Video Marketing has become one of the most important marketing strategies. Businesses far and wide are finding it increasingly important to publish video to reach their customers and we are busier than ever here at Stormy Studio. After some market research of our own, we’ve discovered that video has become so influential online that:
- Video now makes up about 80% of all consumer online traffic (Cisco)
- The amount of mobile video consumption is rising by 100% every year (Invisia)
Yowser! statistics that can’t be ignored. Video marketing is a perfect opportunity to connect with your ideal customers and create a strong impression. If used effectively, videos stir emotion and create a clear image in the minds of consumers. If video is unchartered territory in your marketing, we’ve concocted 9 ways it will improve your business
The best practice for video marketing
There are millions of videos posted online every day. We know what you are thinking, how do you make a video stand out from the competition? Well, first of all, you must understand what is the perfect length video for each platform:
- YouTube: 2 minutes
- Facebook: 1 minute
- Twitter: 45 secs
- Instagram: 30 secs
With each social media platform demanding different length video, having a variety of videos is a great idea. YouTube is the perfect platform for this as you can edit your videos and create a library on your profile. Therefore, if you need to upload a video to a different platform, it will be ready to use.
We have covered the importance of captions in our ‘LinkedIn Video Everything You Need to Know in 2020‘. You should ensure that you add in captions to your video, as videos are silent across all social media platforms unless the user rectifies this.
Video marketing can come in many different forms. Including videos on your social media channels, in your emails and on your company website. If you nail videos on these online mediums then your business will reach a wider audience.
Video email marketing
Video email marketing could be covered in a stand-alone blog post, yet it is important to mention as it is a great marketing technique to etch video into your emails. Prioritising video over long text in your email will ensure your message lingers in your customer’s psyche.
Using video in your email marketing strategy is the perfect way to grab consumers attention. Your business should have a strong email list to feed information out to people, however, if you incorporate video into your emails, click-through rates will rise by 300%. The video acts as a great pull and when people are scrolling through their emails, the video stands out like a sore thumb in comparison to written text.
According to BombBomb, your video for emails should be less than 60 seconds, as consumers tend to sift through their emails quickly. Similarly to videos you post on your socials, you must catch the attention of your audience in the first few seconds. BombBomb explains video marketing on their YouTube video here:
Incorporating video into your email marketing plan will increase traffic to your business and it is certainly something you should consider.
Tell me how video marketing will improve my business already…
Now the basics have been covered, the rest of this blog post will be dedicated to telling you the 9 reasons why video marketing will improve your business.
Nonetheless, we understand at Stormy Studio that creating video content for your business can be a daunting task. Therefore, if you read this blog post and still have no confidence in your video marketing strategy, don’t be afraid to contact us, we will be more than happy to help!
1. Video marketing makes your business personable
Using video will highlight your face, body language and tone of voice, this technique of marketing trumps written or voice content, as it ultimately makes your business more personable. After all, people buy off people, not businesses. With this in mind, it will attract the correct clients to your business who feel a connection to the message you possess or the person that you are.
According to Brightcove, 79% of consumers believe that video is the most accessible way to get to know a brand online. Furthermore, 74% of consumers align their purchasing decisions with videos that they see on social media. This research shows the importance of using video to advertise your business as it will alter the consumers thinking process and make them remember your business or product.
Starbucks are great at making their videos personable:
2. Informs and educates consumers
Video is a great way to show off your business. Written content can often take a while to get to the point. The internet has made people less patient and they want information straight away. Using a video to tell people about yourself or your business is a quick way of displaying information. For example, you can get a message across to your customers in less than 60 seconds on Instagram.
Hubspot state that 97% of marketers claim that videos help users understand more about businesses products and services. Therefore, the message you portray via a video is important as it acts as a teaching device to your audience. Making sure your video is of high-quality will make customers trust your message and ultimately that will lead to more sales.
A well thought of video can be easily shared across your different social platforms and if it resonates with people, then they will market it for you by sharing it across their platforms. According to Wordstream videos are shared 1200% more than images and text combined.
Additionally, you can pinpoint the key points of your video in the first few seconds, so a consumer can understand if the video is of interest.
