Increase customer engagement with video marketing.
Advertisers understood the value of video as soon as the first entertainment and news programs were beamed onto televisions in homes across the country. (Did you know? The world’s first television commercial was a 10-second ad for Bulova watches that aired during a baseball game in 1941.)
Of course, video marketing has evolved quite a bit since then. The internet and social media have made it easier than ever to distribute video content, from slickly-produced short films to quick clips shot on smartphones. Companies have also discovered, however, that video is key to building and maintaining authentic relationships with current and potential customers — not just selling the latest product.
Below, we’ll discuss how to use video to engage customers and why it’s worth it to develop and invest in a multimedia strategy to boost customer engagement.
Why video?
The human brain is wired to process knowledge more effectively and efficiently through visual communication when measured against verbal communication or text. Video is better at capturing and holding the viewer’s attention, getting a message across, and improving retention (remembering what they just saw). In addition, video is a powerful way to convey and stir up emotions.
Plus, quite simply: people love watching videos. One survey found that 85% of all internet users watched videos online in 2018, and the numbers keep growing. In that same survey, respondents said they spent an average of 16 hours watching online videos every week. And 66% of them said they prefer watching videos to reading text.
Video can also improve your brand visibility across more digital platforms. Another study found that internet video traffic accounts for at least 80% of all consumer browsing. More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day, and videos can drive not just web traffic but also customer engagement, conversions, and sales.
Tips & Tricks
There are countless ways to use video to engage customers. The best videos help your audience get to know your business better and to feel a connection to your brand, your products, and your employees. Think:
- A behind-the-scenes peek into how a product is made or how ingredients are sourced
- A private online tour of your facilities
- Stories about company culture or environmental sustainability efforts
- Interviews with employees
- How-to tutorials and creative uses of your product
- New product and service announcements
- Animated explainer videos
Video emails — Merely mentioning the word “video” in an email subject line can increase click-through rates. Email is an excellent platform for sharing video content marketing, and your readers are likely some of your most engaged customers.
Customer testimonials — Satisfied customers are your best storytellers. Record them explaining their unique story and how your business makes their lives better. Depending on your budget, you can ask customers to record and submit their own videos from home or send a video crew into the field for more professional quality results.
Video blogs (vlogs) — Video blogs can be inexpensive and easy to produce. Consider the topics you might type up for a traditional blog but record them via a smartphone or Zoom instead: industry trends, case studies, expert knowledge, or FAQs.
Interactive learning — New technology has made it easier than ever to connect with customers around the world. Consider producing webinars for product launches, sales demos, and even hybrid or entirely virtual conferences and events.
Executive Q&As and presentations — Approachable leaders help tell your story. Host live or pre-taped interviews with company leaders with questions sourced from employees or customers or record a presentation similar to the tone and format of wildly popular TED Talks.
Customer support — Video is a valuable medium for providing customer support, whether you’re offering live face-to-face support via chat platforms or recording and sharing how-to videos and answering frequently asked questions.
Exciting news — Why just talk about your new product or expanded services when you can invite your customers to watch you announce it in real-time on a Facebook or Instagram Live? Of course, live streaming is just one part of a broader marketing strategy when you have something new to share. But it’s also a great way to generate excitement and create more immediate connections with your customers.
Best Practices
For all the impact video can have on customer engagement, it can take more time and budget to produce. Fortunately, a little bit of planning can go a long way. Here are some quick tips for optimizing your video strategy:
- Know your “why” (what’s the purpose and goal of your video communication)
- Know your audience
- Set a budget
- Get the right creative/production team in place (do you have in-house resources, or will you be better off hiring a third-party vendor?)
- Keep it short (the most successful and engaging videos are about two minutes long)
- Optimize for mobile (at least half of all video content is watched on a mobile device)
- Add captions (the majority of Facebook videos are viewed without sound)
EZ Office Products for everything your business needs to operate and engage with customers — even video production equipment! Shop cameras, headsets, media storage, and so much more in our online catalog, or get in touch with our local team at (608) 310-4300 to get started today.