Video emerged as a digital marketing force in 2016, with new technologies allowing various ways to reach an audience. The largest development was courtesy of Facebook, which launched Facebook Live to the public in January.
The social media giant’s entry into video resulted in two early video platforms exiting the space. Vine, a mico-video platform shut down in October, and Meerkat, a live-streaming app moved on to focus on a private video platform.
Just last week, Twitter (which also owned Vine), has launched an update to allow live-streaming without using the Periscope app. In doing so, they are aligning themselves with Facebook’s model of allowing users to stream video directly on the app to all followers.
With things changing so quickly, what can a small business do to incorporate video marketing into their strategy in 2017?
Video Marketing Works
Video results in a 157% increase in traffic from search engines. That increased traffic translates to companies that use video marketing growing 49% faster year over year than companies that don’t.
Video content has proven to generate more engagement from followers than text or picture content. A study this year by Insivia found that 90% of customers find a video helpful in the decision-making process.
Other eye-opening statistics about video marketing include:
92% of mobile users share videos with others
Video consumption accounts for 1/3 of all online activity
80% of users can recall a video they have viewed in the last 30 days
After viewing a video, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy online
The sharing of your content is the best way to grown your audience. And video is what users share more than anything.
However, only 22% of small businesses planned to post a video in the next 12 months. While it is unlikely that a small business with have a “viral” video with millions of views, it should still be an integral part of a digital marketing strategy.
How to Use Video in Digital Marketing
An obstacle for many small businesses is they view online video as difficult and time consuming to produce. The good news is, technology has lowered the barrier of production, just as it has changed the way it is distributed. Every person carries a video camera in their pocket every day. Facebook Live and Twitter allow you to share live video quickly and reach a large audience.
Live video can be used to:
Go behind the scenes at your office
Share an event
Do a quick check-in with your audience
Currently, Facebook notifies most of your audience when you go live, allowing the posts to have a much greater reach than other unpaid content.
Another option is an informational video. These can be done with a person on camera, or without. A slide show video can be recorded to provide useful content to your audience. (see example below)
By adding voice-over and other audio, it is a great way to share important information about your business, and make it easily accessible to your audience. The text of the slides can provide information to your audience, even if they are unable to listen to the audio on their device.
Other times you may want to have someone on camera, doing a short informational video or interview.
These are great for:
Testimonials
Sharing stories about your business
Customer education
Just to say “Thank You” for business
Finally, video marketing it not just for social media. Adding video content to your website is a great way to increase traffic and lengthen session times of visitors. The study by Insivia found that video in an email led to 200-300% higher click-through rate! Including a video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80%.
While social media video tends to get the most attention, it is important to add video content across your digital marketing efforts.
Video Marketing for 2017
Companies have long known the power of a short video to capture the attention of customers. Changing television watching habits have made the expensive world of TV advertising tougher than ever. However, online video can use similar concepts to reach your audience in a much more cost effective way.
The ways customers find and receive content is ever evolving. It is important to provide content that will reach your target audience, and generate engagement for your company. As you go through your business goals for the coming year, consider adding video to your overall digital marketing strategy.
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