The need for video marketing in your marketing strategy has exploded on the internet. Fortunately for people who aren’t keen on taking, editing, or posting videos, creating videos has never been easier. With a smartphone in your pocket, a camera on your laptop, and platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, you can create videos in seconds.
Easy, right? That depends on your definition of easy. While the tools and platforms above give you the ability to create a video easily, knowing what to say or do, how to say or do it, and how to make the video work hard to achieve your goals is another matter altogether.
Good videos can be pricey and can take a lot of time to create. Where do you begin? Is it really worth it for a business like yours? How can you be sure your business needs video? These are all great questions—let’s see if we can answer some of them below.
Why to Prioritize Video Marketing Whenever Possible
Prioritizing videos for your marketing efforts may not make much sense to you if you haven’t done it before. However, here are five essential reasons to include video in your marketing plan.
1. The know, like, and trust factor.
In the quote made famous by Bob Burg, effective networking and marketing are hugely tied to how well a prospect knows, likes, and trusts you. Video expedites this process. The more videos you have to educate your clients about your services, the more you build a strong foundation of trust. Trust is the fast track to sales.
2. It slays SEO.
SEO is a little boring and yes, people talk about it a lot. But having a website that floats around unacknowledged on the interwebs is far more costly than cutting some videos. Search engines are designed to find content. Literally their only job is to find and sort relevant content. How does a search engine, like Google, determine how well your site should rank? Lots of factors, but A HUGE ONE is page views. Video improves page views better than anything else. (See Pro Tip #1 below.)
3. Social. Social. Social.
Videos are great for social media. If there is anything that could or did kill MTV, it is social media. Social media for your business is a FABULOUS way to fill in the ‘know’ and ‘like’ factors of the K-L-T equation. If you’re willing to show the ‘how’ behind your services in a video, you build trust. Having that video (or videos) then shared on social media, will only expedite the ‘know’ piece. Making the video cool, funny, comprehensive, or relatable rounds out the ‘like’ factor. You’ve got yourself the sales trifecta!
4. Email open rates SKYROCKET.
Getting people to read your email is nothing short of a magic trick. Well, get your magic wand ready. According to HubSpot, video in emails can increase open rates and decrease your unsubscribe rates. Having a video in your email can increase your CTR (click-through rate) by a staggering 228%. It’s also a great way to explain what you do when simple text isn’t enough.
5. The single most important reason: conversions.
Video is the swiss army knife of mediums. In addition to the great SEO component, the shareability, the compelling nature of the open rate, video can convey emotions on a grand scale. Emotions like joy, community, discomfort, fear, calm, and countless others are most effectively shared through video. Sales are not standalone entities. Sales are made by humans. Humans are emotional. Emotions are sales, video is just the vehicle.
Did You Know?
Pro Tip #1: Google is the biggest search engine, but YouTube is the second. YouTube is owned by Google. Google loves to reward (over-reward, in fact) relevant content as well as promoting its own properties. Videos on YouTube = great Google search results.
Frank Schwartz, CEO of LEC Media and a 20-year veteran in the broadcast media space had this to say about the use of video in your marketing.
“You become an instant industry authority when customers repeatedly see your business at the top of search results and view your videos for information. They trust what you have to say and think of you first when making a buying decision.”
-Frank Schwartz, CEO of LEC Media
Video marketing is only going to increase in scope and frequency. It’s a flexible medium that can truly convey nearly any message you want to share. Find out more about how video marketing can revolutionize your businesses with us at GoBeyond—contact us today!
