Spend any amount of time online or on social media sites today and you’ll see tons of ads for businesses both big and small. You may have even noticed that ads are trending more towards video content, with quick clips and lengthier campaigns spanning multiple segments.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a business owner, you really can’t afford to avoid video content.
Creating a video content strategy and putting it into action can be intimidating, especially if you aren’t sure where and how to get started. In this post, we’ll explore:
Let’s get focused:
- Reasons why you need to start using video now
- How to develop a strategy that actually connects with your customer base
- How to best use video along with other marketing methods like email
- Putting your video marketing strategy into action
Let’s jump in and help you jumpstart your video marketing strategy for success.
Video is No Longer an Option, it’s Mandatory!
Video might be intimidating if you’ve never used it for marketing before. You may even be questioning if it’s really worth the investment of time, energy, and money for your business. The answer is yes. Video is no longer optional today, it’s mandatory if you want to stay competitive and see real growth. Here are just some of the reasons why you cannot simply ignore video if you want to succeed:
Video is engaging
Videos capture our attention and hold our interest in a way that other types of content simply can’t. It combines the power of visual elements, sound, and sometimes text to entertain and inform an audience. It’s visual storytelling that can help viewers learn by breaking down a concept or an idea into an easy to understand format. Whether you’re explaining how something works, giving consumers a peek behind the scenes, or introducing a new product, there’s no better way to engage than with a video.
Videos help boost SEO
With so much competition online today, it can be difficult to get your company’s website to break through the noise. There are many tools to use to improve your website’s ranking, and video is one of them. In addition to being a great way to engage, entertain, and inform your target market, videos can boost your site’s SEO. That’s because having a variety of content types, including videos, lets search engines know that the content you’re putting out is relevant to your main niche. According to Neil Patel, when done well, videos can garner a lot of shares on social sites, generating backlinks, which is another key factor in increasing your SEO ranking.
Today, your customers expect it
Whether you like it or not, customers today expect businesses to use video. Consumers are increasingly engaging with brands online. Uploading video content and sharing it on your social media profiles is a great way to connect with current customers and make it easier for new leads to discover you. Consumers use videos to help them understand how a product or service works, how it can benefit them, and whether it’s right for their needs. Think of videos as opportunities to inform and impress the people that you most want to reach. If you’re not creating any videos, it can leave your brand and business looking dated or behind the times, which can be a turn off to some consumers.
You can’t afford to ignore video
Video marketing is one of the best ways to drive sales online. Wyzowl’s 2020 Video Marketing Statistics report finds that 80% of video marketing respondents saw increased sales because of video. If you aren’t creating videos, you’re missing out on sales, and that means that you’re missing out on increasing your revenue. Don’t let your sales numbers lag behind the competition because you aren’t creating the kind of content that your target market wants and needs to make informed buying decisions. As any business owner knows, it takes money to make money, so think about video content as an investment. Today, you simply can’t afford not to. By now, we’ve made a pretty compelling and convincing argument for video. You know that you need to embrace it for your business, but you don’t want to make mistakes right out of the gate. The key to success is figuring out what works best and implementing best practices. One of the ways to really hit the mark with your video is by personalizing it for your audience.
Personalized Video Marketing Strategy Benefits
If you’re looking for a powerful way to capture your target audience’s attention, personalized video is an excellent option. It’s becoming increasingly popular today, especially as businesses seek fresh ideas for connecting with customers. Personalized videos are so effective because they engage with customers and build trust. According to Salesforce, 58% of consumers say that a personalized experience is important to them when making a purchase. Let’s explore the numerous benefits of a personalized video marketing strategy:
Stand out from the crowd
When using personalized videos to market to your audience, you separate your business from the competition. You show them that you’ve taken that extra step to create a video that’s tailored to their interests and caters to their needs. It makes your business unique and helps your product and services stand out in their mind. They won’t feel like just another buyer, but rather, a valued individual.
