Video marketing: Why it works

From sharing amusing videos on Facebook to being enticed via brands or influencers on platforms such as Instagram, it’s easy to see why video marketing is such a popular medium these days

First off, it’s a format that’s super easy to digest while engaging an increasing number of us. And secondly, when it comes to deciding whether or not your marketing campaign should use video, the statistics really do speak for themselves.

Consider that five billion videos are being viewed on YouTube every day and that 1200% more shares on social media are generated by videos than text and images combined.

Video is all around us, and for marketeers, or anyone with their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in today’s media-consuming world, this could give a real indication as to why a great video marketing strategy is one of the most effective for engaging and converting people to customers. 

What makes video marketing so effective?

Video gives us a visceral experience that just doesn’t translate in the written form. Watching moving images makes for a stronger marketing strategy because it elicits emotion within the viewer.

The visual form is highly persuasive and can strongly influence our general habits, play on our emotions, and assist us in understanding more complex information. 

A well-made video can translate the entire personality of a brand within a couple of minutes, and a short, succinct, and emotive video can be particularly persuasive.  Which is why one of our clients, Zeddy Productions, does so well specialising in high-quality promotional and corporate videos.

Data from video marketing

Other than video’s effective capacity to strongly communicate, the medium itself is becoming increasingly valuable for data-driven marketing.

This is due in part to the fact you can track and calculate audience engagement for video in a really powerful way. Marketeers can see demographics of watchers, how engaged they are and what actions they take as a result of watching the film.

It’s hardly surprising that 63% of businesses regularly use video in their content marketing.

Different types of video content

It’s become such a powerful marketing tool that there are several video content types you can use to spread your message. Here’s our guide through the main ones. 

A demo video

This type of video showcases how your product works and how to use it. Unboxing videos are well known versions of demo videos. Demonstration videos are highly useful and extremely effective for showcasing a product, particularly high priced, unusual or complex ones.  

Branding video 

These videos are typically created as a part of a larger campaign. They illustrate a company’s products, services and most likely, their mission statement.

A branding video is ideal for a business to illustrate what their company is about and what they stand for. Branding footage helps to create a sense of brand awareness, familiarity and most importantly, trust. 

Event showcase video 

If your business is hosting some kind of fundraiser, whether it’s a corporate or charity event, an event showcase video might be the top choice for you. The goal with this type of video is to build awareness of your brand and create interest and intrigue. 

Expert interviews 

Expert interviews are highly effective for showcasing your brand through association with market leaders in your industry. Seek to capture and share their expert opinions and you can bask in their reflected authority with your audience.

Expert interviews are particularly effective for businesses whose services involve working with clients in a trusted capacity, particularly in health and similar niches. 

How-tos 

This kind of instructional video can teach your audience something you want them to know about your product or build some foundational knowledge about a particular product or service.

You can make this kind of video as long or short as you like but the key is to engage and explain. These work well for freelancers or service providers, in demonstrating the depth and breadth of your knowledge and expertise, but in a way that helps and excites your audience.

Explainer videos 

Slightly different from a how-to, the content of these videos focuses on a fictional narrative of the company’s buyer persona who is struggling with some kind of issue or has various questions regarding a product or service.

This person overcomes a problem by adopting or purchasing the business’s solution. 

Animation 

Animation videos are ideal for illustrating difficult-to-grasp concepts that require strong visuals or to explain an abstract service or product. Up to 65% of people are visual learners, and, in all of us, up to 90% of the information consumed by the brain is visual.

With this in mind, it’s clear that animation is a highly effective but fun way of transferring a brand’s message. 

Case studies

One of the most effective ways to communicate to potential customers is to create case study videos that feature your satisfied, loyal customers. These folks are your best advocates.

A case study video still focuses on what your customers are interested in and tries to bring in a human component to your message and demonstrates that you are a ‘safe pair of hands’ to deliver what you say you will.

What should you include in marketing videos? 

As previously discussed, video content allows your customers to interact with your business and helps to build a relationship between them. This is particularly important for businesses that have more of an online presence. 

However, what you should include in your video marketing strategy depends on your business objectives goals. For example, you might need to include one or more of the following:

• Competitor differentiators – this essentially outlines what makes you different and helps you stand out from other businesses 
• Guarantees – if this is something you offer, guarantees are a prime way to turn a viewer into a customer
• Testimonials – these make prospective customers feel more confident about making a purchase
• Company history – to give an insight into the background of your business, helping to show what you stand for 
• Calls to action – this will give your customers a clear next step, even if that is as simple as visiting your website or giving you a call.

