Video Content Marketing: Benefits & Strategies

Video Content Marketing: Benefits & Strategies

Video has exploded in popularity for marketing in recent years. As consumer viewing habits shift toward online video, many brands use video content to educate, engage, entertain, and convert audiences. But what is video content marketing exactly, and how can it benefit your business? Let's explore this powerful medium.

What is Video Content Marketing?

Video content marketing refers to any video created and used by a brand to promote their products, services or ideas. Video content marketing aims to attract customers and foster brand loyalty.

Some examples of video content marketing include:

• Product videos – Show how a product works or product demonstrations
• Explainer videos – Explain a business, product, service or idea
• Testimonial videos – Customer reviews and feedback
• Behind-the-scenes videos – Give a peek inside a company/process
• Animation videos – Use animation to explain or entertain
• Live videos – Real-time broadcasts interacting with viewers
• Video blogs/vlogs – Have company leaders or influencers chat directly with the camera
• Video ads – Video commercials used in online advertising

Any video that educates, entertains, or builds brand awareness can be considered video content marketing.

Why is Video Marketing So Effective?

Video is a compelling medium that allows brands to connect with audiences in a personal and memorable way. But why exactly is video marketing so effective for businesses? There are several key reasons:

Enhanced Engagement

Online video compels viewers to pay attention and engage with content much more prolonged than text or images alone. Users spend 88% more time on websites with video. Videos also boost engagement metrics like shares, links, comments and more.

Increased Understanding

Seeing an actual product demonstration, behind-the-scenes peeks, or employee testimony on video can communicate details and build trust better than any brochure. Video increases comprehension of products and services.

Higher Conversion Rates

Whether for ecommerce, lead generation or other goals, video viewers are much more likely to convert than non-viewers. Videos can guide users down the sales funnel by showcasing products or testimonials that give viewers the confidence to hit that buy button.

Improved SEO Rankings

Videos perform very well in search rankings, often snagging prime positions on the coveted first page of Google. This allows brands more visibility and traffic from relevant searches.

Video marketing ticks many strategically essential boxes, so over 87% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool, according to Social Media Today.

Video Consumption Continues to Grow

The rise of mobile, social media, and streaming means online video keeps growing exponentially year after year:

• As of 2023, there were over 3 billion video viewers worldwide
• Global internet video traffic will make up over 80% of all consumer internet traffic in 2024
• Mobile video consumption is rising fastest, expected to grow 39% per year

With billions of viewers now glued to video content, there has never been a more vital time for brands to invest in video marketing strategies and tap into this demand.

Types of Video Content Marketing

We've discovered that videos can educate and inspire audiences in many creative ways. But what specific types of video content perform best? Here are the most popular and effective video content marketing formats brands should consider:

Product Demo Videos

Nothing shows what a product can do quite like seeing it in action. Demo videos fully showcase product features, transformations, before-and-afters, size comparisons and more. These help convince buyers that your product delivers as promised.

Explainer Videos

Explainer videos use visuals, kinetic text, illustrations, animation or talking heads to explain a business, product, service or concept in a fun, engaging way. They help simplify complex ideas that the text struggles to get across.

Testimonial Videos

Potential customers trust honest reviews from real people over brand claims any day. Compile glowing customer testimonials discussing their experience using your product/service to provide social proof.

Behind-the-Scenes Videos

Give viewers VIP access to insider info on company culture, processes, or the creation of products that they can't glean elsewhere. These inside looks make companies seem more transparent and approachable.

Video Blog Content (Vlogs)

Film company leaders, product experts or influencers speak directly to the camera in casual vlog-style videos. These personal chats feel more authentic and help forge emotional connections with the people behind a brand.

Video Ads

Video ads use motion, emotion, and storytelling to grab viewers' attention fast. Major platforms like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok make it easy to get video ads seen by millions. They can raise brand awareness exponentially.

Live Video Broadcasting

Go live on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok to interact with followers in real time. Live video allows audiences to play a more active role through commenting and driving the conversation.

The above video types check many strategic boxes but feel free to get creative with all the options in our digital age.

Critical Elements of Effective Video Content

Now that we've covered various video marketing formats, what makes compelling video content? Keep these essential elements in mind when scripting and producing videos:

Valuable Information

Educate viewers by sharing little-known facts, how-tos, insider tricks, detailed features or other helpful info rather than obvious fluff. Teach people something new!

Storytelling

Hook attention with relatable stories and real-world examples viewers emotionally connect with and remember, not lifeless product pitches.

Conversational Tone

Speak or script videos conversationally, like you're chatting one-on-one with a friend, to boost intimacy and trust. Avoid overly salesy corporate talk.

