[bctt tweet=”If 2015 was declared as the “Year of Video Marketing”, 2016 should be called the “Year of Video Marketing Explosion”! “]
Since last year, we have already witnessed some major developments in terms of online video marketing. From Twitter’s VideoNow and Instagram feed algorithm change to Facebook Live Video Streaming, Google’s card carousel update and websites making excessive use of videos for home page/product pages, the way we are moving forward is clear: [bctt tweet=”Video marketing is NOT the next big thing, it is “The Biggest Thing” right now!”]
Video Marketing is the present, and if all stats are pointing us in the right direction, it is surely also the future of content marketing. By 2017, video will account for a whopping 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to a report.
As an unrivaled medium when it comes to potential reach, Video Marketing has created success stories for several well-known brands! The question is whether this is a possibility for small businesses with small budgets and little technical expertise!
The answer is a resounding “YES”. Online Video Production costs have gone substantially down in recent years and there are plenty of apps and online softwares that allow you to create short creative videos without being a tech whiz. However, like all forms of content marketing, Online Marketing Video creation/distribution must also be practiced with a strategy in mind and there are certain things that you might want to consider to get a decent enough ROI for your business.
Let me use VIDEO as an acronym to explain how it can help you grow your business online!
Viral Potential
[bctt tweet=”For your video to go viral, you need more than sheer luck.”]
1. To begin with, you need to understand who it is for. Viral marketing videos are not made to sell. Videos that get views, likes and shares tend to entice certain emotions. If you don’t know your target market you can never know what matters to them. Here’s how AirBnB has nailed it with a video encouraging more and more people to become an AirBnB host.
2. [bctt tweet=”Quality matters but nothing beats sincerity when it comes to video marketing.”]
Most of the videos that do well are captured trough phone camera and it’s only the sincerity of what you are doing that really seems to resonate with your audience. Checkout this highly value driven and simple video by Progressive Small Business Big Dreams series.
3. [bctt tweet=”Timing of the release is just as important as the video itself.”] Capitalise on what’s trending and try to fit it nicely with your own industry or niche.
4. Make sure to get the title right! It’s what makes people click the first place. Drive a sense of curiosity and don’t let a great video go unnoticed because you didn’t caption it well. Wendylookbook.com created a highly actionable video with their video called, “25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 minutes”.
Integrate with Blogs
[bctt tweet=”Videos can be effectively used to repurpose your blog content.”] Every piece of content produced has a life cycle from release, spread, maturity and decline. People want to see fresh content. If your blog articles are not repurposed, it stops getting any attention no matter how aggressively you market it.
Checkout this blog that has seamlessly integrated 5 videos within the same post.
[bctt tweet=”A great way to grow your blog readership is to make videos out of your existing blogs.”] You get to develop fresh content at a fraction of time and cost of making a new blog post. You can link back your video to the original blog and market it on platforms that do not allow you to share written posts, such as YouTube. This creates interest, engagement and extends the life of your blog posts.Drive Action
The goal of all Digital Marketing efforts boil down to your audience taking the desired action. Your customers might have thoroughly enjoyed watching your video, but if they don’t have any idea what they need to do after that, all your hard work may go wasted.
There are a number of ways to include call to action to your Online Marketing Videos.
1. Add a screen at the end of the video or an auditory note of the same nature.
2. Make a YouTube channel and use annotations to direct viewers to similar videos they might be interested in.
3. Link your videos to anywhere on the web with Ad Overlays.
Educate Beyond Your Brand
Product demos and how to videos can be a good way to educate your audience about your brand, however you can quickly run out of content and end up boring your customers with direct selling.
On the other hand, [bctt tweet=”video story-telling gives you unlimited choices to add value and entertain your audience”] without making them feel like they are being marketed to.
For example a web design company can make a short video on colour theory and how it improves website engagement. A plumbing company can make a short documentary on water conservation or importance of sanitation. A dry-cleaning company can develop a story on the significance of your attire during a job interview. A restaurant business can take its audience behind the scenes and give a sneak peek into its kitchen. The ideas are limited only by your imagination.
GoPro doesn’t talk about its camera features in this video, rather shares the story of how something as simple as a camera can help capture heroic acts happening around us every day!
Optimise for Platforms
[bctt tweet=”When it comes to video marketing, social media platforms are the best way to get maximum exposure for your content.”] However, how users behave with videos on each social media platform can be different, and so must be your strategy.
Here are a few [bctt tweet=”tips to keep in mind when using video marketing on social media platforms”] that complements the nature of your business:
Facebook: Get the best response with short, informative and fun videos less than 2 minutes and uploaded natively.
Twitter: Linking 30 second (allowed limit) teasers videos to full length website content can be a great traffic driver.
Instagram: Ideal for product teasers, behind-the-scene shots and looping videos, wisely hashtagged and not more than 15 minutes long.
LinkedIn: Testimonials, case studies or any form of short informative content for establishing brand awareness. Embed videos with blog posts to get best results.
YouTube: Product demos educational content and how to videos of any length organised into defined playlists is a great way to build a repository of long-form content.
Snapchat: Ideal for younger audience with unique, fun videos not longer than 10 seconds.
Conclusion
Video marketing is no longer an arsenal reserved only for big brands. Today, even the smallest businesses are using it expand their reach, engage their audience and leverage it as their biggest customer acquisition tool.
Do you think your small business can benefit from a Video Marketing Strategy? Do you feel intrigued by the tremendous results businesses similar to yours are reaping with Online Marketing Videos? Are you looking for video marketing services for your own small business?
We can help! At SolomoIT, we are a team of Digital Marketing experts and can assist you in developing a Video Marketing Strategy for your business and work with you in developing and running effective social media campaigns using engaging videos. We are actively involved in promoting SME Business owners seeking to outsource Online Marketing Services and have helped a number of small and medium businesses in Australia from industries as diverse as finance and real estate to food and tradie businesses, in developing a strong digital presence and generate more leads online.