What is Video Marketing
Video marketing is, in a way, a specific form of content marketing. As such, it is an online marketing technique where a marketer creates original content (in the form of videos) to spread awareness of the promoted product or brand and to improve the online reputation of the marketed business. Although it is a form of content marketing, video marketing in itself involves specific rules, norms, and standards that are unique to this form of online marketing. It also has its own methods of preparation and distribution and boasts a wide array of impressive benefits.
Definition
It can be rather difficult to define video marketing, as it is a wide-ranging technique that has its own complicated aspects. In general, however, this marketing technique can be defined as a method of incorporating videos in the marketing process. More conveniently, it can be described as marketing with the use of videos. No matter how this marketing strategy is defined, though, it can still be easily recognized because of the unique medium it uses, which are videos. In video marketing, there are certain ways to incorporate this medium into a marketing campaign. The videos can be a commercial, an informative clip that subtly endorses the business, a testimonial that builds the business’ reputation, or a short movie that endorses products and services, among other types of videos.
Benefits
Among all possible forms of content, why should a business choose to use videos? The answer is simple, although there are actually several reasons why video marketing is a much more effective technique than the other strategies of its kind. For one, videos are the most consumed media on the Internet. About 70 percent of any business’ audience is more inclined to watch a promotional video than to read an advertisement. This is because videos, unlike written content, are more readily accessible and more easily digestible. This medium also takes less time and less effort in the part of the viewer. This ease of access can translate into better comprehension of the message being delivered, as well as into improved chances of creating loyal customers. The latter is due to the fact that quality videos are more likely to impress the audience and develop their affinity toward the business.
Another benefit of video marketing is that it is highly visual. Majority of consumers prefer visual content, as it has more potential to be entertaining compared to other types of content. Watching is also more convenient and less tedious than reading, so audiences totally prefer videos over text. This observation is all the more applicable to audiences online. On the Internet, most if not all members of any audience have decidedly short attention spans. This is because the Internet has too many places for one user to visit, so everyone tends to get bore quickly. With video marketing, businesses can ensure to at least capture the attention of their target audience.
Video marketing also allows marketers and businesses to experiment on their promotions. Compared the written content, videos are more flexible in terms content and presentation. Essentially, there are no limits as to what kind of video a business can release as part of its marketing campaign. They can go for bizarre clips, informative recorded seminars, funny videos, and any creative outputs that the creators’ imagination can muster.
Another edge of video marketing is its higher chances of going viral. On the Internet, videos are perhaps the most shared medium among most demographics. Once a video is shared by someone popular, there is almost no doubt that it will spread virally. This spread will then translate into higher web traffic for the business and later on, an increase in sale and revenues. Finally, video marketing is an advantageous strategy as search engines such as Google has a strong preference for videos. This is seen in how search engines give websites that regularly publish videos a higher ranking in the search engine results page.
How It Works
Depending on how videos are used for marketing, this technique can work in different ways. As a broad and convenient classification, video marketing can be considered as either “marketing with video” or “marketing a video.” In the former strategy, a business simply uses videos as a tool for direct promotion. In this case, videos are nothing but a supplementary aid in an otherwise traditional marketing campaign. For example, a business can create a video that explains their products or services. This will be an informative piece whose intention is to simply introduce the product or service in the most technical and practical way. It is also considered “marketing with video” when a business uses the medium to create a direct sales pitch, such as that practiced in commercials. Other forms of this classification include recorded webinars, video testimonials from customers, and instructional videos. While video marketing is a relatively new term, it can truly still apply to traditional forms of marketing.
On the other hand, there is “marketing a video.” This classification is more related to content marketing than the alternative, as it shares the qualities of inbound marketing. With this form of video marketing, businesses treat videos as a way to promote their products, services, or brand without making direct sales pitches to the audience. Following the principles of content marketing, this type of marketing allows the potential customers to discover the generated content. This content will then contain hints that will prompt the viewers to visit the promoted website and eventually partake in the business it offers. Compared to the other classification, this one is more useful as a marketing tool because it provides a way for the business to reach out to its audience and to create a lasting impression to them. This is because a video campaign that is anchored on content marketing is typically composed of catchy videos that do not directly advertise a product. Studies and time have shown that a straightforward approach in marketing simply does not work with audiences, as this tends to cause irritation among viewers.