Video Marketing – Get On Board Now

Of all the online marketing channels available now, video has to be the easiest way to get people’s attention and pull them into your content.

It’s been said that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures …

Online video marketing is everywhere, and it isn’t going away. Videos entertain, educate, and persuade, many of them do all three.

It’s so easy to click play, and watch a video. It’s instant gratification. People don’t want to just read and look at static images anymore, they want to experience your content …

So let them.

And now, with the ability to embed video into marketing emails, what’s not to love?

All marketing videos should tell the viewer what to do next. They are, essentially, video sales letters and, from the user’s point of view, it’s much easier to watch a five-minute video than it is to read a 15-page sales letter …

For the marketer, that means more of your message will be seen, and therefore higher conversion rates …

Around two and a half times more …

Can you say profitable?

Have a look at this updated infographic on hubspot.com for some eye-popping stats.

So, What Makes a Good Marketing Video?

Pretty much the same things that make any video good …

With video, the publisher has more control. The viewer can’t skip ahead to see the price, or anything else, and often can’t buy until the Order button appears on the page. The viewer consumes the content in the order it was intended to be seen …

So make the experience a pleasant one, because people can still click away if they’re frustrated or don’t feel in control.

And what makes a video hard to resist?

• Story – with the usual elements of setup, conflict, and resolution.
• Emotion – video is far superior to text, and even images, at conveying the right emotion.
• Humour – but only if it’s appropriate to your brand and product. Some things just aren’t funny so keep it in good taste.
• Lots of movement – change scenes, angles, close-ups, scenery and background activity often to keep it interesting.
• Include faces – humans are hardwired to love seeing faces, they’re attention-grabbers.
• Use good, sensible captions – some people prefer to leave the sound off, some have no choice.

The Initial Call-To-Action

Your first CTA is to get the viewer to watch the video …

Dump the generic Learn More, See More, or Click Here and instead use action verbs like Watch…

And try to include as much information as you can in your CTA – without being wordy.

If it’s a short video, tell them. If it’s a free video, definitely tell them. And if you want them to watch it now, then tell them …

How about: Watch this short, free video now …

The Video’s Call-to Action

Don’t go to the trouble of making a great video unless you also have a great CTA, and not something stuck onto the end as an afterthought …

Keep your goal clearly in mind when you make the video.

The entire video should be subtly moving the viewer along so they’ll naturally take the action you want them to take …

And when you’re ready to move the viewer on, make it easy for them. Leave them wanting to take the next step, and tell them exactly how to do it.

Other Things To Consider

Try to keep your videos to a reasonable length, but long enough to get your message across. Don’t waste people’s time …

For those viewers who do want to hear your video, make sure it’s worth listening to …

Use a good microphone, and record in a quiet place away from ambient noise.

If you use music, please choose it carefully. How many videos have you watched with loud, annoying and inappropriate music?

The right music can set the tone …

The wrong music will ruin your video and kill viewer response.

The same goes for colour …

Choose your colours and your backgrounds carefully …

You don’t want to be advertising summer fun with grey skies and rain on the horizon.

Video Versatility

As well as the more obvious appeal of videos, they’re also great for promoting your brand on social media – think how many videos are on Facebook – and most other online marketing channels.

You could use a video to market your video …

So get creative, because video just gave you a lot more ways to do that.

 

KEEP THE FAITH