USING CORPORATE VIDEO MARKETING IDEAS IN YOUR BUSINESS

INTRODUCTION

Individuals or small companies can effectively use videos, do so to a greater or lesser degree, and sometimes lack ideas on how best to incorporate these into their overall marketing program…

There is a great source for inspiration right in front of them if they will only look. That source is the large corporations that seek to use videos as a major segment of their marketing program, brands like Coka-Cola, Nike, Addidas, etc.

Large corporates benefit even more, potentially, than the smaller companies, or individual marketers, mainly because of this brand recognition and their ability to take advantage that a large marketing  budget offers them.

They know that video offers a unique opportunity to spread their message far and wide quickly…It is a matter of scale and weight their name carries…Video just makes too much sense for them to ignore…

The same holds true for the small businesses as well.

CURRENT HABITS BACKING VIDEO USE 

It is all about success, meaning more conversions and commissions/profits for your business. That is why we are in the online marketing business.

Videos help get you there faster.

Here’s why…

Short attention spans and the tendency  to move on quickly to the next thing is a trend affecting almost EVERYBODY today. Most internet users now want everything in quick digestible bites.

Videos provide a medium that meets this desire. Fun and entertainment can be incorporated into the videos in most scenarios, such video will hit many visual and auditory triggers of viewers, and if done cleverly, are easy to watch and digest.

People’s brains are set up to respond to the many signals that video affords while they play…The voice, eyes, tone, and gestures that the viewer sees within a video help convey the desired message.

Video is effective often more-so than a long content article even, although this statistically the content does well regarding effectiveness as well and is a time-tested fact.

Using video media however, keeps viewers attention. Content marketing using long articles, on the other hand, results in readers often skimming over large parts of the piece.

Generally at the end of the article you will see a big drop off in viewing. The readers are ready to move on, not having the patience unless REALLY interested to read such articles to the end.

With videos this is not normally the case. They remain focused and attentive throughout…

If done effectively, videos have power to more quickly raise trust in many cases. A brand can comes across as sincere using a video.

Think about the massive amounts of money spent on Super Bowl ads and what they are trying to convey…Trust IS the goal in many such video ads…There may be more of a focus on this than selling any particular product or service.

Videos help your website to come across to the website visitor as being more professional as well. In the same manner, when used in tandem with a post or article video adds even more firepower and the two will support and complement each other, increasing time on page.

Think about the many social platforms now that either are video focused or have incorporated some form of video into their core offerings. I could mention many, but let’s just think about Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Skype, Vine, Instagram, Google+, etc.

These are now some of the older more established programs, and there are many more newer ones that do the same.  Think Meerkat, Periscope, Blab, WhatsApp, Chat On, QQ, etc.

Users today can almost effortlessly integrate video of one form or another into their social activity daily. Video views continue to grow each and every day, and millions and millions of new ones are posted daily somewhere on the internet!

Just the video tools and apps that are found on smartphones allow every man to carry what is in all practicality a full production studio right in their personal bags, their purses or in their pockets.

The surfing habits are changing and how users access the internet is changing. Video and its cousins live streaming, muti-membe calls and conferences are becoming the norm.

As businesses we have to change with the changes, or risk being left behind the competition, behind the potential customers, and out of business. This is now important it is to follow and adapt to the market.

HOW WILL MY BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM VIDEO MARKETING

Just to mention a few ways videos help with your business…Let’s start with the most important…

Conversion or Sales 

Planning for and using videos throughout the marketing process where possible is a cool and fast way to increase your sales significantly.

Using a story or explainer style video on your landing page increases dramatically the chance viewers will act on your visual calls to action.

In fact, video use on your landing pages can increase conversions by as much as 80%.  Per the latest statistics 64% of consumers say they are are more likely to buy a product if there is a video about it.

SEO 

Just by adding a video to your landing page makes it 53% more likely that it will appear on the first page of Google search results.(Source: AdWeek Social Times).

I have seen this happen in as little as 15 minutes from my own personal experience! If you use Youtube you can speed up this process considerably.

Think about how this can affect conversions for a product that 1000 people are selling if you are on page one in that short of time! Your chances of increasing sales are pretty good I would say!

Videos are valued by the Google search engine, and quickly your thumbnail and a description appears right there for all to see on page one.

Again the SEO required to get this ranked that quickly is not a hard thing, it is easier I think than content SEO.

Note that thumbnail image of the video  makes it stand out against the the text-based listings too, and is therefore twice as likely to get clicked.

Publishing the video through YouTube means that you are tapping into the power of the second largest search engine on the internet, and Youtube is the web’s third most trafficked site.

