It’s my second week at Forge Worldwide and my training included diving into current trends in the marketing industry. What did I find? Video marketing is crucial and not as complex as it may seem. If an intern can get this, so can you! Not only do consumers expect video content from brands nowadays, but Forge is the perfect case study for how to weave video marketing into content and strategies for clients.
Before we jump into the nooks and crannies of video content and marketing, let’s understand why it’s important. Based on a Forbes article, 45% of people see video as the best performing content marketing format, over short form articles (like this!), success stories, infographics, research reports or print. And, more than half of consumers want to see videos from brands over other content formats.
But, does it pay off to give the people what they want? Short answer is yes. Long answer is that video marketing makes it easier for people to consume your content for a longer amount of time. Video content grabs the attention of your consumers and holds it, leaving a stronger impression on them. 80% of users can recall a video ad they viewed in the past 30 days, and more than 75% of US adults spend up to two hours watching short-form digital video content each day — this is where your potential consumers live.
Videos help to increase the traffic to your site, through their entertainment quality, shareability and the strong brand association when searching for your type of product or service. With closed captions and audio tracks, videos can be accessible to all of your consumer base. Using videos in your marketing strategy improves SEO, which simply means that your site will reach its target audience faster with a better SEO. In fact, video can increase your organic traffic from search engines by 157%. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then videos are worth a million.
At this point in my research, I started to believe in the power of video marketing, but I wondered how a brand implements videos into their marketing strategy authentically and cost-effectively. In its most simple terms, video marketing is the use of video content to promote a brand, product, service, or cause. In its best use, video brings to life the personality and uniqueness of a brand in a way that makes people want to follow it and engage with it. As I learn more about Forge, I realize we do a really amazing job at video marketing. For instance…
- UMassD Extraordinary Video: This video features real students in their environment, in a sort of “life interrupted” format, to keep audiences engaged and wondering what’s coming next.
- NFPA Never Compromise Brand Video: This emotionally-compelling brand video emphasizes how important it is to use NFPA’s unparalleled knowledge and information in the critical work they do.
- Rockland Trust Social Video: Family, Couple, BFFs: To appeal to younger audiences, Rockland Trust Bank highlights the beauty of good relationships to convey the care and support they put into their own customer relationships, all supported by their tagline “Where each relationship matters.”
- Explore other examples: Harvey: Once, Isenberg School of Management: We Drive the Driven.
Wondering how you can implement video content into your marketing strategy? Check out these five essential next steps:
- Our brains remember stories. The truth is that it’s much easier to remember stories than to remember facts. Do you remember the order of the planets in the solar system? Do you remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Although we learn both at a young age, the story sticks with us more. It is important that our videos are created like a story with a beginning, middle and end.
- Trial & Error. Experiment with different styles, tone, visuals and language to determine what lands right with your audience. The only way to do this is to make sure you do your research and then try out more than one version.
- Stay true. Make sure your video is grounded in your brand identity, in message and presentation. If you have a strong presence on social media, make sure to use the right aspect ratios for your videos. If you are hosting a video on vertical billboards in the middle of a busy public transportation hub (like we did for UMass Dartmouth), then make sure you have consistency and cohesion across your platforms.
- Say it as it is. Be straightforward and simple. Be frank.
- Take a lap. The best advice a wound-up athlete or disobedient child can get! When you focus too hard and find yourself overwhelmed with the multitude of options and pages of script for a 60 second video, you need to take a break. With anything, fresh eyes are one of the most valuable tools.
Finally, the heart of your story should boil down to one sentence that should lead the planning, production and execution of your video marketing campaign. In the short time I’ve been at Forge, I would guess that the sentence they would ground their video content in would sound something like this:
“Forge creates a positive impact by strengthening the connection between meaningful brands and the people who need them.”