Video: A Secret Weapon For Marketing Teams?

Originally published on TheHuffingtonPost.com on October 1, 2015 By Scott MacFarland

Photo Credit: Scott MacFarland
Video, which has been around for quite a long time, has continued to change with the times. It’s not just that linear went non-linear; that was decades ago. It’s not just about convergence with the Internet either. It’s about today’s customer; what they want to watch, when they want to watch it and how they want to watch as well. Consumers also want to feel connected, engaged and important. TV and film used to be the only game in town, now they are just another component in the marketing mix.
Video has taken on a whole new life of its own the last few years with consumers shooting and uploading more video content than ever.
Here’s the challenge. Consumers expect more, and want to be part of the brand’s message. With today’s video being so easy to use and also prevalent on every smartphone, it’s no wonder video has become a secret weapon. As marketers, we are trained to think about which medium works best in certain situations. It’s almost like being a Special Forces agent. There are many circumstances that call for many different types of digital and even traditional media. Each situation is different and requires a different approach, different strategy, different creative treatment, different tactical execution, and different ways to measure results. No, we’re not saving lives. But we are saving money and sometimes even our own jobs. Equally as important, we’re getting results in driving qualified leads to our sales team. If us marketers do not figure out how to integrate video into our strategy, our employers just may end up hiring someone else that can do it for us.
The Importance Of Video
Video does play a very important role in the life of the brand as well as for individual products and even for our customers that want to show excitement and brand loyalty. Marion Marvil, Natcom’s Managing Director of Marketing and Strategic Development explains her perspective on why video is so important for today’s marketers.
For both B2B and B2C initiatives, the use of video is one of the most effective marketing tactics available within a marketer’s arsenal across multiple platforms. Whether it is used to sell, inform, entertain, evoke an emotion, or share beliefs, video captures viewers and makes lasting impressions by appealing with both sight and sound. – Marion Marvil, Natcom
As I think about all the different ways I use marketing tactics, in nearly every situation, I feel video can be used effectively as a secret weapon. Online or offline, Live and with social media, in advertising, public relations, trade shows, content marketing, for education and training purposes, human resources… the list could go on and on. I venture to say that you cannot find a marketing and communications initiative that would be better without video as part of the mix.
Studies have shown that consumers are at least 64% more likely to purchase a product or service that has video representation. – CBO.com
Social Media and Video
Video has become so popular that even the behemoth social media channels have integrated video into their platforms. There are even exclusive video social media channels that do nothing but that. You know it must be good if this is happening.
According to Adelie Studios, The Top 15 Video Marketing Statistics for 2015, here are 6 amazing statistics that will blow your mind, and each one includes video. If after reading them you still aren’t convinced video is your marketing secret weapon, maybe you should start using faxes to send to all your prospective customers and see how that goes.
• 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with others. – Invodo
• 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium. – MarketingProfs
• When marketers included a video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% – 300% – Forrester
• The average internet user spends 88% more time on a website with video. – Mist Media
• Using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80% – Unbounce
• 1.8 Million Words is the value of one minute of video. – Dr. James McQuivey, Forrester
In my decades of marketing experience, I have seen technology and software come and go, trendy ideas come and go and styles come and go as well. What I have not seen is video exit the marketing mix. It has stayed the course and has become a more vibrant, exciting and trustworthy medium to use to make an impact for your brand.
Now with the advent of live video broadcasts, brands big and small, regardless of their size can shoot anything their minds can dream up. Smartphones, which are carried by nearly every professional, now have the ability to produce video on-demand and push it out to social media. If you’re still neglecting to see the value of video and how it could be a secret weapon for your marketing, maybe you should trade-in your smartphone for a fax machine and your computer for a beeper. Then see how well your marketing department performs.
Follow Scott MacFarland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@scmacfarland