Video has never been hotter as a marketing tool. A recent study by Invodo, a video solutions company in Texas, predicts that 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video. The study also found that 65% of video viewers watch more than 3/4ths of a video.
With video playing such a crucial role in online consumption, it’s essential that companies, both B2C and B2B, flesh out their video content strategies.
Repurpose Blogs as Videos
Identifying the types of content that translate to video is relatively easy if you approach each content opportunity with the idea that text-based content can work hand-in-hand with video and, in most cases, make it come alive in a more engaging format that will lead to greater retention and click-thru’s.
Marketers can embrace this trend not only by developing new video content for their audiences, but also by transforming existing text-based content into rich and engaging video content assets.
For example, you can:
- Turn a data-laden report into a video infographic.
- Convert customer case studies into video testimonials.
- Convert an important news release, such as a product launch or technical innovation, into a video news release (VNR).
- Augment static, online content for retail websites such as Amazon, Lowe’s and The Home Depot with video demonstrations of your product.
- Link QR codes on packaging to short-form web videos to enhance the shopping process.
Embed Videos into Email Marketing
If email plays an important role in your marketing plan, then you should consider embedding video in your next campaign. The Invodo study showed that video can boost open rates by 20% and increase click-thru rates 2 to 3 times. It also showed that using the word “video” in the email subject line can boost open rates 19% and click-thru rates by 65%. It might be as simple as replacing your text-heavy emails with a basic introduction accompanied by a video to communicate the rest of the message.
Use Video on Social Media
Because it offers the benefit of an implied endorsement through sharing, the use of video in social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram has spread like wildfire in recent years among marketers. Even Twitter is getting into the video game. Playing catch-up with other social media platforms, Twitter just announced that it has added video capability. Without leaving the app, you can add a video to support an unfolding brand conversation in just a few taps. Users can then play them in one tap.
A healthy video content strategy also positions you for the growing importance of mobile media. More and more media consumers turn to their smartphones and other mobile devices first for information gathering.
72 million smartphone users watched video on their devices at least monthly in 2013, and this was projected to rise to nearly 87 million by the end of 2014. Smartphone users rely heavily on video as a preferred communication method and use it as a method to inform their purchasing decisions. 69% of smartphone users said that video is ideal for smartphone viewing.
For tips on how to incorporate video into your marketing strategy, contact Heinzeroth today. We’ll review your current content strategies and make recommendations on how to build a complementary video component that provides greater customer engagement and prepares you for the future. Along with content strategy, Heinzeroth can assist with all aspects of video content development, from scripting and shooting to editing and distribution.
Please check out our case study featuring three web videos we developed:
http://heinzeroth.com/case-studies/#/rain-bird-drip-irrigation-videos