Textual content has a place in digital marketing, but in terms of efficacy, it’s quickly taking a back seat to visual content. In particular, video content is rising to prominence as a powerful medium through which small businesses can engage and convert viewers into customers.
Why Putting Video to Work for your Small Business Matters
Video isn’t just another type of content – it’s the highest returning content medium you can invest in moving forward. Just consider that:
- Marketers who use video grow their revenues 49 percent faster than non-video users.
- 59 percent of executives say that customers, when faced with video and text on the same topic, are far more likely to choose video.
- Social video generates 1200 percent more shares than both text and images combined.
- Video is shown to drive a 157 percent increase in organic traffic from SERPs.
The list could go on. There are dozens of statistics and data points to support the value of video in digital marketing. Millennials, in particular, are highly responsive to visual content and will further enhance the value of video in the coming years (as they come to represent an increasingly large proportion of the consumer marketplace).
So if you aren’t already leveraging video, now would be the time to make some solid investments.
4 Video Marketing Best Practices
To take your marketing to the next level, you have to be strategic with how you use video. Moving into 2019, here are some of the best practices and highest returning tips:
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Understand the Different Types
Up until this point, we’ve somewhat lumped all video content into one category. But the truth of the matter is that there are dozens of formats and categories – each of which has a distinct purpose and place. Some examples include:
- Educational video: Snack-sized content should be used to explain a concept. Educate prospective customers on how something works or why they need a particular solution.
- Branded content: This type of video can be closely connected to your core value proposition. Loosely connected in the sense that it appeals to a particular emotion or need of your audience. Either way, it uses branded elements to tie everything together and relate it to your company.
- Company story: One of the best ways to connect with your audience is to provide some background. Learn to explain your company’s story in a simple way.
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Develop a Consistent Voice
Hopefully you’ve already developed a voice for your brand. This is the voice you use throughout your web design, blog content, marketing materials, and advertisements. Make sure you’re also using it in your video content.
Every audience is different, but remember that consumers are most attracted to brands that are honest, friendly, helpful, and funny.
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Fine-Tune a Distribution Strategy
Paul Xavier is a next-level commercial filmmaker, director, and entrepreneur who, as much as anyone, has his finger directly on the pulse of this industry. He now spends a large percentage of his time coaching other entrepreneurs and consulting with businesses on how they can use video to grow. And one of the things he continually stresses is the need for strategic distribution.
“Remember a video on a website or social media channel with no distribution is not a marketing investment, it’s a waste of money,” Paul Xavier explains.
As you put video to use in your business, make sure you aren’t pouring all of your time, money, and creative energy into video production. A good video with a thin distribution strategy will stunt your potential. Think about distribution from the very beginning and tailor a strategy accordingly.
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Get Straight to the Point
Today’s internet users are plagued by information overload. If you want to keep and retain the attention of your viewers, you have to nail the introduction. More specifically, engage your viewers in the first six seconds, and they’re more likely to stick around.
Lead the Way with Video
Video isn’t exactly a revolutionary form of content, but it’s still rather innovative in terms of digital marketing. It’s also, without question, the most effective and powerful medium for engaging customers. It connects with them on an emotional level.
Define and refine your digital marketing strategy for 2019 and beyond. Make sure you are accounting for video to give yourself the opportunities you need to thrive.
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