They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Well, a video is worth a thousand pictures. And is also why video marketing is now an important part of every online marketing strategy.
There is a good reason for this. The basic aim of any online marketing venture is to make people convert. To keep them interested enough to sign up, fill your contact form or buy from you.
I think you would agree with that. Why would you spend so much of your time churning out content after content to reach people you barely know?
Video marketing is gaining ground because of how easy it is to consume. It's why a video, provided that its well-made, draws more crowds than, say, an instructional blog.
The proof is in the stats. Recent studies show that 75% of mobile traffic will be video.
In this post, we are going to discuss five video marketing strategies that can help you increase conversions.
1- Engage your audience with interactive video
Customer preferences change on a dime. Trends come and go. And even viral content fizzles out in time. To make audiences stay put, you have to give them something that keeps them interested.
Lately marketers are using interactive video to achieve this. These are videos that allow viewers to take part and change their outcome. It's kind of like how multiple choice games work. You create a changeable storyline in which viewers make different decisions for different outcomes.
In a way, interactive videos provide us with experiences that static content can't. Instead of a passive experience, the medium encourages the person watching to take action. This drives engagement.
For example, consider Mended Little Hearts, a charity for children with congenital heart disease that uses an interactive video to show how donating money can make the lives of the kids who suffer from the disease a little brighter.
2- Keep it short but entertaining
The average attention span of internet users is less than that of a goldfish. It's why we would rather skim through content than read every word of it and move on. Grabbing attention is a matter of showing value immediately. Think of it like a five-minute marketing pitch you need to give investors to sell them your idea.
Video marketing works the same way. You just can't post long videos and expect visitors to view them till the end. If you have any hopes of conversions, your video content must be short. And it must be sweet.
Some social media platforms have made it easier for businesses to do this. Take Facebook's autoplay video feature for example. Videos automatically play as users scroll through their news feeds. Viewers will watch for a few seconds and then move on if your video isn't interesting enough to retain their attention. According to stats, the average retention rate of 90 second videos is 53% while videos over 30 minutes retain only 10%.
3- Don't make it look like a commercial
What do we usually do when a commercial comes on? We switch channels. Commercials may have worked before. But now we have small screens in our pockets; smartphones that give us a plethora of other valuable content that we would rather be watching.
Point is, people have more reasons to "switch the channel" on your video now than ever before. Posting a video on your social media channel? People will probably scroll right through it if all its trying to do is sell.
No one watches an ad voluntarily, unless it offers something that is worth their time. Viewers are likely to engage with your content if they are getting something out of this experience. This "something" can be humor or maybe a value proposition. Something unique that might prompt them to convert.
To illustrate, consider a famous Christmas advert by Heathrow Airport where two grandparents (shown as teddy bears) take a tiring flight to London. During the journey, the airport's staff is there to help them to make this journey comfortable till the couple finally meets their family.
It's a pretty poignant ad. It kind of pulls at your heartstrings, reminds you how thrilling it is when families finally get together during the holidays and how journey is all worth it in the end. Most important of all, it makes you appreciate all that the Heathrow Airport does for travelers.
4- Use lead capture forms right in the video
A trick to capturing leads, is to present your lead capture actions immediately. App developers, for example, often place lead capture forms right on the first page of their websites or landing pages.
So, how do you do this in a video? How can you make people convert not after they watch a video, but in the middle of it?
It's possible with a Turnstile. Some online video platforms offer this feature. With it, you can insert a lead capture form anywhere in your video. It's a great way to gain high quality leads like emails or first and last names which can help you personalize your follow-up emails.
5- Use your products to teach your target audience
People learn better if they are able to visualize the subject matter. It's why visual content, like charts or videos keep students engaged longer than boring lectures.
You can apply the same technique if you want your videos to, not only be watched, but also convert your audience into customers.
Some brands do this pretty well. To illustrate, consider Home Depot which airs instructional videos that teach customers how to use or assemble its products. The brand has thousands of subscribers and around 45 million views in the how-to space. By showcasing its products and teaching people how to use them, Home Depot gives them more reason to convert into paying customers.
Wrapping Up
Video marketing offers huge opportunities for those who know how to use it. To recap, you can get more conversions from your video marketing strategies by getting audiences in on the action with interactive video. Focus on keeping content short but worth a viewer's time. Use lead capture forms right in the video and never underestimate the value of instructional videos.
