Are you leaving a chunk of engagement for your brand, sitting on the table unclaimed? You have ads, you have copy, you have logos. What are you missing? Video! Video marketing is the name of the game, and we’re not just talking about commercials featuring your product. The world has not just gone digital, it’s gone mobile.
Numerous studies have shown that video content gains higher engagement on websites and social media streams. That number is only growing, as is the number of people who consume video content on their mobile devices. Whether it’s a phone or a tablet, people are watching their favorite shows and more in their hands. Video ranks well in search engine results, and it’s easy to share and re-share. In addition, the percentage of video content on the internet is only going higher as well.
Brainstorm Ideas
So where do you start? If you’re a brand that has mostly kept their videos to specific advertisements, diversify! People love how-to content. If you’re a hardware store, create videos on how to change a tire, or how to know when to call a repairman for a dishwasher, or whatever you can think of. You’ll get to showcase your products and give potential customers a positive association with your name.
Even brands that may have more esoteric products, like stock trading or financial transactions can give advice on how to pick stocks. Or perhaps on what kind of investments can give good returns. The opportunities are limitless, and you will immediately give the viewer a feel good moment. That makes them more likely to share your content, and spreads your reach further yet. Going viral is never out of reach if you can make people laugh or give them something to think about.
Connect with your audience
But before you begin your diversification, remember that realism is king here. Customers have been saturated with ads their entire lives, and if your how-to is just thinly derived sales pitches, it’ll be a quick turn off. The younger generations in particular have a sharp nose for sales derived language, and not much tolerance for it. Think of this non-sales content as a chance to show your values as a company. No matter whether or not people buy from you or use your services, you’re putting something good out there into the world. That’s the kind of thing people will remember and tell others about. Another excellent application for video is to give potential customers a view into who you are as a company. With our vast interconnection in the world, the personal touch gives your company and your brand a greater depth and connection.
The Internet thrives on video
Have you neglected your social media channels? Take the opportunity to spruce them up with some video content. It’s an easy turn off if someone is trying to find out more about a company and all they can find is a half empty Facebook business page. Make sure that the team member(s) assigned to run these channels have a strong connection with the movers and shakers in your company. The messaging needs to be a strong thread throughout the whole company and not in some forgotten corner. Don’t forget to add video content to your website as well. There are a great many plugins that can feature your social media content on your website also.
And even if it doesn’t seem like it, make sure that the executive level understands the value of social media and what type of content is good to put out. More than one venerable executive has caused missteps with their misunderstanding of the differences between old and new content types. Don’t worry about market saturation and following every social media ‘rule’. Worry about being interesting and engaging. Make it your priority to be a storyteller, someone who promotes connection between people, someone who gives value and transparency with their brand and their product, and someone who cares about people.
Make people want to share
Engagement is the golden ticket many brands strive for. Customers replying to your posts, sharing your content, and participating in any contests you run can help spread your name far and wide. Video content is a keystone here, as well as making sure that you don’t always recycle the same content. Consider creating a partnership with content creators where you can share your channel with them. Or you could create a partnership with another business, perhaps in an allied field. A hardware store with a paint store. A tire shop with a car wash. Again, the opportunities are limitless.
Keep an eye on the truthfulness and shared values that are part of your content. If you’re saying one thing but your employees are saying another, people will find out about it sooner or later. There are no secrets online. And there is no way to delete content permanently once it’s been posted. This isn’t to scare you off of the video content that can improve your brand image. This is to make sure that you take some care in doing so. Once inconsistencies are noticed, there’s no putting that cat back in the bag.
Think outside the box
Other ideas for video content are website contests. Give your viewers something to do, and you can increase your sharing. People love prizes and the chance to win something fun. Whether it’s the creation of a post of someone using your product, or writing comments on a post and sharing and tagging, this can increase your reach. Also, have your social media employees looking for people mentioning your product.
Recently, a young man was wondering about the origin of the popular Triscuit crackers. Since they’re square, why was the name tri-scuit? To make a long story short, he found a photo of a 100+ year old ad that showed how triscuits were baked by electricity. That gave the company elec-tri-city biscuit, Triscuit. Triscut responded to the young man’s posts, confirming the information he’d found, and sent him a pallet of their product. Now they look good, the young man has an amazing story, and the whole incident is added to the feel-good archives of cool online happenings.
Don’t forget emails!
Videos in your email marketing is another great opportunity to share your content. It can easily take a boring newsletter into something people want to open and share. This is another area to take care, however, as many companies have vastly overused this channel and heavily saturated the market. Don’t sign people up without their consent, and don’t send them constant emails. Make your content something that will make their day better. Give them good info, and don’t center your selling so that they don’t dread seeing your company name in their inbox. Or worse yet, have your email banished to their spam folder so they never see it at all.
Whether you’re a video newbie or you’ve shared some things, there’s always more engagement out there for your and your brand. Advertising is changing, bringing in new methods, scripts, and modes, and you don’t want to get left behind. And the opportunities are truly exciting. You can not only drive sales of your product or services, but can make people laugh, give them good info, and genuinely touch their hearts. You can share stories, and rewrite your company reputation in this new frontier.