3. Search engine optimisation
According to Cisco, 80% of all online traffic will come from videos by 2021. Not to mention search engines prefer videos to written content as they see them as quality content. This will propel your website higher in Google search engines.
Additionally, combining video within your written content will make it stand out in terms of SEO, as combining video with keywords makes Google happy. However, you will have to make sure you get an expert in SEO video to properly optimise your video to make sure it is on top of the rankings.
The following ways will help your video to be top-notch when it comes to search engine optimisation:
• Insert a transcript
• Create a standout thumbnail image
• Create an engaging title and meta description
• Ensure the rest of your page is relevant and SEO ready
• Make sure the video is the focus of the page
• Don’t embed the same video multiple places
• Paid video ads will make sure your video reaches your target audience.
4. Keep up with your competition
We can guarantee that your competitors will already be using video. How do we know? Hubspot report that a massive 81% of all businesses are now using video to advertise themselves. If you are not willing to conform to this then your business will get left behind. Additionally, if you are willing to go above and beyond the competition by creating organic video content then you will stand out from the rest.
Video can come in many different forms, and depending on your brand you may consider either animation or live video. Both techniques will be well regarded online, but make sure you find the right one to fit your business needs.
Animation works out to be a cheaper option, albeit if you don’t experience in this field it will be difficult to get right. If your business does not have a willing spokesperson to be the face of the business then the animation will be a perfect choice. Animation can unlock noticeable characters which can be paired with your company, make you more recognisable.
Live video is easy via a mobile phone, however, an online audience craves high-definition video to make your business look professional. Collating a video studio with actors and props will make for an expensive video campaign. If you are looking to push your personal brand as well as your business then live video will be the go-to as you can reach out to your audience personally.
5. You will reach a wider audience
The vast majority of people enjoy watching videos. According to VideoNitch YouTube gets 5 billion views a day! Furthermore, HubSpot highlight that there is a necessity for online video content, as 85% of want to access more video content created by brands. Therefore you must get involved with video marketing to ensure you are reaching this wider audience.
Unlike social channels which are primarily used by the younger demographics (under 34’s), videos can be enjoyed by all age ranges. A great example of this is Lego. Lego is primarily targeted toward 3-11-year-olds. However, Lego manages to use online video expertly to reach out to a wide range of audiences. Their YouTube channel boasts almost 10million users, where they release content for all ages. Lego release videos such as their new collections of The Office, Friends and James Bond. Additionally, YouTube invites adults onto their YouTube channel to review their products:
As you can see from this example, people love video, therefore you can gain extra customers from sending out videos which relate to your business or your products.
6. Video is cheaper to produce.
Many people believe that the way to produce a hard-hitting video is by spending huge budgets. Technically, the more money you use with the backing of professional videographers and animators will make your video more successful. Having said that you can get video packages which are more suited to your budget and small business can benefit from slick videos throughout your advertising channels.
However, video can be made with mobile phones which have high-resolution cameras. There are various video editors which you can use to make your video polished and look professional. Additionally, if you are still struggling with making your video look slick then YouTube has an array of tutorials which will give you the correct guidance.
We understand that creating new video content is time-consuming and costly, so we recommend that you use high-quality outsourced video for your companies website. Having this as your cornerstone video will make your business look professional and will give a great company image. For regular posting and intimate videos on social media, using a mobile phone camera will be enough to push traffic to your channels.
With new technologies and techniques being used in the video industry video gets cheaper to produce. The animated video we produce at Stormy Studio is affordable and bespoke to your business, which will make your business stand out from your competitors.
7. Increasing conversions
According to Wyzowl, 74% of people who see a product in a video which is accompanied by a ‘how-to’ or tutorial video will make a purchase. Furthermore, it is thoroughly important to add the video onto landing pages as this will supposedly boost your sales conversion rate by 80%.
You must add a video to your company website because the process of watching and engaging with the video will keep the consumer on your website for long. This will result in the customer delving into your website to find out about your products and your services. After all, we are consuming a hefty amount of information online every day, who can blame people for being more captivated by video rather than spiels of writing?
