IAB's "Video Ad Spend Study 2016" reports that marketers and advertisers are spending on average more than $10 million annually on digital video, representing an 85 percent increase from 2 years ago, and ad spending on original digital video programming increased 114 percent since 2014.
Video marketing is gaining in popularity year over year.
Why? The answer is simple. Video works. The "2015 IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report" reveals that U.S. digital advertising revenues reached an all-time high of $59.6 billion in 2015.
Many organizations we talk with understand the importance of video in their digital marketing strategy, but are reluctant to move forward for a number of internal reasons. The biggest obstacle is ignorance on what video options and cost are available today. They believe that they need to hire a full-fledge production team, bring them into their office and disrupt everything that is going on. But with advancements in technology, that is just not the case anymore. Video production has become very good, a lot less expensive and faster to market than ever.
Are you getting your slice of the video marketing pie? Hubspot offers some quick tips for how to include video as a part of your overall digital marketing strategy:
Product demos can include short 360 degree videos of your product, or longer videos that explain product features in detail. Product demos can be used in email drip campaigns or on landing pages to prompt conversions.
Customer testimonials are always powerful marketing tools. However, having real customers express their views of your products via video is often more compelling than simply having a written quote from your customers online.
People are hard-wired to connect with people, and viewers who see actual happy customers talking about your product are more likely to interact with your brand.
A video of your team expressing thanks to a lead that converts helps reinforce to your new customer that you are interested in maintaining a relationship with him or her. Short, pre-recorded messages can be included in your order confirmation email or your standard thank you email after a purchase.
Comb back through your blog posts to find topics that include instructions about your products. Use that material to create short how-to videos that can be distributed across multiple social media platforms.
Connect with your audience on special occasions, like their birthdays or the anniversary of their first purchase with your company. A light-hearted thank you will serve as a reminder that you are still interested in relationship building.
Do your customer service reps answer the same client questions repeatedly? Consider having a live Q&A session in which clients can ask anything they want about your products or services. If that is a little intimidating, consider pre-recording a short "Answers to Common Questions" video that customers can access from your website.
Happily, you are not the only one generating videos about your products. Some of the most popular videos may actually be shared by your satisfied customers who want to go on record with their recommendation of your product. Welcome this type of feedback. User-generated content is, after all, free publicity for your brand. Before using user-generated content, however, be certain to obtain permission from its author to do so.
YouTube is a video marketer's playground, and one of the places where you may find user-generated content about your products as well.
Video marketing is an increasingly useful tool in the hands of digital marketers today. Seth Godin, marketing guru, says in his recent blog "Using Video Well": "Great video doesn't change the rules. A great video on your site isn't enough. You still need permission, still need to seek remarkability, still need to create something that matters. What video represents is the chance - if you invest in it - to tell your story in a way that sticks."
Would you welcome some help with integrating video marketing into your digital strategies? Contact us today to discuss how video can help you tell your story.