The Power of Visuals - How Video Reinforces Message

Internet is becoming an increasingly visual medium.

The video already accounts for the whopping 79% of the internet traffic.

Fueled by tech leaps and bounds, the volume is growing exponentially. This means we’ll reach new heights in 2020.

More importantly, users simply can’t seem to have enough of this form of content. It profoundly shapes how they seek information and interact with each other. Brands are well-aware of the direction we’re heading in.

They invest hefty resources in gripping storytelling that evokes emotions and cultivates loyalty.

Indeed, if you mean business, video marketing for business purposes is impossible to ignore. In fact, you want to adjust your content strategy to reflect this prominent trend. Video is your chance to pierce through the immense noise and captivate buyers.

So, here is how to crush it with video marketing and make your messages resonate with the audience.

Video Adoption is the Name of the Game

Winds of change are sweeping across the online landscape.

Some of the fastest-growing social networks are heavy on the video side. YouTube is already the second largest search engine in the world.  The other top players may transform into video-only hubs soon as well.

Moreover, Google adores video and gives it more and more weight with each new algorithm update. Yes, web pages that include video rank better in search engine result pages (SERP). It should be noted as well that videos on landing pages increase conversion rates.

These benefits make a rock-solid business case for video marketing. It’s no wonder business owners are hung up on joining the big stage.

Around 81% of all businesses leverage video as a marketing tool and most of them accomplish positive ROI.

In particular, they seek to attract more traffic, leads, and sales.

Taking all this into account, we expect the spending on video assets to increase in years to come. And trust us. You don’t want to lag behind on this front and risk getting showed under your competition.

Video could make or breaks your whole digital strategy. It has the potential to take your storytelling and advertising efforts to the next level.

The Open Secret

Let’s now examine a million-dollar question: What is the secret behind the meteoric rise of the video?

Well, owing to the way it’s wired, the human brain processes visuals way faster than text. It also retains visual information longer, enabling us to really learn something new. This makes a huge difference in the age of dwindling attention spans.

Studies show 60% of users skim the textual content instead of reading.

With video, however, you have the opportunity to arrest attention right away. It’s a vital part of the online customer journey, the key to connecting with people on a deeper level.

This brings us to another important point— video marketing is a long-term endeavor. It gradually sows the seeds of trust and ignites emotions in a way articles cannot match.

For these reasons, it works wonder for customer relationship building. People will not only flock your way but also keep coming back for more, provided that they had a positive experience.

Your main task is to bring emotionally-charged videos that speak to your specific audience. Teeming with visual splendor and useful information, they act as powerful customer magnets.

Unveiling Your Online Crown Jewels

Videos aren’t created equal.

You can mess the production up and end up with a video nobody is interested in seeing. On the other side of the spectrum, we have stunning product videos that help companies sell more. Unlike dry descriptions, product photos and videos hold the power to convert.

According to Hubspot's The State of Marketing in 2020 study, 72% of customers prefer learning through this format.

And it’s not hard to see why.

Explainer-video inspires trust and gets important messages across. It tells people what a product or service can do for them and pulls it off in a compelling way. You’re able to ward off consumer indecisiveness, reservations, and concerns.

Consumers no longer flock to talk with the salespeople but scour the web for the right information. They want to find desired offers their own terms, in the comfort zone of their home.

You can tap into this trend and show the product in action.

This kind of video is a boon for countless eCommerce businesses. It increases the likelihood of someone clicking that “purchase button”.

So, feel free to feature product videos on your homepages/landing pages. Start scoring those trust points the moment visitors arrive and enhance your sales.

Other Tactics to Consider

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as viable options go.

You can also craft a killer product demonstration or a customer testimonial. Due to its conversational form, this content helps the audience develop a deeper understanding of what you have in store. As a bonus, you uncover the human face of your brand.

Another lucrative avenue to explore is an animated video. It allows you to explain your products and services in layman’s terms. You bring entertainment value while keeping things simple— a true win-win scenario.

Last but not least, you may want to consider video ads. They are associated with the highest click-through rates across all ad varieties. Naturally, short YouTube ads without the “skip” feature perform the best in this regard.

You also cannot go wrong with precisely-targeted Facebook ads either. They are the driving force behind the boom in social selling, a trend you would do wise to get on top of.

The list of possibilities goes on and encompasses emerging trends such as live video streams.  This approach involves various events, Q&A sessions, interviews, etc.

A Matter of Production

The good news is there’s no shortage of amazing video editing tools out there.

They are getting more numerous and affordable as time rolls by. Some popular choices are Adobe Premiere Pro, GoAnimate, and AVS Video Editor. One can find a slew of free solutions out there too.

Also, let’s not forget your smartphone might be able to record high-quality videos. This means the barriers to entry, as well as capital requirements, have never been lower.

There’s another implication of this state of affairs many people overlook. Namely, video quality isn’t the end-all and be-all of marketing. Often times, what you present is more important than how you present it.

So, don’t get bogged down in technicalities. You’re better off dedicating more time to planning and developing a content strategy ahead of time.

Do your homework: conduct thorough market research and collect crucial data points, such as demographics. Discover what it is people are interested in seeing. Strive to address pain points and problems they have in real life.

You can do this by recording various short messages and tutorials.

Finishing Touches for Good Measure

Before we wrap up, there are just a few more production steps to complete.

First of all, see to it your videos are optimized for search engines and the publishing platform. Pay close attention to your titles, calls to action (CTA) and descriptions. Include a link to your website and offerings.

Bear in mind many customers consume content via mobile devices. In fact, smartphones and tablets have eclipsed desktop in terms of volume. So, find ways to make viewing on smaller screen sizes as enjoyable as possible.

Furthermore, enable users to easy share and interact with content. This simple practice boosts your social media reach and engagement potential.

The final success ingredient comes in the form of ongoing testing and tracking. Namely, you have to quantify and evaluate your video marketing to figure out what really works. Equip yourself with advanced analytics tools and start gathering relevant data.

It goes without saying your focal points should be key performance indicators (KPIs). Some of the most common ones to ponder are:

• Engagement
• Conversion rates
• Click-through rates
• View count
• Watch time
• Social sharing

You may want to start with a limited number of main objectives and expand as you go.

Experiment with various content formats and lengths based on acquired insights. Remain authentic and true to your mission and value proposition.

If you cover all these bases, your investment should pay off big time.

Firing up on all Cylinders with Video Marketing for Business

Video marketing for business is here to stay and change the digital world for good.

People watch more video than ever before and for good reasons too. You can apply this invaluable asset to all stages of the buyer journey.

To make it happen though, you have to step up your video production.

So, before anything else, learn to approach video production strategically. Be smart about selecting your video platforms and keep fingers on the pulse of the audience.

Measure the success of your campaigns and fine-tune videos for specific platforms and use cases. This should supercharge your messages, drive engagement, and spread brand awareness. Ultimately, you’ll set yourself apart from the cohorts of other businesses.

Get in touch with us in case you need help with your production. It’s time to kick your marketing game into overdrive mode.