumers find what they need and add some value to their lives.

Increases sales. The ultimate goal of any company is to get conversions and sales and increase profits. Make an interesting and quality video about a product to see more and more people "magically" learn about it. If the video is really good, they will inevitably start converting into customers.

Improves SEO. SEO is an essential element of any digital marketing tactic. It is designed to help a site rank at the top of search results and gain an edge over the competition.

You can have an audit and improve SEO as much as possible, but there will still be sites with videos that rank better because search engines give them preference.

Turns viewers into fans of the brand. If a company creates videos that keep the audience engaged and provide useful information, an emotional connection between the brand and the person emerges. A product that evokes pleasant associations and emotions one wants to possess. Animated videos are the most popular.

Increases the virality. Creative, made with soul video is what one wants to share with friends in social networks. This helps to expand the audience, increase the social value of the company and sell the product.

In addition, video content is the most effective way to start communicating with your audience, which is especially important for businesses that are just starting out. The video should fix the situation, when nobody knows about the company and its product yet. As practice shows, video marketing gives an opportunity to turn skeptical people into neutral or positive ones.

Video marketing has enormous potential because millions of people spend hours watching videos on YouTube. About 90% of consumers first look for a video about a product and only then make a purchasing decision. Brands that realized this before anyone else did are now more popular and richer than their competitors.

You may also be interested: commercial video production

Types of videos for product promotion

Much of the current video content is equally good for social media and YouTube. If you're wondering how to expand your marketing strategy, give it a try:

1.     Product reviews. More than 70% of users prefer to watch video reviews rather than read instructions before buying a product. The more complex the product, the more important it is to demonstrate its characteristics in advance, since not all potential buyers have the opportunity to test the product in person. The easiest and least expensive format for video marketing is to present the product in a video. Show the unpacking, the package, the appearance, describe the functionality and technical characteristics, emphasize the strengths. You can make a whole series of videos.
2.     Blogger reviews. A product review will look even more convincing if it is narrated by a person who is trusted by his audience (it should coincide with the target audience of the company). Collaboration with video bloggers will help show the product to a wide audience.
3.     Video tutorials. Educational content has as many fans as entertainment content. Even if the product is provided with clear printed instructions, it will not be superfluous to adapt it in the form of a video. Let's not forget that the visual information is perceived more easily and better. This kind of content is divided into microinstructions (video up to 60 seconds), explanatory videos (up to 120 seconds) and instructions-presentations (from 15 minutes).
4.     Interview with an expert. If you invite an expert to promote your product, you can build brand credibility. Keep in mind that reviews from bloggers and videos with the expert should not be overly "salesy. Prepare content about the features of the product or a master class on its use.
5.     Customer reviews. In most cases, users decide to purchase a product after reading reviews about it. Video reviews are more popular because they look more convincing than text.
6.     Videos from customers. User-generated content doesn't just mean product reviews. It's any videos that users make specifically for your brand. The easiest way to get them is to have a contest.
7.     Answers to questions. Selling any product comes with questions about it from potential customers. Answers to the most frequent ones usually appear on your website in the FAQ section, which positively affects SEO and improves communication with users. And the answers can also be combined into a video. This requires a charismatic company employee, a well-thought-out script and a good camera.
8.     Event announcements. Any forthcoming event with the participation of your brand, whether it is a seasonal campaign, exhibition, conference or contest, should be announced. If you make the announcement in the form of a video, you can create branded content to promote and attract new customers. Try to show the essence of what is happening in a short (up to 60 seconds) video. Avoid complicated and unclear language, as well as verbal cliches.
9.     Live broadcasts. Make a live broadcast on VKontakte, Instagram or Facebook to increase the visibility and viewing rate of your video on social networks. During the broadcast, you can present a new product, talk about the company, announce an event, conduct training, show the office, and answer questions from the audience.
10.     Stories. Stories that appear for 24 hours and then disappear are a great way to take advantage of the audience's fear of missing out on an obvious benefit. They're perfect for promoting a product online, announcing the last day of a promotion or the last chance to be a part of an event. Stories work on Facebook, Instagram and VKontakte. As you browse, one story replaces another, attracting eye-catching design - bright texts, filters, stickers, embedded gif images.
11.     Vertical videos. Users access social networks most often from mobile devices, so most videos are focused on a vertical format. It's worth to mark the importance of this trend for every brand which plans the promotion of the goods.
12.     Video advertising. Half of all companies that use video in their marketing strategy launch it. Thus each video hosting and social network offers not one, but a number of advertising formats based on video. For example, on YouTube, these are splash ads, In-Stream and Out-Stream, and on Instagram, video in the loop gallery and Stories ads.

Video is one of the most promising formats. Online videos increase audience engagement, help tell the story of a product and draw attention to all of its benefits. When posting videos, make sure they're easy for users to find, so make sure you include keywords in the title and description, as well as subtitles and tags.

Who needs video marketing

Video marketing positively affects a resource's search engine ranking and audience loyalty. And almost any business can tailor this format to its needs and reap additional benefits. You don't have to be a blogger to have income from videos. You can demonstrate a product to customers, show the process of cooking food, the work of stylists in a beauty salon, etc.

The most relevant video marketing for the following types of business:

1.     Restaurants and tourism. To entice customers to a catering establishment or hotel on an island, show them how good you are. Offer to experience the virtual comfort, look at the surrounding views from the balcony, look into the guest room, where visitors at tables enjoy delicious food and live music.
2.     Education. Traditional forms of education are gradually being superseded by online education. Understandably, video marketing was one of the first to be used in this industry. Videos tell applicants about the institution, campus life, upcoming courses, etc.
3.     Healthcare. This industry is held in trust. We've already mentioned that you can build trust with your audience with a quality video. When it comes to health, the level of trust should be maximum - show spacious rooms and chambers, modern equipment and qualified specialists.
4.     Finance. Here, too, you can't do without trust. To win the audience's wallet, you need informative videos about how easily and effortlessly customers can manage their finances with the help of your company.
5.     E-commerce. When a user wants to buy a product online, they need more than a static image to make a decision. A video is ideal if you sell clothes, shoes or accessories. You can demonstrate how the product looks from the side and on the model.

Video marketing is one of the best ways to get closer to your audience by giving them a real idea of who you are, what you do and what you offer. Think of videos not just as a format to talk about a product, but also as an opportunity to share your brand philosophy and valuable related information. The more viewers know about your hands-on experience, the more likely they are to take key actions.

Source: www.bondarsvideo.com