Recently the need arose for me to buy a new water heater, and I was reminded of the last time that I replaced a water heater in the mid-90’s. The 90’s were a simpler time and so was the process that I went through to purchase a water heater back then.
The plumber who confirmed my old water heater’s time of death gave me the specifications for a replacement. I drove to Sears, talked to a salesman, and bought the water heater that he suggested. Fast forward twenty-odd years, and I’ve had another water heater pass away in the night. This time the selection process was vastly different.
I quickly found that there are droves of videos detailing a variety of water heater products and services, some by the companies themselves, and some by third parties. Even things as mundane, and infrequently purchased, as water heaters are promoted by video content and viewed on a massive scale. It doesn’t matter what you sell or whether you sell it online or not. The fact that I watched a 4 minute informational video about a water heater that had over 16,000 views is all the proof you need to confirm the importance of video content as a marketing tool.
Exposure
A data analysis study conducted by Cisco Systems postulated that by 2021, 80% of all internet traffic will be videos. Even now in 2019, everyone watches videos online, whether they like it or not. When a YouTube ad can’t be skipped, a deep sigh is shared by you and me both. But advertising is part of the consumer experience. Bus benches, TV commercials, billboards, magazines. They’re everywhere, and unless you avert your gaze, you can’t skip those ads either. Consumer attention is a scarce resource and learning to compete for it will be beneficial for your business. Do so by having fresh and engaging video content that effectively shows your products, their features, and the brand image of your company.
Versatility
The possibilities are endless with video content. Unlike radio or print, you can use the medium to describe and display your product and your brand’s unique personality. Every marketing campaign or idea should be accompanied by video content. It’s too good of an opportunity to waste.
Here a just a few of the avenues you can take with a video content marketing strategy:
- Trying new things? Make a short video going over your new approach or product, or it’s “unboxing.”
- Need to gain credibility with customers? Interview an expert for their testimonial or send a free sample of your product to be reviewed by one of the thousands of YouTubers that make a living doing just that.
- Need to make your brand more human? Create video content from real consumer experience by incentivizing your customers to submit videos of themselves using or talking about your product.
Trust
If your brand is trusted, it is more likely to convert first time seekers into first time buyers. For example, Duracell boasts that it is the #1 trusted battery brand. They also run a massive video marketing campaign with firefighters and paramedics using their batteries because it’s the only one they trust. Your video content doesn’t have to based on telling your customers to trust you, but utilizing video content in the first place can make your brand seem more trustworthy.
Analytics
Having curated video content yields quantifiable results. Every video on YouTube is accompanied by a treasure chest of statistics that you can use to your advantage. Not only can you see how many times your video has been viewed, you can see how many repeat viewers you have, how long they watch your videos, and from what part of the country your videos are being watched. This data can be useful for marketing your business as a whole and also for perfecting content marketing scheme.
Video content for the purpose of marketing is only going to become increasingly woven into the fabric of our online and consumer experiences. We no longer want to be “sold” on something by someone with a clip-on tie. We have all the information necessary to make up our minds on products or services at our fingertips. What video content does is bridge the gap between the salesman and the stuffy list of product specifications we read online. Tailored video content for your business injects the personality back into the online shopping experience that has become all too automated. In a video you can show them what your company is really about, and through analyzing consumer data and feedback, you can see what your customers are really all about.