A picture is worth a thousand words.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s simple statement has become a modern-day proverb by which marketing and advertising agencies often live by.
But in today’s highly digital world, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a video worth? 10,000? 1 million?
Videos hold a lot of power for brands. With the ability to offer both short-form and long-form content, a video can boost sales, promote brand awareness, increase brand loyalty and ultimately connect with current and potential customers faster than a blog or single picture. Depending on your goals, video content can get costly, and yet, some of the most powerful pieces are created in 30 seconds with an iPhone in hand or by attaching a Go Pro camera to someone’s bike, surfboard or even their dog.
Here are three tips for utilizing the power of video advertising.
- Think Quality, Not Quantity
A good video is a video where viewers watch most if not all of the content. A great video is one viewer’s watch in entirety. But, a powerful video is one that engages viewers quickly and results in the viewer watching the whole video in its entirety and then sharing it with friends and family. And most powerful videos are “snackable” content, i.e. they are short, sweet and share-worthy.
A Socialbakers study found that videos shorter than 21 seconds had the highest completion rate on Facebook, and with 1.04 billion daily active users logging into to Facebook, it’s worthwhile to get some videos up on your brand’s page. MarketingProfs also found that of those 1.04 billion daily active users logging into Facebook, over 76 percent of them are discovering video content via their News Feeds.
But why make videos short? Because today, consumers want either entertainment or answers, and in the case of both, they want them fast. A short video with a powerful message is exactly what consumers want, and they are more likely to share if a video is simple. The long-form videos of YouTube are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
- Purpose and Presentation
What is the purpose of the video? What’s the message? What do you want viewers to do? How is the content in the video presented?
Ask yourself these questions before creating a video or putting tons of money behind a professional videographer. With iPhones, tablets and Go Pro cameras, you can easily pull together good quality videos without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. And depending on your brand image and products, a more personal-level video might resonate better than one that’s got a more “professional Hollywood” feel to it. Think about the answers to these questions when developing a plan our outline for the video you want to create.
On a side note, if you are wanting to incorporate video from an event it can be hard to plan and you may be better off simply using live footage and editing later. Or, if it’s a surprise moment and you have your phone handy, don’t think, just pull your phone out and start filming! Candid videos can go viral in days versus highly edited videos that only get about 1,000 hits.
- Look Outside the Ordinary
Video is always changing! And the apps and outlets compatible with video content are growing. If you have a fun, Millennial facing brand, don’t just use Facebook or YouTube. Get some fun in the mix by creating SnapChat videos and utilize comedy and entertainment as a way to help boost your brand. Outlets you should always look to include Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram, Tumblr and Meerkat or Periscope.
Don’t be afraid to step into the world of moving media. Video is one of the fastest growing resources for marketers in the online world, so now’s the time to master its power. Contact us and find out how we can help!