Most business will have looked with envy at some of the adverts that made it big on video marketing channels like YouTube.
You only need to think about the Old Spice guy for proof of that. You design a video, post it on a video sharing site, and hey presto it goes viral. Thousands of people watch the advert or are invited to watch it by friends, and the company or brand responsible for the advert is talked about for days on end. However, in spite of the popularity of the medium, the question most small businesses will probably be asking is what’s in it for my business?
How will my company benefit from video marketing?
Does getting thousands of online views translate into thousands of subsequent sales, or is it all just a bit of fun?
Well, the answer is a qualified yes to all of those questions.
Video marketing does work, though no one could ever guarantee a small business will generate the levels of success of a company like Proctor & Gamble. But if the video is of good quality and is targeted at the right market, then it will lead to a greater number of conversions. What’s more, not only will adding a video to your website or product pages make more people want to do business with you, it will also increase your search engine rankings too. So, that’s sold the idea: how now can you ensure that your marketing video performs effectively?
Quality content and productions standards are crucial.
Just because you commit an idea to film is no guarantee that it will be effective. A bad idea is a bad idea full stop. The idea has to be interesting to the audience and the way that idea is expressed to the viewers need to be considered and well scripted. It’s also important to ensure that the video is produced to the highest possible standard, budget permitting. Filming a marketing video needn’t break the bank though: there are plenty of good quality recording and editing software packages available today that can help you to create amazing videos at a reasonable price. The added benefit is that the majority are simple to use. The bundled software should help to ensure that the videos you create look great, and that those viewing them will find them informative and entertaining.
Less in more in video terms.
How long should the ideal marketing video be? The accepted wisdom is that it should be somewhere between 3 and 8 minutes. This should ensure that you will leave yourself enough time to advertise your product and sell it to the audience, but don’t bang on for too long and run the risk of boring your audience. If you have a lot of quality material, then rather than trying to cram into all into one video and risk diluting the message, why not make a series of shorter videos so that you give yourself the opportunity to get your complete message out there? Many viewers find this form of information drip-feeding easier to view. Besides, if the video is good and captivates the audience, they’ll be keener to watch the second episode.
Keep your powder dry.
Just because you’ve bought a camcorder doesn’t mean you have to become the next Spielberg. Resist the temptation of flooding the channel with too many videos. You want to peak at the right time, so keep your powder dry and drip feed your content on to the channel. It’s much better to let the first video get noticed before releasing the next one. Besides viewers may comment on your video, so you’ll need time to analyse their comments and respond to them. You may even want to change the way you present your product if the feedback isn’t altogether positive.
