You know that your marketing strategy isn't complete without a comprehensive content marketing plan. There are countless studies that show your visitors are looking for quality content before they make a purchasing decision and we all know that Google prefers real content to keyword-stuffed content.
Video marketing is a critical part of your business's content marketing strategy. Video is considered to have the second highest ROI (51.9%) in marketers content strategy according to a recent survey by eMarketer. They improve engagement rates, increase product knowledge and, according to Digital Sherpa, a whopping 1/3 of all online activity is spent watching video.
And these stats won't be decreasing any time soon. According to the KPCB Partners report, 74% of all Internet traffic will be video this year. And Cisco projects that global internet traffic from videos will make up 80% of all Internet traffic in 2019.
But video production can seem like an intimidating process to some and we've all heard sad stories of video investments gone wrong. Like all content, videos need to be vetted. They need to have clear goals and proper execution from pre-production to distribution.
Bad content can be worse than no content at all. In fact, 62% of consumers are more likely to have a negative perception of a brand that publishes poor-quality video.
Over the last decade we've produced marketing videos that have helped launch companies, get startups sold and have innovated blue chip businesses.
In that time we've developed a tried and true suite of video we recommend to all of our clients:
The 7 Must Have Videos for the Most Effective Content Marketing Strategy.
But we just call it the 7 Must Have Videos.
We've created a SlideShare for the quick hit, but for more in-depth advice read on below.
NO. 1: THE COMPANY OVERVIEW
Think of this video as a virtual introduction; it's the smile, eye contact and firm handshake of your website. It should give the broad view of what your company does and why it does it. The language should be simple and easily digested.
[Note: This isn't an Explainer video. An Explainer video gets down into the specifics of your service or product. Explainer videos are critical to your content marketing strategy but we'll cover that in a minute.]
The goal of this video is to welcome your viewer and entice them to learn more about how your company could simplify their life. It's a great home page or landing page video.
Landing pages with video see an 86% increase in conversions according to a study by WebDAM solutions.
A good length of this video is under 2-minutes.
Now, how do you boil down your incredible company in under 2 minutes?
Our Advice:
- Brainstorm the 3 key takeaways about your company.
- Write 1 page, double spaced.
- Break the page down by:
- Intro paragraph
- Key takeaway 1
- Key takeaway 2
- Key takeaway 3
- Closing paragraph
- Break the page down by:
It may seem tough to try and get 5 pounds of sugar into a 2 pound bag, but all you need to do is boil it down and it will all fit. Promise.
NO. 2: THE TALKING HEAD (or THOUGHT LEADERSHIP) VIDEO
The Talking Head video puts a face to a name and it's a great opportunity for you to leverage the insight of your C-Level execs while branding them as experts in your field. The more people you have out there talking about you, the more people will find you.
Now, why should you produce a talking head video when you have a white paper that reflects the insights of your C-Level Exec? Because Humans Like Other Humans.
In fact, according to Forbes:
"The Fusiform Facial area makes us pay attention to faces - this is an actual brain function that hard-wires us to use the human face as a gathering point for information and believability."
Also, there's this fun fact from Digital Sherpa: Videos increase consumers' understanding of a company's product or service by 74%.
Also, tapping into top internal talent will show your company's dedication to its customers travels all the way to the top.
Our Advice:
- Write a script, and then write it again.
- Then, share it with the video production experts you hire for their feedback on language, too. Writing for the page and writing for video are two different animals and everyone has a different speaking tone. If you can say something with one word, don't use three. Try to be kind to your speaker and don't put 'X' sounds next to 'C' or 'S' sounds.
- Use a Teleprompter.
- Most video production houses will have one. If they don't, they should because Teleprompt + makes a great app for the iPad.
NO. 3: LAUNCH VIDEO
A launch video can help build excitement around your launch and encourage social sharing.
Launches are major milestones for every company. Whether it's a company launch, a product or a service launch, it takes months of hard work and long hours to make sure you've got all your ducks in a row.
Maximize your promotion effort and produce a video to introduce the subject of your launch and tell the world why it will be a better place now that you are here.
Did you know that videos are shared 12 times more than links and text posts combined?
Ok, so people share video, but will that translate into leads? According to Entrepreneur.com, yes. After viewing a video, 75% of users check out a marketer's website.
