Whether seeing the words “Corporate Videos’ or saying ‘Corporate Videos’…the term feels and sounds cold and, frankly, boring. Let that, instead, be the exception, not the rule.
Here’s the case FOR corporate videos…video is a highly consumed media. Studies show a well planned and executed company video dramatically increases consumer intent to purchase. And, the more your company’s well executed videos are viewed, your company’s brand awareness ticks upward. If your company has been burned, previously allocating marketing dollars for corporate videos that just didn’t net your company an increase in business…I get it. Here, however, are some facts worth considering:
Just the Facts, Jack…
- 43% of people WANT more video content…despite the fact most companies utilize video marketing to some extent…consumers still want MORE
- Social media is a viable marketing resource…90% of consumers on social media watch video
- Video content enjoys a retention rate of 52%...and we know customer retention is crucial for every business
Call to Action
When it comes to you and your business, what do you want consumers, potential clients to do? Where do you want them to go to sign up for your service or purchase something from your store be it brick and mortar or online? Videos are a GREAT way to disseminate a call-to-action message. We are visual creatures. Hence the old adage, ‘seeing is believing’. Many of today’s consumers PREFER to utilize a video to help them reach a purchasing or other call-to-action decision.
Highest Level of Engagement Aside from Being Face-to-Face
Print marketing can be a fantastic marketing tool. But print has its limitations. More of a person’s senses are engaged with video than by reading text. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong advocate of reading. But, if you’re seeking to engage with GenZ and Millennials, video content generally trumps written content. I’d be remiss if I did not mention non-verbal communication. My friend, Fred Miller of No Sweat Public Speaking, consistently preaches the importance of non-verbal communication. Why we so often dismiss its importance is unclear to me. But, we do. Non-verbal communication is built into our DNA. It is intuitive. Non-verbal communication through video are very important factors in the persuasion and decision-making process. Thanks, Fred!
Targeted Videos are an Effective Social Media Marketing Tool
For the foreseeable future, there will continue to be a place for longer videos that tell the story of your company, how your company values its clients and employees, and how socially conscious your company is. We love filming such videos. When executed well, such videos perform admirably. Just as important, however, is the story of your archetypical consumers, their lives, and their use of or passion for your product or service.
But what about shorter videos with one or two messaging components? Search engine algorithms LOVE video and are formatted to seek out video. Exploit this search engine love affair with videos by creating short, well-messaged highly shareable video content. Such short content videos can be simple or highly technical on the production side…it depends on a number of factors including your target client/demographic. Include applicable ‘keywords’ in your video marketing. Once you have a viewer’s attention, they are going to be more likely to share that ‘needful, interesting video’ they just viewed.
Those same initial video viewers are more likely to follow you/your company and subsequently open, view, and share future videos from you or your company. You can track video views. And, by simply asking how a new consumer heard about your company, you can gauge the effectiveness of such campaigns over time.
YouTube…the Elephant in the Room
Yep…YouTube is a behemoth. And if you aren’t showcasing videos on your own YouTube channel, you likely should be. But, like other social media platforms, YouTube requires attention and nurturing. Once you start down the video content creation path, you need to continually build on each level of video content and learn to use it effectively across the variety of video-friendly platforms frequented by your target demographic.
Video is KING with search engines. Video is versatile and highly shareable. Each corporate video or marketing video MUST have a purpose. Video, well crafted, is an effective engagement tool, THE online engagement method preferred by most internet savvy consumers. Using a boxing analogy…longer video content is like a body blow, more time-on-contact with the energy of the blow spread out over a larger area. Short video content is more like a jab, quick, snappy, and repetitive. When used in combination with one another, hard to beat. Most assuredly, purpose driven corporate or business videos that truly engage with consumers need not be boring.
