November 27, 2017

How to Know When Your Brand Should Use Video Marketing

Model for video production standing in a white cyclorama studio
Model awaiting “Lights, camera, action.”

 

We’ve previously written out about why video marketing is so important, but for decision-makers wanting to take their brands to the next level, that’s not enough. You need a plan of action that you can put in front of everyone – from the board of directors on down to the newest, greenest of interns – and say “This is what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it… and why it’s going to be successful.”

 

Video Marketing By the Numbers

 

It may seem impossible in this Internet Age, but some brands out there still doubt the power of video. They’re ready with all sorts of excuses: “It’s out of our budget.” “It’s not relevant to our market.” “Video is too complicated.” Ahem.

 

In short, video marketing is necessary because that’s where your audience is. According to Hubspot, 78 percent of people watch a video online every week, and 55 percent watch at least one online per day. These are conservative estimates, of course; if you’ve ever been on YouTube, you know how easy it is to waste half an hour on viral videos alone. (So.many.cat videos.)

 

Steve Jobs famously said, “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” By using proper video marketing strategies, you’ll not only show your customers what they want, you’ll show them that your brand is the only place they can get it.

 

Who Needs Video Marketing?

 

Rhetorical question. Everyone! There’s not an industry out there that can’t benefit from a strong video marketing strategy that effectively employs visual storytelling techniques. Here are a few in no particular order:

Finance. It’s easy for customers to feel like financial institutions are cold, calculating monoliths that keep their money locked away, doing who-knows-what with it. In reality, local banks and credit unions do a lot of good for the community by offering loans and other services to create economic opportunity in their neighborhoods. Why not showcase this hidden side with visual storytelling? Long gone are the days when Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives were inside baseball. Show the human side of bank managers and employees in a brand video. Profile the steps they’re taking to enrich communities. There’s a wealth (sorry not sorry for the pun) of opportunity for video here to show the authentic, caring side of your brand.

 

Video production crew shooting a financial video
Scenic Road on a financial video shoot in NYC

 

Healthcare. It used to be, if you lived in a community, the hospital was where you went when you were sick; otherwise you never thought about it. But times have changed, and as medical groups compete with each other over dwindling funding dollars, they need to stand out from the crowd. Consumer choice reigns supreme. HCA approached Scenic Road to create an anthem video that indelibly linked their name with the quality care they provide to the community of New Orleans. We were able to make this connection – with some less-than-welcome help from Mother Nature – by showcasing the beauty and resiliency of this city and its people.

 

Corporate. What, you thought businesses only marketed to the public? Corporations need video marketing, too. According to Forbes, 75 percent of business executives watch work-related or corporate videos at least weekly, and 54 percent of senior executives share them with their colleagues in the same timespan. Sometimes, video marketing can crossover from corporate to consumer. When ZOLOZ approached Scenic Road to help showcase the work they’re doing to advance cybersecurity technology, we knew just what to do. By using one of the main principles of visual storytelling, we put a human face on the problem – and the company, by featuring ZOLOZ CEO Toby Rush.

 

 

Online Stores. Think of how the retail landscape changed when Amazon came on the scene. There are people out there who won’t step foot in a brick-and-mortar store anymore, preferring to buy everything online and have it shipped to their door. One example: Real estate agents can take advantage of this by filming virtual tours of homes, communities, and subdivisions; by the time they’re ready to make a sale, their customers may already feel like they own the place. Make your product and offering tangible.

 

How to Get Started with Video Marketing

 

Establish Goals

 

Before undertaking any task – especially one as important as starting a video marketing campaign – you should always have a goal in mind. Are you trying to engage more customers? Who are they? Where are they in the buying cycle? Or, are you thinking of an internal brand video instead? Is it a recruiting video? Maybe an explainer video to educate both consumers and employees about a new product or principle? One of the biggest mistakes we see is not having a clearly defined goal and audience for your video. And no, the answer is not “to go viral” and “everyone” respectively.

 

Allocate Resources

 

Don’t skimp on this part. You should commit fully to the video marketing strategy that works best for your brand. Are you planning on releasing smaller videos every week, or will you go for broke with one big video to launch a new product? Consider ways in which you can stretch your ad dollars by coming up with a comprehensive video strategy. (Reach out to us to find out how we maximize your video budget by “atomizing” your shoot. While you’re on location for one shoot, we help you break down the content to deliver multiple videos and image-based content.)

 

No matter your choice, make sure the funds are there to create a quality visual narrative. Consumers can smell cheap marketing tactics from a mile away. And remember, video is an investment that can actually make you money.

 

Tell Your Story

 

Who are you? This existential question from Philosophy 101 is now an important step in the video marketing process. By truly knowing your brand, you’ll know who your audience is. But this shouldn’t be guesswork. Many times a brand thinks they know their audience and find out they’re very wrong. Do some research and dial in your audience, both where they are now and where you’d like to move them. All that’s left is to share who you are and what you do for that specific audience, and let things take their course. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our article on visual storytelling techniques and emotional brand storytelling.

 

Measure Your Results

 

Online video hosting platform Vidyard claims that only 35 percent of businesses use intermediate or advanced analytics to track video performance. Instead of settling for vanity metrics like views and likes, determine how viewers engage with your videos by tracking how long they watch, at what point they stop, and if anyone comes back to watch again. This will tell you which parts of your videos are working and which aren’t. Then, optimize your videos to improve your metrics.

 

Hire a Video Production Company

 

Of course, if this all sounds like too much to handle, you can always contact a reputable video production company to help you get started.

 

Don’t Be Afraid to Take the Leap with Video Marketing

Man on the edge of a cliff in Yosemite, a metaphor for taking the leap into video marketing
Photo by Leio McLaren

If getting started with video marketing seems intimidating, you’re not alone. It requires a significant investment, as all good marketing strategies do, but it will pay off in spades if you stick with it. Remember, only a decade ago the idea of “social media marketing” seemed just as new and scary, and now brands in every industry under the sun have their own social marketing teams on the payroll.

 

Video is poised to take off in exactly the same way, and at Scenic Road, we’ve got the experience you need to put your brand on the path to success. Check out our work and subscribe to our email list to keep up-to-date on the latest in video marketing.