The Ultimate Online Video Marketing Guide

Video marketing, though often associated with online social channels, has been used by marketers since motion pictures were invented in 1892. Since then, we’ve seen significant changes to the way video content is used to bring in customers. Despite the differences, one thing remains the same: people love video.

Why are?TV commercials?still one of the most effective forms of marketing? Viewers are pulled in by moving pictures, because they relate to what they see on screen. And they’re more easily persuaded by video content than billboards or printed ads.

But in this new digital age, video marketing has expanded its reach. No longer is TV the only medium for video content. Now, you see videos on your social channels, on the banners and side panels of your favorite websites and even in your email inbox. And for good reason.

According to Hubspot, in the U.S. alone,?75 million people watch online videos?every day. Last year, watching video content accounted for nearly 80% of all internet traffic.

So if you aren’t currently engaging video marketing as a part of your digital strategy, you should be. To encourage you to jump into this world, we’ve put together a comprehensive video marketing guide to discuss what is a marketing video, why video marketing is important and how to use video marketing for business.

What is video marketing?

Video marketing uses content in a video format to educate and promote your business, products and services. Videos can be as ordinary as?TV commercials?or as involved as how-to’s posted to YouTube and other social channels.

To better understand what video marketing looks like, here are a few examples of common marketing videos:

1. 360° and Virtual Reality Videos: show a physical space or location
2. Augmented Reality (AR) Videos: visualize complicated concepts or designs
3. Animated Videos: illustrate complicated concepts
4. Brand Videos: introduce consumers to your mission, products and/or services
5. Case Study and Customer Testimonial Videos: learn about the experiences of others
6. Demo Videos: show how your product works
7. Educational or How-To Videos: show how to do something pertaining to your product or service
8. Event Videos: recap an event (meeting, conference, fundraiser, etc.)?
9. Expert Interviews: interview leaders in your industry
10. Explainer Videos: demonstrate the need for your product or service?
11. Live Videos: give a behind-the-scenes look at your product or service
12. Personalized Messages: touch consumers on a deeper level

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a great place to start!

Why use video marketing?

Clearly, there are many ways you can engage video marketing to capture your audience. But why bother? Here are three reasons you should incorporate this marketing medium into your digital strategy this year.

1. Consumer Education

Consumers were recently asked what type of content they want to see from brands they support. 50% of consumers said they prefer video content. That’s more than any other category of content! And?90% of consumers say they use videos?to inform their buying decisions.

But there’s more to education than simply getting the word out. You want your messages to be presented so viewers retain what they see. Video marketing is the key to increasing retention.

When a consumer sees a message on a video, they retain 95% of the information. Give them the same information in print and they only retain 10%!

2. Increase Web Traffic

Websites with video marketing see increased traffic of up to 55% over those websites without video content. And as you know, increased web traffic is the first step to more brand exposure and more sales.

3. Sales Enablement

The ultimate goal of any marketing effort is to increase sales. In this regard, video marketing definitely delivers.?

If your website’s homepage features video content, consumers visiting your page are?73% more likely to buy. This positive impact on conversion is incredible!

How do you to harness the power of video marketing for your business?

Starting a video marketing project from scratch can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many types of videos and ways to create them, not to mention outlets to distribute them. The possibilities really are endless, so we have a few pointers to get you started.?

1. Format

Consumers aren’t looking for flashy Hollywood-level productions. Most viewers actually prefer the raw, realness of low-quality, improvised videos. So focus on being relatable and building trust rather than stressing about producing high end video content.

Another good rule of thumb for video marketing is to keep your content to two minutes or less. Studies have shown that human attention spans are getting shorter, so keeping videos short and sweet will ensure the most views.

Since nearly 50% of all videos are now viewed on mobile devices, consider cropping your video content to a square aspect ratio. You want to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to consume your content. With a square video, users won’t have to rotate their devices to properly see it. If you want to learn more about video formats, check out our blog post:?Everything You Need to Know About Video Format

2. Social Media

You probably have brand accounts on several social media platforms, but are you posting your videos there? If you aren’t, you should.?

Adding video content to your social media is a great way to gain more customers. Almost all businesses doing so—93%—report taking on at least one new customer as a result of social media.

This should come as no surprise since videos posted to social channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) increase shares by 1,200% than if the information is presented with photos and text.?

When posting video content to Facebook, keep in mind 85% of Facebook users don’t turn on the sound when watching videos, so create your video without audio when you can.

3. YouTube

If you’re new to video marketing, start with YouTube. With 1 billion active users, more than 500 million hours of content is watched on YouTube every day.

The age demographic for YouTube skews younger (age 18-34). Keep this age range in mind when creating videos to maximize the number of views on YouTube.

4. Email

Some people believe that email is dying. It isn’t.?

In 2018,?124.5 billion business and 111.1 billion consumer emails?were sent per day. Yes, the?average open rate is relatively low at 22.1%, but with so many emails being sent, that’s still tens of billions being read every day.

Don’t write off email in your video marketing campaigns. When you email your customers, include video content and mention the word “video” in the subject line. When you do, recipients are 19% more likely to click through.

Gaining and retaining customers is a challenge in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace. Adding video marketing to your promotional arsenal is a great way to edge out the competition and increase your market share.?

And creating video content?doesn’t?require savvy slogans and flash. All you have to do is get out there, be real and show consumers what your company is about. Be bold and create transparent, organic content and you’ll see a boost in sales, guaranteed!

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today to get started on the video of your dreams.