High-Quality Visuals

Invest in hiring professional videographers and editors to make videos shine with well-shot b-roll, smooth editing, graphics and more to showcase your brand best.

Optimise for Mobile

Vertical videos designed especially for smartphones have become vital. Mobile users should be able to comfortably view videos in portrait orientation and easily read/engage video elements on smaller screens.

Strong Calls-to-Action

Well-timed calls-to-action (CTAs) turn viewers into leads and customers. Experiment with overlay graphics or end screens offering visitors next-step options like visiting your site, signing up for a free trial or making a purchase.

While video production may seem daunting, focusing videos around teaching valuable information through engaging stories told conversationally always works. Avoid long, boring product pitches! Now, let's examine how to drive video success.

Promoting Video Content

You've brainstormed creative ideas, written killer scripts and invested big dollars into video production. But all that effort is pointless if people don't watch your videos! Promotion is crucial to video content success.

Share Videos On Your Platforms

First, tap into your current audience by featuring videos prominently on your owned sites and channels. Ideal platforms include:

• Your brand website (embed videos on relevant pages, banners, popups, etc.)
• Company blog (insert videos into video blog posts)
• Email marketing campaigns (link/embed videos in emails)
• Social media networks (upload natively for maximum engagement)

Optimise for Search

Get videos found by target customers on Google and YouTube searches.

• Include keywords naturally in titles, descriptions and file names
• Add search-friendly closed captioning
• Insert links to the website and other videos

Collaborate with Influencers

Partner with influencers aligned to your niche to access their engaged follower base. Compensate influencers to share videos organically with their audiences for a significant signal boost.

Pay to Boost Reach

While organic sharing matters, putting ad dollars behind premium videos significantly accelerates views.

• Promote videos via YouTube video discovery ads
• Boost social media video posts
• Retarget viewers off-platform with video ads

Apply these promotion tips to gain maximum video visibility on and off your site. Track views, completion rates, conversions and ROI so you can refine your video strategy over time.

Video Marketing Implementation Tips

By now, it's clear that video content marketing offers tremendous upside. But what's the most intelligent way for resource-strapped small businesses to implement videos? Here are practical tips:

Start Creating Videos Now

Don't get paralysed trying to master video production. Begin creating videos today using affordable tools and help. Momentum and experience will improve quality over time.

Invest in Professional Help

While DIY videos have charm, hiring experienced freelancers to help with lighting, filming, editing, graphics, and more can instantly elevate production value.

Set Realistic Expectations

Patience and persistence matter hugely in video marketing. Set goals based on a 6-12 month timeline for videos to accumulate views and shares, driving business impact.

Track Performance

Analyse video metrics like views, completion rates, clicks, conversions and sales driven to determine which video content types and topics perform best for optimising future videos.

Recycle Content

Repurpose one high-quality video into other formats to maximise value. Turn a YouTube video into squared Instagram/Facebook videos, text transcripts, infographics, animated GIFs, audio podcasts and more.

The above tips help streamline video content marketing success even for complete beginners. While the video seems complicated, take it step-by-step.

The Future of Video Marketing

Online video is hugely popular, but experts forecast even greater video dominance as new technologies and platforms evolve. Expect immersive video experiences like these to transform marketing:

VR/360 Videos – Immersive 360 videos place viewers at the centre of the action using VR headsets. Imagine running product demos that shoppers can explore from every angle in a virtual environment.

Expanded Reality – The augmented and mixed reality that overlays digital elements onto the real world provides limitless opportunities to embed dynamic video content in physical spaces.

Livestream Shopping – live video streams on social media allow consumers to shop for products with influencers and experts in real-time. The interactivity builds sales momentum.

Interactive Videos – Videos that respond and change based on viewer input open new possibilities. From customising products to choosing story paths, interactive videos boost engagement.

Personalised Video – Leveraging data and AI, marketers can dynamically customise video content to resonate better with each viewer, revolutionising relevance and performance.

From VR experiences to reactive videos tailored to individuals, innovations in video technology and platforms will empower brands to interact with consumers in unprecedented ways in the years ahead.

Conclusion

As viewing behaviour rapidly shifts online, video content represents the marketing medium of the future. Video educates and inspires audiences in ways unlike any other format.

Investing in video content marketing now powers brands to attract, engage, inform and convert viewers into loyal customers. As production technology improves alongside new video platforms and experiences, innovative video strategies will be crucial for standing out from competitors.

Hopefully, this guide provided a helpful overview of how to harness video to grow your business. The rise of video presents fantastic opportunities for marketers willing to dive in today and start connecting with audiences through visual storytelling. Press play on video content marketing success!

Frequently Asked Questions