You know that moment in a movie when a look or a gesture from one of the characters is enough to finally clarify exactly what’s been happening for the last two hours?
That happens because people are visual beings. 90% of information transmitted to our brains is visual, and these visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text. We can be brought to tears or laughter from an image on a birthday card and understand complex situations and concepts within a few mere seconds of a visual demonstration.
Video is therefore fast becoming an essential tool for engaging impatient website traffic and getting across complex information about a business to an agile viewer. But what are the tricks to going beyond just being informative and creating video content which visitors want to watch and want to share?
1. Inform beyond your niche
While there’s obviously value in producing content that articulates the key components of a company product or service, consider going beyond creating a glorified advert.
Consumers don’t actively seek out marketing material. They do, however, seek out information which is entertaining and/or useful, meaning it adds to their understanding of a subject they have an interest in. It is always worth considering offering more than some flashy images of your companies ‘Widget’ product overlaying a catchy soundtrack. Can the widget be used to overcome particularly common problems? If so, show me how? What are the easiest ways to install the widget and can this be visually demonstrated in a step-by-step guide?
For service-based businesses such as accountancy or law firms for example, popular and engaging video content could be produced in the form of informative and insightful ‘how to’ guides on commonly misunderstood industry topics. By creating this kind of content, not only is the business providing useful and shareable resources for website visitors and potential new customers but, at the same time, clearly demonstrating their company’s industry expertise.
2. Don’t be afraid to lift the curtain
People like to deal with people and, in a world proliferated with faceless corporations and digital transactions, video presents a great opportunity to show the real personalities behind the company logo.
Some of the most successful viral videos associated with businesses are those which portray and humanise a brand in a way which was unexpected, humorous or exceptionally powerful. For humorous, see the benchmark – http://www.dollarshaveclub.com – currently having been viewed almost 12 million times and, in the process, driven untold revenue to their mail order razor business.
Other possibilities might include; a tour of the company headquarters, insightful interview with the CEO or members of the team, or alternatively a case study or demonstration of a product being used in the real world.
3. Get over yourself
It’s no secret why, these days, we’re consistently being pestered to review all of our online purchases. As consumers, we like to hear that other people value a product and are far more likely to make a purchase ourselves if it has great, independent reviews.
When it comes to creating video, there are a couple of things to consider. Customer testimonials and interviews can be immensely effective at reassuring those new to your business about the validity and effectiveness of your company’s products or services. Asking individual or business customers you have a good relationship with to provide video testimonials, although potentially awkward, can pay dividends.
Alternatively, why not ask customers or fans to send in videos of themselves using your product. Whether you incentivise the process through offering a prize for the best, most innovative, or most funny content, or you rely on good will alone, this activity can act to extend customer relationships beyond the original sale and potentially provide some marketing gold.
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