7 Reasons Video Should be Part of Your Marketing Plan
Remember the first time you saw a Harry Potter movie and the portraits on the wall talked? Suddenly, a flat, static prop came alive! In that moment, what would have been just part of the set in any other movie, had its own starring role. Video does that. Because pictures that move are infinitely more exciting that those that don’t. That’s why when you’re creating a marketing plan for your business, in-house or through an agency, you should consider devoting part of your budget to video.
Here are seven reasons why using video can increase website traffic and make your brand story more appealing, engaging and attractive to your target audience than ever before.
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Video can boost your marketing plan SEO by up to 80%
There are many reasons for this, but for now – let’s just consider two. Google owns YouTube and not surprisingly, tends to favor it as the destination of a search. Second, Youtube is, in its own right, the second largest and most popular search engine after Google. So if someone is doing a search, having video on your site will significantly increase the likelihood they’ll find your site through one or both of these online resources.
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Seeing is believing
Businesses have always depended on marketing to boost sales and profits through advertising and public relations campaigns. Nevertheless, the truth is – no one likes to be “sold.” (That’s why TiVo and guerilla marketing were invented.) Today, the contempt people feel toward traditional advertising is greater than ever, and folks are equally suspicious and distrustful of other forms of communication such as newspapers and TV shows.
However, one form of marketing – product demonstration – has always enjoyed a high degree of credibility, no matter the product or the audience. Just check out this classic Cheer commercial demonstrating the power of pre-treating clothes to remove stains. Or this contemporary spot for Flex-seal showing how effectively it repairs leaks. And this brilliant Youtube video from Purple Feather, an agency in Glasgow, proving just how effective a good copywriter can be.
The message is obvious. To overcome your target market’s skepticism about your brand’s value, create a video clip that shows how your product works in real time. With just a little effort and imagination, you can make your marketing so engaging, memorable and impressive that customers will beat a path to your door.
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People like to do business with people they know
In today’s global economy, few business owners or their sales people can personally introduce themselves to every customer. Fortunately, having video clips on your website is a great way to show your staff in action. Site visitors can not only learn about your staff’s experience, but see how they move, what they sound like and the little quirks in their body language that add a dimension of authenticity to their persona. No question about it: video is infinitely better at conveying someone’s personality, sense of humor and ability to connect with others than a studio head shot and a written biography could ever be.
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Video interviews make viewers feel like they know you – and can trust you
Building long term, mutually beneficial business relationships always comes down to whom do you trust. Seeing someone in a video – especially if it’s shot simply and on the job – gives a sense of reality and integrity to their brand message that copy content and static images can’t possibly match.
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Video has a greater impact on our emotions than any other communications format
Why does this matter? Because every buying decision is ultimately made based on our emotional response to the product. Although we gather and analyze information with the rational, left side of our brains, only the right side, the side that governs our emotions, is capable of making a decision. This is why marketers are always looking for the emotional hook when constructing a sales approach for a product. It’s our emotional reaction to a sales message that not only helps us remember the product’s name and promise, but also provides the impetus to complete the purchase.
Furthermore, emotions are provoked and enhanced by many things – images, sounds, words and music. Only video lets you combine all four of these elements to increase the emotional impact and the appeal of your message. This video on open adoption for Lutheran Social Services is a great example of what we mean.
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Video is the sales tool of today and tomorrow. Using it in your marketing plan puts you ahead of the crowd
How you present your marketing story reveals as much about your company’s culture as the information you share. For example, are you still using images, typefaces and a copy style that Don Draper might have used? Using video immediately marks you as being on the cutting edge of your industry and that could be a major point of difference between you and your competition.
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Now almost every business can afford to use video
In the old Mad Men days, using moving images to sell a product was a major expense. For one thing, commercials were usually shot on film and needed not only an expert behind the camera, but a sound engineer and a lighting crew as well Editing was a whole other expense that could take days to accomplish and cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Today, highly professional videographers can shoot and edit everything from a 30-second TV spot to an hour-long documentary at very reasonable rates in a very short timeframe. Some videographers, including T60 Productions, will teach you the basics of creating your own videos for an affordable consultation fee. With just a little help, you can produce credible videos on your own that can be used on your site, posted on social media and shown at new business presentations.
So – what are you waiting for? To paraphrase an old song, “your business ought to be in pictures for everyone to see.” Why not call T60 Productions and find out how you can become your own movie star.
–Wendy Lalli
Wendy Lalli is an award-winning writer and creative director who has been writing TV spots and sales videos for over 20 years. She is CD of Crux Creative in Milwaukee and strongly encourages the agency’s clients to make video part of their marketing plan for digital and experiential marketing communications.