Yes videos ARE powerful!

Social 

Sharing video across the varioius social media platforms is increasing and loved by the users. The various social platforms are also encouraging their members to share videos, and making it easier than ever to do so..

The biggest platform, Facebook,  has added auto-play, shows view counts, and increased mobile functionality to its native video player. There are ways you can now add calls to action, you can build lead lists, and target viewers to get better results with your video ad campaigns

Twitter now has an app that allows you to record, edit and tweet videos under 30 seconds long.

Vine is nothing but extremely short videos.

There are new  and streaming apps like Blab, Meerkat and Periscope that are growing exponentially.

WhatsApp has added so much to the basic short messaging capability it started out with you can now use it to support and add to your marketing campaigns. Video, recorded messages, pictures, calls, and push notifications are all now possible using WhatsApp.

Things are changing my friends…You HAVE to change too and adjust your marketing to embrace and take advantage of these sea changes….

Mobile success

Today more people access the internet through their mobile phones than on their desktops or laptops. They also spend more time online using mobile than they do using the desktop. More and more purchases are made through mobile phones, and almost 40% of consumers agree that viewing a video on their mobile increases the chance they will make a purchase using the mobile device. (Source: Adobe)

OK I think you are excited? Let’s see how we can keep up with and emulate the large Corporations practices, but do so on a small budget…

Read on…

 

GETTING STARTED IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

If you are thinking that you are going to have to break the bank to start using video more in your overall marketing programs, you are wrong!

Welcome to the days of open season on low cost yet effective video creation…

With the advances in technology and quality of video and audio you can record using your smartphone (yes the same one you are carrying around all the time and checking your facebook with), you will be into this game easily and quickly.

You can produce extremely effective marketing videos using this equipment! There is only thre things needed, depending on how sophisticated you want to make the video.

The camera. Smartphones will suffice for many purposes, and the new ones even can do HD quality videos, but there are also very reasonably priced point-and-shoots mini cameras or the more complex DSLRs with increased options for the shoot you will have that all record HD video.

The microphone. This is an area you may want to look to see how much you can spend without it being too much. The video quality does not have to be perfect but people are concerned with the quality of the sound. I woud Invest a small amount of money in a fairly good quality microphone – there are ones available for under $150 and you will not have any problems, the quality will be fine for your purposes.

Use  a mount or a tripod. This may seem like a no brainer, but believe me, I have seen some people who do not use something to make sure the shots are steady and their videos make you feel like you are on a roller coaster. An easy thing to fix, and if you make the mistake once you will see and feel what I am talking about! 

One last thing: A Video editing tool. There are free solutions to your requirements for editing the video you shoot as you get started that will save you money up front and do the job just fine.

I recommend using Movie Maker (Windows) or iMovie (Mac), or a third called ShoCut (free and open software). Unless you are a professional videographer, you simply do not need all the bells and whistles you can get with sone of the higher price solutions out there.

VIDEO MARKETING IDEAS

Here are my TOP ten ideas to get started even if your budget is low for video marketing! These in some cases are drill down explanations of what was suggested yesterday in my post (You can review that here ===> CREATIVE VIDEO USE )and will provide you further insight that can really help you as you proceed…

 

    First – Inside  Your Business

 

# 1.  BIG picture combined with SMEs (subject matter experts).

If you are the boss, either you or someone that is a camera ham that your trust explains what your company is all about in a brief intro segment of your production.

Then you can bring in “The Expert.” That is the person that knows everything and is not afraid to talk about it in front of a camera – every company has one of these…tap into that.

As a closer, you may want to include some shots of company members being human (i.e. having fun doing some group activity. Make sure people are laughing, enjoying themselves and this is not a forced thing, or it will come off badly.

Overall you paint a very positive picture to the viewer, they go away knowing that your company is one they want to deal with.

# 2.  Company tour . 

Take a tour of the company areas using the camera. Make it just as a tour would, have a start point and end point, make it logical, i,e. parking lot to entrance, and then though the offices, the work areas, and eventually back to the start point.

This process completes the tour and tells a complete story…

Observe and record people at work, and maybe highlight areas where there is activity that your viewer will recognize (perhaps a packing area or receiving area).

Have the employees that happen to enter the scene be ready to speak briefly about a preplanned specific subject or subjects.  Maybe have them answer one or two questions (i.e. “Why do you like it here and what do you do?”).

# 3.  Play Time. This is an offshoot of idea one above. Here you would record an entire activity of company employees having a good time doing some kind of group activity, or perhaps different sets of employees participating in a company sponsored activity to show the diversity of your people and also the goodness of the company.

