In a recent blog, we wrote about the unparalleled explosion in videos online and why companies from mom and pop operations all the way to huge chains are using videos to tell their messages and promote their businesses. They are taking this medium and creating incredible video testimonials, case studies and tutorials and gaining major momentum over their competition as a result. In fact, 61% of businesses use video as a marketing tool and 66% were not using video as a marketing tool 12 months ago.
So, if you're ready to jump into the video production game, here are some helpful tips on how to do it right and pitfalls to avoid.
Keep your videos under five minutes long: There's a lot of debate here. Some video experts say that a video that exceeds three minutes will lose half of its viewers right around the two-minute mark while others contend that if a video is engrossing, its length is not an issue. My suggestion is don't exceed five minutes and keep the energy high and people will watch it from start to finish.
Spend time making demonstration videos that convey your product or service’s function and value: People like to see demonstrations and that's why you can learn how to do just about anything by watching YouTube. Some body shops show customers the difference between what their competition offers and what they offer on their videos while others highlight their strengths in short clips. Research has shown that 93% of businesses who use video have increased user understanding of their product.
Post all your video content on all your social media: The great thing about video production is that once you've created a video, you can use it time and time again. Posting it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and other forms of social media is the first way to achieve this and something that takes literally minutes. About 87% of businesses today are using video on social media and 97 percent of consumers happily share those videos with their friends and social media.
Produce helpful, non-promotional videos that leave users turning to you for future information: People get up sold all day long, so when you're telling and not selling, they appreciate it and will be more open to watching your videos. Many companies want to build customer rapport with their videos, so they never push a product and in the end, it builds trust and enhances further customer engagement.
Short video ads win over display ads: As part of your overall marketing plan, you should be allocating time and resources on video content, and less time on written content. In a study conducted last year where text and video were available on the same web page 69% of users prefer to watch a video. Consumers now anticipate that video content will appear every time they search for something online. So, you need to be prepared with short and sweet videos to create a more seamless user experience for your customers.
With today's technology, you can create a series of professional-looking videos that will impress your customers and unsettle your competition more easily and affordably than you probably think.
I recently produced a video using my iPhone and it looks like something you'd see it in a movie theater. I also saw a five-minute video recently by an auto repair company that should win an Oscar and it only cost them around $800 to produce.
So, during your next marketing meeting, start looking around and find out who else is doing videos. What you might see could surprise you, because everyone is getting into the video scene without hesitation. So how about you?
Sources: Wyzowl
Ed Attanasio
Editor, AutoBody-Review.com
Ed has been a professional writer for more than 35 years and his specialties include B2B reporting, blogging, ad copywriting, public relations and general editorial.