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Video marketing: Why it matters and where to start

By 2021, video will account for 80% of all consumer web traffic. Why? Because video has proven to be an effective medium for marketers to tell their story, generate leads, and drive brand awareness.

The value of video is often attributed to its high engagement, information retention and conversion capabilities. But what does this mean and where do you start?

In this blog, we’ll cover:

  • Why video is more engaging than other mediums
  • Starting with your purpose
  • Some tips and tools to creating a video

The human psychology behind video

Human beings are emotional creatures and video’s audio-visual format does a better job at conveying emotion than other mediums. As social media channels continue to favour video-first, it makes this content type even more preferable.

Some studies suggest that our brains process visual data 60,000 times quicker than text. This means that we can identify, and attach meaning to, visual content far quicker than written content.

We also need to consider that people engage with content differently. For example, when we look at peoples learning styles, the majority of people are either visual or auditory learners. This means that some people absorb information more easily from visual stimuli and others from audible stimuli.

Video utilises both of these learning styles, making it much easier for messaging to be understood and retained. The use of both also improves the accessibility of messaging –  which can be done with the use of voice-over (VO) or captions.

With any campaign, it’s important to understand the purpose of each content piece and its practical application. Understanding how each content piece fits in the bigger picture of your marketing campaign enables you to align content types, like video, with the overarching goal of your campaign. Like all content marketing activities, each piece needs to be purposeful.

Getting started with video

There are a plethora of video types to consider, whether it be live-action or animated. So, starting with your why will help you narrow down what video will suit your campaign best.

Deciding this is an important step because different video styles are going to have different impacts depending on things like who your target audience is and the intended distribution channel.

Here’s a list of common video types to get you thinking:

  • Interview / Q&A videos
  • Webinar or live stream videos
  • Promotional videos
  • Thought leadership videos – these can either be live-action or animated
  • Product/service offering videos
  • Explainer videos
  • Podcast videos
  • Sales videos

Once you’ve determined your audience, the channel and the format that best suits your audience, it’s time to jump into production.

Creating your video

It’s easy for video to be seen as an expensive and complicated endeavour, especially because it’s a process tied to particular types of equipment and technical knowledge.

The good news is that video content comes in many different forms, with many different price points. There are always viable options for businesses who are wanting to engage with their audiences but can’t film due to social-distancing rules, which we’ve listed in our blog here.

While big-budget video campaigns still require full production crews, the means to develop video—broadly speaking—have become more accessible with affordable equipment, software, online tools, and developments in smartphone camera technology.

Regardless of how you develop videos for your business, one thing is certain: video truly is an effective medium of communication for business. So much so that 99% of marketers who currently use video in their strategies will continue to do so throughout 2020.

So, how will you use it to connect with your customers?