The ways you can boost these conversion rates on your video is as follows:
- Use a thumbnail of a smiling human. People are more likely to engage with your vide if they feel invited. When you invite someone over to your house, of course, you welcome them with open arms and a smiling face. So, it makes sense to do the same with your video, consumers will feel like they are about to watch something lighthearted and friendly.
- Make your video to the point and entertaining. This point gets continually reiterated in our blog posts, but it is imperative. If you capture your audience in the first few seconds then you are onto a winner. Plus, everyone wants to be entertained by what they are watching some way or another.
- Be trusting. A face of a business can help this cause as people trust someone they can look at. Yet, if you seem vulnerable, endearing and truthful from the offset people will more willingly buy from you.
- Send personalised videos to potential customers. Of course, when your business expands, this will be a difficult task. However, if you can be personalized to your customer by sending them a direct video, then they will be more likely to invest time in you.
- Video marketing autonomation. Wouldn’t it be great to tap into the people who watch 60% to 100% of your videos? These consumers will have an interest in what you have to offer. Using marketing autonomation will allow you to find out who these customers are and then you can continue to pursue their interest. There are many companies which offer this, such as Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot.
8. It gives fantastic Return on Investment
Creating video pays for itself and more. A high-quality 60-second animation video can cost approximately £6,000. Sounds a lot for 60 seconds right?
Yet, you must remember that an animated video is a collaboration between many different disciplines to create your product. Nevertheless, if you look at the ROI of a video it makes all the more while to get experts involved to get your video to a professional polish standard. After all, by attaching this video to your email marketing strategy you will expect to see at least a 300% increase click-through rates. This will inevitably lead to more sales and we guess this will most probably make you profit beyond the £6,000 you are paying.
We must warn you that there can be added costs in your creation, so ensure you do your homework before going into business.
At Stormy Studio, we will be more than happy to talk to you about prices for the animated video you desire. If you want to estimate the cost for yourself, visit our animation cost tool.
9. Video enhances your other marketing materials
The video should be the pinnacle of your marketing campaign. The majority of successful marketing initiatives in recent years, whether they are social media campaigns, search engine optimisation or website developments, a video has been the catalyst to enticing consumers.
A great tip to consider when you are creating your video marketing campaign is to try to involve the people that sell your product daily. If you are a small business then being the face of your video would be appropriate. Larger businesses should approach their sales team.
A great example of a well-thought marketing campaign recently is Ikea’s Stay at Home Campaign. Ikea pushes the message ‘home is where you are safe’. They do this in a variety of different ways, through social media posts, static images and banner ads. Ikea thrust their messages into the faces of their consumers by creating a heart-warming video. This campaign not only manages to play on the heartstrings but also taps into the current zeitgeist – quarantine.
Here are examples of the message Ikea used, making the video the forefront of their marketing strategy:
Of course, written content, static image and social channels will increase traffic to your business. Albeit, interweaving video within these disciplines will enhance your marketing materials. For example, if you are trying to explain your complex product, being able to use written content alongside a tutorial video will help people to understand. Having a fully optimised blog post alongside an optimised video will propel your marketing strategy into the stratosphere.
Video marketing will improve your business, don’t hesitate…
Our blog has given you various reasons to start using video now. Producing and sharing it online can be daunting, but the rewards of posting video regularly are much greater!
The main points to consider are:
- Video now makes up 80% of all online traffic
- Video across all platforms should ideally not exceed 2 minutes
- Emails including video will increase click-through rates by 300%
- 74% of consumers align their purchase with videos they’ve seen on social media
- Video marketing gives a fantastic return of investment
- Incorporating videos with other marketing materials will make your content stand out
- Video is cheap to produce and will reach a wider audience.
How can Stormy Studio help?
If you are looking to get your business off to a winning start in video marketing then look no further. We offer bespoke animation and filmed video productions which will help promote your businesses professional image along with your products and services.
Working with you is what we do best. Hitting your business goals is thoroughly important for us.
We are experts in the field and have won numerous awards for our business animation and motion graphics. Whether you are looking for short social media video, webpage videos or email marketing videos, we will be happy to accommodate all your video needs.