The Benefits of Video Marketing
In a single minute, 4.3 million YouTube videos are viewed and 266,000 hours of television are streamed on Netflix. Every day there are more and more videos being shared on social platforms.
Video marketing as a strategy has become very important in recent times. It is one of the most effective methods to market products and influence buying decisions on-line so you do not want to miss out on this when preparing your 2019 marketing plan.
Since the advent of YouTube, in early 2005, and the arrival of other social networks such as Periscope and Vine, video and images have won the online audience and increased engagement across the board.
Consequently, other social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat have integrated video into their functionalities with great success fueling continuous growth of video content.
Internet users average 16 minutes and 49 seconds watching videos every month on the Internet.
More and more people are streaming YouTube on the television set and it is surely becoming the television format especially with younger generations. Together with on-demand video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon, it is taking over our living rooms.
In the last two to three years, video has totally exploded and became extremely important on all platforms. It is very easy to consume, hence the huge increase in its popularity. As we often say in inbound marketing, “Follow the attention!” It’s clear that customer attention is increasingly on video so it’s a good idea to leverage its advantages and have a sound video marketing strategy and integrate video into your marketing plan.
Video is no longer just a small piece of a company’s marketing plan. It must become central to the overall outreach strategy, especially across all social platforms.
According to the comScore study, Internet users average 16 minutes and 49 seconds watching videos every month on the Internet. More than 50 percent of viewers prefer to see videos from brands versus other types of content.
To prove my point on how video is totally dominating social channels, HubSpot claims that out of the top six channels where consumers watch videos four are a social channel.
Close second—believe it or not—are emails and newsletters. (Have you read my previous articles on email marketing?)
If you want to get a higher interaction rate, and fewer cancelled subscriptions, add videos to your emails. According to a study conducted by Implix, emails with videos receive 96 percent more clicks than those without. According to another study by Forrester Marketing Group, emails with videos received between 200 percent and 300 percent more clicks versus others without video content and the email unsubscription rate dropped to 75 percent.
More than 50% of viewers prefer to see videos from brands versus other types of content.
There are rumors that in less than five years Facebook will be an all-video platform. Facebook has already become the second most popular video sharing platform after YouTube and is catching up fast. After these two giants come Netflix, Instagram, Amazon Video, Twitter, Snapchat and Hulu in terms of popularity to watch video online.
Video and the Aftermarket
So how can you use video marketing to promote our aftermarket imaging products?
A video can be a great tool for your salespeople in any given situation. A corporate video can be played at the beginning of a meeting, can be looped on your tradeshow booth to catch attention and shared across your social channels. Short product specific videos can be produced and used as “video data sheets” of your newly developed printer cartridge. You can be assured it will get customers more engaged with your message.
Here is a quick practical list, in no specific order, of eleven marketing videos you can produce to better engage your audience in 2019:
- Brand videos — about your company vision and mission so the customer understands the values you represent;
- Demo videos — showing details about your latest toner or inkjet cartridge. You can quickly explain complex technical features or interesting production methods;
Expert interviews — you can have an R&D professional or a technician explain the complexity of a recent development or challenges you have overcome to create a non-infringing aftermarket solution;- Event videos — share your success at the RemaxWorld Expo at the awards ceremony on your booth as well as other events where you participated. Or share highlights from your annual reseller or employee meetings;
- Explainer videos — pitch your products’ value proposition and explain why and how your product is different from the competition;
- Animated videos — explain difficult concepts about your products or services and define the intangible benefits;
- Educational video — also called a “how to” video where you educate the customer about your product so they have a better understanding. You can also produce video manuals, for example, of how to replace an OEM toner cartridge to yours and how to reset a counter;
- Live broadcasts — give viewers special insights into your production, sales meetings, behind the scenes and real-time customer events;
- Case studies and testimonials — share the comments from happy customers to inspire others to make a purchasing decision;
- AR (Augmented Reality), 360 or VR (Virtual Reality) videos allow you to stand out from the crowd. Technology is available to produce this type of content quickly and easily. You can show a toner cartridge from every angle allowing your customers to closely inspect the products or your new packaging design even using an oculus rift or any other VR display device.
Video on landing pages boosts conversion rates by more than 80 percent and around 90 percent of customers say that it is easier to make buying decisions based on a video.
So why is video important today?
It’s like everything else in marketing. If you are not doing it, you run the risk of becoming irrelevant against those of your competitors who have mastered it. There is also another interesting trend taking place. There are the professionally produced, edited HD super productions. However, amateur, spontaneous, simple raw video content is gaining more attention because it seems to be more authentic.
There’s no need to be afraid. Creativity and spontaneity can bring great results if it’s well-timed, planned and executed correctly. Video production is becoming cheaper and cheaper every day. Thanks to the advent of smartphones, you can easily shoot HD or 4K videos today.
There are many different aspects fueling the video explosion making it cheaper and easier to produce than ever. Believe me, it’s not something you want to miss out of your 2019 marketing plan.
Access to virtually unlimited sources of information allows buyers to research their options independently of a salesperson. This is a fundamental shift in behavior that carries dire consequences for businesses that fail to provide content responsive to the buyer’s research.