Video production values

There are no shortcuts to making effective marketing videos. In a world of 4K footage and celebrity vloggers, your message will not break through with an off-the-cuff script shot on an iPhone.

Follow these steps to make sure your marketing footage gets the exposure and reception needed to grow your business:

• Planning – Understand what you want to achieve. Set out a script (which can be loose) that outlines each step (scene) of the video. Where will it be shot, how long it will last, who is in it, what will be said, etc
• Camera – Use a good quality camera. It doesn’t need to be one on loan from Spielberg, but it should let you shoot 4k footage at 30 frames per second
• Lighting – Either use a videographer that knows what they’re doing (e.g. us) and has their own lighting rigs, or make sure not to film in conditions which create glare, shadows or over-saturation
• Sound – If anyone you’re filming needs to be heard, make sure you have at least good quality mic on the camera. Ideally, you’ll have either a boom mic, or equip your ‘stars’ with lapel mics for high quality audio
• Post production – A great marketing video all comes together in the edit. How the scenes flow, good b-roll footage, overlaid soundtracks, effects and branding all contribute to the overall finish. If you have no experience of this, use a professional film editor

Why use video in your marketing mix

If you’re still not sold on the benefits of video marketing, here we list just a few of the ways that video marketing can further benefit your business.

People are more likely to engage with videos

YouTube is owned by Google and is the second largest online search engine after Google itself.

Thus far, YouTube has over a billion users and a third of these are watching videos every single day. Using video gives you access to this huge and growing market.

You can use video alongside your current strategy 

Another highly appealing factor with regard to video marketing is it can complement what you already have to work with.

After all, using evocative techniques for a video-led strategy is one of the best ways to capture the attention of your target audience. Footage you create can drive traffic to your website and be embedded on your social channels. What’s more, your existing channels are a great source of traffic for your new YouTube channel!

Videos give a real insight into your business 

Particularly if you are a newer business, the chances are there will be a fair bit of competition in your target market and it can be tricky to get your voice heard.

Despite already being huge, video is new enough that there’s a good chance you can use it to take on your biggest competitors to good effect, as they will be unlikely to have any footage of their own.

Show that your business is up to date 

Making videos and putting them online, or more specifically on social media, is a highly current and up-to-date marketing tactic. But, despite this, many companies still aren’t using it.

With this in mind, put yourself ahead of the game and implement them into your marketing strategy. Putting videos online connects you with your audience in a really simple and effective way. 

Video is a memorable medium

We’ve established that video gets you noticed because it elicits an emotional response. Moving images deliver messages more effectively and in less time than other media, which is perfect for reaching people with busy lives.

The difference of video can be dramatic: one study showed that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch a video compared to 10% when reading text.

In another study, it was highlighted that people could recall at least one video they had seen in the last 30 days. As a brand, you need to consider that if you can stick in your audience’s mind, you’ve got a greater chance of converting them into paying customers. 

That’s a wrap!

There are plenty of reasons to incorporate video into your marketing campaigns, but what about a few pointers to ensure that any video you post is engaging and optimised? 

Optimise your film length for the platform(s) you’ll use. Now, there’s no right or wrong duration – most important is how engaging the footage is, getting people to stay to the end is key – but here’s our suggestions for a starting point:

• Instagram: 30 seconds
• Twitter: 45 seconds
• Facebook: 1 minute
• YouTube: 2 minutes

To improve your films’ performance, especially on YouTube, it’s good professional practice to incorporate SEO standards and learn from your metrics. YouTube and Facebook provide great insight into how videos are consumed on their channels and you should link that to landing page hits (i.e. where you want viewers to go after they’ve consumed your footage).

Aim to establish an easily searched library of videos on YouTube, and make sure to incorporate them into all your content, from blogs to emails.

Video marketing strategy, summary

Video is becoming one of the most popular types of content and it’s not likely to be going anywhere, anytime soon. So, it certainly makes sense that in an increasingly impersonal tech-oriented world, we crave brands with connection and personality. 

Here at Ketchup Marketing, we pride ourselves on our fun, creative and passionate approach to marketing and branding – including video!

As an outsourced marketing department, our forward-thinking and energetic team will use their expertise and analytical tools to gain a real insight into your target audience, helping you to boost your business.

We pride ourselves on our ability to devise a YouTube marketing strategy tailored to your specific needs and designed especially to help you reach out to new clients.