Why is video marketing so effective? – Let’s talk about one of the most popular and effective promotion methods – video marketing.

The meaning of the term lies in its name. Video marketing is a format for transmitting marketing information through video. Any content that promotes a brand in video format can be summed up under this term.

What do consumers think about video marketing?

The opinion of consumers largely coincides with the idea of marketers. They love video marketing.
96% of surveyed users have watched video instructions for a purchased product (app, gadget, etc.) at least once. She helped them learn more about the new acquisition.

84% said that an online video was the deciding factor for them to buy a product. After looking at an advertisement or presentation of a gadget on YouTube, people decide to buy it.

With software, the situation is about the same: 79% of respondents said that the video helped them choose software and decide to buy it.

Users love short videos and find them the most convenient way to get to know a product. 69% prefer this format, 18% prefer text, 4% like infographics, 3% download a full manual in PDF format, and 2% call the company/developers directly and find out the details over the phone.

Behavioral features of the audience

The average person watches about 18 hours of video per week. A year ago, this value was at the level of 16 hours.

Another metric also shows rapid growth – in 2018, the average user watched about 1.5 hours of video on the network. In 2021 this figure increased to 2.5 hours.

People love to share videos. They are twice as likely to share video content as they send a friend a link to another content format. The same goes for posting on social media.

Who needs video marketing?

Everyone needs video marketing. And it’s not just a feeling. This type of marketing really works and pays off.

For example, promotion through video has a positive effect not only on audience loyalty but also on the ranking of the resource in search results. Google, other things being equal, will give preference to sites that have videos.

And besides, any business will only benefit from a video presentation of the product. It is not necessary to be a blogger to have some income from videos.

You can show the product to customers, demonstrate the cooking process, show the process of working in your own barbershop on video or make a stylish advertisement for it. The list is endless. Any business can customize the format to suit their needs and get additional profit.

It’s just a matter of priorities, not a question of “should” or “shouldn’t.” The question is, “how much”?

Types of video marketing

Demo

This is a brief description of the product or service. Some kind of acquaintance without a hint of sale. In such a video, it is worth talking about your product and preparing the audience to absorb other information related to your brand.

In such videos, it is important to strike a balance and not jump to advertising and trying to convince the client to buy something from you. The goal is to attract attention, not to get momentary profit. Be too intrusive and immediately lose a potential buyer.

Tell why your product/service is cool and completely eliminate hints of an early purchase from the message. The demo video is not suitable for fishing out money.

Brand

This is something in the spirit of brand advertising. In such a video, you are not talking about the product and services provided but about yourself. About the brand, about the ideology of the company. About what you do for society, what your principles are, etc.

This is already a more personal and personal acquaintance with the consumer and is even directly related to such a phenomenon as image advertising. A successful demo video with a sincere message, an idea that resonates with the views of users, can create an image better than a thousand printed words.

Event

The name clearly shows that the video needs to demonstrate some kind of event. Perhaps it will be a meeting, a press conference, or a visit by the authorities to production facilities.

This is what, for example, manufacturers of musical instruments do – they regularly publish videos in which they go to the factory and personally test dozens of serial devices to ensure their quality and verify that there are no defects.

This approach boosts customer loyalty to the skies. They see the founders’ direct participation in the product’s fate. They see that they are taken care of. That quality for the brand under study is not an empty phrase.

An example is the Solar guitar brand, which has grown into one of the most popular on the network in a couple of years thanks to video marketing.

Interview

Communication with experts, brand founders, and even ordinary employees of the company is a great idea for a video.

Experts will give viewers useful information and talk about the product in question from a professional point of view. Reasonable, beautiful, and extremely clear.

The founders can talk about global ideas or answer questions that concern the brand’s audience. Employees of the company can tell about the product in more detail than any higher work unit.
Educational videos

Various guides are a convenient way to tell about your product in more detail. You can increase the duration of the video, and you can describe the details more carefully, or you can pay attention to the little things, etc.

Already interested users usually watch such videos. Therefore, you can contact them in a different way, concentrating on the features of the service/product and not on flirting with the viewer and trying to quickly talk about the product and grab a potential buyer’s attention.

Training in this way is in demand. Cheese makers can show you how to cook with this product. Automakers can show test drives and the like.

Reviews

People trust users like them much more than marketers and bosses. Therefore, reviews have been an essential part of any marketing campaign. And if you spice them up with a video format, you get an even more powerful tool for promotion.

You can make a selection of customer reviews. Or you can take it seriously and shoot something more professional. For example, invite a successful client and ask him to tell and demonstrate the positive result of using your product in his business or life.

But it is better to make such videos as sincere as possible. A solid and simulated positive is unlikely to inspire confidence.

live video

Yes, we are talking about demonstrating something live. It would seem that only some limited niche should work here, but this is not so. It can be freely applied to any business.

Do you have your own farm? Great, put up a camera and let the viewers watch the animals live. Restaurant? Stream from the kitchen. Let everyone see that your chefs strictly respect the requirements of hygiene.

