While there are many ways to advertise your products or services, video has recently emerged as the most dominant form of marketing communication. In fact, if you haven't used video marketing for your company, you may be falling behind the competition.
Fortunately for you, many business owners stick with the most tired and traditional methods of advertising. By using video production creatively in your marketing strategy, you can easily separate yourself from the pack. Here are a few ways to outdo your competitors by thinking outside of the box.
Some of the most powerful videos you can use for your benefit are success stories from clients or customers.
Storytelling is one of the most ancient and natural ways for people to communicate. By showing your audience what someone else's experience was like, you let them know exactly what they can expect from you.
Although it can be tempting to use actors during a story project, believability is by far the most important element when telling your story. Look for the right willing candidates to share their experience, and let their message speak for itself.
The ability to connect with clients on a deep level can pay off big time in the long run.
Any time you use video for marketing, consider how your media might generate a conversation. Be sure to leave contact information near any embedded video or link.
Sometimes feedback can be hard to hear, but it's almost always helpful. Surface-level connections can net you a few dollars, but relationships create income and, better yet, meaningful experiences.
Sometimes a journalistic angle can lend credibility to your marketing strategy. Although you can hire actual journalists to do your work for you, it is often just as powerful to stage a production on your own. Doing things yourself also keeps the creative initiative in your hands.
Whether you plan to do a live product viewing or host a charity ball, filming events can give an audience a great sense of your company's values and culture. Hosting shows that you're a valued part of a larger community.
Over time, video production can even facilitate better participation in future events, resulting in exponential progress.
Whatever you do, there is probably a way to stream it online. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to give away sensitive information or let employees work for free, but you should give customers or clients something they value.
If you do this correctly, you will have created a buzz while increasing interest in your business. Since audiences are naturally eager to get more value from your brand, they are likely to buy products or services. In essence, streaming is like a teaser trailer for your company.
Depending on your industry, you may be able to stream your services relatively frequently. Examples of when this could be appropriate might include:
As with every creative venture, you can take your production ideas anywhere you want.
Explainers are a popular way to improve awareness of your brand through brief video clips that describe how you can help your audience.
They are often featured on the landing page of company websites, where they can be viewed by incidental viewers as well as purposeful ones. As they usually include a strong call to action, explainers are among the most straightforward marketing videos.
If you don't intend to produce any other media, you should at least fund a decent explainer.
Customers can sense quality, and most are likely to equate the quality of your video with the quality of your brand. Explainers don't usually need any crazy memory tools or marketing strategies, so making one is fairly easy.
Unlike an explainer, a regular video ad can be as wild or as tame as you want. Provided you've done the right market research, there is virtually no limit to what you can put in an ad.
In the modern age of cell phones, tablets and computers, video ads are exceptionally accessible to various audiences. On certain platforms like Spotify, they can even double as audio ads.
Having this dual-functionality can be valuable for finding audiences who are more likely to listen passively than search for products and services.
One of the easiest ways to use video production to market yourself is to show real interviews of prominent members of your company. Doing this can create a rugged sense of transparency and trustworthiness.
Since you won't have to hire any actors or find an exotic shoot location, interviews are often cheap to produce.
Animations are appealing for many brands because they are easily stylized and relatively inexpensive. If you don't have a particularly keen eye for acting talent or locations, an animation can be the perfect alternative to a standard shoot.
Animations are especially valuable when making explainers, as concepts are often easy to visualize with the open freedom of a storyboard.
To capitalize on this quality, some animators try to simulate the style of a schoolroom whiteboard in their explainers.
Whatever you do, keep it as straightforward and simple as possible.
If you own a small business and aren't sure how to take your marketing to the next level, try focusing on video.
Whether you're an experienced film school grad or a novice creator, having a robust video production strategy is practically a necessity for all successful modern companies.
If you don't know quite where to start, Seer Production can help. We strive to understand exactly what clients want and how best to link them to your services.
For unmatched marketing expertise, contact us today.
Sources:
https://www.lemonlight.com/video-marketing-strategy-the-ultimate-guide/
https://bearpawvideoproductions.com/blog/digital-marketing-a-guide-to-video-production/
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing
https://www.lemonlight.com/blog/what-is-an-explainer-video/