Susan Payton: How To Effectively Use Videos In Your Marketing Mix

Image courtesy of njaj at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Video is increasingly becoming the go-to medium for people to satisfy their information and entertainment needs.

A recent study found 72% of B2B marketers use YouTube and by 2017, video is expected to account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic.

Why? Video is more compelling than text and, as humans, we use our eyes to understand our world. With a variety of video channels, from YouTube to Vine to Vimeo, there are plenty of opportunities for small businesses to effectively use videos in their marketing mix.

Brand It

Putting content on the web automatically makes it shareable, and who knows where your video will end up?  @CARE Jamie has added small text with her handle to a lot of her Vines ensuring that as her incredibly entertaining videos go viral, her handle and brand does too.

Share It

Of course, just because you post a video on YouTube doesn’t mean you should use that same video to post on Instagram, Vimeo, or Vine. Use these other platforms to share highlights and tell people where they can find the full length video in the video title or notes. This cross-channel promotion is a great way to bring followers from one channel, like Instagram, to some of your other video channels.

Show It

If you’re a small business that sells products, then video marketing is for you. Showing the cool features of your product and how it works in “real life” is way more powerful than any brilliantly written piece of marketing communication. Don’t forget to include ways for customers to access the video once they’ve purchased the item too, so they can relive the excitement they felt when they first saw the product.

If you sell a service, bring video behind the scenes showing your employees working to solve a problem: a plumber fixing a leaky faucet, your copywriter sharing tips on organizing her day, etc. Just be sure the video is consistent with your company’s brand and voice, and that the video is actually interesting. There’s nothing worse than a video for video’s sake.

Cut it

The biggest problem small businesses often make with video is that they want to add too much to it. Video’s should not be more than two minutes and should be less of a person talking into a camera and more of something happening. If you have longer content, break it up into separate videos to make each one more digestible.

If you find you’re having trouble keeping your audience’s attention, try practicing more on Vine and Instagram to help you get the discipline to tell a story quickly and effectively.

Regardless of your business, there are plenty of opportunities to grow and share your social media marketing through video channels. Find your target audience’s favorite(s) and post regularly.