Video Allows Brands to Be Seen and Heard

What do you think of when you hear the word video?  Are you reminded of the birth of MTV and its proclamation that video killed the radio star?  Or do you recall heading to Blockbuster on a Friday night hoping that one of its 47 copies of Die Hard would still be available?  Or perhaps you regret the hour you wasted watching “Gangnam Style” on repeat on YouTube?

Regardless of how you used to think of video, if you have a business to market, you need to rethink your perception of video.   In the past five years, the pervasiveness of video and its importance in boosting a website’s search engine rankings, online conversions, email marketing results and brand credibility has risen dramatically.

According to sources:

    • Including video on landing pages can increase conversion rates by over 80%. (Hubspot)
    • The mere mention of the word “video” in your email subject line increases open rates by 19%. (Hubspot)
    • 90% of customers say that videos help them make buying decisions. (Hubspot)
    • Video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engine result pages (SERP). (Wordstream)
  • Video will represent 82% of all internet traffic in 2021. (Business Insider)

Although you may not be in a visual industry such as fashion, design, or entertainment, there is no doubt you have something to communicate that’s done better through video rather than text and still photography.  Even if you produce and market rolls of adding machine paper – there’s a video for you.

Demo Videos
Show how your product works.  Show how to assemble it.   Compare your product against the competition.  Show shortcuts and useful hints that may be hard to follow in an instruction manual.

Brand Videos
Build awareness of your brand beyond the services you offer by telling your brand story.  What is your mission and values?  Why does your company exist?  What excites you?

Event Videos
If you want to establish your business as a resource, videos of your business facilitating a roundtable or hosting a conference is ideal.

 Expert Interviews
By conducting and taping interviews with experts from your business or from a strategic partner, you will add value for the viewer while building trust within your industry.

Explainer Videos
Some products and services are simply too complex to read about.  However, by walking the viewer through the product or services with concise, easy to follow copy and creative video, the viewer can easily comprehend what you are offering.

Case Study and Customer Testimonial Videos
One of the best ways to prove your worth is by featuring satisfied, loyal customers who can effectively share the particular issue they experienced and the solution you provided.  It sounds much more believable when someone else says how great you are.

So now that you are sold on the value of video, here are a few things to consider.

 Video production need not be expensive.
Gone are the days where video production required a director, art director, hair and make-up, boom operator, and sound mixer.  And exactly what is a best boy, gaffer and a key grip anyway?  Today’s videos can be shot from a smartphone.  In the end, it’s not how the video was shot but the quality of the final product that’s important.

Simple can be engaging.
Videos do not have to have lots of effects and various elements to be entertaining.  In fact, too many bells and whistles can take away from your message. Unless of course you’re selling bells and whistles, then in that case, never mind.

It may be your video, but it’s not about you.
The focus of your video should be your viewer.  How can they relate to your product or service?  How do you address a problem or issue they have?  How are you better than the competition?  How do you make them look good or their life easier?

Size does not matter.
If you can make your case in 15 seconds and leave the viewer impressed, good for you!  However, most brands will take longer and that’s fine, too.  Just be aware of your viewer’s attention span, possible time limitations, and other screens vying for their attention.  Whatever the length, make every second entertaining, informative or engaging.

Write for your audience and not your CEO.
Avoid using industry lingo and product specs in your copy. By eliminating these, you can get to the point where you explain the user benefits more quickly.

Follow your brand standards.
Although your video is meant to engage the viewer and speak in their terms about the problems they hope to solve – it’s still your video and therefore should follow your brand standards to avoid brand confusion.  If you don’t have brand standards…..that’s a blog for another day.

As always, have a plan.
Before you pick up a smartphone and start recoding, have a plan.  What do you want to communicate and to whom?  How will you use it?  What points do you want to cover? How can they best be conveyed?  Is the content long enough to be spread over several videos?

Are you ready for your brand to be both seen and heard?  Contact the branding professionals at Electrum Branding and put the power of video to work for your brand.

Check out our branding video or visit the Electrum Branding YouTube channel.