The days of video being the “future” of marketing efforts are no more. Today, there is more than enough evidence that the future is already here.
Consider the following:
More than 80 percent of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
A full 78 percent of people watch online videos every week; 55 percent watch online videos daily.
Nearly 2 billion logged-in users view videos on YouTube each month.
Social media posts with video have 48 percent more views.
Social videos garner 1,200 percent more shares than images and text combined.
A website is 53 percent more likely to reach the front page of Google search results if it includes video.
Nearly 9 out of 10 consumers want to see brands create more video content.
Including videos with your emails can garner three times the click rate of emails without videos.
More than 2/3 of people would prefer to learn about a new product or service by video.
Video traffic makes up nearly 70 percent of all global consumer internet traffic.Social media videos garner 1,200 percent more shares than images and text combined. #socialmedia #contentmarketing #video Click To Tweet
We can go on and on, but by now you get the point: Video marketing is a big deal and it is going to stay that way. So now you might ask yourself: “What types of videos should I be creating?”
Check out the following nine types of videos that will jumpstart your marketing efforts:
1. Questions and answers
Your consumers have questions. You have answers. Can there be anything easier than a good Q&A format for a video? If you are looking for the questions that are most important to your consumers, consider mining your social media mentions, blog comments, email replies, direct messages and website feedback forms for the questions and pain points people are already communicating to you. Chances are there are enough questions to warrant developing multiple Q&A videos.
Your consumers have questions. You have answers. Can there be anything easier than a good Q&A format for a video? #socialmedia #contentmarketing #video Click To Tweet
2. Roundups
If your organization has enough news releases, updates, product releases or other habitual content, consider developing a roundup format in which you can release information as part of a collection, rather than a single video.
For example, if you work in real estate, one round-up video example might be: “The top real estate news this week.” The more you do to make your round-up videos memorable, informative and entertaining, the more likely you will have an engaged audience.
3. Behind-the-scenes
Yes, of course you want your viewers to see the commercial or social ad you just spent thousands of dollars on, but in addition to ad spend, developing a behind-the-scenes video of the footage that didn’t make the final cut can drum up interest in the actual polished video as well.
Use these videos as an opportunity to reiterate the message from the main video ad to point people toward the main video.
4. Interviews
Does your CEO have something he wants to communicate personally? Does a product manager have some special insights your audience would find valuable? Consider developing an interview video. Remember, before shooting this video, make sure your interviewer understands the craft of developing a conversation and that your interviewee knows the core message they want to deliver.
For interviewing tips, see this TedX talk from Mike Dronkers, in which he provides seven tips on how to conduct a great interview.
5. Announcements
If you are excited about a new product, initiative or development within your organization, there is a good chance your loyal followers will be as well. As you develop an announcement video, consider how you want to deliver the news to your audience.
You may find it valuable to schedule a live video to tease the announcement. If you don’t want to make a live announcement, you can share a message to let your audience know an announcement video is impending.
6. How-tos
Asking how to create a how-to video might seem like it could lead to an endless circle of advice, but there truly are some best practices associated with creating effective how-to videos. Keep in mind the following advice from Guy Larcom, an instructional designer at TechSmith:
“Great tutorials start with great planning. Start by spending some time getting to know your audience. Learn how they use your product and find out where they struggle. Then use that information to choose a tutorial topic that will help the most amount of people.”
7. Product reviews
If you think it’s awkward to review your own products on your own channels, partnering with influencers and reviewers to develop and publish a product review video might be another effective option for reaching your intended audience with news about your product. As your products are reviewed by others, consider sharing their videos from your social media accounts and embedding them in your blog or website.
Also, don’t discount developing these product review videos yourself. After all, nobody knows your products better than you.
8. Live broadcasts
Within the last few years, marketers have had a bevy of live video options fall into our laps. Live video streaming is now possible through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. The platform (or platforms) you use to publish your live video may depend on the purpose of the video.
A platform like Facebook or YouTube might be appropriate if you want to stream a polished broadcast. On the other hand, Instagram may be a better option for an informal live discussion.
9. Vlogs
If your organization wants to develop a vlog, identify key individuals in your organization who are relatable to your audience and able to share their emotions, experiences, interests and feelings about a variety of topics as they concern your brand or service. Creating a vlog is easy, but developing a vlog that your audience finds engaging is not.
Check out some of the top YouTube vloggers to get ideas and see what they do that helps them resonate with audiences.
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