Increase email open and click-through rates
One of the toughest parts of marketing is breaking through the noise and actually getting your target market to take action. You could create an amazing video, but it could just end up sitting in their inbox, going unopened and unviewed. According to Hubspot, personalization converts 202% more than a standard call to action. That can instantly take your video from unwatched to effective.
Build a relationship with customers
You may have gotten a customer to make a purchase, but then you need to retain them as a customer. Personalization helps you to build relationships with your customer base. They’ll feel like they can trust your business and will turn to you when they’re ready to make another purchase. Making that connection and then fostering it helps them feel positively about your brand.
Best ways to use personalized videos
Businesses can use personalized videos for marketing in so many ways. Some of the most popular include:
- Email:
- Personalize any email that you may send to your customers and leads, including webinar and event invitations, product launch announcements, promotions and sales, and more. Thank them for signing up to your email list or subscribing to your site, newsletter, etc.
- On-boarding:
- Once you’ve made a sale, it’s time to start nurturing the relationship with your new customer. On-boarding videos are an excellent opportunity to connect with new customers right away and show them that you care. Include their name and a message tailored to their needs.
- Website pages:
- Include personalize videos throughout your website, including on the homepage and on product pages. It’s a smart tactic to increase website conversions. Using data from cookies, you can maintain those personalized videos so that when visitors return, they see the same video again. Personalized video marketing is a smart way to compete in today’s crowded market. Coming up with innovative and effective ways to reach your audience and connect with customers is critical to gaining and maintaining their loyalty. Come up with a personalization strategy that suits your budget and begin testing it today. You just may be amazed at the results. Another great way to use video in your marketing plan is with email. Email may seem like an unexpected place to include video, but it can be incredibly effective when done right. Here’s how to incorporate it into your email marketing strategy and boost your click-through rates:
Video in Email Doubles CTR
Some of the biggest challenges with email marketing are getting people to open your email and being engaging and enticing enough for them to actually click-through. Marketers have found that when they include video in their emails their click-through rate increased by a whopping 200-300%. If you’re ready to use video in email marketing and double your click-through rates, keep reading.
Are you unsure of how to go about utilizing video in your emails? One of the best ways to use video is by including a link, preferably a link that goes back to your website. You can include a link to the platform where your video is hosted, such as YouTube. However, directing readers to your website can help increase your conversion rate. To entice people to want to watch, insert an interesting and eye-catching thumbnail. Let them know what benefit they’ll get out of watching. What valuable information or insight will they gain from taking the step of clicking and watching? Give them a reason to want to click “Play”. Get more mileage out of existing video content by using videos from your library in emails. You can reuse videos by including them in new emails when relevant to the topic at hand. This is a great way to increase views while providing useful info for your audience. Another savvy trick as we’ve discussed is to personalize videos to make readers feel special. Personalizing a video typically means inserting the recipient’s name or business logo at some point. It takes the communication process from stiff and formal to warm and welcoming. It can help build a relationship and increase customer loyalty, as customers will feel valued. Here are a few more quick tips to keep in mind:
- Always use text above the video. This allows readers to get an idea of what the video’s about or what topic will be discussed.
- Adjust the settings so that the sound doesn’t start automatically. When a person has their speakers up and an auto-play video begins blaring, it can be jarring and even upsetting. That’s a quick way to get readers to close an email fast.
- Create an attractive, eye-catching thumbnail to pique their interest.
- Impressive stats about video in email:
- According to Syndacast, using the word “email” in the subject line increases open rates by 19%
- It increases click-through rates by a whopping 65%
- It reduces unsubscribe rates by 26%
- According to Campaign Monitor, video thumbnails increase clicks by as much as 50%
More benefits of using video in email
Video is one of the best kinds of content to use in digital marketing today because it’s so effective and versatile. Text-based emails can be overwhelming or considered too bland. With consumers being bombarded with marketing emails today, it’s a challenge to stand out and get them to actually care about opening and reading your content. With a video, you can grab their attention and give them a reason to click through. Videos can be used in all types of email marketing campaigns. If you regularly create new video content, send it out to your email list right away so they don’t miss out on it. Not only can videos be useful in making sales, but they can also be used to nurture and grow your relationship with customers. Take advantage of video in your email marketing campaigns and watch your click-through rates improve.
