Old with the old and in with the new.
As we continue to use the internet in different and more advanced ways, the way we consume information is changing along with it. We started with just text & images that loaded slowly through a dial-up connection, but once videos came into the fold, everyone on the internet clung to it immediately.
Not only did people cling to video content, but we continued to demand more of it. Now, we’re in a place where Linkedin, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat & every other popular platform you can name are being fueled by great video content.
It’s no wonder that you want to really figure out all of this video marketing stuff.
Whether you’re reading this because you want a general overview of video marketing, want to understand how it can help your business or you’re just trying to get a sense of why video marketing is trending in general, this article will bring more clarity to the topic of video marketing for you!
To understand what video marketing is, it’s important that we agree on what marketing is in the first place
First, I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to what marketing is.
If you search Google for a definition of marketing, you’ll get the following:
“The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”
For this definition, let’s focus on the “promoting and selling products or services” part. I think we can all agree that the whole point of marketing is mainly to promote something, whether it be a product, service or general message that you’d like to get out.
For good measure, let’s look at 1 more definition that you’ll find from the American Marketing Association:
“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
Within this definition, I want to focus on “communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
Again, at its essence, marketing is about communicating and getting the word out about something. After you think of marketing in this way, and you put the word video in front of marketing, things begin to make a little more sense.
What will help you, even more, is understanding a little bit about how video marketing has become so popular in the first place!
How and why video marketing became popular in the first place!
In February of 2017, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said:
“I see video as a megatrend.”
2 years later, I don’t think you or anyone else would say he was wrong. Once big brands began to understand how effective video marketing can be, they started using it everywhere.
Websites showed videos that talked about their products & services, brands started working with YouTube influencers & many people started to pair videos with online advertising to not only reach their ideal audience but to demonstrate how their products & services quickly.
According to Mary Meeker’s infamous 2018 internet trends report, mobile video usage has been rapidly rising in popularity since 2012.
A couple of other statistics that speak to the consumption of video online:
- 46% of consumers watch more video ads on social media than on TV Forbes, 2018
- Almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store Think With Google, 2018
But there’s another angle to these statistics…
The interesting part about this rising popularity is that it doesn’t just show up in the numbers of people consuming video content, but people aren’t shy about explicitly asking for more video content!
In a study from Hubspot, they found that video is the most preferred type of content that people want to see more of in the future.
Video marketing provides a huge advantage because it comes in many forms that you can use to help push your business forward in many different ways.
Although not every type of video content fits every business, there are ways that different businesses can use video marketing to not only help reach but exceed their business goals by using the most popular medium today, video.
Examples of what video marketing looks like
Using video to communicate and promote your products & services can come in many forms that can all be effective depending upon how your business works.
Here are a few examples and how they differ:
- Instagram videos: Do you have a physical e-commerce product? Creating custom videos for your brand and then advertising them on Instagram can be a powerful video marketing tool for you to drive sales. (It’s also a service I offer).
- Videos in an email: We get tons of emails per day, but how many of them include a (semi-personalized) video message? We’re now in the age of authenticity and sending people an email where you’re genuinely trying to connect with them can make you stand out & grab people’s attention.
- Video business cards: Do you find yourself telling people what you do and how you can help them over and over? It might be time for you to invest in a video business card. Video business cards are a powerful form of marketing for established businesses & people who have a defined niche. Not only do they look great and raise credibility if they’re done by the right person, but they also save time!
These are just a few of the powerful examples of video marketing that come to mind, but there are so many more and other ways that you can benefit from video marketing.
The list above is short, but you can learn much more about what you need to learn about video marketing by taking my free 5-day email course: Video Marketing Insider Secrets.
My 5-day course is a great place to start because it covers the cost of video marketing, how it works, where you can place your videos & so much more!
However, if you want to get straight to the actionable advice, I won’t leave you hanging…
3 quick tips to help you get started with video marketing today
1. Know your audience
As I mentioned earlier, the right video marketing solution for your business varies for each business. This is because not everyone’s customers have the same interests and “hang out” in the same places online.
Thinking about who your audience is and where they are online will help you reach your target audience faster. Are they mostly on Instagram? Linkedin? YouTube? Answering this question seems simple, but it will help guide your content.
2. Don’t make the process harder than it has to be!
When it comes to video marketing, one huge misconception is that it is very expensive to do.
Sure, you can get an entire professional film crew to make videos for you, but you can also get started by just shooting videos on your iPhone. In fact, I have a free course called Shoot With Your Smartphone that teaches you how to plan, shoot & edit content for your business using just a smartphone!
When it comes to video marketing, your plan for execution is much more important than the quality of your videos. I’m sure you’ve felt the experience of connecting with a video that is less than perfect because the content really hit home and mainly met your needs at the time.
You will connect with people through your strategy more than you will because your footage looks great. Although great looking footage is a plus, don’t let it stop you from getting started!
3. Make a plan & stick to it!
Although 1 video can make a huge difference for a business or personal brand, it’s not something you want to count on.
Creating a more long term plan isn’t just realistic, but gives you more chances to connect with more people as you post different types of content. If you’re not sure what to post, I wrote about my “B-P-S Bridge” framework for coming up with endless video marketing ideas for any business. Click the link above to read about my secret hack for video ideas.
Looking to get started with video for your business?
Planning & creating video content without a big team is hard, but that’s where I come in!
- If you’re considering investing in video marketing for your business, I suggest that you check out my services and schedule time for a strategy call if you might be interested in getting your video marketing done for you, all hands-off!
- You should also sign-up for my free newsletter, the (Video) Marketing newsletter!
My newsletter is meant to help business owners & people with personal brands who want to take video marketing seriously grow.
I send statistics, news & interesting new strategies so that you can stay ahead of your competition!
Written,
by ‘rouk