Just when you thought that a strong social media presence was the be-all and end-all in marketing, the industry went and reached the cusp of a new era in reaching and retaining customers—welcome to the era of video. Did you know that adding a video to your company’s website could more than double your chances of making it to the coveted front page of Google results? Or that by including a video in your email ad can boost click-through rate by up to 300 percent? If you are not on the video marketing train, you are about to be left in the dust. In the past two years, the use of video to enhance company image has graduated from being a novelty to being a necessity.
So then, how do you wrangle this marketing tool? Here are a few of the best strategies and techniques for executing a video marketing campaign to boost your company’s public image.
Include a Welcome Video
Including a welcome video is a prime method of personalizing your company’s web page. Often, this is a customer’s first impression of your company, so you want to make sure it’s a good one. The music, editing and length of a video are all important aspects to consider when creating a video to introduce your company to viewers.
One example of a company that has successfully executed a marketing campaign to improve its visibility is Amway. The welcome video on the company’s website uses inspirational music and a collage of images to promote its global appeal and diversity, setting a positive tone for a customer’s browsing experience.
Customer-generated Content
Perhaps the most brilliant and effective means of using video to promote your company is the customer-generated content video. Essentially, your customers do the work for you when you invite them to share their experiences or opinions of your services or products. Not only does your company save money on video production, but the result is unique and humanistic. Offering a prize for video submission will increase your chance of gaining participation.
A company that pulled this off beautifully is Chobani. The yogurt maker appealed to its customer base requesting videos of them describing what they loved about the product. The content that the company received was then shared throughout many mediums including billboards and websites. According to Chobani, between 2009 and 2010, this simple technique yielded a 225 percent increase in revenue.
Tutorials and Tips
A fail-safe method of demonstrating your care for your customers while simultaneously connecting with them is to include tips and tutorial videos on your web page. Through the use of these videos, it will appear that you are giving away secrets and best practices, but you will, in fact, be establishing yourself as an expert, which will in turn generate user interest in your company. Additionally, you will set yourself up for series potential in that one instructional video begets another, and the more videos you have, the more visible you are.
Ikea has experienced success with this strategy over the years through offering instructional videos on how to assemble and use their products. Not only do customers appreciate the assistance that a “how-to” video offers, but they develop a trust in the company as well.
Now, social media advertising is by no means dead—video marketing has become a specific sect within and outside of social media—so do not neglect mediums like Facebook and Twitter in your plan and be sure to promote your video campaign across many channels. The key to any video campaign is to get your customers to share your videos with others. If you engage your customers, they will share.
