Video has become a staple in marketing and corporate communications. Businesses are now using videos to engage customers in-store, on social media, on their websites, and on television. Videos have been shown to be more engaging than text or picture ads and are well on their way to dominating the internet as the leading form of content.
A professionally produced corporate video used to consistently cost well over $10,000 but the barrier to entry has now been significantly lowered and costs reduced. This is due to an increasing number of competing production companies, professional equipment becoming less expensive, and a significant increase in the number of people learning video production skills in post-secondary. If businesses want to stay competitive and relevant with their marketing, they definitely need to seriously consider a strategy that involves video.
It is no secret that video is a powerful marketing tool. The vast majority of major brands are now utilizing it in some way with some brands even using it as their primary marketing initiative. An excellent example of the power of video is when Dollar Shave Club (which sold for 1 billion to Unilever) launched its brand and exploded its sales with a hilarious viral video. Ryan Reynolds also experienced similar success with the video he created to promote Aviation Gin. These examples go to show what being creative and original in your video marketing can do for your brand.
There are several ways businesses should look at leveraging video to engage customers and build their brand. Here are some of our top suggestions.
Have a Corporate Overview Video
This video should be professionally produced and placed on your website as one of the first things people see. Ideally, it will explain what your business does, what sets you apart from your competitors and why customers should trust you. This should all be in an engaging, under-four-minute video. Several studies have proven that consumers would much rather watch a video to better understand something than reading text.
Regularly Post Videos on Social Media
This will help you build brand awareness and stay top of mind for clients. You can explain your process, what services or products you offer, and help people be more informed about why they should buy from you. Many social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram also favour video content over other types.
Utilize Testimonial Videos
Testimonial videos are a great way to provide social proof to potential customers. These can be very inexpensive to produce and even ones shot on a smartphone can be powerful. They show that people love and trust your business. Testimonial videos should live on your website, social media, and even sometimes in-store.
Create FAQ or Frequently Asked Question Videos
Engage customers by answering their questions and providing value. Start by thinking about what questions your customers commonly ask or what problems you could solve for them with information. Make a video for each commonly asked question and then use these as content on your website and social media or even send them to people who are looking for information. This can save you time answering questions and be a huge value add and trust builder for customers.
There is an endless number of ways you can creatively use video to engage potential customers. If you plan out a strategy, take into account what your customers would want to see and what would bring them value, you’ll set yourself apart from the herd and build a more memorable brand. If you provide value in the form of information or entertainment, you’ll do great in the video space.