Putting a Video Marketing Strategy into Action
Feeling excited about using video for marketing? Before you can start getting views, you need to lay out your strategy in detail. Knowing the best ways to use videos is just as important as knowing when and where to use them. Let’s go over the basics of what to do before setting your strategy in motion:
Define your goals
To make sure that your video is working for you, you need to be very clear about what you want it to do. Define your goals before you do anything else. Figure out where you want to use the video in your marketing funnel. The funnel consists of a top, middle, and bottom. Thinking in terms of the sales process, your customers will find themselves at different points of the funnel. The type of video you create and use at those various points can lead them to the next step in the process.
During the awareness phase, your video should be aimed at introducing your brand to a new audience. Videos at this stage should show customers how your business aims to solve a problem they may have or how your product/services can enhance and benefit their lives in some way. Introduction videos are ideal for getting people acquainted with your brand.
During the consideration phase, customers are thinking about how your business can help them. They’re looking for how-to videos, explainers, and content that gives more detail about who you are and what you offer.
Moving into the evaluation and decision stage, customers will be looking for reviews and testimonials to help them make a purchasing decision. They’re now familiar with what you offer and how it may help them, but they want to hear from others who’re satisfied with your product or service. If they’re convinced, they’ll follow through to the next phase.
Finally they’re ready to make a purchase and become an official customer of your business. Videos at this stage can include start-up guides, demonstrations, FAQs, etc. As you create videos, think about where they fit in in the sales funnel. You can use them strategically to connect with new and existing customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
- Awareness – Customer becomes aware of your brand, business, product, services, etc.
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During the awareness phase, your video should be aimed at introducing your brand to a new audience. Videos at this stage should show customers how your business aims to solve a problem they may have or how your product/services can enhance and benefit their lives in some way. Introduction videos are ideal for getting people acquainted with your brand.
- Consideration – Customer learns more, seeks out information
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During the consideration phase, customers are thinking about how your business can help them. They’re looking for how-to videos, explainers, and content that gives more detail about who you are and what you offer.
- Evaluation/Decision – Customer reads reviews, evaluates the value and usefulness of your products and services
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Moving into the evaluation and decision stage, customers will be looking for reviews and testimonials to help them make a purchasing decision. They’re now familiar with what you offer and how it may help them, but they want to hear from others who’re satisfied with your product or service. If they’re convinced, they’ll follow through to the next phase.
- Purchase – Customer makes the decision to purchase and completes the sale
- Finally they’re ready to make a purchase and become an official customer of your business. Videos at this stage can include start-up guides, demonstrations, FAQs, etc. As you create videos, think about where they fit in in the sales funnel. You can use them strategically to connect with new and existing customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
Clarify Your Message and Stay Consistent Nail down your marketing message and make sure that it’s clear. One of the keys to successful branding is consistency, and you need to maintain that consistency throughout your video marketing. That means developing a style and using the same creative elements in your videos, like logo, fonts, and colors. Your message matters, but so does the way that you convey it to your audience. Your videos should have a unified look and feel and be the same across all platforms, from social media to your own website.
Consider Your Budget
One of the biggest hurdles for small businesses is budget limitations, especially when it comes to marketing. Creating marketing campaigns takes both time and money, and it can require the assistance and skills of professionals. Think about your budget when considering the best ways to use videos in marketing. One of the advantages to social media is that you can get your message out to your audience for free. If your budget is limited, use social media, your own website, and email marketing. You can share your videos across those platforms and maximize their usefulness without having to pay for advertising.