 

Second – Your Customers  and Experts

 

# 4.  Believe Me (Testimonials).

Video is much more effective in building social proof than are written testimonials, because the impression is that video is much harder to fabricate,

I believe video testimonials are a key area for you to try to get into. You can do these over Skype, in front of a camera, using a recorded Blab, etc…

So do you have happy  customers (I HOPE so!)? Then ask them to do a video testimonial. Most will be pleased to ham it up in front of a camera. This will help your conversions immensely! 

# 5.  Become a Reporter.

Remember when you were in high school and you had the assignment to interview the football jock for the school newpaper? Remember how fun that was?

Well this is a LOT more fun that that!

Contact a leader in your niche or business and ask for an interview. Provide a set of questions so they know what is to be asked and are ready to answer and look good for viewers.

Do these interviews person to person if possible, other settings may also work, as when you are in a conference setting, or perhaps a as part of a team meeting. It all depends on the purpose of the interview. These are effective, because most jocks in some specialty or other like to let others know they are a jock.

 

    Third – Your Events

# 6.   Record Important Company Events

This may seem like a no brainer and I admit this has been around about as long as cameras have been around. You can do a very credible job yourself though, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to document such things.

This is in following what the big corporations do, but using your own on hand equipment to get it done. Use this stuff at NO cost and using the acceptable audio you are going to get recorded because you spent maybe $150 on a decent microphone.

You will have all the shots and scenes and you will be able to then splice it all together quickly using the free editing software. The outcome? A MORE than acceptable product that will work well!

# 7.  See Us At The Trade Show?

This is sort of related to the event thingy above, but it focuses more on a special event. This offers a chance for you to show and tell  story of the company the team in action in a business setting.

Things you can record can include members doing supporting activities such as traveling to the event, setting up the booth or other areas, actually meeting and interacting with customers, breakdown, and return travel, etc. Tell the story…

 

    Fourth – Social Engagement

 

# 8.  Record a Product demo.

This is anothere one that seems obvious. But in fact it is easy to put together and can be a very effective tool as in using them for video sales letters (landing pages).

You could record a demo in a variety of settings, for exampke in a small meeting, or you could use laptop screenshots while you explain how to do something, so they can see what you are talking about, or it could be a conference setting, where you are speaking and showing a larger group of people something.

These are easy to out together  and are really helpful. You could also  conduct a webinar or a variation of it, i.e. a Blab. Just put together your lesson plan, make sure all your supporting materials are together, and that you have set the camera and audio up properly, and have at it!.

# 9.  Create and Publish a GIF

This little gem is the video equal of the meme. Remember those? They are meant to make a point in a very short time period, so the planning  has to be done to make sure that your intent is shown early and is strong enough to come through quickly to the viewer.

Have some of your clever team members put their heads together and let them have some fun with this. Maybe run a contest to see who comes up with the best suggestion. Then do it. Once it is acceptable, get ot out to the social platforms and let it go viral.

# 10.  I AM LIVE!!!!

In 2016, as in 2015, the rise of the live broadcast is here. More than ever before, live streaming is being used in many market segments.

The advance of the speed of the internet to the multitude and the many new tools and platforms that are now available mean that this is a really viable option.

This is such a change and advance in the way information can be presented and received by viewers…

People from all over world can meet virtually online, and can, through the use of cameras, webcam, chat, recordings, audio, or a combination of some or all of these, commiserate together – all live.

These sessions can be recorded for later viewing with some platforms, so can become evergreen, meaning you can present them to new viewers over and over again!

YOUR TURN

OK these should get you started…Remember they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using video and other related video mediums…

Your job now, should you decide to accept it, is to come up with your OWN unique ways of incorporating the same kind of things the big corporations are using video for.

Better yet, do something BETTER than what they are doing…Then let everyone know what you have created!

 

CONCLUSION

Corporate video use can be the start for you to plan your own program albeit on a much smaller budget. Use the available tools that are readily available around you…

Things such as your smartphone,  a low cost yet decent microphone, and a reasonably priced video editing tool can allow you to quickly create you own masterpieces that can be extremely effective while inexpensive to create. .

Use the many advances and your creativity to exploit the tools in your hand! Get with the sea change and move to using more video and the many platforms available to you now at little or no cost to get your message out NOW, or get left behind!

So many niches can use video – I cannot think of one, off the top of my head, that could NOT use video in some maner or other. Let’s all get with the program and stay ahead of the competition!

Are you excited? I am…

FINAL THOUGHTS

As always, I like to finish with leaving a request that you provide some feedback or suggestions below in the comment section. This helps all of us learn more and the discussion that sometimes results is a win-win for all. Thanks…

Cheers!