In this age of video consumption, you cannot neglect the importance of videos. While a decade ago, video may just have been for entertainment, today it dominates our digital experience – from educating to empowering, promoting to selling, entertaining to advertising; it’s all done through videos. And the data speaks for itself. Hubspot reckons that 81% of businesses are now all in with videos as a marketing tool, up from 63% last year.
Year after year, mobile users who watch videos rise by 100%. It is estimated that online videos will comprise 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022. These meaty numbers should make every business stand up and take notice. Videos deliver results. It’s time for you to start making them as a core part of your content strategy. Here are some tried-and-tested tips to ensure that you have a sustainable online video strategy that is guaranteed to give your business the boost it needs.
Start Small
Size does matter. Only this time, less is more. Confused? Let us explain.
Business intelligence blog Wisitia took a look at 564,710 videos of varying lengths. Here’s what they found out – the shorter the video, the more engaging it is.
The sweet spot – 2-minute videos work best.
64% of consumers will make a purchase after watching branded videos on social platforms.
There’s a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Given how short human attention spans have gotten, a business is more likely to get results from a 2-minute video than a bigger one. You have to assume that your viewers are busy or multi-tasking. Any longer than 2 minutes, and people’s attention is going to go down exponentially. Short videos are also suitable for a variety of formats. They can work with your social media accounts, your website, or even as an ad.
The best part? These short videos do not have to be overly promotional. If you want to showcase a new product/service, you can make it fun by leaning onto your audience’s natural curiosity. Here’s how HP did it to showcase Sprout, its newest product:
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You can make it about the people, but your product still gets highlighted! So how to make the most out of these short 2-minute videos? This brings us to the next part.
Plan, Categorize and List Your Wares
Suppose you are a business with a smattering of products and/or services. You want your target demographic to get up to speed about all the benefits you can offer them.
The first thing you need to figure out is how to categorize all the stuff you are going to market to your customers. Is it hardware? Software? Food? Anything else? By coming up with clear categories for your video, you help your customers find what they are looking for quickly. As for what kind of short videos you can use for your categories, these could be demo videos, tutorials, and more.
69% of viewers believe a product demo best assists them to make their purchase decision.
For every single product/service/plan you have to offer to your target demographic, write up a snazzy script, get some press shots as needed, and make a short video about it. Spell out what consumers can get out of your wares, their features, benefits, etc. Be authentic instead of being full-on promotional. People love that kind of refreshing directness.
Stick to a style aesthetic that reflects your brand
There’s a reason McDonald’s iconic Golden Arches endures to this day. With a minimalist red, white and yellow brand aesthetic, people can instantly associate them with McDonald’s. Don’t believe us? Check out this very short video of how McD markets their meal:
This same strategy can work for your video content. Before embarking on making videos, sit down with the marketing and creative folks, and go through this step-by-step process to create your own branding guide.
Color Theory
Every color conveys a mood, and it’s very important that you select a color palette that is synonymous with your business values and your target demographic. Choose a color, experiment with different hues/shades until you get yourself a good color palette. Here are some examples of great color palettes to use in your videos:
Analogous Palette – Similar looking colors that go well with each other
Complementary Pallete – Choosing colors that are the opposite of each other to give a balanced look
In short, decide on a color scheme, make use of them in your videos. Coming up with a branding guide can help people take you seriously as a brand that is synonymous with certain colors, moods, and style. Choose colors that reflect your company, your values, and your brand aesthetic.
Once that is locked in, have your animators come up with a catchy introduction, outro and a visual style that makes you stand out from the rest. Plus, it makes your customers instantly recall your brand.
Have everything for everyone
Since you will be making a lot of short videos for your brand, it is important to reach out to as many age groups, ethnicities, target demographics as you can. This may seem daunting at first, but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be.
If you are hoping to make YouTube videos, then study the preferences of your YouTube audience. Same goes for Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Long and detailed explainers work best with YouTube, and you could repurpose the same video for other platforms. For example, Facebook users tend to be more passive with their viewing habits, so you might want to cut down that video to 2 minutes or even shorter.
Another benefit of going multiplatform is that your video content will end up reaching more age groups. Instagram is popular with moms, while Facebook could help you reach adults and kids alike.
Go for a Good Video Production Deal
By now you are convinced that multiple short videos are the way to go. Now comes the next part, is it cheap?
Video production is a lot more involved than writing. You will need storyboard artists, animators, video editors, voice-over artists etc, so it’s always a good idea to reach out to a video production agency. If you have multiple videos, you can strike a good deal with the agency. This will help you get a better rate per video as compared to you asking for one long video. And besides, repurposing those videos for your social media platforms can save you a ton of money in the process.
So, there you have it. As a small or medium sized business, it is integral to invest in a competent video content strategy. Nothing engages your potential customers like sleekly produced videos that give them all the information they need to know.
Jacklyn is in charge of our marketing efforts. She likes to write about photography, videography, new industry techs and paint colorful things. When she is free from work, you can find her in Muay Thai classes.