Our Advice:
- Keep this video fun and under 2 minutes.
- If you have the budget, consider hiring professional talent or animating it.
NO. 4: CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
You know your product/service is the best on the market, but anyone will tell you that this sentiment carries more weight when shared by your customers instead of your VP of Sales.
Written Case Studies and Customer Quotes are fantastic, but in today's visual world it's important to include a video in this content marketing package.
If you scroll back up to No. 2 in this list you can re-read the factoid about the Fusiform Facial Area. Humans like to hear from other humans, plain and simple.
According to WebDam Solutions, Customer Testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for content - 86%! And the marketing mavens at Econsultancy report that 70% of consumers trust the opinions of unknown users.
So, reach out to your happy customers and ask if they'd be willing to sing your praise on video.
Our Advice:
- Come prepared with a single sheet of questions.
- Keep eye contact and smile when you're asking questions.
- This will help your customer feel at ease and smile back at you, and more importantly, the camera!
NO. 5: ANIMATED EXPLAINER
If a picture tells a thousand words, then an animation will tell millions, right? Right. 1.8 million words per minute.
We love animations, and we know we aren't alone. According to Unbounce, Animated Explainer videos increase conversion rated by an impressive 20%.
Animations evoke emotion. Nearly every child grew up reading illustrated books or watching Saturday morning cartoons. This emotional charge entices us to click or push the play button when we see an animated thumbnail.
And then there's this:
93% of communication is nonverbal and individuals process visuals 60,000 times faster than text (ETC Web).
This makes sense when you consider that civilizations have been sharing information via illustration for literally thousands of years. Tap into this universal form of communication and explain your product or service with a custom 2D or 3D animated explainer.
Our Advice:
- Give yourself some lead time with this project. Animations are time consuming and you don't want to incur a rush charge.
- Keep the video between 60 and 90 seconds (about a page of double-spaced text).
- Get creative with it!
NO. 6: PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Product Demos are immensely helpful to guide prospects through the buyer's journey. They help prospects become leads by familiarizing them with how to use your product; they create customers from leads because they show you'll have their back should they have questions; and they help create happy customers because your customers know they can count on you for support.
Product Demos also simplify the lives of your sales team and technical team. If your company has a robust resource page of videos, they can reference them during support calls and include links to them in their customer emails.
Speaking of email, did you know that an introductory company email that includes a video receives an increase click-through rate by 96%? (Digital Sherpa)
A Product Demo - or an Animated Explainer for that matter - make fantastic additions to introductory emails.
Our Advice:
- Write a script and a corresponding shot list.
- This will guarantee you get the shots you need whether you are producing a video with a host or voice over driven video.
- If your product is software based, plan on running a screen capture while you host the demo.
Bonus tip for screen capture: Keep your mouse still until you need to use it.
NO. 7: SOCIAL VIDEO (or 'VIRAL VIDEO')
Produce a video that will inspire your audience to share your message organically. Easy, right? Well, with the right production partner and the right expectations, it doesn't have to be impossible.
The 'Social Video' is the savvy marketer's way of harnessing the elusive Internet Unicorn, the 'Viral Video'.
Hubspot recently wrote blog consisting of a compendium of data on how to produce a viral video. Laughter was an important factor (so was having a kid say something unexpected, but that's the problem with Viral Videos; they don't necessarily speak to people who could turn into leads).
Burst Media reports that comedy is the most popular form of online video content among all viewers, regardless of age, at 39%. And, it gets better. Posts with videos attract 3 times more inbound links than plain text posts.
Most importantly, people fall in love with video.
We'll leave you with this excerpt from an Entrepreneur.com article by contributor Lizart Margalit, PhD, a resident psychologist at ClickTale:
"When we watch a video, we become immersed in it and create an empathetic connection with the screen. If you want your visitors to fall in love with your content, it makes sense to deliver it via video. That’s because it’s much easier for us to become emotionally attached to something we watch in a video than something we read in an article.
Emotions are mediated by automatic physiological (motor-sensorial) reactions, which can be explained through a process called mirror-neuron mechanism. A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires not just when we ourselves perform an action, but also when we watch someone else perform that same action. Our brains mirror what’s unfolding before us as if we were part of the scene, even if we are just sitting passively on the sidelines."
Let people fall in love with you and your brand and include these 7 must have videos in your content marketing strategy.
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