Video is the current magic formula for marketing. Never before have marketers been able to use live or recorded video to help sell their products and services so inexpensively. Today you can make a video in less than an hour. In some cases less than 10 minutes. Alyssa lists 3 ways you can start using videos in your business. Use our resource section and affiliate section to help you find ways to make your videos work for you business.
Could Video be the Missing Part of Your Marketing Campaign?
If you’ve been, well really anywhere on the internet, you’ve probably noticed a change. From articles to homepages, you can find video everywhere on the internet. Taking the plunge into video may seem daunting. There’s no denying that video creation and editing takes a lot of time. So, you might be wondering, is it worth it?
That’s the question we’re here to answer. In short, yes. Video is absolutely worth the effort. But if the “short” explanation isn’t enough for you, there are some swaying facts.
Emailers have reported that including a video in their introduction email has seen an increase of 96% with their click through rate. Including the word “video” in the title name has seen a 19% increase in open rates. These stats seem pretty wild, but they make sense.
Videos are easier to consume than full on articles, encouraging the user to open your email. Then, once they’ve opened the email, the only way to start the video is by clicking, which easily explains that huge surge in click through rates.
The time it takes to watch a video adds another benefit to the format. As marketers know, time spent on a page has a huge effect on your SEO and SERP ranking. That’s another bonus of including video on landing pages. As the user watches the video, they’re engaging with your site which helps drop your hard bounces, but they’re also staying on your page.
Google loves it when people stay on your page. It tells them your content is high-quality and that your site is trustworthy. Not to mention, sites that include a video on their landing pages see an 80% jump in conversions. That number is nothing to turn your nose up at.
Computer based advertising is great and all, but anyone in today’s marketing industry knows the real king to conquer is mobile. More people browse the web, social media and email from their phone than they do on their computers. Luckily, video also reigns supreme on mobile. In the third quarter of 2013, mobile video surged by a whopping 233%. In 2015, 60% of social marketers said they relied on video. That number was expected to leap to over 73% in 2016. The reliance on video marketing works because video sees results.
So how can you work it into your marketing campaign?
Video Tutorials
Is your company developing a new product or implementing a new concept? Consider introducing it with an informative video. This video can serve you in a multitude of ways. For users that are hesitant to buy something from an online store, uncertain of how the item works, your video will settle those worries. Showing how a product works inform the user of what they can expect when they receive their item in the mail, increasing the likelihood that these users will follow through with a purchase.
An instructional video also helps you reel in your less active customers. Let’s be honest. We live in a world of quick information. No one wants to read through the instructions of your new tool. Chances are, they’ll lose interest before they even have a chance to add your product to their cart. But a video can easily show the user how your new product or concept works without them having to go through the strenuous effort of reading detailed instructions. In fact, four times as many consumers said they prefer video instruction to reading instructions.
Social Media
Social media has become a key part of inbound marketing. Regardless of the platform, video performs well on social media. This is because most people are browsing social media on their phones. Video is easier to consume on mobile than full bodies of text. While you can post video tutorials on your social media to draw more attention to your page and your products, you also have other options as far as social media videos go.
Creating videos that simply tell what your brand is about, your mission statement, and how you operate is a fantastic way to spread awareness about your company as a whole. If you don’t have the resources to create a fully branded video, consider reposting YouTube videos that are relevant to your brand. If you’re a retailer that sells items from multiple brands and one of those brands posts a video you like.
Repost the video, explain which items you have in your store and tag the brand. Not only is this engaging content, but you also gain the attention of the brand and get them involved, potentially boosting your subscriber base. Be sure to always credit the original posters and link back to their page if you choose this route.
We’ve already touched on the benefits of including videos in email, increased open rates and a surge in click through rates. Videos work especially well in newsletters. Newsletters should be a roundup of your best content of the week or month. They should include your most engaging content, which would likely be any videos you’ve posted. Newsletters have the added benefit of easily including content from other sites. By referring to content on other top websites, you are not only making yourself a valuable resource within the industry, you also increase your clicks.
Email can get dangerous, however. If you’re sending your emails out to spammers or non-existent emails, your domain will raise flags with email service providers, or ESPs. If you then start to include large chunks of content, like videos, in your emails, you look even more suspicious. The likelihood of you being redirected to spam by ESPs is very high if this continues.
The easiest way to avoid that untimely fate is by verifying your email addresses before you send. Top email verification services, like XVerify, easily allow you to upload your whole list so you can confidently send email without risking being sent to spam.
Video is powerful. Though it may feel overwhelming, working it into your marketing campaign can increase viewership and engagement across your site. With these three straightforward ways to work it into your marketing plan, video can re-energize your campaign, and get your sales soaring.
Author:
Alyssa’s passion for learning about people led her to a career in marketing and social media, with an emphasis on content creation. She currently works for VCN Media where she focuses on their email verification software, XVerify. Connect with Alyssa on LinkedIn.
