Forget what you think you know about video marketing
The new landscape of content marketing is revolutionizing the way brands interact with consumers. As advertising fatigue deepens, the technical and creative aspects of digital marketing have become more focused, personalised, and time-sensitive. Previous boundaries between brands and consumers are dissolving as the former explore how to turn their campaigns into extraordinary experiences for the consumer.
IF CONTENT IS KING, THEN VIDEO TAKES THE CROWN
There are limitless options when it comes to presenting relevant content to your audiences. Marketing teams should view brand-user interactions both as a means of delivering on experience, and as a way to gain actionable commercial insights. From websites to social media posts to in-store experiences: good content is king, and video takes the crown. According to HubSpot:
- Adding the word ‘video’ in a subject line boosts click-through rates by up to 300%;
- Conversion rates see an 80% increase for landing pages that include video;
- Over 30% of people’s time spent online is dedicated to watching videos
These figures show that it’s time to recalibrate marketing strategies to include videos in a value-added way for consumers. It’s not just a chance to showcase your business or services: video can transform dull interactions such as user instructions and after-sales service into an all-round exciting (and helpful) experience.
B2B marketers take note: it’s estimated that a single minute of video content is worth 1.8 million words – small wonder that around 60% of company decision-makers prefer to watch video content than read an article.
HOW TO MAKE SURE VIDEO WORKS FOR YOU
Marketing is evolving at lightning speed. Long gone are the days of the billboard poster: today’s digital marketers are dealing with a different type of consumer: impatient, sophisticated, and spoiled for choice. As such, marketing teams need to collaborate their skills across branding, creative content, and data analytics, and work closely with business teams to get a real understanding of the content that different types of consumers love, and when is the best time for them to see it.
It’s useful to rethink how organisations view personalization by considering where your audience is within the marketing cycle. Personalisation is a different beast than segmentation. How can you delight your audience across their own personal journey, from discovery to purchase? This is the challenge marketers face when trying to provide a genuinely tailored path for each consumer.
Todays’ technology allows marketers to use video not only to transform the face of their content, but also track consumer behaviour and viewing habits. Next-generation videos are interactive: allowing businesses to collect insights for commercial value while guiding the consumer journey. Companies should take note of video hosting platforms which give them power of customisation: useful for ensuring no disruption to the audience experience (and handy for eliminating distracting third-party advertisements).
These same platforms also enable companies to set up playlists, personalize content, and have more power over directing the consumer journey through embedded calls to action. Data insights provide a schematic view of how different consumer profiles behave: allowing marketers to predict what will work in the future.
Having the right digital tools in place is essential to enable organisations to navigate the complexities of modern marketing and overcome the challenges of segmentation and personalization. It’s not just about creating a great video: it’s also about identifying the most opportune moments in your audiences’ journey and guiding them on the most efficient path towards conversion.
About the Author
Manuela leads the Marketing division at IMS, advising clients on branding and market positioning in both Europe and Asia.
Prior to joining IMS, Manuela worked in financial regulation and compliance. Past experiences include representing France in roundtable discussions in Brussels for the European Venture Capital Fund (EuVECA) Regulation.
She obtained her LL.B (Hons) at UCL before graduating from Sciences-Po, Paris, with a Master’s in Financial Regulation.
Connect with Manuela Burki on LinkedIn
