The power of video
October 9, 2018 | Marketing, Video, personalisation
Video is not a new marketing channel. Compared to the realms of augmented and virtual reality it’s been around for donkey’s years. And yet video has continued to grow in popularity across the globe more than any other mode of communication. Last year video accounted for 73% of global traffic, with a surprisingly small percentage of that being footage of adorably fluffy kittens/puppies/insert favourite infant animal, or even people ‘accidentally’ injuring themselves in hilarious and evermore imaginative ways.
Video is not a new marketing channel. Compared to the realms of augmented and virtual reality it’s been around for donkey’s years. And yet video has continued to grow in popularity across the globe more than any other mode of communication. Last year video accounted for 73% of global traffic, with a surprisingly small percentage of that being footage of adorably fluffy kittens/puppies/insert favourite infant animal, or even people ‘accidentally’ injuring themselves in hilarious and evermore imaginative ways.
This growth is not about to slow down any time soon. Cisco predicts that by 2021 video will represent a whopping 82% of all IP traffic, including commercial and business IP traffic. That amounts to a million minutes of video transmitted through networks every second.
The stats are impressive, but they aren’t shocking. Video appeals to the masses – it engages, educates, amuses and provokes the full range of emotions. After all, seeing is believing. Seeing a product, a person or an insight on film can deliver an instant authenticity that provokes trust from the viewer. And above all, gaining your customers’ trust is the biggest key to business success.
Perhaps most crucially to many readers, video sells.
A Hubspot survey found that 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision process. And consumers are hungry for more – 53% of people want to see more video content from marketers.
It’s not just consumers who are demanding video. Those looking to raise awareness of a brand or campaign, or engage with and educate their stakeholders, all need to be tapping into the power of video now more than ever.
Customers are actually asking for more video content.
Combine that with the proven return on investment gained from video marketing and it’s a clear win-win situation and arguably the safest way to invest in some of that precious marketing budget.
After all, executed in the right way the undeniable truth is that video responds so well to every imaginable business need. Launching a new product? Introduce it by filming a short guide. If your company’s authenticity is in jeopardy send out those powerful customer testimonials. Enjoyed some success? Film your CEO saying thank you to your customers, your industry and your staff.
With limited budgets, it’s likely that even the most successful marketers are not making the most of all of the benefits video can bring. That means it’s crucial to make the most of the videos you do make.
Here are a few pointers for your next videos that could bring even greater success.
Get personal and be personable
The average retention of personalised videos is 35% higher than non-personalised videos. (Source: Hubspot)
Decision makers are people. And people like to do business with people, not corporations. So, apply some character to some of your videos.
Know what works best and use it to your advantage
The top three most effective types of video content are customer testimonials (51%), Tutorials (50%) and Demonstration videos (49%) (Source: Curata)
Make it snappy
56% of all videos published in the last year are less than 2 minutes long.
Videos under 90 seconds see an average retention of 53% (whereas videos over 30 minutes retain only 10%). (Source: Hubspot)
Incorporate video into your email campaigns
Avoid just posting your painstakingly crafted videos onto your corporate website and YouTube page and trusting your audience to go looking for them. Specifically target the people who would be interested in the video by emailing it directly to them.
Video in an email leads to gigantic 200-300% increase in click-through rates. (source: Hubspot)
Give a little nudgeThis one seems obvious, but we often see great videos with no call to action. Really think about what you want your audience’s next move to be and don’t be shy in communicating it.
Analyse
What worked? What didn’t work so well? Did they see the video through to the end?
Just 35% of businesses use intermediate or advanced analytics to measure the performance of their videos. Video is one of the easiest channels of communication to analyse for success, giving you all the data you need to tailor your ongoing strategies.
Companies using advanced analytics are far more likely to be increasing their video budgets this year. (Source: Hubspot)
This content was provided by Page & Page and Partners