This is a really interesting method of communication with the audience. At the same time interactive and transparent in relation to the audience.

FAQ

Your users 100% have a set of questions they ask on a regular basis. Regularly write letters or get technical support. Use video marketing to help this segment of the audience.

Record a short video where you answer in detail the pressing questions. Take the top 10 most frequently asked questions, for example. This is convenient and will reduce the company’s technical support burden.

But the FAQ is just one option. If you wish, you can start a whole section and regularly answer user questions that arise on social networks, in your mailbox, or in the comments under YouTube videos.

Selling videos

A more sketchy format, subject to strict SEO rules. A video in which you, without hesitation, are trying to sell something to the viewer, acting according to the standard sales scheme.

It requires businesses to immediately interest the user and briefly talk about the product so that all the reasoning is not built around the benefits of the service/product but around the user’s needs and how the advertised product can help realize them.

Also, you need to work out possible expressions in the selling video.

Pros of Video Marketing

The format of presentation and advertising of goods through video has a lot of advantages:

• Increases audience interest in the brand, especially if the video has gone viral. That is, scattered over the Internet;
• The first will certainly be followed by an increase in the conversion of the site and an increase in the number of customers;
• As we have already found out above, communicating with potential customers through video increases loyalty;
• People are more likely to respond positively to video mailings. Simply put, such letters are opened more often;
• Statistics confirmed that thanks to the videos, it is easier for users to make a decision about buying a product/subscribing to a service/downloading an application, etc;
• Video also increases reach on social networks, mainly due to the audience’s increased activity and desire to share the content found.

Cons of Video Marketing

Not without drawbacks. Still, there cannot be an ideal format for promotion and advertising.

Most difficulties in implementing the video format arise from the urgent need for many additional resources.

• First, it will be financially expensive. Often, preparing a good video is not shooting a 30-second sketch on the phone (although this can also work) but the work of a whole team with a cameraman, editor, editor, etc;
• Secondly, it is difficult to find specialists who understand the idea and make advertising competently. You will have to work hard to find a coherent screenwriter and operator;
• Thirdly, creating a video will take much more time than writing a text. This is a laborious and lengthy process;
• And although the cons seem impressive, against the background of the pros, they still fade. The investment is justified.

First steps in video marketing

Introducing video marketing into your business is built around four simple steps.

1. Goal

First, a goal is formed. Why shoot a video? Usually, it is about attracting an audience and increasing sales. Set a clear value to be overcome.

For example, we are recording a demo video to increase the traffic flow on the site by 10%. Or we write a training video to reduce the number of repetitive questions on the forums and in technical support;

2. Target

Study the target audience. Do they not understand the features of the product? Start with tutorial videos. Few new users? Make a fantastic demo. Maybe people don’t trust you, and they need feedback. Look at the priorities of users and focus on them.

Also, consider where it is more convenient for people to watch your videos. Someone is comfortable on YouTube, and someone watches you only on Instagram. Post them on social networks and channels with the most potential buyers. And better everywhere at once.

3. Assistant

Select the people who will work on the video. Connect employees when needed. Participate yourself if the idea requires it, etc. Engage professionals.

4. Promotion

No matter how high-quality the content is, it needs to be promoted. Otherwise, no one will see it! Additional time and resources will have to be spent on this. Otherwise, the resources spent on video production may not reach their full potential.

Engage in the promotion of not only the brand but also the content produced.

After the release of each video, carefully analyze the situation. How have the scores changed? What did people like, and what didn’t they like? Pay attention to details so you don’t make the same mistakes in the future. And always work with dissatisfied users.

How to become competitive

• In working with video marketing, it is important not to neglect all available means. If there is no money for a top team to shoot a video, then take a cheaper one and make more niche videos like production shooting. It is not necessary to produce some kind of blockbuster every time. Simplicity can grab you too;
• Take as actors people who can talk beautifully, look convincing, and convey thoughts clearly. Well-delivered speech and friendly voices will work better than HD and high-quality audio;
• Regularly delight viewers with new content. Videos should be released often enough. Better always at the expected time. You can create several categories and distribute them by day of the week so your audience knows when and what to watch;
• Control timing. Don’t make ads too long or production videos too short;
• Establish contact with people who already “have weight” on the sites where you plan to post videos. Collaborate with popular bloggers or famous users of your product.

Beginner Video Marketer Mistakes

There is a massive margin for error here. Most of the mistakes will be recognized and corrected with experience. But there are things to consider beforehand.

• The quality of the video should be up to par: optional 8K resolution and HDR format. But without the grain, the noise, and the ever-shaking camera. This also applies to sound, only if it is not justified by style;
• Poorly written (or not written at all) scripts. This is when the actors say gag, get confused, waste time, and spoil the final product;
• An excess of selling phrases in the video immediately creates the impression that the brand is trying to sell something, not tell about itself;
• The opposite problem is the lack of a call to action. When a video is about everything and nothing, it is of no use.

These must take these points into account. Then even the starting result will be head and shoulders above the expected.